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All Kinds of Crazy
Every time I hear something about John McAfee, which, given this crazy man's predilection for nonstop publicity, is too often, I think about how Intel paid $7.7 billion a little more than two years ago for the software security company that this oddball created. And I wonder which actions, John McAfee's or Intel's (INTC) are more stupefying.
McAfee (MFE), the company, had been shopped for ages, apparently about as long as the ignominious Autonomy was, before Intel gave shareholders a 62% premium when it snapped up the company. At the time, it was a real head-scratcher....405 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
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Abingdon Theatre Company Announces New Managing Director
Heather Henderson recently accepted the position of Managing Director with Abingdon Theatre Company, now in its 20th Season of developing and producing new plays by American Playwrights, announces Artistic Director Jan Buttram. For the past 18 months, Ms. Henderson served as Abingdon's Director of Development. She replaces Samuel J. Bellinger who recently became Director of Finance at Second Stage Theatre. Mr. Bellinger served as Abingdon's Managing Director for 19 years and will continue to serve on Abingdon's Board of Directors. Prior to joining Abingdon's staff, Ms. Henderson had a multi-faceted career in the financial sector, spending the bulk of her time sitting on a foreign exchange trading floor as a representative of the Private Banking Group for Citibank, working predominantly with Latin American clientele. She also served as a team member of UBS Financial Services, managing assets that ran the gamut from retail to ultra high net worth individuals. She also worked with high net worth families creating customized tax efficient wealth management strategies to meet their special needs, utilizing long-term focus and advising clients in proper estate and tax planning. Prior to joining UBS, she was a Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch.
In the non-financial sector, Ms. Henderson taught Spanish at St. Vincent Martyr Elementary School, where she created a Spanish curriculum for grade levels K-6. And, of note, she directed the first musical in the history of SVMS, The Pirates of Penzance, followed by another successful undertaking, The Music Man.
Heather Henderson earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Fordham University, where she also completed a Post-graduate Certificate Program in Accounting. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Bachelor's Degree from George Washington University in International Affairs.
Abingdon Theatre Company - which has produced more than 78 new American plays in its 20-year history - continues its 2012-2013 Season with the world premiere of BODEGA BAY by Elisabeth Karlin, set to begin previews January 25, prior to its official press opening February 3, in the company's Dorothy Strelsin Theatre (312 West 36th Street). Sturgis Warner, who recently helmed Najla Said's PALESTINE, directs. Performances run through February 17.
BODEGA BAY is the story of Louise Finch, a shy and awkward woman who has never ventured beyond Staten Island, as she sets out into the dangerous unknown to find the mother who left her and her troubled brother years earlier. The cast includes Susan Louise O'Connor as Louise, with Peter Brouwer , Brian McManamon, Gerardo Rodriguez, Nancy Rodriguez, and Rae C Wright.
For more information about Abingdon Theatre Company, please visit www.abingdontheatre.org

subset: commoncrawl


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Yankees burned by red-hot A's bats in finale
Nuno tagged for pair of three-run jacks early in rubber-game loss
OAKLAND -- Down by 10 runs at the end of the fourth inning, it was time for the Yankees to think about the big picture. Their plane was gassed up and waiting to wing it back home, and no matter how out of hand this one got, their road trip would be guaranteed a winning record.
The conclusion of a three-city, nine-game trip was a memory that the Yankees would rather flush quickly. Derek Norris and Coco Crisp crushed a pair of three-run homers to knock Vidal Nuno out early and the Athletics rolled to a 10-5 victory on Sunday at O.co Coliseum.
"A loss is a loss. I wouldn't call it deflating," said Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. "We had a decent trip. We would like to maybe win this series, but that's a very good team over there. Overall, we played pretty well this trip."
After losing two of three in Kansas City to start the road swing, New York swept a three-game series from the Mariners, pushing its win streak to four before losing the last two contests in Oakland to finish 5-4.
"I think if you were to say before you start a road trip that you're going to go to the West Coast and you're going to end up with a positive road trip, you'd say, 'All right,'" manager Joe Girardi said. "But when we were 5-2 and had a chance to have a really good road trip, it kind of stings a little bit."
A patchwork rotation has worked for the Yankees, by and large, but there are days when their lack of depth is apparent. This was one of them: Nuno was charged with a career-high eight runs in three-plus innings and the Yankees lost for the first time in his seven road starts.
Norris and Crisp hit their blasts in the first and second innings, respectively. The A's knocked Nuno out in a four-run fourth inning, and Jose Ramirez was ineffective in relief after Nuno faced the first two batters.
"It was pretty much just not making adjustments," Nuno said. "They got some little hits here and there, and then just the one pitch, just 'bang.' Those two innings, little frustrating, getting not ahead of the count, and they took advantage of it."
In a frightening moment, Ramirez plunked Craig Gentry in the helmet with a breaking ball to force in a run. Gentry stayed in the game, and Yoenis Cespedes stroked a two-run single. Even Josh Donaldson, mired in a career-long 0-for-33 skid, joined the fun with a run-scoring single.
Oakland starter Jesse Chavez cruised to the victory, padded by more than enough run support. Chavez held the Yankees to a run on five hits over six innings, walking none and striking out four.
"It's good to see," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "We haven't been swinging the bats as well as we were earlier, and certainly had the power portion of it, but two big three-run homers today gets you off to a good start."
Honored by the A's in a pregame ceremony before his final regular-season game at the Coliseum, Derek Jeter doubled and scored on a Teixeira double to account for the Yanks' only run off Chavez, then later added a sacrifice fly.
"Today is just one of those games, but I think for the most part we've been playing pretty good as of late," Jeter said. "You want it to continue, you need it to continue, because we're playing some division games."
Carlos Beltran hit a solo homer, his sixth, off reliever Ryan Cook, but his mood was soured when he forgot how many outs there were in the eighth inning. Beltran peeled off toward the first-base dugout and was ruled out by umpire Dan Iassogna in a most unusual double play.
"It's an embarrassing play," Girardi said.
Brett Gardner hit a two-run homer off Jim Johnson in the ninth inning to trim the deficit before Luke Gregerson came in to send the Yanks to the airport.
"It's tough, but it hasn't happened much this year," Teixeira said. "Our pitchers have been so good. Every now and then, you're going to have games like this, and you just take them as they come and go get them the next day."
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030
Nov. 16, 2010
Texas Partnership for Children in Nature Calls For "Happier, Healthier, Smarter" Kids
Statewide Conference Dec. 3-4 in Austin to Probe Problems, Solutions
AUSTIN — "Go outside and play." How many times did today's parents hear that familiar phrase while growing up? Studies say kids today don't hear it enough, and that it's time for a change.
Mobile devices and video games have all but replaced the days of playing "Kick the Can" on neighborhood streets with friends, or just hanging out at a park all day. In fact, kids today spend just four to seven minutes outside each day in unstructured outdoor play (like climbing trees), yet more than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen.
"If we don't address this issue today, then what we're facing in the next generation is that children will have a much shorter life span than their parents," said Dr. Kimberly Avila Edwards, a pediatrician at the Texas Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity at Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas and chair of the Texas Pediatric Society obesity committee.
Avila's talking about the link between childhood obesity and sedentary indoor lifestyles. She's part of a growing chorus of expert voices from diverse disciplines, all urging steps to reconnect kids and families with nature and the outdoors.
The Texas Partnership for Children in Nature will host a conference to address the problem Dec. 3-4 in Austin. The purpose is to present the partnership's strategic plan to educators, conservationists, health practitioners, policymakers and others who care about the issue and can work to implement the plan in their communities.
Conference speakers include Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department executive director; Joe Frost, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin professor emeritus; Kevin Coyle, National Wildlife Federation vice president of education; Elizabeth Goodenough, Ph.D., creator of the PBS documentary Where Do the Children Play?; and Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas vice president and chief medical officer and former Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner.
"As the trend away from outdoor play and learning deepens, we are witnessing sobering consequences for children's health and well-being," said TPWD's Smith. "Additionally, this youngest generation is missing out on critical experiences that lay the foundation for future stewardship of our natural resources."
The good news: experts say the problem is solvable. Unlike complex environmental or economic problems, getting families and children back to nature is relatively straightforward and inexpensive. "We can reverse this trend," Smith said. "We can restore our children's well-being and their relationship with Texas's rich natural and cultural heritage."
The partnership's roots trace to fall 2009, when a bi-partisan group of Texas legislators asked TPWD, the Texas Education Agency, Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Department of Agriculture to form a public-private partnership and develop a strategic plan. Over 80 professionals answered the call, including representatives from state and federal agencies, non-profits, businesses, and health, education, natural resource and community organizations.
Their discoveries include some sobering statistics:
- Children ages 8-to-18 spend an average of 7.5 hours a day, over 50 hours per week, connected to a television, computer, video games and other electronic media.
- A child is six times more likely to play a video game than ride a bike.
- Texas is home to three of the five cities with the highest obesity rates in the nation.
- In the 2009-2010 Fitnessgram school year report, only a little over 8 percent of 12th grade girls and boys were deemed physically fit.
- Today's children may be the first generation at risk of having a shorter lifespan than their parents.
Conversely, experts found children who play and learn in nature are:
- Healthier. Active nature play improves physical conditioning and has a positive effect on emotional well-being and child development. Outdoor play has been linked to reduced risk of myopia and vitamin D deficiency.
- Happier. Nature play increases self esteem and reduces stress. Children learn self-discipline and are more cooperative with others. Children feel more capable, confident and connected to nature.
- Smarter. Nature play stimulates creativity and improves problem solving. Schools using environmental themes report improved academic performance. And, children who play in nature are more likely to become tomorrow's conservation leaders.
Author Richard Louv coined the term "nature deficit disorder" to describe the situation in his best-selling book "Last Child in the Woods" (Algonquin Books, 2005). While the term isn't a medical diagnosis, it cites evidence of psychological, physical and cognitive costs associated with the lack of outdoor time.
Experts have responded with practical solutions for parents and schools. For example, the Texas Pediatric Society has developed a Childhood Obesity Toolkit for health care providers that encourages limiting the time children spend on TV, video games, and computers and promoting physical activity, including a "healthy lifestyle prescription" that recommends an hour of outdoor play every day.
The National Wildlife Federation recently released a comprehensive report "Whole Child: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit through Outdoor Play" that details how the benefits of playing outside are essential to not only physical wellness, but also mental health. The report notes family time can be a child's best bet to connect with nature.
The Austin conference is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Winkler Family Foundation. Registration costs $50 and includes meals. See the conference website for the complete agenda and list of speakers and topics.
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(5.4.16 i)


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I was surprised at the lackluster results after minimizing my Javascript and CSS code (both Jquery), and commenting out all text shadows, box shadows, and border-radius.
Before minimizing or commenting out the above areas, cycling through 12 HTML pages took 38.15 seconds.After minimizing and commenting out all of the above, 34.30 sec.
I used the YUI compressor for JS and CSS. This is for the iPhone. There is a white flash between pages.
I thought I would get more dramatic time savings across 12 pages. Should I have expected better?Comments? Suggestions?
I'm not exactly sure what you were trying to test here, how are you timing cycling through 12 HTML pages?
Compressing the js and css only makes a difference to file size so that the initial page load is quicker, after it's cached it won't effect it noticeably.If you have many scripts and stylesheets on a page combining them will have a big impact on download times because the requests is where the big amount of time is spent.
I don't know why you commented out the CSS3, this shouldn't effect load times but can sometimes slow down things like scrolling if used heavily.
There are many techniques to speed up a web page, several of which are more significant than minifying.
Try to implement as many of these performance rules as you can. They're ordered, with the most significant at the top.
This page is a terrific resource. However, my code is for the iPhone, and the code is entirely self-contained. There are no http requests to a server, so 99% of these tips do not apply. The pages are mostly of text fields and option boxes, 0-1 images. There are several JS scripts externally loaded.
The personal JS code is very straightforward; mostly writing and reading in database values for the fields on that page. I don't think I can get it simpler. However, I am also using Jquery, and that's probably the biggest roadblock for performance.
+1 about compression only affecting initial page load times. Unfortunately, the page load time savings was negligible across 12 pages.
I don't see the point in commenting-out code. After all, the server still has to serve the commented-out code, it still has to travel across the network, and it still has to be read by the browser. If you don't want the stuff you've commented out, better to remove it completely.
Of course, commenting-out server-side code (or compiled code) is a different matter.
Of course, commenting-out server-side code (or compiled code) is a different matter.
Thanks, Mikl; good point. The commented-out code was removed prior to minifying when I did the tests a second time, and that is the time recorded in the OP. Not much performance savings.
this is definitely not your html, css code issue.here are some sources that you could look at:
webcosmo, thanks. There are only 0-1 images per page The database queries are simple and can't be cut down further.


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REDLANDS — Redlands' best in service and civics took center stage Thursday night as the Redlands Chamber of Commerce recognized its firefighter of the year, police officer of the year and man and woman of the year.
Peggy Brier's two children waited anxiously in the foyer of Redlands University's Casa Loma Room for her name to be called as woman of the year.
"It will mean a lot to her," daughter Carol Alred said. "She's been really involved forever in the community."
Brier did not know her children would be attending the event and her surprised acceptance speech stammered to an end with a quick, "thank you" as she saw them enter.
"We kind make fun of her for it," Alred said with a smile speaking of her mother's dedicated commitment to the community.
Brier was nominated by the Kimberly Crest Association although she is also a member of the the Soroptimist International of Redlands, which chooses the woman of the year.
"We were lucky that the day we voted, she wasn't able to be there," said Sheila Cannon, the Soroptimist group's second vice president, who introduced the award.
The lengthly list of organizations that Brier has been involved in include the Junior Women of the Contemporary Club, Soroptimist International of Redlands and the board of trustees for Kimberly Crest. In each capacity her professional life as the owner of a local accounting firm with her husband has helped her fulfill her treasurer's duties.
"Peggy has spent her adult life giving back to the community in which she has been raised," the Kimberly Crest Association wrote in her nomination letter.
The man of the year distinction went to George Barich, who led the Redlands Service Club Council through its growth into a force that is thousands of volunteer hours strong.
Under Barich's leadership the club completed its most ambitious project yet. Eight months of planning, $40,000 and more than 2,000 volunteers completed landscaping of the median on Redlands Boulevard from Fern Avenue to Ford Street. They also repaired and repainted the the seats at the Redlands Bowl and refurbished the bowl's dressing rooms.
"We appreciate his accomplishments and ongoing service to our city," said Gene Hinkle from the stage as he read from Barich's nomination letter.
Barich, who had just recently watched his brother Paul Barich step down as outgoing chamber president, was truly surprised when his resume was read by Hinkle.
"I have to thank my brother Paul," George Barich said as he accepted the award. "We call him Mr. Redlands. I want to thank you personally for tying me into the insurance business and keeping me in town and steering me to work hard and give back to this community."
As he accepted the distinction, Barich called numerous family members to the stage and even in closing always had just one more person to thank.
"What a treat," Barich said, beaming.
The Redlands Chamber of Commerce also lauded Sgt. Mike Reiss as police officer of the year, recognized for his heroics in recovering not only a cache of iMac computers stolen from the Victorville School District but also for catching an accused homicide suspect after a long manhunt that ended on the streets of San Bernardino.
The city's firefighter of the year was Capt. Richard Sessler, who was lauded for both his work with the Redlands Fire Department as well as for his community involvement.
"He was well known amongst his fellow firefighters as someone that could be counted on and you could trust him with your life," said Del Rose Hotshot Superintendent Jim Tomaselli in Sessler's nomination letter.
The Del Rosa Hotshots are a specialized team of wildland firefighters, which Sessler was selected to be a part of. Among a lengthly list of other accomplishments, Sessler has worked his was up through the ranks of firefighting beginning in 1999 as an explorer with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District and eventually working with the Forest Service before joining the Redlands Fire Department in 2005.
"Richie carried the cornerstone of the hotshots – duty, honor and respect – to the highest levels," said Mill Creek Hotshot superintendent John Ellison in Sessler's nomination letter. "His leadership style and concern for his squad's well-being was unprecedented."
Sessler served with the Mill Creek Hotshots group from 2002-2003.
The chamber event also introduced Daney Bachiu as the incoming president.


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Dr. Mary Williamson MD
- Otolaryngology Suwanee, GA
Patient Reviews
Reviews reflect patients' level of satisfaction with the care they received from this provider. Dr. Mary Williamson xhas an overall rating of 5.0.
Dr. Mary Williamson, MD is a Doctor primarily located in Suwanee, GA, with another office in Peachtree City, GA. She has 9 years of experience. Her specialties include Otolaryngology. Dr. Williamson is affiliated with Boulder Community Foothills Hospital and Avista Adventist Hospital. She speaks English.
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Specialties & Expertise
Dr. Mary Williamson has the following 9 areas of expertise and 1 specialty.
An otolaryngologist is more commonly referred to as an ENT, someone that can treat medical issues you may be having with you ears, nose, or throat. This is a physician who is specially trained to diagnose and treat conditions of the ear, nose, sinuses, larynx (voice box), mouth, throat, head, and neck. These doctors treat patients through both medical and surgical means. For instance, an otolaryngologist may treat an obstruction of the nasal passage, caused by malformation of the nose, through rhinoplasty.
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We Need Momentum
How much was post-options? How much was hope about averting the fiscal cliff? Or how much was performance anxiety because last week at this time so many hedge funds decided they couldn't take the losses anymore and had to preserve whatever gains they could muster?
I think the latter played a key role. We were most certainly oversold Friday and this bounce continued nicely today. I just think that with this being a seasonably strong week and with the president calling business leaders to ask for their help you have a scenario that could develop where the hedge funds miss an opportunity to finish up mid-teens, something that they can't do if they are already on the sidelines....195 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
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When it was time to prepare for a concert, Frank Sinatra could have had his pick of any piano tuner in the world. The same went for Victor Borge, Roger Williams and Bruce Hornsby. When these legendary musicians needed their keyboards prepared for a performance, they called on Robert "Bob" Cloutier.
When school is in session and the pianos are in constant use, Cloutier often works well beyond a nine-to-five day in order to get the tuning accomplished.
Alexandra Nguyen, assistant professor of collaborative piano has known Cloutier for four years and finds him to be a dedicated and sensitive professional. As she rehearsed the Strauss Sonata for violin and piano with Edward Dusinberre, first violinist with the Takács Quartet, for her faculty recital last year, Nguyen found the sound of the piano difficult to blend with the violin's tone quality.
"At 5:30 the next morning the day of the recital I received an email from Bob," said Nguyen. "He was at the school reweighting all the piano keys because he wanted to make it easier for me. Bob had attended the dress rehearsal and heard me struggling with the tone. He stayed all day until the end of the recital that evening and adjusted the piano again at intermission. It was so touching that he would go above and beyond the call of duty for me like that."
Despite the music building being climate-controlled, a change of season or variations in weather and humidity can knock all the pianos out of tune at once. Cloutier and his part-time assistant must therefore scramble to get to the pianos back to being performance- and practice-ready. And he does it the old-fashioned way.
"A lot of people tune electronically now," said Cloutier, who has relative pitch, "but if you want to do concert work you have to have an ear to listen to the vibrations between notes and be able to do it with a tuning fork."
The tuning fork is a tool that has been used by piano tuners since the 18th century. After striking it against his leg to start the tuning fork vibrating, Cloutier plays the first note—the A key above middle C. From that first note he works his way through the rest of the 88 keys and 250 strings.
"Whether a piano has a mellow or a bright sound, that's my work," he said. "I can make the sound go either way. From one note to the adjacent note, the tone has to match. What we're always doing is to even out the piano's sound."
Cell phones and soda in the Steinways
Occasionally his job is more prosaic, as he's called upon to retrieve stray items accidently dropped into pianos, such as cell phones or nonmusical keys. And he has had to clean up after spilled sodas. "For years I had dreams about people spilling a soda in the Steinways," he said. "It happens all the time."
At the College of Music Cloutier teaches a class for pianists in the nomenclature of the piano, its specifications, and how to perform minor repairs.
During his 12 years at CU-Boulder, Cloutier has had the opportunity to work with a number of world-renowned and emerging musicians through the College of Music's Artist Series, such as Leon Fleisher, Olga Kern, and Andras Schiff.
One of his memorable moments at the College of Music was when Cloutier was able to have delivered at no cost from Steinway & Sons in New York City a cobalt blue, art deco Steinway concert grand piano for Robert Spillman, retired piano professor, to perform Rhapsody in Blue in Macky Auditorium.
After he retires from CU-Boulder next April, Cloutier will continue to tune pianos for a few longtime clients, but his focus in this next stage of his life will be on pursuing a creative endeavor of a different kind: painting. He is moving to northern Maine to join an artist colony. Prints of some of his paintings currently hang in his studio in the music college.
A satisfying part of his job, said Cloutier, is when he has prepared a piano for a performance and can hear his handiwork as the musician plays.
"Tuning pianos is as much an art as playing them," said Cloutier. "I provide the palette so the musicians can create beautiful music."


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Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman Set for BOMBSHELL CD Signing, 2/13
NBC and Columbia Records will release the soundtrack for Bombshell, the musical within NBC's Golden Globe-nominated series television hit "SMASH" (Tuesdays, 10-11pm ET), will be released on February 12.
In celebration of the release, Tony and Grammy-award winning music creators Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will participate in a meet-and-greet album signing at the NBC Experience Store in Rockefeller Plaza on Wednesday, February 13 at 5:30pm.
Bombshell will contain 22 original songs that make up the Broadway-caliber cast recording of the musical, complete with liner notes detailing the plot of Bombshell. The soundtrack features stars Katherine McPhee (Karen), Megan Hilty ( Ivy Lynn ), and other cast members performing the original music created for the show's musical-within-a-musical by Tony and Grammy award-winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman .
The soundtrack is available now for pre-order at Amazon.com (http://smarturl.it/bombshellamzn) and iTunes (http://smarturl.it/bombshell) as well as www.nbcstore.com, and will be on sale February 12 wherever music is sold. There will also be a special edition available at Target with exclusive bonus content.


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"I want to be in theatre for the rest of my life."
If you have said this, our School of Theatre can help transform your passion into your profession and prepare you to work in theatre, film and/or television as performers, writers, directors, designers, technical directors, costume designers, sound engineers, and stage managers. Other degrees prepare you to share your passion for theatre through teaching at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels.
Four Reasons to Consider UNCG
Our conservatory-quality training in the studio and cutting-edge scholarship in the classroom.
Our curriculum is designed so that students develop the technique, imagination and other skills necessary to thrive in significant professional careers in theatre and related fields. Our class schedule, production regimen, and formal reviews are rigorous and rewarding. We uniquely blend professional theatre courses with a liberal arts education so that our graduates become engaged citizens as well as artists.
We bring learning to life outside the classroom.
The campus and the area provide many opportunities to practice your craft, build your résumé, and make new connections.
- A robust performance schedule and professional-level productions in three different venues on campus means practical training occurs not only during the school year, but also in summer months.
- Acting and Drama students each year to participate in our New York Showcase. Nearly 100% of our Showcase participants are signed by agents, talent agencies, or theatrical producers as a result of their appearance.
- Theatre students are a primary source of talent for films, commercials, and modeling opportunities. Many appear in films made by UNCG students, as well as major studio movies filmed in the region.
- Those students wishing to teach theatre in the public schools spend many hours visiting and observing local public school theatre programs. They complete their degree working with a master teacher during their student teaching semester.
Professional Connections.
Our connections wtih professional Equity theatres can lead to internships and performance opportunities. Many of our students hold internships with professional companies like Triad Stage or the Paper Lantern Theatre. These internships are required in several of our programs. Additionally, many of our students participate in regional and national festivals.
We offer scholarships and assistantships.
All undergraduate students who audition and are accepted into the program are considered for a theatre scholarship. Assistantships and fellowships are available for qualified graduate students.
Upcoming Theatre Events
As You Like It
7:30 PM • Taylor Theatre @ UNCG, 406 Tate St, Greensboro, NC 27403, USA
As You Like It
10:00 AM • Taylor Theatre @ UNCG, 406 Tate St, Greensboro, NC 27403, USA
As You Like It
7:30 PM • Taylor Theatre @ UNCG, 406 Tate St, Greensboro, NC 27403, USA
As You Like It
2:00 PM • Taylor Theatre @ UNCG, 406 Tate St, Greensboro, NC 27403, USA
As You Like It
7:30 PM • Taylor Theatre @ UNCG, 406 Tate St, Greensboro, NC 27403, USA
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Cubs still looking to finalize bullpen roles
PHOENIX -- The Cubs' rotation is set. The bullpen is still being evaluated.
The Cubs headed into their final two exhibition games with some decisions to be made. Jose Veras, James Russell, Pedro Strop and Wesley Wright are set. There is still some debate about Alberto Cabrera, Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon, and the Cubs also are looking at some of the relievers who were assigned to the Minor Leagues earlier this spring.
Cabrera had looked sharp early. But in his last two outings, he's struggled, including a game against the Angels on Tuesday when the right-hander gave up five runs on four hits over one-third of an inning. Cabrera is out of options.
Among the pitchers at Chase Field on Friday for the final two games against the D-backs were Brian Schlitter, Zac Rosscup, Neil Ramirez, Blake Parker, Armando Rivero and Jonathan Sanchez. All had been in big league camp at the start of Spring Training.
"We're still winding it down," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "We haven't finished our decisions and we'll work through it in the next 24-48 hours."
The Cubs don't need to set their 25-man Opening Day roster until Sunday, in advance of Monday's opener against the Pirates at PNC Park.
On Friday, Carlos Villanueva, who had been an option for the bullpen, was named the fifth starter.
"I think we have a way better team than we did [last year]," Villanueva said. "The fact that a lot of tough decisions came down to the wire let's people know that we're not all thinking about the future right now, we're thinking about the present, and guys are thinking about now. We want to win now."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Beltre sent back to Texas with left quad injury
BOSTON -- The Rangers are sending third baseman Adrian Beltre back to Texas to see if he needs to go on the disabled list with a strained left quad muscle.
Beltre came out of Tuesday's 10-7 victory over the Red Sox after five innings with what was described as tightness in the muscle. The Rangers want him examined by Dr. Keith Meister in Texas to see the extent of the injury.
"We'll just have to wait and see what Dr. Meister says," manager Ron Washington said. "We'd rather get him there sooner than later."
Beltre had tightness in the quad muscle in Spring Training and missed a week of Cactus League games. This injury is not considered to be in the same area as the problem Beltre experienced in Spring Training.
Beltre started the game at designated hitter because Washington wanted him to have a night off from playing the field to rest his legs. But Washington said there was no indication Beltre was having any problems. He was 2-for-3 at the plate before leaving the game with the Rangers leading 9-1.
"I didn't see why I should leave him in there," Washington said. "It's about doing the right thing."
Josh Wilson started at third base on Tuesday night. The Rangers will play short-handed on Wednesday and then are off on Thursday. If Beltre needs to go on the disabled list, the Rangers can call up Kevin Kouzmanoff from Triple-A Round Rock.
Beltre and Mike Schmidt are tied for fifth all-time with 2,212 games played at third base. The all-time leader is Brooks Robinson with 2,870 games played, followed by Graig Nettles with 2,412, Gary Gaetti with 2,282 and Wade Boggs with 2,215. Beltre should pass Boggs -- like Schmidt, another Hall of Famer -- on the upcoming homestand.
"It's humbling, you obviously know who those guys are and what they have accomplished," Beltre said. "To have something to do with those guys is great. It means I have been playing a long time.
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Area Links
San Francisco
Towns and Neighborhoods
Although maybe not as hip as the more well-known districts of the city, the mostly residential Richmond District has other charming and interesting elements. Richmond District homes range from 1920s duplexes to the most modern of apartment complexes to a few spacious turn-of-the-century Edwardians, oftentimes right next door to one another. The District spans directly north of Golden Gate Park in the northwest corner of San Francisco. Residents of the Richmond District enjoy some of the best valued real estate in the city. The area's diversity shows in its Russian cathedrals, Asian markets and various popular ethnic restaurants lining Clement Street.
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Virginia nutrition conference, 'cow college' scheduled
The 68th Annual Convention of the Virginia State Feed Association & Virginia Tech Nutrition "Cow College will be held Feb. 19-21, at the Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, Va. The conference features topics of interest to nutritionists, feed mill managers and progressive dairy producers. Learn about animal nutrition, feed grain markets, risk management strategies for grain and milk, and the Washington, DC scene. The dairy nutrition focus features nationally known speakers in dairy herd nutrition management. Focus topics include cow comfort, forage evaluation, feed management and nutritional strategies to improve milk production and dairy cattle health.
The agenda includes:
Wednesday, Feb. 19
1 p.m. – Welcome, Mitch Webb, Adisseo
2 p.m. – "The challenge of meeting demand for animal source food sustainability – differences from the past?" — Roger Cady, PhD., Elanco
3 p.m. – What's new from the Washington, D. C. perspective. Issues facing the feed industry in 2014. Richard Sellers, AFIA Randy Gordon, NGFA
3: 30 p.m. – World and U.S. Grain Markets — Henry Graves, BUNGE
4:15 p.m. – Transportation issues for the future — TBA
5:30 p.m. – Social Hour
Thursday, Feb. 20
8 a.m. – Welcome—Patrick French, Ph.D., RP Feed Components
8:05 a.m. – What's next in feed innovations/additives?—Don McIntyre, Ph.D., Diamond V
9 a.m. – Congressman Bob Goodlatte, House of Representatives from the 6th District
10:20 a.m. – What's next in Feed Mill Technology? Adam Fahrenholz, Ph.D., North Carolina State University
11 a.m. – "What's Next? Challenges and opportunities that will shape the future of the animal agriculture industry in the not-so-distant future" —Jim Perdue, Perdue Farms
1:45 p.m. – We are at valine. Where are you?—Mike Blair, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition for Pilgrims
2:30 p.m. – The practical side of amino acid nutrition in dairy cattle – Bob Patton, Ph.D., Nittany Dairy Nutrition
3:45 p.m. – Feed and milk production and prices: what my crystal ball says – Normand St. Pierre, Ph.D., Ohio State University
4:30 p.m. – You control milk fat depression. Don't let it control you! – Tom Jenkins, Ph.D., Clemson University
7 p.m. – Cow Comfort Gordie Jones, DVM, Central Sands Dairy, WI
8 p.m. – "Effectively Managing Feeders and Feed Management Software – Keith Sather, KS Dairy Consulting/Supervisor Systems
Friday, Feb. 21
8 a.m. – Welcome, Dr. Gonzalo Ferreira
8:05 a.m. — How do forage quality measures translate to value to the dairy producer? – Normand St. Pierre, Ph.D., Ohio State University
8:45 a.m. – "Farming and Technology: A Dairyman's Perspective"" – Jeff Bewley, Ph.D., University of Kentucky
9:30 a.m. – Digital Dermatitis, an Endemic Claw Disease. What can we do to control it? – Dana Tomlinson, Ph.D., Zinpro
10:30 a.m. – "Dairying in Argentina: cheap milk – Gonzalo Ferreira, Ph.D., Virginia Tech Department. of Dairy Science
11:30 a.m. – Managing the critical control points of the calf operation – Bob James, Ph.D., Virginia Tech Department of Dairy Science
Visit www.vtdairy.dasc.vt.edu or www.cpe.vt.edu/vsfa for more information.
Virginia Farm Transition Workshop: Overview of Farm Transition
A "Farm Transition Workshop: Overview of Farm Transition" will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at the The Franklin Center, 50 Claiborne Avenue Rocky Mount, Va.
Families with questions about taxes, legal and family issues of transferring their farm and forest lands and agriculture, greenhouse, and nursery businesses are encouraged to attend the one day workshop. The workshop will help farm owners and their families plan for the successful transfer of the farm and forest lands and business.
Some of the topics that will be included in this program are:
• Goals for the Future of Your Farm – Handling the tough issues of family communication
• Business Profitability – Maximizing income to assist in farm transfer
• Retirement Planning – Developing a stable income stream in your later years
• Estate Planning – Approaching tough questions about fairly dividing your estate
• Tax Management Issues – Minimizing taxes in business and wealth transfer
• Business Organizations – Utilizing business entities to manage and transfer assets
The speaker panel will include a nationally known attorney who has expertise in ownership succession issues, the use of limited liability companies (LLCs), and other techniques used to transfer wealth and tax management issues.
The $15/person registration fee will help cover program expenses. Lunch is included in this program. Registration must be received by Feb. 19.
Contact Cynthia Martel or Sean Duff at the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office in Rocky Mount, VA at (540) 483-5161 if you need more information.
Farm Transition programs set in Virginia
Farm Transition Programs will be held at several locations in Virginia during February. Dates and locations include:
• Saturday, Feb. 8, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Southampton Agri-Civic Center, 25376 New Market Road Courtland, VA
• Wednesday, Feb. 19, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center 2375 Darvills Road, Blackstone, VA
• Saturday, Feb. 22, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ª The Franklin Center, 50 Claiborne Avenue Rocky Mount, Virginia
For more information, contact Peter Callan, Extension Agent, FBM Culpeper Co-op Extension Service, 706 Hawkshead Court, Culpeper, VA 22701; email email@example.com or phone 540-825-5597.
Other upcoming Virginia dairy events and activities
• Feb. 21 – PCDart training, 10 a.m., Franklin Center. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com to register
• Sept. 22-24 – 2nd Annual SQMI Meeting (Southeast Quality Milk Initiative), The Inn at Virginia Tech Details TBA
Daubert is new Virginia Extension dairy agent
Jeremy Daubert began his duties as the Virginia dairy Extension agent based in Rockingham County.
Daubert was raised on a registered Brown Swiss dairy in Pennsylvania and earned a B.S. in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech in 2000. Upon graduation, he spent two years as a herdsman on a large dairy located on the eastern shore of Maryland.
In 2004 he and his wife, Becky (also a 2000 Virginia Tech Dairy Science graduate), started their own dairy on a rented facility in Lancaster County, PA. In 2006 they moved their herd to New York, where they operated their dairy on two different purchased facilities. In 2011, they sold the farm and the majority of the cows and moved to Myerstown, Pa., where they managed a 250-cow robotically milked dairy.
Georgia's Carter elected AFBF YF&R chair
Members of the American Farm Bureau (AFBF) Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee (YF&R) elected Jake Carter from McDonough, Ga., as the committee's chair for 2014. He will take over as chairman in February, at the end of the committee's leadership conference, and serve for one year. He will also serve a one-year term on the AFBF board of directors.
Carter graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in business management. Soon after graduation, he returned to the farm and began transforming the former dairy operation into the 320-acre agritourism destination that it is today. Operating as Southern Belle Farm, Carter, along with his wife, Jennifer, offers u-pick strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, a fall corn maze and educational school tours year-round.
As the seventh generation to farm in Henry County, Carter is passionate about connecting with consumers, especially those who have been misled about what farming is all about.
"We need to put a face on farming and show people what we do how, how we do it and why," Carter said.
Carter and his family consider themselves lucky that they can make that connection in person with the people who visit their farm.
"We enjoy giving people a sense of where their food comes from. That's not an option for most farmers and ranchers, but there are other ways to connect, like social media," he pointed out.
As YF&R chair, Carter said he and the committee are committed to Farm Bureau's unique grassroots structure. They're also looking forward to building on the success of previous young leaders.
"We're going to really focus on turning some of our big ideas into action," he said.
The YF&R program includes men and women between the ages of 18 and 35. The program's goals are to help younger Farm Bureau members learn more about agriculture, network with other farmers and realize their full potential as leaders in agriculture and Farm Bureau.


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It's never a good thing when your two worst players were your all stars.
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It's never a good thing when your two worst players were your all stars.
There is no NBA player named Monte Ellis.
I am sure that many of you will have your Player that you will complain about......mine tonight are PG24, Lance and Hibbert.
For me, PG24 was in his SuperStar-Faux PG24 mode where he would complain about calls that he should or shouldn't have gotten. Lance did a horrible job defending DunDun at first....then tried to go HeroBall in the 3rd...woke up and put up a good # of points....just typical Inconsistent Lance that I hate. Hibbert.....just did a horrible job against IMHO a very strong candidate for DPOY in my book. Noah....right now....is what I wish Hibbert could be....defensive stalwart that had more energy in his little finger than Hibbert did all game and is THE MAIN reason why the Bulls are doing so well.
I am sure that there are others that sucked tonight.....but for me....they stuck out like a sore thumb.
Complain away.
Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.
This team has to make a stand the next week or two (against tough comp it turns out) or else they're going down as regular season chokers. They either rise up and show the first half was not an aberration, or they are exposed for what they truly are - not ready for prime time and not as tough as their pre-season, early-season one seed mission talk.
I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.
-Emiliano Zapata
PG and Hibbert suck right now. Like, horrible.
Dear P_George,
You have received an infraction at Pacers Digest.
Reason: Unacceptable Comment and/or Content
Ever since he signed on to do Space Jam 2, the Monstars have clearly stolen our guys talent, because this team SUCKS.
That really, really sucked.
Wednesday's game is a must win. We HAVE to feed Roy against Miami. If we don't do it then we're going to lose the game and lose the advantage for the #1 seed.
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.
Can't wait to hear everyone proclaim that our season is about to turn around when we beat Miami on Wednesday. Only to have everyone immediately go back into panic mode when we lose in Washington. I said it after we beat the Bulls at home and everyone jumped down my throat, but I'll say it again. This team is mediocre on the road, and awesome at home. That isn't going to change. We're still making it to the ECF. Whether we have a chance to go to the finals depends on us holding on to that one seed.
You guys know me, I try to always be optimistic with the Blue and Gold.
I still think we can salvage the 1 seed. It's going to be tough, but we can do it.
WILL WE? That's a different discussion altogether. Fact is, we're just playing awful, ugly, selfish and whiny basketball and it really shows very few signs of stopping.
A day will come when PG realizes he can use his frustration at the refs, the opposition, and all the stupid people of the 'real world' trying to take him down as a way to motivate him to dominate.
Kobe does it. MJ did it. One day I pray PG has that same epiphany. Because right now he just isn't a very good presence on the court. All this whining and moaning after nearly every single play makes it very difficult to stomach watching this team play. And I say that as someone who dutifully watched every single Pacers game during the "He who shall not be named" era.
Is it chemistry? Is it coaching? Is it lack of heart and effort? Are we tired? Are we just mentally ill equipped to deal with a high level of early success?
Is it all those things mixed into a bubbling cauldron of dysfunction?
I don't know.
I just know that I love the Pacers, warts and all. And I support the guys on the team, even when I want to slap them around.
We can pull it together. I know we can.
Just hope THEY know they can too...
Hey Chicago I'll give you Roy and PG for that Noah guy
This is not a post-game thread. This is a postmortem thread. This team will not win a championship (obviously), won't beat the Heat and probably won't even make it to the ECF. I'm not worried about getting the top seed in the East anymore - we've already lost it. I'm more worried about avoiding a first-round matchup with the New York Knicks as I'd rather get knocked out by Atlanta or Charlotte. I just hope Frank Vogel is fired soon so he can interview for one of the vacant college jobs.
We're certainly much, much better at home than we're on the road. That's a given. I think that most of the people just disagreed with your definition of mediocre. Our road record is not mediocre. Our road record is top 7 in the league. It's clearly in the upper echelon. However, it is not elite. Our home record, on the other hand, is the best in the league and clearly elite.
I guess that a better way of saying that would be that we're elite at home and simply good on the road.
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.
Miami is going to come out focused and locked in on Wed.
And so will we. We sucked tonight, but we'll come out ready against the Heat.
I had a gnawing feeling a couple of weeks back that a lot of what we did out of the gate was because the East was a mess. A lot of new free agents on a lot of clubs, injuries early and just a general malaise. We were set ready to go and we bolted. Now that everyone has settled in and figured it out, we are being exposed as the meh offensive team we always were. Combined with the fact we have stopped playing defense (West and Hibbert wearing down) and we are gonna have to scramble to get anything done in the playoffs.
I thought DWest would be able to right this but PG is too far gone and we are going with him.
Man, and we are tied to the lineup due to contracts. No wiggle room.
Last edited by seeker80; 03-24-2014 at 10:43 PM.
1) Roy has already taken responsibility for it. He said it one or two weeks ago that he has to play better and he absolutely meant it. One of Roy's drawbacks is that he's actually too hard on himself.
2) We certainly have to move the ball but that is not optimal against Miami. Miami specializes in a blitzing defense with quick rotations that can easily pick off bad passes and turn them into fast-break points. We struggle the turnovers a lot so if we turn to move the ball but screw up (which is likely) and committ a live ball turnover that allows them to run and score on the break then we're toast.
On the other hand, Roy has a clear advantage against Miami's bigs. He has also proven time and time again that any time that he gets enough touches (12+) he produces great results. The team simply has to recognize that and stop ignoring him on the offensive end.
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.
They do not care. They've made their money, thats all they want. We get to watch them go one-on-one, play lackluster defense, and bs around in their off-time for the rest of the season.
Thats the only thing we have to look forward to as Pacer fans.
I bet D-wade will be rested and ready too don't think he's played in their last couple of games
Is the lack of Brian Shaw on the bench starting to show its effect?
The *****ing to the refs needs to stop.
I've had it with Paul George's antics. Nobody wants to see that whining. Suck it up and play.
PG's garbage offense is reaching crisis mode, and this isn't some two week long slump or something. He's been bad on the offensive end for three months now.
Multiple forced clanked jumpers tonight. Garbage drives to the basket that were either blocked or clanked off the rim/back board. The patented garbage isos at the end of the quarter. There was the hideous block by Hinrich (and the typical whining to the refs that followed). But the sequence that stands out to me was with about two minutes left in the game when he missed THREE shots on the same possession. It was one of the most selfish sequences I've seen in a long time. He didn't look to pass it all, no he had to shoot again and again. The ultimate in ball hogging. A couple of possessions after that when we were coming out of a timeout, he had some forced shot blocked by Noah to cap off his garbage night.
8-22 on the night for PG, and at one point Denari was trying to act like he was getting back on track at 6-15. . This kid obviously isn't yet cut out to be the top 5 player that everyone was calling him at the beginning of the season, but his entire offensive game revolves around trying to live up to being on the same level of Durant and Lebron. Quite frankly, it's just killing our offense right now. It has created the ultimate domino effect and has clearly zapped the other players on that end. How can an offense be good when it revolves around a selfish player who plays like crap night in and night out? This kid is not Kobe Bryant yet, but it seems like the only people who don't yet realize it are PG and Vogel. It's time for Vogel to have a spine and reign this guy in, but how is that going to happen when Vogel doesn't even have the guts to try something else besides a garbage PG iso whenever we're on our final possession of a quarter?
Outside of PG's awful selfish play, Hibbert played a huge role in the loss. Nights like this are just where his contract is complete theft. No guts on either end of the court and completely manhandled by Noah. I've never seen a good player who so routinely vanishes like Houdini.
Every time we play in Chicago, Gibson plays like he's Charles Barkley. He was draining jumpers on us and completely abusing us inside.
Lance's defense was bad, he was abused by Dunleavy and Hinrich multiple times. But credit to them for routinely hitting jumpers. They played out of their minds.
Just a hideous loss. The main culprits are a center who too often plays like a wuss and a selfish wing who thinks that he's Kobe Bryant.
Yup I'm predicting a blow out loss. Pacers will not be able to score with them. This is gonna be a hard game to go to.
You can't get champagne from a garden hose.


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Apple and Samsung return to federal court in San Jose on Tuesday in round two of their epic patent battle. Patent expert Kenneth Parulski will testify for Samsung, which is expected to start wrapping up its case. Mercury News reporter Howard Mintz will cover all the action from court.
Click here if viewing on a mobile device.


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Friendship Is Magic When Twilight Sparkle Becomes A Princess
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.
You heard right, and that's the big news coming out of My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle is becoming a princess! Hasbro Studio VP Mike Vogel was on hand at Toy Fair to discuss the major development, but also to reassure fans that the character will still be the same geeky, hyper, and studious pony we've grown to love. In other news, Hasbro Studios is hard at work on more episodes, but they can't say right now how many or when they will be airing. But, the next season will include the return of ponies who haven't been around lately. And, next week's finale episode will be a musical one with the most songs ever; we got to see a clip and it was a lot of fun.
In the showroom, the My Little Pony section was chock full of pony magic, with the usual assortment of full size pony figures, miniatures, and all manner of other fun products. Of course the Twilight Sparkle princess toys will be hot, and there are two sets capturing that event with the pony on her way to the coronation and then at the ceremony. Toys R Us will have three exclusives later this year: a multi-pack of many of the fan-favorite ponies and a large and small version of ponies in dark disguise. We even got a sneak peek at some upcoming My Little Pony Mimobots USB drives from Mimoco that haven't yet been announced!
- Scott Rubin


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Get our special discount 10% for this year end. Effective for placing order until end of 2013.
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The prices stated on each products are presented according to the finishing style and colour as viewed on the web image. Therefore, we will review all your order submissions and propose change of prices for any items you ask to be made in different finishing style and colour
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Counter Intelligence
When the Counter announced their first OC franchise would debut in Irvine, the anticipation was thicker than the beef patties I had already heard so much about. To the burger aficionado, its fame was widespread long before the ink dried on the Irvine Co. lease. The Counter's original Santa Monica locale has been written about to death on foodie blogs, gabbed about on Good Morning America and hip-checked in GQ. Then there's Oprah: One mention on her show sent sales skyward, paving the way for expansion.
The Counter's rep is built on customer empowerment. Their burgers are endlessly customizable. I'm talking the kind of control you didn't know you always wanted. Their website claims at least 312,120 different combinations. Want to verify this? Better use factorials.
Once inside, a clipboard with a checklist is presented in lieu of a menu. On it, you pencil in your choice of meat, cheese, toppings, sauce and bun. Aside from the junior high Scantron pop-quiz flashbacks, it's an efficient way to order. Want horseradish, Cheddar and goat cheese? A whole pound of beef, instead of the standard third-pounder? Bubble 'em in! How about dried cranberries, roasted chiles and peanut sauce? Why not? Four toppings and a sauce are included free. Pepto? Alka Seltzer? You're on your own.
It'd been scarcely a week since the opening, and the place was already packed. My friends and I were in a sea of heads, crowded inside an octagonal enclosure that looked like the Ultimate Fighting cage. A wide window rolled up like a garage door. The bar was lined with rows of wine bottles, and imported beer flowed from taps. Squeezing themselves between the aluminum tables was a serving crew recruited from local high schools and colleges. As expected, everyone was more than a little overwhelmed, especially the kitchen.
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Our order of limp fries and crumbly onion strings was polished off even before the burgers showed up, dipped in thimbles of sugary apricot, tangy barbecue and watery ranch sauces. Unlike its distant relative the zucchini, the deep-fried pickles don't need sauce. Also better than their paler cousins were the sweet potato fries--a crunchier, sturdier, tastier starch.
Twenty thumb-twiddling minutes later, our custom-designed burgers arrived, built as a precarious stack, overloaded with stuff--the sandwich equivalent of a sea lion balancing a ball on its nose, teetering with flailing flippers atop another ball. Twice as tall as it was wide, it was impossible to hold; one wrong move, and the messy tower would tumble like Jenga. (Also, unless you're Mr. Fantastic or Elastigirl, there's no hope of getting your mouth around it.)
Giving up my grip, I took to a fork and ate the thing in stages. The dry patty tasted almost like bland meatloaf, as it was densely packed and grilled to a uniform degree of doneness: thoroughly brown with no pink, despite the promise of medium. My friend complained that his chicken sandwich was overcooked, too, and they forgot the lettuce.
Two weeks later, we returned to a completely different story. First, we were offered a choice: Did we want the fries as a starter, or as a side with our burgers? It didn't matter, though, because the sandwiches came out promptly, not more than a few minutes after the fried items. The meat was cooked to the correct shade of rosy. Drinks were topped off without having to ask. Empty plates, whisked away with a smile. Our evening was nothing short of choreographed.
But just as the staff wisened up to their rookie mistakes, so did I. I put down my pencil and ordered "The Old School." And there it was: the perfect burger. Cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle, shaved red onion and bun. No froufrou toppings. Nothing but the essentials. Best of all, it fit snugly in my hands. I wasn't eating chopped steak with a fork anymore. This was the hamburger I had been waiting for all these months: a juicy, beefy, textbook-thick patty, eaten as the sandwich it was always meant to be.
The Counter is finally open in Irvine. And Oprah? Say hi to Obama for us, will ya?
The Counter, 6416 Irvine Blvd., Irvine, (949) 336-7272; www.thecounterburger.com. Open Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Dinner for two, $30, food only. Beer and wine.
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Irvine, CA 92620
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The Worst Holiday Gifts Ever
With visions of the ultimate holiday gift dancing in her head, Circle of Moms member Nikki S. says her daydream was shattered the second she sat down next to the Christmas tree and started unwrapping her gifts. She got: a big pack of size 16 granny undies, the same horrid handbag from the previous year, and a pair of poofy football slippers from her husband. "I live in fear at Christmas time, I swear my family has no idea who I am. While I really do appreciate the sentiment (and it's the thought that counts), it would be nice for once to get something I like."
For many moms, it's hard to keep dreaming of that special gift waiting under the tree in the aftermath of last year's fiascos. Desiree R. says at least she has some help with the challenge of staying excited about the surprises that await her: Last year her worst gift was "a self help book on having a positive attitude."
It may have come wrapped with love, but Holly says she was shocked when she opened a gift from her aunt – who used give innocent stuff like Hello Kitty key chains – "right in front of my parents, grandma, aunts, uncles and oldest daughter," to find "super lacy, sheer, skimpy" lingerie. "There was no warning on the box or anything. That was embarrassing."
And it could be worse, says Lucy F. Last year her mother-in-law gave her "a dust pan and brush." Her MIL "clearly thinks the chain attaching me to the kitchen sink is a little too long," she says.
Gifts from Mothers-in-Law
The list of gifts every mom won't love seems to be dominated by the thoughtful efforts of our spouse's mother. Tracy H.'s worst gift ever was "a mini pack of wet wipes from my MIL. She thought it was a good idea in case I needed to wipe my kid's faces when they came out of school."
Jessica L. and Jocelyn S. both bemoan gifts of clothing they've received from theirs: "My MIL got me a couple of, I think they're called popcorn sweaters? Or popcorn shirts, or something. They are this silky kind of material and are all scrunched up and so small they look like they could fit a baby. But then they stretch out and fit an adult. I don't know, I never told her this but they're horridly ugly and not something I would ever ever wear."
"My MIL gave me a scarf," says Jocelyn S. "Normally I love scarves; but this one was trimmed with rabbit fur, and I'm a vegetarian."
Mother-in-laws also seem to love giving house gifts. Heather L. remembers an "ooooooogly hand-painted wooden candleholder" she received from her's. "It's all painted black with spots of other colors - pink, yellow, turquoise, 'vomitous' purple. And it's huge - like 18 inches tall and all fat so you can't hide it. I'm sure it wasn't cheap. But it represents her need to make my house look like her's so it really pisses me off. She's been to our place a million times. She knows that everything is decorated in sages and reds and wood. There is no pink, yellow or turquoise and certainly no 'vomitous' purple. Oh wait - there is some pink. On the chair covers because she covered them for me before we moved here in a fabric that she would want in her house."
File Under "Um, Thanks"
In the practical category, Kate C. not-so-fondly remembers, "a cold remedy pack from my mom one year. It had zinc tablets, nasal spray, Echinacea, and other crap in it. Thanks, Ma."
In the where did this come from category, Rebecca T. says: "I got a book about people who dance with cats. The people were all dressed up like their cats, with makeup and everything. Grown men with tails and a tabby cat twirling ribbons. It would have been kind of cool if it weren't so creepy. That, and I'm allergic to cats."
Then there are the inappropriate gifts that people give your children. Amber M.'s husband once ignored her dislike of guns and got their five-year-old son a real rifle for Christmas. "He would not tell me what he got our two boys. He wanted it to be a surprise for all of us. Well I was looking at the box, and it hit me what it was. I thought it was [a] pelt gun, but he told me it was a Youth 22 Rifle. Our oldest son is almost five and that is who the gun [was] for. I was so mad. . . ."
Just remember, it could always be worse.
What's the worst holiday gift you've received?
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.


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December, full-year 2013 fluid sales decline
December 2013 packaged fluid milk sales totaled 4.35 billion lbs., down 0.8% from December 2012, according to USDA's Dairy Market News.
December sales of conventional products, at 4.15 billion lbs., were down 1.5% compared to December 2012; organic products, at 199 million lbs., were up 14.4%. Organic represented about 4.6% of total sales for the month.
For the entire year, packaged fluid milk sales totaled 51.51 billion lbs., down 2.3% from 2012. Sales of conventional products, at 49.24 billion lbs., were down 2.6%; organic products, at 2.27 billion lbs., were up 5.1%. Organic represented about 4.4% of total sales.
Source: Dairy Market News
Milk COP down thanks to lower feed costs
On the strength of lower feed costs, the national average cost to produce milk fell for a fourth consecutive month in January 2014, declining to its lowest level since April 2012. USDA cost estimates are based on total farm costs per hundredweight of milk sold.
USDA's monthly Milk Cost of Production report showed lower feed costs – both to purchase and/or produce – were the main driver in total cost reductions.
Total feed costs averaged $12.58/cwt. in January 2014, down 20¢ from December 2013 and down $1.73 from January 2013. Purchased feed costs, at $6.69/cwt., were down 5¢ from December 2013, and down 82¢ from January 2013.
Since July 2013, average total feed costs are down $4.62/cwt. of milk sold, a drop of 27%. Feed represented about 52% of total costs in January 2014, compared to 55% a year ago.
Other than feed, there were minimal changes in other operating and allocated overhead costs compared to previous months. Labor, opportunity costs on unpaid labor and capital recovery of machinery/equipment were slightly lower than December 2013, but slightly higher than January 2013.
Total costs, at $24.23/cwt. in January 2014, were down 46¢ from December 2013 and $1.57 less than January 2013. They're down about 17% from July 2013. (USDA did not calculate milk cost of production between March and June 2013 due to sequestration budget cuts.)
WIC changes include yogurt
USDA finalized changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The changes increase access to fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.
Along with a more than 30% increase in the dollar amount for children's fruits and vegetables purchases, the changes also:
• expand whole grain options available to participants,
• provide yogurt as a partial milk substitute for children and women,
• allow parents of older infants to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables instead of jarred infant food if they choose, and;
• give states and local WIC agencies more flexibility to meet the nutritional and cultural needs of WIC participants.
WIC provides low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five with nutritious, supplemental foods. Over 8.5 million participants receive WIC benefits each month. More information about the changes and the WIC program can be found at www.fns.usda.gov/wic.
Chobani urges Idaho governor to reconsider agricultural security bill
An Idaho bill making it a crime to secretly film animal abuse on the state's dairy farms has drawn criticism from one of the state's newest dairy processors, Chobani. Senate Bill 1337 was approved by the Idaho House, 56-14, on Feb. 26. It was previously approved in the Idaho Senate, 23-10.
Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, urged Idaho Gov. C.L. Otter to veto the legislation.
"A bill is up for approval in Idaho that, if passed, would limit transparency and make some instances of exposing the mistreatment of animals in the state punishable by imprisonment," he said in a released statement. "This could cause the general public concern and conflicts with our views and values.
"As someone who grew up on a farm, I believe deeply that the humane treatment of animals is an ethical and moral imperative and, having spent a lot of time in upstate New York and Idaho, I know hundreds of farmers feel the same," Ulukaya continued. "When I founded Chobani, it was based around these core values and principles. And we chose Idaho for Chobani's second home because of its deep farming culture, sense of community and shared values. So I am joining many folks across the country in asking Governor Otter to reconsider the bill before him."
Visit www.chobani.com and www.facebook.com/chobani.


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EAST LANSING, Mich. – What we learned as No. 1 Indiana took command of the Big Ten Conference race, its 72-68 road victory over No. 4 Michigan State at the Breslin Center elevating the Hoosiers to 12-2 in conference, a game ahead of the Spartans. Before tonight, Indiana hadn't won in East Lansing, Mich., since 1991.
Shooting solves a lot of problems. In the end, Indiana didn't shoot even 44 percent from the floor, was outrebounded and forced only 11 turnovers from Michigan State.
What the Hoosiers did was shoot. They shot the heck out of it.
IU shot the ball demonstrably better than Michigan State, and when we saw "shot," we mean the kind of attempts that count for 3-points. There's making baskets and there's shooting, and this was shooting.
Indiana finished 8-of-18 from 3-point range in wild a atmosphere under serious game pressure and with a top-notch defense working to lessen those attempts in quality. Guard Jordan Hulls made 4-of-6, forward Christian Watford hit 2-of-5 and wing Victor Oladipo made one big one. That was the most significant difference for the Hoosiers on a night when they needed every possible point.
This will not define Gary Harris. With less than 4 seconds remaining, Michigan State's brilliant freshman guard was able to get room on the left wing to attempt a 3-point jumper that would tie the game and perhaps force overtime. As IU's Will Sheehey raised his arms to make a clean look difficult, Harris was wise enough to lean into his shot and draw a foul call from (slightly overmatched) official Gary Scirotto.
However, with a chance to tie with three free throws, Harris stepped to the line and missed the first of his attempts.
He finished with 19 points. He needed to finish with 21. Harris was among the best on the floor in a game that featured perhaps seven or eight future NBA players. As he walked along the baseline with his teammates slapping hands with the student fans, he did not appear to be overly dejected.
Harris will produce more great moments for this team.
Derrick Nix is huge. Yeah, you knew that. Just look at him: 6-9, 270 pounds if he skips breakfast and lunch. But his growing commitment to mattering on offense is making Michigan State into a national title contender, something few imagined when the season began.
There just aren't many teams in college basketball with a player so big and so patient on offense. He will work as deep as the defense allows him to before attempting a shot, and it's not always easy for a defender to keep Nix from where he wants to go. Indiana used 6-9 Christian Watford against him most of the night, perhaps to keep 6-11 Cody Zeller out of foul trouble and also to have him available as a help defender.
But Nix was able to back Watford down fairly regularly, including on crucial baskets at 3:07 and 2:37.
Neither of them was scored on the initial move, but Nix stayed with the play after missing and once got a rebound, the second time stole the ball from guard Jordan Hulls. Those two scores put MSU ahead by a 66-63 margin.
Nix was not as productive in this game as in the past three, when he averaged 14.7 points, but he was even more necessary.
Zeller has to play bigger. The two matchups against Michigan State have been the most daunting in the frontcourt for Indiana. Even Wisconsin often plays smaller at the power forward spot, with 6-8 Ryan Evans or 6-6 Mike Bruesewitz. Zeller has been defended by 270-pound Derrick Nix or 6-10 Adreian Payne in those two games, and finished poorly in both.
With 4:16 left in the game and IU needing a bucket, Zeller finally dribbled into a post opportunity that was near enough to the goal for it to make sense, and he converted a tough one after the defender tried in vain to draw a charge.
His biggest challenge is to use his skill and athleticism not only to punish slightly smaller defenders but also those that can contend with him physically. In two games against the Spartans, he was 8-of-23 from the floor.
Indiana is getting deeper. In the first half alone, Indiana employed 10 players, some of whom weren't even available as the season began. Forward Derek Elston was recovering from a knee injury. Wing Maurice Creek was continuing his perpetual pursuit of good health. Big man Hanner Mosquera-Perea was serving an NCAA suspension.
Indiana has had Perea for 17 games now, and his progress has been gradual, but Elston has only been truly active for the past seven games.
A 6-9 senior from Tipton, Ind., Elston is not the sort of player who is going to win his team a national championship. But he is, like Charles Okwandu for UConn in 2011, or perhaps David Noel for North Carolina in 2005.
Even at this late hour, Elston entered the MSU game with only 75 minutes played for the year. That's about what the Notre Dame guys covered in a single night against Louisville. But in the first half of this one, Elston came on for five minutes to help spell Zeller and Watford, and not only did he deliver an expected dose of toughness – he also nailed a right-wing 3-pointer barely 7 minutes into the game.
He'd made only one from long-range before that shot, although he showed himself to be a proficient deep shooter in hitting 55 percent as a junior. The willingness to take a shot like that in a game this big said a lot.
Hey, so is Michigan State. With 11:54 remaining, freshman center Matt Costello heard the buzzer and looked to the bench. It seemed like it was time for him to come out of the game. But it wasn't that he needed to.
Costello received an already-standing ovation from the audience at the Breslin Center, and it was well-earned. While he was in the game and Nix and Payne sat, the Spartans actually caught up to Indiana, with Costello's two blocked shots among the key plays in a sequence that saw MSU take off on a 9-3 run that resulted in a 49-48 lead on Branden Dawson's layup with 13:23 left. Costello not only had the two blocks, he also assisted on a key 3-pointer by Harris.
It may not be essential that Costello have played, and played effectively in a huge game such as this, in order to be ready for March. A year ago, when Jared Sullinger got into foul trouble for Ohio State against Gonzaga (third round) and Syracuse (Elite Eight), freshman Amir Williams entered despite almost no experience and held the ground for OSU, which went on to reach the Final Four.
It certainly makes a coach better, though, to know how a player will react under pressure and what he is ready to contribute in the biggest games.
It helps to make the Hoosiers work. Through the first half, Michigan State's defensive approach was to protect against penetration by switching nearly every perimeter cross, even if it left a big on a small, and constricting a bit toward the lane.
Indiana was allowed to run its offense, and when the Hoosiers run their offense and believe in it, they can be awfully pretty to watch. And so they were. They did not shoot a high percentage because Zeller was not efficient enough from the floor and they generally did not finish well at the rim. But they owned the game because they shoot so well and were generating so many open 3-point shots.
After the break, the Spartans extended their defense to challenge the ballhandler, to take away the next intended pass in the Hoosiers' offense. It was obvious early on what Indiana's response would be: to take tougher shots.
Zeller missed three times in the first 3:07 of the second half, all on fallaway jumpers. The only good excuse for a fallaway jumper from a low-post center is a made fallaway jumper. And those are rare.


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Pope Idol
Time to drag the Catholic Church into the 21st Century with reality TV, live Twittering and, you guessed it from the title, Pope Idol.
We don't have to get rid of the white smoke – it can still be done when the final winner is announced, but the weekly battles for your votes will be what makes the difference.
Thing is, we're going to need to appoint three or four celebrity judges.
That's where you come in.
Suggest who you think would make an awesome celebrity judge for Pope Idol, and once we've got the whole thing sorted, I'll contact Simon Cowell and see if he's happy to license this world-wide.


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Medical Care for Children Partnership (MCCP)
The Medical Care for Children Partnership (MCCP) is a community
partnership dedicated to providing medical and dental
services to children of Fairfax County who otherwise are
ineligible to receive healthcare offered through Medicaid or other
private and public sources. The aim of the MCCP is to meet the
healthcare needs of all Fairfax County children.
Interesting Facts
Useful Links
MCCP for Families (in English and Spanish).


text: A mad mix of Latin and funky rhythms – a 70s classic from the Belgian group Chakachas! The album's best known for its title hit "Jungle Fever" – an insane cut that features heavy drums, choppy guitar, and a stop/start action that's peppered with sounds of female pleasure! The track was a worldwide hit, and continues to be a funky classic today – thanks to a heavy sample history, and a life in playlists worldwide – but the rest of the album's pretty darn great too, and even weirder. Some tracks mix easy Euro grooving with heavy conga, others have kind of an LA Chicano funk approach, and still others throw in some mad horns to complicate matters with nice jazzy riffing. Really great throughout – and maybe one of the best funky albums to ever come out on a major label!


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PLANS to build a biomass plant in Cheney Manor are on the verge of collapse after Pure Green withdrew its application for an environmental permit with the Environment Agency.
Coun Des Moffatt (Lab, Rodbourne Cheney), who has led opposition to the plans from the start, has said this is a positive step forward for the hundreds of residents against the building of the plant.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said yesterday: "I can confirm that the application submitted by Pure Green to the Environment Agency on August 19, 2013, for a waste wood and biomass boiler at Cheney Manor, was formally withdrawn by the applicant on December 17, 2013.
"The withdrawal of this application does not prevent the operator from applying again."
The UK offshoot of Hippofan, a European specialist in animal bedding, lodged plans to build the biomass plant at Cheney Manor Industrial Estate with Swindon Council in April last year.
The plans have been at the centre of a number of large public gatherings, including a residents' meeting, a planning committee and a council meeting.
Under the proposals, the company wants to produce around 50,000 tonnes of animal bedding plus energy at its plant which would see the construction of two chimneys up to 30 metres high.
Despite the withdrawal of the application with the Environment Agency, the plans are not yet dead and buried, with a planning application still awaiting a decision from Swindon Council.
Geoff Fynes, the agent assigned to the application by Pure Green, said: "As far as I am aware the application is still live and under consideration."
Mr Fynes also said the last time he received instruction from Peter Vandeputte, Pure Green's lead on the application, was during a meeting with planners shortly before Christmas.
A decision on this planning matter was deferred in August, and would not be considered until Pure Green began a series of consultations with the public, which have yet to take place.
Agents representing the applicants have shown no inclination to begin consultations when asked by the council's officers for an update on the planning application.
"People need licences to operate and pollute the air, everywhere in the country," said Coun Moffatt. "They have withdrawn the application with the Environment Agency, which is significant.
"The other thing is that it still needs to go to planning. If they got planning permission they could still go back to the Environment Agency and open up another application."
Pure Green's planning application continues to sit on the council's system, pending a final decision. While Pure Green continues to delay any consultation action, the clock is ticking according, to Coun Moffatt, who said these matters are not allowed to fester and skew the council's performance figures.
"The whole thing stands in limbo until they do consult or the council tries to dispose of the application. The longer it sits there it damages the council's performance targets."
Terri Jones, 60, a self-employed confectioner of Bruce Street, said: "This is fabulous news.
"This sends a message, loud and clear, to Forward Swindon, and the business they attract to Cheney Manor Industrial Estate.
"It is not a place for heavy industry, due to the closeness to the residents and the road infrastructure."


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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
LEADERS: Azerane Bam BinkyBunny JerseyGirl LBJ10 LittlePuffyTail LongEaredLions RabbitPam
Okay so, I'm not sure if this is in the right section but if it isn't I'll move it.
Over at Rabbitsonline, BlueEyes found a 5yr old boy bun called Scruffles, who was dropped off at the pet store because his owners were bored with him. Another member, whitelop, has decided to adopt Scruffles, but she lives in South Carolina, and BlueEyes is in Arizona.
If any of you guys would be willing to help transport him, it would be greatly appreciated. Here are the checkpoints/possible legs. Basically the major cities that show up on the map route. The underlined are taken care of already, and the Italic is unconfirmed but possibly taken care of.
Phoenix AZ
Flagstaff AZ
Gallup NM
Albuquerque NM
Tucumcari NM
Amarillo TX
Elk City OK
Oklahoma City OK
Sallisaw OK
Clarksville AR
Little Rock AR
Forrest City AR
Memphis TN
Nashville TN
Knoxville TN
Thank you guys for helping.


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If the kids and grandkids are still shopping for gifts for family and friends, be sure to run by the library's annual Holiday Store, filled with gifts for all ages, and at kid-friendly prices.
Beginning Monday, it will be open only at the Library Center from 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. every day through Saturday, and 1-4:30 p.m. Dec. 5.
_ _ _
Technology gurus tell us that by 2013, people will use their mobile devices more than their desktop PCs to access the Internet.
The Springfield-Greene County Library District is ready when you are.
To see what I mean, just type thelibrary.org on your mobile device. (The web address is the same one you're used to – the home page detects that the user is coming from a mobile device and redirects to the mobile home page.)
What you get is the library's new mobile website with a simple, drop-down menu.
Rather than recreating the library's entire website in a mobile format, it focuses on key tasks that users are likely to want.
"Mobile users have different interests than users of desktop computers," says the library's Web Manager Nancy Eike. "They have immediate, task-oriented goals. Mobile users are generally not interested in lengthy documents or in browsing."
From the drop-down menu, you can:
One day soon, it will be easier to download e-books and e-audiobooks from the mobile website – and more.
Find this article at


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CRADLEY'S new-look speedway team will take to the stage during the club's official season launch event on Saturday.
The team, including big winter signing Steve Worrall, will meet supporters at Cradley Heath Liberal Club.
Worrall, brother of Great Britain international Richie, has linked up with the Heathens for the defence of their National League title.
He'll meet up with his colleagues and talk to fans at the sold out launch night.
He said: "I can't wait for the season to start now – it's been a long winter for me and I just need to get going again.
"I know most of the lads pretty well and it will be good to see all of them and get together as a team for the first time this weekend.
"I'm really looking forward to going down and meeting the fans as well.
"They are a good bunch of people who I know are crazy about their speedway, and I just can't wait to ride for a team with such good backing."
Heathens fans are eagerly awaiting the club's new race jacket design as Cradley return to league racing after a gap of 18 years. A new range of club merchandise will also be unveiled at the same time on Saturday.
Merchandise will also be available online at the club's official website and at the new club shop on Quarry Bank High Street next Monday.
Heathens chairman Nigel Pearson said: "There has been a lot of interest in the new Cradley race jacket and the new club merchandise.
"It's going to be a great night on Saturday and the guys at the club shop will have items in stock. I've seen a couple of designs and it looks great.
"And Printworx at Quarry Bank have already had speedway fans in the shop asking when they can buy Cradley stuff."


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Orthostatic Tolerance During FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation)-Walking in Paraplegia
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- No Study Results Posted
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- How to Read a Study Record
The objective of this research is to undertake a safety and viability study of FES-evoked stepping in individuals with paraplegia. The rationale for this objective is based upon the need to clarify whether physiological limitations, especially orthostatic intolerance, limit functional mobility outcomes. The cardiovascular, autonomic, and muscle metabolic factors governing orthostatic tolerance during skin-surface FES stepping will be investigated, since this functional task forms the basis of upright mobility and engenders strong physiological challenges upon key regulatory processes in the SCI (spinal cord injury) patient.
Specific Hypotheses:
i. Reduction of blood pressure will be greater during FES-evoked stepping than during passive stepping; ii. Reduction of blood pressure will be greater during FES-evoked stepping with no upper body component versus FES-stepping with an upper body component; iii. Blood pressure will be reduced even further during FES-evoked stepping following a 6-week progressive-intensity gait training intervention.
|Spinal Cord Injury
|Procedure: FES-evoked functional upright gait
|Phase 1
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Orthostatic Tolerance During FES-evoked Stepping in Paraplegia: A Safety and Viability Study
- Change of systolic blood pressure during three FES-evoked stepping conditions
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Responses
- Autonomic Responses
- Muscle Metabolic Responses
- Humoral Responses
- Syncope Symptom Score
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|March 2004
|Study Completion Date:
|December 2006
The primary aim of the safety and viability study is to assess changes in blood pressure during up to 60-min of FES-evoked stepping versus up to 60-min of stepping.
A secondary aim is to investigate changes in blood pressure during FES-assisted stepping with and without a voluntary upper-limb component of gait.
Specific Hypotheses:
i. Reduction of blood pressure will be greater during FES-evoked stepping than during passive stepping; ii. Reduction of blood pressure will be greater during FES-evoked stepping with no upper body component versus FES-stepping with an upper body component; iii. Blood pressure will be reduced even further during FES-evoked stepping following a 6-week progressive-intensity gait training intervention.
Primary Outcome: The primary outcome measure for this study is the change of systolic blood pressure during three FES-evoked stepping conditions, as described below. Each condition is defined as up to 60-min of continuous gait.
Secondary Outcomes: Secondary outcomes include a change of diastolic blood pressure and the duration of orthostatic tolerance. Orthostatic tolerance will be assessed as the time that the subject can perform stepping before the onset of orthostatic hypotension. The duration of orthostatic tolerance will be determined by the time at which one of the following occur: (i) 60 continuous minutes of stepping; or (ii) orthostatic hypotension, defined as a reduction in systolic blood pressure of > 20 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of >10 mmHg; or (iii) signs and symptoms of pre-syncope; or (iii) upon subject request. Throughout each trial, heart rate and blood pressure will be monitored continuously. In addition to the primary and secondary outcome variables, several additional measurements that may contribute to orthostatic tolerance, or indeed, intolerance, will be assessed at 10-min intervals during stepping.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 55 Years (Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male
- A spinal cord lesion, of traumatic etiology, between the 6th and 11th thoracic spinal segments
- Sensory and motor complete lesion (ASIA [American Spinal Injury Association]-A)
- At least 2 years post injury
- Between 18-55 years of age
- Responsive to electrical stimulation
Exclusion Criteria:
- Severe osteoporosis, fractures, dislocations (as determined by X-ray and DEXA)
- Upper limb or shoulder pathologies
- Severe spasticity (≥4 on Ashworth scale)
- Contractures
- Currently undertaking FES or gait training
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00108043
|Australia, New South Wales
|Rehabilitation Research Centre, University of Sydney
|Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2141
|Principal Investigator:
|Glen M Davis, PhD, FACSM
|University of Sydney
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00108043 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|April 12, 2005
|Last Updated:
|December 2, 2015
Keywords provided by University of Sydney:
Functional Electrical Stimulation
Blood pressure
Orthostatic Hypotension
Cardiovascular responses
Near-infra red spectroscopy
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal Cord Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Trauma, Nervous System
Wounds and Injuries
Neurologic Manifestations
Signs and Symptoms
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017