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Privacy Policy
This policy is effective as of August 28, 2009.
Wiggio groups are private spaces and we are committed to maintaining the privacy of each individual group. There is no public directory of Wiggio groups. In order to maintain the privacy of each group, there are only several ways for someone to join a group including:
- Invitation to a group via email or Facebook from a current member of the group who has the ability to invite other people
- Log-in to a group through Group Name and Password which only members of the group know and must provide to the other person for them to join the group
- Click a link to enter the group can be sent out and all those who receive the link can join the group by clicking it
Wiggio is committed to providing the utmost in privacy security. We do not sell nor trade any personal information obtained from the site.
Wiggio does not collect information from anyone without his/her request. All e-mail correspondence is kept in strict privacy and will not be disclosed to parties other than Wiggio.
By using Wiggio, you are accepting the practices described in this policy and are also aware that our policies are subject to change at any time.
The Information We Collect
When you visit Wiggio you provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected by us and Web Site use information collected by us as you interact with our Web Site.
When you register with Wiggio, you provide us with certain personal information, such as your name, your email address, your telephone number, school you attend and any other personal or preference information that you provide to us.
When you enter Wiggio, we collect your browser type and IP address. This information is gathered for all Wiggio visitors. In addition, we store certain information from your browser using "cookies." A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user's computer tied to information about the user. We use session ID cookies to confirm that users are logged in. These cookies terminate once the user closes the browser. By default, we use a persistent cookie that stores your login ID (but not your password) to make it easier for you to login when you come back to Wiggio. You can remove or block this cookie using the settings in your browser if you want to disable this convenience feature.
When you use Wiggio, you may set up your groups and start using the Wiggio functionalities. You post User Content on the Site at your own risk. Please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot control the actions of other Users with whom you may choose to share your pages and information. Therefore, we cannot and do not guarantee that User Content you post on the Site will not be viewed by unauthorized persons. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Site. You understand and acknowledge that, even after removal, copies of User Content may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or if other Users have copied or stored your User Content.
Any improper collection or misuse of information provided on Wiggio is a violation of the Wiggio Terms of Services.
Information collected, posted or shared on Wiggio while logging on to the Site through Facebook Connect or using the Wiggio Application called "Feedback" on Facebook.com is being collected by Wiggio.
By using Wiggio, you are consenting to have your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States.
Children Under the Age of 13
We recommend that minors under the age of 13 ask their parents for permission before sending any information about themselves to anyone over the Internet.
Use of Information Obtained by Wiggio
When you register with Wiggio, you create and join groups and set your personal preferences. Your information and the content you generate is displayed to people in the groups you belong to on Wiggio. We may occasionally use your name and email address to send you notifications regarding new services offered by Wiggio that we think you may find valuable.
Wiggio may send you service-related announcements from time to time through the general operation of the service. For instance, if a friend sends you a new message or poke, or someone posts on your wall, you may receive an email alerting you to that fact.
Sharing Your Information with Third Parties
Wiggio is about sharing information with the members of your groups. We reserve the right to do the following:
We may provide information to service providers to help us bring you the services we offer. Specifically, we may use third parties to facilitate our business, such as to host the service at a co-location facility for servers, to send out email updates about Wiggio, to remove repetitive information from our user lists, to process payments for products or services, to offer an online job application process, or to provide search results or links. In connection with these offerings and business operations, our service providers may have access to your personal information for use for a limited time in connection with these business activities. Where we utilize third parties for the processing of any personal information, we implement reasonable contractual and technical protections limiting the use of that information to the Wiggio-specified purposes.
We occasionally provide demonstration accounts that allow non-users a glimpse into the Wiggio world. Such accounts have only limited capabilities (e.g., messaging is disabled) and passwords are changed regularly to limit possible misuse.
We may be required to disclose user information pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. We do not reveal information until we have a good faith belief that an information request by law enforcement or private litigants meets applicable legal standards. Additionally, we may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law, to protect our interests or property, to prevent fraud or other illegal activity perpetrated through the Wiggio service or using the Wiggio name, or to prevent imminent bodily harm. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies.
We may offer services jointly with other companies on Wiggio. You can tell when another company is involved in any store or service provided on Wiggio, and we may share customer information with that company in connection with your use of that store or service.
If the ownership of all or substantially all of the Wiggio business, or individual business units owned by Wiggio, Inc., were to change, your user information may be transferred to the new owner so the service can continue operations. In any such transfer of information, your user information would remain subject to the promises made in any pre-existing Privacy Policy.
Wiggio may contain links to other websites. We are of course not responsible for the privacy practices of other web sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects personally identifiable information. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by Wiggio.
Wiggio takes appropriate precautions to protect our users' information. Your account information is located on a secured server behind a firewall.
Terms of Use, Notices and Revisions
Your use of Wiggio, and any disputes arising from it, is subject to this Privacy Policy as well as our Terms of Use and all of its dispute resolution provisions including arbitration, limitation on damages and choice of law. We reserve the right to change our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use at any time. Non-material changes and clarifications will take effect immediately, and material changes will take effect within 30 days of their posting on this site. If we make changes, we will post them and will indicate at the top of this page the policy's new effective date. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here, by email, or through notice on our home page. We encourage you to refer to this policy on an ongoing basis so that you understand our current privacy policy. Unless stated otherwise, our current privacy policy applies to all information that we have about you and your account.


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Rugby Stripe Duvet Cover + Sham, Vineyard Vine/Gray
No longer available
- Overview
Available in a variety of complementary color combos, our sporty striped bedding is a great option for shared spaces – one that mixes well with other styles.
- Made of 100% cotton percale.
- Duvet cover and sham reverse to self.
- Duvet cover has interior ties and a hidden button closure; sham has an envelope closure.
- Twin-sized duvet cover fits both standard twin and twin XL dorm mattresses.
- Duvet cover, sham and insert sold separately.
- Machine wash.
- Imported.
Mix + match our bedding to create your own unique look with our Design Your Own Bed Tool.
- Dimensions + Care
Duvet Cover
- Twin: 68 x 86"
- Full/Queen: 90 x 88"
- King: 92 x 108"
- Standard: 20 x 26"
- Euro: 26" square
- 100% cotton percale interwoven with 5% organic fibers. A percale weave is noticeably denser and wears well over time.
- Oeko-Tex certified, the definitive mark of excellence for products that are healthy for people and the environment.
- Our Easy-Care finish ensures that bedding emerges smooth from the dryer.
- Machine wash in warm water; gentle cycle.
- Use only nonchlorine bleach, if needed.
- Tumble dry on low heat.
- Warm iron as needed.
- Shipping Info
This item will arrive in 3-5 business days. Please proceed to the Payment & Review page of Checkout for a precise delivery estimate.
Duvet Cover
No longer available
Sham (Sold Separately)
No longer available
Extra Pillowcases, Set of 2
No longer available
You May Also Need
PBteen Essential Duvet Insert
Comforter Insert
Please Select Size:
$79 – $109
Premium Down Duvet Insert
Premium Down Comforter
Please Select Size:
$199 – $269

subset: commoncrawl


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Safety and Tolerability of Intravenous SPM 927 as Replacement for Oral SPM 927 in Subjects With Partial Seizures
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Subjects enrolled in the SP615, SP756, or SP774 open-label extension (OLE) trials receiving oral SPM 927 for at least 8 weeks and a stable dose of up to 3 antiepileptic medications may participate in a research trial at approximately 30 locations.
Trial objectives include investigating whether iv SPM 927 is safe and well tolerated when given twice daily for a short period of time and identifying the appropriate infusion rate(s).
Subjects will receive SPM 927 as a 30-, 15- or 10- minute infusions twice daily for 2 - 5 days based on notification by the research doctor and subject choice. Subjects will remain on the same stable dose as received in the OLE trial.
Trial procedures will include medical history update, physical/ neurological exams, ECGs, blood /urine sample collections and seizure diary completion.
Subjects completing the trial will return to the OLE trial to resume dosing with oral SPM 927.
|Epilepsies, Partial
|Drug: SPM 927
|Phase 2 Phase 3
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Multicenter, Open-label Trial to Investigate the Safety and Tolerability of Intravenous SPM 927 as Replacement for Oral SPM 927 in Subjects With Partial Seizures With or Without Secondary Generalization.
- Evaluate the safety and tolerability of lacosamide when given as iv infusions in subjects who are receiving oral lacosamide in addition to up to 3 concomitant AEDs for partial seizures. The primary variables are adverse events
- Seizure counts, trough and measured maximum concentration for lacosamide as well as the O-desmethyl-metabolite.
|Study Start Date:
|February 2005
|Study Completion Date:
|May 2006
|Primary Completion Date:
|May 2006 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|16 Years and older (Child, Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Partial seizures with or without secondary generalization.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Subject has previously received iv lacosamide.
- Subject meets the withdrawal criteria for the open-label extension trial.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00151879
|United States, North Carolina
|RTP, North Carolina, United States
|Study Director:
|UCB Clinical Trial Call Center
|UCB Pharma
Additional Information:
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00151879 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
2004-002322-22 ( EudraCT Number )
|Study First Received:
|September 7, 2005
|Last Updated:
|September 19, 2014
Keywords provided by UCB Pharma:
partial seizures with or without secondary generalization
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Epilepsies, Partial
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Neurologic Manifestations
Signs and Symptoms
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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'"I hope you don't think Drew Stafford is happy with his goal production, or Derek Roy, or Ville Leino," Pegula said. "They're pressing. They've played pretty well lately. If we get some consistency in the lineup for a period of time, I got to believe it will fall back together again."'
You are here: Home / SabresBeat / Pegula: Sabres plagued by 'injury problem'


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Hi Will
Contact is when sense data impinge on sense organ. Its the mind that responds to contact in an elaborate sequence of cittas and mental processes that follow contact.
Rebirth-linking consciousness is a bridging consciousness from the end of one life to the beginning of the next. Basically. I recommend that you get yourself a copy of Bhikkhu Bodhi's 'A Comprehensive Manual of the Abhidhamma' for more information on the internal mental processes including contact and rebirth-linking consciousness.
kind regards


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The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a five-year, $125 million contract with free-agent outfielder Josh Hamilton, as first reported by ESPNDallas.com. Multiple media outlets have since confirmed the news.
Joe McDonnell of FoxSports West and KNX 1070 radio in Los Angeles first reported this afternoon that the Angels were in serious negotiations with Hamilton.
Hamilton will take a physical on Friday and the deal will likely be announced on Saturday, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
The Angels haven't confirmed the signing, instead releasing the following statement:
"As per team policy and MLB rules, the Angels will not comment on the status of any contract negotiations with players. With that said, we continue to look for ways to improve our team. As soon as we have something formal to announce, we will do so."
Until now, the Angels hadn't been linked to Hamilton. That was largely because of an outfield so crowded that the team allowed right fielder Torii Hunter to leave as a free agent. The team's outfield projected to be Mike Trout in left, Peter Bourjos in center and Mark Trumbo in field. In addition, the team has Vernon Wells as a fourth outfielder/DH. With the arrival of Hamilton, however, either Bourjos or Trumbo could be traded.
Fantasy: How does move affect Hamilton's value?
After striking big in the free-agent market last offseason with first baseman Albert Pujols and lefthander C.J. Wilson but still missing the postseason, the Angels weren't expected to be big spenders this time around. But their strikes for Pujols and Wilson were surprising as well.
"It's a great day to be an Angel/Angel fan!" Wilson said on his Twitter account.
Albert Pujols was as surprised as anyone to find out he had a new teammate.
"I was shocked, I won't lie to you, Pujols told USA Today. "We talked this afternoon. He's really pumped up. So am I. he's going to perform and helps our organization. We're blessed and excited to have him."
The Angels allowed free agent outfielder Torii Hunter to sign with Detroit, and he reacted to his former team's latest move on his Twitter account.
"I was told money was tight but I guess the Arte had money hidden under a Mattress. Business is business but don't lie," Hunter wrote.
He followed up with the comment, "Great signing for the Angels. One of the best players in baseball."
Linemakers: Updated World Series odds
In recent days, there had been speculation that the Texas Rangers would re-sign Hamilton. And he promised to allow them to match any offer he received from another team. However, FoxSports.com reports that didn't happen once he reached the deal with the Angels.
"I never expected that he was going to tell us to the dollar what they had, and a chance to offer it. Our full expectation, the phone call was going to be before he signed, and certainly not after," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "Everybody's got to make their own calls."
The matching aspect was something Hamilton's agent Mike Moye disputed.
"Reports in the media that we gave the Rangers the right to match offers were simply erroneous," Moye said, according to Crasnick.
The Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies also were believed to have interest in Hamilton, with the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers considered to be on the periphery.
Hamilton, 31, has spent the past five seasons with Texas, winning the AL MVP Award in 2010 and being named to five consecutive All-Star teams. Injuries have been a problem during that span, but Hamilton played in 148 games this past season. He hit .285/.354/.577 with 43 homers and 128 RBIs.
"Josh has done a lot for the organization, the organization has done a lot for Josh, a lot of things that aren't public and things of that nature," Daniels said. "I'm a little disappointed how it was handled, but he had a decision to make and he made it."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


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Southern Miss fired coach Ellis Johnson this week, and did so with the help of Nebraska. No, the Huskers weren't asked to pitch in.
But, by switching a 2013 scheduled game against Nebraska from Hattiesburg, Miss. to Lincoln, Neb., Southern Miss guaranteed itself a $2.12 million paycheck—about what it would cost to get rid of Johnson after a winless season, Deadspin has discovered.
To buy out the remaining three years of Johnson's contract, USM would have to cough up $2.1 million. The change in schedule occurred this week, as did Johnson's firing.
The Golden Eagles, under now-North Carolina coach Larry Fedora, finished the 2011 season with a 12-2 record, including winning the Conference USA championship and the Hawaii Bowl. The 0-12 season under Johnson snapped a string of 18-consecutive winning seasons.
Nebraska will open the 2013 season with home games against Wyoming, USM, UCLA and South Dakota to round out its nonconference slate.
Meanwhile, USM has to find another coach. The Mississippi Press reports that former USM assistant Blake Anderson, now the offensive coordinator under Fedora at UNC, is interested.


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What I Learned From Rio Tinto
News of Rio Tinto's (RIO) unexpected $14 billion write-down tells two stories, and both are important to traders of commodity stocks.
Let's start with the bad -- no, awful -- decisions by outgoing CEO Tom Albanese for the Anglo-Australian mining giant, specifically, the horrible overpayment for Alcan in 2007 -- a $38 billion acquisition left unrewarded by declining aluminum prices and an awful return on capital. I can see getting stuck in a very bad aluminum trade. I have often wondered over the past five years about prices of tin and aluminum -- the one metal that refused to give a spike in prices to trade off of. I asked myself if it could continue to fall, and I once got stuck in a buy of Alcoa (AA) in the hopes that I had found a bottom, only to see that, yes, aluminum could in fact go lower still. In thinking that aluminum would have its day, Albanese wasn't alone -- one could almost forgive him for that....371 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Topic: A Glance of Cases of This CC Web Site for Newly Diagnosis Patients
Hi,when I first joined this web site, one of my purpose was to look for examples about this illness and try to compare to others who have similarity of my CC to make senses of my diseases.
I found it is difficult to do so. so here are 52 cases complied from the messages our members provided to this web site. Hopefully make it a bit easier for the newly members. Iwll try to add more as the time goes by.
Case 1 My mom, Kathy, is 67 and on July 18th, was diagnosed with CC. She is in Stage 4, non-resectable. For the past 5 years, she has been complaining of stomach aches and pains. She tried one round of chemo, but she couldn't handle the side effects, and so now we are going with hospice. It was her idea, but her doctor says it's time. jessie girl1679/2011
Case 2 My father who is 53, was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma on January 21, 2010. They originally found two lymph nodes affected, lesions on his diaphragm, and one tumor that measured 7.5 cm. They removed one of the lymph nodes during exploratory surgery and told me that his tumor was unresectable.He has been receiving Gemzar and Oxaliplatinum chemotherapy every week since. We have been using this therapy because the tumor is unresectable.In August, he received a treatment of the SIR-Spheres micro-spheres. The one month scans show that the lesions on the diaphragm are gone, the one lypmh node that was remaining after surgery is now .5 mm and not worth mentioning anymore, and that the one tumor is actually two small tumors that are shrinking! One tumor has already sh.unk about 1 cm! My father is being treated at Cleveland Clinic.---1hopefuldaughter15 9/10/2010
Case 3 My mom was 86 when diagnosed, but she chose not to pursue radiation, full chemo, or surgery. Her oncologist didn't think she would last a year, as she already had had open heart surgery, she was diabetic, had glaucoma and macular degeration, and other health issues. Mom continued her daily prayers, with beads in hand almost every time she laid down. She almost made it 3 years after that! No matter what they say, they do NOT know, so do not give up hope. Louise 9/7/2009.
Case 4 My husband is 14 months post whipple surgery done on 06/23/10. In the past year he received chemo using GEMZAR and 5FU (only @ 3 wks of 5FU due to intolerance), and 25 radiation txs. His 08/12/11 PET scan revealed three cancer recurrences in the "surgical bed" areas. RAS (radioactive ablation) cannot be done as they can't go through bowel or a spine. So chemo is our only choice right now for this 2nd battle with cancer. Today, 08/19/11, we meet with his onocologist for a second time to discuss pending treatment more. My husband will also receive his first chemo using GEMZAR and CISPLATIN today. appreciatehelp. 9/2011.
Case 5 My mom (age 57, stage IV inoperable CC) had chemo embolization done on July 27th which we just found out, did work...she had tumor necrosis and shrinkage! The next one is scheduled for Sept 28th. She has still been very tired and weak but up until yesterday, has had no pain. Katielinn 9/3/2011
Case 6 My name is Susie and I'm 31 living in Portland, OR. I had a liver mass discovered in April and underwent a left hepatectomy in May of this year. They also removed my gall bladder. It turns out I have stage II cholangiocarcinoma, the intrahepatic kind. I have no mets, negative lymph nodes and clean margins but my tumor was about 5 x 6 cm, so kind of big. I am recovering well after surgery and pretty much feel back to normal. ; Hello all. I received a left hepatectomy about 4 months ago for intrahepatic CC, stage II. I'm just about to finish my 3rd cycle of chemo with Gemzar/Cisplatin. It has been recommended that I get 6 wks of chemo radiation. I'm getting very scared of the radiation. They were able to remove my whole tumor with clean margins, though one was very close.wa llsm1 9/3/2011
Case 7 I was diagnosed on April 16, 2010 and had successful resection surgery of the liver (about 80%) of the liver. It is all back now and have been on Gemsar for the past 3 months. Just had my first CT scan and it seems something has shown up on the scan. It looks like a lima bean size spot, and we are having it biopsied on monday. They are going to change my chemo treatment starting on wednesday of next week to Oxaliplatin and Xelodin?? Can anyone tell me if this is a hopeful way of clearing these spots?? I am way too young for this to be happening. I turn 46 on October 5 year, mvbittner 9/23/2010
Case 8 My mom will be 55 on September 18th.My mom was just diagnosed with a distal tumor cholangiocarcinoma on 8/18/11. We do not see the oncologist until 9/6/11. They so far have placed a plastic stent to allow bile to drain properly but we do not have any other info yet. She will be treated by Dr Kuvshinoff at Roswell Park Cancer Institute . My mom was already a type 2 diabetic prior to these issues but she was very well controlled. The brushings came back positive for malignant cells. The CT scan did show a tumor on the outside of the common bile duct. hopefuldaughter 8/31/2011
Case 9 ( My 63 old mother ), in October 2010. The were unable to remove it because a tumor was attached to the liver. At first she was diagnosed with liver cancer. After another month of tests she received the diagnosis of CC and had her gallbladder and 1/3 of her liver removed. In January my mom began Gemzar and Xeloda. We went in for a second opinion and the DR suggested that we break up the chemo treatments with radiation. So after three treatments my mom did 30 days of radiation. Her follow up CT scan showed that one tumor returned to her liver and one on her pelvis. In June my mom started on a new chemo treatment which consists of oxaliplatin and leucovorin. My 63 your old mother is currently on Gemzar and Cisplaitin (I think there might be something else in the mix, but I'm not sure) She was first on Gemzar and Xeloda, but that didn't work as two spots returned. She was stage 3, but since it returned after her surgery she is now Stage 4. Her last tumor marker was down to 10,000 from 11,000.-mn8/2011.
Case 10 my 58 year-old uncle who was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma mid June. He had been experiencing pain and discomfort since September 2010 and has been going to doctors and specialists ever since. he went to Princess Margaret in Toronto for his 2nd opinion. Both doctors told him his cancer was inoperable and it was recommended by both doctors that he do radiation, BUT while the Princess Margaret surgeon recommended chemotherapy, the Juranvinski oncologist did not. cath 25 9/19/2011.
Case 11 since my 61 year old father now 65 was diagnosed with cc.His story started with itching and then the onset of jaundice.After a few weeks he finally went for ultrasound and bloodwork and ERCP showed blocked ducts.About 2-3 months later he saw a liver specialist at Vancouver General Hospital. tumour was extrahepatic and about the size of a walnut and near the portal vein.No mets was seen, the gallbladder was removed and lymph nodes were negative.Well he came home and we carried on with the same regimen of juice and supplements and its been nearly 4 years now.
Case 12. my mom, 57yrs old, was diagnosed with a 6 cm tumour of the bile duct last July,2010 and had a partial hepatectomy with a Roux-en-Y procedure. There were clean margins all around, but they said there was one close margin. and waited till December 2010 to start Chemo IV Gemzar/Xeloda combo as suggested by the folks at Memorial Sloan- Kettering. Her PET-CT scan was done in the first week of December, which lit up pretty much everywhere...they told us it was post surgical and inflammatory in nature and nothing to worry about. She was doing fine on the chemo until her 5th week in, where she began to develop jaundice, itching, fever, and chills. They stopped it and treated her cholangitis where she spent another 6 weeks in hospital this past Feb. She was stented with a plastic stent in the bile duct and we were told she had a biliary stricture of unknown cause, as the brushings were negative, so they kept telling us she was cancer free, although her tumour markers were high and her CT scans were clear. Her follow up PET CT in March showed some progression with involvement of lymph nodes in the abdomen (called the paraortic nodes). But still they said it didn't look typical of the cancer coming back.Since she had four CT scans in the month of Feb alone that all showed her 'clear'. She just had her surgery 2 days ago, they found a 2cm by 2cm tumour (I am not sure yet of the exact location), but they said it was inoperable due to proximity to blood vessels. Of course we're all devastated. my sweet mom is 5'2, and only 95 lbs, (43.2 kilos), . And now she is on TPN and jejunostomy feeding and they say she needs to gain weight before they going to irradiate her entire liver 10 by 10 cm field.-Kavita1 11/5/2010
Case 13 I am new to the list. I was fortunate enough to have a resection and lymph node removal in August 2007, which were successful in themselves (Sloan-Kettering: exellent surgeon and care). There was follow-up radiation and chemotherapy. However, subsequently, I got tumors in both ovaries which were removed in July 2008, and now there are small metastases in another lymph node and in a lung. We have started chemotherapy again, looking to halt or slow the disease, she has posted more recently and had Xeloda after her resection and recurrence - she had posted about good results with Xeloda. CaroIE 12/16/2008
Case 14 (44 year old female) I was resected by Mayo Jax in Aug 2008 and was told I was cured and no chemo was necessary! There is no standard chemo protocol for CC and my oncologist there felt with 1" clear margins and no other signs of CC other than the primary tumor that I could just go home and hope there was no recurrence. A year later they found 6 very small tumors on the rt lobe and labeled it metastatic. Same oncologist said I could apply for a clinical trial but essentially told me I had 6 mos to live! Fast fwd to today I have had one round of Therasphere followed by a year of custom chemo cocktails. My tumor markers are in the normal range and the tumors themselves all showed signs of necrosis with all but 2 essentially dead. I admit its difficult to do chemo every other week (not to mention flying to NYC to do it) but I feel I am too young at 44 and believe I will buy enough time until there are other therapies which can totally eradicate the cancer. Howard Bruckner the chemo oncologist has some of the best survival rates among pancreatic and CC patients-he is nothing short of genius...floridamom9/22/2009
Case 15 My mother was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma last year. At the time, she had no evidence of spread of the disease. She underwent a partial hepatectomy with removal of the extrahepatic biliary system. One of her surgical margins had some atypical cells, so she had radiation and chemotherapy with 5-FU and gemcitabine. She completed chemo at the end of January, and her scan at that time didn't show any recurrence. her scan in May/11 showed a met in another part of the liver as well as ascites, which looked malignant. She was started on xelota for palliative chemo, and she is going to get another scan in early July. She's in her early 60s and she's always been very healthy. heartdoc 5/17/11
Case 16 My brother, 33 years old, was diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomca on 4/13. The cancer has metastasize in his liver and 2 lymphnodes, but no signs of cancer any other organs. His liver has ~20 lesions and on both lobes, so resection is not an option.He began a gem + cis chemo treatment on 4/22. in his current condition, because of the ~20 lesions in both lobes of liver, transplantation has been ruled out by his doc. Also, I thought if the cancer has metastatized to lymphnodes, transplant will not work because of the high risk of spreading back to the new liver. My brother was diagnosed with intrahepatic CC (with met to liver and 2 lymphnodes) on 4/13 and started gem/cis chemo on 4/22.After one round, his CA19-9 numbers are ~24000 vs. ~17000 before starting chemo.His doctor is switching him to GTX chemo very soon, after an immediate CT scan of the situation.Other than fatigue, he is actually feeling good during the last month of chemo treatment and "felt" the chemo is working.Ca_paul 5/16/2011
Case 17 My mother is 63, and was diagnosed on 5/20/09 (the day after I turned 40!) after a visit to the ER with a week-long stomach virus. Thinking it was diverticulitis, they ordered a CT scan, but instead discovered a 12cm x 9cm x 6cm tumor on the left lobe of her liver. After MANY tests to rule out any other primary cancer source, including a PET scan, they confirmed it was not cancer metastasized to the liver but in fact CC. she was a candidate for surgery and had the left lobe of her liver removed on 7/2. (I never knew the liver was the only organ that could regenerate. How amazing.) Her cancer was classified as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, no lymph node involvement and no metastasis elsewhere. The lobectomy had completely clean margins and it looks like they got every bit of the tumor. (The tumor specimen was within 0.3cm of the surgical margin. She has three week cycles with Gemzar and Cisplatin on Day 1 and Day 8, office visit on Day 15, then start all over again.Kimmie-8/9/09
Case 18 My wife 48 was diagnosed in June 2005 and had half her liver removed ,severals surgeries to remove tumors and app, ovaries and other unneeded organs later ,she has 7 to 8 small nodules growing in the peritoneal cavity. Dr at u of penn. reluctant to operate. My wife has been on this chemo (Nexavar)a couple of different times and had very good success in keeping her 12 to 14 peritoneal implants at bay for a number of months. But it found a way to start growing again; more than half of her liver removed along w/ other parts only to come back 7 months later in pelvic region. several surgeries, hospitals and too many protocols to list later she is still giving it hell almost 6 yrs later. she now has at least 13 measurable tumors in her torso and pelvic region and is to start Tarceva . my wife Sue was diagnosed in june 2005 , had more than half her liver removed only to suffer reoccurence 7 months later 3 surgeries and 9 different courses of treatment later here we are just back from a 4 day stay at U of Pennc cancer has progressed to peritoneum along with pelvic area and kidneys along w clusters near or on liver. She had her kidney stented only to suffer from much pain and bleeding.How she manages on a daily basis is beyond me , her illness has progressed to she has to have fluid drained from her abdomen weekly, robjbeave11/15/2010
Case19 Diagnosed April 1, 2009 with extra hepatic bile duct cancer. Had a more permanent stent placed in bile duct to alleviate the obstruction. In May, 2009, 7 new tumors on liver disqualified me for whipple procedure. Started combo of Xeloda, Gemcitabine, Taxatere in June, 2009. It shrunk 6 tumors to cellular level and stayed stable until 4 weeks ago. The 7th tumor has grown and my Ca 19-9 has elevated. Started new treatment of Oxaliplatin & Xeloda 3 weeks ago. During this time I have felt pretty good most of the time - feel very lucky. . I am treated at Johns Hopkins with the same protocol as pancreatic cancer since there is no separate protocol for bile duct. jeand 11/4/2010.
Case 20 I was just diagnosed on Tuesday, October 26th. I have a non-resectable tumor that surrounds my hepatic vein and hepatic artery (10cm). Tomorrow I will receive a phone call from a Dr. Hertl at U of Mass-he may operate on me (I seriously doubt it). I am completely devastated and told I have 6 mos. to 1 year to live. I have no jaundice and of course have had very little symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma. My CEA is normal. My husband is also devastated. I had radiation in the hopes of shrinking my tumore because it is unresectable. I went everyday for 4 week I had no nausea becuase I took compazine before I had the treatment. I just became tired because the radition is cumulative. I was diagnosed Stage III B because of the size of my tumor.I saw the radiation oncologist once a week during radiation..I have had 6 treatments of gem/cis and 4 weeks of radiation with xeloda.I was suppose to have cyberknife but just did not feel comforable.I made an appt. with Dr. Pawlins at Johns Hopkins (he said no surgery). I then had a chemoembolization treatment by Dr. Geshwin (I had a very long recovery with a hospitalization at Christiana in Delaware for a high bilirubin).I had one MRI at Hopkins that showed some necrosis of the tumor. The next follow up appt. for an MRI is June21st. I just made an appt. at Mayo Clinic in Rochester with a Dr. Queveda in medical oncology. jladams 10/31/2010
Case 21 I had my surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. I did not receive adjuvant chemo because, at the time, my doctors felt there was not enough evidence to support chemo would prevent a recurrence. I believe there is now more evidence supporting adjuvant chemo. I'm still dealing with bile duct issues from my surgery 2 years ago.betsy 9/29/2009
Case 22 I have been in Stage 4 for about 2 1/2 years now with mets to the lungs. The liver has been ok-ish for a while but I'm seeing some negative signs that all is not well in that area. But since there is nothing I can do about it, I'm just letting it go.I've been through about a dozen or so different chemo regimens, until my oncologist ran out of tools in his toolbox. I am currently under hospice care. Everyone is different with hospice care. For me, it means that I don't have chemo anymore, and I have a nurse, a social worker, and a massage therapist who visit me every other week. All meds go through the nurse. It's been working out ok. One thing that I need to remember is that I am ill. I feel normal and do things, like weeding my backyard, then I collapse from exhaustion. I need to learn to conserve my energy and be on a more even keel. Lisa 7/8/2007
Case 23 My diagnosis was January 2010 and chemo failed but a direct chemoembolization to my liver tumor did suppress growth. I suspect my liver tumor is growing again and will have a CT today but I feel well and am actively participating in my art gallery and shows. My faith carries me through. Just a brief update, a bone scan revealed a bright spot on the greater trochanter of my right hip. A visit to the radiation oncologist showed that the tumor involved more, most of the neck was tumor with just a thin layer of bone with a hole through it. Tomorrow I go for surgery to insert a screw and plate to stabilize my hip enough so that I can go for radiation. Charlea9/10/2010
Case 24 Myself, I've had surgeries, radiation, and several types of chemotherapy. I have fought this monster for over 8 years and still pushing. It comes down to an individual choice of quality versus quanity of life. Some can deal with side effects better than others. I believe in getting second opinions when it comes to surgery as if resection /removal of the cancer can be provided considerable more time is the outcome. All the chemo and radiation have done what they can . I am on at home hospice now. My wife was devastaed when she heard the final statement of nothing else left to try. This is Jeff's Daughter. This video was created by my family in February and it was played at my dad's Memorial Service after his passing on May 6th,2009. JeffG 1/16/2006
Case 25 chemo treatments for an elderly person (84 years old). After finishing his radation treatments in Sept, Dad decided to wait for his next CT scan before deciding on chemo. He has been doing really well & looking great. He had his CT scan about 2 weeks ago. We saw the surgeon the other day & his scan came back clear. The term he uses was "clinically cancer free". He did give us a disclaimer that only means nothing has shown up on any tests,-- onlygirl 5/15/2009
Casen 26 I am 46 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage Four Intra Hepatic CC with a tumor size 0f 10 cmx10cm inside the liver.I see Dr. Javle at MD Anderson in Houston every three months for PET scans and to update my progress. I receive Gemzar / Cisplatin every 14 days. I also take 150 mg of Tarceva daily. I had one lymph node that was hot and some very small spots (so small they could not be measured)in the lungs that are all gone now after the chemo. I feel like I am 90% perfectly fine besides being tired after chemo. I walk 2-3 miles per day and the only problems so far (two months ago) had blood clots in right arm(totally blocked).--Patty in Illinois 8/3/2011.
Case 27 I was diagnosed July 31, 2008 and finally am "normal'. It has been a long 3 years,(the last rites tiwce) but we made it and life is sooo good! My only sympton was itching and no jaundice, (just a great tan!!). My bioposy also was negative but my doctor knew that is twas wrong and immediately put me in Dr. William Chapman (he takes phone calls) care, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis MO. I am alive because of these doctors. Make sure transplant is discussed and if it not an option,--jathy 9/9/2010
Case 28 my 69 year old mother was diagnosed. She has extrahepatic CC and the only reason why it was found was by pure accident when she started getting stomach pains. She is in Stage 3 but more likely Stage 4. We got 3 different opinions -The surgeon told us it was inoperable at the present time. She will begin chemotherapy next Monday. The doctors at Johns Hopkins Liver Center were amazing. They were kind but straightforward and confident in trying to help. My mom has none of the symptoms except that she tires very easily. No jaundice or itching.We saw Dr. Pawlik and Dr. Cosgrove at JH. Both were great. Today we met with a new oncologist in which mom will start the standard "best chemo mix" - Cisplatin and Gemo on a 21 day cycle and then reassess after 3 cycles. She will get her first treatment this week. They said that this mix gave a prognosis of 11 months (average),--janetinva 8/24/2011.
CASE 29 My mom, age 61, was diagnosed with CC in March 2011. She had a large mass 17cmX14cmX12cm. We were first shocked but then addressed the mass with chemoembolization once the words "not a surgical candidate," were told to us multiple times. She has had 2 chemoembolizations with doxirubicin and her MRI now shows a lot of central mass necrosis, but still some viable tumor. We are now in the process of being referred to MD Anderson for further evaluation. --FAITHINHEALING 8/30/2011
Case 30 my husband was diagnosed a little over 3 years ago. His first symptom was a pain in his right side. CT scan found he had a huge mass in his liver. he was operated and ended up removing 70% of his liver, right kidney that was not functioning, part of colon, gallbladder and part of stomach. When he went for his 3-month scans, they noticed some spots on the part of liver that wasn't removed. They decided to wait until his next 3-month scans. multiple tumors had developed. After going through 10 treatments of chemo, the doctor gave him a break. When scans showed that the tumors were growing, chemo was restarted. He made it through 6 treatments before having a very bad reaction to the chemo. he doctor stopped treatment.He began treatment again on January 4, 2011 with a different regiment of drugs. Treatment was stopped on May 23rd as he had started experiencing some bleeding and the doctor felt he needed another break. he last chemo he was on was cisplatin, gemcitabine and avastin. He tolerated this well with the exception of being very tired. His white counts and platelets were very low so he usually had to get a shot before he could get his next treatment. When he was diagnosed, he was already Stage 4, After the surgery (the mass was the size of a softball) and the resulting multiple tumors, the oncologist decided to treat him with the drugs they use to treat metastatic colon cancer. When he had that adverse reaction, that's when they switched to the cisplatin/gemcitabine/avastin. John had 11 cycles of the chemo and 9 of the avastin since January 4th. He stopped treatment on May 23rd as the doctor felt he needed a break. They are going to put him back on the gemzar and cisplatin. John seems to be getting more tired each day, yet he continues to do as much as he can. We live in a small city in Virginia. We are not far from the University of Virginia Hospital which is where John had his surgery.We have been married for almost 36 years.---peggy 8/14/2011
Case 31 My abuela just got her official bile duct cancer diagnosis yesterday! She is 81 and already has some health concerns. she has opted to put in a metal stint and avoid treatment. She is already diabetic and very weak. She is interested in alternative medicine but is leaning away from radiation and chemo at her age and health.--SENAIDA9/1/2011.
Case 32 My mom is 63 (64 in October)she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma and they told her she was in stage 4.The first doctor told her that if chemo works (which would have a 40% chance of working), she would live "a couple months to a year". If it doesn't work, less than "a couple months".--D4B182 8/26/2011.
Case 33 My 74-year old father definitely has cancer, who had CUP diagnosis.in May,2011. they are having a difficult time determining what the tissue of origin is. His oncologist at MD Anderson used the following factors in diagnosing cholangiocarcinoma: 1. Pain in upper right quadrant and corresponding back pain;2. retroperitoneal mass which biopsy showed adenocarcinoma likely from pancreas, biliary, stomach, colon, prostate, lungs3. Stains showed CK20 neg and CK7 positive; plus tumor markers normal except for elevated CA19-94. Normal PSA - ruled out metastatic disease from previously diagnosed and treated prostate cancer (with radiation)5. CT scan w/ contrast showed suspicious tissue and slight dilatation of duct in segment VII of liver 6. Mass which includes positive lymph nodes immediately adjacent to suspicious tissue mass; also positive para aortic, mesenteric lymph nodes 7. appears to be no growth into any other organs (i.e., pancreas, abd aorta, )My dad has not lost weight, has a slightly reduced appetite; and the pain in his abdomen only started in December 2010. He has been taking pain meds for a month now and he has to take more and more to control the pain. Dad will start cistiplatin and gemzar this week; one infusion every 14 days; then back to MDA in eight weeks to determine if the lymph nodes are responding.SMV). the doctor staged him as IV.--kamnbelle 5/2011.
Case 34 my Mother is 73 years old. My Mother was diagnosis with cc in January. She has had 3 CT scans and has gone through two different types of chemo therapies. First set was 7 days pills, 7 days off, three sets (xeloda). Nothing changed much. The next set was once a week chemo (gemzar), followed-up with a shot the next day (neulasta). Her side effects from chemo have been three things, tried, cold sensitations and swelling of the legs. But she is doing great. I am so proud of her. What a trooper. She just keeps on smiling and laughing at this situation she is in. She just had a MRI done, which show no growth but no change in sizes either. My Mother's Oncology doctors are Dr. Michael Gu, M.D., specialize in internal medicine and oncology. Dr. Eddy C. Hsueh, M.D., specialize in surgical oncology and chief of the division of general surgery at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Both doctors are at St. Anthony's Medical Center - Cancer Care Center, St. Louis, MO--christine4 7/3/2011.
Case 35 my mother, age 63, My mother was diagnosed with a large liver mass on the left lobe on May 20,2009, . it was adenocarcinoma consistent with metastasized cancer, but every possible kind of primary site was ruled out . On July 2. They removed the entire tumor, the main one being 12cm x 9 cm x 6.5cm, with multiple small tumors ranging from 0.2 to 1.5cm. The margins were all negative and they didn't see evidence of any right lobe involvement, and the lymph nodes removed showed no signs of malignancy. They staged her T3N0MX. She tolerated the surgery really well . She schedule her for a port this week and begin chemo ASAP. chemo started in August (gemzar and cisplatin) for 6 cycles. Gem/Cis through December. Scans and bloodwork were clear and she was deemed in remission. We just found out last week it's returned in the form of smaller masses throughout the liver. No apparent mets anywhere .We were happy for the first 6 months of 2010, March bloodwork was great, even the CA 19-9. June bloodwork showed elevated CA 19-9, and the CT scan confirmed several smaller tumors throughout both lobes of her liver. Chest x-ray was clear.So we met with her surgeon on 6/29, that surgery is not an option. He talked about possible palliative chemo, but to weigh the quality vs. quantity. He said she's probably looking at 6 months, maybe a little more with chemo. She will have a port placed on Friday and start chemo next week (hopefully). The will just do gemcitabine this time (last time it was that and cisplatin) for 2-3 cycles, check the how the tumors respond with a scan, then move ahead with Therasphere.I'm really hoping she handles the gem ok this time. She had nausea and fatigue, but it really did a number on her white blood count. They were giving her neupogen, Plus it gave her flu-like achey bones Her liver functions were always normal (amazingly) and the highest her CA19-9 ever went was 93. In June CA19-9 was 97, last week it was 525, and for the first time both AST and ALT were high at 118 and 111, bilirubin 0.9. This week liver functions were 268 and 303, and bilirubin high for the first time at 1.6.The have decided to stop treatment. She is very weak, partly from being dehydrated and not eating enough. She'll be getting IV fluids today, and has been really good about eating the last 24 hours, and drinking 1-2 Boosts a day. She is overweight, which makes it hard helping her up to go to the bathroom. She has a walker and now a wheelchair, and we've been using the bedside commode. Her oncologist said he'd normally recommend hospice now, Although her last bloodwork on 8/30 showed a continuing increase in liver functions, bilirubin and CA19-9, there are no signs of liver failure. Her skin is a beautiful color still (and at 64 still soft and smooth and barely any wrinkles), her eyes are as white as can be. We alternate haldol, lorazepam and oxycodone for the agitation and lower back pain (pre-existing condition for years). she was admitted to home hospice on 8/13. My dear sweet mother Bonnie completed her journey on this earth yesterday (9/26/2010)afternoon at 3:30pm. --kimmie 8/9/2009 .
Case 36 My name is Pam. I have an interesting story. On april 15 I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. On May 2, I had a hysterectomy. 2 weeks later, they told me I did not have ovarian cancer. My surgeon had removed something from my liver and it was what they say is a stage 4 bile duct cancer. I have had several scans since then and nothing has shown up on the scans. They took the cholangiocarcinoma out, and have not found the primary site yet. Carcinoma of the Unknown Primary (CUP). They have done PET scans, Ct scans and MRI scans. The CT scans and MRI scans were clear. We have not received any results from the PET scan yet. I just had it done Tuesday. We have an appointment Thursday. I have received really good care from OSU. We got a second opinion about the cholangiocarcinoma from Johns Hopkins and they agree with OSU. I had not been experiencing any symptoms except symptoms which were consistent with endometriosis or ovarian cancer. Once the cyst was gone, I really have not been experiencing any symptoms.I went to the oncologist Thursday. The PET scans revealed no cancer. As of this time, my oncologist has declared me in remission.I go back in three months unless I experience any symptoms. I am so glad about this diagnosis. So glad. I can't figure out how a Stage 4 carcinoma gets discovered like that but I am really glad it did. OSU is a great medical center. --pgochemour68 8/24/2011
Case 37 My dad was diagnosed with CC in January 2011 and is doing remarkably well considering. He started out in a local hospital and did chemo til June (gemzar and cisplatin). Since then he went to NYC to get a second opinion and look for other treatment options. He has been deemed inoperable and also not a candidate for chemoembolization. We are currently at a standstill and looking into clinical trials and any other options he may qualify for. We have been to Dr. Popa at Cornell and are now in the process of forwarding records to Sloan for yet another opinion. We want him to be here as long as possible and have a good quality of life and hoping for a miracle. My Dad's attitude and outlook is much better than mine so for that I am grateful, I just want the ball to get rolling and see something happen!! He was diagnosed with Stage IV inoperable CC and is surprisingly doing well considering the diagnosis. We are feeling a bit discouraged and feel at standstill. He has had several round of chemo (gemzar and cisplatin) and since then (ended almost 2 mos) ago nothing. We don't know what our next step should be. He is not a candidate for surgery or chemoembolization. We are looking into trials and multiple opinions and trying to stay positive. Kate_Eits 8/24/2011
Case 38 My husband Tom was diagnosed at age 61, went through a successful resection in June 2008, did not have chemo or radiation. 18 months later he presented with Jaundice and a new tumor was discovered. That one was inoperable. After 4 different oponions we decided to go with radiation then chemo. He has an external drain which drains off the excess bile. His first onconologist told him he had 6 months and radiation and chemo would not help. I did not accept that and we moved forward. Since hearing those awful words in Nov '09, my husband is still here some 20+ months later. My husband Tom has CC, he was diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago. He was able to have a successful liver resection, they removed the entire left lobe of the liver and part of the right lobe. About 85 %. They would not do chemo or radiation because they had clear margins. 18 months later he started turning yellow. There was a new tumor in his right remaining bile duct. Currently he has a external drain bag to drain off the bile that is not getting into his intestinal tract. ---mlepp 0416 1/8/2010.
Case 39 I am 48 and was diagnosed in March 2011 with Stage 4A CC in the liver. It was found because I had a gall stone attack and the tumor was seen in an ultrasound. It has taken 2 of the hepatic arteries and the tumor surround(ed?) my vena cava. Not sure how much it surrounds the vena cava anymore, after today's wonderful news. (don't worry, this really is a good news story: just has a few bumps in the road at the beginning). In April I had a liver infusion pump surgically implanted into my abdomen and the lymph nodes cleaned out around the liver. Unfortunately the surgeon didn't get all the affected lymph nodes, nor did the pump work. Very discouraging. We tried 2 embolizations that failed. So we went on to systemic chemo, as the tumor and affected lymph nodes weren't getting any treatment. Before I could start chemo, I had a blood infection and ended up in the hospital. I was really getting discouraged but I am a fighter and I hate to lose, so I kept plugging away. I WAS losing faith, tho, because I was getting no good news.So here's the good news: my tumor started at 5.4x4.3cm. After 4 chemo treatments (Gemzar/Oxliplatin) my tumor was 4.4x3.3cm. That was a CT scan on July 25th. Since then I have only had 1 systemic chemo treatment. I had the 3rd embolization on Thursday Aug. 25th. It was finally "mostly" successful! The pump study showed a slight "fluttery" leak but my oncologist doesn't seem to be too worried about it.Today I went into my onc's and had another CT scan. Amazingly enough, even though I've only had 1 chemo treatment since the last CT scan, my tumor has shrunk again. It is now 4.0x2.4cm. And the lymph nodes aren't even mentioned this time. I am now getting the chemo thru the pump, which is supposed to have little to no side effects, and am hoping to hear the words "resection" from my surgeon soon! I was hoping to hear that word by this time next year, --kris00j 4/6/2011
Case 40 I


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Jake T. Austin Joins to Promote Staples for Students National School Supply Drive
UKIAH, CA -- This summer, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Staples are teaming up with teen actor Jake T. Austin, for the 6th annual Staples for Students national school supply drive, to help kids get the tools they need to build great futures.?
From now to September 28, 2013 Staples customers can donate $1 or more at their local Staples store with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting local students at the Boys & Girls Club of Ukiah.? Boys & Girls Clubs of America's mission is to?enable all?young people, especially those who need?it most, to reach?their full?potential as productive, caring, responsible?citizens. The Staples for Students school supply drive supports this mission by helping young people return to school prepared to learn and succeed.
The local Staples store to make a donation is located at 1225 Airport Park Blvd.
"I'm so excited to team up with Staples and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for this great cause," said Jake T. Austin.? "I can't imagine starting school without the right supplies, so I'm rallying fellow teens to help make a difference in their communities by making sure students have the essential supplies they need to succeed."?
To kick-start the campaign, Staples will donate $125,000 worth of school supplies to the program this year.? Staples and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America will ensure that all of the donations get to the local Boys & Girls Club of Ukiah in time for the new school year.
Since 2008, the campaign has raised nearly $3 million for hundreds of thousands of students in need throughout the country. Past celebrity influencers have included Jordin Sparks, Ciara, Nikki Reed, the cast of Pretty Little Liars and Bella Thorne.
"It's amazing to see teens and customers rally together each year to give back to their local communities through Staples for Students," said Alison Corcoran, senior vice president stores and online marketing, Staples.? "Working with Jake T. Austin and Boys & Girls Clubs, we can help ensure that students across the country start the year off right in the classroom."
Teens are also encouraged to spread the word on social media.? Starting in early July, they can visit the Staples for Students Facebook page where Jake will take followers through a series of interactive missions to help drive donations.? As missions are completed, teens will be rewarded with donations on their behalf to Boys & Girls Clubs, coupons for school supplies and opportunities to participate in exciting sweepstakes.?
There are 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs in communities nationwide serving nearly 4 million youth ages 6-18 by providing a safe and productive place for young people during the after-school timeframe. Clubs offer caring mentors and programming that help youth, many of whom come from disadvantaged circumstances, advance in the areas of education, health and wellness, and develop character and leadership skills.
"A core focus of our mission is to enable youth to be successful throughout school and follow a career or educational plan post-high school to become productive and responsible citizens," said Kimberly Boyd, vice president, program training & youth development services for BGCA. "Partnerships and programs like the Staples for Students national school supply drive provide critical support for Clubs and youth so they have the resources needed to do well in school and create a path to a great future."


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- What's on ABC Jazz radio now?
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ABC Jazz Home > Features > Brisbane International Jazz Festival Ticket Giveaway
Brisbane International Jazz Festival Ticket Giveaway
Featuring a mix of international and local artists, the Brisbane International Jazz Festival is taking place between May 29 and June 6 in venues across the city.
Four listeners have the opportunity to win a double pass to the performance of their choice, courtesy of ABC Jazz.
Artists on the bill include saxophonist Ernie Watts (pictured), Manhattan Transfer founding member Erin Dickens, the Kekko Fornarelli Trio from Italy, and a host of great Australian artists, including the Vince Jones Band, Stephen Magnusson and James Sherlock, The Vampires, Judy Bailey and Trichotomy.
For a complete list of shows to choose from, click here.
To be in the running to win one of these passes, in the form below tell us what show you would like to see and why. The four most creative and entertaining answers will win the passes.
The prize is for tickets only. You must be able to make it to the venue.
The competition has closed.
Winners are:
Joanne Gatley
Kekko Fornarelli Trio because there is something unique in the way they play especially when Kekko Fornarelli gets lost in the moment on a piano.
Tim Burton
I am keen to see Trichotomy (and the Vampires). Love improv and modern jazz fusion!! I find it interesting that Trichtotomy had previously been known as Misenterpretato. I can see why they changed the name as the latter sounds like a girls vegetable toy. 'Little Misenterpretato Head' perhaps?
Simon Hill
Hi, I would love to hear Ernic Watts, i remember going to a jazz club in the Gold Coast when i was 15 with my parents who did not like jazz, I remember how much i enjoyed the event or though did not stay that long as with parents. Now a little older my love for jazz has increased. Listening to ABC Jazz radio is awesome and i often have the station on with guests over for dinner. Going to see Ernie would be great to get to see a live show again and i think it could help my wife to get a more of a understanding of jazz. Thanks Simon
Pia Holscher
Ernie Watts - I want to enter a euphoric medium by ear, give me some of those crooner smooth vibrations any day. Catapult me into that jazz world; let me sit and sway my body to the musical motions.
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Artist Biography
Ernest James "Ernie" Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone (tenor, alto and soprano) and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist. He has also toured with The Rolling Stones, joining them on their 1981 tour and also appearing with them in the 1982 film...
This entry is from Wikipedia , the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under CC-BY-SA . Visit Ernie Watts on Wikipedia to correct or update this entry. Any changes made to the Wikipedia article will not be immediately available here. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites.


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thedudeabides wrote:What about walkthrough putts where this might happen. Right foot is the plant foot in a staggered stance, left foot comes off ground and goes forward past the lie before disc is released but right foot stays on ground behind marker until after disc is released and then goes forward past lie. Outside of 10m of course. Is this legal?
My understanding of the rules is that outside the circle this would be legal *as long as* that left foot doesn't touch down past the lie before the disc leaves the hand. Outside of 10m, you must have your furthest point of contact behind your marker, until the disc has left your hand at which point you are allowed to make contact with the ground past the marker.


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ALLEN PARK, Mich.—Calvin Johnson isn't putting up the same type of otherworldly numbers he did last year when he led the NFL in receiving yards, set a Detroit Lions record for touchdowns and earned the biggest contract ever given to a non-quarterback this spring—and it's not from a lack of effort on the Lions' part.
Johnson has been targeted more in the first seven games this year (75 times) then he was at the same time last year (67 targets), and has the same number of receptions (41), but he hasn't been nearly the red-zone threat or as sure-handed.
In Sunday's 28-24 win over the Seahawks, Johnson dropped two passes and let the potential go-ahead touchdown glance off his fingers in the end zone with just under a minute to play. He's dropped more touchdowns (two) this year than he's caught (one) after snagging 16, some of the circus variety, last season.
LINEMAKERS: Week 9 opening lines | Super Bowl odds | Video: Week 8 recap
FANTASY SOURCE: Monday recap | Walking the wire
Johnson still draws bracket coverage almost every play, and he's dealt with an assortment of minor injuries this year to his knee, ankle and finger.
He's still affecting games in largely positive ways. He had two of his three catches on the Lions' final drive Sunday and drew enough extra attention to free up Titus Young for the game-winning score.
But the Lions won't make the playoffs if Johnson's a high-priced decoy. They need him to get back to being the game's best receiver.


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Saturday, September 23, 2017
Another "old retainers" question
I wore braces for 2 years about 5 years ago. I wore my retainers nightly for another two years. These retainers are Invisalign-style, all clear plastic, not with wires and such. Anyway, I stopped wearing them consistently maybe 9 months ago, and I`ve only recently noticed that my teeth have shifted significantly, especially my bottom teeth, which are crowding and pushing-back the two frontmost incisors.
My old retainers won`t fit completely, but I can get them on to the point that they stay put. Obviously, there is a lot of pressure, similar to what I would feel when I would go a few days without wearing my retainers in the past. I guess I have shifty teeth.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I really don`t want (to get my parents to pay for) more orthodontic work. I don`t mind pain, even serious pain (really, I need some punishment for not continuing to wear my retainers), and I don`t mind wearing my retainers consistently. What I`m really wondering is this: will my teeth break? I`m not jamming the retainers onto them, but if I keep trying each day, will they eventually be able to fit on my teeth?
My choice is either this or having slightly crowded bottom teeth for the rest of my life. What should I do?
It is possible that wearing the retainers will move the teeth back to their straight position. The inventor of Invisalign did this with his retainers, and that is how he got the idea for his company. It is highly unlikely that your teeth will break. However, you might want to see you orthodontist and let him/her know what you want to do. Your teeth will become loose when they are moving, so be aware of this fact.
Mark G Hans, DDS, MSD
Professor of Orthodontics
School of Dental Medicine
Case Western Reserve University


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David West is averaging 1.2 bpg and 1 steal a game. He is a much better defender than some will give him credit.
Plus he needs 3 more points to score 11,000 on his career
David West has settled into a very comfortable position on the team. Against sub par competition, he allows the other 4 starters to sort of "do their thing", while leaving himself available for 15-17ft jumpers. But then against the good to elite teams, he exerts his will a little more and becomes that number two scoring option he was for years in N.O. It's beautiful to watch him pick and choose his spots while allowing his younger teammates to get their collective touches.
But when push comes to shove, that Hill/West P&R/P&P gets us a good shot 95% of the time.
The thing about West is this is only his third year, and he is already in a pantheon of sports lore for me. He is the definition of professional and the ability to rely on him in big games to produce has just been so refreshing. Obviously Hill has been consistent as well, and Paul and Hibbert are developing the ability to be consistent and arguably there now.
But when Mr. West is in the building so to speak, there are few players in my Pacers history that compare. And you KNOW when Mr. West is in the building, I think his first shot last night was blocked by Jordan right in front of the Clipps bench, West recovered the ball and instead of looking to pass got this look in his eye like OK that's how it's going to be, and he drove on him and then worked him over with a beautiful step back fade away jumper.
He is simply the greatest free agent signing in Pacer history. I guess that most would say that JO is the greatest acquisition in Pacer history, but you could probably start to make a case for West. JO will always beat him on stats and all star appearances, but West changed entire culture of our team and his arrival immediately made us one of the best teams in the NBA.
There are obviously lots of reasons for this team being great right now. PG has become a top 5 player in the league. Born Ready has turned into Magic Stephenson. Roy Hibbert is one of the most suffocating post defenders in NBA history. Hill is clutch. Scola has been an awesome bench addition. But to me, this current team's rise to greatness started the day we signed West. No single event changed the attitude and culture of this team more than when we brought in this guy to show the young guys how a true NBA professional acts. We had tons of young talent at that point, but we needed an old vet like West who could show them the ropes. Oh, and he's a pretty damn good basketball player too. He made an argument for himself to be an all star last year with his spectacular play, and I think that his defense just gets better and better.
Like I said earlier, he just gets this nasty edge to him when we play great teams on the road. I love it and I can't wait to see more of it tonight. I want some more nasty jumpers with some jawing afterwords.
West made Griffen look like a little boy. Right after the foul on west where Griffen started acting tough is when he really turned it on. He really showed the world last night that Blake Griffen is by no means a superstar.
I know Hill is a good defender but Paul made him look foolish last night. I know he is the best PG in the league but at some point you have to man up and take a foul against the pick and roll. He got to what ever spot he wanted and made our defense overload which got his team what ever shot they wanted time after time.
Hibbert was Hibbert.
PG is falling to in love with this 3pt shot again. He seems to do this time and time again. Especially when he makes a few early, he then seems to find a way to force a few more which make you smack your head and say really?
Crawford was his normal self. He reminds me alot of a JR Smith where one second you hate him and then the next he gets you back in the game. Then once again you hate him because he cannot turn off chucker mode.
Scola looked WAY off last night. Even his nice calm collected jumper he has was forced without defense even on him. Not sure what was going on in his head but you could tell something mental was happening.
I have a question for some of you stat guys. Where do you find their points per 100 possessions on the game or something similar?
But let's get some perspective here: who turned the franchise around? It LITERALLY turned around the day Frank Vogel was named coach. David West wasn't on the team yet.
"Look, it's up to me to put a team around ... Lance right now." Kevin Pritchard press conference
I would put David West in my top 5 favorite Pacers of all time. In fact probably top 3 alltime. I know his stats are down this season, but there is no doubt in my mind that ewhen we need him he'll be there like he was last night and like he has been against the better teams. (not to suggest he is a superstar capable of taking over games like Lebron) but only to suggest that when we really need him to score points most of the time he'll be there.
No surprise that he had his best game so far this season in the most difficult game we have played yet.
Having said that Frank is a huge reason we are where we are. So not really disagreeing with you, perhaps just clarifying
Last edited by Unclebuck; 12-02-2013 at 04:58 PM.
It was the additions of West and Hill in the 2011 off-season that took our team from good to elite. That's when we went from a team who could make the playoffs as a low seed to one that could be expected to make the Conference Finals and challenge for an NBA championship.
Frank took over a team that was 17-27 and went 20-18. That is a pretty big turnaround with no personnel moves.
Over 82 games, that would be an improvement from a 32 win team to a 43 win team. or an 11 win improvement.
The next season with West and Hill they improved to a 52 win pace over the shortened season, or a 9 win improvement.
In other words, they were both huge steps to get to where we are today.
Last edited by kent beckley; 12-02-2013 at 05:09 PM.
Yeah, but Vogel made them a competitive .500 team with Hansbrough and McBob at power forward. A painfully raw PG at the two, a pretty painfully raw Hibbert at the 5 and Darren Collison. That's pretty impressive to me. That team offensively a lot of times was basically Danny Granger and 4 dudes.
All of this "top PF in the NBA" talk is a little short on Kevin Love.
Also, the "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" game-winner pose is the best one in sports right now.
I like Kevin Love as much as the next guy but that team has really petered out after their fast start.
They are just a terrible road team that has played a lot of road games recently.
DG being good? YOU MOCK PACERS DIGEST.
Kevin loves sends his regards
Impossible Is Nothing
Yea I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Perhaps as you said maybe it's what we consider turning it around. Obviously you consider a turn around to be about being a contender and I respect that. However I consider taking us off of the treadmill to nowhere to be the first step in the turn around. In fact I consider it to be the most important step.
Sure West is a leader but at the end of the day he isn't the coach. He doesn't set the plays, make the rotations or design the defense. That's all coaching. The fact that David West totally has bought in and is leading the team is a testament to both his willingness and abilities however it is equally a testament to Frank Vogel being legitimate (there's that word again) because you are not going to be able to B.S. a player like West and West would not buy into something he didn't believe in.
I also think West is vital to our club and I'm going to go ahead and say that he is the best NBA power forward we have ever had (Big Mac is from a different era) but to me him being here would not matter nearly as much if we were coached by a "system coach" who makes players adapt to their style and can't/won't fit the style to match the players.
BTW using losing 1-4 to the Bulls in the playoffs (on paper it looks bad but that series was much closer believe me) to explain how this wasn't turn around is about like those who would use the fact that Danny Granger didn't play much on team USA as an excuse to tell us why he was a bad player. In other words it doesn't work.
The same team with the same players made the playoffs when Satan in all of his years here never once sniffed the playoffs and this team was well below the playoff threshold when Frank took over.
No, the more I think about it hiring Frank Vogel may go down as one of the single most significant acts in Pacers history.
Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thats teamwork."
-John Wooden
Yeah, games like their loss to OKC last night are schedule losses... Minnesota has already had six back-to-backs, while OKC has had only one. Wolves have also played the most games in the NBA as of last night (tied with Boston). I think their play will definitely come right back up once their schedule eases a bit... and once LRMAM and Chase Budinger become regular contributors. I think early-season Minnesota was more indicative of their quality than this recent rough stretch.
I would be curious to hear from some of the older fans (ie before 93-94) is there another free agent signing as big as David West? I can not for the life of me think of one. Every single good player we have had up until now has either been someone we traded for or drafted.
I know Barkley said he regretted not coming to Indiana and a few others have said the same but none actually did before West.
I prefer a PF that plays both ends of the floor, Kevin Love has yet to prove he's more than an ultra-morphed super Murphy, especially defensively. (He's a top 3 PF still but not #1, I'd take Anthony Davis if I had my choice).
"It's just unfortunate that we've been penalized so much this year and nothing has happened to the Pistons, the Palace or the city of Detroit," he said. "It's almost like it's always our fault. The league knows it. They should be ashamed of themselves to let the security be as lax as it is around here."
----------------- Reggie Miller
Those are my sentiments as well. West's definitely top 3 all-time for me.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has thought this exact thought. I have never EVER been impressed by him or his stats. I had a video saved last year but can't find it now of him literally quitting a defensive play to get into rebounding position only to have the player drive right past him for an easy uncontested layup. I don't even consider him a top # 3 P.F.


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U.S. wheat futures jumped 1.9 percent on Tuesday, heading for a third session of gains amid fears that a return to dry weather in the drought-stricken southern Plains will damage the dormant crop.
Corn and soybean futures were also higher, with corn on track for their seventh straight session of higher prices, as conditions turned dry in Argentina while the U.S. Agriculture Department's forecast last week for tight stockpiles continued to underpin prices.
Benchmark wheat futures for March delivery rose 14-1/2 cents to $7.81-1/2 per bushel at the Chicago Board of Trade, the highest price since the first trading session of 2013. New-crop July wheat gained nearly 2 percent.
There was little rain or snow in the forecast in the Plains and western Midwest regions that grow most of the wheat in the United States, said Joel Widenor, an agricultural meteorologist for Commodity Weather Group.
"Dry weather will prevail in core drought areas of the western Midwest and Central Plains through the last half of January," Widenor said.
A cold snap this week may have caused some minor winterkill in areas of western Nebraska, and a blast of cold Arctic air is expected next week centered on the Midwest, added Don Keeney, a meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather.
Conditions are expected to remain dry for the next two weeks in Argentina and southern Brazil, Keeney said.
CBOT March corn - the first contract to reflect the South American harvest - rose nearly 1 percent, or 6-1/4 cents, to $7.30-1/4 per bushel, touching the highest level since Dec.
CBOT March soybeans gained 3 cents to $14.21-1/4.
"What's helping us is the drier profile in southern Brazil and Argentina. About a third of Argentina's crop could move into a concern," said Don Roose, president of the brokerage U.S. Commodities in West Des Moines, Iowa.


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Ok it is time the Spurs closed out these finals, I get sleep deprivation this way, darned games dont end till bleeding 5.30 AM, and having to be up again at 7 AM is a bad thing (tm).
That said: There is a team of 3 doing these games here in the UK, mostly I tune them out, (iow I do other things when they come on) but sometimes they mention the Pacers and one then has to listen of course.
Now I do rarely if ever agree with these "jokers" and even more seldomly believe what they are saying (especially because if I do listen they have their facts wrong anyway) but this was a rumour I simply have to "relay" though I must say that my first action was writing them an email with some "smart" questions, though they decided (as they usually do on this show) to "ignore" my pugnant contributions.
According to a certain player (Youngblood) the latest whisper is that Ron might be traded to the Heat, for Haslem and Eddie Jones.
Now my first question was what the ^%$ would we want with Haslem and more precise why would we want Eddie Jones, and finally why on earth would the Pacers do this trade, as well as what are his sources.
As I said I got no reply, nor an in-show answer, but who knows, DD00 might have heard something, or someone here can explain why the Pacers would do this, because imo this is not such a brilliant idea.
remember though, don's shoot the messenger, this is UK tv, not NBA tv!


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Great video:
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Great video:
Hicks, that is really great. I had not seen it before. Thanks.
Pretty cool. Nice, and surprising, to see Reggie.
I always get goosebumps at the Miracle on Ice.
You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song
- Jimmy Buffett
That is one of the nicest presentations I have ever seen. I hope I'm not the only one who got a little teary eyed watching some of that. Man, sports is great!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two=the number 2
Too=means "also"
To=many definitions-also known as the one to use when the other 2 (two, too) do not apply.
Their=shows ownership-'it is their house'
They're=they are
There=many definitions-also known as the one to use when the other 2 (their, they're) do not apply
Sorry but it bugs me when these are used incorrectly when I read posts on PacersDigest.com.
That was a great video, a lil too much jordan for my liking
Gotta love the Steelers' clips.
And then there's Kordell Stewart at Colorado.
And Mazerowski's Shot...
And Roberto..
Rickey Henderson.
And Mario Lemieux.(Crap, I forgot how to spell it.)
All those Yankees/Babe Ruth clips. :
Love the "Send it in Jerome!"
Thanks, Hicks.
And who's the guy who brought the entire basketball goal down at the Meadowlands?
Wow wowie wow wow.
That was pretty sweet.
I was choked up halfway through and did have tears in my eyes.
1980 Miracle on Ice gets me everytime I hear that call.
I've hated Kordell Stewart for that hail-mary for a long, long time.
The Barry Sanders clip was awesome.
Walter Payton, a big thumbs up by me.
Muhammad Ali, the greatest.
Desmond Howard Pose.
Michael Johnson crying during the medal ceremony.
That whole presentation is top-notch.
Is there anyway we can download that and keep it?
Yeah it was a great video.Was a little surprised not to see any image of Bob Beamon from Mexico City.
The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.
I liked the Brett Favre clip running across the field after the first touchdown (to Rison?) in their Super Bowl win. Pure joy.
Shortly after that, it became illegal to take your helmet off while on the field.
You can download it...lol....a link at the bottom....I'm stupid....


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He didn't mean to punch you in the face, baby. It's just that he's got this temper, and people keep misunderstanding him…
You know how it is.
Can't you see what this is doing to him?
"I borrowed a metaphor used by an author called Ar-Rifa'i.
"He said exposing the meat in an illicit way would encourage the cats to devour it. I didn't mean by that to humiliate immodest women; I meant to censure the person who would abandon his humility and turn into a vicious animal."…
Rape, he said, was "an abominable crime; it has no justification, and the perpetrator deserves the severest punishment and would not deserve to belong to a religion or to humanity."
But he still urged women not to tempt men…
"You are the cherished pearls, the dearest thing in the world. So don't be taken as offerings at the temples of the merchants of pleasure, or advocates of decadence and corruption.
John Howard says this is the moment of truth for Australia's Muslims — and thus far the government's encouraged by their response. Quote:
Government and Labor MPs alike report back that in the past few days the attitude of non-Muslims to their criticisms of the mufti has been one of "good on them".
"There is an outstanding group of young women, between 25 to 35," says one MP familiar with the area, They're very sensible. They're committed to their faith. But they're also committed to making Islam consistent with affluent Western society and the equality of men and women.
"This is a significant beginning for a new generation. The challenge now is to maintain the rage."
Ayaan Hirsi Ali wasn't about to let this pass without weighing in. As usual, she's got the right idea:
For a while now I have been asserting that the most effective way for EU governments to deal with their Muslim minorities is to empower the Muslim women living within their borders…
I think religion is taking up far too much time, attention and space in our society. Blair needs to look at the segregation of boys and girls and ask himself why young girls in primary schools are veiled. Are we saying that five and six-year-olds are sexual symbols, "uncovered meat"? As a society we must understand that saving young girls from all kinds of repression is important. Many are removed from school when they reach puberty, often when they start to behave like British teenagers. That is the precise moment when teachers, mentors and feminists need to identify those girls at risk, those who want to be emancipated and who face the risk of forced marriages and violence.
Islam Online says Aussie Muslims are set to abolish the post of mufti altogether. Good idea or not? Jonah Goldberg thinks Islam would benefit from having a centralized religious authority to drain influence from the localized jihadis. The problem is, what if the Muslim "Pope" is, like Sheikh Hilali himself, a Qutbian jihadist nutbar?
In that case, at the very least, the "tiny minority" canard would be laid to rest once and for all.


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Burgers, at least on the surface, would seem to have reached a saturation point, what with all the fast-food outlets, casual chains, independents and even fine-dining restaurants looking to capitalize on a beloved American classic.
Not so, says Dave Prokupek, chief executive of Smashburger, the Denver-based chain that in 2007 joined the not-so-exclusive "better burger" club and now has more than 200 restaurants in 29 states and four foreign countries. San Diego County has 11 outlets, the most recent opening this month in San Marcos.
While Prokupek's background is in the technology field, he was a savvy enough businessman to know that his partners in the culinary world had tapped into a niche that still had plenty of room for innovation. In this case, smashing, searing and seasoning the beef patties on the grill, he learned, was the key to a tastier burger that was still affordable.
In San Diego recently for the opening of the San Marcos restaurant, Prokupek took some time to talk about Smashburger's growth and the key ingredients of its appeal among burger aficionados.
Q: The better burger concept has exploded in recent years, so how can Smashburger differentiate itself from all the other appealing burger chains and independents?
A: It starts with the food. We have great burgers made fresh to order, and on top of that, we localize our menu in every market we go into. That's with our burgers and chicken and craft beers we pair with each burger. We also have a big line of salads and veggie burgers so we have something for everyone.
With our new design, you can order at the counter and have food delivered at your table in a wire basket with a real knife and fork. You're getting a $20 experience for $8 to $10, so lots of people can afford Smashburger everyday.
We also think the smashing makes a better burger. We take an Angus burger ball and smash it on a very hot grill with a special smashing tool. It caramelizes the outside, and inside it's very juicy. In early June, we'll roll out a partnership with (Escondido-based) Stone Brewing Co. We're looking at ways to pair specific burgers with specific Stone beers. We're doing this now in 20 markets, so we're one of the first to do this on a national level with a fast-casual concept.
Q: Your professional background isn't exactly in food. In fact, your last position was in the technology field. Why join a restaurant chain?
A: I started two or three businesses and in my investment world, I've focused on consumer brands. I teamed up with Tom Ryan, out of McDonald's, for two reasons. Burgers are America's favorite food category, and when we started no one was doing this better burger concept in a fast-casual way as part of a national brand. On the burger side, some point to Five Guys and ourselves, but it's difficult to name others on a national scale. The food business is the ultimate people business. What Starbucks has done to coffee, I feel we're doing with burgers, and it's an exciting brand to be with. Tom has the food science and marketing background. I really brought the business side of how to build a team and turn it into a big business.
Q: Why so much interest in expanding in San Diego? It already has a few popular homegrown burger concepts.
A: Our goal is to be the number one player across the U.S., and to do that you have to be a player in California. While you have In-N-Out and others, we fit solidly in a different category. We have 11 now in San Diego and hope to double that over the next three to five years.
In the U.S., we're 50-50 corporate-owned and franchisees, and San Diego is a franchise market for us. There are two franchise groups in San Diego and that's how we're growing.
Q: You're starting up locations in airports now. What made you decide to go in that direction?
A: Airports are good brand-building opportunities for Smashburger. We're about to open in Costa Rica (the international airport), and we just won Dallas-Fort Worth and Philadelphia. People all over the world see the brand, and airport locations tend to be high volume.
Q: What are Smashburger's plans for the future?
A: We've been growing pretty fast. We'll add another 50 or 60 restaurants this year around the world. We'll probably do the same in 2014. California is a big push, and the other big push is international, so we're expanding in Canada, the Middle East and Latin America. We're in five markets outside the U.S., with 10 to 15 stores in foreign locations. We just signed a new group in Panama, and we're trying to grow in Latin and Central America, Europe and the Middle East. And the airport business is becoming a good business for us. We're also spending a lot of time on food trends in terms of new flavors and drinks.
This year we just introduced a truffle mushroom Swiss burger. It's very appealing to women, health-conscious people. It's something four or five years ago we wouldn't have thought of doing. Those touches are noticed by consumers.


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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- Longtime town Republican Chairman Leon "Butch" Dener has resigned, saying he's had enough of the meanspirtedness that permeates politics.
"Intelligence, respect and character are no longer the coin of the realm," Denner wrote in a Jan. 18 letter announcing his decision. "Meanspiritedness, greed, ego, duplicity and lack of any moral fiber rules the day."
The 62-year-old former road manager of The Band and recent liver transplant recipient said in an interview Friday that he was "tired of the bitterness, the ugliness."
"I love my life, I love my friends and my faith, and I don't need to be in the trenches with the dogs anymore," he said.
Dener served as chairman of the New Paltz GOP for two stints totaling 13 years.
As the town's 2013 election nears, Dener said voters deserve to have more than one candidate running for any office, and he criticized the cross-endorsement by the GOP of Democrat Susan Zimet for town supervisor. He said the Republicans must find new candidates, raise money and do the grassroots work needed to get party members elected.
He said he is not the person to do that work anymore.
"The thought of going through another election cycle with the current batch of elected officials in New Paltz just turned my stomach," he said. "I just don't want to deal with them anymore. I'm not playing in that sandbox. It's ugly, negative. It gets way too personal."
Ulster County Republican Chairman Roger Rascoe said he was sorry to see Dener resign but understood Dener's frustration with the political environment.
"When George Washington was 16, he wrote a book on civility," Rascoe said. "It just seems to me that in the political environment a lot of folks have lost that civility."
Dener said he will stay on as a member of the town and county GOP committees.