text:
ALAMEDA — Brandon Myers has an exquisite sense of timing.
Quarterback Carson Palmer realized it immediately, identifying Myers as his most reliable receiver, particularly in the fourth quarter, when the Raiders were trying to scramble back into a game.
Myers' timing is impeccable in a business sense as well.
On a team where very few veterans can be said to having a "career" year, Myers has come out of nowhere to be one of the NFL's most productive tight ends, just as his first contract is expiring.
Myers, 6-foot-3 and 256 pounds, is confident in his ability but concedes he never imagined going into the final game of the season with 75 receptions for 753 yards.
"It happened at a good time," Myers said.
With two receptions against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium Sunday, Myers will have caught the most passes for a Raiders receiver since Jerry Rice had 92 receptions in 2002, surpassing Jerry Porter, who had 76 receptions in 2005.
Myers has the longest ongoing streak of games with a reception on the Raiders with 16, and the only tight end with more receptions in a season is Todd Christensen, who had four seasons of 80 or more catches.
On Dec. 2, Myers tied the club record for receptions in a game with 14 against the Cleveland Browns, tying Tim Brown.
Myers is fourth in the NFL in receptions among tight ends, trailing only the Cowboys' Jason Witten (103), the Falcons' Tony Gonzalez (88) and the Saints' Jimmy Graham (76).
Only Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson, with 36 receptions in the fourth quarter, has more than Myers' 34.
Not bad for a player who was the Raiders' final pick of the 2009 draft out of Iowa. He was the second of two sixth-round selections, No. 202 overall. The first pick of the sixth round, defensive end Stryker Sulak of Missouri, was cut before he reached training camp.
"I think I've proved what I've known all along, but just haven't been given the opportunity to showcase what I can do," Myers said. "I guess you could say I showed what I can do. Even though we weren't winning a lot of games, when I was given the opportunity, I made the most of it."
The personal success has been bittersweet in that the Raiders go into their final game with a 4-11 record.
"It's tough when you're not winning games," Myers said. "It's hard to find positives in things. I guess the way I performed could be a positive, but it really doesn't do much when you're not winning."
Following his 14-catch game against Cleveland, Myers has drawn extra attention from opposing defenses. He has just six catches for 32 yards in his last three games.
"Defensive ends who are normally just going up the field are trying to shoulder chip him or reroute him so the timing gets disrupted," offensive coordinator Greg Knapp said. "He's had to contend with a lot of that on the line of scrimmage, so we'll try to get him on the move, shift him so they can't always have him in the same spot before the snap."
In part because of his instant connection with Palmer, Myers moved to the forefront of a three-way battle with David Ausberry and Richard Gordon and has played 971 snaps — the most of any Raiders skill position player.
Myers has heard the criticism from sites such as ProfootballFocus.com and FootballOutsiders.com, which downgrade his run blocking, but figures he must be doing something right to be on the field as much as he is.
There has also been positive feedback from teammates and opposing players and coaches.
"That's kind of way I play the game, to earn the respect of your peers," Myers said. "If you have that, you're doing something right."
Raiders at Chargers ·Sunday: 1:25 ·TV/Radio: CBS/KIDD (630)
Raiders at Chargers
·Sunday: 1:25
·TV/Radio: CBS/KIDD (630)


text:
Most of those testifying oppose the idea
by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol Reporter
Senate Local Government and Elections Committee Chairman Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, took hours of sometimes emotional testimony Wednesday, Feb. 1 on the proposed Photo ID constitutional amendment.
No votes were taken on the controversial provision that could require all voters to show to present a photo identification prior to voting.
Slated for the ballot this fall, the amendment, if approved by voters, would require the state to provide a free Photo ID for the needy.
Republicans passed Photo ID legislation last year, but the bill was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.
Nearly all of the dozens of testifiers appearing before the Senate committee spoke in opposition to the amendment. A number of opponents came from the disabled community.
Beau Karlen, testifying for ARC of Minnesota, a group that works on behalf of people with intellectual and development disabilities, in a halting voice said the proposed amendment would make it harder for thousands of disabled Minnesotans.
"Please do not make life more difficult than it already is," said Karlen, a resident of Vandeveer's Senate district.
Another representative of the disabled community, Chris Bell, of Minnesota Citizens with Disabilities, spoke of inquiring into what it took to obtain a Minnesota ID card.
He found out, Bell said, it required a Social Security card and a certified birth certificate — the later requiring a Photo ID to obtain. "So it seems to me you need a Photo ID to get a Photo ID," he quipped.
Beth Fraser, director of governmental affairs with the Minnesota Secretary of State, testified that her office opposes the amendment.
A check of state records shows some 215,000 registered voters in Minnesota lack a valid or current ID, Fraser said.
Fraser styled the amendment as crippling election day voter registration that has been key to Minnesota's nation leading status in voting. "The proposal is simply a bad idea," Fraser said.
But Dan McGrath of Minnesota Majority said he couldn't understand how testifiers could insist that requiring photo identification to vote would disenfranchise masses of voters when the state would be required to issue free IDs.
"Some of the arguments I found ridiculous," he said. McGrath characterized opponents appearing before the committee as a "parade of professional activists."
Most Minnesotans support Photo ID, he said.
But lawmakers expressed concerns too.
Sen. Kenneth Kelash, DFL-Minneapolis, argued that a lot of unknowns surround the amendment. "It's pretty confusing," he said. The proposal needed to be better fleshed out, Kelash argued.
Senate Photo ID bill author Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, explained that after the amendment passes lawmakers would further craft legislation regarding it.
But other Democratic lawmakers argued the amendment and its photo identification language could place in the state constitution dead words made obsolete by advances in technology.
The Photo ID hearing drew one of the larger crowds to a committee this session with the line of people hoping to attend the hearing stretching down the Capitol corridor.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Vendors, volunteers wanted
AMVETS Post No. 88 meetings
AMVETS Post 88 meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. The Sons of AMVETS meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. The Auxiliary meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. The meetings are at the post home.
Today, Monday, Tuesday
Chiefland Walking Club
The Tri-County Community Resource Center will have a yard sale and craft show on Saturday, May 17, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the John Fisher Building at the corner of Park Avenue and Main Street.
Booth space is available for vendors for a suggested donation of $10.
For more information, call 352-493-4627.
Proceeds go to the new Community Resource Center.
Haven Hospice will be offering five dates and locations to help children, teens and families understand their feelings of loss and to heal through the free, grief-support Camp Safe Haven program.
After raising more than $1,500 for needy residents in the Tri-County Area last year, the Iron Butts For Bucks Team is at it again.
Vendors, volunteers wanted for Watermelon Festival
Breaking Barriers and Building Lives, with Mike Hagen's Strength Team, will take place May 2,3 and 4 at the Suwannee River Fairgrounds from 6 to 8 p.m.
UMC yard sale Saturday
In Jack and Grace; after a recent break-up, Grace is excited to land her first job and begin a new life as a home health attendant in a new town. But she was not ready for how her patient, Jack, would change her life forever. This original play by our own Michael Zubler is a different kind of love story, one that will stay in your heart long after the final curtain.
Hundreds of participants will come together this Friday night to honor survivors, their caregivers and pay tribute to those for whom the cure did not come soon enough. The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life event ignites team spirit among participates and works to raise funds used to save lives and create more birthdays by helping you stay well, helping you get well, by finding cures and by fighting back.
Copyright © 2017
The Chiefland Citizen is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Chiefland Florida, and the surrounding area.


text:
Diary of a Dividend Diva: LO, EL, CSCO, MCD
Although the fiscal cliff is likely to get "solved," the probability of tax increases is a near-certainty, so investors are bracing for the dividend tax rate to return to same level as that of "ordinary income." Most smart management teams are aware of this, and are assisting shareholders in their tax-planning by accelerating dividend payments into 2012, rather than waiting until 2013. (Keep in mind that, although you may accrue a dividend this year by owning the stock over the ex-dividend date, the tax liability actually accrues on the date the check is deposited in your account.)
Many companies are also returning cash now via large special dividends, which we discussed recently. The resulting flow of dividends is nirvana for us dividend-capture traders. I am gorging on dividends this quarter to an even greater extent than I gorged myself on turkey last Thursday!...205 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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text: I like Peyton Manning...but c'mon. The guy is almost anti-clutch when it comes to post season history. The year we won the SB it was more running game and defense that won it. Peyton made a huge mistake last year in the playoffs. I called it before it happened. Not meant to be a Peyton bashing thread but I think Vegas needs to look at past history more. More often than not Peyton has not performed when it matters most. I have zero confidence the Broncos will win the SB this year. It would be a good bet if I had big money to bet.


text:
I have been playin for a few years now and i have played a few tournaments. so far i have totally lost it on the day of the tourney. i keep thinking that im just not consistent enough but then the next several times i go out liesurly i play like a champ. so i started thinking that maybe my problem is my mental game.
anybody have any tips or suggestions you could share?


text:
Hey guys, Shirty88 here just wanting to get your thoughts and opinions on the TNA World Heavyweight Championship scene.
Now, I've been wondering for a few weeks about Bully Ray as the TNA world champion. While I feel that the swerve at Lockdown was played out well it was extremely predictable and it got me to thinking about who Ray could fued with. There's no way TNA are going to let
Hi all, Shirty88 here coming to you from the glorious land of England. This is my first blog in my new series called the Chronicles of Wrestling. Each week I will be blogging about something from wrestlings past, present and possible future. So without furhter delay, I present to you the Chronicles of Wrestling
First things first, I'm a huge TNA fan. Have
Updated 01-14-2013 at 07:39 PM by shirty88
© 2011 eWrestlingNews, All Rights Reserved.


text:
The Missing LlamaMystery teasers are little stories where you need to figure out what happened based on the given clues.
Agent Llearson got a call from a frantic farmer early in the morning. One of his prize llamas had disappeared while he was waiting by an expectant llama. Apparently, the farmer had done nothing but stay by the llama for days, as the birth could occur at any time. However, he still needed to feed the other llamas, so while quickly stocking their hay, the farmer noticed one of his favorite llamas was missing. And recently too, judging by the fact the other llamas were still hanging around the gate, a place they normally avoided. The farmer wanted Agent Llearson to come over right away to investigate. Llearson agreed, hung up the phone, and grabbed the keys to the car.
Just outside the llama farm, Agent Llearson saw a van parked by the gate. The person inside saw him and climbed out with a nervous smile. Llearson greeted the man and asked him what he was doing there. The man identified himself as a llama expert, and said he had come to the farm to help with the new birth.
Llearson nodded and said "It must be very hard work being such an expert on llamas."
"Oh yes," said the man, "Sometimes there are so many llama kids being born, I find myself very tired from all that strenuous work, and go to sleep as soon as I get home."
"Well, I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere tonight except jail if you don't return the llama you stole from that frantic farmer right now, Mr. Expert." said Llearson with a faint smile on his face.
How did Agent Llearson know the man's reason for being there was false? And how did Agent Llearson know the man actually took the llama?
AnswerAgent Llearson knew the man was lying in 3 ways. First, the man said he was there to assist with the birth. He could not have known about the birth recently, because the farmer had done nothing but stay by the expectant llama until he had to feed the other llamas. Therefore, the farmer never called the llama expert, and even if he did, he never would have called so late in the pregnancy.
Second, the "llama expert" referred to the baby llama as a "kid" instead of the correct term, "cria."
And third, llama births generally have no need of assistance, yet the man said he was always tired from helping with births at the end of the day.
Sadly, the man opened his van and let loose the llama, who first spit on the "expert" before running back to the farm.
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text:
Key attributes
- Runs outdoor business TrekWild
- Former Head of Outdoor Learning in Devon
- Specialises in MTB, skiing and climbing
- A Cycling UK trainer since 2008
Phil has been a keen cyclist since his school days - every winter he built 'trackers' from various parts, including hub brakes and fixed wheel, and spent the summer pounding around local farmland and woodland.
Before becoming Head of Outdoor Learning with Devon County Council, Phil had several jobs in youth and community work, developing programmes to introduce young people to the outdoors.
His areas of expertise include expeditions on foot and on ski, climbing and mountain biking.
His work in mountain biking brought him into contact with Cycling UK, whose learner-centred and practical approach he found to be the most successful.
Once retired from full time and corporate work, he teamed up with his wife Sally to run TrekWild, an outdoor business specialising in leader training and trips off the beaten track.
Phil says it seemed a logical progression to do the Cycling UK Leader Trainer course. It's a real bonus for him to work with such a range of experienced people; he finds the enthusiasm for leading infectious and learns something new in every course.
And thanks to the Cycling UK maintenance courses, he has updated his skills and gone full circle back to his 'tracker' building days, rescuing neglected bikes, doing them up and selling them on at cost, so that people who can't afford a new bike have something decent and affordable to ride.


text:
Article, "Twenty/Twenty Visions," City magazine
Brady Communications Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2004
We set out to design a 40-page feature story for CITY magazine's Spring Fashion Issue. The story was about visions—photographers interpreting fashion designers and their spring collections.
Based on the fact that we had to deal with many different styles and sizes of photography, our strategy was to keep the design simple. The strong typographic opener and the consistent treatment of credit labels on the inside spreads gave the story impact and flexibility. It also helped maintain consistency throughout the story, independent of the various styles of photography.
The project was a huge success. Client, photographers and graphic designers were very happy with the result.
Collections: AIGA 365: 26 (2005)
Discipline: Editorial design
Format: Magazine
- Design firm
- Brady Communications Inc.
- Creative director
- Fabrice Frere
- Art director
- Adriana Jacoud
- Designer
- Todd Bronson
- Photographers
- Bruno Barbazan, Faubel Christensen, Jordan Doner, Bobby Fisher, Zach Gold, Torkil Gudnason, Kyoko Hamada, Serge Leblon, Jean François Lepage, Anne Menke, Dominique Palombo, François Rotger, Bharat Sikka, Sofia & Mauro, Martyn Thompson, Phillip Toledano, Santiago Vanegas, Liz Von Hoene, Jan Welters, Yangtan
- Director of photography
- Piera Gelardi
- Typefaces
- Minion, Knockout
- Client
- City magazine


text:
MARIN CATHOLIC High School football coach Mazi Moayed says Johnny Kunst has as much heart as anyone he has ever coached. Call it a cruel irony or a higher calling, but it is the senior's enlarged heart that has kept him off the field during the Wildcats' championship season.
After a workout with the team last summer, Kunst went to a doctor's appointment and got some bad news. His heart, which required surgery to correct a valve problem just before he turned 2 years old, had become enlarged.
The condition is controlled with medication, he was told, but its presence meant that he was at risk for serious complications should he suffer a blow to his chest. The San Rafael resident's plans to play football and basketball this season — he was to have played wide receiver for the Wildcats football team and forward for the basketball team this season — were dashed.
"He's one of the best human beings that I have coached," Moayed said. "Ironically, it's his heart that stopped him. I don't see a problem with his heart, not spiritually at least."
For someone like Kunst, whose competitive nature is evident in so many things in his life, the news was a blow. But, Kunst said, it was also a blessing. After learning he could not play, he was nominated for the role of football team chaplain by school president Tim Navone, an idea quickly endorsed by Moayed.
"I think everything happens for a reason," said Kunst, who will be with the football team when it faces Madison High of San Diego in the Division III state championship game in Carson on Saturday. "I think that this thing with my heart happened for a reason. I'm supposed to be out here. This is a deeper, more significant role that I'm playing for the team as the team chaplain. It's not just cheering them on, it's being with them in heart and spirit. It's a pretty big role that I try to play."
Kunst actually got multiple medical opinions about his condition, with one doctor telling him he could still play basketball this school year. But during a two-week summer program at the University of Notre Dame, an incident during a pickup basketball game made it clear to him and his family that warnings from other doctors to stay away from both football and basketball should be heeded.
"He knew he wasn't supposed to be playing basketball and he was playing intramural basketball with some of the kids," said his mother, Julie. "And he calls me up and says, 'Mom, what would happen if I did get hit in the chest?' And I said, 'I would imagine shortness of breath and chest pain.'
"And he asked, 'What would likely happen?' And I asked why. And he said, 'I did play basketball today and I took an elbow to the chest and I've had chest pains ever since.'"
The end result was a few nervous hours for the family as Kunst headed to the emergency room. Kunst was OK, but his high school athletic career was finished.
"He's such a joy to have, a good attitude and calming presence," Moayed said. "He's a great, great leader on our team."
As the team chaplain, Kunst's primary responsibility is to lead team prayers, often before games and always after them. The postgame rite often includes players from both teams, the result of Kunst introducing himself to the opposing coach before each game and inviting his team to join the Wildcats at midfield afterward.
"He was just the perfect guy for it," Navone said. "He's a young man of faith, and a leader in our spirituality program here at the school and also someone who is extremely well respected by his peers. He's just a fine, fine ambassador for our school. "... He gets it. He gets our mission in every way and I think that's why people are drawn to him and I think that's why he's such a successful chaplain."
"I'm very impressed and amazed at how he has stayed dedicated to his team," Julie Kunst said. "His passion has been rechanneled. He feels like God gave him this opportunity to discover something more than sports. It has made him more aware and not putting so much emphasis on sports.
"Before, it was so important to be the best at this and have the highest score in that. But now he's more into the big picture and the teamwork and camaraderie of it whereas before it was more about Johnny Kunst's stats."
Kunst, however, makes it clear that he would have loved to be able to put together some stats and be the team chaplain.
"I was working very hard this summer just before and after practice every day with (quarterbacks) Jared (Goff) and Morgan (Mahalak) just trying to get as many catches as I can," Kunst said. "I was hoping to do great things this year. But I'm not too upset. I mean, I'm living the dream still coming out here every day with this amazing team. I've handled it pretty well.
"There's definitely disappointment, but I'm pretty blessed to be out here with all these guys. In the beginning I was pretty disappointed but I've really gotten over that and just enjoyed the whole experience. "... I can still make a contribution to the team. I feel like off the field, I am making a contribution, so I am very happy."
Contact Dave Curtis via email at email@example.com


text:
Painted ZigZag Ruffle Bath Towels
No longer available
- Overview
We've made the basic bath towel better by adding a ruffled trim accented with painterly details.
- Made of 100% cotton terry.
- Ultraplush 550-gram weight.
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- Cotton percale ruffles along the hem feature a printed zigzag pattern.
- Personalization is available for an additional $8.50.
- Click here to Preview Font Colors.
- Machine wash.
- Imported.
- Care Tip: For a more plush towel, washing and drying is recommended prior to first use. Each washing will make this towel softer and more lofty.
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- Washcloth: 12" square
- Hand Towel: 20 x 30"
- Bath Towel: 28 x 55"
- Oeko-Tex certified, the definitive mark of excellence for products that are healthy for you and healthy for the environment.
- Machine wash in warm water, gentle cycle.
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- Tumble dry on low heat; remove promptly.
- Warm iron as needed.
- Shipping Info
This item will arrive in 3-5 business days. Please proceed to the Payment & Review page of Checkout for a precise delivery estimate.


text:
Openly Gay Hindu Man becomes minister (priest) in
Firstly, about Unitarian Universalism
It is a liberal religion -- They believe that personal experience, conscience and reason should be the final authorities in religion. They are a "non-creedal" religion: They do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed.
Now the Hindu Gay Man is Manish Kumar Mishra, aged 35, from
The reason to choose the new religion is - Hinduism renounces homosexuality.
Mishra, who identifies his religion as Hindu, which renounces homosexuality, said the church gave him a religious home.
It is high time Hindu communities discussed about sexual minorities. I feel Hinduism should accommodate sexual minorities. Such people should be given the freedom in sexual matters and the freedom to follow the religion of their choice.


text:
KEIGHLEY'S Welcome Project is leading a campaign to get older people using computers.
The group is running training sessions at the Sue Belcher Centre in Bracken Bank to help seniors gain confidence online.
It is recruiting volunteers to become 'internet befrienders' who can support some of the fledgeling silver surfers.
The campaign has grown out of an over-50s tea party held at the Sue Belcher Centre to find out what activities residents would like to take part in.
Welcome Project spokesman Shona Grange said: "The Welcome Project has a section on its website dedicated to CLICKS (Computer Links In Communities Keighley), which is a little like Facebook, but allows people to keep in touch with each other safely."
After six weeks at Bracken Bank, the computer project will move to Braithwaite then other areas of Keighley.
Visit welcomeproject.org.uk or call 01535 665258 for more information on getting involved.


text:
Support From Hospital to Home for Elders: A Randomized Controlled Study (SHHE)
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The investigators will randomize 700 non-psychiatric, non-obstetric, non-surgical patients aged 55 years and older at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) to usual care (ten days of prescription medication, discharge summary sent to primary care provider (PCP), and outpatient appt made for patient, and patient's nurse reviews discharge plan,) or usual care plus a peridischarge intervention (a visit with specialized in-hospital discharge nurse, development of personalized discharge plan, two phone calls from a nurse practitioner(NP)/physician assistant (PA) after discharge and availability of additional calls back from NP/PA, upon patient request, to help answer questions and assist patient's transition to outpatient care, and communication with primary care/subspecialty providers). The usual care and usual care plus intervention groups will be assessed for differences in mortality and rates of rehospitalization and emergency department use 30, 90 and 180 days following discharge from the hospital.
The discharge process from the hospital to home is frequently marked by poor quality and high risk of adverse events and readmissions. It has been hypothesized that better coordinated care, personalized patient education, and follow-up calls to identify potential sources of adverse events, such as medical complications and medication errors can reduce rehospitalization and emergency room visits following discharge from the hospital. Although these interventions have been shown to reduce combined hospital readmissions and emergency department visits in English-speaking patients, none has focused on elderly patients in a diverse urban public hospital setting that includes non-English-speakers, who might benefit more than other populations from enhanced services during and after discharge from the hospital. Further, these labor-intensive interventions are costly to implement, and it is unknown whether opportunity cost of providing additional services in a limited-resource environment such as San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) outweighs the unknown clinical benefits.
|Hospital Readmissions
|Behavioral: SHHE Peridischarge Intervention
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Prevention
|Official Title:
|Support From Hospital to Home for Elders: A Randomized Controlled Study
- Combined Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Readmissions [ Time Frame: 30 days after discharge from hospital ]
- Combined Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Readmissions [ Time Frame: 90 days after discharge from hospital ]
- Combined Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Readmissions [ Time Frame: 180 days after discharge from hospital ]
|Study Start Date:
|July 2010
|Study Completion Date:
|July 2013
|Primary Completion Date:
|February 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: SHHE Peridischarge intervention
Patients receive the Support from Hospital to Home (SHHE) Peridischarge Intervention plus usual care
Behavioral: SHHE Peridischarge Intervention
Support from Hospital to Home (SHHE) Peridischarge Intervention patients will receive Usual care plus
|No Intervention: Usual Care
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|55 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- patients age 55 and older
- admitted to the general medicine, family medicine, cardiology, and neurology services at San Francisco General Hospital,
- able to communicate in either English, Spanish, Mandarin or Cantonese,
- attending physicians agree to the patient's participation.
- Patients must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the study's goals through a set of teach back questions included in the consent process.
Exclusion Criteria:
- transferred from an outside hospital;
- admitted for a planned hospitalization (e.g. chemotherapy, a planned surgery)
- requiring hospice, nursing home, rehab or other institutional settings (i.e. expected by the physician team to be discharged to skilled nursing facilities) - those unable to independently consent (i.e. severely cognitively impaired, delirious, deaf, or involuntarily hospitalized because of severe mental illness)
- unable to understand English, Spanish or Cantonese (as reported by medical teams or unable to complete the consent teach-back process)
- less than age 55
- aphasic
- otherwise excluded by the medical team
- participated in the pilot project of this intervention.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01221532
|United States, California
|San Francisco General Hospital
|San Francisco, California, United States, 94110
|Principal Investigator:
|Jeffrey M Critchfield, MD
|University of California, San Francisco
|Principal Investigator:
|Sue Currin, RN
|San Francisco General Hospital
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|University of California, San Francisco
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01221532 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|July 13, 2010
|Last Updated:
|July 5, 2013
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text: OverviewBack to top NOW Foods - Whey Protein Isolate Vanilla - 1.8 lbs. Item# :53662UPC# :733739021601 Brand:NOW Foods Size/Form:1.80 lbs. Ship Weight:2.20 Dosage:2 Scoop(s) Flavor:Vanilla NOW Sports Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate - 1.8 lbs NOW Foods Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate is a high quality protein supplement that is both bioavailable and easily digested. Now Foods Whey Protein contains a high concentration of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's), which are important for efficient muscle metabolism. These qualities make NOW Fodos Whey Protein Isolate an ideal supplement for active individuals. Whey protein is considered to have the highest Biological Value of any protein source - superior in essential amino acid content to beef, milk, casein or soy. All Natural Vanilla Voted 2005 and 2006 Whole Foods Magazine "Best Sports Supplement" Mixes Instantly Cross-Flow Microfiltered High in Branched Chain Amino Acids All Natural - No Aspartame, No Sucralose, No Acesulfame-K A Dietary Supplement What is Whey Protein and how is it processed?Whey is a natural byproduct from the cheese-making industry. It is the liquid that remains when the solids in milk are pressed together to form cheese. This liquid is then filtered and purified into a powder that is high in quality protein but very low in fat. Because of the nature of whey, the purification process is a low-heat, spray-dry method that does not use any solvents.Quite simply, Whey Protein builds lean body mass by helping to increase your body's production of muscle protein, which is especially important after intense workouts. Hence its classification as a sports supplement.It appears NOW has used three different types of Whey Protein. What is the difference?NOW's three different types of Whey Protein are formulated to provide anyone, from the weekend warrior to the most serious athlete, with a "whey" that's perfect for their fitness level.NOW's Economy formula is predominantly whey concentrate, which has a slightly different nutrient profile than the isolate form (detailed below) and provides about 16-17 grams of protein per serving. It's ideal for the casual fitness enthusiast.NOW's premium quality blend contains a mixture of whey concentrates and whey isolates, with higher levels of whey isolate, and more protein per serving (20 grams). For anyone serious about their fitness this is a great choice.NOW's pure Whey Isolate yields more protein with less fat and carbohydrates than concentrates and is considered the highest quality whey protein currently available. Whey Isolate has a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA's), which aid protein synthesis. It's naturally low in carbohydrates and contains over 90% protein, compared to 80% for many concentrates and 6.25% for milk. NOW Whey Isolates are instantized for easy mixing in milk or water. For athletes on high protein regimens and for those agressively seeking to build muscle NOW Whey Isolate is the way to go!NOW's MissionThe NOW mission is - To provide value in products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives. NOW Foods is an award-winning and highly respected manufacturer of vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements and natural foods.In 1948, with the natural food and supplement industry in its infancy, entrepreneur Paul Richard paid $900 for the purchase of Fearn Soya Foods—a Chicago based manufacturer of grain and legume-based products. This began a six-decade legacy of providing health-seeking consumers with high-quality, affordable nutrition products. History of NOWIn 1968, NOW Foods was founded under the belief that good health was not a luxury available only to the wealthy. For the past forty years, NOW has made it their l:" ":advocate of the natural product industry, and a leader in the fields of nutritional science and methods development. And while NOW has grown considerably over the past four decades, one thing has never changed – NOW's commitment to providing products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.NOW Commitments Customer Focused and Information Driven - NOW believes that their products, services, and the decisions they make should be primarily influenced by the desires and needs of NOW customers. The decisions that NOW makes should be based on accurate information and therefore NOW places a high value on knowledge and learning within their organization. Quality and Value Oriented - Acting in the best interest of NOW customers, NOW endeavors to produce the highest quality products at competitive prices. NOW's first priority is to maintain quality where it counts the most – in the products. NOW's exceptional cost-conscious team of employees then focuses their energies on driving costs down. Nurturing this competency of value drives NOW's ability to provide high quality products at the very best prices. Natural is Better - NOW is convinced that natural products are better than their synthetic counterparts and produce better results in human health. Therefore, wherever possible, NOW strives to provide products that contain natural ingredients because they are better for their customers. NOW ScienceNOW's experienced professional and technical staff formulates their products to be of the highest quality. NOW has a group of biochemists, chemists, nutritionists, and food technologists who review current science and nutritional parameters, and formulate our products to be effective for the intended use. NOW's structure/function claims are based on science for active ingredients, and on nutritional science for nutritional content. Serving sizes are based on doses from clinical studies and other published data. NOW's contemporary formulas are designed to meet the health and wellness needs of today's consumers. NOW uses ingredients that have been tested for effectiveness in clinical trials and laboratory studies. The heart of NOW science is third party independent research. NOW investigates and review clinical studies and other lab studies conducted on their ingredients and their formulas. Best science is used to support best formulations which lead to best quality. NOW products are constantly being tested in clinical trials conducted at top universities and research centers around the country and in various parts of the world. NOW products are being tested to determine such things as effectiveness for joint support, quality of life for cancer patients, cardiovascular support, and athletic endurance. Effective products mean health and wellness benefits, which mean quality.GMP Quality AssuredNOW's GMP certification covers standard operating procedures, employee training, product specifications, expiration dating, vendor certifications and much more. Standard operating procedures include sampling and testing incoming materials according to NOW Foods specifications, inspecting manufacturing processes, and testing finished products to specifications. Tests include organoleptic evaluation (human senses such as sight, taste, smell), physical testing of tablets and capsules, chemical identity of ingredients, potency and contamination testing by the company's in-house state-of-the-art analytical testing lab, as well as microbiological testing by NOW Foods' in-house rapid analysis microbiological lab.


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Keep kids learning
Worried your kid forgets everything they've learnt when not at school? Here's how to keep their brain sharp. more
Dubbed the "tripad", this DIY iPad tripod is unique and costs next to nothing. Sure it's a bit rough around the edges but it absolutely does the job. Give it a go! There are several steps to this project, so make sure you look at the number images below the steps for easy reference.
Gather your supplies.
Begin by placing the iPad face down on the placemat and tracing around it. Mark where the hole for the camera needs to go.
Drill one hole through the middle of the placemat and one for the camera (as marked.)
Check the bolts through the central hole.
Attach the placemat to the tripod to ensure everything fits snuggly and securely.
Position your iPad so that the camera is placed over the hole you have drilled for it.
You may need to enlarge your holes a bit. If you do not have a large enough drill bit, you can use scissors. Rotate them around inside the hole …
… until it looks big enough to accommodate the camera without intruding on the picture space.
Trace along the edge at the "bottom" of the iPad. The camera should be a the top left at this point.
Cut pieces of felt tape. This is to protect the back of the iPad from the central nut and to ensure that the iPad is level.
Position your felt tape as pictured below.
At this point, you can use your peg to fashion a little ledge for the iPad to rest against when it is in an upright position. You could also use a small off cut of timber.
Cut a piece of the PVC so that it wraps around the placemat 1 1/2 times. Trim to fit.
Apply glue to patterned side of placemat and smooth the PVC onto the glued surface.
Pierce the PVC around the centre hole with your scissors.
Tape along the top of the placemat to hold the PVC in place.
Attach the board to the tripod and position the iPad onto the board. This is best done with the tripod plate flat.
Ensure the PVC is smoothed firmly over the face of the iPad. You will notice that the PVC will grab the iPad in much the same way as the screen projectors do. You can still operate the iPad through the PVC.
Continue to wrap the PVC around the back of the board and trim to ensure a snug fit. That way the PVC will also grab to itself and on the back of the board. This will help keep the iPad in position and safe.
This craft was created by Kooyotoo.


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'Less than a year ago, Ruff was a lame-duck coach for a team skating in circles. The Sabres beat division rival Montreal and conference foe the Islanders by a combined 11-2 in their first two games before waking up in the Habitat for Horrendous. If it wasn't one problem, it was another. In no time, they were reeling. No wonder Ruff was having flashbacks while thinking about the Bills.'
You are here: Home / SabresBeat / In this town, coaches can run but can't hide


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From a lacy shawl of Japanese maples shading a Berkeley hillside to bold colors painting a Tiburon slope, beauty is in the eyes of the judges — and now of the voting public — for this year's Considered Design Awards.
The nationwide online competition is sponsored by Remodelista.com and Gardenista.com to celebrate stunning home-interior and garden designs by professionals as well as do-it-yourselfers.
The sites' editors received hundreds of entries in 17 categories for this second annual event. They opted to spread the judging around the country, seeking out a "roster of design-world luminaries" for the task.
In the Bay Area, they tapped Flora Grubb, garden designer and owner of San Francisco's chic Flora Grubb Gardens, to tackle the best professional landscape category.
We caught up with Grubb at the nursery — an oasis in the industrial Bayview district — to talk about what makes for an award-worthy garden, whether created by a professional or homeowner.
When we arrived, she was poring over photos to whittle down 29 entries in her category to five finalists, with the winner to be selected by the public in online balloting.
"It's tough to judge because they're all so impressive," Grubb said. "These are beautiful gardens at what could be considered estates. It's not going to be easy."
She did manage to narrow it to five, however, selecting three Bay Area landscapes among the finalists — a modern Pacific Heights setting designed by Terremoto in San Francisco; a colorful hillside in Tiburon by Arterra Landscape Architects; and a calming "outdoor room" by Mary Barensfeld Architecture for a home in Berkeley. (See more on these gardens in an accompanying article.)
Public voting in all categories remains open through Aug. 8, and winners will be posted on the Remodelista and Gardenista sites Aug. 9.
Tough choice
In determining what makes for a prize-winning garden design among entries spanning a spectrum of climates across the country, Grubb said she had to briefly set aside her California water-wise sensibilities.
"In the West, we're all about water use, about gardens that sip rather than gulp," she said. "So when you deal with the whole nation, you have to consider places where water miraculously falls from the sky on a regular basis. Some (entries) are lush, water-gulping gardens and lawns and plants that would be out of the question in California."
Grubb also addressed the tricky element of judging gardens from photographs. "To me, the most important thing about a garden is how it feels to be in that garden, and how it feels to the garden's owner. Does it bring you pleasure and joy and a place to find rest?
"You can get a little of that from a picture, but — like … architecture — something can look very beautiful, but it doesn't always feel great when you're there."
Even so, Grubb said the photographs allowed her to consider the composition of the gardens — "the way the whole thing hangs together," as she put it, including "whether there's a cohesive thread, if the garden provides a sense of respite, if it has some sun and some shady places, some structural elements, lots of planes of color in foliage, flowers, pottery and other elements."
For home use
Though Grubb's competition category is professional designs, she says those images can translate in practical ways for the home gardener and serve as sources of inspiration when developing or improving the landscaping.
"Most garden media is about helping the rest of us aspire to something greater," she says, "just like in fashion, where we like looking at pictures of couture fashion. We might not go out and buy it, but it's art, and we can get practical ideas from it."
In fact, Grubb encourages home gardeners to collect images of appealing landscapes from magazines and Pinterest and take those to their local nurseries when shopping.
She also suggests taking a photograph — preferably printed, so it's larger than a cellphone image — of the spot in the yard you're planning to work with.
She said, "If you want two pots to go by the front door, bring in a picture of your front door. The folks at your nursery can help with how plants work with the architecture of your house."
Other tips Grubb gave for home gardeners developing a landscaping concept include:
Follow Angela Hill on Twitter @GiveEmHill.
Vote online by Aug. 8 in this nationwide competition, with 17 categories, sponsored by Remodelista.com (for interior designs) and Gardenista.com (for garden and landscape design). Three Bay Area gardens are among the finalists in the best professional landscape category, judged by Flora Grubb of the San Francisco nursery Flora Grubb Gardens and by Gardenista editors.


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Former ER doctor convicted of two murders
January 22, 2013
A former emergency room doctor convicted in Douglas County of kidnapping his estranged wife in 2002, was found guilty Friday in Arkansas of two murders committed a month before he took the woman hostage.A Faulkner County, Ark., jury deliberated about an hour on Jan. 18 before finding Richard Conte, 63, guilty of two counts of capital murder.The former Carson City emergency room doctor was convicted of the shooting deaths of 49-year-old Carter Elliott and 25-year-old Timothy Wayne Robertson, whose bodies were discovered May 18, 2002.The kidnapping occurred in June 2002.Arkansas prosecutor Cody Hiland did not seek the death penalty which means Conte will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson, who prosecuted Conte on the kidnapping, said Tuesday he was pleased with the Arkansas outcome."I was real excited to hear the news," he said. "It was one of those cases where we felt there was a lot of incriminating evidence and strong circumstantial evidence."Jackson said he was happy for the victims' family members."This was a case sitting out there for a little over a decade," he said. "I don't know that they will get full closure, but there is the fact that Mr. Conte was convicted, and they can start the healing process."Jackson offered congratulations to the Arkansas prosecutor."Kudos to the new DA," he said. "The former district attorney wouldn't prosecute. We held onto that evidence for years, trying to get the DA to take it."He said Hiland started reviewing the case when he was elected in 2010.Conte received enough "good time" credit in Nevada state prison that he served just nine years of a 15-year sentence for kidnapping his estranged wife from Utah, binding and drugging her and holding her captive for two days in his Clear Creek Road home in June 2002.The couple had been married only 90 days before Lark Gathright-Elliott filed for divorce. When officers found Gathright-Elliott chained to Conte's bed, they also noted a map on Conte's computer with directions to Carter Elliott's home in Conway, Ark., and a list of police scanner frequencies for Conway.Carter Elliott and Robertson were found dead in Elliott's Conway, Ark., home on May 18, 2002. Each man had been shot execution-style, once in the head, according to police.Carter Elliott was Gathright-Elliott's first husband.Conte was charged with the Arkansas murders two days before he was to be released from Nevada state prison and was extradited to Arkansas.


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Robert J. Cottrol
- Title:
- Harold Paul Green Research Professor of Law
- Address:
- 2000 H Street, NW
Washington, District Of Columbia 20052
- Phone:
- 202-994-5023
- Fax:
- 202-994-9446
- Email:
- firstname.lastname@example.com
Robert J. Cottrol joined the law school faculty in 1995 as a visiting professor of law of legal history. Previously, he taught at Rutgers University and Boston College, and had visited at the University of Virginia. As well as specializing in American legal history, Professor Cottrol has also taught torts and criminal law. His writings on law and history have appeared in the Yale Law Journal, Georgetown Law Journal, American Journal of Legal History, Law and Society Review, Slavery and Abolition: A Journal of Slave and Post-Slave Studies and American Quarterly, among others.
He is the author of The Afro-Yankees: Providence's Black Community in the Antebellum Era (selected by Choice as an outstanding academic book for 1983), editor of Gun Control and the Constitution: Sources and Explorations on the Second Amendment (Book of the Month selection by the History Book Club), and From African to Yankee: Narratives of Slavery and Freedom in Antebellum New England (1998). Professor Cottrol's book Brown v. Board of Education: Caste, Culture and the Constitution (2003) won the Langum Project Prize for Historical Literature in 2003 and was a "Book-of-the-Month" selection of the History Book Club. Most recently, he has authored The Long, Lingering Shadow: Slavery, Race, and Law in the American Hemisphere (2013).
He is currently doing research contrasting the role of law in the development of systems of slavery and racial hierarchy in the United States and Latin America. He has lectured on American law at the Federal Universities of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and the University of Buenos Aires and La Universidad del Museo Social in Argentina.
BA, PhD, Yale University; JD, Georgetown University


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The Stock Market Trading Jones
This commentary originally appeared at 8:47 a.m. EST on Dec. 24 on Real Money Pro -- for access to all of legendary hedge fund manager Doug Kass's strategies and commentaries, click here.
Today, I see many traders and investors afflicted with what I call the stock market trading jones. Market participants feel compelled to overtrade. It comes in the form of a near-obsession in overtrading both on news-based dislocations (to the upside and downside) and on non-dislocations in the normal course of business, typically through chart gazing. The need to play too many earnings reports and the desire to trade macroeconomic events reside among numerous other catalysts....1634 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Trailing by two goals heading into Sunday's Eastern Conference decider at RFK Stadium, injury-riddled D.C. United will need all the help it can get to overturn that deficit and advance to its first MLS Cup final in eight years.
Leading scorer Chris Pontius (groin), midfielder Marcelo Saragosa (hamstring) and central defender Brandon McDonald (calf) all are questionable, and right back Andy Najar remains suspended. But on Tuesday it was confirmed that a timely return to action by 2011 league MVP Dwayne De Rosario, out since early September with an injured knee, is likely.
Originally, the Dec. 1 MLS Cup final was the target.
"He's a lot further along than we would have expected," United assistant coach Chad Ashton told reporters. "We are very optimistic he can play."
De Rosario has been practicing and traveled to New York and Houston for D.C.'s recent playoff games.
"I feel good, but there are a lot more days leading up to the game," De Rosario told The Washington Post on Tuesday. "If it feels good on that day, we'll see. I am there for the team. It doesn't matter if it's the second half, overtime, starting or not playing at all."
Adopting a more conservative, defensive approach following De Rosario's injury, United went 6-0-3 in his absence before falling to the Houston Dynamo, 3-1, in Sunday's semifinal opener. But defense won't do the trick at RFK, where United needs to win by at least two to force overtime.
De Rosario had seven goals and 12 assists in 25 games this season. Even if his knee feels good, Ashton said De Rosario would play only "limited minutes, for sure," because of his lack of match fitness.
United (18-11-8) won seven games this season by two goals or more while Houston (17-10-11) has struggled on the road. The Dynamo were 3-10-5 away from BBVA Compass Stadium, yielding an average of 1.67 goals per game. Of course, they enter Sunday's match knowing a 1-0 defeat will see them through to the final, which could influence coach Dom Kinnear's tactics.
But D.C. now has an ace in the hole as well, which could lead to high drama at RFK Stadium.


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John Nolan, retired FDNY lieutenant, worked to rebuild homes in Sandy-devastated communities after the superstorm and became one of the area's many "unsung heroes."
Now, Shell Rotella, an engine oil organization, has highlighted Nolan and several others in a short-form documentary series, "Unsung Heroes," that tells the stories of these overlooked saviors and how their work and lifestyles are intertwined.
Nolan's nearly five-minute clip opens up with the firefighter-turned-contractor pulling up to Breezy Point's fire zone, which was reduced from over 100 homes to just rubble.
He said the night of the storm, the 500 active firemen in the neighborhood tried to save whatever they could after floodwaters rose high and a blaze broke out, catching quickly.
"Early evening when the fire started, it went to high winds, homes were catching fire one right after the other," he said.
A shift in the wind allowed the Fire Department to get water on the houses that hadn't yet started burning, but even still, the day after "it was just massive destruction everywhere," Nolan said. "The entire community needed help."
He and others from the fire "brotherhood" worked through the summer to get the beach front community back on its feet.
"We came together as the Fire Department always does and did whatever we had to do to get the people back into their homes," he said. "It seems like every day is a sense of urgency; there aren't enough hours in the day."
He continued, "In Queens, you don't judge a guy by how tough he is, by how many guys he can knock down. You judge a guy by how many times he can get back up," he said. "That's the Rockaway, Breezy community. They're a resilient group of people."
Nolan's story and the other "unsung heroes" can be seen on www.youtube.com/rotellaunsung.
"Working on a project like "Unsung" really opened my eyes to the men and women working tirelessly to keep this country moving," said Geoffrey Campbell, producer of the documentaries. "I have a newfound gratitude for the many people who put in long hours and work hard in a truck each day."
- Film focuses on Rockaway recovery
- Sandy firefighter heroes recognized on anniversary
- Firefighters help fellow FDNY members still recovering from Sandy


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Posted 5 years ago
(1 item)
Can anyone please just tell me what these are called? I tried stick doll/figure and matchstick doll/figure but came up with nothing on Ebay or Google images.
The arms and legs are sticks, the face and clothes are cloth, the shoes are red felt, the hair is yarn. One doll (the last photo) has pipe cleaner arms and legs. They are 3.25" tall. They are all tagged Japan on the back of their dresses (except the pipe cleaner).
I would love to know what they are called, and what approximate decade they are from.
Does anyone out there know?
Thanks for your help.
My email address is email@example.com


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Burton [ak] Oven Mitt
Like a windproof, sub-zero sleeping bag tailored to your hands. Don't get caught in the backcountry without these.
By combining the collective heating powers of Triple Goose Down, a whopping 15 ounces of PrimaLoft® Gold Insulation, and a Hydrofil™ wicking fleece liner, the Burton [ak] Oven Mitt is basically the warmest snowboard mitt on the planet. It fights moisture on both fronts thanks to ultra-breathable WINDSTOPPER® fabric from Gore. And so riders like Terje Haakonsen don't feel like they're wearing boxing gloves, a super ergonomic fit ensures total dexterity when strapping in or shoveling. Under mitt styling means a low-profile cuff that easily slides underneath your jacket's sleeves. If you are one who is always cold or spends a lot of time in the backcountry far from shelter, then the [ak] Oven Mitt isn't nice to have, it's a necessity.
Screen Grab® Gnar Guard Leather Thumb
Screen Grab® Gnar Guard Leather Thumb
With Burton touchscreen-compatible tech built right in, Screen Grab® Gnar Guard Leather combines a buttery feel and rugged, breathable waterproofing with the freedom to control any touchscreen device.
WINDSTOPPER® Fabric from Gore with Total Windproofness and Maximum Breathability
WINDSTOPPER® Fabric from Gore with Total Windproofness and Maximum Breathability
Kill wind chill with this incredibly lightweight, windproof, and highly breathable membrane that blows away the concept that warmth must come from big, bulky insulators. Microscopic pores move moisture away fast, while keeping wind out to help maintain a constant next-to-skin environment that keeps you up to 250% warmer than non-windproof insulators. Wear less, pack more, ride longer. Featured on the [ak] Oven Mitt. GORE-TEX® and WINDSTOPPER® are registered trademarks of W.L. GORE and ASSOCIATES, Inc.
Triple Goose Down Fill
Triple Goose Down Fill
To measure its fill power, one ounce of down is placed in a cylinder, compressed, and allowed to fully loft. The cubic inches of the lofted down represent its fill power. What you really need to know is that the higher the number, the higher the insulating properties, and the warmer you will feel.
PrimaLoft® Gold Insulation [15 Oz. = Very Warm]
PrimaLoft® Gold Insulation [15 Oz. = Very Warm]
PrimaLoft® Gold offers the ultimate in warmth-to-weight coupled with incredible packability and softness that mimics goose down. The secret is an extremely lightweight and low-profile core structure that suspends millions of air particles in a microfiber mesh. These microscopic air particles repel water while trapping heat to keep you warmer and drier in the most demanding conditions, even after repeated washings. For added grip and earth-friendly vibes, check out the 100% recycled PrimaLoft® Gold Eco insulation with Grip Control on the men's Burton [ak] Guide Glove
Hydrofil™ Wicking Fixed Fleece Finger Mitt Lining
Hydrofil™ Wicking Fixed Fleece Finger Mitt Lining
Quick-drying, soft, and technical, our variety of fleece linings combine warmth and the ability to keep you dry in a low-bulk package.
Gnar Guard Leather Palm
Gnar Guard Leather Palm
Buttery soft and seriously supple, our Gnar Guard genuine leather combines maximum comfort with durable weatherproof/breathability. Mid-grab or full-crank, your hands will be pumped on the improved grip, feel, and flexibility.
- Super Ergonomic Construction
Ergonomic Pre-Curved Fit
Ergonomic Pre-Curved Fit
The superior dexterity of this articulated fit means your hands will always be warm and nimble no matter what kind of action you get into. Featured on every single glove and mitt we make.
- Removable [ak] Wrist Leash
- Unisex Sizing
1-Year Warranty
1-Year Warranty
All Burton gloves and mitts are backed by a one-year warranty from date of purchase. Our W48 Warranty Program ensures that should you have a problem, we'll have your claim repaired or replaced and on its way back to you within two business days of receiving it.


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Hostility will be delivered free of charge.
There's a reason the Patriots are 70-14 (.833) at home in the regular season over the last decade, a record of success matched by no one.
A heavy dose of the credit belongs to coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady and a wealth of other talented players. But there's something to be said about the crowd. Colts rookie Andrew Luck and friends might not be able to hear themselves think.
"The crowd can get loud," Reitz said in an understated lineman kind of way.
In a game that has the potential to be an offensive shootout, the crowd could factor even more into the mix. The closer the game, the more ferocious the fans will become when Luck and the Colts offense are on the field.
Peyton Manning was the master of the no-huddle, hard-to-communicate offensive attack. He could glance at Marvin Harrison, make a slight gesture and deliver a touchdown pass.
Luck is learning. But none of the places that Luck has played so far (Chicago, New York, Tennessee and Jacksonville) have quite the Colts hatred and hostility of New England.
"It felt like a playoff game at home against Miami," Colts interim coach Bruce Arians said. "This will be our first playoff atmosphere on the road."
The Colts-Patriots rivalry, attributable to the Manning-Brady rivalry as much as anything, came about because both franchises hit their sweet spot of success in the relative same time period. At first the Patriots had the edge. Later, Manning and the Colts took some control.
Now it's rebooted with Brady vs. Luck, making home field even more important.
Because the Colts use some rookies in key spots, they have to make sure to be prepared for the ruckus and disruption.
"You have to get off to a fast start and get the crowd out of the game," Colts rookie receiver T.Y. Hilton said. "It gets very loud in the stadium, so you have to be mistake-free and protect the ball."
Reitz said he believes the best way for the Colts to neutralize the Gillette Stadium crowd is through a somewhat mundane task: Run the football.
When a team is playing against Brady, it's essential to reduce the chances he has to put points on the board and finish every drive.
"The two things we talk about as an offensive line is we have to be able to run the ball and we have to be able to protect the quarterback," Reitz said. "That takes out other factors, such as the crowd noise, things like that. …From early on to the last couple games, I think we've run the ball better on the road, and that's something we need to continue to take care of."
The Patriots lead the NFL in takeaway ratio, rarely turning the ball over (Brady has 18 touchdowns, three interceptions). They also lead in total offense and passing. They will put up points.
New England might also give up points, as it did in surrendering 31 in a win over Buffalo last week. The secondary is a far cry from the dominate one of the early part of the rivalry with the Colts.
Of course, history is no real indication of what to expect on the field in this rivalry because of the shift in personnel for the Colts, starting with the rookie quarterback. This feels like a rite of passage – Luck's first visit to New England – and as calm as he is, he acknowledges the significance.
"It's a big game, obviously, a huge game," Luck said. "You have two teams that are up there in terms of the standings right now. It's definitely going to be exciting, a great atmosphere. But I don't think we'll make it bigger than it is or get too caught up in the excitement of it."
The game will be won by increments, and it sure feels like a game where the best offense will emerge as the winner.
"As a rookie, I was like fourth-string and eating nachos before the game in the stands," Brady said. "There wasn't much of me thinking of playing. I always admire those rookies who can do it because it is such a challenge, whether you're a defensive end like Chandler Jones, or Dont'a Hightower or Andrew Luck or any of these rookies who really play a big role for a certain team. It's a real credit to them and their ability to transition and focus on all these new things that have really come about and go out there and play well."
As for the Colts defense, slowing Brady is always easier said than done, especially with his use of weapons such as Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Stevan Ridley.
It's never quarterback vs. quarterback, but beating Brady would be another step on Luck's climb to the top. Even bigger would be the Colts leaving New England's fans speechless.
More Information
Colts at New EnglandKickoff: 4:25 p.m. Sunday at Gillette Stadium
Radio: WOWO, 1190-AM
For more on the Colts, follow Reggie Hayes via Twitter at www.twitter.com/reggiehayes1.


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Standing alone in the crowded hallway outside Denver Juvenile Court, Tiffany McAdam folds her arms tightly across her chest to calm her shaking. She is waiting for the hearing in which Judge Dana Wakefield will rule on the fate of her four-year-old son, Martin -- the boy whom police took from her during a drug-induced nervous breakdown a year ago -- as well as that of her newborn son, whom she hasn't seen since his foster mother took him home from the hospital in July. Tiffany had taken two hits of methamphetamine four days before he was born, and social workers had deemed her an unfit mother. She anxiously covers the patches of her fair skin that are scabbed from scratching, remnants of a bacterial infection that's plagued her for a year. The sores look like those of a methamphetamine user, and people often assume that's what they are -- especially given her history.
Denver Department of Human Services caseworker Kathy McGirt's written report to Wakefield, submitted two weeks prior to this August 31 hearing, says that Tiffany and her husband, David McAdam, have been in compliance with their treatment plans for seven weeks, but they are not ready to be parents. It's not in Martin's best interest, she adds, to delay permanency by giving the parents more time. She recommends that David's brother, John, get permanent custody of the boy.
Tiffany, however, believes that would be a horrible mistake. She doesn't have a relationship with her brother-in-law -- let alone a good one -- and with guardianship, John would have every right to keep her son away from her and David. Instead, the McAdams are clinging to the hope that the judge will give them more time to prove that they can stay off drugs and out of jail. If they can't, John is an alternative to the nightmare of having their son adopted by strangers and their parental rights terminated.
Family to Family
"We can't screw up," David tells Tiffany, standing with his face a few inches from hers. "There's no room for error. I'm not going to screw up. We're going to get our son back. We're going to get our son back."
"Tell me you trust your brother," she says.
"What choice do we have?" he asks.
"Tell me you trust your brother."
"He's not going to hurt Martin."
Unconvinced, Tiffany finds McGirt so she can stress to her, once more, that uncle John is not a safe choice for her son. She wants her kids home, but if that can't happen, she'd much rather see them with her brother in Virginia. Tiffany tells the caseworker that her brother-in-law's 1998 felony conviction for meth distribution involved guns, something she and David have never possessed.
By the time the hearing begins, DDHS has changed its recommendation. McGirt tells the judge there is new information about the placement that requires investigation. Something about a sawed-off shotgun in the house, adds City Attorney Laurie Kaczanowska, who notes the progress the McAdams have made in recent weeks and says it would be in the boys' best interest to give the parents more time to work toward reunification. As both parents break down in tears, the judge asks Tiffany how she could "sit there and smoke with that baby right below your face." She stumbles through an apology until David, a former heroin addict, interrupts.
"I'm about to lose my son for [my past] mistakes," he chokes in a pleading tone. "I'm scared to death. I like who I am now. I'm tired of being who I was. I feel I've been compliant from the get-go. I just feel I deserve a chance. All I'm asking for is an opportunity, time to show I can stay out of jail."
Wakefield asks David how many times he's been to jail since he turned eighteen. "Too many."
"How many times for drugs?" he asks
"All of them," David replies.
"What did you do to protect that baby?" the judge demands.
"I was incarcerated, Your Honor," David says softly.
The judge reminds the parents that it has been a full year since their case began, and, according to the law, the court is now supposed to place their son in a permanent home. "I want you to listen to me good," Wakefield says. "The public has no clue what's happening to children in our society. The legislature and Congress became aware in the last decade. They've changed the law to make things move very fast. Some would argue they're pushing people too quickly -- that people with drug addiction, for instance, can't recover that fast. You two prove it beyond any doubt.
"Look at what's in front of me," he continues. "What's happened since we gave you treatment plans? Dad -- mistake. Mom -- tragic mistake. If I give you a chance and you fail, everyone has a right to say, 'Judge, what were you thinking? That's why the law is there.' But if you've gotten it together to stay, what a tragedy it would be if I took both of your children away forever. If I don't give you that chance, what a tragedy. If the child was in foster care, I'd say too late, too little."
Relieved and humiliated, Tiffany and David slip silently from the courthouse, with ten weeks to prove they are worthy of their children.
For the past five years, the Denver Department of Human Services has been revamping its process to fit a national model that strives to better serve families and provide better outcomes for children. The Family to Family reform initiative, created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, emphasizes strengthening families and communities through carefully targeted services provided as early as possible to parents in need; the goal is to keep children in their homes or reunify them with their parents in a timely manner. When that is not possible, the model tries to keep children within their extended families or same neighborhood.
Starting with a foundation grant in 2000, DDHS implemented the Family to Family program. The department created two community collaborations of families, service providers, religious institutions, schools and community activists. Each of the two groups was funded with a $45,000 annual grant from the Casey Foundation. Today there are seven collaborations serving seven neighborhoods and receiving a total of $150,000 a year. In January, that allotment will grow to $250,000 annually. The services provided -- parenting classes, drug treatment, job training, counseling -- have always been available, but not always close by, not with flexible hours and not always in the family's primary language. "[The collaborations] don't just serve the kids and families that we send to them," says Human Services manager Roxane White. "They serve the entire community. A family can get any of these services without having a case, by going directly to the collaborative."
Family to Family has also changed the way the department approaches referrals. In 2002, DDHS began using a process called Team Decision Making, or TDM, which gives families a say in treatment and child placement. It also allows grandparents and aunts and uncles an opportunity to step up and provide a home for their kin. As a result, the department has substantially reduced the number of kids who are removed from their homes and put in group-home situations, from 80 percent in 2000 to 20 percent this year.
"With the old model, these children would have been removed from their home and neighborhood and placed with strangers in foster care," notes Allen Pollack, director of family and children's services for DDHS.
Administrators describe Family to Family as a process so positive that parents are thankful for the interference of social services in their lives. Caseworkers approach every new filing by getting to know the parents, finding out how they were raised and what their issues are. "We have very few people who maliciously think of ways to hurt their children, and tons of cases where parents have lost it, have had an impulse moment and they've made a terrible choice," says DDHS child-protection administrator Jude Liguori. "And does one terrible choice define that parent? We say no."
David and Tiffany McAdam wish they'd been able to experience the same level of support. In her experience, Tiffany says, "they don't even spend any time with you to find out who you are or what you're about."
Tiffany grew up the daughter of an Air Force pilot, so she didn't stay in one school or one country for too long. As an adolescent, she spent three years in Italy before starting her sophomore year of high school in Virginia. By junior year, it was South Carolina. The conservative South didn't agree with Tiffany; she missed skiing with her dad, as she'd done in Italy, and planned to go to college in Colorado. She was sixteen in 1982 when her dad took off on a routine training mission in a small plane. Tragically, both of the engines went out, and the plane crashed -- along with Tiffany's future.
After that, all she wanted to do was escape, but her mother convinced her to stay close to home. She studied political science at the College of Charleston until she got too restless, dropping out in her junior year to travel around Europe with money her father had left her. Five months later, back in the States, she moved to Winter Park. For seven years she lived the life of a ski bum, hitting the slopes in the winter and spending the summer months following the Grateful Dead. When Tiffany left for Fort Collins in 1994 to finish school at Colorado State University, she was engaged to a longtime friend from Winter Park and was finally ready to look toward her future. Then early one morning, she got the call that he'd hit a dangerous stretch of Highway 287 on his way back from a camping trip. He'd driven off the road and died.
Tiffany found her escape in heroin. "I'd done it. Never very often -- just here and there," she says. "But that's when I decided to have a problem."
She never expected that problem to last -- or to fall in love with a fellow heroin addict.
David grew up in and around Denver, the son of a firefighter. "It's a tough thing to live up to when your dad's considered a superhero, getting plaques and awards for rushing children out of fires," he says. When he was in the third grade, his parents had him tested for intelligence at the University of Denver. He had an intelligence quotient of 128, was reading at a college level and could do math at a sixth-grade level, but he was also having behavioral and emotional problems, so his parents sent him to a psychiatrist. "I was intelligent enough to be like, 'What the fuck? There must be something seriously wrong with me if no one else is seeing shrinks,'" he says.
At thirteen, David got caught shoplifting. At sixteen, he earned his first felony -- for pulling quarters out of a soda machine. "There was no violence, nothing that genuinely hurt anybody," he says. "It was all just teenage angst, just pushing limits. I've always been a limit-pusher."
David started using heroin for the same reason. He equates drugs with extreme sports: "What's the whole point of extreme sports? Pushing limits. Coming as close to dying as you possibly can without actually dying. Why do you climb a mountain? You slip, you fall, you're dead. You're doing dope a little too much, you're dead. And you're getting high. The metaphor is exact." More felonies for drugs, burglary and theft followed David into his adult years.
By 1999, at age 24, he thought he'd put his criminal past behind him. He was eight months clean, having enrolled himself in a methadone treatment program, when Tiffany walked into his life.
It was a spring night just after last call, and he was waiting outside the Snake Pit in Capitol Hill when a girl hopped into his truck and yelled, "Let's go!"
"Where are we going?" he asked. Realizing she was in the wrong car, Tiffany improvised and invited the stranger with her to an after-party. They stayed out all night and shared their first kiss as they watched the sun rise over Berthoud Pass.
"We were pretty much inseparable after that," David says.
Within six months, they were living together -- and partying hard. "I was off the charts. I was a rock star," David says of his heroin and cocaine usage. After a while, however, it got to be too much, and they moved out to Wheat Ridge to chill out. They were both in methadone treatment programs in 2000 when Tiffany got pregnant; they were married soon after.
Tiffany felt healthy and ready to be a mom. She had a merchandizing job with a major retailer, and she worked up until three days before Martin was born in 2001. When she went back to work two and a half months later, she put Martin in a daycare program at Family Star Montessori and Early Head Start. At night she stayed home and played with her son. She read him books at bedtime. They were inseparable.
David, on the other hand, was freaked out by fatherhood. He started partying and getting into trouble again, living in and out of jail and halfway houses. Even when he wasn't incarcerated, he stayed away because he didn't want to screw up his son. Tiffany called herself a single mom.
But by the time Martin was two, David had come around. "He started developing a personality, and it blew me away," he says. He began visiting his son at Family Star every day, and he was asked to join the school's Fatherhood Leadership Council. Craig Hart, the fatherhood project's leader, was willing to take a chance on David despite his felonies and halfway-house residence. "David was 100 percent committed to the program and was 100 percent committed to his baby. Still is," Hart says.
The McAdams' downward spiral began with a phone call in November 2003. Tiffany was standing outside the mall with Martin in the twenty-degree night, waiting for a ride that never showed. She knew David wasn't supposed to drive because he was living in a halfway house, but she didn't know who else to call. Not wanting to leave them out there, David went to pick them up. The cops pulled him over on Colfax Avenue for having expired plates. Instead of fessing up, he called his brother to ask if he could use his name. He figured John would get a ticket for driving without insurance and get off when he showed proof of insurance to the judge. His brother agreed but later told the cops the truth. David had a new felony -- criminal impersonation -- and was looking at another eighteen months in prison.
When he went away, Tiffany began to unravel. She'd left her merchandizing job to sell carpet, thinking she'd make more money. At first the move was profitable, but soon her commissions were non-existent. She quit the week of Thanksgiving and found a job at a hardware store, taking on the late hours for a reliable paycheck.
In February, a neighbor introduced Tiffany to meth, and she started using it every once in a while -- but never around Martin, she says. Come summer, she agreed to let a friend move in so she could split the rent. Unbeknownst to her, he was a heroin addict, and Tiffany was soon using heroin and meth and drinking heavily -- though still never around her son or in their home, she says. At the same time, a bacterial infection spread all over her body, making her even more irritable and anxious than the drugs already had. Then she abruptly stopped taking the prescription methadone she'd been on for four years. By August, it was clear to Tiffany that she needed help, and clear to David, again living in a halfway house, that she was losing her mind.
On August 15, 2004, Tiffany took Martin to Children's Hospital to be treated for a rash similar to hers. Hospital staff didn't see a rash on the boy, and Tiffany left the hospital before doctors could look him over. The incident was reported to social services, and a policeman came by the house the next day for a welfare check. Tiffany told the officer that her brother, a physics professor in Virginia, was letting her and Martin stay with him while she got well. Tiffany says he told her that was a good idea and even warned her not to get involved with social services. The subsequent police report indicated that everything at the house was fine.
Two days later, on August 18, 2004, Tiffany was driving with her son in the car. Rain was pouring in through the driver's side window, which was broken, and she could barely see. When she made out the lights of a police car, she started to follow them. The officer, who later reported that the car was being driven erratically, stopped the vehicle. According to DDHS, Tiffany told the officer that her home was not safe because it was raining, that she needed to speak to the British Embassy, and that her mother had come from North Carolina to poison her and her son. Later she would say that the CIA had been using biological warfare on her and putting vials in her plants. "It's raining; this means the ice age is coming," Martin told police.
All Tiffany remembers is telling the officer that she couldn't see because of the rain and that she was afraid to go home because there was a man in her house she couldn't trust. "[The officer] took me to the house and checked it out, and we decided I should go to the hospital because of my skin and because I was having some mental problems," she says. The officer searched the home for drugs and paraphernalia but found nothing. McDonald's fries were the only food in the fridge.
Jude Liguori sees such a moment of crisis as an opportunity for social services to intervene and help a family get back on track. "We all know this could be our life, that something could go wrong and we could be in this situation," says the DDHS administrator.
On August 23, 2004, David attended a Team Decision Making meeting with his parents and Tiffany's mother and brother. David's parents volunteered to take in Martin until Tiffany was healthy and off drugs. They believed that Tiffany had been a good mother and would be again. Tiffany, however, couldn't be at the meeting, because she had been committed to Porter Adventist Hospital's psychiatric unit.
At the hospital, Tiffany's doctor requested a court order to involuntarily medicate her with five anti-psychotic drugs, four mood stabilizers and a nervous-system depressant. Though doctors would determine that her delusions were meth-induced, when she checked out of Porter in September 2004, she was still on psychiatric medications. She didn't have electricity or heat when she got home, nor could she afford her prescriptions. "I spent a month in a mental institution, and I come out and I have less help than I've ever had in my life. I was a mess," Tiffany says. "I had no child. I didn't want to live for a minute there."
Instead, she "self-medicated" with meth. For the next month and a half, she tested positive for methamphetamines so often that social services suspended her visits with Martin. She says she finally quit using in November, when she learned that she was pregnant again. Tiffany decided she was ready to do whatever social services asked of her to get her son back -- and to be ready for her unborn child.
To do that, she and David would have to comply with their court-approved treatment plans by maintaining a steady income and stable housing, not engaging in criminal activity, and participating in drug treatment that included two random urine tests each week. David, still in a halfway house, wasn't free to attend regular treatment and couldn't provide housing, but he complied with what he could. Tiffany's treatment, through Denver Health, included a weekly one-hour session with a counselor to address her mental state, as well as a one-hour class of her choosing. Sometimes she attended a class for pregnant moms on methadone, which consisted of "women bitching and snitching on each other," and sometimes she went to a leisure-skills class, where she made bracelets. She didn't think either was helping her deal with the issues that led to her drug use or teaching her skills to avoid relapse. Nachshon Zohari, her counselor at Denver Health, says he didn't recommend Tiffany for group therapy at the time because he felt she wasn't emotionally ready for it.
At the same time, Tiffany was terrified of her DDHS caseworker, who was supposed to be helping her work toward reunification. "He always talked down to me," she says. "He treated me like crap." She says he told her things such as, "Well, you're a drug addict; you don't deserve to be a parent." David says the caseworker told him that there was no way he would get his son back if he stayed with his wife.
"I was afraid for my life," Tiffany says. "I was afraid for Martin's life. No one could give me an answer about anything. About would I be able to keep this baby if I'm clean: 'We can't tell you that.' So, no matter what, I thought I was going to lose the baby. No one ever answered my phone calls. No one can give you a guarantee on if you do things right you're actually going to get your kids back, and it's so scary."
Eventually, Tiffany says, the caseworker stopped returning her phone calls, and then didn't show up for two scheduled meetings. Tiffany called his supervisor at DDHS, Monica Leone, and asked to meet with her about the caseworker. When she and David went to see Leone, the supervisor simply told them that their caseworker no longer worked for the department. Leone gave no explanation, no apology.
Liguori refuses to discuss the caseworker or the reason for his departure. "I can say that we have 69 caseworkers who believe in families," she says. "People who are in child welfare believe that people make mistakes and children get hurt, and they are in this work because they believe that families possess the ability to change. I train to it. We staff cases to that, and that is the absolute philosophy."
After the meeting, Tiffany went home alone, with no caseworker and no answers. She was due in July, and she still didn't know what would happen to her baby. She imagined someone from DDHS coming into her hospital room and ripping her baby from her arms.
Things got worse in April, when David's halfway house sent him back to jail. He had volunteered to work an extra shift at his job but failed to clear it with the house's administrators. As a consequence for being late, he couldn't leave for three days and was fired for missing work. After two months of looking for employment, he wound up taking a "sorry little job" at a pizza place where everybody around him smoked pot. The day he joined in, he knew he had to quit. Out of work again, he racked up a $2,000 debt with the halfway house. Unable to pay, he was sent back to jail. Had that not happened, he might have been able to keep Tiffany from jeopardizing all they had worked toward.
Just before the Fourth of July weekend this year, a neighbor showed up at Tiffany's door and asked if she wanted to smoke some meth. The woman had offered many times before, but she had always said no. This time she thought about it. David was coming home in days. She wanted the house to be spotless, but she was so tired. She thought maybe the drugs would help her stay up to clean. She thought this might be her last chance to get away with it. She thought the baby was already fully developed so a little bit wouldn't hurt. She took two hits, which she instantly regretted. "As soon as she left, I was like, 'Why the hell did I do that?'" Tiffany says. "I think I really have a problem with peer pressure sometimes. It's like she didn't think it was wrong, and I didn't have the guts to say, 'This is dumb, this is wrong.'"
Instead, she says, she drank as much water as she could to flush it out of her system and then went to sleep.
On the morning of July 4, Tiffany's water broke. She called a friend to take her to the hospital. The friend's husband picked her up and returned home to get his wife. By then, however, it was too late to go to the hospital, and Tiffany ended up giving birth to David Jr. in the couples' bathtub. When she returned home, a neighbor who had seen her covered in blood and holding a baby called the police. Tiffany had called her doctor, wrapped the baby in a warm blanket and was cleaning herself up when the police arrived.
At the hospital, the baby tested positive for methamphetamines. Social services said she couldn't keep him, but neither David's parents nor any other family member wanted to take the newborn, considering the circumstances. Tiffany didn't press the issue with her family. She thought a temporary foster home would be okay, since the baby wouldn't be aware of it. Before he could go home with anyone, however, David Jr. had to spend three weeks in the hospital for his withdrawal from the prescription methadone Tiffany was taking. His detox was so difficult that he had to be fed through a tube.
David got out of jail three days after his son was born. He found a job right away, and visited the baby as often as he could. Tiffany sat with David Jr. for nearly eight hours every day until he went to the foster home. But while Family to Family encourages foster families to develop relationships with biological families and become "team members" in reunification efforts, David Jr.'s foster mother asked that Tiffany not be there when she came for the baby. Later, she asked that Tiffany not sit in on the baby's therapy sessions.
For nearly three weeks after David Jr. left the hospital, Tiffany did not see him. She hadn't seen Martin in more than a month, and Martin and David Jr. had never seen each other. At an August 8 hearing, Magistrate Kathleen Janski asked the parents' newly assigned caseworker how that happened. Kathy McGirt told her there hadn't been anyone to supervise a visit, but that she would oversee the first visit with the baby herself.
Two days later, David was nervous as he walked toward the DDHS building with his wife. He turned back toward the car once, then stayed to finish his cigarette while Tiffany went inside. He was worried about the visits. His older son was already confused. He didn't understand why he wasn't with his parents. Was he going to think they loved the new baby more, that they'd chosen a new baby over him?
They entered a lobby where McGirt was waiting with David Jr. She led them to a maze of mini-living rooms divided by short walls. Their room had teddy bears on the throw rug, Raggedy Andy peeking through the bars of a crib, and a rocking chair with one spoke missing. The parents sat on a loveseat with the baby while the caseworker filled them in on his health. He was getting physical and occupational therapy and working on his feeding. Sometimes he forgot to close his mouth. He wasn't sleeping very well.
David laid his son against his chest. The baby clenched one tiny fist around a piece of his father's shirt. "I sure hope he's getting lots of love," Tiffany said.
After McGirt informed Tiffany of her new visitation schedule, Tiffany wanted to know why she could only see Martin once a week.
"That is all we're able to do for transportation right now."
"So it's Martin's loss that you don't have proper transportation set up," she said, raising her voice slightly.
"It's not something I feel comfortable talking about while you're here with your baby," McGirt told her.
David flashed his wife a look. Reluctantly, she let the subject drop.
When the baby started to cry, she rocked him while David stroked his head. "You just don't feel good, do you?" she said. "He's got withdrawals; you can tell by his chin." She whispered to him how handsome he was, that everything would be okay.
A few days later, Tiffany was back in the waiting room at DDHS, sitting beside the foster mom who had been raising her baby. Tiffany attempted small talk while she tried to figure out how to tell the son she hadn't seen in a month that he had a baby brother. When the door opened, a cute kid with blond hair and a bright-orange T-shirt yelled, "Mommy!" and ran to her. She picked him up and started showing him the case of Hot Wheels and other toys she'd brought for him to play with. Then she crouched down beside him, next to the baby in his chair. "Meet your little brother; it's your little brother," she said a few times, trying to get him excited. Martin seemed uninterested. Looking around, he reached for his mom's ear and cupped his hands around it to whisper something.
"Oh, I love you," she said, hugging him.
Three weeks later, at the August 31 hearing, Judge Dana Wakefield tells the parents that reunification is a possibility, that they have ten weeks to prove themselves. McGirt recommends Tiffany for parenting classes and intensive outpatient drug treatment that entails ten hours of group therapy a week. The couple volunteers for marriage counseling, and David continues what he's been doing for weeks -- juggling a packed schedule of drug treatment, working full-time and going to school part-time.
By October, they had been sticking to the plan, and David enjoyed unsupervised visits with Martin. Tiffany was allowed supervised visits at home. She saw each child for two hours twice a week, once together at DDHS and separately at home. At his first time home in more than a year, Martin told his mom that he hated her for making him miss her so long. He threw a fit when it was time to leave, saying he didn't want to come back if he would have to leave again. But the following week's visits were better. At DDHS, Martin started calling his brother "my baby" and carefully looking after him, even asking another family if they could please quiet down so his baby could sleep. His parents invented a silly-walk contest to get him out of the building with a smile on his face.
On a recent Saturday-afternoon visit, mother and son made brownies, read books and played with toy cars on a miniature city, creating make-believe scenarios for each other. When it was time to go, Tiffany and David made funny faces so Martin would laugh instead of cry. Mom and Dad buckled their son into a car seat together. They were still waving as the car faded from view.
The parents were hopeful about their upcoming hearing. A new race-car bed was already waiting in Martin's room.
The lawyer for DDHS begins the November 7 hearing by telling Judge Wakefield, who is blind, how nice Tiffany looks and that David is also well-dressed. The parents take the compliments with an awkward chuckle, wondering if the implication is that they've previously shown up to court looking like a drug addict and a felon.
McGirt tells the judge the good news: Tiffany graduated from outpatient treatment the day before, and both parents are in full compliance with their treatment plans. The caseworker wants to transition the children home, starting with longer, unsupervised visits. However, before the children can go home permanently, the department wants the parents to move from their current home, since it was a neighbor who triggered Tiffany's relapse.
David asks the judge not to burden them with the stress and expense of a move. "Since I've been out [of jail], those people don't come anywhere near the house," he says. "They're scared of me. They know I hate it. They know I hate what they do, hate that they put her in that position. The whole point of making us move is relapse potential. No matter where we go, that option is there. Life is a relapse potential."
The judge decides not to require a move. "The issue is a drug-free environment. If the family can't provide that where they live, they know the consequences. Reunification does loom as a realistic goal, but if treatment plans fail, adoption will hover as a concurrent alternative." He sets a review hearing for three months hence.
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David walks out of the courtroom wearing a bewildered expression. That was it? How could the judge extend his son's case another three months, six months past the year deadline? His attorney and caseworker explain that DDHS prefers to move children home gradually so as not to disrupt their lives too dramatically. They say that it's likely that one or both children could come home before the next hearing. When DDHS feels the parents are ready, it will ask for the judge's approval to move the kids home. For now, the parents will get Martin for a full day on Saturdays and David Jr. for half a day. If that goes well, they'll move on to overnight stays.
Tiffany and David stand outside the courthouse, exhaling long drags from their cigarettes. Even though they have to wait, it looks as if they are going to get their happy ending. The scary thing, David says, is that he feels like it happened by chance. His parents had made sure Martin didn't go to a foster home; the caseworker they didn't like left the department; the plan to place their son with his brother fell through at the last minute, forcing the court to take a serious look at reunification. What if his parents had been unable to care for Martin? What if their original caseworker hadn't left? What if his brother's record had been flawless? "We got lucky," David says. "But luck should have never come into it."
He concedes, however, that the situation forced Tiffany to clean up and forced him to do it faster than he might have otherwise. He's no longer scared of having his kids turn out like him. "My morals, my values are really good. I'm not a dumb person. I see a lot more than most people, and if I can help them grow to a lot of the positives I have while avoiding the negative things, I think that would be great. Because I've made so many mistakes, it's going to be a whole lot easier for me to see them start to make mistakes and be able to intervene."