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In today's cognitive computing products and techniques, the perception of greater intelligent responsiveness comes not so much from having true explanatory power, but rather just having strong predictive power over increasingly chaotic and larger data sets.
To give us a third point of reference beside linear regression and neural nets, I'll use some other terms to bring the focus to natural language processing. In 2011, the IBM Watson system demonstrated greater intelligence than the best human opponents in the domain of linguistically challenging factual Q&A. This was based on the ability to quickly produce high confidence answers from a large corpus of unstructured information in response to challenging questions.
The linguistic product that is now based on that system is called the IBM Watson Engagement Advisor. As with other cognitive computing techniques, the product must first be trained to be an effective system in the target domain. The corpus of unstructured information often takes the form of documents, such as instruction manuals, technical reports, journal articles, and wiki pages. During training, the most important entities and relationships expressed in the documents are identified and stored in order to expedite later search and retrieval during Q&A interactions with users of the system. The identification process within a document is often called annotation, and the annotation and storage processes together are called ingestion.
The most important concept in understanding the training is to understand what really drives the identification, or annotation, of the documents. It's simple, really. It's a Q&A linguistic product, and the annotation and ingestion expedite the production of the A's in response to the Q's, so it is imperative to have a strong and large representative sampling of the potential questions in order to train and test the efficacy of the system. The questions encode the key concepts (e.g. entities, relationships and so forth) to which users of the system are interested in getting answers. Annotators for these key concepts are developed and, during ingestion, they are executed upon the documents.
This is the very basic level of explanation about how the linguistic product would learn, or be trained, to be an effective cognitive computing system for a domain, and future entries will dive further into this topic. For now, let it suffice to say that ingestion and training results in a system capable of producing answers from the corpus in response to questions like those used in training.
During a run-time Q&A session with the system, the user begins by posing a natural language question. The question is first analyzed to find the key concepts, and then a multiphased approach is used to dig up the best results from the ingested corpus content. As with training, there's a lot more to be said over time about how the run-time Q&A works, so more interesting future entries to come, and in fact, it's intrinsically related to the training anyway. To conclude and tee up these future entries, I'll say the high order bit here is that a trained Q&A linguistic product seems somehow more intelligent than a linear regression or even a typical neural net application. Why is that? To get a bit more background for that explanation, I'd encourage you to visit or revisit a few of my earlier blog entries about cognitive computing. Compare your perceptions of the intelligence of the minimax algorithm in [1] with the linear regression method in [2], and compare [2] with the neural net in [3]. What's changing?
[1] https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/JohnBoyer/entry/prescriptive_analytics_and_calculated_intelligence_the_2_party_competitive_algorithm_explained
[2] https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/JohnBoyer/entry/machine_learning_versus_machine_intelligence
[3] https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/JohnBoyer/entry/but_neural_networks_learn
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IBM Watson Engagement Advisor: A Cognitive Computing Linguistic Product
John M. Boyer 060000VMNY Marcações:  ibm nlp cognitivecomputing ibmwatson watson 3.945 Visualizações
In today's cognitive computing products and techniques, the perception of greater intelligent responsiveness comes not so much from having true explanatory power, but rather just having strong predictive power over increasingly chaotic and larger data sets.
Explanatory Power in Machine Learning
John M. Boyer 060000VMNY Marcações:  cognitivecomputing analytics ai ibm watson ibmwatson 5.059 Visualizações
Explanatory power is a bit of a loaded term. I believe that we can come to a good understanding of what it is and how it related to machine learning by comparing and contrasting linear regression with neural nets.
But Neural Networks Learn
John M. Boyer 060000VMNY Marcações:  ai watson ibm analytics ibmwatson cognitivecomputing 4.406 Visualizações
As an interesting possible counterexample to my last blog about MLR models not understanding the knowledge they learn, consider the neural network. Our brains are neural networks, and we are capable of learning at all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, not just the knowledge level. Shouldn't artificial neural networks be able to achieve the same things?
Human Learning vs. Machine Learning
John M. Boyer 060000VMNY Marcações:  socbiz analytics sociallearning watson ibm ibmwatson cognitivecomputing smarterworkforce ai 1 Comentário 6.938 Visualizações
Ever since my first blog entry in this recent series on artificial intelligence, I've been highlighting the lesser, calculational nature of machine intelligence and learning-- as well as the valuable role it nonetheless can play in driving more effective human understanding and decisions. I've been doing this by articulating mainly what machines do, as that is the primary interest of mine and most who would read a developerWorks blog. Still, our interests will be served by taking an entry to discuss human learning as a counterpoint or contrast.
While we're on the subject of human learning and Bloom's Taxonomy, it makes sense to digress for a bit and mention the IBM Social Learning product. This is a SaaS educational platform intended to help enterprises achieve a Smarter Workforce. A few reasons for the digression are
The IBM Social Learning product has a very nice feature that enables educational administrators to implement Bloom's Taxonomy in their learning materials. A component of the product is the Kenexa LCMS, or learning content management system, which includes various subcomponents like a course designer and a metadata dictionary. The educational administrator can add any metadata tag, such as "Learning Goal", and any tag values, such as "Basic Knowledge", "Comprehension", "Application", etc. Once this is done, the educational administrator can use the metadata tag values to classify any learning item in the LCMS accord to Learning Goal. Once these classified learning materials are published, learners can use the "Learning Goal" as a new faceted search criterion in the platform's learning library. A learner would be able to isolate and focus on "knowledge" level learning in a subject area before proceeding to comprehension and then application, for example. This will enable learners to effectively use the natural way in which their learning blooms, i.e. Bloom's Taxonomy.
Machine Learning versus Machine Intelligence
John M. Boyer 060000VMNY Marcações:  ibmwatson ai cognitivecomputing analytics ibm 5 Comentários 6.357 Visualizações
Machine learning today is every bit as calculated, as simulated, as is machine intelligence. It is easier to use machine intelligence to highlight how much greater human cognition is, which is why I've been using a machine intelligence algorithm over the last several entries. However, the conclusion drawn so far is that, while machine intelligence is only simulated, it is still quite effective and valuable as an aid to human insight and decision making. Machine learning offers another leap forward in the effectiveness and hence value of machine intelligence, so let's see what that is.
A line has a formula that looks like this: Y=C1X1+C0, where C1 is a constant that governs the slant (slope) of the line, and C0 is a constant that governs how high or low the line is (C0 happens to be the point where the line meets the Y-axis, and the line slopes up or down from there). If we had more variables, then MLR would just compute more constants to go with each of them. For example, if we wanted to use two variable predictors of a dependent variable, then we'd be using MLR to create a line of the form Y=C2X2+C1X1+C0.


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Hampshire's Annie Lado will make her England debut in August after being called up for the under-13 Refrath Cup in Germany.
In addition, the Year 7 Westgate School pupil, below, has been selected to attend her first residential England training camp at Lilleshall National Sports Centre next month.
Her coach, Westgate Badminton Centre's Kat Gittins, said: "Annie has shown great dedication from such a young age and now her hard work and great attitude is starting to pay off.
"She is one of a large pool of very talented youngsters that train as part of Team Westgate and we are extremely proud to have her representing us, as well as her country."

subset: commoncrawl


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Financial Facts: Mortgages for most are still available
October 12, 2012
If you are like me and tired of all the news on mortgage problems that are occurring to very few homeowners nationwide, you need to read on. Now this does not mean that you or I do not care that some people may be loosing a home, but let us look at what is really happening.
First of all, only 2-4 percent of all homeowners are having problems paying their mortgages. This may be due to work layoffs, or sickness or a dozen other things that affect the homeowner's income. Then there also may be something as simple as poor planning on the part of that homeowner. Not planning for an adjustment in the mortgage payment is a big part of that percent and the borrowers knew about those adjustments when the funds were borrowed to buy that home. But I am not going to spend time on that small percentage of borrowers; I am going to reassure those of you who are looking to be a first-time home buyer or just looking to upgrade all the good news in the mortgage marketplace.
We need to look at the question that I get from real estate agents and home buyers almost on a daily basis, is there money available to finance a home, second home or investment property? The answer is simple and short, yes.
There are many mortgage lenders out there just looking for people to sign that purchase contract and request to borrow money. In fact, I have lost only a few investors over that past year and I have added a couple of new investors so I have just as many available today as last year, prior to the mortgage marketplace consolidation.
So what are these investors looking for in new borrowers? Well, the tables have gone back to where we were six or eight years ago. If you have average to above-average credit scores, there are mortgages available to you. If you have money in the bank, stock market, IRA's, or other forms of cash equivalents there are mortgages available to you.
In fact, in the past year I have had only a couple of potential borrowers who just did not qualify for a mortgage. They had below-average credit scores or no funds saved and were looking to buy with no investment of their own funds. This is just like the mortgage marketplace six years ago. If you wanted to borrow money to buy a home you were expected to make an investment of your own funds, so you had something to loose if you did not pay the monthly payment. Makes sense to me!
Recommended Stories For You
Put yourself in the seat of the lender. You want to buy a $400,000 home with no money down and your personal credit history shows that you historically do not make your payments on time – not a great sales tool to get that loan approved.
But for most of you money is still available and readily available. I am making loans each month for buyers of new homes and second homes. These buyers have a proven record of paying their bills on time and have enough income to qualify for that loan. There are buyers who are buying investment properties as they know the old stock market theory of buy on bad news and sell on good news. Most of the nation believes in the bad news and in areas such as Denver there are deals to be had for buying homes at less than market prices.
So money to borrow is still available and it is a good time to diversify into more real estate. Mortgages are being approved every working day and those buyers should benefit when the news goes to another overblown catastrophic subject.
For answers to your mortgage related questions, call Bob Kieber at (970) 453-4700 or email him at firstname.lastname@example.com. Bob is a local mortgage lender with Centennial Bank. He has 30-plus years of professional experience in real estate, finance and investments, and is a longtime resident of the High Country. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender. NMLS Bank #401640 Broker #289610. For tax benefit information please consult with a professional tax advisor. The opinions expressed are those of the individual, and do not necessarily reflect those of Centennial Bank.


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Mail: Southern statues symbolize suppession
Mail: Thanks for helping Aiden
More opinion
Fall: Good time to spray musk thistle in rosette stage
Robertson and Delsing re-elected chair, vice chair of NWB
More Ag News
Dirt flew in Kevin Atterberg's eighth grade class as the kids prepared basil, chives and other plants to grow in water, known as a hydroponic system of agriculture.
The Culler Middle School teacher attended the Summer Soybean Institute in 2012, where he was supposed to come away with more knowledge about soybeans and one lesson plan. He left with a vision for an entire classroom year.
"I started thinking about my students and how especially in the state of Nebraska, agriculture is huge," said Atterberg, who is in his third year teaching.
"About 30-40 percent of my kids will get a job in agriculture," Atterberg said. He said his class discusses all kinds of agriculture-related fields in their careers unit, such as food science or horticulture, to ensure their view of agriculture is "not just farming."
Besides careers, the major pillars of Nebraska agriculture--corn, beef and soybeans--are studied as well as nutrition and soil. The second semester of the class focuses on lab experiments with soybeans in a partnership with University of Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council Members.
A student favorite so far has been feeling inside a cow's stomach, courtesy of the UNL Beef Mobile which brings the animal to the kids. The students are able to see and feel into the stomach, or rumen, through a rubber opening called a fistula that is used for scientific observations.
"The cow unit was huge," Atterberg said, "because a cow was here. The kids love it because they get to see the cow and touch the inside of the cow. It's also one of their first experiences with a microscope, watching bacteria from a cow's stomach."
Among other hands-on experiences, Atterberg's eighth graders dye shirts with soil ("dirt shirts," they call them), grow seeds in plastic gloves and go on field trips to Prairieland Dairy in Firth, Neb., Epona Horse Rescue in Crete, Neb. and real live farms in and around Lancaster County.
Eighth grader Fatima Al-Sammak said her favorite project so far had been the hydroponic plants.
"It was a hands-on activity, we got to plant something and we get to watch it grow and change over time," she said."It's just fun and I wish every school had this."
Angel Mai said she's learned about the importance of agriculture and recalled an activity about soil in class.
"One day [Mr. Atterberg] gave us all apples and we cut them in half, and then half again, until they were cut into sixteenths. Then we peeled the skin off of one piece, and that's how much soil we can use to grow things on Earth," the eighth grader relayed.
Atterberg said he hopes his class piques his students' interest in agriculture that perhaps wasn't there before.
"I wanted them to know what's out there. My goal is to get them into high school and also make sure they're ready to go for college. I want every single one of them to go to college," Atterberg said.
"Who knows, there might be a horticulturalist sitting here in my class and they've just never seen this before. Now they could go to college and study plants and be fine."
Atterberg said he works closely with Ag in the Classroom, a program sponsored by the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, which connects teachers to agriculture resources for the classroom. Atterberg also created a website for his class, which compiles games and resources about agriculture for his students into one spot.
Ag in the City is in its second year at Culler, and Atterberg already has big plans for the future.
"My dream is to push this out to other schools. My dream is to have a community garden with master gardeners who come in and show my students how to garden," Atterberg said. "I also would really love a greenhouse so we could have an outdoor classroom."
Atterberg grew up in Iowa, in the country but not on a farm. While he's always been surrounded by agriculture by the mere fact that he lives in the Midwest, he said he never learned much about it until recently.
"When I got this teaching job, I thought this was a perfect way to learn more about it. I get really excited about it, because it's fun stuff," he said.
"But I wouldn't keep doing it if the kids didn't like it. Last year's class loved it. They all seem to really enjoy it."
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


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be knocking on heaven's door(redirected from Knocking on heavens door)
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be knocking on heaven's door
To be dying; to be approaching or very close to death (i.e., about to be admitted into the afterlife). My grandfather fought a good fight against his stomach cancer, but I'm afraid he's knocking on heaven's door now.


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Obama orders review of mine safety enforcement
Check our Coal Tattoo blog for updatesCHARLESTON, W.Va. -- President Obama said the safety record at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine was "troubling," and called for a broad review of government enforcement programs to address an industry where he said "far too many mines aren't doing enough to protect their workers' safety.""I think we all understand that underground mining is by its very nature dangerous," Obama told reporters in the White House Rose Garden. "Every miner and every mining family understands this."But we know what can cause mine explosions and we know how to prevent them," the president said. "I refuse to accept any number of miner deaths as simply the cost of doing business."Obama ordered the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration to immediately examine other mines with "troubling safety records" and to "ensure they aren't facing the same unsafe working conditions that led to this disaster."The administration also indicated it would work to streamline the process for stepped-up enforcement -- including mine closures -- as well as propose changes to federal mine safety law that would increase criminal penalties and boost MSHA's investigative powers.Massey responded that the president's statements were "regrettable" and that Obama "has been misinformed about our record and the mining industry in general."United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts said Obama's comments were "an unprecedented public stance for an American president to take, and one that is good news for all coal miners in the United States."Obama spoke 10 days after a massive explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 workers in the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in 40 years. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and MSHA chief Joe Main briefed Obama earlier in the Oval Office, proving a preliminary report on the disaster. Investigators believe the explosion occurred when a buildup of methane gas was somehow ignited, and then probably made far worse by accumulations of coal dust. Upper Big Branch had been cited repeatedly for improper ventilation and for dust accumulations."We do know that this tragedy was triggered by a failure at the Upper Big Branch Mine -- a failure first and foremost of management, but also a failure of oversight and a failure of laws so riddled with loopholes that they allow unsafe conditions to continue," Obama said.In a prepared statement, Massey said the company "believes in safety, accountability and responsibility."We seek the truth in the ongoing investigations and are cooperating with federal and state agencies to determine the cause of the tragic accident at Upper Big Branch Mine," Massey said. "Unfortunately, some are rushing to judgment for political gain or to avoid blame. Our goal is to communicate transparently as the facts unfold." In its report to Obama, the Labor Department said the Upper Big Branch Mine's rate of serious violations was more than 10 percent worse than the national average and that its rate of even more serious withdrawal orders was 19 times the national rate. Labor Department officials said, though, that at least three Massey mines had more total citations than Upper Big Branch."In short, this was a mine with a significant history of safety issues, a mine operated by a company with a history of violations, and a mine and company that MSHA was watching closely," the Labor Department said in its report to Obama.But earlier this week, MSHA revealed that a "computer glitch" had prompted agency officials not to send Upper Big Branch a "pattern of violations" warning letter. And even if the letter had gone out, current MSHA policy -- written in 2007 -- would have simply given the company 90 days to improve and avoid tougher enforcement.The Labor Department report blamed "policies this administration inherited" and Obama said that, despite mine safety reforms following a string of disaster in 2006, "safety violators like Massey have still been able to find ways to put their bottom line before the safety of their workers."Obama administration officials have focused on saying they will try to clear up a backlog of cases in which mining operators have appealed MSHA citations, orders and monetary penalties. The appeals have tied up MSHA in court, they say, making it difficult for the agency to take tougher enforcement action.But MSHA officials have also conceded that they haven't used other potential tools, such as a provision of federal law that allows the agency to go to federal court to shut down problem mines that create continuing risks to miner safety."The mindset at MSHA has to change from that of the Bush administration," said Tony Oppegard, a mine safety advocate in Kentucky. "The goal is not to keep mines from receiving a pattern of violations notice, but in protecting the safety and health of that company's miners."During his Rose Garden remarks, Obama noted that "for a long time, the mine safety agency was stacked with former mine executives and industry players," but was now being run by Main, a longtime safety director for the UMW.But Obama also said, "We need to take a hard look at our own practices and our own procedures to ensure that we're pursuing mine safety as relentlessly as we responsibly can."Labor Department officials also held private briefings Thursday for members of Congress, including those from West Virginia's delegation."Disasters on this scale were supposed to be relegated to history following the passage of the 1969 Coal Act," said Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. "It's incomprehensible that 29 miners should have perished in what appears to be a methane gas explosion, exacerbated by excessive coal dust. It is a violation of the most basic health and safety laws. We must determine why the enforcement process broke down, and hold accountable those responsible."Reach Ken Ward Jr. at firstname.lastname@example.com or 304-348-1702.
W.Va. coal mines to honor 29 dead with stand-down today
McAteer to probe surface mining in Upper Big Branch disaster


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College of Public Affairs and Administration
Academic Year: 2009 – 2010
Pinky Wassenberg, Dean
The College of Public Affairs and Administration is at the forefront of the campus' public affairs mission and service within the context of liberal arts and professional education. The college serves the capital city and the state of Illinois well in preparing its students to enter the workforce. A multidisciplinary approach to public affairs education and experiential learning is the foundation of this preparation. The College of Public Affairs and Administration is a leader in public affairs. We are engaged in excellent teaching, leading-edge scholarship, and public service to advance public discourse, improve government, and enhance public policy in Illinois, the nation, and our wider global community.
In addition to its undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates, the college also offers the only doctoral program on the UIS campus, the Doctor of Public Administration. Degree and certificate programs are offered by the college in traditional classroom environments in daytime, evening, and weekend classes and through online learning.
Degrees, Minors, and Certificates
Bachelor of Arts: Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, and Political Science
Undergraduate Minors: Criminal Justice, Environmental Studies, International Studies, and Political Science
Master of Arts: Environmental Studies, Legal Studies, Political Science, and Public Affairs Reporting
Master of Science: Environmental Sciences
Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Health
Graduate Certificates: Public Sector Labor Relations, Management of Nonprofit Organizations, Environmental Risk Assessment, Law for Human Services and Social Work, Community Health Education, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security
Online Degrees
- Master of Arts in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Arts in Legal Studies
- Master of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental Health
Doctor of Public Administration
Phone: (217) 206-6523
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.uis.edu/cpaa


text:
About This Sample
- Curl is a popular command-line tool for interacting with HTTP services.
- This Perl script calculates the proper signature, then calls Curl with the appropriate arguments.
What's New?
- 2012-03-08: Updates to support Multi-Object Delete, Object Expiration and --calculateContentMd5.
- 2011-08-16: Updates to support Website, --copySrcRange, and response header overrides.
- 2010-11-16: Updates to support Copy, Versioning, and Multipart Upload
- 2007-11-05: Updates to support EU, added --doHead option, added a more secure mechanism to specify credentials.
- 2007-05-18: Updates to support signed HTTP requests to virtual hosted buckets.
- 2006-10-02: Updates for server access logging.
- You must be signed up to use Amazon S3. You can sign up for Amazon S3 at http://aws.amazon.com/s3.
- This sample was built using Perl 5.6.0.
- This sample was built using Curl 7.24.
Running the Sample
- Run the sample using a command-line interface. For example:
./s3curl.pl --id=[aws-access-key-id] --key=[aws-secret-access-key] -- http://s3.amazonaws.com/[bucket-name]/[key-name]
- See the README file in the attached download for more information on running the sample.


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Steals leader Cabrera glad adjustments are paying off
PHOENIX -- Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera says he's no longer the player he once was -- and that's a good thing.
"I'm really happy that the Padres have believed in me and kept their confidence in me," Cabrera said. "I've made some big adjustments on offense and on defense and it's paying off. It's my time. I'm not 22 anymore. I'm 26 and I'm gaining experience each year."
Cabrera led the National League with 44 stolen bases last year and leads the Majors this season, swiping his 19th bag of 2013 -- and 100th of his career -- in the first inning Saturday night.
"I'm getting a lot better leads than I used to and I'm more patient on the bases," Cabrera said. "Before, all I had in my mind was to 'go, go, go,' but now I'm waiting on the right time."
Cabrera burst onto the scene in 2009 but was slowed with inconsistent play and injuries in the two seasons that followed. Last year, he scored 49 runs in a career-high 115 games.
"Now, it looks like he has finally arrived both physically and mentally," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He's playing at a pace that good players play at. There's a lot of intensity yet there's a calmness and poise to his game that good players have. He's making good decisions. I attribute that to maturity and confidence."
But the question remains, could Black, a former pitcher, keep Cabrera from stealing second base? Could he pick Cabrera off of first base?
"I would have tried but hopefully, he would not have got on," Black said. "But everybody got on against me, so I would have had my hands full."
Jesse Sanchez is a national reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @JesseSanchezMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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This is a 90 degree outside corner designed for use with 1.1875 inch high Schluter-BARA-RW balcony edging profiles with a metallic grey finish. The corner provides a sharp 90 degree turn and eliminates the need to miter the edges of your profile in order to form clean corners.
Product Compatibility
- Schluter-BARA-RW RW30GM Balcony Edging Profile


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There are so many colors in the crayon box. Why do we see only black and white?
And why must one side be entirely in the right and the other absolutely in the wrong.
To illustrate one example of the need to sometimes look beyond just a two-tone view and what you think you know, let us examine the enigma of Carlos Quentin.
I don't recall enjoying a jerk as much as I enjoy Quentin.
I say that with absolute respect and with absence of malice.
I'm a bit of an expert on jerks.
I mean, even if I play humble and disagree with the assessment of more than a few people that I am a certified jerk, I have nonetheless qualified for a PhD in that particular field of study. You cover the highest level of sports for any length of time, you come in contact with a lot of jerks.
You have to be cool with it; you have to understand it.
Rare is the man who makes it to the pinnacle of perfection in one facet of his life without sacrificing growth in another part of his humanity.
There's not a lot of self actualization the pros. Just saying.
The reality is, too, I don't know if Quentin is a jerk. He may just play one around the media.
One thing I respect about Quentin is that he is straight up about not caring for my ilk. Or more aptly put, simply not caring about my ilk.
He's respectful about it, with no malice. Thus, I feel compelled to return the favor.
As you assess the man, you must understand Quentin is all about working and rehabbing in order to play the maximum number of innings. You have to realize he is a throwback, a guy who perpetuates respect for the game in word and deed on the field and within the clubhouse. You should know how much he despises the "cheating" that has tainted baseball. You need to recall that he has missed much time to injury and just Tuesday was hit by a pitch and sat a game because of it. You ought to give thought to the fact he didn't charge the mound after any of the previous 115 times he had been hit, including by pitchers who had hit him more times than Zack Greinke had.
All that context is to lend some perspective to what transpired Thursday night.
Nothing makes what Quentin did in going after the Dodgers pitcher right.
But Quentin's guilt doesn't make what he did indefensible -- given the history between the two men and considering all that Quentin has shown he is.
We should take Quentin at face value when he explained Friday he has attempted through intermediaries to reach out to Greinke over the past three-plus years to clear whatever bad air there is between them. We also have to believe, based both on his words and the video evidence, that Quentin did not intend to charge the mound immediately after being hit.
It was, he said, only after Greinke challenged him verbally, that Quentin went after the pitcher.
Quentin had every right to suspect Greinke of throwing at him. Greinke had hit Quentin twice (plus one fly-over) since 2008 while hitting just 19 of the other almost-4,300 batters he's faced in that span. Quentin is not an irrational man. The bad blood between them was not in his imagination. Many who had played with them knew it was real.
It doesn't matter that the indignant national media thinks it preposterous a pitcher would hit a batter on purpose in the sixth inning of a one-run game. They just noticed the Padres on Thursday, so the sanctimonious commentators from L.A. to Bristol can be excused for not realizing this isn't the '27 Yankees and Greinke possibly felt good about his chances with the Padres' 4-5-6 hitters that evening.
Even if it was on purpose and even with an invitation from Greinke, Quentin shouldn't have charged the mound. Bottom line. The instant he did, he guaranteed he would be kept off the field multiple games for a team that cannot afford one of its best hitters sidelined for any more time than necessary.
But when considering all the above factors, plus the adrenaline of having just been hit by a pitch, it's difficult to believe all the indignant commentators bashing Quentin would have simply dropped the bat and jogged to first base.
Most people I know, including the guy I see in the mirror every day, has floor-to-ceiling windows all around the house they live in.
That doesn't make anyone else's wrongs any more right. But how about we take a break from the pious pandering and see a little red and blue (or shades of gray) in the midst of our black-and-white opinions?


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There you go, it has finally happened! Nokia's much hyped EOS Windows Phone was caught on camera. The Nokia EOS is only rumored to have a 41 MP PureView camera at the back, in case you weren't excited yet.
Nokia has been somewhat silent with their innovative products. After the Lumia 920 in 2012, Windows Phone fans were eagerly waiting for another "amazing" new product, but we got the Lumia 925/928 instead (not that it is bad, just not mind-blowing). Well, the company aims to change that soon.
The image reveals a design which closely replicates the Lumia 920, except for a big camera hump on the back. We fully expect the Nokia EOS to be lighter than the (really heavy) 920. The AT&T version, also in the works, is internally named 'Elvis'. We hope the name hints at stellar audio performance instead of just a randomly chosen code name.
Nokia Lumia EOS 41 MP camera-phone
Here are the complete leaked specifications. From what we can tell, they appear to be legit. Nokia won't be going for a 1080p display, that won't be until Microsoft releases the GDR3 update for Windows Phone.
Nokia Lumia EOS leaked specs:
- 41 MP camera with Xenon flash
- Nokia Pro Camera
- 32 GB internal
- OLED Screen 768X1280
- FM radio
- Flip to silence
- Polycarbonate body
- Takes a 35 MP picture and a 5 MP picture at the same time one to save one to share
- Comes in yellow
- No SD card
- About 1 mm thinner than Lumia 920 with a big camera hump
- No visible OS changes
Look here, the exclusive Nokia Pro Camera makes a return. Sadly, flagship Windows Phones will continue to bar its owners with expandable storage. Let's hope that the Nokia EOS is enough to battle the upcoming camera-centric monsters, namely Sony Xperia i1 Honami, Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and more.
Source WP Dang via My Nokia Blog


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I had started to think I'd seen the end of the luxury gadget caboose and would never again be entertained or awed by a gold-plated, diamond encrusted gadget unless it had a built in pool, or more than 800 diamonds. Not so.
Designed by Peter Aloisson, this MOTOKRZR Roma is dripped in 18 Carat White Gold with 325 White and Blue Diamonds. I love it for its Grecian appeal. On top of the glitzy handset diamonds, the phone features Bluetooth, a reflective glass front and an integrated MP3 player. It costs £15,000, or $29,992.50, which might just make it the most expensive phone we've ever featured on geeksugar.


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Smoke 'em if you got 'em took on a whole new meaning in the past year in Bullitt County.
After a Bullitt Circuit Judge ruled that the Bullitt County Board of Health had overstepped its powers in imposing a smoking ban in public places, the state Court of Appeals reversed that decision.
The Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the health department had the powers to impose the regulations. County and city officials argued that those should be decisions made by elected officials by ways of an ordinance.
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MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET National Tour Plays DuPont Theatre, Now thru 6/1
The national tour of the Broadway musical MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, inspired by the electrifying true story, will appear at the DuPont Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware for eight (8) performances only, from today, May 27 through June 1, 2014.
The international Tony® Award-Winning musical, Million Dollar Quartet is set on December 4, 1956, when an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. Sam Phillips, the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll" who was responsible for launching the careers of each icon, gathered the four legendary musicians at the Sun Records storefront studio in Memphis for the first and only time. The resulting evening became known as one of the greatest rock 'n' roll jam sessions in history.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET brings that legendary night to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal, humorous banter and celebrations featuring timeless hits including "Blue Suede Shoes," "That's All Right," "Sixteen Tons," "Great Balls of Fire," "I Walk the Line," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "See Ya Later, Alligator," "Fever," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Hound Dog" and more.
Portraying these icons are, James Barry as Carl Perkins, John Countryman as Jerry Lee Lewis, Tyler K. Hunter as Elvis Presley and Scott Moreau as Johnny Cash. Vince Nappo plays the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll," Sam Phillips. The cast also features Kelly Lamont as Dyanne, and musicians Patrick Morrow (Fluke, drums) and Corey Kaiser (Jay Perkins, bass). Rounding out the company are: Andrew Frace, Robby Kipferl, Stephanie Lynne Mason, Sean McGibbon, David Sonneborn, and H. Bradley Waters.
The show is directed by Eric Schaeffer and features a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux. The design team includes: Derek McLane (scenic design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Jane Greenwood (costume design), Kai Harada (sound design) and Chuck Mead (musical arrangements and supervision).
When the Broadway production opened in April 2010, critics and audiences leapt to their feet in unanimous praise. The New York Times called the show, "a buoyant new musical that whips the crowd into a frenzy," New York Magazine labeled it, "a dazzling raucous spectacle that sounds like a million bucks," and NY1 called it, "90 minutes of platinum grade entertainment." The musical continued its successful New York engagement at New World Stages through June 2012.
Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings starting at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday evening performances start at 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 pm. Ticket prices start at $35. To purchase tickets or for more information about group rates, call the DuPont Theatre Box Office at 302-656-4401 or 800-338-0881 or on the internet, DuPont Theatre site: www.duponttheatre.com.
Fabulous dining offers are also available in the Green Room and Lobby Lounge at the Hotel du Pont throughout the week. For the ultimate hospitality experience, book an overnight theatre dinner package with the Hotel du Pont.
For press information, interview requests and photography, contact Carolyn Grubb at 302-594-3162 or visit the press room at the DuPont Theatre website at duponttheatre.com.


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Twins rally in ninth, but fall to Red Sox in 11
Dozier's clutch homer ties it; Burton gives up walk-off hit to Drew
BOSTON -- It took 11 pitchers combining for 423 pitches, but the Twins' game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park finally came to an end after 11 innings and four hours, 44 minutes.
But it wasn't a happy ending for the Twins, as reliever Jared Burton served up a walk-off RBI double to Stephen Drew with two outs in the 11th inning to hand the Twins a 6-5 loss to the Red Sox on Monday night.
Burton allowed two straight hits with two outs to set the stage for Drew's game-winning double that went just over the glove of Ryan Doumit in left field. It gave the Red Sox the win just before midnight ET at Fenway Park.
"We had some opportunities and they had some, but they got the big hit at the end," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It was a tough one for us. We threw just about everything we had at them."
The rally for the Red Sox was keyed by a two-out infield single from catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, as Burton didn't set his feet on the throw to first base, which pulled Justin Morneau off the bag.
"He just kind of rushed the throw," Gardenhire said. "If he sets his feet, he probably gets him."
It gave Drew the chance to be the hero and he delivered on a night where he went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs.
"He's been swinging the bat, as we said, much better of late," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "A big night for him, a key hit, obviously to walk it off."
It came after Minnesota tied it up with a solo shot from Brian Dozier with one out in the ninth off Boston closer Joel Hanrahan. Dozier's first blast of the year came on the heels of reliever Casey Fien giving up the game-tying homer in the seventh and the go-ahead homer in the eighth.
Fien entered the eighth with the Twins clinging to a one-run lead, but gave up a solo shot to Drew to right field to tie the game. Fien was able to get through the seventh, but came back out for the eighth and promptly allowed a solo homer to Dustin Pedroia with nobody out as Boston took a 5-4 lead.
"We had a lead and they had a couple big home runs on us," Gardenhire said. "We got a couple balls up and Drew got one off of Fien and then Pedroia had a heck of an at-bat and he got one. And we come back and tie it up and it goes from there.
It handed Vance Worley the no-decision, as he remains winless this season despite leaving in the sixth with a three-run lead.
The Twins jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first against Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz. Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham hit back-to-back doubles off the Green Monster in left before Morneau drove home Willingham with a single up the middle. But the Twins left the bases loaded, as Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks struck out swinging.
Minnesota added a run in the fourth, when Hicks roped a first-pitch RBI double down the right-field line to score Arcia, who led off the inning with a double.
The Red Sox didn't score their first run until the bottom of the fourth on a solo shot from Shane Victorino off Worley.
It was more back-and-forth in the fifth, as both teams tacked on a run. A sacrifice fly by Morneau scored Mauer, who led off with a double and reached third on a single from Willingham. The Red Sox scored on a two-out RBI single from Drew. But Drew was later called out at home while trying to score from first on a double by Jacoby Ellsbury to end the inning, though replays showed Mauer never applied the tag.
The Red Sox chased Worley in the sixth, as Victorino and Pedroia started the inning with consecutive singles. Left-hander Brian Duensing came in and was able to get David Ortiz to ground into a double play, but gave up an RBI single to Mike Napoli.
With the inherited run scoring, Worley finished up allowing three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts over five-plus innings.
"I thought I had better stuff today," Worley said. "I had command of both sides of the plate. I was working down, but the last couple innings, I started to elevate a little bit. But for the most part, I'm pretty happy with the outing. But it would've been nice to get a 'W.'"
Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Bollinger Beat, and follow him on Twitter @RhettBollinger. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Presets for Animoog. Yes some are Dubstep. $19 USD
"Expand your Animoog! 64 new presets for Animoog covering a broad range of genres from Ambient to Dubstep. Smooth ambient pads, wobbly basses, subtle drones, rhythmic sequences and organic sound effects such as a true budgie tweet, the hypnotic song of whales and the natural purr of a cat. Luftrum 8 is compatible with both the iPhone and iPad version of Animoog. Included is an easy install instruction, describing how to get the sounds onto your device. All presets are nicely sorted with LUF initials to separate them from the factory presets." – Luftrum
For more info: luftrum.com


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Left out from Fiscal Cliff deal: Medicare
An overhaul of the Medicare program was not a part of the deal to avoid this week's fiscal cliff, but health policy experts say that change is coming — only it probably won't be soon.
Both Democrats and Republicans had said Medicare changes were necessary to reach a fiscal compromise, but at least for now, Congress brokered the deal without changing the benefits seniors receive or upping the Medicare eligibility age.
Widener Law professor John Culhane said strong forces make the Medicare "problem" hard to ignore: an aging population, fewer workers paying into the program and retirees who are living longer.
Culhane directs Widener's health policy program. Because the Medicare program is so huge, Culhane said even "small tweaks" are hard to implement.
"The only way I see this happening at all, is a very gradual phase in," he said.
Some critics say the Medicare program is brokey beyond repair, but Field said the pressures driving up Medicare costs are external to the program itself.
"It's kind of like the parable of the frog in the boiling water," said Field, a professor with the Earle Mack School of Law and the School of Public Health at Drexel University. "The water gets hotter and hotter until at some point the frog realizes it's too late to hop out."
"It's not just a question of attacking those government programs," Field said. "Those government programs are not mismanaged; they are just operating in a world in which medicine gets more expensive almost by the day."
President Obama wanted a tax increase on upper-income Americans, and Field said, bottom line, Obama got that this week.
"I think it says that it's more likely that the president will get his way and less likely that conservative Republicans will get their way in terms of major restructuring of Medicare and Medicaid," Field said.
Congress will likely renew those debates in coming months. The lawmakers delayed a set of automatic spending cuts but a 2 percent reduction in payments to Medicare providers still looms.
Culhane said something's got to give.
"It's always a question of whose ox is getting gored. Whose constituents are most affected, and who can make the right political compromises. But at some point something will need to get done. Do I have confidence that it will be done in the next few months? No."


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Seems like many moons ago, but it has actually only been two years since we last saw the Grizzlies and Thunder meet in the playoffs, an exhausting seven-game series in the conference semifinals.
At the time, bother teams were young and carving out their identities, and it looked like we could see the two face off regularly at this time of year. But while the Thunder kept building, into the NBA Finals last year, the Grizzlies struggled with key injuries and were bounced in the first round the past two seasons.
Now they meet again, under strange circumstances. The top-seeded Thunder will have the homecourt edge over fourth-seeded Memphis, but because of the knee injury that has put star guard Russell Westbrook out of commission, this looks like the Grizzlies' series to lose. That, though, depends on the answer to some important questions.
SERIES PREVIEW: Spurs, Warriors a meeting of staple vs. upstart
1. What has Russell Westbrook's absence done to the Thunder offense?
Surprisingly enough, the Thunder offense was able to maintain its potency in the first round, even after losing point guard Russell Westbrook to a knee injury in Game 2. Oklahoma City topped the 100-point mark in all six games, and one of the hallmarks of the team's attack—getting to the line and making free throws—went virtually unchanged in Westbrook's absence, with the Thunder averaging 26.0 foul shots with him and 24.8 without him.
Despite those numbers, scoring without Westbrook got considerably more difficult for the Thunder, whose pace this season—93.3 possessions per 48 minutes—ranked 10th in the league. Against another up-tempo team like Houston, the opening games of the first round exceeded that pace, but as Oklahoma City adjusted to playing without Westbrook, that pace slowed, and each of the last three games was played below the Thunder's season pace average. Game 6 against Houston, in fact, was played at a pace of 88.7 possessions per 48 minutes.
This plays into the hands of the Grizzlies, whose pace in the regular season—88.4 possessions per 48 minutes—was the slowest in the league. Without Westbrook, backup point guard Reggie Jackson has been a real find, and is averaging 14.0 points on 46.2 percent shooting in the postseason. But Memphis' goal will always be to grind down the game and play in the low 90s, and without Westbrook, it will be much easier to force that slow-down.
SERIES PREVIEW: It only get tougher for Anthony, Knicks vs. Pacers
2. How will the Grizzlies handle Kevin Durant?
Ultimately, the problem for Memphis will be that the Thunder have the best player in the series, and that's Durant. He's had to do more of everything. In the four games without Westbrook, Durant has averaged 35.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, while shooting 23.0 times per game and putting up three games of at least 13 free-throw attempts. He attracted double- and triple-teams in the first round, and when perimeter shooters like Derek Fisher and Kevin Martin are on target, Durant offers an excellent combination of scoring and distributing.
But that was the Rockets. There are the Grizzlies. Durant is going to get heavy doses of Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince in this series, and that will allow Memphis to play him straight up. So those wide-open shots that the Thunder shooters had in the first round won't be so wide open.
The Grizzlies can live with Durant scoring, as long as he is taking difficult shots, in isolations or post-up situations. Memphis is among the best in the league at defending both. And should Durant look to create for spot-up shooters, it's a safe bet that the Grizzlies' defenders will stay home and make things difficult—they ranked fourth in the league in defending spot-ups this year.
3. Can the Grizzlies score enough to win?
Memphis runs some pretty old-school offense, and when you've got two old-school big men like Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, that just makes good sense. Both were very effective against the Clippers in the first round, with Randolph averaging 20.8 points and 8.0 rebounds, shooting 56.8 percent from the field, while Gasol averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, shooting 46.7 percent.
The Thunder match up pretty well with the Grizzlies in the frontcourt, which is a rarity in the league. Kendrick Perkins will get the chance to bang around with Gasol, while Serge Ibaka will take Randolph—to start, at least. The Thunder have a far better post defender, Nick Collison, on the bench, and you can expect Collison to get almost as many minutes guarding Randolph as Ibaka does. The more Oklahoma City can neutralize the Grizzlies' interior scoring, the better their chance.
But that's where the Grizzlies have experienced a change over the last three months. With Rudy Gay traded to Toronto, point guard Mike Conley has been allowed to shine, and though he struggled with his perimeter shot in the first round, he held his own against Chris Paul, averaging 17.3 points and 8.3 assists, getting to the free-throw line 8.8 times per game. If the Grizzlies can get something like they got from Allen in the first round (12.0 points on 48.0 percent shooting), the Thunder are in trouble.
Prediction: Grizzlies in 6
Durant is a great player and Scott Brooks is an excellent coach who will continue to tinker with his roster to find ways to mask Westbrook's absence. Ultimately, though the Grizzlies are just too big and too formidable on the defensive end. They've been a Western Conference darkhorse all season, but as they gallop into the West finals, they won't be so dark anymore.


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General Assembly
Decision-making GAs will not be held until Oct 2012 unless an emergency is called. Disccusions groups will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Westlake every Wednesday evening.
1. The General Assembly makes decisions for the collective, not for individuals. Decisions that affect the whole collective are made by general assembly.
2. Groups are for doing work and bringing proposals. If you have an idea, start a group! Don't
ask the assembly, just find some friends and do it!
3. Yelling really loud doesn't put you on stack. Raise your hand. Never restate a point someone's already made.
4. Assembly time is precious. You can't speak every time. Think three times before you speak. Does this really help the assembly make a better decision?
5. Nothing is more precious than the thoughts of the quiet. Nothing is more precious than the
words of the silenced. Speak up! Especially when it's really hard!
6. Use the people's microphone. It makes us choose our words, and makes us listen.
7. Facilitators make space and move the process. Facilitators never present content or represent another's idea. The assembly is responsible for keeping facilitators in check.
8. The assembly is responsible for signing to the facilitators. If the assembly doesn't sign, the
facilitator doesn't have anything to facilitate!
9. No one else can speak for you. That's why we need you here!
10. Take care of each other!
Twinkle – I like this. I support what this person is saying. I agree.
Anti-Twinkle – I don't like this. I disagree.
Ears – I cannot hear what is being said.
Wrap It Up – I get your point, please finish
V – Lets vote.
T – You're off-topic.
Process Point – General Assembly Process is not being followed.
Block – I believe the vote we have just taken is against the basic, foundational
principles of why were here.
Raise Hand – I'd like to be on stack, and speak when its my turn.
If you would like to submit a proposal, please e-mail email@example.com.
If you would like to discuss the information presented in these documents, please start a thread in the Forum


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Recently, my legs have been falling asleep earlier and earlier in my sitting, usually around the 10 minute mark. I've always struggled with my legs doing this when I sit in half-lotus, but it seems to be getting worse. Any tips for alleviating this? Or should I just grin and bear it?
To my knowledge, I am fairly flexible and I feel no pain or stress in my legs at all - just a dully painful numbness that can be very, very distracting. Is it a posture issue, or perhaps is it a sign that my buckwheat pillow is giving up the ghost?
Thanks for any help!


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Sandpoint, Idaho -- Coldwater Creek Inc. announced that co-founder Dennis Pence will retire as president and CEO, effective December 31, 2012. He will remain as a director and continue to serve as chairman of the board until January 1, 2014.
Pence will be succeeded as president and CEO by Coldwater president and chief merchandising officer Jill Brown Dean, effective January 1, 2013. Dean has also been appointed to serve on the board of directors, effective January 1, 2013.
"It gives me great satisfaction to announce today the succession of Jill to the role of CEO," Pence said. "Her outstanding leadership, combined with her intimate knowledge of our customer and our brand, gives me great confidence in her ability to continue to lead the turnaround of our company, positioning us for a vibrant and successful second chapter in our history."
Dean joined Coldwater Creek in February 2011, as president and chief merchandising officer. Prior to that, she served as president of the Limited Too division of Tween Brands from October 2006 to April 2008.
In other news, Michele Donnan Martin will join Coldwater Creek as SVP, general merchandise manager, and will be responsible for leading all product merchandising functions. Previously, she was the brand president, Retail and Direct at Delia's.


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Two friends, who were jewelry shopping went into a locally owned store here in Kentucky. They were treated with respect by a knowledgeable sales person. They then decided to compare by going to a nationally owned chain.
The salesman at the chain asked them where they were from. When they mentioned an economically challenged city outside of Lexington, the salesman immediately blew them off. He didn't want to talk to them and then pointed them the cheapest stuff in the store.
Guess who got the business?
It reminds me of Julia Roberts on Rodeo Drive in the scene in Pretty Woman. If the salesman is working on commission, he missed one that would have made his house payment. Or his car payment. Probably both.
In this economy, I can't imagine how anyone would look down their nose at a potential customer but I see it all the time.
I see it at car dealerships, restaurants, and all kinds of places that ought to know better. You can't judge a person by the clothes they wear or the city they live in.
People with real money are usually the last to flash it. As Dr. Thomas Stanley pointed out in the Millionaire Next Door, people with real wealth are more likely to drive pickup trucks than BMWs.
One of my friends is one of the most successful medical malpractice attorneys in the United States. He and his wife decided they needed a new bed. He rolled out of bed on a Saturday, unshaven and in old clothes, and went to a furniture store.
They started looking at beds suited for their very expensive home. The salesman came over in horror and tried to steer my buddy to stuff that people would buy for entry level houses or apartments.
My friend went to every expensive bed in the place. Tested them by diving on them and rolling around. Walked out and got what he wanted at another store.
I do a lot of business in small towns that don't have much of a social registry. One of my friends who fixes up junked cars and drives them as a primary vehicle is one of the wealthiest people I know. He revels in the fact that no one knows about his wealth. He used to tell people he was a janitor.
He got ignored by a lot of sales people. The ones that did talk to him made a ton of money over the years.
A simple but good lesson to learn.
Don McNay, who lives in Richmond, Ky., is an award-winning financial columnist for Huffington Post Contributor. You can learn more about him at www.donmcnay.com.


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Understanding Foal Care
- Free Webcast
- Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 8:00 PM EDT
- Topics:
Foal care - understanding and learning the basics.
To view this webcast, become a member of TheHorse.com.
It's FREE and you'll get full access to more than 20,000 articles, video, free reports & more.


text:
6 Clues to Solve the Mystification
What are the answers to all these clues and what do those answers have in common?
1. An amber tinted paste used on a wienerwurst.
2. A purple fruit
3. Besides the number of days, the months of May and August have this in common.
4. A finely feathered and polychromatic avian friend.
5. A 7 letter word for a pigment like crimson.
6. A bleached and neutral hue.
HintBoard games.
AnswerThe answers are:
1. Mustard
2. Plum
3. Green (The color of the birthstones of May and August).
4. Peacock
5. Scarlet
6. White
All these words are the last names of the characters in the game of Clue (Cluedo).
1. Colonel Mustard
2. Professor Plum
3. Mr. Green
4. Mrs. Peacock
5. Miss Scarlet
6. Mrs. White
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
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The New School
Spring 2013 Eugene Lang Anthropology Movie Series, April 18th, 2013
Please join the NSSR and Lang
Anthropology Department to watch and discuss several anthropological
films, meet faculty, as well as doctoral and
graduate students from the NSSR Anthropology Department.
For Thursday, April 18, two films will be shown - Paris is Burning and Beasts of the Southern Wild,
with discussions of the films led by Professor Vyjayanthi Rao & Charles McDonald, and Leilah Vevaina & Charles McDonald. Please note the schedule below:
6:10 p.m.—Discussion of film with Professor Vyjayanthi Rao & Charles McDonald
6:50 p.m.—Showing of Beasts of the Southern Wild
8:30 p.m.—Discussion of film with Leilah Vevaina & Charles McDonald
6 E. 16th Street, Main Lounge, 9th Floor
Free; no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served
Melissa Alexander
NSSR Anthropology Senior Secretary
212-229-5757 ext 3013, email@example.com
Email Updates
Browse Events by School


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*Inventory report schedule during the holidays:
API report will be released at 4:30 pm EST Thursday Dec. 27 and Jan. 3.
EIA petroleum report will be released at 11 a.m. EST Friday Dec. 28 and Jan. 4.
EIA natural gas report will be released at 10:30 a.m. EST Friday Dec. 28 and Jan. 4.
Energy Price Outlook
The oil markets may trade higher again in the near-term, however, the fundamental picture still remains somewhat weak at the moment. Support may come from signs of progress in fiscal cliff negotiations, yesterday's advance in WTI above the 50-day MA on the continuation chart, a weaker dollar, and speculation about stimulus in Japan and China. Economic data has been mixed in the U.S. recently, but some are looking past it by attributing it to Hurricane Sandy. Pressure on oil prices should be offered by high levels of inventories, growing oil production, and lackluster demand. Additionally, Brent futures are still around a full dollar below their 50-day MA at $109.85/bbl. We'd look to continue trading the oil markets as a trading affair in the near-term and expect that prices will remain fairly range bound through year-end.
Brent finished +$1.20/ bbl and WTI +0.73/bbl yesterday with WTI managing a small advance above its 50-day MA at $87.63. Brent seemed to outperform WTI based on the announced restart plans for Motiva's crude unit in Port Arthur Texas by Dec 23rd. The new crude unit opened in May after installation but quickly shut down due to pipe leakage. It attempted to restart last weekend but experienced another fire. Part of Brent's outperformance may also have been an unwinding of WTI's outperformance on Monday which was caused by Seaway's confirmation of an early-Jan ramp-up of its new 400,000 kb/d capacity. The last trade in Jan WTI futures is today.
The market also rallied yesterday on the perception of progress in fiscal cliff negotiations and expectations that the Japanese central bank will add further stimulus. The deal-making on tax cut extensions took place late on Monday and went from $250K from the president to $1M from the speaker, and then to $400K from the president. The speaker dropped his demand of a hike in the eligibility age for Medicare and the president accepted a change to make cost-of-living adjustments based on chained CPI. The differences appeared small at the beginning of the day, but progress later seemed to stop and a republican "Plan B" was later discussed which would prevent tax hikes on as many people as possible. That vote could come tomorrow, but the White House has said it would be against it.
We believe a big portion of yesterday's rally was caused by excitement over the cliff as well as expectations that the Japanese would engage in more QE. The election over the weekend increased the odds that the BOJ would adopt a 2% inflation target and print as much money as possible to get there. Its most recent CPI number was -0.4% y/y. The Chinese may also add stimulus, after a government economist yesterday said that there is more room to cut RRRs in 2013.
Natural Gas
January futures settled 6.0 cents higher yesterday, as strength was broadly seen across the futures price curve. The rally was sparked by a shift in weather forecasts toward the colder side, with Earthsat saying that the New Year may start with below-normal temps in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions. NOAA's maps also have colder-than-normal temps moving eastward from the west coast, which could indicate higher gas demand going forward. The market will keep an eye on tomorrow's long-term forecast update by the CPC.
Near-term trade may rebound slightly with resistance offered between $3.51 and $3.60. Friday's trade moved within a penny of the 100-day MA on the continuation chart at $3.25, and just below that was additional support from the Sep 7th low at $3.20. The market is oversold and due for a bounce. We could see the market bouncing toward $3.60 in the next few days. We're unable on our buy recommendation made Tuesday at $3.30, with a $3.60 target and $3.20 risk.
Global Economic & Dollar News
» Japanese Stocks rallied as speculation grew that the BOJ would adopt a 2% inflation target and pump enough liquidity into the economy to reach it. A target announcement could be made at this week's BOJ meeting or within the next month.
» China will set a 7.5% GDP target for 2013 and is in-line with 2012 expectations, according to press reports. The report also said that the gov't will lower its inflation target to 3.5% from 4.0% in 2012.
» A Chinese State Economist said that there is more room to cut RRRs in 2013.
» Fiscal Cliff Talks showed more progress on Monday evening when Pres Obama countered Speaker Boehner's offer to raise taxes on incomes over $1M and not try to raise the Medicare eligibility age. Pres Obama proposed moving the goalposts up to $400K in income. Entitlement liabilities may be tied to chained CPI to slow their growth rather than raising the eligibility age. Pres Obama may give up on extending the payroll tax cut.
» NAHB Survey rose to 47 in Dec from 45 previously. It was the highest since April 2006.
» Speaker Boehner had a press conference mid-morning yesterday where he said that the president is asking for
$1.3T in revenue and only $850B in spending cuts. He said that that is not balanced and that he wants $1T in cuts for $1T in revenue increases.
» Republicans are working on a "Plan B" where they would shield as many Americans as possible from a tax hike. Speaker Boehner may bring it up for a vote as early as Thursday.
Energy News
» Eagle Ford Oil Production increased 76% y/y in October to 323,098 b/d.
» Motiva's Port Arthur refinery reported that it is operating at reduced rates. The new crude unit which experienced a fire and was shut down over the weekend (325 kb/d) will attempt to restart by Dec 23rd.
Upcoming Energy Events
Wed - Last Trade Jan WTI
Wed - Housing Starts
Wed - EIA Weekly Oil Inventories (10:30am EST)
Thu - Philadelphia Fed Index
Thu - Natural Gas Inventories (10:30am EST)
Thu - CPC Long-Term Forecast Update
Thu (27th) - API Inventories (4:30pm EST)
Jan 16th - Iran-IAEA Meeting
May 31st - OPEC Meeting
EIA Inventory Preview
We anticipate a decline of 1.0 MB in oil stocks this week. Oil stocks typically fall 13.54 MB between the w/e Nov 23rd and Dec 28th, as holders of oil typically try to liquidate more expensive oil purchases made later in the year and report the less expensive oil acquired earlier. That wasn't necessarily the case this year, however, as oil prices have generally declined throughout the year. At the same time, it's been difficult to determine whether oil holders are in fact liquidating, since stocks gained 0.8 MB last week, but fell 2.4 MB the week prior. Oil imports have been relatively firm in the last few weeks, and could make up the difference in terms of prompting only a small drawdown. Demand has been week and oil production high, and could also prevent declines as large as the 5.6 MB shown in the five-year average. A key comparison will likely be oil stocks with their five-year average. It reached 45.04 MB last week, which was the highest divergence in the series since Apr 24th 2009.
Oil products could increase again, as refiners have been processing increasing amounts of oil in order to reduce bloated stock levels. Utilization has increased more than 5.0% in the last five weeks, which has meant that an additional 900 kb/d of oil has been refined into products. Pressure on gasoline stocks will come from the divergence currently in place with API statistics, which show that the EIA has to fall or API has to rise 7.9 MB in order to converge again. We anticipate 2.0 MB being added to gasoline stocks and 1.0 MB added to distillates. Additional difficulty in predicting the products and utilization numbers this week will be the impact of BP's Whiting refinery problems. The facility shut its largest crude unit in November, however refinery inputs have increased since that time.
Natural gas inventories may fall 66 bcf this week which is significantly less than the 144 bcf drop shown in the five-year average. HDD readings were 163-170 this week, compared to around 120 last week, and were driven by cooler temperatures on the east and west coasts. While such a reading would normally be seen as bearish for the market given its comparison to the five-year average, the question now will be how much these data have been priced-in after the 75 cent selloff in the last three weeks. Prices are oversold and weather is turning colder, which could offer support to the market overall.
*The API convergence figures are the amounts that EIA data need to change in order to match the previous day's API figures
Natural Gas Commentary
Published Tuesday afternoon, 12/18/12
Natural Gas traded higher settling $3.418 up $0.06 1.8%. The curve was weaker, 13/16 down $0.08 (16-20 up btwn $0.08-$0.13). Hub cash was firmer, ~$0.08 back this morning, Z-6 up $0.15 to $3.55. The 12z was warmer Midwest and South and much cooler West Coast/Plains during the 6-10 day. The 11-15 day was significantly cooler West and South-Central U.S. Thursday we anticipate a withdrawal from storage ~75 Bcf, bearish vs last year's 100 Bcf withdrawal and 5-yr average 143 Bcf withdrawal. This week will further widen to the YoY and 5-yr surplus to ~100 Bcf and 300 Bcf.
Vol was offered in F13 but firmer overall: (F13 340 14.00 15.00 34.05% -2.13% G13 345 35.50 36.50 38.59% 0.43% H13 345 45.00 46.50 38.01% 0.34% J13 350 51.50 53.00 36.18% 0.53% K13 355 57.00 58.50 34.39% 0.09% M13 360 63.00 64.50 33.49% 0.30% N13 365 68.00 69.50 32.92% 0.01% Q13 365 73.00 74.50 32.78% 0.63% U13 365 78.50 80.00 32.96% 0.14% V13 370 83.00 85.00 32.67% 0.20% X13 380 85.50 87.50 31.02% 0.18% Z13 400 88.50 90.50 29.23% 0.50%). Technically we are neutral, we look for $3.25 (100dma) to hold. Resistance is found at $3.47, $3.58, $3.70. On the downside we see support at $3.36, $3.25.


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cooran wrote:Have you got a paper copy of 'Awareness alone is not enough', or have you downloaded a .pdf?
mikenz66 wrote:New Zealand members may be interested that Sayadaw will be leading a retreat near Auckland in November:
cooran wrote:Hello blackbird,
Not sure where you got this totally incorrect information. Could you post a link please?
With metta
Dhamma Everywhere - Welcoming each moment with Awareness+Wisdom
An Insight meditation retreat with Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Sayadaw U Tejaniya began practicing meditation in his early teenage years under the late Shwe OO Min Sayadaw(1912-2002) ,ordaining several times as a novice monk. He took robe in 1996 after life as a householder and business man. He is now the meditation teacher of the Shwe OO Min Dhamma Sukha Tawya meditation center in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma).
Sayadaw's style of teaching is dynamic – an evolving process based on his own experiences and recognition of difficulties yogis face in their practice. With his easy sense of humor and relaxed demeanor, Sayadaw relates naturally to his lay students, helping them to appreciate the presence of dhamma everywhere with awareness + wisdom. Sayadaw travels extensively giving guidance to teachers and students at various centres throughout the world. This retreat is a rare opportunity to sit with one of the worlds foremost insight meditation teachers.
Please go to link to read more on Sayadaw U Tejaniya:
http://sayadawutejaniya.org/wp-content/ ... rticle.pdf
Cost: $850.00 - Registration $200.00 (non refundable) balance Payable by 20th October 2013
Dana for teacher: please offer at the end of the retreat
Registration to Te Moata (contact firstname.lastname@example.com or phone 07 8688798)
cooran wrote:Hello Blackbird,
So this is for a different retreat - one in New Zealand?
Thought you were talking about the Australian one in Perth.
With metta,
Dan74 wrote:Still it is interesting that the Australian retreat is less than half the price of the NZ. Maybe for the Australian one, they are getting the venue for free and in NZ they have to pay for the hire?
"Tailor your week to your own needs: adventurous, reflective or pampered. Choose optional activities to
enhance your experience ranging from guided nature walks, pampering massage and spa, yoga
and meditation, gourmet picnics, and local adventures on land and water."
Dan74 wrote:For a working person even $800 is possible to save over the coming months, I would've thought. But if not, generally the organisers are flexible in special circumstances, I found.
Return to "General Theravāda discussion"
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A popular question this time of year is: When do we need to make the transition from winter protocols to summer protocols when it comes to calf care?
"The three most frequent questions are: When do we stop using the calf warmers, when do we start taking off calf blankets and when do we return to the summer feeding protocols?" says Dr. Jeff Acker, owner of Veterinary Services of Wisconsin, LLC, based in Sun Prairie, Wis.
In the April 2013 Vita Plus Starting Strong Calf Care E-newsletter, Acker answers these questions:
- Calf warmers can probably be the first winter items to be turned off. "After the long winter, I am more concerned about accumulation of pathogens in the warming pen/hut," Acker says. "The calf should be fine as long as it is thoroughly dried, given a blanket and put in deep straw bedding."
- Calf blankets are still very important at this time of year, especially for calves up to three weeks of age. "We will have some warmer days when we think we don't need the jackets, but remember the TNZ (thermal neutral zone)," he says. It is 59 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit for calves (when they are clean and dry).
- When the mercury remains below 32 degrees F for the daytime high, it is recommended to increase the plane of nutrition because the calf needs more energy to stay warm, as well as grow. Once the weather has warmed, calves can be transitioned to the summer protocol.
Remember, the sun is warm, but the air is cool and damp. Keep calves dry and transition their feedings from winter levels to summer levels.
Source: Vita Plus Starting Strong Calf Care E-news - April 2013


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Moon Alert
We have the "all clear" today to do business (whether you spend $10 or $10 million) and make important decisions. The Moon is in Libra.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Be ready to compromise with others today because the Moon is opposite your sign. This won't be difficult because it's a lovely day to schmooze with others. People are optimistic and upbeat. However, late in the day, a power struggle with someone could take place.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
This is an upbeat day at work. Group efforts go well because others are co-operative plus you feel energized and happy. Let's hope this carries through this evening when power struggles, especially about politics, religion or travel plans might arise.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
This is a playful, creative, fun-loving day. Enjoy flirtations and social diversions. Make plans to see friends. Sports events and playful activities with children will delight. This evening, a dispute about shared property or the cost of something could mar this pleasant day.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
This is an excellent day for real-estate deals or family business. It's also a lovely day to entertain at home. Discussions with a parent will go well because everyone is so positive. But at some point this evening, you or someone else might exhibit compulsive behaviour. Oh well.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
This is a marvellous day for writers, salespeople, actors or teachers. It's also great day for those of you who drive for a living. You feel optimistic and turned on by life. You're eager to talk to others and, by evening, you might even try to coerce others to agree with you.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Business and commerce are favoured today. Good day to boost earnings or explore negotiations. You might get a group of people enthused about something. Work-related travel is likely. It's all good except that by this evening, you might be obsessed about something.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
This is a lovely day because the Moon is in Libra dancing beautifully with lucky Jupiter and the Sun, making you feel warm and friendly to everyone. There's a general sense of well-being wherever you go. You might be concerned for the welfare of others, however.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Secrets or events taking place behind the scenes could indirectly benefit your home and family today. It could give you the use of something that someone else owns or you might receive cash or a gift. Whatever happens makes you feel happy and content. (Avoid difficult conversations this evening.)
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Meetings, classes and gatherings will be a positive experience today. Talk to others about your hopes and dreams for the future because their feedback will help you. Someone might say something that causes you to stretch more or be more ambitious about your goals.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
People will notice you today and they notice that you are doing well. You look successful in their eyes. You look like you're making good money and enjoying your job. An intense conversation with someone this evening might throw you off. Just maintain your cool.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Do something different and exciting! Grab any chance to travel or experience stimulating adventures. You have a desire to reach out for more. You want to learn something new. Good day for opportunities in publishing, teaching, medicine, the law and dealing with foreign countries.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
This is a fortunate day because others will gift you with money, favours or the use of something they own. You might benefit indirectly because your partner or a close friend gets a boon or a bonus. You feel sexually turned on and extremely attractive. Be careful what you wish for.
If Your Birthday Is Today
Actress Portia de Rossi (1973) shares your birthday today. You are easily admired. This is fortunate because you like to be noticed. You welcome the spotlight even if it's tiny because you want appreciation and acknowledgment. You're entertaining, which makes some think you are superficial. Not so! You're more than a pretty face. In the year ahead, close friendships and partnerships will be your primary focus.


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New Drivers' License Ceremonies Canceled
Fairfax County Office of Public
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
July 20, 2005
New Drivers' License Ceremonies Canceled
on Wednesday, July 20
Due to the closure of the county's old courthouse at 4000 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax, the ceremonies for new drivers to receive their licenses, scheduled for 5 and 6:30 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, July 20, have been canceled. All those who were to receive their licenses will be mailed a notice of the rescheduled date.
Young drivers still can continue to drive on their 90-day temporary permits. If necessary, extensions may be issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles; call 1-888-337-4782, TTY 711, for details.
The old courthouse, which houses the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, was closed because of water damage and broken pumps. All functions, activities, meetings and programs scheduled for Wednesday in the old courthouse and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are canceled.
Informational updates will be posted on the county's Web site
(www.fairfaxcounty.gov) and the emergency information line at
703-817-7771, TTY 711. County residents and JDRDC employees are
encouraged to monitor the Web site or call the hotline for updates on the
Fairfax County is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all county programs, services and activities and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. To request special accommodations, call 703-324-3187, TTY 703-324-2935. Please allow five working days in advance of events in order to make the necessary arrangements.


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New York -- Tata Starbucks Limited, the 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and India's Tata Global Beverages Limited, opened Starbucks' first location in New Delhi. The store is designed to celebrate the heritage and history of the city.
"This first flagship store in New Delhi promises to offer a distinct third place with a beautiful store designed specifically for New Delhi with great respect to the rich Indian heritage and culture. We are committed to the India market for the long-term and will aggressively grow our business, expanding stores and providing locally relevant innovations." said John Culver, president, Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific.


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The Edge Factor
Exploring the: The Edge Factor Zone
6 Results for: ArticleSort by:
LaunchPoint: Adrenaline Junkie
Martin Edge is always looking for new ways to challenge himself.
LaunchPoint: Hitting the Reset Button
Minnesota electrician Nathan Engstrom began again with a new career.
Cycle Efficiency
Automated machining processes enable this maker of high-performance mountain bike parts to manufacture efficiently with minimal staff.
How Center Rock Sees Setups
The company that made the rock drills used to free the Chilean miners last year is exploring the right level of multitask machining.
Lights, Camera ... Cycle Start
A new show dramatically portrays real-life manufacturing and CNC machining. The pilot episode is now playing.
"Edge Factor" Takes Machining to the Mainstream—in 3D
Show focuses on real-life machining and manufacturing. See the 3D preview at IMTS.


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The Influence of Psychological Interventions Upon Disease Progression in HIV-infected Patients Receiving no Medication
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|HIV Infected Individuals
|Behavioral: Self-hypnosis Behavioral: Johrei - a Japanese stress management system
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single
|Official Title:
|The Effects of Two Psychological Intervention Techniques, Self-hypnosis and Johrei Healing Method, on Quality of Life, Psychological Well-being, EEG Measures and Various Immunological Measures Including CD4+ Counts in Early HIV: a Randomly Controlled Pilot Study
- CD4 T-cell counts
- Other immunological parameters (Viral load levels, NK cell counts)
- Psychological questionnaires (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), STAI, Beck depression Inventory (BDI))
- Endogenous hormone levels (cortisol, DHEA-S and melatonin)
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|June 2003
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|December 2004
Hypothesis: This investigation is based upon the hypothesis that psychological intervention may counteract the detrimental effects of stress both on psychological well-being and on general health.
Background: HIV infection may be considered to be a life-long biological and psychological stressor leading to detrimental outcomes associated with disease progression. Stress reduction in these patients may have beneficial effects through delaying disease progression via the proposed interactive psycho-neuro-endocrine-immune network.
Inclusion Criteria:
HIV infected individuals CD4 T-cell counts above 200 cells/mcl Receiving no anti-retroviral drugs Individuals who signed the informed consent form
Investigative approach: Self-hypnosis and a Japanese non-touching, laying-on-of hands-like technique, called Johrei, were used to investigate the effects of psychological intervention upon immune parameters (especially in CD4 counts) associated with disease progression along with phenomenological associations between stress perception and stress hormone levels in HIV-infected patients receiving no medication.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|20 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- HIV infected
- CD4 T-cell counts above 200 cells/mcl
- Signed the informed consent form
Exclusion Criteria:
- receiving anti-retroviral drugs
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00180700
|United Kingdom
|Imperial College London
|London, England, United Kingdom, W6 8RP
|Principal Investigator:
|John H Gruzelier, Ph.D.
|Imperial College London
|Study Director:
|Don C Henderson, Ph.D.
|Imperial College London
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00180700 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|September 13, 2005
|Last Updated:
|February 11, 2016
Keywords provided by Imperial College London:
stress management
psychological intervention
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017


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Sign into our member site to view your information online.Forget your username or password? Not registered? Register here
fluoxymesterone (generic name)
It is used to treat low testosterone levels in males and breast cancer in females
(floo ox i MES te rone)
Table of Contents
Top Learning Centers(Recursos en Español)
What is this medicine?FLUOXYMESTERONE (floo ox i MES te rone) is a male hormone, similar to testosterone. It is used to treat low testosterone levels in males and breast cancer in females.
What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
How should I use this medicine?Take this medicine by mouth with a glass of water. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Take your medicine at regular intervals. Do not take it more often than directed. Do not stop taking except on your doctor's advice.
Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care may be needed.
What if I miss a dose?If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only that dose. Do not take double or extra doses.
What may interact with this medicine?
What should I watch for while using this medicine?Visit your doctor or health care professional for regular checks on your progress.
This medicine may affect blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, check with your doctor or health care professional before you change your diet or the dose of your diabetic medicine.
This drug is banned from use by athletes in athletic organizations.
What side effects may I notice from receiving this medicine?Side effects that you should report to your prescriber or health care professional as soon as possible:
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your prescriber or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
Where should I keep my medicine?Keep out of the reach of children. This medicine can be abused. Keep your medicine in a safe place to protect it from theft. Do not share this medicine with anyone. Selling or giving away this medicine is dangerous and against the law.
Store at room temperature between 20 and 25 degrees C (68 and 77 degrees F). Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.


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An Extension Study of KPS-0373 in Patients With Spinocerebellar Degeneration (SCD)
This study has been completed.
Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: October 22, 2013
Last updated: April 15, 2016
Last verified: April 2016
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of KPS-0373 in SCD patients.
|Spinocerebellar Degeneration
|Drug: KPS-0373, High dose Drug: KPS-0373, Low dose
|Phase 3
|Study Type:
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: VLDLR-associated cerebellar hypoplasia autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia type 1 infantile-onset spinocerebellar ataxia spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 spinocerebellar ataxia type 6U.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- SARA (Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia) [ Time Frame: 52 weeks ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- SF-8 (QOL) [ Time Frame: 52 weeks ]
|Primary Completion Date:
|July 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|Experimental: KPS-0373
|Drug: KPS-0373, High dose Drug: KPS-0373, Low dose
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|20 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Japanese SCD patients with mild to moderate ataxia (Completion of the KPS1301 study)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Less than 75% of compliance in KPS1301 study
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01970111
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01970111
|Tokyo and Other Japanese Cities, Japan
Sponsors and Collaborators
Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
More Information
Keywords provided by Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01970111 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|October 22, 2013
|Last Updated:
|April 15, 2016
Keywords provided by Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.:
Spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD)
Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone (TRH)
Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)
Cortical Cerebellar Atrophy (CCA)
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Spinocerebellar Degenerations
Spinocerebellar Ataxias
Cerebellar Diseases
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Spinal Cord Diseases
Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
Cerebellar Ataxia
Neurologic Manifestations
Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone
Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists
Physiological Effects of Drugs
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017


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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Los Angeles International Airport seized 215 counterfeit luxury watches in early August, including ones purportedly made by Rolex, Cartier, Omega and Louis Vuitton, federal officials said Tuesday.
The watches were found Aug. 8 after they arrived from China as air cargo. The goods were listed on a shipment manifest as watches with a declared value of $173 and a weight of 68 pounds. Customs officers assigned to LAX inspected the cargo and found the apparently name-brand watches, officials said. Authorities did not say which airline the watches were flown in on.
Had the watches been real, they would have been worth roughly $1.25 million, customs officials said.
According to officials, watches and jewelry represent about 8 percent of the total number of seizes made annually by U.S. customs officers nationwide.
— By Brian Sumers


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Consumers want more out of their banks than a debit card and a place to put their direct deposit, even if it comes at the cost of sharing information as personal as their fingerprints, according to a new report from Cisco Systems.
Banks have been worried lately about being "commoditized," meaning they're afraid that with many banks offering essentially the same services, the only thing that will set them apart from the competition will be bank rates and fees rather than a substantially different customer experience.
But if banks are looking for a way to set themselves apart from the competition, they may just need to work a little harder. Here are some additional features consumers are looking for from their bank and are not necessarily getting them right now, according to the Cisco report, which surveyed 1,514 consumers in the U.S. and other countries.
- 77 percent want more protection from identity theft.
- 73 percent want advice on how to save more.
- 67 percent want more financial education.
Consumers also are willing to make some sacrifices to get those additional features. In fact, 69 percent of poll respondents in the U.S. said they'd be willing to share personal information to get more tailored financial advice.
"If a bank has the ability to simplify the management of finances and make the experience compelling and easy, the consumer is open to having more advice delivered to him," says Al Slamecka, marketing manager for financial services at Cisco.
For instance, a customer could set a goal with his or her bank of saving 10 percent, and get real-time advice from a mobile banking app on whether or not to make a purchase in real time to meet that goal, Slamecka says.
The consumers surveyed also were willing to share more personal information than you might think.
"Interestingly, we asked, would (consumers) be willing to share biometric information like fingerprints to protect against dangers," Slamecka says. "(And) 53 percent said they would actually be willing to provide a fingerprint in exchange for protections against identity theft."
Still, consumers did have some limits. More than half said they would not allow the bank to share any of their personal information with others, even if it meant they'd get improved services.
What do you think? Would you be willing to give up personal information in exchange for improved bank services, such as help meeting your financial goals?
Follow me on Twitter: @claesbell.