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Double machine drives extra-inning comeback win
O's score nine in a row to come back from a six-run deficit
MINNEAPOLIS -- You want a rally? The Orioles, kings of the close games, proved Friday night they can do that, too.
Down six runs heading into the top of the sixth inning, Baltimore roared back to force extras and scored nine unanswered runs to complete their largest comeback of the year, a 9-6, 10-inning win over Minnesota.
"It's not a club that panics," manager Buck Showalter said of his team, which rallied back from a six-run deficit for the first time since June 25, 2010. "It's a mature group, even though it's the youngest team in our division. They stay within each other and do what they do. Guys don't try to hit five-run home runs. Just got a lot of people who strung a lot of good at-bats together and kept grinding it out."
Buoyed by seven doubles, six of which came in the seventh and eighth innings, the Orioles had seven players with multihit games for the first time since May 10, 2011. The offense barrage, coupled with some stout relief pitching -- highlighted by Jim Johnson's record-setting 35th consecutive regular-season save -- was plenty to cover up a short start from right-hander Jason Hammel, improving the O's to 22-14 this season.
"This was so casual, nonchalant, like, 'OK, 6-0. We are going to come back,'" outfielder Chris Dickerson said. "Very rarely do you ever experience that where you knew that the team knew we were going to come back and win. It was amazing.
"I don't think anybody had a doubt as to us coming back and making up that deficit, and that showed."
The bullpen brilliance -- which turned in six scoreless innings -- gave the offense some time to work and, after scoring six runs to force extras, Dickerson opened the 10th with a single off reliever Anthony Swarzak. He later scored on Manny Machado's RBI single, and Nick Markakis added a sacrifice fly to pad the lead. Adam Jones followed with a single to score Machado and give the Orioles their final tally on an 18-hit evening.
"We've got guys that are swinging the bat well, but it's going to be fun when we get guys on the same sync," said reliever Tommy Hunter, who turned in 2 1/3 innings to run his scoreless streak to 14 2/3. "It's going to be really fun to watch. That's the relievers' job, to keep them in it until the end."
And they've done it in impressive fashion so far. Following a 2012 season in which the relief corps led the way, the Orioles bullpen is showing no signs of slowing down. Hunter retired all seven batters he faced after T.J. McFarland -- who replaced Hammel -- tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
A Rule 5 Draft pick, McFarland allowed an inherited run to score but held firm after that in an impressive 39-pitch outing. The five strong frames set it up for Johnson to record his 14th save this season and top Randy Myers' record, set in 1997.
"I wasn't thinking about it, obviously," Johnson said. "I was just thinking about watching us chip away. I thought it was a great team win. Everybody kind of chipped in. … Good effort out of the bullpen, guys had great at-bats and we ended up pulling it out."
Down three, the O's tied it in the seventh as Nate McLouth got things started with a double off Twins reliever Josh Roenicke. He scored off Machado's bunt single to Trevor Plouffe and the ensuing throwing error, and Markakis' left-field single -- putting him on base for the third time -- scored another run before Chris Davis' second RBI double made it 6-6.
"You have to remember the offense over there, too," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That's a heck of a baseball team over there. They can run some hitters up there at you and ambush you. They got some clutch hits and that's kind of what they're known for."
The Orioles had no answer for Twins righty Mike Pelfrey through five innings, but they were able to plate a trio of runs in the sixth and force his exit after 104 pitches. The O's scored their first run on Davis' RBI double off the right-field scoreboard, which tipped off outfielder Oswaldo Arcia's glove to plate Markakis. Markakis smacked the first of four two-baggers for Baltimore to start things off -- J.J. Hardy and Dickerson also doubled in the inning -- to cut a six-run deficit in half.
"You know, I can't be too ticked, that's a pretty big hook unscrewed tonight," Hammel said of watching the offense bail him out after one of his worst performances since being traded to Baltimore last winter.
"It's been a grind from the get-go, honestly. Really not much to say about myself. The way the team battled back after I put them in a deep hole; the bullpen to come in and hold it strong there. And then, like I said last week, you stick around long enough, these guys are going to put up some runs. I mean, nine runs in four innings from these guys, that's impressive."
The 29-year-old Hammel allowed six earned runs and lasted four-plus innings, ballooning his ERA to 4.93 in eight starts this season. The Orioles' Opening Day starter, Hammel hasn't been able to regain the form that got him off to a hot start last year and put him on the American League All-Star Final Vote ballot.
"He's getting out of his delivery a little bit," Showalter said. "[Pitching coach Rick Adair] was talking about his work day and warming up before the game as good as you'd want to see any guy warm up, but sometimes the emotions when you get out in a game kind of work against you."
After allowing a first-inning run, Hammel loaded the bases in the second on a walk and a pair of singles from bottom-of-the-order batters Arcia and Aaron Hicks. Hammel struck out Eduardo Escobar and Jamey Carroll, giving him a chance to get out of the frame unscathed, but Joe Mauer had other ideas and delivered a two-run single to push the lead to three. Hammel allowed another run in the fourth and exited the 87-pitch outing in favor of McFarland after Plouffe's double.
"Obviously it's frustrating because I haven't been the Jason Hammel that I know that I can be," Hammel said. "It's tough to keep going out there and really, it's not like I'm ... it's just all those battles. Just battle, battle, battle. Sooner or later it'll become easy, I've just got to keep putting in the hard work and trusting, and being confident in what I do."
Brittany Ghiroli is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Britt's Bird Watch, and follow her on Twitter @britt_ghiroli. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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At 9:54 p.m., the Baltimore County Fire Department responded to a BGE substation fire in the 900 block of Cromwell Bridge Road in Loch Raven. When units arrived on the scene, they observed flames at the location and were able to determine that everyone was out.
The fire did cause some disruptions to the power in the central Towson area.
There were no report of injuries during this incident.
There were 20 pieces of Fire Department equipment dispatched to the incident.

subset: commoncrawl


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Originally written on Larry Brown Sports | Last updated 10/11/14
Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods appear to be enjoying their relationship and doing a great job of ignoring what gossip magazines and tabloids are saying about them. That does not mean they will ever get past the dating phase. During a recent interview with Vogue magazine, Vonn talked about how she made a mistake by [...]
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Flights more crowded - but losses continueTony Webber
Published: February 4 2013 - 12:43PM
Have you noticed that international flights have become more crowded lately?
The airline metric that describes the extent of this crowding is the seat factor, defined as the percentage of seats on the plane that are occupied. For all international flights operated into and out of Australia, the seat factor has grown from just 66 per cent in 1991 to 77 per cent in 2012.
Making money
The rapid growth in seat factors and congestion on planes has generated at least two major problems for airlines.
The first is that jamming more people onto the plane generates a less desirable travel experience. Waiting time for entry onto and exit from the aircraft, toilets and delivery of meals all increase when seat factors are high. There is also more noise in the cabin and more congestion in the common areas around exits, toilets and at the back of the plane.
The second and more serious problem is that despite the growth in seat factors, international airlines continue to experience below-target returns. This is a conundrum that has baffled airline executives and other aviation analysts for years because they believe that high seat factors reflect strong demand, which is correlated with favourable returns.
The flaw in their logic can be evidenced through four considerations – the breakeven seat factor, the failure of sophisticated yield management systems during economic downturns, preoccupation with market share, and the misalignment of the objectives of airline departments that decide on capacity and yield management.
Breakeven seats
The breakeven seat factor is a tool used by airline management to determine the number of seat sales that are needed to reach a profit target. If calculated properly it's an exceptionally useful tool.
In fact, it's not only a useful tool for airline businesses but other businesses that must decide on how much of their fixed capacity to utilise. How many rooms should be occupied at a hotel? How many seats should be filled at a cinema? Should football stadiums and rock concerts target a sell-out? And should restaurateurs try to fill all their tables?
The biggest problem airlines encounter when using breakeven seat factors is in the context of an increase in unit variable costs. Breakeven modelling tells them to raise the seat factor in response to higher cost, which is precisely what they have done for more than a decade. What they should be doing to recover higher costs, however, is the opposite – increase the price and reduce the seat factor.
If the seat factor falls too far in response to higher average fares, which is often the case when the economy is weak and consumers are shopping around for bargains, the airline should reduce capacity. To do this, the department responsible for managing yields should talk to the department responsible for managing capacity and together hatch a plan.
Capacity communication
Often this is difficult to do because the objective of the capacity (or network planning) department is not aligned with that of yield management. The capacity people are trying to target a share of the market, maximise network coverage and offer high frequency at the peak at major airports – or all of the above.
Targeting a share of capacity or seats in the market, however, makes it almost impossible for the yield management area to optimally alter prices and seat factors in response to adverse movements in cost and underlying demand.
To illustrate, suppose that an airline's competitors grow their capacity at twice the long-run average pace (about 5 per cent) in an environment in which costs are rising rapidly. The capacity department of the airline says that the airline must match this capacity increase to preserve its market share.
In a world in which supply is growing at twice the long-run average, however, it is usually impossible for airline yield management analysts to raise prices to recover higher costs because the excess supply in the market drives the price down, not up.
The economy
Yield and revenue management systems of airlines generally try and predict, before the departure date, what demand will be in each fare class at the point of departure.
If the yield management system under-predicts demand, then the system will tell the yield management analysts to leave the cheap seats open for too long prior to departure, resulting in a depressed average yield. There is no doubt in my view that yield management systems have been under-predicting demand since the global financial crisis.
Variation in an airline's demand through time depends on two critical forces – the state of the economy and the capacity decisions of competitors. Neither force is incorporated effectively into the mathematical algorithms that drive yield management systems so it is not surprising that the demand forecasts of these systems go astray from time to time.
It is for this reason that airlines need good macro and micro economists to provide advice for the good of the airline (as opposed to non-airline economists who provide advice to airlines for the good of their employer). Only one of the domestic airline groups in Australia currently has an in-house economist.Tony Webber was Qantas Group chief economist between 2004 and 2011. He is now managing director of Webber Quantitative Consulting and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Business School.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/business/flights-more-crowded--but-losses-continue-20130204-2dto5.html


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Progress in technology has brought microelectronics to the nanoscale, but nanoelectronics is not yet a well-defined engineering discipline with a coherent, experimentally verified, theoretical framework. The NCN has a vision for a new, 'bottom-up' approach to electronics, which involves: understanding electronic conduction at the atomistic level; formulating new simulation techniques; developing a new generation of software tools; and bringing this new understanding and perspective into the classroom. We address problems in atomistic phenomena, quantum transport, percolative transport in inhomogeneous media, reliability, and the connection of nanoelectronics to new problems such as biology, medicine, and energy. We work closely with experimentalists to understand nanoscale phenomena and to explore new device concepts. In the course of this work, we produce open source software tools and educational resources that we share with the community through the nanoHUB.
This page is a starting point for nanoHUB users interested in nanoelectronics. It lists key resources developed by the NCN Nanoelectronics team. The nanoHUB contains many more resources for nanoelectronics, and they can be located with the nanoHUB search function. To find all nanoelectronics resources, search for 'nanoelectronics.' To find those contributed by the NCN nanoelectronics team, search for 'NCNnanoelectronics.'
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ECE 695A Lecture 15: Off-state HCI Degradation
19 Feb 2013 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Muhammad Alam
ON vs. OFF State HCI Degradation
Origin of hot carriers at off-state
SiH vs. SiO – who is getting broken? Voltage acceleration factors by scaling
ECE 695A Lecture 16: Temperature Dependence of HCI
Empirical observations regarding HCI
Theory of bond dissociation: MVE vs. RRK
Hot carrier dissociation of SiH bonds
Hot carrier dissociation of SiO bonds
ECE 695A Lecture 13: Introductory Lecture on HCI Degradation
Background and features of HCI Degradation
Phenomenological observations
Origin of Hot carriers
Theory of Si-H Bond Dissociation
Theory of Si-O Bond...
ECE 695A Lecture 13R: Review Questions
Review Questions:
Both SiH and SiO are involved in HCI degradation. Give two evidences.
Why doesn't HCI occur during NBTI stress condition?
I suggested that HCI curve can shifted...
ECE 695A Lecture 5R: Review Questions
12 Feb 2013 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Muhammad Alam
Review Questions:
What is the difference between coordination and composition?
Is periodicity essential for a defect-free structure?
Why can't the amorphous material have arbitrary ring...
ECE 695A Lecture 11R: Review Questions
08 Feb 2013 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Muhammad Alam
Review Questions:
Does Einstein relationship hold for activated diffusion?
People argue that the forward dissociation and reverse passivation have similar activation barriers. Would you...
ECE 695A Lecture 10A: Appendix - Reflection on R-D Equation
ECE 695A Lecture 12: Field Dependence of NBTI
Background: Field dependent degradation
Components of field-dependent dissociation:
Interpreting experiments
Voltage acceleration factors
ECE 695A Lecture 12R: Review Questions
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Explain the difference between local field and global field within an oxide.
Explain physically why electric field decreases bond strength.
How does the dissociation...
ECE 695A Lecture 9R: Review Questions
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Does NBTI power-exponent depend on voltage or temperature?
Do you expect the NBTI power-exponent to be larger or smaller if trapping is important?
How does one know that...
ECE 695A Lecture 11: Temperature Dependence of NBTI
07 Feb 2013 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Muhammad Alam
Review: Temperature activation & NBTI
Temperature dependent forward/reverse rates
Temperature dependence of diffusion coefficient
Material dependence of activation...
ECE 695A Lecture 10: NBTI Time Dependence -- Frequency and Duty Cycle Dependencies
06 Feb 2013 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Muhammad Alam
NBTI stress and relaxation by R-D model
Frequency independence and lifetime projection
Duty cycle dependence
The magic of measurement
ECE 695A Lecture 9: NBTI Time Dependence -- Stress Phase
Background: Time-dependent degradation
The Reaction-Diffusion model
Approximate solution to R-D model in stress phase
Degradation free transistors
ECE 695A Lecture 6: Defects in the Bulk and at Interfaces
01 Feb 2013 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Muhammad Alam
Strain in materials/origin of defects
Examples: bulk defects
Examples: interface defects
ECE 695A Lecture 8: Phenomenological Observations for NBTI
Qualitative observations
Time, voltage, temperature dependencies
Material dependence
Circuit implications
ECE 695A Lecture 8R: Review Questions
What is the distinction between BTI and NBTI phenomena?
What does it mean that a process is thermally activated?
What is the difference between parametric failure and catastrophic failure?...
ECE 695A Lecture 5: Amorphous Material/Interfaces
29 Jan 2013 | Online Presentations | Contributor(s): Muhammad Alam
Amorphous vs. crystalline materials
Defect-free amorphous material
Origin of defects (Maxwell's relation)
ECE 695A Lecture 7: Trapping in Pre-existing Traps
Pre-existing vs. stress-induced traps
Voltage-shift in pre-existing bulk/interface traps
Random Telegraph Noise, 1/f noise
ECE 695A Lecture 7A: Appendix - Theory of Stochastic Distribution
Supplemental information for Lecture 7: Trapping in Pre-existing Traps
ECE 695A Lecture 7R: Review Questions
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Why are there more types of defects in crystals than in amorphous material?
From the perspective of Maxwell's relation, how does H reduce defect density?
Why is HfO2 so...


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Issue 107: CMSD Board unveils four-year strategic plan
CLEVELAND -- Tuesday night, at the first meeting of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education following the Nov. 6 election and the passage of Issue 107, the board took action to return 50 minutes to the school day, setting in motion three immediate goals for CMSD:
To restore the full school day in all K-8 schools
To increase exposure to art, music and physical education in as many schools as possible
To add reading, mathematics and science intervention where determined.
Effective Jan. 22, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District will restore the full school day for students in all K-8 schools.
CEO Eric Gordon told Board members at the Dec. 4 board meeting the district's ability to add 50 minutes to the school day in January was due to passage of the Nov. 6 levy.
Gordon also presented the board with the promised framework for how the district will move forward with implementing the Cleveland Plan.
The 33-page document, titled "The Cleveland Plan: Four-Year Implementation Strategy," is posted on the district's website and was distributed at the meeting.
Read: The Cleveland Plan: Four-Year Implementation Strategy
In the coming weeks, CEO Eric Gordon said the draft will be distributed throughout the community to solicit input and feedback.
"This document will drive our transformation work going forward, and when it's complete, will be a tool for holding us accountable for results," he said.
"I cannot stress enough how important community feedback and input will be as we refine the document that will guide this important work."
Over the next six weeks, the CEO said CMSD will aggressively engage in the gathering input throughout the community and will revise the strategies in the plan based on the feedback received.
The final version is expected to be presented to the board for adoption in mid- to late-January.
"This year, our staff, our community leaders and our partner stakeholders joined forces to create the conditions we need to put our schools on a path of excellence, and it will take the same level of engagement to turn the Cleveland Plan vision into reality," the CEO told the board.
Board Chair Denise Link joined the CEO in strongly encouraging citizens to take the time to review District progress to date and to share Four-Year Strategic Plan document with others to solicit a broad range of ideas.
"The community has a unique opportunity to play a significant role in directing their investment dollars and in monitoring district progress," said Link.
"We are counting on citizens to work together to ensure the plan truly represents the common vision and goals of the community."
Passage of Issue 107, a four-year, 15-mill operating levy, was Cleveland's first vote of confidence in its public schools in 16 years.
Gordon told the board that approximately $6.8 million tax dollars would be used to restore the lost instructional time, a 50-minute cut to the start and end of the school day that was a priority issue for many families.
This week, new start and end times for K-8 schools will be posted on the District website and distributed through numerous communication channels.
During the month of December, the district will focus on rescheduling students, staffing additional classes, re-routing bus transportation, adjusting breakfast and lunch serving times and informing families of upcoming changes, the CEO said.
In early January, the district will engage in practice runs of the new transportation routes and will inform families of the finalized transportation schedule.
Restoration of the full school day will take effect on Jan. 22, when students return to school from the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
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Getting most guys to the doctor's office is a task that not even Hercules would accept (he is also a guy.) This goes double when it is for something uncomfortable or embarrassing. How many times have you promised someone in your life you would finally go in and get surgically sterilized, only to back out at the last minute because you were hungry for pizza? That many times? Then this is the clinic for you.
The Urology Associates of Cape Cod, Massachusetts has taken part in a rather, um, unique special offer. From now until April 6th, if you go in for a vasectomy, you'll walk out without the ability to conceive but with the ability to consume massive amounts of pizza. That's right. They are giving away pizzas with every vasectomy. The whole thing is ostensibly a March Madness promotion, although they might be taking the tournament's name a little too literally.
The clinic says that business is banging. So far over thirty guys have eagerly given up their ability to reproduce in order to shove free pizzas in their mouth. Not bad! Now what can we give up to get a free plate of nachos?


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Recent News & Awards• Dec 2014: Awarded a DARPA grant to study complexity analysis NEW
• Oct 2014: Giving a talk at IBM PL Day
• Aug 2014: Conference Chair of LICS 2016, to be held in New York!
• July 2014: Talk at CSL/LICS 2014
• June 2014: Awarded a grant from NSF to work on concurrent languages and verification
• June 2014: Visiting Microsoft Research, visiting University College London, and attending PLDI
• May 2014: Awarded a grant (URCF) from the NYU Office of the Provost NEW
• Mar 2014: Our paper was accepted to CSL/LICS 2014. NEW
• Mar 2014: Visiting Yale University
• Mar 2014: ICALP 2015 program committee NEW
• Mar 2014: Visiting Rice University
• Feb 2014: Talk at Cornell Systems Lunch
• Feb 2014: Our paper was accepted to PLDI'14.
• May 2013: Our paper accepted to OOPSLA'13
• Feb 2013: Our paper accepted to PLDI'13
• Feb 2013: Seminar at Queen Mary
• Jan 2013: Analysis&Logics chair at POPL
• Dec 2012: Our paper accepted to TACAS'13
• Sep 2012: PC meeting for POPL in Paris
Research Summary
My research is centered around devising mathematical techniques that aid the development of safe concurrent software, and applying those techniques to realistic computer systems. I investigate how to improve the way programmers create efficient software and ensure that these programs behave correctly. To this end, I have made advances along a spectrum of fields, ranging from systems/concurrency, to foundational results in formal methods.
Selected Research Topics:
Funding Awards
Invited Talks


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Historic City Files
Historic > Select States
Please select the states from which you would like to view data. You can select multiple states by holding the shift key to select a range, or the ctrl key to select individual states.
Can't find what you're looking for at the Scholars' Lab? Try these other labs and groups around Grounds:
Rare Materials Digital Services


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There have been a lot of violent moves in individual stocks in the last two weeks. This is something that is rather unusual in a market that has essentially been in a trading range for nearly a month.
On Jan. 25 the S&P closed at 1502. On Friday of this past week it closed at 1515. In a one-month timeframe we have essentially done a lot of up and down and not made much progress.
Yet, let's look at a chart of International Paper (IP). This chart is through last Wednesday's close. For nearly a month IP was like the S&P, milling around in a trading range, unable to make new highs (it's stocks like these where those lagging new-high statistics show up). On Wednesday, it crashed down through the short-term uptrend line and took out the low of late January. The stock was down almost 5% in one day.
Now look at what transpired on Thursday and Friday, keeping in mind that Thursday was a down day in the market. It made a lower low and surged on Thursday and continued that surging on Friday, up about 7% from Thursday morning to Friday's close, finally making a new high. This is not some thinly-traded small-cap stock, folks.
And it is not just the moves on stocks that go down and then go back up. Look at this chart of Schlumberger (SLB) through Feb. 14. Isn't that a textbook breakout? Look at how SLB had that same flag-pole-type move up and out of its base in mid-January when it went to $76 from 73. That period of choppiness in the S&P looked like a standard consolidation/flag on the chart, so when it surged on Feb. 14, it was doing exactly what it was supposed to do, chart-wise.
But now look at what SLB did in the week following that breakout. It not only slumped, it gave it all back and more and was barely able to recover during Friday's rally.
These are just two examples, but my pile of charts has plenty others I could have chosen that had similar moves. Is it any wonder the individual investor has no interest in trading individual stocks with these types of violent moves?
In the meantime, the rally on Friday did not change any of the indicators or statistics. For example, breadth using the advance/decline line was terrific and right in line with the 1% rally in the S&P. If we do the same exercise using up volume and down volume we get a totally different story.
Adding up Thursday and Friday, we'd get the S&P up a bit more than three-and-a-half points. We get the advance/decline line positive by about 350 issues. If we use NYSE floor volume it was dead even. If we use NYSE Composite volume it was negative for those two days by about 100 million shares. Those sorts of statistics don't improve the indicators. So, I remain in the correction camp.


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On November 14, 1970, the airplane transporting the football team of Marshall University back to Huntington, WV following a game at East Carolina crashed, killing all 75 people aboard. The Marshall players and coaches, the flight crew, and many prominent members of the Huntington community all perished.
The following year, Marshall fielded another football team, primarily made up of freshmen and the previous season's freshman squad. In their first home game of the season, Marshall scored a touchdown on the final play of the game to defeat Xavier, 15-13.
Filming is presently ongoing in Huntington upon the film "We Are Marshall," telling the story of the crash and its aftermath, climaxing in the dramatic victory over Xavier. Matthew McConaughey will portray Jack Lengyel, who coached The Young Thundering Herd in that first season following the crash. Matthew Fox will play Red Dawson, an assistant coach on both the 1970 and 1971 teams (he missed the flight on 11/14/70). David Strathairn will play the MU president.
The filming of this movie has been quite the event here. 8 days ago I was in a meeting with my partners when one of their wives phoned to excitedly tell him that she had commented to another patron of "Starbucks" that he had a nice dog, as he was leaving the coffee shop. Only after the patron had left did she realize she had been talking to McConaughey.
One of our legal assistants has vowed that she is skipping work this Tuesday so that she can be in a crowd scene filmed in Huntington for the film. She's crazy about McConaughey. When told that McConaughey reportedly has a relationship with Penelope Cruz, she dismissed Cruz as the "flavor of the month," causing someone else to note that while that might be true, our legal assistant would gladly be "chocolate" for McConaughey.
Jack Lengyel himself had a good line. He noted that McConaughey had been voted the "sexiest man alive" and said that the makeup crew would therefore really have its work cut out for itself making McConaughey look like Lengyel.
Filming has been taking place for the last ten days or so around Marshall and Huntington. The film is scheduled for release later this year.


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Hi everyone!
So for a chunk of this year, we've been doing these monthly photo challenges.
Thanks for taking part, and we enjoyed seeing all of your amazing creations. We'd noticed though, that the responses have been drying up in our latest challenges. Our "Electronic Junk" challenge, for example, only got two replies, and both by Sitepoint staff.
Please help us to understand how we can make future challenges more appealing to you. We loved the tonnes of entries we'd gotten a few years aback in our "Grand Holiday Challenge" and we'd love to bring back some of that magic, give out some cool prizes and books, and heck just see all of your interesting takes on the topics!
Respond to the poll or please leave a comment. Be honest. Let us know what you want, what you like and what you don't really like!
Thanks guys!
For me, it's about ideas, time and opportunity. When I've already got a photo that meets the description, I'll submit it. But otherwise, it's often a struggle to think of something suitably imaginative and then go and capture it. Plus of course all the times when I forget and procrastinate and then find it's too late.
For me it's a bit what Stevie says, but also because lately the subjects have become a bit too specific. I have eletronics in my life, but honestly any junk gets thrown away, so I had nothing to take a picture of. And the last was "dogs" ? We don't have a dog. So if the topic had been "pets" I could've participated.
I'm quite sure that a "holiday season" challenge will give you more results
I fully agree there. I was actually away for the last one, but I wouldn't have been able to participate, as it was just too restrictive. I'd have struggled with "dogs", too. Personally, I love the photo challenge thread - both the challenge of participating, and the interest in seeing other members' photos. There have been plenty of suggestions for themes made in the Photo Challenge Ideas thread, so there still seems to be a good level of support around for it.
I have problems finding subjects as well but sometimes you have to do a bit of lateral thinking like Shaun(OfTheDead) did with the dogs thread.
Early morning was a tough one for me as I hate getting up early and still would have had a problem finding a subject.
Perhaps there should be a note about the subject being flexible?e.g. Dogs - real dogs - toy dogs - dog rose ( which I intended to do but could not find a nice one ).
One of the other popular threads on a photo forum I belong to is letters; anything associated with a letter.e.g. A = Aardvark, apple, autum, ant. This can cover anything from macro to landscape.It also means people can prepare as they know when the letters are coming up unless you randomise the order.
Interesting. So why is it sometimes a struggle to think of something? Honestly, the reason why the topics had become more specific was because we thought the vagueness from before made it too hard.
What if in the announcement thread, we added some suggestions in the future? Would that take all the challenge away, or would it help, you think?
aha! Fair enough.
So it needs to be more open-ended, you think. So not vague, but not too specific.
I know, it seems so hopeful.
Interesting idea.
One of the ideas we were kicking around (being a Mentor, you may have seen) was changing up the format of the photo challenges throughout the year. So we do a "What is it?" one month, a regular challenge the next month, maybe try this alphabet idea the following month, and so on. Perhaps, not to be exactly the same, it could be a colour; Anything a certain colour.
Keep the responses and the votes coming, everyone!
It's too hard to think of something interesting and worthwhile, and to find the opportunity to take a photo of it (bearing in mind that the camera on my phone is rubbish but I don't carry my decent camera most of the time). Because I'm a bit of a perfectionist, if I was specifically taking a photo for the competition (rather than just submitting one that I happened to have lying around) I would want it to be a really good one, in terms of imagination or composition. And my imagination and talents don't always live up to my aspirations!
I would say time, topic, and the prize. A person will always come up with a good idea and will always make time if the photo contest offers a prize that will interest him/her.
I think I'll agree to some of the comments that the subjects are too specific. Perhaps we could use a 1 worded theme. For example: Textures or Shapes. Let's just include some caption to make it more closer to the theme.
Thanks, that makes sense.
Hi Shaun(OfTheDead),
If I'm looking in a somewhat larger scale, I see this.
The PollIn the Poll items I'm missing some important questions/reasons:
□ - I'm not a professional photographer, so I think I never make a chance to win.□ - I don't see an easy prefab form to send my pics, and I don't see clearly all the challenge rules (about size in px and filesize, format png/jpg/gif or also others?; that kind of things.□ - I see other things/colors than in the "How to upload images and other resources with your post" FAQ: seems not up to date.□ - I don't know if I can post a pic just as guest, for I'm not a SP-member.□ - I'm too busy-busy-busy with other things (visiting the SP-forum for website developing things) - don't even have time to see the topics.□ - I don't know there are Photo Challenges on SitePoint >>> these folks don't react in the Poll.
Photography interestIf I look at what's going on at this moment:

293 Viewing section Community Center (News & Announcements ... Forum Support & Feedback)
107 Viewing section Content (other then Photography & AV)
1422 Viewing section Design Your Site (Getting Started With Web Design ... Accessibility & Usability)
2304 Viewing section Program Your Site (PHP ... Web Security)
261 Viewing section Host Your Site (Web Hosting ... Server Configuration)
426 Viewing section Manage Your Site (Internet Marketing ... Scripts & Online Services)
4813 Viewing other things
11 Viewing subforum Photography & AV
4824 Visitors in total (of which is 2% member, and 98% guest)
I don't know if the visitor amounts above are representative, it's just a sample of this moment. The server logs could say more about that.It seems there is not much interest in the Photo subforum, maybe that was more in the past (server logs again).Explanation if the trend is downwards: why? No idea. Perhaps active Photo people go more to specialized Photo-forums these days?
Maybe the server logs can give also a clue why the amount of views of the Challenge topics is so huge: who are the visitors (members or guests), how did they arrive in these topics (external arrived, from where? or by internal referrer?).
BTW, I expected not to be surprised by an enormous amount of Poll voters. In line with the poor amount of photo's / P&AV-visitors I expected not more as a handful. Indeed: 8 voters ...
Yeah, I posted that just a few months ago, but dang it all, then we had a forum upgrade. The buttons and functionality are the same except for the color. But do I really feel like redoing all those images? Not really ...
Not really ...
Of course.
(See flag post)
Thanks Francky. You have lots of energy!
Wow, Francky. That was thorough!
Yeap, I've noticed the large number of views with very few posts as well. But I hadn't seen how unpopular this subforum was overall.
That was a really good suggestion about going after the Graphics and Design people as well. Making note.
Thank you!
Hi Shaun,If you want to follow the interest trend, you can have a quick look every now & then in the forum main page.At this moment:
So it seems the two biggest issues are our topics and our participants' lack of Time.
That lack of Time challenge is one I know personally, and I know it's a tricky one!
Any suggestions anyone, of how we could make it easier or more accommodating for you?
Perhaps at the end of the intro post for each month's challenge, give a heads-up on what the following month's challenge will be. That would give folk an extra month for thinking/finding subject matter, but would also keep up interest and momentum in the forum by having a challenge every month, rather than every two months. It would also mean that if somebody doesn't like or feels they can't contribute to the current challenge, they have a second subject to think about.
The only drawback I can see is in ensuring next months photos stay out of this month's thread.


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Akon goes nuts
Akon performed at Zen nightclub in Port of Spain last Thursday and managed to con some girls into dancing on stage by telling them they were entering a contest to win a trip to Africa. And somehow that little ruse turned into the above video of him dry humping a 14-year-old girl on stage. I'm just glad he kept it tasteful, because there's so many ways this could've come off poorly.
Thanks to everybody that sent this in.


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John Thomas Winsett
Tom Winsett
Date and Place of Birth: November 24, 1909 McKenzie, Tennessee
Date and Place of Death: July 20, 1987 Memphis, Tennessee
Baseball Experience: Major League
Position: Outfield
Rank: First Lieutenant
Military Unit: US Army Air Force
Area Served: Pacific Theater of Operations
Tom Winsett on the cover of LIFE magazine April 25, 1938
John T "Tom" Winsett was born on November 24, 1909 in McKenzie,Tennessee. Winsett attended Bethel College in McKenzie before signing a professional contract in 1929. He played 78 games with the Mobile Bears of the Southern Association and batted .346 with 7 home runs.
Winsett joined the Boston Red Sox the following year and made his major league debut on April 20, 1930, appearing in one game as a inch hitter before returning to Mobile for the remainder of the season. He was back with the Red Sox in 1931 but batted just .197 in 64 games and joined the Buffalo Bisons of the International League in 1932.
Winsett batted .351 with Buffalo that year and hit .283 withMontreal of the International League in 1933. He joined the St Louis Cardinals' organization in 1934 playing with the Rochester Red Wings of the International League that year and the Columbus Senators of the American Association in 1935. Still with Columbus in 1936, Winsett was traded by the Cardinals to the Brooklyn Dodgers in August and he played 22 games with the National League before the season concluded.
The following year – 1937 – was to be Winsett's only season as a regular in the majors. He played 118 games with the Dodgers and batted .237. He played for Jersey City of the International League in 1938 and was back in the Cardinals' organization the following year with stops at Columbus, Sacramento, Houston, Rochester and New Orleans.Tom Winsett (center) with Jim Bivin and Cal Dorsett in the Pacific The 7th AAF Fliers in Hawaii. (Tom Winsett is middle row, far right. Joe DiMaggio is back row, third left)
Winsett entered military service with the Army Air Force towards the end of the 1942 season and was stationed at St Petersburg Air Base in Florida as an athletic officer in 1943. Lieutenant Winsett quickly organized two baseball leagues and utilized the New York Yankees' spring home - Huggins Field – for their games. Players available to Winsett in 1943 included Burgess Whitehead of the New York Giants, Manny Perez of the Pacific Coast League Hollywood Stars, Clayton Lambert, who would pitch for the Reds after the war and pitcher Ben Wade, who would make his major league debut with the Cubs in 1948.
In 1944, First Lieutenant Winsett was assigned to Hickam Field, Hawaii, where he managed the 7th Army Air Force ball team and also the Army team in the 1944 Service World Series.
Winsett – 36 when he returned from military service at the end of 1945 – did not return to baseball. He passed away on July 20, 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee.


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AN ACCLAIMED TV producer, author and naturalist will be attending a conference in Taunton to reconnect children and young people with nature.
Stephen Moss is the keynote speaker at the Somerset Wildlife Trust conference taking place during the Trust's 50th Anniversary year to encourage local people to 'Love Somerset, Love nature'.
The conference, set up in response to the Project Wild Thing, a national movement to get more children outside and reconnecting with nature, is aimed at anyone working with children or young people and will explore why getting outdoors is so important.
Stephen, who is also President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust, said: "We want children in Somerset to fall in love with nature. We believe that taking children outside to learn is vitally important to fostering a real and relevant connection to their environment."
The Trust provides curriculum linked, outdoor learning opportunities for primary and secondary schools exploring woodland, meadow and wetland habitats on its nature reserves.
It also holds free events for families at its Wildlife Watch Clubs, with activities including natural arts and crafts and foraging and campfire cooking.
The event takes place at Bishop Fox's School, Taunton, on Thursday May 15, and includes a screening of the engaging film, Project Wild Thing.
To book your place in the conference before Friday (May 9), visit firstname.lastname@example.com or call 01823-652400


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cramers rule video, dependent systems video, equations video, linear algebra video, systems video.
Cramers rule in two variables dependent system video involves cramers rule, dependent systems, equations, linear algebra, systems. The video tutorial is recommended for 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, and/or 12th Grade Math students studying Algebra, Pre-Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and/or Advanced Algebra.


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Boehner: No Progress In Fiscal Cliff Talks[VIDEO]
House Speaker John Boehner says there's been no progress in negotiations on how to avoid the fiscal cliff of tax hikes and spending cuts and called on President Barack Obama to come up with a new offer.
Boehner told reporters outside his Capitol Hill office Friday that the president needs to get serious with the combination of tax hikes and cuts set to kick in after the first of the year. The Republican leader accused the president of, quote, "slow-walking" the economy toward the edge of the fiscal cliff.
Boehner called White House aides' comments that Obama was willing to go over the cliff "reckless talk."
Obama and Boehner spoke privately on Wednesday. The speaker called the phone call pleasant but unproductive.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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Monday, November 27, 2006
Plaza of the Mind Trailer
Facebook Badge
What People Are Saying About the Plaza of the Mind
...[Plaza of the Mind] impressed me in its magnificent weirdness...this sorta je ne sais quoi that you find in interesting art... ...I mean that purely as a compliment!
Stefene Russell
Plaza of the Mind is a clinamen away from the holeopathic replay by the Android Meme of the old perceptual agon of electrically-programmed youth confronting the Gutenbergian Establishment. Irresistible Force meets Immovable Object.
Bob Dobbs


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Career Women?Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.
What others do laterally I do upright.
My namesakes have run races but I don't compete, alright?
My cousins are dragons but not a lizard be,
I do one thing that all men can't so what can I be?
HintLove is the law
AnswerSeahorses are fish that swim upright.
Horses run races
Seahorses belong to the same aquatic family as Sea Dragons
Male Seahorses are the only species that become pregnant with their young.
Hint: Love is the Law was a hit for the band The Seahorses.
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this riddle, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Back to Top


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Andy is my son.
Search through millions of records to find out more.
Andy is my son.
23 December 2009
Although Andy spent most of his years at the Utah State Developmental Center, we almost always brought him home for Christmas. He loved to lie under the Christmas tree, propped up on his big light red pillow with the face embroidered on it, staring at the lights on the tree. He liked to be in the center of the action and his young brothers and sisters loved to have him there too. We all were home for Christmas vacation and it was a special family time that included even him. On Christmas morning he could eat a banana like the rest, provided we mashed it up and fed it to him patiently enough. He was excited and happy, vocalizing with the Christmas music we sang together as a family. Having Andy home was one of the highlights of our Christmas season and he provided at least some of the glue that bonded our family together. His presence and his essence was as timeless as the Christmas story itself. He didn't care about the gifts or the candy. He just loved us and we loved him. We still do even though he's gone on to watch over us like a Christmas angel so many years ago.
Anyone can contribute to this page. Please sign in or sign up—it's free.


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5 Hot Links We're Loving
- A grilled cheese is good any time of year, but Foodess' apple-cheddar combination is especially fitting for fall.
- As if pumpkin doughnut muffins didn't already win you over, Reclaiming Provincial added Nutella to make them even more irresistible.
- This recipe for pumpkin pecan baked oatmeal by Alaska From Scratch is the perfect treat for a chilly morning.
- Brown butter makes just about everything taste better, including these funfetti snickerdoodles by Une Gamine dans la Cuisine.
- This football Sunday, you'll score a touchdown with Just A Taste's recipe for pepperoni pizza pull-apart bread.
Craving More?
- Toss store-bought ravioli with Giada's balsamic brown butter for a quick and delicious dinner.
- When it comes to comfort food, we've got you covered with everything from easy casseroles to chocolatey desserts.


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ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about the different ways doctors use to treat people with a brain tumor. To see other pages, use the menu.
This section tells you the treatments that are the standard of care for a brain tumor. "Standard of care" means the best treatments known. When making treatment plan decisions, patients are also encouraged to consider clinical trials as an option. A clinical trial is a research study that tests a new approach to treatment. Doctors want to learn if it is safe, effective, and possibly better than the standard treatment. Clinical trials can test a new drug, a new combination of standard treatments, or new doses of standard drugs or other treatments. Your doctor can help you consider all your treatment options. To learn more about clinical trials, see the About Clinical Trials and Latest Research section.
Treatment overview
In brain tumor care, different types of doctors often work together to create a patient's overall treatment plan that combines different types of treatment. This is called a multidisciplinary team. Cancer care teams also include a variety of other health care professionals, including physician assistants, oncology nurses, social workers, pharmacists, counselors, dietitians, and others.
Descriptions of the most common treatment options for a brain tumor are listed below, including treatments that help manage symptoms. Treatment options and recommendations depend on several factors:
The size, type, and grade of the tumor
Whether the tumor is putting pressure on vital parts of the brain
If the tumor has spread to other parts of the CNS or body
Possible side effects
The patient's preferences and overall health.
Some types of brain tumors grow rapidly; other tumors grow slowly. Considering all these factors, your doctor will talk with you about how soon treatment should start after diagnosis.
Treatment options include those described below, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Your care plan may also include treatment for symptoms and side effects, an important part of your medical care.
For a low-grade brain tumor, surgery may be the only treatment needed especially if all of the tumor can be removed. If there is visible tumor remaining after surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be used. For higher-grade tumors, treatment usually begins with surgery, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Your exact treatment plan will be made by your health care team.
Successfully treating brain tumors can be challenging. The body's blood-brain barrier normally protects the brain and spinal cord from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream. However, this barrier also keeps out many types of chemotherapy. Surgery can be difficult if the tumor is near a delicate part of the brain or spinal cord. Even when the surgeon can completely remove the original tumor, there may be parts of the tumor remaining that are too small to be seen or removed during surgery. And, radiation therapy can damage healthy tissue.
However, research in the past 20 years has helped to significantly lengthen the lives of people with brain tumors. More refined surgeries, a better understanding of the types of tumors that respond to chemotherapy, and more targeted delivery of radiation therapy have lengthened lives and improved the quality of life for many people diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Take time to learn about all of your treatment options and be sure to ask questions about things that are unclear. Also, talk about the goals of each treatment with your doctor and what you can expect while receiving the treatment. Learn more about making treatment decisions.
Getting care for symptoms and side effects
A brain tumor and its treatment often cause side effects. In addition to treatment to slow, stop, or eliminate the tumor, an important part of care is relieving a person's symptoms and side effects. This approach is called palliative or supportive care, and it includes supporting the patient with his or her physical, emotional, and social needs.
Palliative care is any treatment that focuses on reducing symptoms, improving quality of life, and supporting patients and their families. Any person, regardless of age or type and stage of cancer, may receive palliative care. It works best when palliative care is started as early as needed in the treatment process. People often receive treatment for the tumor and treatment to ease side effects at the same time. In fact, patients who receive both often have less severe symptoms, better quality of life, and report they are more satisfied with treatment.
Palliative treatments vary widely and often include medication, nutritional changes, relaxation techniques, emotional support, and other therapies. You may also receive palliative treatments similar to those meant to eliminate the tumor, such as chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy. Talk with your doctor about the goals of each treatment in your treatment plan.
Some of the symptoms of a brain tumor can be severe and have an enormous impact on a patient's life. However, they can often be managed with the use of certain medications. Supportive care for people with a brain tumor includes:
Drugs called corticosteroids are used to lower swelling in the brain, which can lessen pain from the swelling without the need for prescription pain medications. These drugs may also help improve neurological symptoms by decreasing the pressure from the tumor and swelling in the healthy brain tissue.
Antiseizure medication to help control seizures. There are several types of drugs available, and they are prescribed by your neurologist.
Before treatment begins, talk with your health care team about the possible side effects of your specific treatment plan and palliative care options. And during and after treatment, be sure to tell your doctor or another health care team member if you are experiencing a problem so it can be addressed as quickly as possible. Learn more about palliative care.
Surgery is the removal of the tumor and some surrounding healthy tissue during an operation. It is usually the first treatment used for a brain tumor and is often the only treatment needed for a low-grade brain tumor. Removing the tumor can improve neurological symptoms, provide tissue for diagnosis, help make other brain tumor treatments more effective, and, in many instances, improve the prognosis of a person with a brain tumor.
A neurosurgeon is a doctor who specializes in surgery on the brain and spinal column. Surgery to the brain requires the removal of part of the skull, a procedure called a craniotomy. After the surgeon removes the tumor, the patient's own bone will be used to cover the opening in the skull.
There have been rapid advances in surgery for brain tumors, including the use of cortical mapping. This technique allows doctors to identify certain areas of the brain that control the senses, language, and motor skills. In addition, enhanced imaging devices give surgeons more tools to plan and perform surgery. For example, computer-based techniques, such as Image Guided Surgery (IGS), help surgeons map out the location of the tumor very accurately. However, this is a very specialized technique that may not be widely available.
For a tumor that is near the brain's speech center, it is increasingly common to perform the operation when the patient is awake for part of the surgery. Typically, the patient is awakened once the surface of the brain is exposed. Then, special electrical stimulation techniques are used to locate the specific part of the brain that controls speech. This approach can avoid causing damage while removing the tumor.
In addition to removing or reducing the size of the brain tumor, surgery can provide a tissue sample for biopsy analysis, as explained in Diagnosis. For some tumor types, the results of this analysis can help determine if chemotherapy or radiation therapy will be useful. For a cancerous tumor, even if it cannot be cured, removing it can relieve symptoms from the tumor pressing on the brain.
Sometimes, surgery cannot be performed because the tumor is located in a place the surgeon cannot reach or is near a vital structure; these tumors are called inoperable. If the tumor is inoperable, the doctor will recommend other treatment options.
Before surgery, talk with your health care team about the possible side effects and how they will be managed or relieved. Learn more about the basics of surgery.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to destroy tumor cells. Doctors may use radiation therapy to slow or stop the growth of the tumor. It is typically given after surgery and possibly along with chemotherapy. A doctor who specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat a tumor is called a radiation oncologist. The most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation therapy, which is radiation given from a machine outside the body. When radiation treatment is given using implants, it is called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy. A radiation therapy regimen (schedule) usually consists of a specific number of treatments given over a set period of time.
External-beam radiation therapy can be directed at the tumor in the following ways:
Conventional radiation therapy. The treatment location is determined based on anatomic landmarks and x-rays. In certain situations, such as whole brain radiation therapy for brain metastases, this technique is appropriate. For more precise targeting, different techniques are needed. The amount of radiation given depends on the tumor's grade.
3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). Using images from CT and MRI scans (see Diagnosis), a 3-dimensional model of the tumor and healthy tissue surrounding the tumor is created on a computer. This model can be used to aim the radiation beams directly at the tumor, sparing the healthy tissue from high doses of radiation therapy.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT is a type of 3D-CRT (see above) that can more directly target a tumor. It can deliver higher doses of radiation to the tumor while giving less to the surrounding healthy tissue. In IMRT, the radiation beams are broken up into smaller beams and the intensity of each of these smaller beams can be changed. This means that the more intense beams, or the beams giving more radiation, can be directed only at the tumor.
Proton therapy. Proton therapy is a type of external-beam radiation therapy that uses protons rather than x-rays. At high energy, protons can destroy tumor cells. Proton beam therapy is typically used for tumors when less radiation is needed because of the location. This includes tumors that have grown into nearby bone, such as the base of skull, and those near the optic nerve.
Stereotactic radiosurgery. Stereotactic radiosurgery is the use of a single, high dose of radiation given directly to the tumor and not healthy tissue. It works best for a tumor that is only in 1 area of the brain and certain noncancerous tumors. It can also be used when a person has more than 1 metastatic brain tumor. There are many different types of stereotactic radiosurgery equipment, including:
A modified linear accelerator is a machine that creates high-energy radiation by using electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles.
A gamma knife is another form of radiation therapy that concentrates highly focused beams of gamma radiation on the tumor.
A cyber knife is a robotic device used in radiation therapy to guide radiation to the tumor target—particularly in the brain, head, and neck regions.
Fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is delivered with stereotactic precision but divided into small daily doses called fractions given over several weeks, in contrast to the 1-day radiosurgery. This technique is used for tumors located close to sensitive structures, such as the optic nerves or brain stem.
With these different techniques, doctors are trying to be more precise and reduce radiation exposure to the surrounding healthy brain tissue. Depending on the size and location of the tumor, the radiation oncologist may choose any of the above radiation techniques. In certain situations, a combination of multiple techniques may work best.
Short-term side effects from radiation therapy may include fatigue, mild skin reactions, hair loss, upset stomach, and neurologic symptoms. Most side effects go away soon after treatment is finished. Also, radiation therapy is usually not recommended for children younger than 5 because of the high risk of damage to their developing brains. Longer term side effects of radiation depend on how much healthy tissue received radiation therapy and include memory and hormonal problems and cognitive (thought process) changes, such as difficulty understanding and performing complex tasks.
Learn more about the basics of radiation therapy on this website, or see the American Society for Radiation Oncology's pamphlet, Radiation Therapy for Brain Tumors (PDF).
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy tumor cells, usually by stopping the cancer cells' ability to grow and divide. The goal of chemotherapy can be to destroy tumor cells remaining after surgery, slow a tumor's growth, or reduce symptoms. Chemotherapy is given by a medical oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating tumors with medication. Chemotherapy may also be given by a neuro-oncologist.
Systemic chemotherapy gets into the bloodstream to reach tumor cells throughout the body. Common ways to give chemotherapy include a pill or capsule that is swallowed (orally) or by intravenous (IV) injection placed into a vein using a needle. It may also be given through a catheter or port, which are used to make IV injections easier.
As explained above, chemotherapy to treat a brain tumor is typically given after surgery and possibly with or after radiation therapy, particularly if the tumor has come back after initial treatment.
A chemotherapy regimen (schedule) usually consists of a specific number of cycles given over a set period of time. A patient may receive 1 drug at a time or combinations of different drugs at the same time.
Some drugs are better at going through the blood-brain barrier. These are the drugs often used for a brain tumor.
- Gliadel wafers are one way to give the drug carmustine. These wafers are placed in the area where the tumor was removed during surgery.
- For people with glioblastoma and high-grade glioma, the latest standard of care is radiation therapy with daily low-dose temozolomide (Temodar). This is followed by monthly doses of temozolomide after radiation therapy for 6 months to 1 year.
- A combination of 3 drugs, lomustine (Gleostine), procarbazine (Matulane), and vincristine (Vincasar), have been used along with radiation therapy. This approach has helped lengthen the lives of patients with grade III oligodendroglioma with a 1p19q co-deletion (see Biogenetic markers in the Grades and Prognostic Factors section) when given either before or right after radiation therapy. It has also been shown to lengthen lives of patients after radiation therapy for a low-grade tumor that could not be completely removed with surgery. Clinical trials on the use of chemotherapy to delay radiation therapy in patients with low-grade glioma are also ongoing.
Patients are monitored with a brain MRI every 2 to 3 months while receiving active treatment. Then, the length of time between MRI scans increases depending on the tumor's grade. Patients often have regular MRIs to monitor their health after treatment is finished and the tumor has not grown. If the tumor grows during treatment, other treatment options will be considered.
The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the individual and the dose used, but they can include fatigue, risk of infection, nausea and vomiting, hair loss, loss of appetite and diarrhea. These side effects usually go away once treatment is finished. Rarely, certain drugs may cause some hearing loss. Others may cause kidney damage. Patients may be given extra fluid by IV to protect their kidneys.
Learn more about the basics of chemotherapy and preparing for treatment. The medications used to treat a brain tumor are continually being evaluated. Talking with your doctor is often the best way to learn about the medications prescribed for you, their purpose, and their potential side effects or interactions with other medications. Learn more about your prescriptions by using searchable drug databases.
Targeted therapy
In addition to standard chemotherapy, targeted therapy is a treatment that targets the tumor's specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment that contributes to a tumor's growth and survival. This type of treatment blocks the growth and spread of tumor cells while limiting the damage to healthy cells.
Recent studies show that not all tumors have the same targets, and some tumors may have more than 1 target. To find the most effective treatment, your doctor may run tests to identify the genes, proteins, and other factors in your tumor. This helps doctors better match each patient with the most effective treatment whenever possible. In addition, many research studies are taking place now to find out more about specific molecular targets and new treatments directed at them. Learn more about the basics of targeted treatments.
For a brain tumor, anti-angiogenesis therapy is a type of targeted therapy used, and others are being researched. It is focused on stopping angiogenesis, which is the process of making new blood vessels. Because a tumor needs the nutrients delivered by blood vessels to grow and spread, the goal of anti-angiogenesis therapies is to "starve" the tumor. Bevacizumab (Avastin) is an anti-angiogenesis therapy used to treat glioblastoma multiforme when prior treatment has not worked. Talk with your doctor about possible side effects for a specific medication and how they can be managed.
Alternating electric field therapy (tumor treating fields)
This type of treatment uses a noninvasive portable device that interferes with parts of a cell that are needed for the tumor cells to grow and spread. It is given by placing electrodes that produce an electric field on the outside of a person's head. The available device is called Optune.
Alternating electrical field therapy may be an option for people newly diagnosed with glioblastoma or for those with recurrent glioblastoma. In 1 study, researchers found that patients with recurrent glioblastoma who used the device lived as long as those who received chemotherapy. In addition, they had fewer side effects. Early results of another study showed that patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma lived longer and were less likely to have the disease worsen when this treatment was used along temozolomide after radiation therapy. This treatment approach is now considered a recommended option for glioblastoma.
Remission and the chance of recurrence
A remission is when the tumor cannot be detected in the body. A remission can be temporary or permanent.
For most primary brain tumors, despite imaging tests showing that the tumor growth is controlled or there are no visible signs of a tumor, it is common for a brain tumor to recur.
Patients will often continue to receive MRI scans to watch for a recurrence. This uncertainty causes many people to worry that the tumor will come back. It is important to talk with your doctor about the possibility of the tumor returning. Understanding your risk of recurrence and the treatment options may help you feel more prepared if the tumor does return. Learn more about coping with the fear of recurrence.
If the tumor does return after the original treatment, it is called a recurrent tumor. A recurrent brain tumor generally comes back near where it originally started. Rarely, it may come back in another place, called multifocal.
When this occurs, a cycle of testing will begin again to learn as much as possible about the recurrence. After testing is done, you and your doctor will talk about your treatment options. Often the treatment plan will include the treatments described above such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, but they may be used in a different combination or given at a different pace. Temozolomide has been approved to treat Grade III recurrent tumors. Bevacizumab (see above) may also be used for a recurrent tumor. In addition, alternating electric field therapy may be used for patients with recurrent high-grade glioma.
There is no single approach to treating a recurrent brain tumor, and your treatment plan will be based on many factors. Whichever treatment plan you choose, palliative care will be important for relieving symptoms and side effects. Your doctor may suggest clinical trials of new drugs that are being created and tested to treat brain tumors that may help with recurrent tumors. Many of these new drugs are called "molecularly targeted therapies" because they are small in size, which means they can be taken by mouth, and/or can target specific parts of the brain tumor cells. These new drugs are being tested either alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy. Learn more about clinical trials on brain tumor treatment in the Latest Research section.
People with a recurrent brain tumor often experience emotions such as disbelief or fear. For most patients, a diagnosis of a recurrent brain tumor is very stressful and, at times, difficult to bear. Patients and their families are encouraged to talk about the way they are feeling with doctors, nurses, social workers, or other members of the health care team and to ask about support services to help them cope. It may also be helpful to talk with other patients, including through a support group. Learn more about dealing with a recurrence.
If treatment fails
Recovery from a brain tumor is not always possible. If the tumor cannot be cured or controlled, the disease may be called advanced or terminal.
This diagnosis is stressful, and an advanced brain tumor is difficult to discuss for many people. However, it is important to have open and honest conversations with your doctor and health care team to express your feelings, preferences, and concerns. The health care team is there to help, and many team members have special skills, experience, and knowledge to support patients and their families. Making sure a person is physically comfortable and free from pain is extremely important.
Patients who have an advanced brain tumor and who are expected to live less than 6 months may want to consider a type of palliative care called hospice care. Hospice care is designed to provide the best possible quality of life for people who are near the end of life. You and your family are encouraged to think about where you would be most comfortable: at home, in the hospital, or in a hospice environment. Nursing care and special equipment can make staying at home a workable alternative for many families. Learn more about advanced care planning.
After the death of a loved one, many people need support to help them cope with the loss. Learn more about grief and loss.
The next section in this guide is About Clinical Trials. It offers more information about research studies that are focused on finding better ways to care for people with a brain tumor. Or, use the menu to choose another section to continue reading this guide.


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Sport Management
The interdisciplinary Sport Management program prepares graduates for career success in the exciting, dynamic, and growing profession of sport management. Students complete our innovative business core curriculum, which provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential to successful business careers. In addition, our specialized sport management concentration gives students the education and training demanded by the continually expanding sport industry. The sport management concentration is ideal for anyone who desires a career in sport marketing, events management, athletic administration, or facilities management, but also seeks the general business preparation for other career opportunities.
Read about Kevin Perdios '17, a sport management major, who is doing an internship at New England Sports Network (NESN)
"As corny as it may sound, every day has been pretty fun and exciting just because you never know who will walk in the door or walk past your desk while at NESN…>> read more


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Yondalla is the chief halfling goddess and a member of the game's core pantheon.
Yondalla is the goddess of Protection, Fertility, the Halfling Race, Children, Security, Leadership, Diplomacy, Wisdom, the Cycle of Life, Creation, Family and Familial Love, Tradition, Community, Harmony, and Prosperity. Yondalla is also known as the Protector and the Provider, the Nurturing Matriarch, and the Blessed One.
In many campaign settings, the halfling pantheon of gods consists of the leader Yondalla, as well as Arvoreen, Brandobaris, Cyrrollalee, Sheela Peryroyl, and Urogalan.
Yondalla lives in the halfling realm of the Green Fields on the plane of Mount Celestia.
Yondalla has two aspects: the Provider and the Protector. As the Provider, she is a goddess of fertility and growing things, of birth and youth. She can make barren things fertile and increase the growing rate of plants and animals to any speed she chooses.
As Protector, Yondalla wards off evil influences and intrusions and gives halflings the strength and determination to defend themselves. In this aspect, Yondalla most often uses her illusionist abilities to protect her worshippers.
Yondalla's allies include Corellon Larethian and Moradin.
In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Yondalla is also allied with Chauntea, Helm, Torm, and Tyr. Her foes are Cyric, Talos and Malar.
Yondalla smiles upon her followers when they aid and help others and respect the dead. She frowns upon sacrifices and killing fellow halfings. Her sacred animal is the dove,
Yondalla's clerics wear yellow-green saffron cloaks.
Wayward WardensEdit
Yondalla has a special order of priests called "The Wayward Wardens". It is made of priests stricken with wanderlust who wish to see the world. They never settle long in one place for long periods of time. They come to the aid of halfling communities needing protection.
The Wayward Wardens are a loosely organized fellowship of Yondallan priests. Wayward Wardens serve the Provider and Protector by coming to the defense of besieged or threatened halfling communities in need of additional protectors.
Temples and ritualsEdit
Yondalla is worshipped in the homes of halflings. Weekly food offerings are sacrificed to her.
Halflings set aside one day a week for worship of Yondalla (this day is called "Safeday"), a day which is mostly spent in rest, playing, and eating.
Creative originsEdit
James M. Ward created Yondalla for the Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia (1980).
- Boyd, Eric L. Demihuman Deities (TSR, 1998).
- Boyd, Eric L, and Erik Mona. Faiths and Pantheons (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
- McComb, Colin. On Hallowed Ground (TSR, 1996).
- David Noonan. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004).
- Redman, Rich, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Deities and Demigods (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
- Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology (TSR, 1992).
- Ward, James and Robert Kuntz. Deities and Demigods (TSR, 1980).
|This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).


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7025 Old Katy Road
Directions Houston, TX 77024
Welcome to Jaguar Houston Central's online used luxury car inventory. If you're a Houston driver in the market for an exotic luxury or sports car but can't quite swing the cost of a new Jaguar then you've landed in the right place. Jaguar Houston Central has a complete selection of used luxury, exotic, and sports cars, trucks and SUVs to choose from.
We work hard to break the "used car salesman" stereotype by providing a friendly, transparent and welcoming atmosphere. There is no funny business behind the scenes and our sales team only want what is best for you. This is also why each used car, truck and SUV must first pass an extensive inspection conducted by one of our highly trained Jaguar auto service and repair technicians before it ever gets put on our exotic used car lot. We want to make sure that you not only get the vehicle that is right for you specifically, but also that it stays reliable for you for thousands of miles to come.
At Jaguar Houston Central, we focus on developing long-term relationships with our customers by providing world-class service. If you have not been able to locate that special used luxury car in Houston, complete our no-obligation CarFinder form and we will locate it for you. If we get a match in your specified time frame (1-8 weeks) we will notify you right away.
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When you are ready to take the next step in getting yourself behind the used luxury car you've dreamed of we would love for you to get in touch with us. You can either fill out one of the contact forms on this site, give us a call at (855) 627-5158 or by visiting our Jaguar dealership conveniently located at 7025 Old Katy Rd, Houston, TX 77024.
All prices plus tax, tag, title, documentary fee, and dealer service charge. The sale of any new or used vehicle is subject to our mandatory fee, in addition to any negotiated vehicle price, for coupons entitling the purchaser to discounts on service and parts.
A documentary fee is not an official fee. A documentary fee is not required by law, but may be charged to buyers for handling documents and performing services relating to the closing of a sale. A documentary fee may not exceed $179. this notice is required by law.
The sale of any new or used vehicle is subject to a mandatory fee, in addition to any negotiated vehicle price, for coupons entitling the purchaser to discounts on service and parts. The purchase of coupons, entitling the purchaser to discounts on service and parts, is a dealer required option, and not required by law for the purchase of the vehicle.


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COUNCILLORS are going to be handed "commercial" training as more services get handed to the private sector.
It can be revealed that Worcestershire County Council wants all 57 of its elected politicians to be extensively briefed on how to get the most from any new deals with private companies.
The training, which is taking place at the end of this month, comes as the council plans to hand over 85 per cent of services to new providers by 2018.
Under the tactic, known as commissioning, outside organisations are being invited to bid for services and departments.
It has emerged that the council wants to sit councillors down every six weeks for the rest of 2014 to update them on the plans.
The website will also be beefed up so it provides the public with extra details on how the process works, the services at risk and what commissioning is about and it will include a timetable for each service or function, the stage of the process each one is at, and how the public can get involved in any consultations.
The agreement to provide commercial training at County Hall follows some concern councillors will find it difficult to adapt to the rapid pace of change.
That led to a piece of work from councillor Kit Taylor, a backbench Conservative, who was tasked with leading an in-house investigation into how much involvement they should have.
His requests have been accepted by the Conservative cabinet, which met last week.
Councillor John Campion, cabinet member for commissioning and transformation, said: "What this does show is the need for a different approach from members of the council."


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Cook dried beans per package directions. Drain and combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, ume vinegar, lemon and lime juices in a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Place cooked beans and all remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss well. Serve as is or refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
Per serving - 80 calories, 7 gram fat (43% calories from fat), 5 gram protein, 18 gram carbohydrate, 6 gram fiber, 0 milligram cholesterol, 156 milligram sodium


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Thanks to Plus Model Magazine for the heads up on these two videos. Vice.com (from the UK), covered Full Figured Fashion Week for their series "Fashion Week Internationale." I'd really love to know what you think after watching both videos.
I will tell you, it was honor to attend Full Figured Fashion Week and wouldn't of had my experience any other way. I had an amazing time and loved being surrounded by women who love fashion as much as I do.
After watching the videos, I'm reminded how ignorant some people really are. Like I really needed reminding.
What are your thoughts?


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The Crap We Missed – Wednesday 7.6.11
Diana Christ, what the hell is this?
Welcome to the "Fuck Yes, It's Wednesday Already" edition of The Crap We Missed featuring Jon Hamm still looking handsome while entirely giving up on life, you strong, masculine bastard…, Olivia Wilde advertising how little her vagina cares (That's how I read this.), Anne Hathaway laughing behind protective glass so the villagers don't shatter from her sonic wail and it's apparently still really awesome to be Prince.
You guys like old people porn right?
- The Superficial
Click Here To Start The Gallery
Photo: Bauer-Griffin, Fame, Flynet, INFdaily, Pacific Coast News, Splash News, WENN


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I Didn't Know Physical Therapists Could Do THAT!
March 28, 2013
Written by Sarah Fuller
Every year students, physical therapists and physical therapist assistants have the chance to attend the Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) of the American Physical Therapy Association. This year the event was held in San Diego, California from January 21-24. It was a refreshingly warm and sunny retreat compared to last year's meeting in Chicago, IL. For many second and third year DPT students from Bradley University, CSM provides an opportunity to travel and attend lectures and platform presentation from every scope of physical therapy, chat with poster presenters about their current research, network with other students and potential employers, and check out 'free stuff' from exhibitors. Bradley had a strong representation from students, faculty and alumni.
BU Physical Therapy alum, Captain Kimberley Jordan, PT, MPT, lectured and demonstrated a unique intervention technique that may not be very familiar to students and clinicians alike. Her lecture, "Management of Neuromuscular Dysfunction Using Intramuscular Manual Therapy and Trigger Point Dry Needling" had the crowd of over 150 participants attentive throughout her 2 hour session. She lectured on muscle anatomy, the physiological benefits of Dry Needling, the difference between Dry Needling and Acupuncture as well as philosophies behind this technique. She concluded her presentation with a live demonstration of Dry Needling in which she inserted a long needle into the Infraspinatous shoulder muscle of Bradley's own DPT faculty member, Dr. Dawn Hall, PT, MPT, PhD. After trying many other physical therapy interventions, Dr. Hall shared her own testimony explaining how Dry Needling helped to relieve local muscular pain as well as significantly improve her shoulder range of motion to be able to reach behind her back, which she had been having intense pain with the past year.
Captain Jordan is a 2004 Bradley graduate and has been in the US Army National Guard for over 20 years. She was on active duty for 3 years in Iraq and served as a brigade physical therapist for 4-6,000 soldiers. She learned about Dry Needling during an advanced neuromuscular class she was taking through the military and decided to become certified to perform this technique in her practice. Since 2010, she has found Intramuscular Manual Therapy and Trigger Point Dry Needling (IMT/TDN) to be a very beneficial adjunct to her physical therapy practice with unique cases in which she has relieved muscular pain in patients who's pain was otherwise unresolved. Dr. Dawn Hall is hoping to have Captain Jordan come to guest lecture on this topic to future DPT students at Bradley as well as provide opportunities for continuing education classes for current physical therapists. Keep your eyes and ears open for Captain Jordan visiting campus!
IMT/TDN is currently part of the scope of practice for physical therapists in the state of Illinois. Using acupuncture-type needles, IMT/TDN addresses biomechanical muscle imbalances resulting in strength deficits, muscular/flexibility limitation, postural dysfunctions, and painful/swollen/stiff joints. IMT/TDN encourages relaxation of trigger points, improves muscle function, and stimulates neural pain control pathways (ie gate-control theory, neurotransmitter activation, opioid release) to reduce or alleviate pain. For more information regarding Dry Needling, you can access Captain Jordan's presentation below.


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Topic: how to help after surgery
Went to appointment yesterday and my mom will be having her bile duct removed and maybe part of her liver next Friday. Was wondering what to expect and how to make things easier for her when she gets home. sorry if this was covered but couldn't find anything about this.