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Wisconsin lawmakers did the right thing in March by adding the gray wolf to Wisconsin's list of wildlife that can be hunted and trapped.
With wolf numbers beyond 800 and still climbing – and with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' proven record of scientifically regulating furbearer seasons for foxes, coyotes and bobcats – it's sensible and consistent to allow wolf hunting and trapping.
The new law also lets the DNR's bureau of endangered resources off the financial hook when wolves kill pets, cattle, calves, horses, hunting dogs, domestic deer and other livestock. Future wolf-depredation payments will come solely from fees paid by hunters and trappers wishing to hunt wolves.
Predator hunting tends to require serious specialists. Generalists tend to quit when a hunt proves difficult.
Those fees will consist of $10 applications to enter drawings for wolf permits, and $50 (residents) and $250 (nonresidents) licenses for those drawing permits. Those fees will fund depredation payments as long as gray wolves stay off state and federal endangered species lists.
In other words, wolves remain with deer, bears, wild turkeys and Canada geese as Wisconsin's only animals inspiring government-run entitlement programs. What if a raccoon drowns your Dalmatian or a coyote kills your cat? Sorry. Not the state's problems.
For more than 20 years, farmers losing crops to browsing deer have been eligible for depredation payments bankrolled by hunting-license fees. Likewise, since 1985, farmers and other folks could receive state-paid death benefits when wolves ate their pet, livestock or other "property."
License fees paid by hunters will be used to compensate people who lose pets to wolves.
Houndsmen can still seek compensation if wolves kill their dogs while they hunt bears, bobcats or raccoons. But if they're hunting wolves with hounds when their dog dies in action, the state won't compensate.
Most noteworthy is that the DNR's endangered-resources program will no longer pay for misbehaving wolves. That's also consistent and sensible. The bureau has never had much money, and yet it kept making wolf-depredation payments even after Wisconsin delisted wolves in 2004 and the feds first delisted them in 2007.
Why did the endangered-resources bureau pay nearly $887,500 for wolf-killed pets and livestock the past seven years when wolves were no longer endangered or threatened? Because state law required it.
You might recall that former state Sen. Kevin Shibilski, D-Stevens Point, is a bear-hunting houndsman. Shibilski – there's no "I" in team but there's three in Shibilski – wrote the provision that states: "For the purpose of payment of damage claims, the gray wolf shall be considered an endangered or threatened species regardless of whether the wolf is listed as such."
Wolf licenses will cost $50 for residents and $250 for nonresidents.
The new law repeals that sneaky raid of the endangered-resources program, which has compensated increasingly more wolf damage recently. Although annual payouts averaged $127,000 the past seven years, they nearly tripled from $106,000 in 2009 to $300,000 in 2011, and are expected to hit $320,000 this year.
Meanwhile, the endangered-resources program suffered steady declines the past decade in its two primary funding sources: tax check-offs and specialty license plates. Perhaps it's coincidence, but taxpayers now have nine additional check-off options for charitable donations, and motorists now have nearly 30 novelty license-plate options.
Going forward, lawmakers are gambling there will be enough interest in wolf hunting and trapping to fund and reduce depredation costs. Who knows how many Wisconsin hunters will want wolf permits? Trapping and predator hunting tend to attract serious specialists. Even if initial interest in wolves is high, dabblers and generalists will likely fade away when permit allocations are minuscule and wolf hunting proves difficult.
Still, here's one estimate: A DNR study of the wolf bill's fiscal impacts notes that Idaho issued 26,428 licenses for its first wolf hunt in 2009. Idaho closed the season when reaching its quota. But if interest in wolves parallels bears among Wisconsin hunters, about 100,000 might apply for a permit.
With scenarios ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 applicants, wolf hunting would generate $250,000 to $1 million in application fees. But if the DNR is conservative and issues, say 200 licenses, that's only $10,000 more.
Those numbers suggest we'll see tremendous shortfalls in wolf-depredation payments. If so, the new law makes no provision for the unfunded balance. Compensation payments will be made on a prorated, i.e., discounted, basis.
While this new law might prove good for wolves and Wisconsin, don't expect widespread joy and satisfaction from those losing pets and livestock to wolves..


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A top Republican is concerned that a replay of the Truman-Dewey election of 1948 could occur because leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives seems intent on bottling up debate on the farm bill until after November's election.
In a tweet to his Twitter followers on Monday, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said Republicans must be reminded of the farm revolt that got Democratic President Harry Truman re-elected in 1948.
In that election, it appeared challenger Thomas Dewey had a good chance of winning. In fact, many accepted it as a foregone conclusion, giving rise to the iconic photograph of a victorious Truman holding up a newspaper reading "Dewey Defeats Truman."
History books ascribe much of Truman's success to the fact he won the farm vote. Truman campaigned hard that year on agricultural issues, Grassley told an AgriTalk Radio audience on Wednesday. Meanwhile, farmers grew wary of perceived indifference on the part of Republicans and a "do-nothing" Republican Congress.
"The farm community has been fairly happy for the last several years," Grassley said. "But in a great part of the Midwest… the drought is doing serious damage, and a lot of happy farmers can become unhappy very quickly."
See a commentary that appeared in the Dairy Herd Network newsletter last week, entitled, "What are the Republicans thinking?"
Grassley acknowledged that part of the reluctance to bring legislation to the floor has to do with the food stamp program, which makes up 80 percent of the farm bill. Proposed cuts in the food stamp program are bound to spark a floor fight, which could be politically damaging just prior to the election.
Yet, the version of the farm bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee cuts $35 billion from the federal deficit over 10 years, which should be politically popular among the conservative members of the House. If there's a bill that can save that much money, "they ought to take advantage of it," Grassley says, "because I think it's the only bill between now and the election or between now and the end of the year or between now and 12 months from now that's going to be passed that saves any money."

subset: commoncrawl


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See Also:
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Behind the Cuban Mystique
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Cuba's New Cigar Stars
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The New Partagás Factory
Friday, July 1, 2016
Havana's Humidor Heaven
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
The Six-Day Cohiba Party
- More from Cuba Report
Pride in What You Make Means Pride in What You Smoke
Posted: January 31, 2000
Posted January 31, 2000, 6:30 p.m. e.s.t.
What do these combinations of Cuban cigars and factories have in common? Trinidad in the El Laguito factory…Cuaba in Romeo y Julieta…Vegas Robaina and Diplomaticos in José Martí…San Cristobal in La Corona…the Cohiba Siglo Series in Partagas…and Vegueros in the Francisco Donatien factory in the town of Pinar del Río?
These cigars are made only in their respective factories -- a fact that gives (or should give) consumers confidence in the provenance of their cigars. It assures a higher level of quality and a greater detail to craftsmanship. Granted, not all of the cigars mentioned above are great quality (Cuaba, in my opinion). But good or bad, we know where all of these cigars are made. It's not like other brands, which can come from dozens of different factories scattered across the island.
Every factory manager with whom I spoke last year in Havana agreed with me. They believe that factories that make a particular brand or size in exclusivity can better control the quality. Perhaps it's a matter of personal pride, since workers know that the cigars are "theirs" and can only come from "their" factory. The downside? If there is a problem with these cigars, the entire factory can be held accountable.
Why else would Emilia Tamayo, the head of El Laguito (the mother factory for Cohiba) want to enlarge her fabrica to a size where all of the classic Cohiba shapes are made within its walls?
"These are my cigars," she said to me in her office last year as I puffed on a Lanceros fresh from the rolling benches of her factory. "I don't like the idea of them being made outside of these walls."
Of course, Tamayo has a say -- in theory -- in the quality of Cohibas made outside of El Laguito. All major export brands have what the Cubans call a mother factory. For instance, José Martí (also know as H. Upmann) is the mother factory of Montecristo and its technicians regularly visit the dozens of other factories around the island to assure that the proper blends of tobacco are used to replicate the various sizes and shapes of Montecristo. Tamayo's technicians do the same with the Robustos, Esplendidos and Siglos, all of which have never been made at El Laguito. (Those Cohiba sizes are manufactured at the Partagas, H. Upmann and La Corona factories.)
However, as nice as all this sounds, it really doesn't work that way. Sure, technicians travel to the different factories and check blends, but they can't control workmanship. They don't walk around the rolling galleries and make sure that the cigars are being rolled properly. This responsibility is reserved for the factory managers and the quality control people. In other words, there are always going to be differences in quality between one factory and another. This is why we all used to buy our cigars by the factory code until Cuban cigar officials made it all undecipherable. They knew that there were differences in quality among their 40 or so factories and that savvy smokers wanted to buy their cigars only from the best fabricas. The fact that boxes of cigars with codes from JM (José Martí) or BM (Briones Montoto) sold out before those with codes from factories in the provinces infuriated them.
At the moment, three Havana factories stand out in my mind as the best on the island: El Laguito, La Corona and Heroes de Moncada. If you walk through the rolling galleries of these three fabricas, they have the oldest and most experienced rollers. By comparison, a large percentage of the rollers in such factories as Partagas and Jose Marti are young and unexperienced. On a whole, the best cigars are made by rollers with the most experience.
Heroes de Moncada (HM) is blessed with an extremely talented group of rollers. I saw bench after bench of super veteran rollers as well as their children who had learned from them. Unfortunately, HM does not have its own brand, factory manager Orlando Luis Marin would like one.
"My dream is to have a brand for our factory," said Marin, early last year. "It is important for the morale of the workers. It gives them something to be very proud about."
Being proud about something you make is what great cigars are all about. So, the more factory-specific cigars such as Trinidads and San Cristobals, the better for all of us -- smokers and cigar craftsmen alike.
# # #
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Simple Easy to Understand Mindfulness.
by Venerable Sister Khema
This Meditation is about "observing how mind's attention moves moment-to-moment in order to see precisely"HOW" the impersonal (anatta) process of Dependent Origination (Pattica Samuppada) occurs. Seeing and understanding "HOW" mind's attention moves from one object to another is what Buddhist Meditation was revealing. The consequences of that understanding is why Dependent Origination is so important. The meditation helps you develop an impersonal perspective with all arising phenomena and leads the meditator to see for yourself the true nature of all existence.
Successful meditation needs a highly developed skill of Mindfulness. The "6Rs" training taught at DSMC follows the text definition of RIGHT EFFORT and is a reclaimed ancient guidance system which develops this skill. The first R is to RECOGNIZE. But, before we do it, the meditator must remember or use their observation power [mindfulness] to start running the meditation cycle. Mindfulness is the fuel. It's just like putting gas into an engine. Without Mindfulness, everything stops! Being persistent with this practice it will reduce all kinds of suffering. To begin this cycle "smoothly" you must start the engine and have lots of gas in the tank!
Mindfulness remembers we should first RECOGNIZE. Mindfulness reminds the meditator to recognize and observe any movement of mind's attention from one thing to another. This observation notices any movement of attention away from an object of meditation, such as the breath, sending out of Metta or, doing a task in daily life. You can notice a slight tightness or tension sensation as mind's attention begins to very slightly move toward any arising phenomena. Pleasant or painful feeling can occur at any one of the six sense doors. Any sight, sound, odor, taste, touch, or thought can cause this pulling sensation to begin. With careful non-judgmental observation, the meditator will notice this slight tightening sensation. RECOGNIZING early movement is vital to meditation progress. You then continue on to the RELEASE step.
When a feeling or thought arises, the meditator RELEASES it and allows it to be there without giving anymore attention to it. The content of the distraction is not important at all, but the mechanics of HOW it arose are very mportant! Just let go of any tightness around it; let it be there without placing attention on it. Without attention, the tightness passes away. Mindfulness then reminds the meditator to RELAX.
After releasing the feeling or sensation, and allowing it to be there without trying to control it, there is still a subtle, barely noticeable tension within mind/body. This is why this extra RELAX [tranquilization] step is being pointed out by the Buddha in his meditation instructions in MN-118. PLEASE, DON'T SKIP THIS STEP! It would be like not putting oil in a car so the motor can run smoothly. Without performing this step of relaxation every time in the cycle, the meditator will not experience a close-up view of the ceasing (nirodha) of the tension caused by craving or feel the relief as the tightness is relaxed. It should be noted that craving [tanha] always manifests as a tightness or tension in both mind and body. You have a momentary opportunity to see and experience the true nature relief through this brief cessation (of tightness and suffering) while performing the RELEASE/RELAX steps. Notice the relief. Mindfulness moves you on now to remember to RE-SMILE. If you have listened to the Dhamma talks at http://www.dhammasukha.org you might remember hearing about how smiling is an important aspect for the meditation.
Learning to smile with with your heart and mind, and raising slightly the corners of the mouth helps mind to become alert and agile. Getting serious, tensing up, or frowning causes mind to become heavy and your mindfulness becomes dull and slow. Insights become more difficult to see, thus slowing down your understanding of the Dhamma. Imagine, for a moment, the Bodhisatta resting under the Rose Apple Tree as a young boy. He was not serious and tense when he attained a pleasant abiding [jhana] and he experienced deep insights with this light mind. Want to see clearly? It's easy! Just lighten up. Turn on your curiosity. Have fun exploring, and smile! Smiling leads us to a happier more interesting practice. If the meditator forgets to Release/Relax, rather than punishing or criticizing yourself, be kind, re-smile and start again. Keeping up your humor, and sense of fun exploration. Keeping this going is important. After re-smiling, mindfulness leads you to RETURN.
Gently RETURN and redirect mind's attention back to the object of meditation, that is, the breath or the feeling of metta, and relaxing. Continue on with a gentle collected mind to use that object as your "home base". In daily life, when pulled off task, this is where you return your attention back into the task with a smile. Sometimes people say this practice cycle is easier than expected! In history easy things can become a mystery through small changes and omissions! Reclaiming this practice develops very effective focus on daily tasks with less tension and tightness. Mind naturally becomes more balanced and happy. The meditator becomes more efficient at whatever they do in life. Actually, they might have more fun doing all of the things that used to become drudgery. If another thought arises to intrude, then Mindfulness helps you to REPEAT this cycle.
REPEAT this cycle to attain the results the Buddha said could be reached in this lifetime! Repeating the cycle eventually old habits with healthier actions. We see for ourselves what suffering is; notice the cause; experience how to release it; and discover how to exercise the direct path to that cessation of suffering which we cause ourselves. Now practice to notice the Relief.


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Ultimate fantasy draft
What if every current NBA player was available?
Posted: Tuesday June 21, 2005 2:14PM;
On June 28, we'll find out whether the Bucks go with Utah's Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams from North Carolina (the smart money's on the former, though the smarter pick is the latter) as the top pick in this year's NBA Draft, just how far Chris Taft has plummeted, and which teams are wowed by individual workouts (the Raymond Felton indicator) or the traditional currency of the NBA -- potential.
But what if teams weren't drafting just from this year's crop but from every roster in the NBA? Who would go first, and who would be overlooked (hi, Paul Pierce)?
This is the scenario the SI.com editors presented to me, stealing shamelessly from a column estimable NFL scribe Michael Silver wrote a while back. Draw up the mock draft of all mock drafts, they said.
So here's how I see it unfolding in this fantasy world where all teams have had their traded picks reinstated, so as to give each franchise a first round pick. (Disagree? Of course you do. That's what the mailbag is for.) Without further ado, then, here comes David Stern to the podium.
Ultimate Mock Draft
Pick Team Pos. Player
1 PF Tim Duncan
It's not the sexiest choice, but the Bucks make the smart one, passing on LeBron James to build around a true center (no matter what he says) who's selfless, experienced and savvy. Though 29, Duncan's never relied on his athleticism, so he has a good six or seven dominant years left. Build around him and they -- fans, free agents, playoff berths -- will come.
2 SF LeBron James
Continuing a trend -- fetish? -- for small forwards, Billy Knight grabs LeBron, who he can now surround with an assortment of tweeners. Even Atlanta can't screw up this pick. Now all the Hawks need is a new coach, some serviceable players and, oh yeah, fans.
3 PF Kevin Garnett
John Nash will be rolling fatties (at least figuratively) over the chance to shed this franchise's Jail Blazer image and start new. Garnett is the type of dominating, passionate, felony-free player who will bring back the Portland faithful and anchor the team, regardless of who ends up as his coach.
4 SG Kobe Bryant
Yeah, he's selfish, and yeah, he comes with just a wee bit of baggage, but he's perfect for a city like New Orleans. He can create his own fiefdom in the Southeast -- that is, after he runs Byron Scott out of town.
5 SG Tracy McGrady
The Bobcats briefly consider UNC alum Larry Brown until they remember that they're building for the long term, not two years. McGrady is 26 years old, versatile and went to high school in Durham. He'll score a zillion points a game under coach Bernie Bickerstaff.
6 PF Dirk Nowitzki
GM Kevin O'Connor's has a thing for foreign players, and Dirk's the best of the bunch. Now all supercoach Jerry Sloan needs is four dudes from the noon run at the Salt Lake City Y to have a playoff team. If Steve Nash were younger, he might have gotten the call to play John Stockton incarnate.
7 SG Dwyane Wade
GM Rob Babcock thinks long and hard about drafting Nash and bringing home Canada's hero, but Wade is too good to pass up. He'll fill the post-Vince void well, seeing as he can do nearly everything Carter can, plus he actually plays defense.
8 C Shaquille O'Neal
Isiah Thomas could grab Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard or some other promising young big man but, of course, he's not going to. It comes down to Allen Iverson (another scoring PG, like the GM himself) or Shaq, both of whom fit perfectly into the Knicks' strategy of selling tickets while selling out the team's future. Thomas takes Shaq, who takes Manhattan (or, as O'Neal dubs it now that he's there, "Man-happenin'") by storm.
9 C Amare Stoudemire
The Warriors search long and hard for a big, unknown foreign power forward to take at the nine spot, just for tradition's sake. Instead, VP Chris Mullin settles on Stoudemire, the big man the franchise has never had.
10 SG Allen Iverson
Before the draft, Jerry Buss tries like mad to trade up so that the Lakers can pick Kobe, but since this is the first round of a mock draft -- and ergo Los Angeles has no players under contract -- it has no tradeable assets. Instead, GM Mitch Kupchak goes for the best Kobe clone, Iverson, even though he seems a poor fit for the triangle offense.
11 PF Dwight Howard
They took him once, they'll take him again, even if GM John Weisbrod is long gone. A 19-year-old budding center with all kinds of upside, he'll be an All-Star within two years.
12 SG Vince Carter
Certainly, there are better choices here -- Jermaine O'Neal, for one -- but Vince just says Clippers. Owner Donald Sterling had to think about OKing the move, considering the contract Carter will no doubt demand, but Sterling can always underpay Carter and allow him to walk come free agency.
13 C Yao Ming
New owner Dan Gilbert wants to make a splash and create buzz so, without even consulting with the GM he doesn't have yet, he picks Yao. In Ming he gets not only a center to construct a team around but an international media draw and fan bait.
14 PF Jermaine O'Neal
He's not Kevin Garnett, but he's pretty close (and younger) and, as it turns out, his game is even more similar to that of GM Kevin McHale, who can't wait to head out on the practice court and start honing O'Neal's jump hook.
15 SF Carmelo Anthony
Needing someone to draw fans prior to the big Brooklyn move, Bruce Ratner gives Rod Thorn the directive to grab the biggest star available. Even if questions remain about his desire, Anthony fits the bill. Fans immediately redub the homecourt "Carmelo Airlines Arena."
16 PG Gilbert Arenas
Mo Cheeks came in to coach Allen Iverson and, by God, he's going to coach a point guard. The mercurial, eccentric Arenas is capable of carrying a team on his back and plays with a fury. Philly fans will love him. At least, that is, until they hate him.
17 SG Manu Ginobili
Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird both know that every great team must have a go-to guy. As he's shown in these playoffs, and during the world championships, Ginobili isn't afraid of anyone, or anything (or histrionics, for that matter). Indy will embrace him as it did Reggie Miller, just switching the two-syllable chant to "Ma-nu, Ma-nu."
18 PG Stephon Marbury
Danny Ainge wants his team to run and has shown he's not afraid of players with questionable pasts. Marbury will run all right, though it might be Doc Rivers right out of town.
19 SF Marvin Williams (UNC)
Jerry West has never been afraid to take a chance. In Williams, he sees a future perennial All-Star who can play either the 3 or the 4, has great character and is fan-friendly.
20 PG Steve Nash
Ever since his days in Jersey with Jason Kidd, coach Eddie Jordan has coveted a savvy, pass-first point guard. Nash may be older (31) and prone to injury, but president Ernie Grunfeld is willing to take the gamble that his presence can help attract top-tier free agents who want to play a Phoenix-East type of game. Being a reigning MVP and international star in a city bristling with international types doesn't hurt.
21 C Andrew Bogut (Utah)
GM John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles argue late into the night about whether they should re-draft Kirk Hinrich, who so perfectly exemplifies their cumulative ethos, then decide they can't pass up a big man to build around. Bogut can pass, rebound and shoot, and has the right temperament to play for the hard-driving Skiles.
22 SG Ray Allen
He's mid-career, but Allen is the best shooter in the league, a model citizen and a clutch playoff performer. Kiki Vandeweghe can construct a team around him -- unless of course, he bolts to Cleveland to construct around Yao -- and George Karl can enjoy the reunion.
23 SF Peja Stojakovic
With both Peja and Brad Miller available, Geoff Petrie has a hard time choosing between his former players. The way he sees it, he guessed right on both players the first time, so there's no reason to look elsewhere now. Eventually, he chooses Peja, who has a bigger upside than the solid, if unspectacular, Miller.
24 SG Ron Artest
Steve Francis is available but coach Jeff Van Gundy wants no part of him and, after having his request to draft "a young Patrick Ewing" denied (Van Gundy argues that fantasy drafts should allow real "fantasy" picks), lobbies Rockets brass to grab Ron Artest, who personifies the hard-nosed style of D he loves. A big gamble, but it could pay off.
25 PG Tony Parker
Coach Nate McMillan's system is predicated on a tempo-pushing point guard, on both offense and defense, and Parker fits the bill. Plus, he's young, has playoff experience and fan-friendly (especially as a Frenchman in Seattle, not far from the Canadian border).
26 C Darko Milicic
Just kidding, though if Joe Dumars believes in him as much as he claims, he might grab him in the second round. Rather, Dumars thinks long and hard about the 30-year-old Ben Wallace but goes with a younger, more offensive-minded big man in Chris Bosh, who'll be a foundation in the paint for years to come.
27 SF Andrei Kirilenko
Coach Avery Johnson loves defense, and Kirilenko affects the game as much as any player in the league. Ben Wallace was a consideration here, but, again, Kirilenko is younger and more offensive-minded, and Mavs owner Mark Cuban loves his international appeal.
28 PF Emeka Okafor
It's been a long time -- 1988 -- since the Spurs didn't have a dominant big man anchoring the lineup. The best available choices at this spot are Zydrunas Ilgauskas (too old, injury-prone), Zach Randolph (not the team player Pop loves), Brad Miller and Pau Gasol. But Okafor provides the intimidating defensive presence, is more physical than Gasol, is younger than Miller and is the type of hard-working character guy who fits with the Spurs' legacy.
29 PF Kenyon Martin
Pat Riley loves the big guys and Gasol is tempting, but Martin sets the defensive tone coach Stan Van Gundy is looking for and plays with the passion Riley loves.
30 SF Shawn Marion
GM Bryan Colangelo gives coach Mike D'Antoni free reign to continue his run-and-gun ways. Jason Kidd (too old) was tempting, as was Rashard Lewis (big man who can shoot and run) and Kirk Hinrich (a point guard to direct the show), but who better to continue the tradition than the guy they already had, Marion, the do-it-all forward?
I guess I'm a homer. I don't agree with where either JO or Ron is picked, both should be lower.


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Matt Prior remains as determined as ever to play for England but just wants to take time out to get 100 per cent fit.
The wicketkeeper, who has won three Ashes Series, has taken a step back from England duty for the rest of the summer due to injury.
He has come under fire during an England slump which extended to 10 Tests without a win on Monday as India triumphed by 95 runs at Lord's, with Prior only managing 12 runs in the second innings as Ishant Sharma tore through England's middle order.
The 32-year-old revealed that he has a series of complaints which are hampering his performances and he expects to go under the knife to sort out his Achilles during the break.
Speaking to Sky Sports 2, Prior said: "I need to give myself a good deal of time to get right and have the necessary procedures. I don't want to retire.
"I would love to play for England again and I have hopes of doing that. As it stands now there are three Tests and that's quite a lot of time.
"It's the way it works out but I will then do my utmost to get fit and ready, raring to go for the back end of the winter and into next summer."
Prior said he has been trying to overcome fitness problems for most of the summer, but they are now having too much of an impact on his performances for him to ignore any longer.
"I have to be very honest with myself, my team-mates, my coach and my captain," he added.
"I don't believe I'm able to perform at the level I expect of myself, the level I want to perform at for England with the injuries I'm carrying at the moment," he added.
"It's been something I've been fighting obviously, every one knows I've fought injury for most of this summer.
"When it affects movement and I can't play to the level I want to then it becomes an issue and that's what's happened in this game."
He said if this does herald the end of his England career he will be disappointed but will also have plenty to look back on and be proud of.
"The one that stands out for me is reaching number one in the world," Prior said.
"Standing on that podium at the Oval, it was such a colossal effort to win consistently for so long. I use the word 'team' a lot and that's what's most important.
"You come through shared hardships and you come through them together. "
Former England captain Alec Stewart said Prior had made a "sensible decision" to step aside.
"Matt Prior makes sensible decision to stand down for rest of the series," Stewart said on Twitter. "He needs to regain fitness to then perform to his usual high level.
"Expect Jos Buttler to replace Prior, but don't be surprised if you see Prior wearing the England shirt again in the future."
Stewart tweeted that Chris Read and James Foster are "the best glovemen in England" but added that Buttler had already been called up as cover for Prior this season.
And another ex-England wicketkeeper, Paul Nixon, praised Prior for his stance.
Nixon said on Twitter: "Very brave and ultimate tough decision, bud, honest and all for the team."


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Here's the simple recipe which produced really good Sausage Linguini, simple enough to cook with kids or great for "cooking challenged" adults.
Sophie's Sausage Linguini
(An easy recipe, designed to be made by kids, with adult supervision)
1 jar Classico Tomato Basil pasta sauce
(or use your favorite low sugar sauce)
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1 pkg. (19.5 oz.) Sweet Turkey Italian Sausage
2 T chopped fresh basil
(very optional, but I had some so we used it)
1 pkg. Dreamfield's Linguini (for non-South Beach, use any brand)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving
In large deep frying pan, brown sausages in olive oil until they're firm to the touch. Cool slightly, then slice sausage in 3/8 inch slices. Return to pan and brown well on both sides. When sausage is browned, add sauce to pan. Add dried basil and oregano and simmer sauce 30 minutes, adding water if it gets too thick. Add fresh basil the last 5 minutes of cooking if using.
Cook pasta in large pot of salted water 9-11 minutes, or until it is done but still slightly chewy. Drain pasta well. Serve sauce over pasta with lots of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
South Beach Suggestions:


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This is terrible. Majerus was a truly stellar coach that never did get his due.When Rick Majerus decided to take a leave of absence for health reasons, the news was concerning.
When he announced he wasn't coming back to the Billikens at all, it was alarming.
Now the true extent of Majerus' health issues has become known. Multiple sources, including Majerus' protege and current Loyola (Chicago) head coach Porter Moser, have confirmed that Majerus passed away today at the age of 64.
Details are in short supply at this time, but CBT will update the story as more news comes to light.
Majerus began his career with the then-independent Marquette Warriors, and jumped to Ball State after three years in Milwaukee. He became best known as head man of the Utah Utes, making it all the way to the NCAA title game in 1998. He led St. Louis to a 26-8 record and an NCAA berth in his final season as Billikens head coach.
Majerus' overall record as a collegiate head coach was 517-215.


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Southpaw Lamb keeps rolling at Triple-A
KANSAS CITY -- John Lamb's reclamation project continued Wednesday night, as the Royals farmhand impressed again at Triple-A Omaha.
Lamb, Kansas City's fifth-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, threw seven shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 3.56 this season. He's now allowed just three earned runs in his last 24 innings.
The left-hander climbed the amateur ranks with a superb 2010 season (2.38 ERA, 9.7 K/9) that earned him widespread recognition in the baseball scouting community. He ranked as Baseball Prospectus' 11th-best prospect in their pre-2011 rankings. But Tommy John surgery in 2011, then disastrous 2012 and 2013 campaigns, derailed his once-promising status as a prospect.
In addition to his solid ERA, Lamb has struck out 113 batters in 111 1/3 innings this season.
Jackson Alexander is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Best Dang Thing EVER Bars
My sister B was in town for the long weekend and we decided to spend her first day in town shopping all day. It's always a blast to shop with her because we both have very different tastes, but we get each other to try on things we never would otherwise. And we both always come home with a ton of bags. I usually take a picture of the stuffed trunk, but forgot to this year…
For the second day she was in town, we decided bake together. I love it when she comes to visit because we always have a great time. We talk almost daily and it's good to be able to talk to her in person instead of over the phone/email/texting. These bars are her favorite and she knows the recipe by heart. In fact, the whole family loves these things. What else would you expect with a name like Best Dang Thing Ever Bars!?!
I finally got the story out of B about where that name came from… When B was a freshmen in college, she had to give a speech that was a demo. Of course, she decided to demo making these bars. She ended the speech with something like "and that is how you make the best dang thing you've ever tasted bars". She even brought in some of the finished product to share with her class. Of course they agreed that these bars really are one of the best things you've ever tasted.
I'm not sure exactly where this recipe comes from, since my mom had clipped it out from a magazine or something and it was just in her pile of recipes since forever. We never made this when I was young, but ever since B went to college, we make these every year when we're together at the holidays. They're very rich and chocolatey, so we always cut them into small bars. Have a glass of milk ready when you serve these!
I am submitting this recipe for the blogging event Family Recipes hosted by The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch and The Spiced Life. To enter, make a recipe that is a family recipe and talk about memories connected with it.
Best Dang Thing EVER bars
Yield: 36 bars
1 package German chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate ready-to-spread frosting
3-4 tsp water
Heat oven to 350.
Mix cake mix (dry), softened butter, and egg until crumbly; reserve 1 1/2 cups. Press remaining crumbly mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.
Bake until crust appears dry, 10 to 12 minutes; cool 10 minutes.
Heat butter, milk, and caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted. (We do this while the crumbly mixture is baking). Pour over crust; sprinkle with nuts and reserved crumbly mixture.
Bake until crumbly mixture appears dry and begins to brown, 25 to 30 minutes; cool.
Make glaze by mixing frosting with water one teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.
Drizzle with glaze. Loosen edges of bars with spatula; refrigerate until caramel mixture becomes firm, about 1 hour. Cut into bars, 2x1 1/2 inches.
Recipe from my family - no idea where the original recipe is from...
13 Responses to "Best Dang Thing EVER Bars"
This is a great post and I love that you and your sister made these together! You know its a favorite when you can make a recipe from memory! Thanks for participating 🙂
Awesome bars! You and your sister sound like me and my sister, so I loved this post extra for that. Great submission, thanks for participating.
Yum, these look SO good! And fairly easy – I will be making them soon!
Love the story that goes with these 🙂 family recipes are the best!
OH YUM!! Those look so freakign gooooood!!
Those look great!!!!!!!!!! MMmmmmm
I suppose if you were fond of chocolate they would be the best dang thing. I'd like the blonde version of this instead. 🙂
You almost make me wish I had a sister instead of six brothers, almost. 🙂
oh my neighbor makes these and they are SO good! Mmmm I'm wishing I had one right about now, thanks for sharing the recipe!
(also glad you enjoyed the taquitos!)
whoa, a whole pack of caramels? this sounds amazing
Oh.my.gosh! I bet these really are the best dang thing ever! I can't wait to make these to bring to work!
I wonder if these can be made with a plain chocolate cake mix since I don't have a german chocolate one on hand.
I would think any chocolate cake mix would work
These are close to the Pioneer Woman's Knock You Naked Brownies except for the frosting. Thank goodness chocolate and caramel are legal!


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Legoland California Resort
What: Includes Legoland, Legoland Water Park, Legoland Legends of Chima Water Park, SeaLife Aquarium and Legoland Hotel.
Address: One Legoland Drive, Carlsbad.
Hours: Legoland open daily throughout summer, including July 4. Hours vary. Closed some Tuesdays and Wednesdays September-March. Water parks open daily until Sept. 1. Open weekends only September-October, closed November-March. SeaLife Aquarium is open daily. See website for complete schedule.
Tickets: Legoland: $83 ages 13 and older, $73 children 3-12. For water park or aquarium park hopper: $100 adults, $91 children. For resort hopper, with Legoland, water parks and aquarium: $107 adults, $97 children. Add $20 for two-day ticket. Online, save up to $15 with resort hopper tickets starting at $92 adults, $82 children. Deals and combo tickets on website.
Information: 877-534-6526, http://california.legoland.com.
San Diego County wildfires threatened to scorch the unveiling of Legoland's second water park, but the grand opening proceeded on schedule on May 24.
Fires caused power disruptions that forced Legoland to close May 14, just 10 days before the Lego Legends of Chima Water Park presented by Cartoon Network was due to make its big splash.
"We took a precautionary stance and made sure all our guests were safe," said resort spokesman Jake Gonzales. "We evacuated the park on Wednesday and were up and running again on Thursday."
Gonzales said there was no special cleanup needed for the water park because of the fires nearby.
"It didn't slow us down one minute," he said.
The new attraction is specially designed for families with small children. The three-acre Chima-themed water park adjoins the existing Legoland Water Park, giving visitors two choices of aquatic fun.
Lego Legends of Chima Water Park is based on a Lego toy line and Cartoon Network TV series about anthropomorphic animal tribes who compete to control the flow of Chi energy.
(Ask your kids, they can probably explain it better than I can, but it makes for some cool visuals in the new park. Look for the 15-foot-tall, massive Gorilla Tribe mech suit, complete with a bag of bananas to fire at the enemy. Good thing it doesn't really move.)
The two main areas in the new park are the Lion Temple Wave Pool and Cragger's Swamp. In the cartoon, the Lion Tribe lives in a temple at the base of Mt. Cavora. In the park, Mt. Cavora is a 40-foot-tall structure made of Lego bricks with a waterfall that pours more than 400 gallons a minute into the wave pool. Two-hundred and fifty-thousand gallons of water flow in the enormous Lion Temple Wave Pool that covers more than 13,000 square feet.
Visitors enter the wave pool through an 18-foot-high lion arch created out of 260,000 Lego bricks — the same ones that you can buy in the store.
"If you have enough time, money and space, you can make every one of the 30,000 models at Legoland," Gonzales said.
Of course, then you'd need a park of your own to display them.
The wave pool is for splashing and cooling off. Cragger's Swamp is for playing and goofing around. It is only a foot deep and filled with 50 water features such as slides, fountains and water blasters.
"Everything so you can get wet, cool off and have fun," Gonzales said.
Families can also design and race toy Lego boats at Eglor's Build-A-Boat. (And control the flow of the river, too.) They also can race zippy Speedorz cars along a track.
And when everyone's worn out, get a snack at Wolf's Den Grill and stretch out in the sand at Rhino Beach.
To get to the new water park, visitors go through the Legoland Water Park, which has larger water rides as well as play areas.
The water park entrance fee is an add-on to Legoland tickets, which range in cost. Visit Legoland.com for information about special prices and to purchase tickets in advance.
While you're walking through Legoland to visit the water parks, check out the Lego Movie Experience. The original soundstage for the movie is on display with models actually used in the movie.
The Legoland California Resort also features SeaLife Aquarium, which opened a Jellyfish Discovery exhibit in March, and North America's first and only Legoland Hotel, because now there's just too much to see and do in a one-day trip to Legoland California.


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Busulfan Plus Clofarabine Followed by Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
This study has been completed.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: October 2, 2009
Last updated: May 10, 2016
Last verified: May 2016
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Show Detailed Description
The goal of this clinical research study is to test the safety of giving clofarabine in combination with busulfan, followed by an allogeneic (from a donor) stem cell transplant, in patients with advanced leukemia or lymphoma.
|Leukemia Lymphoma Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
|Drug: Busulfan Drug: Clofarabine Drug: Thymoglobulin Procedure: Stem Cell Transplant
|Phase 2
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Busulfan Plus Clofarabine Followed by Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or Lymphoma, or Biphenotypic Leukemia
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: Leukemia Lymphoma
Drug Information available for: Busulfan Clofarabine
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center resources: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Lymphosarcoma Acute Leukemia of Ambiguous Lineage Lymphoblastic LymphomaU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Treatment-Related Mortality (TRM) [ Time Frame: Baseline and at day 100 of treatment ]For TRM at day 100, Bayesian method of Thall, Simon, and Estey used to perform interim monitoring. Rates of 100-day progression-free survival (PFS) and TRM estimated separately by cohort and provided with 95% credible intervals.
|Study Start Date:
|October 2009
|Study Completion Date:
|May 2016
|Primary Completion Date:
|May 2016 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Busulfan + Clofarabine + Stem Cell Transplant
Busulfan test dose 32 mg/m^2 by vein over 45 minutes on Day -8; following doses on Days -6 to -3 derived from pharmacokinetic (PK) testing done up to 11 times over 11 hours after test dose.
Clofarabine 40 mg/m^2 by vein over 1 hour daily Day -6 through Day -3. Thymoglobulin 0.5 mg/kg on Day -3, 1.5 mg/kg on Day -2 and 2.0 mg/kg on Day -1; only patients with HLA nonidentical or unrelated donors.
Stem cell infusion on Day 0.
Drug: Busulfan
Test Dose 32 mg/m^2 by vein over 45 minutes on Day -8; following doses on Days -6 to -3 derived from pharmacokinetic (PK) testing done up to 11 times over 11 hours after test dose.
Other Names:Drug: Clofarabine
40 mg/m^2 by vein over 1 hour daily Day -6 through Day -3
Other Names:Drug: Thymoglobulin
0.5 mg/kg on Day -3, 1.5 mg/kg on Day -2 and 2.0 mg/kg on Day -1; only patients with HLA nonidentical or unrelated donors
Other Names:Procedure: Stem Cell Transplant
Stem cell infusion on Day 0.
Other Names:
Show Detailed Description
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|up to 65 Years (Child, Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients with biopsy-proven acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, or acute biphenotypic leukemia in remission or relapse.
- Adequate renal function, as defined by estimated serum creatinine clearance >60 ml/min.
- Bilirubin equal or less than 1.5 (unless Gilbert's Syndrome), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) <3 X upper limit of normal and alkaline phosphatase <2 X upper limit of normal.
- Adequate pulmonary function with forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity of lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at least 45% of expected corrected for hemoglobin. Children unable to perform pulmonary functions must have an oxygen saturation greater than 92% at room air.
- Adequate cardiac function with left ventricular ejection fraction at least 45% on appropriate medical therapy. No uncontrolled arrhythmias or symptomatic cardiac disease.
- Zubrod performance status <2 or Lansky/Karnofsky PS equal or greater to 70%.
- Patients must have a related, genotypically HLA identical donor, or they must have a unrelated donor who is 8/8 HLA match by high resolution typing.
- Patient or patient's legal representative, parent(s) or guardian should provide written informed consent. Assent of a minor if participant's age is at least seven and less than eighteen years.
- Negative Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) test in a woman with child bearing potential defined as not post-menopausal for 12 months and no previous surgical sterilization.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients with unresolved grade >2 non-hematologic toxicity from previous therapy. Patients with grade 2 toxicity will be eligible at the discretion of the PI.
- Patients with active central nervous system (CNS) disease.
- Evidence of acute or chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis.
- Uncontrolled infection, including HIV, HTLV-1, hepatitis B or hepatitis C viremia.
- Patients greater than 65 years-old.
- Prior autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
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: NCT00990249
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00990249
|United States, Texas
|University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
|Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
Sponsors and Collaborators
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
|Study Chair:
|Partow Kebriaei, MD
|M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
More Information
Additional Information:
Keywords provided by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
Additional Information:
|Responsible Party:
|M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00990249 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
NCI-2012-01270 ( Registry Identifier: NCI CTRP )
|Study First Received:
|October 2, 2009
|Last Updated:
|May 10, 2016
Keywords provided by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center:
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic lymphoma
acute biphenotypic leukemia
Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation
Stem Cell Transplant
Treatment-related mortality
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors
Imatinib Mesylate
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma
Leukemia, Lymphoid
Neoplasms by Histologic Type
Lymphoproliferative Disorders
Lymphatic Diseases
Immunoproliferative Disorders
Immune System Diseases
Antilymphocyte Serum
Alkylating Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Immunosuppressive Agents
Immunologic Factors
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating
Antineoplastic Agents
Myeloablative Agonists
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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Martine Rose unveiled her Spring/Summer 2018 collection during London Fashion Week Men's.
Martine Rose unveiled her Spring/Summer 2018 collection during London Fashion Week Men's.
A story about a vivid coherence between, graphic design, fashion garments with a touch of sports.
New York-based artist Patrick Church launches e-commerce boutique for his hand-painted playful collection.
Declan McKenna at SUPA, Harry Goodwins & Tom May at Established, and Charlie Frederick & Ramon Keeris at Nevs shot by Joseph Sinclair and styled by James Yardley, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
Kaya Holl and Corentin Renault captured by the lens of Edu Salas and styled by SushiPop in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
James Fairweather at AMCK Models photographed by Michael Brosnan and styled by Carlos Mangubat, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
Wilfred Wong at Urban Models photographed by Baldovino Barani and styled with pieces from Goodwill, Oxfam, Guerrisol, Free'P'Star and The Salvation Army, for the latest issue of Factory Fanzine.
VOICE OF INSIDERS' new technical parka is designed with water-repellent technical fabric featuring a geometric camouflage print with an embossed shine effect and a unique cut.
Robert Pattinson embraces the spirit of an artist's paris for an expression of freedom for the Dior Homme Spring 2018 campaign conceived by Kris Van Assche and photographed by the legendary Karl Lagerfeld.
Nicola Formichetti presents his latest work for Free Magazine Japan. A eight multi-cover issue featuring Robin Hölzken, Duckie Thot, Zach Cox, Jules Horn, and much more.
Outsiders Division was the winner of the latest edition of #MBFashionTalent during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid with a fun collection full of color and feelings.
Following a nine-year tenure as Vice Head of menswear at legendary Vivienne Westwood, Georg Weissacher embarked on his very own luxury new menswear project Peoples of All Nations (POAN).
Jackson at IMG photographed by Mia Rankin and styled by Alexander Khoury with pieces from Levi's, Wrangler and vintage clothing, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
If you are looking for a new headphones you need to try the latest of Skullcandy.
The "Hesh 3 Wireless" is a complete redesign of the best-seller headphones by Skullcandy. Keep your soundtrack going with up to… »
A multi-cultural blend of English, French and Japanese notes – resulting in an irresistible, unisex scent.
Angel Chen unveiled her Spring/Summer 2018 collection during Milan Fashion Week.
Part of an on-going series of digital exclusives developed to champion the best in global menswear, Creative Director at Lavin, Lucas Ossendrijver has created a collection that emphasis his ethos for understated design and meticulous attention to detail.
Throughout the Fall/Winter 2017 and Spring/Summer 2018 seasons, this space will play home to different happenings – the projections, photo exhibitions, or product launches.
VOICE OF INSIDERS' new technical parka is designed with water-repellent technical fabric featuring a geometric camouflage print with an embossed shine effect and a unique cut.
Inspired by Jon Rafman's raging depiction of the archetypical Furry, Pierpaolo Grasso explores the idea of bondage and suffocating claustrophobia.
We spoke to Irakli Rusadze about inspiration, challenges, business and his strong bonds to fashion and art.
Issue #10
"Sex is more exciting on the screen and between the pages than between the sheets." – Andy Warhol
Cover feat. Diego Barrueco by Michiel Meewis
and Michael Miller.


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Targeted Cancer Therapies
The "Smart Bombs" of Cancer Treatment
- Scott & White's Role
New targeted therapies, plus immunotherapy and other progressive cancer-killing agents, are helping to advance the ways we treat cancer. Scott & White takes a leading role in developing these treatments.
Because Scott & White Healthcare conducts its own clinical trials through the Cancer Institute and the Cancer Research Institute, we're on the leading edge of developing new targeted therapy drugs, many of which show promise in treating many forms of cancer.
In addition, we participate in clinical trials using targeted cancer therapy drugs supplied by the National Cancer Institute (U.S. National Institutes of Health). During the clinical trial phases, we follow all standard protocols when giving these drugs to patients.
Targeted therapies are a new approach to treating cancer. Drugs or other substances are now being designed to halt the growth and spread of cancer by disrupting the specific molecules involved in tumor growth.
Targeted therapies rely on molecular biology and genome sequencing technology pathways to determine how cancer spreads and then use drugs to chemically stop that process. Scott & White researchers have maps of the molecular pathways in which particular kinds of cancer multiply. Using these maps, they can design precise new drugs that prevent the cancer cells' growth. These drugs act like smart bombs honing in on their target with laser-guided precision.
A lot of new targeted therapies are on the horizon as we learn about these molecular pathways.
Targeted therapies interfere with cell processes in several ways:
- Block specific enzymes and growth factor receptors involved in cancer cell production
- Modify the role of proteins that govern genetic expression
- Cause cancer cells to undergo cell death
- Block the blood supply to the cancer cell
- Help the immune system destroy cancer cells (immunotherapy)
- Deliver toxic molecules to cancer cells (monoclonal antibodies)
- Target infectious agents that cause the cancer (vaccines)
Many targeted therapy drugs are approved by the FDA; others are in the testing stage.
Why Targeted Therapies Are Used
Targeted therapies are custom-designed for each cancer. They are part of making individualized cancer treatment a reality. In other words, targeted therapies help doctors tailor your cancer treatment to fit the characteristics of your individual cancer.
A targeted therapy drug may be used alone or in combination with other targeted therapy drugs or in combination with other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy.
Advantages of Targeted Therapies
Because targeted therapies isolate and strike only the cancer cells, they avoid attacking surrounding healthy tissue. As a result, they often cause little or no collateral damage to your normal cells.
Compared to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, which can damage healthy tissue, targeted therapies have fewer side effects and are less toxic.


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Even though graduating from high school, getting married and having a family was considered the norm for young women in the 1950s, many had other career aspirations. However, this path wasn't always an easy one.
Good luck if you needed a business loan. Only a man could sign the paperwork required to borrow funds from the bank, recalls Linda Alvarado, CEO and president of Alvarado Construction in Denver and co-owner of the Colorado Rockies. Against many odds - and much soul-searching - women like Alvarado became successful in male-dominated fields, leading the way for a new generation of CEOs, engineers, scientists and athletes.
"You don't have to be a man to succeed in a male-dominated field, you have to be a woman who steps up, takes some risks and pursues her dreams. The difference is that while some people take action, other people continue to dream," said Alvarado.
But now, those "dreamers" may find inspiration in the stories of dozens of prominent women featured in the documentary "Makers: Women Who Make America," which premieres tonight at 7 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS. The three-hour film narrated by Meryl Streep chronicles how women have transformed virtually every aspect of American life over the last 50 years.
The "makers" were the daring women who ventured out of the house to lead the women's liberation movement. They broke barriers and became emblems in the fight for equality. The film recounts the challenges faced by women then and now, from shattering the glass ceiling to the realization that "having it all" is not all that easy.
Many of those trailblazers were Latinas like Alvarado, whose courage paved the way for other talented women in their fields. There is the story of Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a molecular biologist whose outstanding career inspired her to fight the perception that "women could not be scientists," and the story of pioneer Latina writer Sandra Cisneros, author of the book "House on Mango Street," which has been translated in 20 languages and sold 6 million copies.
Filmmaker and founder of "Makers" Dyllan McGee said that the mission of the documentary and its accompanying website, www.makers.com, which features short, individual narratives, is to change the way women's history is taught.
"There has been a need to preserve these stories on a large scale. Women need to be inserted in history and that is the hope of this project, that we can find that voice for women so that history books and history websites can now make sure that women from all walks of life, their stories are told," she said.
McGee said that other women around the world will have a chance to add to the video archive on the website by telling their own stories.
Alvarado hopes that the film will inspire the next generation to continue the work on behalf of gender equality and women's rights, at home and abroad.
"We are not completely there but certainly we have made progress," she said. "We need to join together to assist women in other countries where they have no choices and cannot go to school. We made a difference in this country, let us do that again."
For more information about the film and to view Alvarado's interview, visit makers.com.


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President Barack Obama's re-election brought out the response of plenty of athletes and sports personalities on Twitter.
Obama spent part of Election Day playing basketball, according to the Chicago Tribune. Hall of Famer and Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen was reportedly among those who played hoops with the President.
Here is just a sampling of the reaction to Obama's re-election:
"2 terms!!!! Ohio u guys are the awesome"
---Miami Heat forward LeBron James (@KingJames)
"4 more! What a great night"
---Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5)
---Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (@CP3)
"FORWARD…it's a wrap!!!!"
---Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (@JimmyRollins11)
"Barack to Barack"
---Philadelphia 76ers guard Jason Richardson (@jrich23)
"Congratulations to President Barack Obama!!!!"
---Jacksonville Jaguars safety Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisNFL)
"Congrats President @Barack Obama!! The people have spoke, now let's make good on all those promises. Americans are counting on you, sir."
---Free agent wide receiver Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth)
"Obama! Nice work America, your rad."
---American snowboarder Nate Holland (@N8Holland)
"Mitt's bus driver warming up the engine baby-it is OVER-PREZ makes big plays down the stretch & gets 4 MORE YEARS"
For more election coverage, please visit AOL.com and Huffington Post.


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Heisey progressing after re-injuring hamstring
CINCINNATI -- Chris Heisey, who is recovering from a strained right hamstring for the second time, said he doesn't know yet when he'll be able to join the Reds again, but he expects it to be sooner rather than later.
"It won't be a month, but it won't be three or four days," Heisey said. "Maybe a week or two. It's tough to say at this point."
Heisey has been on the disabled list since April 29. He began a rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola, but he re-injured his hamstring about two weeks ago, setting him back a few steps in his recovery. The 28-year-old left fielder said he's "very close" to being back to where he was before aggravating the injury.
"It was frustrating, obviously," Heisey said. "I felt like I was a couple days away from being back with the team, and then I got hurt again. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. It's progressing."
In the meantime, Heisey is on an extensive rehab program that includes heating, icing, stretching and exercises, and he'll likely stick with the team when it embarks on a road trip to Cleveland and Pittsburgh starting on Wednesday.
"If I'm not able to go on a rehab assignment by the time the team leaves, I'll probably go with them because I'm able to hit, throw and do a lot of baseball activities," Heisey said.
Jeremy Warnemuende is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Amanda Bynes Calling 8 Not Ugly Celebs "Ugly" On Twitter [Photos]
Do you follow the train wreck that is Amanda Bynes on Twitter? I mean, she's pretty much a train wreck all around, but her Twitter feed is something that I thought only existed in movies and on TV shows. She's so full of crazy, that I follow her just to see what 140 character or less craziness will show up next. And I'm rarely disappointed. Her favorite thing to do lately, it seems, is to call generally good looking celebrities ugly (except Drake. She calls Drake hot pretty much every chance she gets). So, I've compiled some of my favorites.


text:
- Home
- People
- Training Topics
- Campus Connections
- OSU IT Policies
There are a couple of different ways you can find who you're looking for on our website.
If you know at least the first letter of the last name of one of our faculty or staff members, just type it into the Filter by Last Name field and click the Apply button. This will bring up a list of all of our employees whose names begin with the letter you entered. The more specific you are, the more accurate the results list will be.
If you are looking for a general list of names, such as a group of people who belong to a department, unit, or organization within this site, just select the name of the group from the Filter by Department/Unit drop down box and click the Apply button. This will yield a current list of all individuals associated with that group.
Fenn, Sher
Information Technology Consultant
Central Web Services
Valley Library
201 SW Waldo St. Rm. 4182
Corvallis, OR 97331
(541) 737-1189
Email contact form


text: Our trees grow in the fertile soils located in the heart of the Hood River Valley, Oregon, at the base of beautiful Mt. Hood. We grow the colossal variety of chestnuts, which is a Japanese-European grafted hybrid. These chestnuts were not only developed for their superior size but also for their sweetness and ease of peeling. The nuts themselves are about 2 - 3 inches in diameter and will average 18-23 nuts to the pound. They are harvested in late September through October and kept in cold storage until they are sold. The first chestnut trees were planted in 1994. Additional acres were planted in 1995 across Neal Creek that separates our farm acreage.


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
December 27, 2012
Overthinking It
Handicapping the Injury-Prone Pitchers of 2013
There comes a point in every fantasy draft when one owner drafts a particular player at a certain position—shortstop, let's say—which reminds every other owner that they also need a shortstop and that there are only so many good ones left to go around. The ensuing collective hysteria causes a run on anyone eligible at that position, and by the time the league comes to its senses, Clint Barmes is the only shortstop still standing.
That's essentially what happened on the Friday before Christmas, except with injury-prone starting pitchers. On Friday morning, the Twins signed Rich Harden. On Friday afternoon, determined not to be locked out of the injury-prone-pitcher market, the Indians signed Scott Kazmir and the Mariners followed suit by signing Jeremy Bonderman. (Brandon Webb is still somewhere on the board.) Realistically, except for their fingerprints, not much ties the current Kazmir, Harden, and Bonderman to the versions who had success several seasons ago. But the names are still notable, and the faces are still familiar, so we can't help but wonder whether the stuff might still be similar too.
Each agreement adhered to the same structure: a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. We could have done Transaction Analysis entries on all three signings, but those would've adhered the same structure, too: if the injury-prone pitcher proves to be healthy and anywhere near as effective as he was at one time, the signing is a steal; if not, it's no skin off the team's teeth. You don't need us to tell you that once, let alone multiple times. For that, there's Twitter:
(Those go on for many more pages.)
So instead, let's ask a question, inspired by a similar one Sam Miller asked in March: If you had to bet on Rich Harden, Jeremy Bonderman, or Scott Kazmir to win more games from today until the end of the world, on which pitcher would you bet? At the start of last season, Sam played this game with a slightly younger Scott Kazmir, Mark Prior, and Jamie Moyer, who combined for a grand total of two wins in 2012 (both from Moyer, who was Sam's selection). That's a low bar for this year's crop of low-risk, possibly-some-sort-of-reward pitchers to clear, but there's still a good chance that they're not going to clear it.
Your First Answer: Jeremy Bonderman
The most surprising part of Bonderman's comeback is that he's only 30 years old, despite debuting a decade ago. (Even at age 20, and without an inning of experience above High-A, Bonderman was roughly as effective as the typical 2003 Tiger.) But the best part of Bonderman's comeback is that the Mariners didn't see him pitch before signing him. And they couldn't have heard how he pitched secondhand, since no one else saw him pitch either. He didn't work out for anyone and hasn't had his velocity measured. So now we know what the minimum qualification is to receive an invitation to spring training: you have to have once been a baseball player.
In Baseball Prospectus 2007, we wrote, "Bonderman is as good a bet as any pitcher in the American League to win a Cy Young Award," Johan Santana aside, but he hasn't been effective since the first half of that season. In July of 2007, Bonderman's four-seamer averaged 94.7 miles per hour, and he struck out over eight batters per nine innings. In retrospect, it looks like the 29th of that month is when Bonderman broke: his fastball velo dropped significantly from his previous start, and he allowed 11 runs in 2 1/3 innings. Over the eight subsequent starts he made before hitting the DL in September with "pinched lateral cartilage" in his elbow, his four-seamer averaged 91.9 mph, and his strikeout rate fell to 5.6 per nine, where it would stay for the next three seasons as his velo fell even further. Suddenly, he was a slow-throwing, non-grounder-getting, pitch-to-contact type, when he pitched at all.
On July 24th, 2007, Bonderman was one of the best young pitchers in baseball. Five days later, he was done, though no one knew it yet. If I were a pitcher, I'd sign a team-friendly extension so fast and so team-friendly I'd make Evan Longoria look greedy.
Now Bonderman has a new ligament and, theoretically, a new lease on major-league life. The odds are this life will last only as long as it takes him to show up in camp and get hit hard a few times. Oliver Perez succeeded in Seattle at the same age last season, but until we see him in action, Bonderman is the easy choice for least likely to win any games going forward. And if things don't work out with Seattle, he can get right back to his busy post-playing career:
He didn't actually say that last sentence, but he had to be thinking it.
Your Second Answer: Scott Kazmir
It's debatable whether Kazmir fell even further in 2012, but it's hard to make an argument that he improved. Pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League—a magical land where the level of competition allowed Jason Botts to hit .348/.413/.639—Kazmir recorded a 5.34 ERA and averaged under five innings a start. On his own staff, he was outpitched by, among others: Bobby Livingston, Heath Phillips, Tim Redding, Dustin Richardson, former Astros outfielder Jason Lane and, for two starts, 49-year-old Roger Clemens. He walked 4.6 batters per nine, which wasn't Steve Blass bad but was tied for the worst walk rate of anyone on the team who pitched regularly.
No big-league teams came calling. Then Kazmir went to the Puerto Rican Winter League, where in five starts for the Gigantes de Carolina, he struck out 27 and walked eight with over two groundouts per air out in 22 2/3 innings. More importantly, perhaps, he was reportedly clocked at 90-94 mph (which sounds way better before you realize that in 2010, when he was terrible, his fastball averaged 91.4 and touched 94 several times). Either the scouting reports or the not-horrendous stats caught Cleveland's eye, and now Kazmir can count on spending the spring with a team that has the ability to bring him back to the majors. It's a long shot, but maybe less of a long shot than you'd think: teams like lefties, and the Indians' most established southpaws are David Huff, Nick Hagadone, and Scott Barnes. If Kazmir had multiple offers, he probably picked the right one.
Perhaps the most incredible aspect of Kazmir's descent is that he hasn't made a single appearance out of the bullpen as a professional pitcher since his lone relief outing for Tampa Bay in 2004. You'd think that at some point after it became clear that starting wasn't working, either Kazmir or one of his teams would have wanted to try something new. I thought a bullpen conversion would work for Dontrelle Willis, but Willis wasn't willing to buy in; maybe Kazmir has that second act in him.
As Sam pointed out earlier this year, left-handed pitchers who used to be good get a lot of chances to be good again, no matter how bad they've been recently. What we didn't know before 2012 was whether Kazmir's desire to pitch was strong enough to keep bringing him back. After his season with the Skeeters and return trip to the winter leagues, that question seems to have been answered. He won't turn 29 until next month, so even if he can't catch on with Cleveland, he might have a few more invites ahead of him. He's just been too bad for too long to be the best answer here.
Your Third Answer: Rich Harden
Harden has never had a season without an injury; before last year, when he broke the streak by getting hurt ahead of time, he'd appeared on the DL in seven straight seasons. For much of that time, Harden was dominant during his brief bouts of health, but the physical strain started to show in 2010, when he signed with the Rangers and his velocity and strikeout rate sank. Both rebounded in 2011, but not all the way back to their previous levels. With diminished stuff, Harden got fewer grounders and made more mistakes. No pitcher who threw at least 220 innings from 2009-11 gave up homers at a higher rate than Harden, even though he spent the last of those seasons in the Coliseum, a forgiving fly-ball park.
Harden pinned the blame on the pain from a torn shoulder capsule he'd been pitching with since 2007, which the surgery he underwent last February was designed to correct. In theory, a fix for the shoulder could bring the old Harden back, but it's a relatively new and experimental procedure, and the list of other pitchers who've had it—Dallas Braden, Johan Santana, Chien-Ming Wang, Kelvin Escobar—isn't encouraging. BP injury authority Corey Dawkins isn't holding out much hope:
In 2011, Harden struck out well over a batter per inning. If the Twins thought he could do that again, they would have steered clear (that's a joke about the Twins being scared of strikeouts), so maybe they're expecting him to come back as a new kind of pitcher. Minnesota doesn't have much pitching, and Harden is reportedly willing to try working out of the bullpen, so he'll have every opportunity to ease Corey's concerns.
We're picking between a rock, a hard place, and Harden. Root for at least one of these pickups to turn into something, but don't expect any Vogelsongs. And remember: low risk!
Ben Lindbergh is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @benlindbergh
4 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Jeremy Bonderman was a hoss in the mid-aughts. Still waiting to see that changeup he's been promising for the last 7-8 years. His fastball and slider combo was deadly enough to be Tigers ace before Verlander's eventual coronation.
Dec 27, 2012 07:31 AM
"In 2011, Harden struck out well over a batter per inning. If the Twins thought he could do that again, they would have steered clear"
Dec 29, 2012 12:30 PM
Thanks for the Twitter chain of fools, that really cut to the chase of unbridled, unjustified optimism. Pitching is a traumatic, unnatural motion--unless you're talking softball, in which it's not--and fans should simply accept that when an arm is done it's done. There may be dead cat bounces but they're still dead cats. PS thanks for the fantasy draft nod at the top--I hate to say it but the more we track post and in season moves--thanks to MLB trade rumors and the like--the more it seems one can could write a good BP piece called 'All I really needed to know to be a GM I learned in my fantasy league."
Dec 31, 2012 17:28 PM
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Population: Robin Luther
This multi-media exhibition will include photographs, video and text elements. Population: is Milwaukee artist Robin Luther's most recent, and most hauntingly beautiful project to date.
Luther's work stems from her personal relationship with a family member that is incarcerated in a maximum security prison in Chester, Illinois, about 5-6 hours south of Chicago, where the majority of inmates in that prison actually received their sentences. While the majority of these inmates have never seen the town of Chester, they are counted as citizens of the general population of the town.
In her current work, the artist has been shooting large format photographs of the town and the surrounding landscapes of Chester. These desolate landscapes feature emptied public pools in the winter season, a high school football field, the Mississippi River as seen from the hilltop behind Town Hall and other ordinary, and in some cases, uncanny, scenes.
Luther also collected responses from inmates to the question "What do you remember most vividly about the city or town that you call home?" These will be paired with photographs and video of the Chester landscape as a way of investigating the connections--or disconnections--between the inmates and this place in which the inmates live, and are technically citizens of.


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World Dairy Expo will become the "Center of the Dairy Universe" Oct. 1-5 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dairy enthusiasts from across the globe will make the annual trip to view the high-quality dairy cattle show, investigate the latest technologies and exchange new concepts with fellow dairy producers. Expo is the one-stop shop for everything related to dairy cattle management and over 850 exhibiting companies are anticipated. Many will be unveiling their newest products and services.
The event will offer many educational opportunities during the five-day show. Virtual farm tours are featured each day in the Exhibition Hall, Mendota 1 Room, and offer a glimpse of a wide array of dairy operation styles. The owners of the farm will present a pictorial overview of their farm and save time for a question-and answer session following their management presentation.
Expo seminars will be presented by industry experts in the Exhibition Hall, Mendota 2 Room, and provide an opportunity for visitors to learn new management concepts.
Each session will provide a chance to learn about topics, such as automated calf feeders, activity monitors, transition cows, social media, finances and feed and milk prices.
Forage growers will want to be sure to visit the east end of the Arena to attend the various dairy forage seminars. Topics such as silage-making techniques, keeping pace with improved forage-testing options, using forage fiber analysis to get the most from your cows, reducing heat damage in hay and haylage, differences in making alfalfa and grass silage, using propionic acid to preserve more hay, as well as corn silage yield-drivers and profit-robbers will be featured. Visitors will also get a chance to see and smell the World Forage Analysis Superbowl entries.
Expo visitors will want to be sure to cheer on their favorite show cattle in the Coliseum. More than 2,600 head of North America's finest dairy cattle will compete on the famed "colored shavings" for top honors that often translate into marketable genetics. If a dairy producer is looking to add some new genetics into his or her herd, attendance at one of the five breed sales could be an opportunity.
World Dairy Expo offers many events and contests throughout the event. Dairy producers are invited to attend and experience all that the dairy industry has to offer for producers from different countries and operations of different sizes and styles.
Dairy Industry Honors Leaders
World Dairy Expo will honor four dairy leaders at the 2013 Dinner with the Stars banquet on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. "We are very excited to feature the accomplishments of these four individuals for their contributions to the dairy business," said Bob Kaiser, who served as interim general manager of World Dairy Expo when the winners were first announced. "These world-class dairy industry leaders were nominated and selected by their peers, and it is appropriate that they be honored at World Dairy Expo, 'Center of the Dairy Universe,'" he said.
DAIRYMAN OF THE YEAR: Velmar Green
There's a saying at Green Meadow Farms that "the latchstring is always out." It means that people are welcome all the time — even the general public. "We're pretty open and have always been with the public," says proprietor Velmar Green.
College students, including vet med students from Michigan State University, are at the farm much of the time, gaining valuable experience.
And, the farm is a rewarding place to work for the employees, some of whom have been there for more than 30 years.
A positive approach to people is one of the things that elevated Velmar Green to Dairyman of the Year status. Green has been a dairyman all his life. It's been more than an occupation — it's been a passion and something that he and his wife, Margaret, have always enjoyed. He has had good cows and good production — and the cows have always paid the bills.
"Dairy farming has been very good to us over the years," Green says. And, Green has certainly given back to the industry. He has been active in numerous organizations. For 36 years, he served as treasurer of Michigan Milk Producers Association and was a member of the co-op board for 42 years.
Working with Michigan Milk Producers Association, it was always his goal to work cooperatively with other co-ops through the National Milk Producers Federation to benefit all producers. In 2012, he was chairperson of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Commission. He is the former chair of the National Milk Producers Federation Animal Health Committee and has been instrumental in many national animal health issues. He also represented the dairy industry on the U.S. Animal ID Working Group Task Force.
It all makes sense. Over the years, the home farm — Green Meadow Farms — has been instrumental in providing leading dairy genetics, practical research application for universities, and leadership in state and national organizations.
They have grown in steps over the years and are now comprised of 3,750 cows maintaining a rolling herd average of 27,500 pounds of milk. It is known as one of the largest registered Holstein herds in the U.S.
They also farm nearly 8,000 acres of cropland. Green's son, Craig, and daughter-in-law, Darcy, now handle the day-to-day operations at Green Meadow Farms, but the elder Green says he is still there to put in his "two cents worth" from time to time. The farm has been instrumental in research about animal nutrition, breeding and environmental issues. Providing an "on farm" laboratory provides important research findings in the dairy industry that benefit all dairy operations. In 2005, Green Meadow Farms opened an on-site teaching laboratory for students in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University, offering hands-on training.
DAIRY WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Karyn Schauf
For Dairywoman of the Year Karyn Schauf, the goal has always been to surround herself with good people. Whether it's the veterinarian, nutritionist or financial adviser, it's important to seek out and work with a team of advisers that you can trust to lead you forward, she says.
This kind of expertise is needed, she says, because farming has become so complicated and is changing so fast. "The littlest attention to detail can be so significant," she adds.
Another lesson: Build on one's strengths. Schauf and her husband, Bob, have chosen to concentrate on the cows over the years. Currently, they have 250 head, including milk cows, dry cows and young stock on a farm in northwest Wisconsin.
They have stayed with their own tried-and-true breeding philosophy, sticking with things they believe in no matter what others might say.
Playing on one's strengths is a common theme when talking to Schauf. It even permeates her attitude toward social media. While a number of farmers have chosen to use social media like Facebook or Twitter to reach consumers, Schauf would rather host farm tours or speak in front of civic groups. Social media is just not her thing.
"My strength is not social media," she says, though adding she is glad that others are willing to try it. Schauf is certainly not shy about promoting agriculture. She has served as president of the Barron County (Wis.) Farm Bureau for the past five years. She just completed a multiple-year commitment on the Wisconsin Farm Technology Day Executive Committee
for host, Barron County. She has also been a member of the Barron County Ag Promoters, a Wisconsin delegate to the National Holstein Convention and chairman of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Market Development Committee.
In addition to the purebred dairy farm, the Schaufs run 1,000 acres of crops. They operate a separate livestock bedding business and produce alternative fuel from canola seed grown on their farm. They have sold Holstein embyos across the globe and are known to compete well in the show ring. Their rolling herd average is an impressive 30,000 pounds.
But perhaps what has distinguished the farm — Indianhead Holsteins — the most has been its dedication to international agricultural students. Over the years, it has hosted more than 50 student trainees from countries including England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Japan and Mexico. Each of the students lived with the Schaufs for three months or more and became "a part of the family."
Among the most satisfying moments for Schauf was when she and her husband went on trips to Germany and Japan and ran into many of the former students they had hosted. It was rewarding to see the significant contributions that those people made in their own countries.
For Schauf, success is not measured in dollars, but rather in satisfaction. "Money doesn't buy you happiness," she adds.
She hopes the same opportunities — and chances for satisfaction — that she and her husband have enjoyed will be available for future generations of farmers who may not have large dairy operations, but rather small and medium-sized family farms like Indianhead Holsteins.
"I think the strength in the rural communities is based in multiple farm units," she says. There's a definite benefit to having a lot of strong farming units in a community rather than just a few that dominate, she adds.
DAIRY INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR: Ken Nordlund
Ken Nordlund came to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 with the reputation of being one of the most innovative and influential dairy practitioners in the United States.
His passion to make veterinarians focus on preventing metabolic disorders and infections became well known. He has been instrumental in developing herd health management tools such as the Goal Form and Transition Cow Index® that assist veterinarians and cow owners in making objective evaluations of herd performance and identifying key economic opportunities.
Nordlund has been described by others as smart, logical, communicative, mentoring and caring. His vision and leadership has helped transform veterinarians from problem-solvers to problem-preventers. And, constellations of dairy producers have benefited from his research and communication skills.
Nordlund has served in many professional associations in leadership roles, including chair of the Midwest American Association of Bovine Practitioners, Executive Committee member for the National Mastitis Council, Examination Committee member for the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and on three committees for the American Dairy Science Association.
INTERNATIONAL PERSON OF THE YEAR: Pedro Hugo Testa
Pedro Hugo Testa is a pioneer in teaching artificial insemination and a staunch supporter of building the Argentine dairy breeding industry. He has accumulated 39 years in the international A.I. industry. He began to promote A.I. to dairy breeders in Uruguay in 1973, establishing a company that represented Carnation Genetics, Select Sires, Inc., Tri-State Breeders and Sire Power.
In 1976, he established another company in Argentina, always representing U.S. A.I. companies. Testa's current company is known as Reproductores SRL. To-date, he has imported over 4 million units of U.S. semen and embryos into Argentina alone.
In addition to being a pioneer, he was a champion for U. S. genetics through the importation of semen, embryos and live cattle. Testa has been active as a breeder and as an adviser and consultant for purebred and commercial dairies. He has been responsible for matings that produced innumerable champions across Argentina, including Grand Champion at Palermo in 2006.
Testa has spent many years educating and sharing his genetics knowledge and reproductive skills so that dairy cattle operations in Uruguay and Argentina can thrive and achieve their herd improvement goals.