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Love in Amish CountryBy Rachel Yoder
I didn't know Amish romance novels existed until a trip I took a number of years ago to Shipshewana, Indiana. There my uncle directed an Amish and Mennonite cultural center, and I was ostensibly working on a book about Amish and Mennonite culture, so it seemed a place I should go. I had just turned thirty and was beset with ambivalent, indistinct longings for the Mennonite heritage in which I'd been raised, even though the entirety of my twenties had served as an extended exercise in exodus and estrangement. Still, I went, most excited to locate and eat some peanut butter pie made with flaky, lard-infused crust.
The cultural center my uncle ran was called Menno-Hof, hof a Pennsylvania Dutch word that means something close to "farmyard," though at Menno-Hof the farmyard is neatly pruned, the pond perfectly ovular, the flower garden precisely planted to approximate a quilt. It seemed to me a beautiful lie in need of some freshly dropped horse patties.
After touring the fastidiously curated exhibits in the barn and adjacent whitewashed Amish farmhouse—replete with a recreated reformation dungeon, a small hurricane room with a vibrating floor and powerful fans, a Conservative Mennonite church where a booming God voice commanded that I consider my spiritual fate—I finally wound up in the gift shop on the brink of both ecstatic revelation and nervous breakdown. Many of the wares there approximated the contents of my mother's root cellar (raspberry jam and apple butter in glass jars) and the theological section of my father's library (Nonviolence—A Brief History: The Warsaw Lectures, by John Howard Yoder).
The only items there truly unfamiliar to me were two wire racks full of paperbacks, their covers each backlit with the golden glow of God's everlasting presence and bucolic perfection: wheat fields, corn fields, rivers and barns beneath cerulean or honey skies. A plain-clothed woman in some state of muted emotional duress gazed into the middle distance beneath her white bonnet. I spun through the racks, elated, repulsed. Could there be anything better, or worse, than Amish romance novels? Read More


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Crazy About Gawar Bati Mug
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Your own personalized Mug Crazy About Gawar Bati ensure that your morning coffee, or tee, or chocolate milk, tastes better. The ceramic ensure long durability and give your morning breakfast a sophisticated air, which will also keep your beverage hot longer.
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subset: commoncrawl


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The BBC has posted a four part audio series about the history of electronic music titled, "The Great Bleep Forward". Thank goodness main stream Europe "gets" synth and computer music.
"The story of modern music is one of subversion and experimentation, of heroes and villains. But what if we've got it all wrong? What if the real subversives didn't wear leather and denim but smart suits and white lab coats? What if the true experimentation wasn't with LSD but with DX7's and S900s? What if the real heroes of music aren't John, and Paul, Mick and Keith, but Ralf, Florian, Robert and Wendy!
The Great Bleep Forward is a series four programmes, presented by Andrew Collins exploring the history of electronic music. Hear the first baby's cry of the moog synthesiser, embrace the difficult childhood of prog rock, grapple with the 'experimental' teenage years of the New Romantics and discover the middle aged maturity and nostalgia of the present day. You'll also get a sense of the sound of the future." – www.bbc.co.uk
Don't forget to also catch the superb BBC Documentary Synth Britannia:
It drives me crazy to listen and watch these type of things because they were so integral in my own life. I love this stuff. What about you?
For more info: www.bbc.co.uk


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All Featured Highlights: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Apr 16, 2015 | Helly Lee and Elizabeth Lower-Basch Q & A: Meeting ABAWD Activity Requirements through Training Activities Download PDF
- Mar 20, 2015 | Randi Hall and Helly Lee FNS Announces SNAP E&T Pilots in 10 States Read Online
- Mar 10, 2014 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch SNAP E&T Overview Download PDF
Feb 11, 2014
| Helly Lee
Congress Enacts Farm Bill After Years of Debate and Negotiations
On January 29th the House passed H.R. 2642, a negotiated agreement between House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders on the 5-year Farm Bill. On February 4th, the Senate followed suit and also passed the conference report, which the President will soon sign into law. While disagreements over agricultural policy held up the final bill in the last weeks, the nutrition title of the bill, which includes authorization for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) was among the most contentious.Read Online
- Nov 21, 2012 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Lavanya Mohan Access to Food Stamps in Early Childhood Leads to Better Adult Health and Economic Outcomes A new National Bureau on Economic Research paper finds that having access to food stamps in early childhood also has positive effects on adult outcomes years later, including health and economic self-sufficiency. Read Online
- Jun 25, 2013 | Helly Lee SNAP Works: SNAP Work Requirements and Time Limits Most SNAP recipients are either already working (13 percent of all SNAP recipients) or are not expected to work (68 percent) because they: are children or senior citizens; have a disability; care for a family member who is disabled; or care for a child under six years old while another household member is working. However, SNAP does have several provisions designed to encourage individuals who are not working to enter the workforce. Download PDF
- Sep 03, 2014 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Helly Lee SNAP E&T Pilots Congress reauthorized SNAP as part of the Agricultural Act of 2014 which included $200 million for the creation and evaluation of pilot projects in up to 10 states for 3 years to test innovative SNAP Employment & Training (E&T) strategies. Download PDF
- May 30, 2014 | Lavanya Mohan Washington's Basic Food Employment & Training Program (BFET) Washington State's Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET) is one of the most robust SNAP Education & Training programs in the country and is an important part of the state's comprehensive workforce development system. Download PDF
- Dec 21, 2010 | CLASP SNAP Employment and Training: Funding Integrated Service Delivery Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T; formerly known as Food Stamps Employment and Training or FSET) funds can be used to support a variety of education, training, employment, and related services for SNAP recipients. Nearly 43 million individuals receive SNAP benefits, making a large share of low-income families potentially eligible for employment and training; however, in 2009, only 6.8 percent of SNAP recipients participated. In recent years, a number of states have developed processes to claim reimbursement for expenses incurred by not-for-profit organizations under contract to the state agency operating SNAP E&T, and have passed through funding to these organizations. Download PDF
- Dec 21, 2010 | CLASP SNAP Outreach Funding: Funding Integrated Service Delivery Under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp program), states may conduct outreach, screening and application assistance activities and receive 50 percent federal reimbursement. States may contract with nonprofit organizations to provide outreach services and may also claim non-federal funds spent by nonprofits for reimbursement. While SNAP outreach funds may only be used for outreach and screening for SNAP, agencies can develop a methodology for assigning a portion of the costs of multi-benefit outreach and screening. Download PDF
- Jun 26, 2013 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Why the Failure of the Farm Bill Was Good for Low-Income Families (Huffington Post Feature) Last week, the House of Representatives rejected the Farm Bill by a 195-234 vote. The bill, which usually enjoys support from both sides of the aisle, was defeated by an unlikely -- and bi-partisan -- coalition of those who opposed the deep cuts of more than $20 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) and those who thought that the bill did not go far enough in cutting nutrition programs and agricultural subsidies. Read Online
- Dec 21, 2010 | CLASP SNAP Participation Grants: Funding Integrated Service Delivery The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation Grant program makes grants to state agencies and their private nonprofit partners to improve access to SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) and simplify application and eligibility determination systems. While SNAP is only one piece of income enhancements and work supports, such grants can be critical sources of funding for the development of online screening and application systems, enabling nonprofits to work with states to submit electronic applications for their clients. Download PDF
- Jul 01, 2010 | Abigail Newcomer and Sarah Fass Hiatt President Obama's Asset Limit Proposal: Supporting Families and Promoting Improved Coordination In his Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget, President Obama proposed raising asset limits to no less than $10,000 for all federally funded means-tested programs serving low-income adults and their families. This proposal would simplify program rules and allow low-income families to remain eligible for critical programs that help them make ends meet, even if they have a modest amount of savings or assets. Download PDF


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TBI Dose De-escalation for Fanconi Anemia
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified February 2017 by Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: July 14, 2006
Last updated: February 13, 2017
Last verified: February 2017
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
This is a single arm, total body irradiation (TBI) trial. All patients will be prescribed TBI 300 cGy with the goal of evaluating secondary endpoints.
|Fanconi Anemia
|Drug: Cyclophosphamide Drug: Fludarabine Procedure: Total Body Irradiation Procedure: Bone Marrow Transplantation Drug: Mycophenolate Mofetil Drug: Sirolimus
|Phase 2 Phase 3
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Total Body Irradiation Dose De-escalation Study in Patients With Fanconi Anemia Undergoing Alternate Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: Fanconi anemia
MedlinePlus related topics: Anemia
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center resources: Fanconi Anemia Congenital Aplastic Anemia Fanconi Syndrome Nephropathic Cystinosis Primary Fanconi SyndromeU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Incidence of neutrophil recovery (absolute neutrophil count ≥500/µL for three consecutive days) . [ Time Frame: by day 42 ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Incidence of grade ≥3 regimen related toxicity . [ Time Frame: at day 100 ]
- Incidence of secondary graft failure at 100 days. [ Time Frame: 100 days ]
- Incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) [ Time Frame: at 100 days. ]
- Incidence of chronic GVHD . [ Time Frame: at one year ]
- Probability of survival . [ Time Frame: at one year ]
- Incidence of infections . [ Time Frame: at 100 days, 6 months and one year ]
- Immune reconstitution . [ Time Frame: at 100 days, 6 month and one year ]
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Actual Study Start Date:
|May 18, 2006
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|December 2018
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|December 2018 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Treatment with TBI
Patients treated with total body irradiation, Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Mycophenolate Mofetil, and Sirolimus.
Drug: Cyclophosphamide
Day -5 through Day -2, subjects will receive chemotherapy of Cyclophosphamide via central line (i.e. Hickman or Broviac),10 mg/kg intravenously (IV)
Other Name: cytoxanDrug: Fludarabine
Day -5 through Day -2 prior to transplant; subjects will receive chemotherapy of Fludarabine via central line (i.e. Hickman or Broviac),35 mg/m^2 intravenous (IV)
Other Name: fludaraProcedure: Total Body Irradiation
total body irradiation (300 cGy) with thymic shielding will be given six days before the stem cells are given (day -6). Thymic shielding is done by placing a piece of lead on the chest during the irradiation treatment so that the irradiation beams do not go to the thymus.
Other Name: Radiation Therapy, Therapeutic radiationProcedure: Bone Marrow Transplantation
A target of 5 * 10^6/kg and a minimum of 4 * 10^6 CD34+ cell/kg recipient weight will be collected by apheresis and used for transplant. In most cases this dose will be recovered in a single apheresis; however, a second or rarely third apheresis performed on the following days may be required to achieve the minimum dose.
Other Name: Stem Cell transplantationDrug: Mycophenolate Mofetil
Patients will receive MMF therapy beginning on day -3 through day +30 or for 7 days after engraftment, whichever day is later, if no acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Engraftment is defined as 1st day of 3 consecutive days of absolute neutrophil count [ANC] > 0.5 * 10^9/L. MMF will be given at a dose of 15 mg/kg/dose every 8 hours by mouth(to a maximum dose of 1 gram).
Other Name: MMFDrug: Sirolimus
Sirolimus will be administered starting at day -3 with 8mg-12mg mg oral loading dose followed by single dose 4 mg/day with a target serum concentration of 3 to 12 mg/mL by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Levels are to be monitored 3 times/week in the first 2 weeks, weekly until day +60, and as clinically indicated until day +100 post-transplantation. In the absence of acute GVHD sirolimus may be tapered starting at day +100 and eliminated by day +180 post-transplantation.
Other Name: Rapamycin
Detailed Description:
Study Treatment: Patients will receive voriconazole (antifungal therapy) by mouth beginning 1 month prior to conditioning therapy, if possible. 1) The subject is to receive total body irradiation (300 cGy) with thymic shielding; it will be given six days before the stem cells are given (day -6). 2) Day -5 through Day -2, subjects will receive a chemotherapy regimen of Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide via central line (i.e. Hickman or Broviac). Starting Day -3, patients will receive sirolimus therapy with a taper commencing on day +180 and also mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) through day +30 or for 7 days after engraftment, whichever day is later, if no acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). 4) If the subject is receiving bone marrow or "peripheral" stem cells (cells collected from the donor's arm via a cell separator), on the day of transplantation, the stem cells taken from the donor will be put into a machine which will separate the lymphocytes (the cells that cause graft-versus-host disease [GVHD]) from the stem cells. If the subject is receiving an umbilical cord blood, the lymphocytes will not be removed because the risk of GVHD is not as high. Otherwise all patients will receive the same treatment. The stem cells are given as an infusion into the subject's existing catheter over 1-2 hours on day 0.5. On the day after transplant (day +1) subjects will be given G-CSF to stimulate the growth of the transplanted cells. 6. While receiving treatment and until the subject's blood counts recover he/she will have daily blood tests, and several bone marrow biopsies and aspirates. After recovery, subjects will be seen once a month for a health assessment and blood tests until at least 3 months after the cells have been infused. Additional blood tests or assessments may be done as medically indicated.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
Meeting the definition of standard risk or high risk Fanconi anemia as defined in the next two sections:
Standard risk patients must be <18 years of age with a diagnosis of Fanconi anemia with aplastic anemia (AA), myelodysplastic syndrome without excess blasts, or high risk genotype as defined below:
Aplastic anemia is defined as having at least one of the following when not receiving growth factors or transfusions:
- platelet count <20 * 10^9/L
- Hemoglobin <8 g/dL
- Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with multilineage dysplasia with or without chromosomal anomalies
- High risk genotype (e.g. IVS-4 or exon 14 FANCC mutations, or BRCA1 or 2 mutations)
High risk patients must have one or more of the following high risk features:
- Advanced MDS (≥ 5% blast) or acute leukemia
- Require additional HSCT for graft failure
- History at any time of systemic fungal or gram negative infection
- Severe renal disease with a creatinine clearance <40 mL/min
- Age > 18 years
- Very high risk patients must have Advanced MDS (≥ 5% blast) or acute leukemia after initial hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)
- Patients must have an appropriate source of stem cells. Patients and donors will be typed for HLA-A, B, C and DRB1 using high resolution molecular typing.
Adequate major organ function including:
- Cardiac: ejection fraction >45%
- Hepatic: bilirubin, AST or ALT, ALP <5 x normal
- Karnofsky performance status >70% or Lansky >50 (if < 16 years of age)
- Women of child-bearing age must be using adequate birth control and have a negative pregnancy test.
- Written consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Available HLA-genotypically identical related donor in standard risk patients.
- Active central nervous system (CNS) leukemia at time of study enrollment.
- History of squamous cell carcinoma of the head/neck/cervix within previous 2 years.
- Prior radiation therapy that prevents further total body irradiation (TBI).
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00352976
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00352976
|Contact: Margaret L MacMillan, M.D.
|United States, Minnesota
|University of Minnesota Medical Center
|Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
|Contact: Margaret L MacMillan, M.D. 612-626-2778 firstname.lastname@example.com
Sponsors and Collaborators
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
|Principal Investigator:
|Margaret L MacMillan, M.D.
|University of Minnesota Medical Center
More Information
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Keywords provided by Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00352976 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
0605M85788 ( Other Identifier: IRB, University of Minnesota )
|Study First Received:
|July 14, 2006
|Last Updated:
|February 13, 2017
|Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
|Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
Keywords provided by Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota:
Bone Marrow transplant
stem cell transplant
cord blood transplant
total body irradiation
thymic shielding
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Fanconi Anemia
Fanconi Syndrome
Hematologic Diseases
Anemia, Hypoplastic, Congenital
Anemia, Aplastic
Bone Marrow Diseases
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
DNA Repair-Deficiency Disorders
Metabolic Diseases
Renal Tubular Transport, Inborn Errors
Kidney Diseases
Urologic Diseases
Metabolism, Inborn Errors
Fludarabine phosphate
Mycophenolate mofetil
Mycophenolic Acid
Immunosuppressive Agents
Immunologic Factors
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Antirheumatic Agents
Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating
Alkylating Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Antineoplastic Agents
Myeloablative Agonists
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017


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A Stress Link to Lupus
September 20, 2017,
Cryptococcosis is infection with Cryptococcus neoformans fungus.
Cryptococcus neoformans is the fungus that causes this disease. It is usually found in soil. If you breathe it in, it infects your lungs. The infection may go away on its own, remain in the lungs only, or spread throughout the body (disseminate).
This infection is most often seen in people with a weakened immune system, such as those with HIV infection, taking high doses of corticosteroid medications, cancer chemotherapy, or who have Hodgkin's disease.
Cryptococcus is one of the most common life-threatening fungal infections in people with AIDS.
People with a normal immune system may have no symptoms at all.
The infection may spread to the brain in people who have a weakened immune system. Neurological (brain) symptoms start slowly. Most people with this infection have swelling and irritation of the brain and spinal cord when they are diagnosed.
Physical examination may reveal:
Tests that may be done include:
Some infections require no treatment. Even so, there should be regular check-ups for a full year to make sure the infection has not spread. If there are lung lesions or the disease spreads, antifungal medications are prescribed. These drugs may need to be taken for a long time.
Medications include:
Amphotericin B can have severe side effects.
Central nervous system involvement often causes death or leads to permanent damage.
Call your health care provider if you develop symptoms of cryptococcosis, especially if you have a weakened immune system.
Kauffman CA. Cryptococcosis. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine . 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 344.


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Quiet at Deadline, Blue Jays make noise with bats
Toronto connects on four homers, including two from Reimold
HOUSTON -- The Blue Jays didn't make any trades on Deadline Day, but the moves they pulled off earlier this month paid dividends on Thursday night.
Prior to the series opener in Houston, there was some noticeable disappointment inside the clubhouse over Toronto not making a big deal. But in an ironic twist, two guys acquired well before that 4 p.m. ET deadline played key roles in extending the club's winning streak to six games.
Nolan Reimold hit a pair of home runs -- including the go-ahead shot in the ninth inning -- and Danny Valencia went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the Blue Jays' 6-5 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
"That's the reason we grabbed Reimold off the waiver wire, and we got Valencia for a reason," manager John Gibbons said. "They both played in the big leagues, and they've had some success. They're really going to help us out."
Reimold was claimed off waivers from Baltimore earlier this month but appeared in only four games before going on the disabled list with a strained left calf. He was activated on Sunday but had yet to find his way into the lineup.
That was to have been the case again on Thursday, but Reimold was inserted into the lineup prior to batting practice after center fielder Colby Rasmus was benched for showing up late. Toronto shifted around a couple of players, created a spot for Reimold at DH and, coincidentally enough, that turned into a game-changing decision.
Reimold's first home run came in the fifth inning, and his second proved to be the difference-maker. Toronto and Houston were locked in a 5-5 tie in the top of the ninth when Reimold sent a first-pitch offering from Chad Qualls over the wall in left field.
"Baseball is a funny game sometimes. I felt really uncomfortable the first at-bat, and it's really funny how one at-bat can settle you down and turn things around for you," Reimold said. "That's kind of what happened tonight."
Valencia also made his presence felt with a double and a single, but it was the home runs that mostly stole the show. The Blue Jays are known as a power-hitting team, and that certainly proved to be the case in this one.
Jose Bautista opened the scoring in the first with a shot to left for his 21st home run of the season. Dioner Navarro's eighth came in the sixth; all of Toronto's homers on the night were solo shots.
Houston right-hander Jake Buchanan was handed starting duties late Thursday afternoon after Jarred Cosart was dealt to Marlins prior to the Deadline. Buchanan was charged with three runs on five hits and no walks over five innings.
"Obviously, their four solo home runs proved to be the difference in the ballgame," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "They definitely are a power-hitting team."
Toronto starter Drew Hutchison was chased after three innings, having allowed four runs. Hutchison has battled inconsistency this season, and it became clear early that he was in for a subpar outing. His velocity was a little down, but even more alarming, a lot of his pitches were up in the zone.
Hutchison stranded one baserunner in the first, then allowed a solo homer to Jon Singleton in the second. The vast majority of his issues came in the third, after he allowed a leadoff single to No. 9 hitter Gregorio Petit. Hutchison balked Petit to second before Robbie Grossman came through with an RBI single.
Before the third came to an end, Jason Castro added an RBI double and Marc Krauss contributed an RBI single. Gibbons went with the early hook; Hutchison did not come back out for the fourth after surrendering six hits in one of his shortest outings of the season.
Long reliever Todd Redmond was one of the main reasons the Blue Jays were able to remain within striking distance. Redmond allowed an unearned run on two hits and three walks over 2 2/3 innings.
"Basically, Hutch didn't have it tonight," Gibbons said. "Red has been so good, he was well rested. [I decided to] put him in there and see if he can keep the game close, keep us in that thing, and that's just what he did."
The Blue Jays are now 11-3 and have yet to lose a series since the All-Star break. Toronto has three more games in Houston before returning home.
Gregor Chisholm is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, North of the Border, and follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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We need to figure out what items we want to keep in the pokébox, and which ones we want to add, as well as the ones we want to get rid of. Please look carefully at each pokébox. Make sure that when you vote, that if you are not happy with all of the items in the pokébox that you tell which ones you would add or take away from the box you voted for. Slay Talk "Shadows wonder why we scream."20:51,2/23/2014 4,527
The Current Box: Option 1
Supratim1986's Box: Option 2


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Michigan Tech MBA Honored Again by Aspen Institute
October 23, 2009—
Michigan Technological University's School of Business and Economics MBA program has been honored by the Aspen Institute's 2009-10 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools. The School is rated 58th on a list of the top-100 business schools, and has "demonstrated significant leadership in integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its MBA program," according to the Aspen Institute.
"Our faculty earned this recognition through their commitment to teaching and research in social, environmental, and ethical stewardship as it relates to business," said Darrell Radson, dean of the School. "Our Tech MBA program focuses on conducting sustainable business in a technologically rich, constantly changing world, and our faculty and students rise to that challenge." The Michigan Tech MBA was previously honored by the Aspen Institute in 2007.
According to the Aspen Institute, their MBA ranking measures "how well schools are preparing their students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business."
"The Tech MBA students are very concerned about a sustainable future," said Ruth Archer, director of graduate programs in the School. "They appreciate receiving a first-class MBA in managing technology and innovation at the same time that they learn how to integrate social value with corporate profitability. This recognition will enable us to attract more like-minded students."
The Aspen Institute surveyed 149 business schools from 24 nations over 18 months effort to map the landscape of teaching and research on issues pertaining to business and society. Relevant data collected in the survey, as well as the entire "Global 100" list of business schools, is available at www.BeyondGreyPinstripes.org. More information on the Michigan Tech MBA is located at http://www.mtu.edu/business/mba/techmba/.
Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.


text:
Musical Director - Personals
by Matthew Brown
Major: music
I was the music director for the completely student-produced musical, "Personals." My responsibilities began in the rehearsal process, coaching singers and helping the cast learn all the songs. Working with singers in this way was a new and valuable experience for me. We had cast members with diverse musical backgrounds. There was a lot of music to learn, but we worked very hard and all the singers sounded marvelous on opening night.
I used the King grant to hire musicians to play during the performances. The budget enabled me to put together a group of only professional musicians and students with exceptional ability and experience. The band consisted of piano, drums, bass guitar, flute, alto and tenor saxophone and clarinet. The musical numbers were in various styles, including blues, dixieland jazz, rock and funk, among others. I rehearsed the band twice before getting them together with the singers for the dress rehearsals. In these preliminary rehearsals it was often just a matter of running a number once and briefly talking about the changes. These were the most efficient and immediately successful rehearsals I have ever directed, due to the professional nature of the group.
This experience culminated in four packed performances of the musical in Alma Thomas Theater. This was a thrilling time for me, and required that I constantly be on my toes; listening for vocal cues, setting new tempos, jumping the band to different sections of the music at the right time, and even singing a cameo line during one of the songs. Everyone involved was well prepared, so the shows went very smoothly, and the audiences absolutely loved it each night.
"Personals" was a project of great scope, accomplished by tremendous effort from many people directed toward many tasks. I am glad that I was a part of it all and able to do what I could to make it the huge success that it was.


text: First Look for Charity marks its 18th edition on Feb. 12 January 14, 2009 12:00 AM First Look for Charity, the Chicago Auto Show's black-tie event, marks its 18th edition on Feb. 12. The charity preview, which benefits more than 18 local organizations, has raised more than $2.5 million each of the past four years and more than $26 million since its 1992 debut. "As a Chicagoland new car dealer, I am particularly proud of First Look for Charity and the money we've been able to raise for very worthwhile groups," said Mark Scarpelli, show chairman. "Our area dealers have demonstrated a century of community involvement, and this special night speaks volumes about how they care for those who are in need," Scarpelli continued. Scarpelli, a Chevrolet and Kia retailer, has arranged for a 2010 Camaro and a 2009 Borrego to be awarded to two benefactors at the event. Sales of the Camaro began in the first quarter of 2009 and will be new to most of the expected 12,000 attendees. The all-new, seven-passenger Borrego delivers a midsize SUV class-leading towing of 7,500 pounds on the strength of a best-in-class 337 horsepower. The Camaro is compliments of Chevrolet Motor Division and the Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana Chevy dealers. The Borrego is compliments of your Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Kia retailers. Back to News


text:
Phase I/Ib Study of Paclitaxel in Combination With VS-6063 in Patients With Advanced Ovarian Cancer
This study has been completed.
Verastem, Inc.
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Verastem, Inc.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: January 22, 2013
Last updated: May 15, 2017
Last verified: January 2017
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
This is a Phase I/Ib, open-label, multicenter, dose-escalation trial of paclitaxel in combination with defactinib (VS-6063), a focal adhesion kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. This clinical study is comprised of 2 parts: Phase I (Dose Escalation) and Phase Ib (Expansion). The purpose of this study is to assess assess the safety (including the recommended phase 2 dose), the pharmacokinetics, and the anti-cancer activity of defactinib (VS-6063) when administered in combination with paclitaxel. Pharmacodynamic effects will also be examined in tumor biopsies.
|Ovarian Cancer
|Drug: defactinib Drug: Paclitaxel
|Phase 1
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Phase I/Ib Study of Paclitaxel in Combination With VS-6063, a Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibitor, in Subjects With Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: ovarian cancer
MedlinePlus related topics: Ovarian Cancer
Drug Information available for: PaclitaxelU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Verastem, Inc.:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Number of patients experiencing treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v4.03 (Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Effects)during the study (safety and tolerability). [ Time Frame: From start of treatment to end of treatment, an expected average of 12 weeks ]Adverse events and their frequency, duration and severity, as determined based on CTCAE 4.03
- Determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) based on a combination of maximum tolerated dosed (MTD), review of adverse event data and review of AUC, Tmax and t1/2 obtained from PK data during the dose escalation phase of the study. [ Time Frame: From start of treatment to end of cycle 1 (4 week cycles) ]The RP2D will be determined based on the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of defactinib (VS-6063) in combination with paclitaxel as determined by number of participants with dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) related to defactinib in combination with paclitaxel
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Proportion of patients treated with paclitaxel and defactinib (VS-6063) with progression-free survival using Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.1 [ Time Frame: Every 2 cycles up to end of treatment, an expected average of 12 weeks ]Response rate and progression-free survival, as determined by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.1
- Pharmacokinetics (PK) estimates of defactinib (VS-6063) when co-administered with paclitaxel, AUC (Area Under Curve) 0-t. [ Time Frame: Time points at Day 1 and Day 15 in Cycle 1 ]Plasma concentration of defactinib (VS-6063)
- Pharmacokinetics (PK) estimates of defactinib (VS-6063) when co-administered with paclitaxel, maximum concentrations (Cmax) [ Time Frame: Time points at Day 1 and Day 15 in Cycle 1 ]Plasma concentration of defactinib (VS-6063)
- Pharmacokinetics (PK) estimates of defactinib (VS-6063) when co-administered with paclitaxel, Time to maximum concentrations (Tmax) [ Time Frame: Time points at Day 1 and Day 15 in Cycle 1 ]Plasma concentration of defactinib (VS-6063)
- Pharmacokinetics (PK) estimates of defactinib (VS-6063) when co-administered with paclitaxel, , estimates of concentration 1/2 life (T1/2) [ Time Frame: Time points at Day 1 and Day 15 in Cycle 1 ]Plasma concentration of defactinib (VS-6063)
Other Outcome Measures:
- Evaluate biomarkers of defactinib (VS-6063) activity [ Time Frame: Day 1 and Day 10 of treatment ]Pre and post dose biomarkers (including but not limited to FAK and phospho-FAK, as well as specific markers for cell cycle inhibition, apoptosis and cancer stem cells) in archival tumor tissue and new biopsy samples
- Examine if the tumor expression status correlates with response to defactinib (VS-6063) therapy [ Time Frame: From start of treatment to end of treatment, an expected average of 12 weeks ]Tumor expression status (pFAK and other biomarkers) compared with response to defactinib, as determined by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.1
|Actual Study Start Date:
|February 26, 2013
|Study Completion Date:
|February 23, 2015
|Primary Completion Date:
|February 23, 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: defactinib (VS-6063) plus paclitaxel
Oral defactinib (VS-6063) administered twice daily, in combination with intravenous paclitaxel administered on Days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28 day cycle.
Drug: defactinib
Other Name: VS-6063Drug: Paclitaxel
Other Name: Taxol
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Able to provide signed and dated informed consent prior to initiation of any study procedures.
- Female subjects aged ≥ 18 years.
- Advanced or refractory ovarian cancer, confirmed histologically.
- Subjects may have received up to 4 prior lines of chemotherapy for their metastatic disease.
- All persistent clinically significant toxicities from prior chemotherapy must be ≤ Grade 1.
- ECOG performance status of 0 or 1 (refer to Appendix A), measured within 72 hours before the start of treatment.
- Predicted life expectancy of ≥ 3 months.
- Adequate renal function [creatinine ≤ 1.5x ULN (upper limit of normal)] or GFR of ≥ 50mL/min.
- Adequate hepatic function (total bilirubin ≤ 1.5x ULN for the institution; AST [aspartate transaminase] and ALT [alanine transaminase] ≤ 3x ULN, or ≤ 5x ULN if due to liver involvement by tumor).
- Adequate bone marrow function (hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL; platelets≥ 100 x109cells/L; absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.5x109 cells/L).
- Corrected QT interval (QTc) < 470 ms (as calculated by the Fridericia correction formula).
- Negative pregnancy test for females of child-bearing potential; must be surgically sterile, postmenopausal, or willing and able to be compliant with a contraceptive regimen (double barrier birth control) during and for 3 months after the treatment period.
- Willing and able to participate in the trial and comply with all trial requirements.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Gastrointestinal (GI) condition which could interfere with the swallowing or absorption of study medication.
- Uncontrolled or severe concurrent medical condition (including uncontrolled brain metastases). Stable brain metastases either treated or being treated with a stable dose of steroids/anticonvulsants, with no dose change within 28 days prior to the first dose of study drug, will be allowed.
- History of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, ulceration, or perforation within 12 months prior to the first dose of study drug.
- Known history of Gilbert's Syndrome.
- Known history of stroke or cerebrovascular accident within 6 months prior to the first dose of study drug.
- Subjects with known infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (testing not required).
- Subjects with Hepatitis A, B or C (testing not required).
- Subjects being actively treated for a secondary malignancy.
- Cancer-directed therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, biologic or immunotherapy, etc.) within 28 days of the first dose of study drug or 5 half-lives, whichever is shorter.
- Major surgery within 28 days prior to the first dose of study drug.
- Use of an investigational drug within 28 days or 5 half-lives (whichever is shorter) prior to the first dose of study drug. A minimum of 10 days between termination of the investigational drug and administration of the study treatment is required. In addition, any drug-related toxicity except alopecia should have recovered to grade 1 or less.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Any evidence of serious active infections.
- Uncontrolled or severe cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarct or unstable angina within 6 months prior to study treatment, New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or greater congestive heart failure, serious arrhythmias requiring medication for treatment, clinically significant pericardial disease, or cardiac amyloidosis.
- Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including symptomatic congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01778803
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01778803
|United States, Florida
|Florida Cancer Specialists
|Sarasota, Florida, United States
|United States, Oklahoma
|University of Oklahoma
|Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
|United States, Tennessee
|Sarah Cannon Research Institute
|Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37203
Sponsors and Collaborators
Verastem, Inc.
|Study Chair:
|Hagop Youssoufian, MD
|Verastem, Inc.
More Information
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Verastem, Inc.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01778803 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|January 22, 2013
|Last Updated:
|May 15, 2017
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Ovarian Neoplasms
Endocrine Gland Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
Ovarian Diseases
Adnexal Diseases
Genital Diseases, Female
Genital Neoplasms, Female
Urogenital Neoplasms
Endocrine System Diseases
Gonadal Disorders
Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
Antineoplastic Agents
Tubulin Modulators
Antimitotic Agents
Mitosis Modulators
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017


text:
Another day, another critical report about transparency in the Golden State.
Earlier this month, we told you about two new reports that blasted state government for failing to make its budget and legislative data easy to use. This week, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund released an even more critical report on the availability of spending data in California.
In its report "Following the Money 2013: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data," U.S. PIRG, the umbrella organization that oversees state public interest research groups like CALPIRG, gave California a failing grade along with Wyoming, Wisconsin, Hawaii and North Dakota.
The authors found that while California and the others maintain websites with "checkbook-level" spending data, their sites are far more "limited and hard to use" than other states'.
"Not a single Failing State provides information on the public benefits of economic development subsidies broken down by recipient or makes its tax expenditure report available," the report says. "Only one state – Wyoming – provides spending information on off-budget agencies."
Compare this with the seven states receiving "A" grades (Texas, Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Oklahoma).
U.S. PIRG says they "have created user-friendly websites that provide visitors with an array of checkbook-level information about expenditures. In each of these states, users can monitor the payments made to vendors through contracts, grants, tax credits and other discretionary spending. All spending in these states – with the exception of subsidies in Texas – is accessible in a searchable database. All Leading States – except Florida – also provide users with copies of contracts, allowing residents to uncover details about the goods or services the government pays companies to provide."
Illinois has even created a special website called Open Book that allows the public "to explore contracts awarded to corporations side-by-side with electoral contributions those corporations have made."
While other states are innovating and improving," said Emily Rusch, state director of CALPIRG, in a conference call with reporters, "California is failing."
Indeed, the U.S. PIRG report finds that California is uniquely deficient.
"In 2013, for the first time, all 50 states provide some checkbook-level information on state spending via the Internet," the report states. "In 48 states – all except California and Vermont – this information is now searchable."
The report also notes that the size of a state's budget does not determine its transparency.
"Vermont, with the fourth-smallest budget in the country, scored a 77 (out of 100); meanwhile, California, with a budget 43 times larger than Vermont's, scored a 37," the report says.
The criticism by public watchdog groups echoes some of the Orange County Register's own findings.
When we looked at secrecy in California government in 2011, we found that the state's Government Code contains at least 500 provisions that exempt specific records from public disclosure, while an additional 16 provisions prohibit the release of broad categories of documents. Among the categories exempt from public disclosure: complaints filed with a state licensing body or investigatory agency, individual state employee's pension benefits and the names of convicts placed on non-revocable parole. In a 2009 report, we looked at the series of laws that exempt the disclosure of police disciplinary records.
Rusch said most states have created special, one-stop-shop transparency sites where residents can view spending data from a number of state departments. California created a website like this under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at transparency.ca.gov, but after he left office, Gov. Jerry Brown shut it down in late 2011. As a result, for the U.S. PIRG report, other states' transparency websites were compared with the site for the California Department of General Services, which manages procurement.
CALPIRG, as part of its rollout of the new report, is calling for California to relaunch its transparency website.
If you visit transparency.ca.gov today, you'll see a note that reads, in part, "Governor Brown is committed to keeping state government open and transparent while eliminating inefficiencies and unnecessary costs. The information previously available on this website is available through other sources." The message offers links to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the state's top political watchdog; the State Controller's Office, which collects information on employee salaries; the Department of General Services' eProcurement website, which provides information on contracts; and the Bureau of State Audits.
The governor's staff has indicated in the past that the transparency site wasn't used very much.
Contact the writer: firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact the writer: To read more about transparency in California state government go to ocregister.com/blogs/taxdollars.


text:
By Jaideep Varma & Jatin Thakkar
Part 2 of 2 | Read Part 1
Continuing the story of the great contemporary Indian batsmen through the five phases of their glorious careers, through the singular prism of Impact Index.
PHASE 4 - September 2005 to October 2008
India P 35 W 11 L 9 D 15.
Notably beat West Indies and England away and Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia at home. Lost to Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Pakistan away. Drew with England and South Africa at home.
Ganguly's angst-ridden exit as captain and the strange period of cloak-and-dagger politics that followed (with Greg Chappell as coach) saw India dip somewhat from their previous highs. Despite overseas series victories under Dravid in England and West Indies, this side did not have the all-conquering air the previous phase had seen. Dravid's decline as a player began in 2007, and he gave up the captaincy later that year. Under Kumble (who perhaps got the captaincy too late), the team was effective but not a world-beater.
All IMPACT numbers on a scale of 0 to 5.
Batting IMPACT – The average impact his batting had on matches he played in, on a scale of 0 to 5.
SDs – Series-defining performances. The most important legacy of a cricketer, or at least, what should be.
Failure% - The percentage in this period the player could not achieve an IMPACT of even 1 in the matches he played.
Tendulkar, Laxman and Sehwag were nowhere near their best – which played a significant part in what appeared to be the beginning of a decline. Conversely, Ganguly clawed his way back into the team and performed at his peak – he even produced the sole series-defining performance of his career during this phase (against a rampant South Africa) – perhaps an indication of the player India may have missed due to the rigours of captaincy.
1. R Dravid – 81 & 68 v West Indies, Jamaica 2006 - Batting IMPACT 6.47
(Series defining performance)
2. SC Ganguly – 87 & 13 not out v South Africa, Kanpur 2008 – Batting IMPACT 5.16
(Series defining performance)
3. SC Ganguly – 239 & 91 v Pakistan, Bangalore 2007 - Batting IMPACT 5.98
4. MS Dhoni – 0 & 76 not out v England, Lord's 2007 – Batting IMPACT 5.75
5. V Sehwag – 201 & 50 v Sri Lanka, Galle 2008 – Batting IMPACT 5.57
Dravid's last truly memorable match performance brought his team the first Indian Test series win in West Indies in 3 decades. Ganguly makes it on this list for the first time in his career, and that too twice. Dhoni's finest Test innings also makes it here – it saved the first Test and eventually played a big part in India winning its first series in England after 21 years. Sehwag's awe-inspiring innings a few months after his comeback sadly had no impact on the series result eventually. So, just 2 series-defining performances in this phase after all 5 in the previous one – quite a drop, not an encouraging sign.
PHASE 5 - October 2008 to January 2012
India P 40 W 17 L 10 D 12.
Notably drew with South Africa both home and away and Sri Lanka away. Beat New Zealand and West Indies away. Beat Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, England and New Zealand at home. Lost to England and Australia away.
As Ganguly retired as player, India got back its mojo under Dhoni and produced some of its best cricket in a while, reminiscent of Ganguly's captaincy period (though never quite as aggressive). India went to number 1 in the ICC Test rankings and at the beginning of 2011, after a drawn series in South Africa, perhaps saw visions of three of its four stalwarts leaving the game at their own, and their team's, peak. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as disastrous showings in England and Australia torpedoed India's position very rapidly.
Batting IMPACT – The average impact his batting had on matches he played in, on a scale of 0 to 5.
SDs – Series-defining performances. The most important legacy of a cricketer, or at least, what should be.
Failure% - The percentage in this period the player could not achieve an IMPACT of even 1 in the matches he played.
Dravid's decline as a player seemed to dramatically cease in mid-2011, first in West Indies and then spectacularly in England. These performances camouflage the otherwise mediocre results that Dravid produced – his failure rate crossing 40 for the first time in his career. Sehwag was much the same, especially away. Laxman's case was interesting; despite a high failure rate (his highest since 2001), he also produced several big match performances under pressure.
It was Tendulkar's remarkable second wind that led India in this period. He put 4 series-defining performances together – that's 70% of his series defining performances in a little more than 3 years of his 22-year-old career. Interestingly, despite this, his Batting IMPACT was not stratospheric as Dravid's had been under Ganguly's captaincy – partly because some of these series-defining performances came as a support act and partly not as many as Dravid's in that period were tough runs.
1. VVS Laxman – 38 & 96 v South Africa, Durban 2010 – Batting IMPACT – 7.03
(Series defining performance)
2. VVS Laxman – 56 & 103 not out v Sri Lanka, Colombo 2010 - Batting IMPACT 6.37
(Series defining performance)
3. SR Tendulkar – 160 v New Zealand, Hamilton 2009 - Batting IMPACT 5.44
(Series defining performance)
4. V Sehwag – 165 v South Africa, Kolkata 2010 - Batting IMPACT 5.20
(Series defining performance)
5. SR Tendulkar – 41 & 54 v Sri Lanka, Colombo 2010 – Batting IMPACT 4.06
(Series defining performance)
Every performance here a series-defining one, once again invoking the Ganguly era. Laxman and Tendulkar emphatically led the way with 2 such performances each. Interesting, that nos. 2 and 5 are from the same match, when India beat Sri Lanka in the 3rd Test to draw their first Test series there in 13 years. Sehwag, who had a very good phase, comes in too. Significantly, there is no Dravid for the first time since 2001.
NOTABLE OMISSIONS: Sehwag's rapid-fire 83 and Tendulkar's unbeaten 103 v England, Chennai 2008. Their Batting IMPACT numbers in that match were 2.77 and 3.77 respectively – considerably romanticised for the 387-run fourth innings chase, without taking into account the runs in the pitch (Yuvraj and Gambhir shared their impact in that innings itself) and the highest impact player of that match actually was Andrew Strauss, who got a century in both innings (and should have been Man-of-the-Match instead of Sehwag). A good example of how romanticism (of the seemingly formidable fourth-innings-chase) dominates hard facts – the events of the first four days completely overlooked.
This is the overview of these five contemporary batting giants along with IMPACT and conventional numbers of the two other Indian Test batting giants. Placing Gavaskar and Azharuddin amidst them makes the picture even clearer.
Match Batting IMPACT – Batting IMPACT in match context, without considering series context.
Career Batting IMPACT – Batting IMPACT over a career, taking series context into account for each performance.
SDs – Series-defining performances. The most important legacy of a cricketer, or at least, what should be.
Failure% - The percentage in this period the player could not achieve an IMPACT of even 1 in the matches he played.
SD Conversion – The success percentage of achieving series-defining performances whenever opportunity came knocking.
Rahul Dravid's career tally of 8 series-defining performances is amongst the highest in Test history for all countries, and makes him a veritable all-time great far beyond what even his redoubtable conventional numbers suggest. Not surprisingly, here he also has the highest rate of converting series-defining opportunities. His Match Batting IMPACT interestingly is behind both Gavaskar and Tendulkar and his failure rate very similar to theirs. It is his remarkable ability to affect series score-lines that makes him the highest impact Indian batsman of all time.
Sachin Tendulkar's awe-inspiring conventional figures are somewhat tempered by his IMPACT numbers. Despite having recently completed three of the most brilliant years of his career, he still comes behind Dravid here (who had three of his worst in the same period). Despite having a tally of 6 series-defining performances, they hide the significant detail that half of those came in support performances. His low failure rate and prodigious consistency for such a long period, however, marks him out as one of India's major reasons of success in the 2000s. Interestingly, the notion that he was India's be-all-end-all in the 1990s too does not get borne out, as a high impact player. Only 2 of his match batting performances feature in the 10 highest-impact performances of the 1990s; Azharuddin features thrice and he was, despite his inconsistency, a bigger match/series player than Tendulkar. (It is notable that since 2000, only once does one of these five players not feature in the 15 highest impact innings of the last 3 phases).
Sunil Gavaskar has the highest Match IMPACT number amongst all these players, suggesting he was easily the most consistent, a fact borne out also by his (lowest) failure rate – even more remarkable for an opening batsman. While it is true that being a part of a side and a generation that focussed more on drawing more than winning, it is also revealed here that his success rate when the series was at stake was not very high. Others, like Kapil Dev and Viswanath, delivered more often on that count. Still, his singular series defining performance (in his debut series in 1971) is not truly representative of his enormous ability and the impact he could have had if he had been a part of stronger Indian teams. Along with Brian Lara, he has been perhaps the most disadvantaged in Test history for being a part of mediocre Test teams for most of his career (despite some undeniable highs).
Virender Sehwag's biggest achievement was to make such a great fist of his role as an opening batsman despite being a middle-order batsman in domestic cricket. His failure rate of 43 (highly respectable for an opener) is actually lower than that of Laxman, Ganguly and Azharuddin – making a mockery of those who have pronounced him as unreliable right through his career.
VVS Laxman has produced some of the highest impact innings cricket followers have ever seen, many under immense pressure (including the highest impact innings ever in Indian Test history). He has had the highest impact in a single series in Indian cricket history – perhaps the most important Test series in India's history too (Australia in India 2001). And yet, it is not unreasonable to say that he has under-achieved – primarily because of his inconsistency (a terribly high failure rate) – amongst the worst among players of this stature anywhere in the world. His series-defining conversion has also been ordinary for a player of his proven ability.
M Azharuddin's relatively high rate of failure (denoting a notorious inconsistency) is considerably offset by his comparatively high conversion of series-defining opportunities – the second-highest after Dravid. His 3 series-defining performances in an era where India did not win much (especially abroad, and especially with the bat) mark out his significance.
Sourav Ganguly, at first glance, does not appear to be in the same league as these batsmen (in fact, there would be other batsmen coming in before him, like Viswanath and Vengsarkar). Going by his performances after he came back to the team as just a player, it can be safely said that Test captaincy took a lot out of him as a player. His greatest contribution might just be the manner in which he took out the best from those other four great batsmen in his side (which changed everything for Indian cricket), even if at his own cost. He was a far greater ODI batsman though but that's another story, for another time.
For more information, please go to www.impactindexcricket.com


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Great Service all round 10/10. Fixed the problem and did a small job that needed doing. I would definitely recommend EAGLE AUTOS and I'll definitely be using them again the next time my car needs anything doing.
Eagle Autos solved problem with my passenger door on volkswagen transporter, not opening, Very satisfied with service provided. good communication before and during repair to keep me informed of progress and cost. I will use eagle autos in the future..Thankyou again for resolving this frustrating problem. Many Thanks Stephen Lenihan.
Roberto was so kind and helpful. I will definetely come back again and recommend Eagle Autos to my friends & family. They make you feel welcome and they'll managed to fix my problem straightaway. Even if you live far, like I do, I suggest you take the travel anyways because it's totally worth it.
I had a deep scratch and dent on my passenger door. Very good work, looks good as new.


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text: News Article Video Conferencing System Helps Emergency Response Teams Mobilize Jessica Scarpati Published September 29, 2011 in Search UC Officials at Houston TranStar, a regional government agency that coordinates transportation and emergency management services for the Greater Houston area, needed more than voice and text from field personnel in order to decide how to respond to traffic jams or hurricanes. Now they make those decisions in 1080p with the Lifesize high-definition (HD) video conferencing system the agency recently deployed. See the Report


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Leyland has more chances to see Rondon
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Bruce Rondon, the Tigers' rookie closer contender, is scheduled to pitch Saturday and again Monday as the Spring Training clock continues ticking and Jim Leyland needs to make a decision.
"He's got all the equipment, and that's what it takes," Leyland said. "But you can't make the team by default. You've got to go out and pitch. ... "He's definitely shown some progress. We're going to be running him out there. We've got a couple of weeks left.
"You can't just throw hard," Leyland continued. "You've got to have pitching ability. You've got to have an idea what you're doing. If you throw 100 mph five times in a row, you become 'Iron Mike.'"
Jim Hawkins is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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- Product Details
Show you care with this Personalised Someone Special Medium Crystal Block which would be an ideal mother's day gift or birthday present.
The beautiful contemporary hearts design, combined with the meaningful wording, will make it a keepsake to treasure forever.
The fixed message on this crystal block reads "It takes someone special to be a", you then decide the role for example Mother, Mummy, or Grandma.
You can also add an additional personalised message of two lines, with up to 15 characters per line.
Please refrain from using all uppercase in your message as the font style used isn't suited to all capitals.
Comes presented in its own gift box.
Measures: Height: 5 CM Width: 5 CM Depth: 2 CM
- Customer Review
5 Customer Reviews
Monday, 10 March 2014+
Monday, 10 March 2014+
Saturday, 14 December 2013++
Saturday, 14 December 2013++
Saturday, 16 November 2013++
- Delivery & Returns
We are aware of how important it is for you to receive your gifts in time. Therefore, once you place your order we will process straight away and dispatch as soon as they are ready to go. We usually dispatch all items within 24-48 hours, however, this may be a little longer during special occasions such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, etc. If multiple items ordered, we may dispatch items separately or all together, depending on the process.
*2nd CLASS ROYAL MAIL
Sent via 2nd Class Mail for only £3.99.
*1st CLASS ROYAL MAIL
Sent via 1st Class Mail for only £4.99.
Sent via Royal Mail Tracked for only £5.99.
Orders received by 2pm, sent via next working day courier tracked service for only £7.99.
Orders received by 2pm, sent via Royal Guaranteed Saturday Delivery for only £9.99.
The cost for delivery to European countries is calculated based on the destination. Please allow approx. 2-5 working days from dispatch, however, this is not guaranteed.
Below areas will incur a remote area surcharge - £30
*Italy: Livigno & Trepalle, San Marino, Vatican City
*Spain: Ceuta, Melilla
*Finland: Aland Islands
*Free delivery excludes items that are on offer or discounted from the original price and sent via 2nd Class Royal Mail, only UK.
*2nd Class Royal Mail - Royal Mail aim to deliver within two to three days, however, this is not guaranteed by Royal Mail, only UK.
*1st Class Royal Mail - Royal Mail aim to deliver your order one to two days, however, this is not guaranteed by Royal Mail, only UK.
*Premium Tracked - Royal Mail aim to deliver your order the next day, however, this is not guaranteed by Royal Mail, only UK.
*Next Working Day - All Orders placed before 2pm will be delivered next working day (Excludes Northern Ireland, Overseas UK addresses, and Parts of Scotland).
*Saturday Delivery - All Orders placed before 2pm will be delivered Saturday (Excludes Northern Ireland, Overseas UK addresses, and Parts of Scotland).
*All our items require production time and this is stated on individual product pages.
We're sure that you will be satisfied with your purchase and we also understand that sometimes you may want to return. We keep this process simple! Just contact us if you wish to return goods. Please note: personalised, made-to-order and perishable items are non-refundable.
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Question about: Personalised Someone Special Medium Crystal BlockPlease do not include or disclose any sensitive personal information, password or credit card information in your message. Your personal security is extremely important to us.
Friday, 13 March 2015 (by Kyle Grieve)Hi
I was just wondering if the heart was included in every block, or if this was just requested by a customer?


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Posted 5 years ago
(310 items)
Ok, today we are going to have a little cultural music lesson for all you CW friends that are too young to remember when music was real music, which heavily influenced what you are listening to today.
These are some more LP's I acquired in that storage building behind the junk store in Nevada.
You will note Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding with Little Joe Curtis and Gladys Knight & The Pips. These were some of the most influential Soul/R&B people there ever were, along with many others, of course.
Again, for all you young people that do not know what I am talking about here, let me help you out.
"Soul music has its roots in Gospel Music and Rhythm and Blues. The term 'soul' in black American parlance has connotations of black pride and culture. Gospel groups in the 1940s and 1950s occasionally used the term as part of their name. The Jazz that self-consciously derived from gospel came to be called Soul Music. As singers and arrangers began using techniques from gospel and soul jazz in black popular music during the 1960s, soul music gradually functioned as an umbrella term for the black popular music at the time. The term "soul music" itself, to describe gospel-style music with secular lyrics, is first attested in 1961."
"Rhythm and Blues, often abbreviated to R&B and RnB, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s.The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, Jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular."
That will save you looking it up on Wikipedia, I did it for you, lets move on.
If you really want to see how great Aretha was, you must watch her as Mrs. Murphy in the all time great classic movie "The Blues Brothers."
Here is some FYI stuff for you:
John Belushi(aka "Joliet" Jake Blues) was from my home town and graduated High School the same year I did. I used to watch him perform in a band called The Ravens in H.S. The Ravens and the Leftovers would perform on Saturday night in the basemant of a building downtown.
More FYI stuff for you:
"Chicago based Alona's Dream Records made their debut recently with a reissue of a 45 originally released in 1965 by The Ravens. Hailing from the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, IL the band included high school students Michael Blasucci, Tony Pavolonis, Dick Blasucci, Phil Special, and a 16 year old future Blues Brother named John Belushi."
"The band self released a single, "Listen To Me Now" backed with a cover of The Kingsmen's "Jolly Green Giant" in 1965, with fewer than 50 copies being produced. The reissue is limited as well, just 200 copies pressed with 100 on red and 100 on black vinyl."
Tony Pavolonis was the President of my HS class(more FYI stuff.)
Ok, ok, I got a little off topic, sorry, but there you have it, a cultural music lesson for all you younger CW friends.


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Mountain View >> In the latest sign that tech companies are racing for dominance in the skies, Google said Monday that it's buying a maker of high-altitude, solar-powered flying drones.
Google's purchase of Titan Aerospace, a New Mexico-based startup that builds unmanned vehicles capable of flying long distances and durations, came after Facebook reportedly eyed Titan and ultimately took over another drone startup last month.
The two Silicon Valley rivals are increasingly vying to build or buy promising technology and stake their claims to new business models and emerging markets — whether it's using artificial intelligence to deliver personalized services or offering low-cost mobile messaging to millions of people in developing nations.
"They're definitely looking for the next big innovation," said Jeff Vining, a tech industry analyst at the Gartner research firm. He added: "Civilian uses for drones are going to explode far beyond the public safety and military uses we know of today."
Amazon has also boasted that it's working on developing drones for delivering merchandise to its e-commerce customers, although experts say many technological and legal issues must be ironed out before that becomes a practical application.
While Google provided few details Monday, the company signaled it will use Titan's expertise initially to assist with Project Loon, which is Google's effort to deliver Internet service in remote areas by deploying a fleet of high-altitude balloons carrying radio transmitters.
Facebook reportedly eyed Titan last month, but ended up hiring the team behind a British drone-maker, Ascenta, to help with a similar project. Like Google, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he wants to find new, cost-effective ways of providing Internet communication to underserved regions of the world.
While both projects have the humanitarian goal of delivering the benefits of Internet technology to third-world and developing countries, they also mesh with the business interests of Google and Facebook, which stand to sell more digital advertising when more people are able to go online.
"Titan Aerospace and Google share a profound optimism about the potential for technology to improve the world," said a Google spokesperson.
"It's still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation," the spokesperson added in a statement.
Titan describes its drones as "atmospheric satellites" because they are capable of maintaining flight patterns for months or even years, while flying within the earth's atmosphere at lower altitudes than traditional space satellites. Up to now, Vining said, those capabilities have been more the province of military drones, rather than civilian craft.
Engineers from Titan will also collaborate on another Google project: The Internet giant recently bought Makani Power, a startup that's developing high-altitude turbines to generate wind power. The Makani turbines are mounted on a 28-foot wing designed to fly in circles, so they can generate electricity and send it by cable to a ground station.
Loon and Makani are both part of Google X, a secretive company unit that works on so-called "moonshot" projects.
Drones could also help Google collect real-time photos and video around the world, said Vining, who suggested the images could be used in Google's online maps and services like Google Earth, which provides satellite views of the planet.
Google did not disclose a price for the Titan deal. The TechCrunch blog reported last month that Facebook was in talks to buy Titan for around $60 million. Other reports said Facebook spent about $20 million to hire Ascenta's engineers and managers, who are closing their start-up.
Facebook and Google have crossed paths several times recently while eying potential acquisitions.
Google snapped up at least two companies after Facebook reportedly showed interest in them: Last summer, Google reportedly paid $1 billion for Waze, a mobile navigation service that analyzes user feedback to provide driving directions. Over the winter, Google agreed to pay $400 million for DeepMind, a British firm that's developing artificial intelligence software for image recognition and electronic games.
Facebook, meanwhile, agreed to pay a stunning $19 billion for WhatsApp, a smartphone messaging service popular in Asia and elsewhere, after Google CEO Larry Page reportedly had initial talks with its founders.
Google has bought eight robotics companies over the last year. It told U.S. officials that it hopes to pursue aviation and robotics projects at Mountain View's Moffett Field, where the company is negotiating a lease to operate the historic Hangar One and other facilities.


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Even the most improbable weekend of the season can't overshadow what happened early Saturday afternoon in West Texas.
Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville slapped the hat and headset off graduate assistant coach Kevin Oliver during a 41-34 overtime victory over Kansas, and the video quickly went viral. (The incident starts at the :40 mark of the video.)
While the severity of the incident is unclear, one thing isn't: Tuberville should be suspended at least—and fired at worst—for putting his hands on a subordinate.
"He was out on the field and we're trying to get him off," Tuberville said at the postgame press conference. "I missed his shoulder and grabbed his… It wasn't anything to it."
On the contrary, there most certainly was and Tuberville in no way looked like he was trying to grab Oliver's shoulder. At this point, it's all about the video.
And, most important, this is a university human resources issue. Just like the Mike Leach and Billy Gillespie incidents were at Texas Tech.
Those two men were fired after they put a player or players in harm's way; why would it be any different for Tuberville? He slapped—and make no mistake, it was a slap; not him pulling off the headset or missing his shoulder—Oliver so hard, his headset and hat fell off. And he did it in front of his players and in front of television cameras.
"He was on the field, and I reached to grab him and pull him off," Tuberville said. 'When I pulled, I missed his shirt and I grabbed his (headset). And his microphone ripped off his head. I was trying to get him off the field."
That's just not cutting it. Because, frankly, it's a weak excuse for clearly aggressive, inappropriate behavior—in front of television cameras.
Leach and Gillespie did it during practice, and both were let go despite questions regarding the severity of their issues. Tuberville did it not only in front of television cameras, but did it during game competition—unlike the Leach and Gillespie incidents during practice.
Texas Tech must address the issue, and must do so quickly. They can't let it drag on or avoid it entirely.
GALLERY: Images from Week 11
Grabbing a facemask is one thing. Grabbing shoulder pads and screaming is another. But taking a swing at a graduate assistant in front of your players on national television is about as damning as it gets for a coach.
Texas Tech must send a message and suspend Tuberville, or risk getting into another situation where a coach has too much power. We all saw how that played out last time with Leach.
Texas Tech can't afford to have it happen again.


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Dominant Kuroda leads Yanks to series win
Gardner notches clutch two-run single while Teixeira goes yard
ST. PETERSBURG -- Hiroki Kuroda said that two extra days of rest offered some physical refreshment, as well as giving him an opportunity to clear his head. The way things have been going of late, the Yankees should be able to appreciate a little break whenever possible.
Kuroda retired 17 straight batters to highlight a dominant outing, logging his first victory in four starts, and Brett Gardner drove in two runs as the Yankees headed for home after celebrating a 4-2 victory over the Rays on Sunday at Tropicana Field.
"A good week and things can turn around in a hurry," Gardner said. "We've just got to stay positive and keep working hard. Hopefully, our pitchers will keep throwing the ball well and we'll come together and score some runs. Hopefully, it's not too little, too late."
Mark Teixeira also hit an eighth-inning homer, tying Joe DiMaggio at No. 80 on the all-time list with No. 361 of his career, as New York wrapped up a weather-shortened five-game trip with a pair of wins over Tampa Bay.
"It's better when you win," Teixeira said. "It's a good bounce-back week. We hadn't played well the first few games of the road trip, so it's really good bouncing back the way we did the last two games."
After two losses to the Orioles in Baltimore and another to the Rays on Friday, hitting coach Kevin Long said that he sensed team morale was sagging. The weekend recovery had the Yankees in much better spirits heading into Monday's off-day.
With the Blue Jays' loss to the White Sox, New York moved into second place in the American League East for the first time since Aug. 8, sitting seven games behind the Orioles. They are 3 1/2 games behind the Mariners for the second Wild Card spot.
The Yankees were held hitless into the fifth inning by Jeremy Hellickson before mounting a two-out rally that produced three runs. Martin Prado notched the Yankees' first hit of the afternoon, a double to left field that followed a walk to Stephen Drew.
Gardner cashed both runs with a base hit into center field, and after Derek Jeter singled through the left side of the infield, Jacoby Ellsbury picked up his first hit of the road trip with a single to left field. Ellsbury had been in an 0-for-17 skid.
"I think, for the most part, we've got our full lineup together and healthy," Gardner said. "I think we're in a pretty good spot. We've just got to play up to expectations."
Hellickson was done after that 38-pitch frame, having allowed four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
"It's tough," Hellickson said. "Getting on the board early against [Kuroda], with the stuff he had, 1-0 might have to stand. So I've got to make big pitches when I need to and start putting guys away with two strikes."
Evan Longoria drove in both Tampa Bay runs off Kuroda, who permitted a pair of first-inning singles to Ben Zobrist and Matt Joyce before Longoria got a run home with an RBI groundout that started Kuroda's string of 17 straight outs.
"For me, I think my slider -- especially against righties -- was a pretty decent staple," Kuroda said. "For me, the thing was I wanted to pound the zone today and be aggressive."
Rays manager Joe Maddon said that Kuroda was "sharp," showcasing increased velocity with a good splitter and slider combo.
"That's as good as I've seen him in a while. He pitched really, really well," Maddon said.
The infield defense, particularly several nice plays by Prado at second base, helped as well. The 39-year-old was given extra rest after Tuesday's rainout, as the Yankees hope to avoid the second-half swoon that ruined Kuroda's final eight starts of 2013. Girardi said that the rest certainly "didn't hurt."
"It's obviously for the team to decide, but for me, whenever I get a turn to pitch, I want to get on the mound," Kuroda said through an interpreter.
Joyce finally broke through against Kuroda with a seventh-inning double, scoring on Longoria's single, but Kuroda recovered to get the next two outs. Shawn Kelley struck out pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer swinging on a high fastball to strand the go-ahead run on base.
"That's a huge out, obviously," Girardi said. "If he doesn't, they're going to tie the score and have a chance to take the lead. It's a really big out."
Teixeira gave the Yankees some breathing room in the eighth with his 20th homer of the year, a solo shot to right-center field off Joel Peralta, and David Robertson retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning for his 33rd save.
"The last two days have gone pretty good," Gardner said. "We continued to pitch great and hopefully this week our offense can pick up the slack and give our pitchers a little breathing room."
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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On Dec. 27 Samuel Dortch, an executive vice president at FutureFuel (FF), bought about 4,800 shares of his company's stock at an average price of $11.60. Our database of insider-trading filings shows another officer purchased 5,000 shares in late November, so there is at least some agreement among insiders that the company has good prospects.
FutureFuel makes diversified chemicals and biofuels. Its market capitalization is a little under $500 million, but we think there is plenty of liquidity for most investors, given the average daily volume of close to 200,000 shares and the current share price. The shares went public in March 2011, and they've risen 15% since shortly after the initial public offering.
Total third-quarter revenue, including business with related parties, slipped 2% year over year. Gross profit, operating income and earnings were all down slightly, as well; net income fell only 1%. There were light declines in the top line for both both chemicals and biofuels -- the latter of which was responsible for a little more than half of sales, though the chemicals segment actually saw an increase in operating income.
The third-quarter performance represented a slowdown from the first half of 2012. Looking at the first nine months of the year, sales were actually up from a year earlier, and earnings were 18% higher despite the weak third quarter. Interestingly, these two points weren't related: Despite high revenue growth in biofuels, that segment has reported lower operating income than it did in the first nine months of 2011; the improvement on the bottom line is entirely due to better chemicals margins.
The current market cap represents a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 13x, which makes sense, given FutureFuel's steady business overall. There is only one sell-side analyst covering the stock -- so, while 2013 earnings are supposed to come in higher this year, there is only one opinion, rather than a consensus. This only adds to more general concerns that the Street may be too bullish on stocks.
FutureFuel also reported nearly $200 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities in its 10-Q filing with the SEC. With about $70 million in other current assets and $42 million in current liabilities -- as well as about $60 million in noncurrent liabilities -- it's fair to say that a significant portion of the stock's valuation is in cash. The company did recently pay a special dividend to shareholders, which we estimate used $50 million in cash. The enterprise value is 4.2x trailing earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which is low for an EBITDA multiple. Even after we take into account the recent special dividend, the metric should still come in under 5x.
For FutureFuel, the main question regards the differing trends in its business this year -- namely, it's seeing higher margins in chemicals, and the company has failed to capitalize on a growing biofuels business. We'll have to watch how all this will play out going forward, as well as the complication that biofuels sales growth may be slowing or halting.
The dividend is 3.8% at current prices, and the company announced $0.11 quarterly payments for the new year. Between this, the company's cash and the beta of 0.4, FutureFuel also looks like a potential defensive pick. The special dividend demonstrates that management keeps shareholders' interests in mind -- and given the recent payout increase and the cash-flow-generation characteristics of the chemicals business, we expect the yield to remain high.
There is a decent value picture at FutureFuel, looking at both the price-to-earnings ratio and the ratio of enterprise value to EBITDA. We can see why these insiders like it, given the stock's limited exposure to broader market conditions and the high dividend yield. However, it's probably best to dig deeper into the status of the company's two segments before any decision based on value.


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Ever since Julia Child taught cooking classes in her Paris kitchen decades ago, many an American living in the city has guided visiting countrymen on the intricacies of French cooking. But you need to know the professionals from the poseurs. Here is an edited chat with chef and tour guide David Lebovitz on how to find (reliably good) cooking classes and food tours.
Say you want to take a cooking class in Paris; where do you start?
First ask yourself, "Do you speak French?" Because many, particularly professional, schools only have classes in French. L'atelier des Chefs offers single-subject classes like bread making or macarons — really popular right now — at all levels. Classes run up to two hours and cost about 70 euros; make sure you wear comfortable shoes, because you'll be standing for most of it. If you're a professional or someone really interested in cooking, I'd suggest looking at the schools of Guy Martin or Alain Ducasse, famous chefs who are not necessarily there, but their staffs are highly regarded.
Any other options for English speakers?
There are some really good people, French and American, who hold small group classes in English. La Cuisine Paris near Hotel de Ville or Cook'n With Class in Montmartre often do menu classes, where you go to the market, get ingredients, make a several-course meal and sit down and eat it. Paule Cailat, who's French but speaks perfect English, of Promenades Gourmandes, takes you on a tour of the markets and then you do a hands-on cooking class in her kitchen.
Any ideas for those who just want to walk and eat?
Paris by Mouth does a lot of great tours — wine tasting, cheese tasting, pastry tours and market tours. I do a weeklong chocolate tour of Paris and Lausanne, Switzerland, once or twice a year. We might go to a chocolate shop or a confectionery maker, then do a wine or charcuterie tasting at lunch or go to a cheese cave.
Any options outside of Paris?
Susan Herrmann Loomis, an American who's lived in France for decades, teaches weeklong classes at her country home in Normandy. Patricia Wells does something similar at her home in Provence, and Kate Hill in Gascony teaches multiday charcuterie classes.
— Emily Brennan, New York Times


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Early Look at Nostromo Spacesuit...
As reported to you at San Diego Comic-Con (see HERE), NECA is gearing up for the 35th Anniversary of ALIEN in 2014. Fans will receive 7-inch action figures celebrating the classic 1979 sci-fi film, with confirmed figures including Captain Dallas in Nostromo spacesuit, Kane and Jones the cat (the feline will come packed with a figure). Pictured above is a new behind-the-scenes look at the very early wax sculpt of the Nostromo spacesuit, most likely for Dallas.
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, AlterEgoComics.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.


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A woman who was manhandled by an escaped murderer as he fled from court has demanded answers after the security firm refused to say what went wrong.
The 23-year-old student was cycling home from work on June 18 when Richard Kwakye, a convicted child killer serving life, fled Kingston County Court where he had been for a family-related hearing.
He injured two security guards with a piece of wood with a screw fixed to the end before running into St James Road outside Kingston College and pushing her off her bike.
Kwakye was sentenced to an extra three years in prison in December for escaping lawful custody, two counts of actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon, in addition to the 35 years he was already serving.
Both Serco and the Ministry of Justice have refused to say how he escaped.
The Surbiton woman, who asked not to be named, said: "The whole point of giving someone 35 years is that they are in prison and cannot get out.
"I don't understand why he was not wearing handcuffs – why on Earth was he outside? I have questions. I will be writing a complaint to the court. It has caused me stress.
"He was following me. He grabbed my arm one way and I pulled the other. I was shocked.
"He had a weapon. God knows what he could have done."
The 29-year-old from Twickenham was jailed in July 2011, for the murder of Siariah Letang, a 19-month-old girl from Thornton Heath.
Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, an agency of the Ministry of Justice, said it was for security company Serco to comment.
Paul Rennie, head of custody services for Serco, said: "Following the incident we carried out a review of our prisoner escorting procedures and we are confident that they are completely safe and secure."
Kingston councillor Barry O'Mahony said: "The people of Kingston deserve an explanation as to how this happened and why, and an assurance that it will not happen again."