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By Peggy Willocks
In 2006, the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) asked me to write an article that provided tips to help people with Parkinson's disease (PD) travel more easily. I still receive calls and emails about it and PDF tells me it is still a popular item on their website. This emphasizes to us that travel is still an important topic for you.
My travel experiences have been mostly positive, but occasionally, a story will surface reminding me of the need to discuss the topic of travel. For instance, last summer, my colleagues on PDF's People with Parkinson's Advisory Council (PPAC) all saw the news story about a passenger with Parkinson's disease who was mistaken for being intoxicated before boarding a flight. The airline has since apologized.
Whatever your viewpoint on this story, we know that the passenger did not reveal he had special needs. For the PPAC-ers, this brought up an important question: When you travel, how do you ask for extra help and how much should be revealed concerning your condition? As a group, PPAC decided it was time for an updated article on travel and PD, reiterating our major points, and adding one about disclosure.
Planning Ahead
Back in 2006, I shared my own story of traveling from Cincinnati (see box at right) because it shows how important it is for a person with Parkinson's disease to anticipate the difficulties that may arise while engaging in this common task. Whether you're traveling for work or pleasure, plan, plan, plan!
This has been made easier through the amount of information available online. Are you traveling by air, train, bus, boat or car? Does each mode of transportation offer the accessibility you need, or extra time to board? If you are sightseeing, particularly outside of the United States, make sure you inquire about specific accommodations. For instance, if you use a wheelchair or other mobility aid, confirm that your hotel room is wheelchair accessible and request a room near the elevator. Inquire about special accommodations that most hotels will offer at no extra charge, such as shower seats. Confirm ahead of time whether the sites you want to visit offer wheelchair rentals and are wheelchair accessible.
Another tip for planning: while making reservations for a plane or boat trip, ask about parking for your car. Many facilities offer free or discounted parking if you display a "handicapped" placard or license plate. Once you have made your travel plans, keep them straight by carrying a printed itinerary, complete with emergency contact information. Leave a copy of this with a friend or relative in case you need to be reached. It is imperative to carry with you a cell phone for communicating in times of need. If you are traveling overseas, be sure to have the address and contact information for the US Embassy. It is wise to have your passport with you at all times or locked in a hotel safe.
A case of nerves about having forgotten something will ruin days of a vacation, worsening PD symptoms. Efficient packing can make a big difference, so be sure to make a checklist of the essentials beforehand — passports, tickets, money and special items. Sort out your outfits complete with socks, undergarments and shoes. Include Parkinson's-friendly clothing and accessories, such as wrinkle-free items with elastic waistbands, pull-overs or closures other than buttons for ease in dressing. Toiletries and personal hygiene items are easier to handle if you have a compartment-type bag. Bags that can hang on the back of a door are convenient, providing easy access to each compartment. Take needed assistive equipment (such as a walker), and always take a cane or walking stick, making certain your name is well displayed on each item.
Managing Your Medications
Keeping your medications in check can be crucial to enjoying a trip. To avoid being caught shorthanded, always carry extra medication in labeled containers, in your purse or carry-on at all times. Do NOT put your medications in your "checked" bag when flying.
Bring or request a bottle of water to help you take your pills, as well as a light snack if needed, to prevent nausea. If you run into a situation where you are without medication, a local pharmacist can negotiate with your home doctor/pharmacist to fill an emergency prescription. To speed up the process in these cases, always travel with an updated list of your medications, along with information on dosages, scheduled times for dosing and notations of allergies and needed telephone numbers. This information will also be essential if you end up visiting a doctor's office or emergency room while traveling. If you experience motion sickness, check with your pharmacist for interactions before taking any anti-nausea or over-the-counter medications.
Communicating Your Needs
Now that you are ready to go, how can you make sure your needs are met during your trip? Anticipate Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will!" no matter what your mode of transportation. To minimize these "wrongs," request special assistance at the time you make your reservations. If you are flying, remember that security regulations have tightened. Get to the airport a minimum of two hours before the flight to avoid a situation like my, "Cincinnati incident!" (see box right). If you have undergone deep brain stimulation, a note from your doctor will allow you to bypass electronic security and undergo other security checks instead.
In my experience, airlines and most other major modes of transportation will go out of their way to accommodate customers, or patrons, with special needs. But what are your rights? By law you have the right to travel alone in the US without discrimination. Even if you are traveling with a care partner, you can request early boarding on any airline if needed, and aren't required to give advance notice (destinations outside the United States may require advance notice).
Airlines must provide assistance getting on and off the plane (e.g., service personnel, ground wheelchairs, service wheelchairs, ramps and mechanical lifts). There are similar regulations in Europe and Canada. You must also have room to store any wheelchairs, canes and other equipment in the cabin and close to your seat.
Since these accommodations are available, I recommend asking for extra help, and then repeating your needs several times. For example, if you need an electric cart or wheelchair service, tell the ticketing agent, then tell the airline representative when you are boarding the plane, and as a final check, give the flight attendant a friendly reminder just before landing. Do not assume that you "may" be functioning well later — it is better to be safe than sorry.
Do you have to reveal that you have Parkinson's? Absolutely not. Once you state that you have special needs, or need extra time to board a plane, that's all you have to say. No one needs to know why, unless you want to tell them.
Now that you have planned everything in advance, enjoy your well-deserved trip. Make sure your sightseeing schedule is flexible, and build in mini-rests and one nap every day. When driving or riding for long periods of time, stop frequently to stretch or walk around, as well as for bathroom breaks. Traveling does not have to end when Parkinson's advances. Enjoy yourself!
Peggy Willocks, a member of PDF's PPAC, has lived with Parkinson's for 18 years. She resides in Johnson City, TN, and is a former elementary school principal.


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ERNIE BANKS, aka "Mr. Cub"
Fifty-five years ago, Chicago fan favorite Ernie Banks slammed a career-high 47 homers on his way to the first of back-to-back MVP titles. It's a period "Mr. Cub" never gets tired of talking about, as he did with Sporting News in this first-person account that originally published in the September 1, 2008, issue of Sporting News Magazine.
You really don't know what's happening, it's just happening. You can't explain it. In '58, my wife got pregnant and the twins were born in '59.
I was up early with this one (baby) and that one. I would go out to Wrigley Field and I'd step into the ballpark and my whole energy level just changed. I didn't want to leave because it was a place where I could make my own decisions. When to swing, when not to swing. When to run, when not to run. But at home with the twins, I couldn't do that— they did that.
There are certain things in my life that happened at the right time. I couldn't wait to get to the park. I couldn't wait to play. I was more at ease. I didn't have any situations on my mind—mortgages, sickness in my family, any disruptions going on. It was just the right time.
I see that in sports, certain times in your life, from 25 to 29, your body, your mind, everything works together. It was an amazing phenomenon. When that happened and they told me I won the MVP award, I just couldn't believe it. We had all these great players—Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial—you know, all the great players in the National League were doing so well. We were not winning. Normally when you win those awards … usually a player has contributed to a winning season. That was really amazing to me—really amazing. I mean, after it happened, I couldn't believe it.
I used to go down to Lake Michigan and sit down and just think, 'Is this really happening? How is this happening to me?' It has been 50 years ago and I still think about it.
As told to Ken Bradley

subset: commoncrawl


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LRG (Lifted Research Group) brings you a new exclusive skate style line, LRG Core Collection. This underground culture brand carries the most staple basics of any streetwear wardrobe. Hoodies, sweaters, jeans, sweatpants, and tees are the basis for this inspired line. LRG Core Collection is still designed to overthrow the masses, but with simpler, more straight-forward clothing. These hot, high street fashion pieces are for artists, creators, and people who are getting by while doing what they love. LRG Core Collection carries not only clothing and accessories, but also innovation and world-changing perception. Core Collection is clothing and ideas coming together to make change.
No products match your selections. Try clearing your filters.


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The cast of the UK stage adaptation of sitcom Allo 'Allo got slightly more than they bargained for while cruising Loch Ness – catching a glimpse of what could be the elusive Loch Ness Monster on the ship's sonar screen.
The sonar images reveal five Nessie-shaped images, which a trusted Loch Ness expert cannot explain.
The cast, including television series favourite Vicki Michelle, had been taking a break from performing at Eden Court Theatre last Thursday, when the spot was made.
The crew of the Jacobite Queen witnessed highly unusual readings on the ship's sonar screen, somewhere between Dores and Urquhart Castle.
According to captain John Askew, it was the first-time in his 15-years working on the loch that he successfully picked up images of this kind on any of the Jacobite fleet's sonar screens. The images have now been sent for scientific analysis.
An expert in sonar who has been studying Loch Ness since 1973 couldn't explain the sighting.
"This has got me puzzled and has every appearance of a genuine sonar contact," said Adrian Shine, of The Loch Ness Project. "The fact there's five items on the screen can be explained, as a single object often appears again as an echo.
"This certainly adds to the Loch Ness mystery and will be the subject of further investigation."
Vicki Michelle, who was aboard the boat as it traveled from Inverness to the historic Urquhart Castle, commented: "I went down to the boat's cabin and caught an arch shape on the monitor, followed by four more. The whole cast had been hoping to see something on the trip and, if it was Nessie, that positive energy probably brought her out… or perhaps she's just a fan of the show!
"In all seriousness, whether it was Nessie or not, we all definitely saw something on that monitor," she added.
Recorded sightings of the Loch Ness Monster go back nearly 1,500 years, although many photographs of the legendary 'Nessie' taken in the past century have proved to be either hoaxes or simply optical illusions.
Where, next to that flock of underwater birds?


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We first saw the 20th Anniversary Collectors Pack at Toy Fair a few weeks ago. We just got it in stock and I figured I would crack one open and do a full toy review. The Collectors Pack includes 3.5 inch Classic Sonic, Amy Rose, Tails and Super Sonic. Jazwares also showed at Toy Fair some other interesting stuff like the Team Chaotix Box Set with Vector, Espio and Charmy Bee. I know alot of people wanted Charmy.
Click the below link to view the YouTube video
Sonic the Hedgehog 20th Anniversary Classic Collectors Pack 3.5 inch figures by Jazwares - YouTube


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A senior Hamas official said his movement was prepared to accept a Yemeni proposal for reconciliation with Fatah, which expressed willingness to launch a national dialogue when Hamas agrees to the terms of Yemen's initiative.
"The visit is to meet (Yemeni) President Ali Abdullah Saleh ... and inform him of the movement's acceptance of the Yemeni initiative," Hamas deputy politburo chief Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera television upon his arrival in the Yemeni capital. Earlier, Hamas official in the Gaza Strip Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the movement would discuss the points of the Yemeni initiative.
The Yemeni bid calls for the situation in Gaza Strip to return to the way it was before Hamas seized control of the territory and for early Palestinian elections to be held, conditions backed by President Abbas and so far rejected by Hamas. "We accept to discuss all the points stated in the Yemeni initiative openly on the dialogue table," Abu Zuhri said. "The Yemeni initiative did not talk about preconditions but it listed items or points for dialogue and we're willing to discuss them." Officials from Fatah said they were prepared to start a national dialogue if Hamas accepts the terms of Yemen's proposal.
Nimmer Hammad, an aide to Abbas, said it was too early to say when any such talks could open. "If they accepted the Yemeni initiative as is, then yes, talks with Hamas can resume." Asked when, Hammad said: "Right now, this is premature."
Delegations from the two rival factions are to meet separately with Yemeni President Ali Saleh but a breakthrough seems unlikely in the absence of Abbas and Damascus-based Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal.
"If the brothers in Hamas accept the Yemeni initiative completely in all its clauses, we are ready to immediately begin a Palestinian national dialogue, not just between Fatah and Hamas but all the national factions," senior Abbas aide Azzam al-Ahmed told reporters in Yemen. "The dispute is not between Fatah and Hamas ... it is between all the national action factions ... and Hamas. Hamas has been singled out ... from the start when it used armed force."
[1] http://www.albawaba.com


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pegvisomant (generic name)
It is used to treat acromegaly, a condition where the body makes too much growth hormone
(peg VI soe mant)
Table of Contents
Top Learning Centers(Recursos en Español)
What is this medicine?PEGVISOMANT (peg VI soe mant) blocks growth hormone. It is used to treat acromegaly, a condition where the body makes too much growth hormone.
What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
How should I use this medicine?This medicine is for injection under the skin. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Do not shake this medicine. Use solution within 6 hours of mixing. You will be taught how to prepare and give this medicine. Use exactly as directed. Take your medicine at regular intervals. Do not take your medicine more often than directed.
It is important that you put your used needles and syringes in a special sharps container. Do not put them in a trash can. If you do not have a sharps container, call your pharmacist or healthcare provider to get one.
Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care may be needed.
What if I miss a dose?If you miss a dose, use it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, use only that dose. Do not use double or extra doses.
What may interact with this medicine?
What should I watch for while using this medicine?Visit your doctor for regular check ups. You will need important blood work done while you are taking this medicine.
What side effects may I notice from receiving this medicine?Side effects that you should report to your doctor as soon as possible:
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
Where should I keep my medicine?Keep out of the reach of children.
Store in a refrigerator between 2 and 8 degrees C (36 and 46 degrees F). Do not freeze. Throw away any solution that is unused 6 hours after mixing. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.


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Something for NothingBy Ian Crouch
America, from its Puritan past to its mass-incarceration present, has never been particularly hospitable to criminals. Yet, from time to time, an outlaw rises to the level of folk hero, based on a captivating personal narrative or a prevailing mood in the culture. Perhaps no category of crook has been more consistently compelling than the con artist. During their heyday, from the mid-nineteenth century up through the first decades of the twentieth, when innovations in transportation brought more strangers together and promises of fast fortune spread across the country, practitioners earned memorable nicknames—Soapy Smith, Snitzer the Kid, Appetite Bill—and spoke in a florid and amusing argot. (Every object in the game, from money to cards to actors, was given a nickname, as were the games themselves, dubbed the wipe, the wire, the big mitt, the huge duke, the tip, the tale, the strap, the spud, or the shake with the button.) Con men normally stole by guile rather than by physical intimidation or brute force. And their thieving relied on complicated mechanisms of performance and intelligence—it was indeed an art, complete with its own hierarchy of ability. The best of them could be imagined as dashing and debonair—like Paul Newman and Robert Redford in The Sting, men who valued the game more than what it earned.
Most important, the nature of the con implicated the victim in its own criminal logic. Marks were roped in with promises of inside information on a fixed horse race, rigged stock market, or some other path to easy money—only to see their contributions to the dubious venture stolen right before their eyes. As the linguist David Maurer wrote in The Big Con, his encyclopedic study of confidence crimes and the men that ran them, the operation worked based on a fixed maxim: "You can't cheat an honest man."
For many con artists, this was as much an excuse as a credo. Take, for example, the Chicago con man Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil, who claimed to have stolen more than eight million dollars from assorted marks, as victims in the con game are known, during a career that spanned more than half a century. You would think he'd be the last person inclined to judge harshly the avarice of his fellow man. Yet, in 1956, after he'd turned eighty, he explained himself to Saul Bellow, who summed up the man's conception of the moral universe:
The years have not softened his heart toward the victims of his confidence schemes. Of course he was a crook, but the "marks" whom he and his associates trimmed were not honest men. "I have never cheated any honest men," he says, "only rascals. They may have been respectable but they were never any good." And this is how he sums the matter up: "They wanted something for nothing. I gave them nothing for something." He says it clearly and sternly; he is not a pitying man. To be sure, he wants to justify his crimes, but quite apart from this he believes that honest men do not exist.
While many con artists gained larger-than-life reputations, their victims mostly remained faceless, since, as Amy Reading explains in her engrossing new book, The Mark Inside, most were reluctant to take a complaint to the authorities. Local police were often paid off to look the other way, but even if they hadn't been, marks were unlikely to confess to being robbed while putting money on a crooked scheme. Even the truly innocent—and indeed there were honest and decent people cleaned in cons—wouldn't be eager to come forward and announce their gullibility to the world.
Who, then, would stand up for the victims, the marks who were considered at best fools, or at worst, criminals themselves? Enter J. Frank Norfleet, a short, mustachioed cattle rancher from the Texas panhandle, who became the most renowned advocate for the victims of cons in the history of the game. Read More


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Finally healthy, McGowan competing for roster spot
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- At this point in his career, Dustin McGowan will take the good news where he can get it. McGowan, who has gone through a litany of injuries that includes elbow surgery and three operations on his shoulder, finds himself healthy and competing for a spot on the Blue Jays' roster.
The right-hander has been held to just 30 appearances since the outset of the 2009 campaign, but he thrived as a reliever in 25 games last season. McGowan made his second appearance of the spring on Monday, and though he didn't get the results he wanted, he found a bright side.
"I threw the ball. I don't know if I'd call it pitching," McGowan joked after his outing. "I feel great. I guess that's the disturbing part: I feel so good. I guess in Spring Training, that's all you can ask for."
McGowan, who will turn 32 before Opening Day, has long been one of Toronto's most intriguing arms. Now, with his baseball odometer rolling over, he's trying to work past the injury curve. The Blue Jays aren't sure whether McGowan fits better as a starter or a reliever, but they're willing to find out.
"That's the million-dollar question. It's something I don't know the answer to," said McGowan of whether there would be less strain on his arm starting or in relief. "I don't know if I threw 100 pitches if I'd get too sore and couldn't take a while to recover. It's part of the process. Finding out."
McGowan only worked an inning in Monday's 12-2 loss to Minnesota, but he allowed two hits and was charged with three earned runs. He said that the main culprit on Monday was his inability to throw the breaking ball for strikes, and that he found himself falling behind in the count because of it.
McGowan admits that he's a "longshot" to earn a rotation berth, but he said he'd love the opportunity if it was granted to him. And right now, the Blue Jays want to maximize his chances for success.
"We're monitoring it. We'll see what happens with it," said manager John Gibbons. "I have some doubts whether that will work. If it gets to the point where we see it's not going to work, we'll shut him down. He's a guy, when he was a starter before he got hurt, he could throw a lot of pitches."
Now, though, McGowan can delight in small victories. McGowan feels healthy, he's throwing hard and everything else will sort itself out. And as for his injuries? He feels they're behind him.
"I don't think the word frustrating can even start to explain it," said McGowan of his injury-filled odyssey. "It's in the past. It's over with now and I've got years to look forward to now."
Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The Seeing Place Theater Announces Casting for LOVE SONG, 11/23-12/9
The Seeing Place Theater, known for intensely intimate ensemble work, announces casting for John Kolvenbach's disarming ode to loneliness cured: LOVE SONG.
This ensemble cast features Erin Cronican (National Tour: Suds, The Rockin' 60s Musical Soap Opera, Off-Broadway: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea) as Molly, Marnie Klar (Fringe NYC: Fleet Week, The Musical) as Joan, Javan Nelson (Regional: The Shape of Things) as Bill, Brandon Walker (Off-Broadway: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and The Seeing Place's Look Back in Anger) as Beane and Jason Wilson (Chicago: Robert Johnson Tricked the Devil) as Harry. Erin Cronican directs this play.
Meet Beane. He's depressed. His well-meaning sister, Joan, and brother-in-law, Harry, try and make time for him in their busy lives, but no one can get through. Following a burglary on Beane's apartment, Joan is baffled to find her brother blissfully happy and in love with his assailant, Molly. Suddenly Beane's got something to live for, and that's contagious enough to transform his sister's life too - right down to the nuts and bolts of her marriage. Unfortunately, Beane's got a problem that could land them all right back where they started. Funny, enchanting and wonderfully touching, John Kolvenbach's Olivier Award-Nominated, offbeat comedy is a rhapsody to the power of love in all its forms. "What secret ingredient makes you think things are Possible?"
The show has a limited engagement November 23 - December 9, 2012 (Wednesday through Saturday: 8pm, Saturday and Sunday: 2pm) at The Seeing Place at ATA's Sargent Theater, 314 W 54th St, 4th Floor. Tickets are just $12 and are available by calling SmartTix at (212)868-4444 and at www.smarttix.com. For more information visit www.seeingplacetheater.com.
The Seeing Place Theater is an actor-driven ensemble known for its intense and intimate work - with ticket prices anyone can afford. Since 2009, we've been forcefully committed to:
THE Actor's Process: Through robust table work and improvisation, we focus on honoring the actor's artistry in creating a character and building a story, which extends from rehearsal into performance. It's a pro-actor philosophy, and it's rare in today's market.
Organic Storytelling: Unlike other companies, we do not cement our choices in advance. Instead, what audiences get to see is a group of actors "in the moment" - working off one another to tell a fresh story that is never the same night to night.
Community Value: We produce our shows in Hell's Kitchen in the heart of midtown Manhattan, a community hungry for strong, independent theater to combat the high priced, commercial offerings of Broadway. We've been awed by the positive response by critics & audiences about the unique, quality work we've been able to share at a price point audiences can afford - $12 a ticket.
For more information on The Seeing Place Theater visit their blog, Facebook, or Twitter.


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Since the contract on my phone was approaching renewal time and I can upgrade to a new phone, I was curious as to what kind of phone folks prefer.
I've always preferred phones with physical keyboards, however, these types of phones are few a far between. Is this market availability an actual reflection of what everyone wants, or just what the phone manufactures decide on?
I'm happy enough with the touch screen, although it does sometimes get in the way when it pops up over the interface.
Been using touchscreen for quiet some time already infact I've already forgot how to use a QWERTY keyboard haha..
I only use my phone for texting (and very occasional internet access), so I much prefer an actual keyboard. My previous phone had a touchscreen version, but my current one (now a couple of years old) has a fold-out keyboard, which I love.
I've been an iPhone user for a few years now. No way I would to back to a physical keyboard. On the odd occasion where I have to do something on my parents' keyboard phone, I find it difficult to use.
Are you considering a paticular OS or is the keyboard the deciding factor for you?
I don't find a problem typing on a touchscreen, and I find the autocorrect on Windows Phone to be pretty good. I would rather have the full-size screen with a soft keyboard that comes and goes as needed than a physical keyboard taking up screenspace, or a fold-out keyboard that adds more potential for things to go wrong.
Well I have a Motorola XT316 which has a physical keyboard and have not regretted it. I can type quite fast on it now. I don't know that I could do that on a touchscreen.
Sent from my XT316 using Tapatalk 2
I'm sticking with an android device and a slide-out keyboard.
The thing is--I do some sysadmin stuff remotely and write a fair amount of emails. I can't type nearly as fast on a touchscreen (no tactile feedback), and the pop-up onscreen keyboard tends to get in the way.
Oh ok, that's interesting!What kind of stuff do you do via your phone, if you don't mind me asking?
Mainly just remote desktop sessions and various web-based configuration pages for websites, network devices, and hosted services. It's pretty straight-forward.
Interesting. I do a lot of remote admin stuff from a non-physical keyboard screen. I also make sure I have swype installed so I don't have to push the physical characters and I can just drag my finger from letter to letter to form the words/commands I need. Granted commands are a lot trickier and I'm still trying to figure out that one better, but in the meantime I wrote a quick web app that handles my typical commands or I have a document on my phone that I can go copy and paste from.
I'm a part time network admin and I never really considered doing admin stuff from my phone.I'll mull over that possibility.
I don't use my phone as my primary platform for sysadmin stuff--I only use it to avoid having to return to work when something breaks after I've already left for the day and I'm out and about somewhere.


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The Marin Energy Authority has received 52 offers from 22 companies in response to its annual request for proposals for renewable energy projects.
The authority is seeking to contract for an additional 40 megawatts of electricity, but the offers it received totaled 673 megawatts. Most of the proposals — accounting for 72 percent of the prospective electricity — are for new projects.
"It's really exciting," said Dawn Weisz, the authority's executive officer. "It shows that the renewable economy is alive and strong."
Weisz said the authority will have plenty of green power in its energy mix despite its cancellation of a contract at the end of last year with North American Power Group for 15 megawatts of electricity. The project called for construction of a photovoltaic solar generator in Kern County.
"This one we needed to terminate because it wasn't progressing according to the schedule laid out," Weisz said. "It's very common for a percentage of contracts not to come through development."
Weisz said a $500,000 security deposit that North American Power Group was required to put up will compensate the authority for any expenses, such as the cost of purchasing replacement energy.
But Mike Ruffatto, president of North American Power Group, said, "We don't think we were in default nor that it was an effective cancellation of the contract."
Raffatto added, "We ran into an unexpected problem last fall that may have led to some misunderstandings with MEA. We have corrected the issues. We have the financing, project permits, regulatory approvals and are ready to go ahead and complete the project."
Weisz responded, "It has been canceled, and the required permits haven't been achieved." She said Kern County permitting officials told the authority last fall that North American Power Group lacked the proper permits and that it would take 12 to 18 months to secure them. Weisz said the permits that North American Power Group had at the time were valid only if the energy was used on-site.
Raffatto declined to comment on what caused the project to be delayed. It was supposed to have started generating power later this month. It is the first such contract the authority has canceled. Marin Clean Energy has contracts with 10 suppliers for 15 power projects.
When it launched in 2010, the authority pledged that no less than 25 percent of the electricity it sells to customers would come from renewable sources. Currently, more than 51 percent of the authority's electricity comes from renewable sources. Renewable sources account for 20 percent of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s energy.
The authority, which consists of the county of Marin, all 11 of Marin's municipalities and the city of Richmond, is the first successful attempt in California to launch a new, public model for providing electricity to residents. It serves as the retail electricity provider for its 95,000 customers, who continue to also pay PG&E for transmission and distribution of their electricity.
The newly proposed projects range in size from 2 to 80 megawatts of solar photovoltaic, wind, geothermal and biogas generating capacity. That includes 52 megawatts of solar and 8 megawatts of landfill gas, enough clean energy to power approximately 22,500 homes per year. A substantial number of the proposals are for projects in Northern California and will help the authority achieve its commitment to increase the percentage of cost-competitive local, regional and in-state renewable energy.
Weisz said a preliminary review indicates energy prices are in line with market expectations. Key evaluative criteria for the offers include environmental impacts, local economic benefits, project location, qualifications of the project team, siting and permitting considerations, project financing plans, energy pricing and resource type.
Marin Clean Energy will begin initial contract negotiations after short-list notifications with the goal of developing draft power purchase agreements between March and May. Project approval and execution is scheduled for late May or early June.
Contact Richard Halstead via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com


text: China, Malaysia, India - there are so many different influences on customs, food and culture here that it really is one of the world's most exciting melting pots. Locals love to eat, and live to shop. You can find anything from golf to indoor skiing here, as well as bustling nightlife along the Three Quays. Then it's back to your luxury hotel for a well-earned rest.


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Shonin wrote:lojong1 wrote:Shonin wrote:The key facts stated by the Buddha here are as follows: 1. The earth is above liquid 2. ...above... 3. ...above...
You mention this elsewhere as a layering one atop another. Patitthita sutta: "Monks, when one quality is established in a monk, the five faculties are developed & developed well. Which one quality? Heedfulness."
Would you say that the monk literally stands above heedfulness?
No. 'Established in' means 'founded or standing within'. 'Established on' means 'founded or standing upon'. The key word describing their relative positions is not 'established' it is the word 'on' (or in your example 'in'). I presume you know what 'on' means? In case there was somehow a doubt about what this means, the other translation I posted makes it doubly clear: "this great earth is supported by water, the water by air, the air by space"
If you have the passage in Pali please post it.
Some people, when shown a rock, would insist it was an asura.
Then there were two Buddhas at the same time, which they both claim is impossible...different dimensions...time-traveling Buddha saw all the confusion and went back to fix it...I'll make this work somehow! [what must they think of me?]Shonin wrote:Incidentally, while looking into this last night I discovered that there are two versions of this sutta and that this passage is absent from one of them, hinting to the possibility that it may be a later addition. Perhaps this would be more palettable for our friends.
Sanghamitta wrote:Quite so Shonin.
Personally I find it both puzzling and sad that there are those who can only see the enormous riches contained in the Suttas if they take a literalist view of the metaphorical and mythological view of the world view of 2500 years ago which was the psycho social context of the Buddhas teaching and not only was not of the essence of those teachings but was in fact peripheral to them. What is true and timeless about the Suttas is the light they shed on Dukkha and the path to end it. Not magical stories of giant fish or cosmology long ago shown not to have correspondence with physical actuality.
That is to mistake a diamond of huge worth with the box it comes in.
The essence of The Buddhas teaching is in the 8fp , the three signs, D.O. not speculation concerning what amount to creation myths.
We have a lot to actualise with needing to engage in this kind of banter. We are here. Dukkha is real. There is a way out.
Giant fish and the supernatural origin of earthquakes are self indulgence.
rahula80 wrote:Shonin, can you provide the reference to the other version of the sutta?
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/mission-accomplished.pdfThe multiplicity of the subjects discussed
in the Sutta is a clear indication to its later compilation
which invariably challenges its authenticity. Supernatural
phenomena intermingled with the flow of gentle as
well as realistic occurrences found in the Sutta cannot be
taken as historical truth. It is more plausible to regard
place names such as Gotamatittha and Gotamadvàra found
in the Sutta as names introduced after the demise of the
Buddha.13 Undoubtedly, the list of the causes of earthquakes
can be easily set aside as late material interpolated
in elucidation of the super-human qualities of the Buddha.
The eight causes of earthquakes naturally depict
how the redactors of the Sutta turned apologetic in regard
to giving up of the term of life in order to attain Parinibbana
by the Buddha...
...These eight causes of earthquakes are totally absent in the
Tibetan version of our text. Rhys Davids, too, observed
that these passages dealing with earthquakes are 'quite out
of place.'
lojong1 wrote:I just noticed something I forgot to post in explaining [mostly to myself] 'established in/on/over' etc.. In fact, what I missed was the very reason I quoted the Patitthita Sutta in the first place.
Patitthita Sutta, which I quoted for it's relevant vocabulary, grammar, translation, says: "when one quality [heedfulness, how apt] is established in a monk...". No wonder it was so easy to dismiss my next question, since I forgot to mention that in Pali this more literally says "When a monk is established in/on (or 'supported by') one quality...". That is why I asked if it is reasonable to say the monk must be physically standing on [<--your "key word"] heedfulness, which lays beneath him in a flat layer. If this is unreasonable and you weren't reading the Pali, then on what basis could you possibly have chosen to favor the "explicit and doubly clear" translation of the quake passage?
Shonin wrote:But, as I've pointed out, there is a much much simpler interpretation, which requires far fewer assumptions and no significant re-interpretations. I'm inclinded to go with that.
lojong1 wrote:The New Akashic recordsp.139 chips away at the flat layer assumption, and the assumption that Buddha was repeating the "commonly held knowledge of the time."
Another possibility for the grammatical change at vāto ākāsaṭṭho is that patitthati establishes a more direct relationship between the elements than a simple locative. i.e. there are one or more supports between vāto and ākāsaṭṭho that play no significant part in causing an earthquake. Fire is the first to pop into my head.
Sanghamitta wrote:Seriously...?
Rahula80 wrote:Heavier things, logically, would support lighter stuff. No?
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Valhalla, LLC
Ellijay, GA 30540
Valhalla Cabin is located on a private ridge facing Rich Mountain, with only three other privately-owned cabins. This secluded location allows for year-round views from both the front and back porch. One can enjoy the sunrise, sunset and when lucky the moonrise! Valhalla Cabin has all the comforts of home, even wireless computer service. The cabin is easy to get to, just a half mile from the main highway. However, one feels like they are miles away from civilization. A variety of activities are located nearby as well as many shops and restaurants. The outdoor hot tub is on the covered porch so it can be enjoyed year round too. This is the perfect honeymoon or romantic getaway. Families and their family dog are welcome, too.
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text:
San Antonio, Texas -- Steak n Shake said Tuesday it has signed its first international development agreement, which will bring the concept to the Middle East.
Steak n Shake has signed an exclusive area development agreement with the Saleh Bin Lahej Group to open 40 restaurants throughout the United Arab Emirates. This agreement represents the initial expansion of the brand outside the continental United States.
The Saleh Bin Lahej Group operates international franchises for restaurant brands such as Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Black Canyon Asian Cuisine, El Chico Mexican Restaurant, The Pizza Company, and Cantina Laredo.
Steak n Shake, a subsidiary of Biglari Holdings, expects to open its first location in Dubai during 2013.


text: Hi, is there a possibility to multivariate KDE using Epanechnikov kernel? my variables are X Y (point position) Thanks Francesco >----Messaggio originale---- >Da: firstname.lastname@example.com >Data: 19/01/2013 14.32 >A: "SciPy Users List"<firstname.lastname@example.com> >Ogg: Re: [SciPy-User] Epanechnikov kernel > >On Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 7:49 AM, <email@example.com> wrote: >> On Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 6:34 AM, email@example.com >> <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote: >>> Hi all, >>> >>> I have a question for you. Is it possible in scipy using a Epanechnikov >>> kernel function? >>> >>> I checked on scipy documentation but i found that the only way to calculate >>> kernel-density estimate is possible only with using Gaussian kernels? >>> >>> Is it true? >> >> Yes, kde in scipy.stats only has gaussian_kde >> >> Also in statsmodels currently only gaussian is supported for >> continuous data >> http://statsmodels.sourceforge.net/devel/nonparametric.html >> (It was removed because in the references only the bandwidth selection >> made much difference in the estimation, but not the shape of the >> kernel. Other kernels for continuous variables will come back >> eventually. > >If you're interested in univariate KDE, then we do have the Epanechnikov kernel. > >http://statsmodels.sourceforge.net/devel/generated/statsmodels.nonparametric. kde.KDEUnivariate.fit.html#statsmodels.nonparametric.kde.KDEUnivariate.fit > >Skipper >_______________________________________________ >SciPy-User mailing list >firstname.lastname@example.com >http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/scipy-user >


text:
Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/19/review_notebook_toshiba_satellite_p775/
Toshiba Satellite P775 17.3in Core i7 laptop
The Young Ones' notebook?
Posted in Personal Tech, 19th July 2011 12:00 GMT
Review As laptops become ever more identical on the inside, it's the stuff on the outside that now differentiates one from another.
Off to college: the (wealthy) student's laptop?
Toshiba's Satellite P775 is a good example. The key points I jotted down while putting it through its paces are not the 2GHz Intel Core i7-2630WM quad-core processor - many laptops have one of those - the 750GB hard drive - ditto - or the Blu-ray Disc drive - a less commonplace component, but not one to stir the passions, either - but its backlit-keyboard and its looks.
Not that I can find, in all honesty, anything especially wrong with the innards. Toshiba has fitted the P775 with a generous 8GB of 1333MHz DDR 3 memory, plenty for a mainstream machine with a 64-bit operating system and an integrated graphics core. I wish Windows was set, out of the box, to cache more data there so I had to rely less on the capacious but tardy hard drive.
That's a 'metallic urban black' texture, that is
The P775 has USB 3.0, but again lots of machines do now. Even more have Gigabit Ethernet on board. The laptop's wireless adaptor ticks the 802.11n box, but it only covers the 2.4GHz band, not 5GHz too, and it's a single antenna job so don't expect speeds above 72Mb/s - no quicker in practice than old 802.11g.
The colossal 17.3in display runs to a resolution of 1600 x 900. It's nice and bright, but not Full HD, which is disappointing on a screen this size but not an uncommon omission.
An oddly placed trackpad - and a decent keyboard
The screen is driven, depending on graphics load, by the Intel GMA core built into the Sandy Bridge CPU, or by an Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics chip with 2GB of dedicated DDR 3 video Ram. The switching is handled - very nice and smoothly - by Nvidia's Optimus tech.
3D plus BD
Optimus' goal is to use the discrete GPU only when necessary, to reduce energy consumption. But since since the P775 is a desktop replacement, how much pummelling is its 4200mAh battery likely to get? Able to keep the laptop going for an hour and a quarter, the power pack is more a token addition than a statement of mobility. Most folk will use it plugged into the mains, but I suppose Optimus will reduce their electricity bills a wee bit.
Blu-ray on the right-hand side...
The Nvidia chip is also 3D capable,
but I couldn't test this because Toshiba didn't supply any glasses Actually, there are no specs because the P775 is designed to leave displaying 3D to an HDMI-connected TV.
Judging by the P775, Tosh's attitude to 3D seems lukewarm: it may have included a few of 3D film clips, but there's no bundled software to play them with. Nvidia's 3D Vision Player, which can handle the files, has to be downloaded first. Sloppy, Toshiba - even if users double-click the shortcut to download it, they'll end up at Nvidia's driver download page, where there's no mention of 3D Vision Player. I only found it through a site search.
...SuperSpeed USB 3.0 on the other
Toshiba does bundles an own-brand player, but it can only handle MPEG 4 3D files and 3D Blu-ray discs, not the samples included on the P775's hard drive.
Other content can be downloaded from Places, Toshiba's new online music, movies and games shop. Designed for Media Centre use, the P775 also comes with a wee remote control. Older versions of the P775 had a built-in TV tuner - the new one doesn't.
Benchmark Results
PCMark Vantage
Longer bars are better
3DMark 06
Longer bars are better
Battery Life
PCMark Vantage
Battery life in Minutes
Longer bars are better
I'd happily trade the remote for a decent Wi-Fi adaptor capable of 300Mb/s, but the P775's emphasis is entertainment: hence the Blu-ray, the 3D playback, Places and the beefy Harman Kardon audio system.
University challenge
Its entertainment capabilities define the P775 as a machine for youngsters looking not merely for a computer but also a box that combines games console, flat-planel telly and disc player - students with freshly banked grant money to burn, for example. They'll need that load cheque - the P775 is priced at £1200, more than twice the price of your average budget 15-incher.
No guesses as to what OS it runs...
Kitted out in a "metallic urban black" colour scheme - glossy black with a shallow-ribbed texture to diffuse the light it reflects - his is a laptop for a lad: big and black, weighty with performance potential and a backlit go-faster stripe above the touchpad.
Speaking of which, what eejit decided it should be placed right on the laptop's leading edge? You'll be pushing away to right- or left-click and failing because the buttons aren't an inch or so in, where your fingers' muscle memory thinks they are.
Benchmark performance? Not at all bad. The P775's PCMark Vantage score of 6600 is good but not a stand-out score either, the Nvidia GPU's 7945 3DMark 06 points likewise.
The Satellite P775 is nice enough to look at if you favour boy-racer kit, and puts in a reasonable performance too. It's just not particularly exciting and - compared to the similarly specced yet faster Samsung RF711 - overpriced. ®
More Notebooks Reviews...
Thinkpad Edge
Aspire 5940G
MacBook Pro


text:
Halloween night sometime in the 1980s (i'm going to guess 1987). I saw Skinny Puppy live after the East Village parade. The show was at Irving Plaza for the VIVISect tour. They dissected a fake puppy and there was blood all over the room (including my jacket). There was a cheesy opening band that no one ever heard of. Years later I looked at the ticket stub: Nine Inch Nails.
"TV interview with Trent Reznor of Cleveland's "Exotic Birds" 1985″ – nobodybeatsthewiz
For more info: nin.com


text:
Frank Delicious wrote:Flipflat wrote:The only problem with gays serving openly is the risk of harassment and division among their fellow soldiers. Could cause alot of unnecessary drama. You and I are cool with gays in the military, but unfortunately not everybody is so tolerant, and NEVER will be. Some people like to hate, probably because that's the way they were hardwired at a young age.
Ah yes the old "better not upset the bigots" argument. I'm quite familiar with that line of reasoning since I live in the south.
Ok, well, then upset the bigots. See what happens. Do you think a moment will come when all the bigots are like "you know what? gays aint so bad after all". Violent incidents in the military towards gays would sharply increase (from whatever rate it's at now) if gays were more open. I think soldiers have enough to worry about as it is.


text:
Apple (AAPL) shares are on the spotlight again. Since closing below $500, to $485.92 on January 15, Apple's market capitalization closed at $457.10 billion. As sentiment remains negative, a build-up could take place when Apple reports earnings on January 23. Exxon Mobile Corporation (XOM) could be a benchmark for Apple's valuation in the meantime: the integrated oil and gas company has a market capitalization of $408.20 billion. Non-technology companies frequently become the source of comparison when negativity rises for technology and investors gain interest in the more traditional sectors. The rumor of a cut in supply orders by Apple is even more significant for the suppliers. These are the companies investors should watch. In no particular order: Analyze These Ideas: Access a free performance overview for all stocks in the list, sign in to access tools and create a practice portfolio to test your investing ideas. 1. Cirrus Logic Inc. ( CRUS): Develops high-precision analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs). Market cap at $1.83B, most recent closing price at $27.95. Cirrus dropped 2.34% on the day. Cirrus generates over 60% of its revenue from Apple. After the drop, the audio codec maker is valued at around 7x FY 2014 earnings per share. The sell-off of Cirrus in recent sessions on negative news in Apple is nothing new. The company dropped dramatically in November 2012, when the company was dragged down by related suppliers like Skyworks and OmniVision. 2. Broadcom Corp. ( BRCM): Designs and develops semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Market cap at $19.28B, most recent closing price at $34.19. Broadcom pays a dividend of $0.40 per share, or 1.17% in yield. The Broadcom WiFi chip is used by the iPad Mini and iPhone 5. Still, Broadcom chips are used in Samsung's Galaxy S3, Note II, HTC Droid, and LG Optimus. Broadcom shares are healthy even if Apple shares are not.
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text:
When I talked about all the good cooks in the Denny family and shared my photos for Superbowl Party Food, right away people started requesting the recipe for this salad my sister Sandee made. Sandee gave me the recipe over the phone, and then I used all cabbage (no carrots) and left out the crunchy ramen noodles to make the salad a low-carb recipe, but I'll tell you what to do if you want to duplicate her salad more closely.
Either way you make it, Sandee's Sensational Asian Salad with Chicken and Cabbage is a delicious salad that's crunchy and flavorful, perfect for lunch or even as a side dish to grilled meat or fish.
Add sliced green onions to the chopped cabbage or coleslaw mix.
By now the chicken will be cool enough to dice it into smallish pieces.
Then add the toasted almonds and sesame seeds into the salad and toss again. (This is when you would add the packet of crushed dry ramen noodles if you're using it like Sandee did.) Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve.
Sandee's Sensational Asian Salad with Chicken and Cabbage
(Makes about 6 servings, recipe adapted by my sister Sandee from several sources.)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (optional, for poaching water)
4 cups thinly sliced and chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups purchased coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup sliced green onion (or less, I like a lot of onion)
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted in dry pan
2 T sesame seeds, toasted in dry pan
1 pkg. dry ramen noodles, crushed (leave out ramen noodles for South Beach Diet but save seasoning packet for dressing)
Dressing Ingredients:
2 1/2 T rice vinegar ( or more, to taste)
2 T Splenda, Stevia in the Raw, or sugar (use Splenda, Stevia, or other approved sweetener for South Beach Diet)
chicken ramen noodle seasoning packet (or use about 1/4 tsp. chicken flavor base)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 T olive oil + 2 T canola oil
While chicken cooks, mix together rice vinegar, Splenda or sugar, chicken ramen packet or chicken soup base, salt, and pepper, the whisk in the oil, one tablespoon at a time. Taste dressing to see if you want a little more vinegar, and when it's flavored to your liking set aside to let the flavors blend.
Thinly slice and then chop enough green cabbage to make about 4 cups chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups packaged coleslaw mix.) Add cabbage to large bowl. Slice green onions and add to cabbage.
As soon as chicken is cool, dice into small pieces (less than 1/2 inch square) and add to cabbage mixture. Add dressing until the salad is as wet as you prefer, then toss to combine. (You may not need all the dressing.)
In a large dry frying pan, toast the almonds over low heat, about 90 seconds, or until almonds start to be fragrant. Add sesame seeds and toast about 60 seconds more, or until nuts and seeds are barely starting to brown.
Add toasted almonds and sesame seeds to salad, toss again to combine, season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Nutritional Information?
More Cabbage Salad Recipes You Might Like:
Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro from Kalyn's Kitchen
Spicy Cabbage Salad (Goi Bap Cai) from Viet World Kitchen
Greek Cabbage Salad with Feta and Thyme from Kalyn's Kitchen
Asian Cabbage Salad from Andrea Meyers


text:
Biotin Binding Assay (HABA) (PDF)
Biotin Binding: The biotin-binding activity of streptavidin is determined using a modification of the dye-binding assay of Green (1970). One unit will bind one microgram of d-biotin at pH 7.0.
(106mg/g)(A-B)MV 141(A-B) Units/mg = ------------------------- = ----------------- E(Cv) C
Suggestions for Use: Bayer (1989) reports that streptavidin may form aggregates under certain conditions. Streptavidin is highly soluble under alkaline conditions (pH > 8.5). Streptavidin is often supplied lyophilized. Under these conditions there is a tendency for the material to aggregate if it is redissolved in water or other low ionic strength buffers at neutral or acidic pH. As a convenience to customers, Streptavidin has been lyophilized from a dilute sodium chloride solution at mildly alkaline pH. This material is readily soluble in water. The activity of the material recovered after reconstitution under these conditions is undiminished. We recommend dissolving streptavidin in de-ionized water or, preferably, 1.0 mM sodium bicarbonate buffer (pH 9) at twice the desired final protein concentration. The protein may then be diluted with an equal volume of 2x buffer to produce a stock solution. Upon standing some turbidity may develop in certain buffers. Centrifugation will usually yield a clear solution with negligible loss of streptavidin.
Agaraña, C. E., Kuntz, I. D., Birken, S., Axel, R. and C. R. Cantor. Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of the streptavidin gene. Nucleic Acids Res. 14: 871-882 (1986).
Bayer, E. A., Ben-Hur, H., Hiller, Y. and M. Wilchek. Postsecretory modifications of streptavidin. Biochem. J. 259: 369-376 (1989).
Bayer, E. A., Ben-Hur, H., Gitlin, G. and M. Wilchek. An improved method for the single-step purification of streptavidin. J.Biochem. Biophys. Meth. 13:103-112 (1986).
Brower, M. S., Brakel, C. L. and K. Garry. Immunodetection of streptavidin-acid phosphatase complex on western blots. Analyt. Biochem. 147:382-386 (1985).
Cartun, R. W. and C. A. Pedersen. An immunocytochemical technique offering increased sensitivity and lowered cost with a streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate. J. Histotechnology 12:273-277 (1989).
Chaiet, L. and E. J. Wolf. The properties of streptavidin, a biotin-binding protein produced by Streptomyces. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 108:1-5 (1964).
Gitlin, G., Bayer, E. A. and M. Wilchek. Studies on the biotin-binding site of streptavidin. Biochem. J. 256:279-282 (1988).
Green, N. M. Spectrophotometric determination of avidin and biotin in Methods in Enzymology, Vol. XVIII (McCormick, D. B. and L. D. Wright, eds.) Academic Press, New York, pg. 418 (1970).
Green, N. M. Avidin. Adv. Protein Chem. 29:85-133 (1975).
Guesdon, J. L., Ternynck, T and S.J. Avrameas. Histochem.Cytochem. 27:1131-1139 (1979)
Hofmann, K., Wood, Sara, Brinton, C. C., Montbeller, J. A. and F. M. Finn. Iminobiotin affinity columns and their application to retrieval of streptavidin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77:4666-4668 (1980).
Leary, J. J., Brigati, D. J. and D. C. Ward. Rapid and sensitive colorimetric method for visualizing biotin-labeled DNA probes hybridized to DNA or RNA immobilized on nitrocellulose: Bio-blots. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80:4045-4049 (1983).
Moxley, G. Heightened sensitivity of quantitative ELISA for IgM Rheumatoid Factor with the use of the biotin-streptavidin system. Am. J. Clin. Path. 92: 630-636 (1989).
Nikolau, B. J., Wurtele, E. S. and P. K. Stumpf. Use of streptavidin to detect biotin-containing proteins in plants.
Analyt. Biochem. 149:448-453 (1985).
Sano, T. and C. R. Cantor. Cooperative biotin binding by streptavidin. J. Biol. Chem. 265:3369-3373 (1990)
Sharma, H. and C. Tihon. Determination of avidin and streptavidin by a modified Bradford method. Analyt. Biochem. 170:135-139 (1988).
Suter, M., Cazin, J., Jr., Butler J. E. and D. M. Mock. Isolation and characterization of highly purified streptavidin obtained in a two-step purification procedure from Streptomyces avidinii grown in a synthetic medium. J. Immunol. Methods 113:83-91 (1988).
Weber, P. C., Ohlendorf, D. H., Wendoloski, J. J. and F. R. Salem. Structural origins of high-affinity biotin binding to streptavidin. Science 243:85-88 (1989).
e-mail: email@example.com
Rockland Immunochemicals Inc.Limerick, PA 19468E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com: 800.656.7625
Fax: 484.369.8654


text:
|March 3, 2004
Volume 6, Issue 5
|Midwifery Today E-News
"Forestalling Prematurity"
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In This Week's Issue:
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"H. Deutsch, a psychologist active in the 1940s, knew that at the time of birth, it is not just a vagina that is opening, the woman's entire psyche is open and vulnerable."
— Nancy Wainer and Lois J. Estner
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The Art of Midwifery
When cranberry juice, extracts, and lots of water aren't alleviating a urinary tract infection during pregnancy, try parsley tea: place one bunch parsley, washed, in a large glass bowl, pour 1 quart boiling water over it, cover and steep for 30 minutes. It can be sweetened with honey, if needed. Drink one quart in 12 hours.
— Joan Dolan
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News Flashes
An Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) retrospective study of 733 women who delivered fullterm, nonbreech infants by unplanned cesarean found that as many as 24% of c-sections for "lack of progress in labor" are performed too early. This group comprises women who undergo a c-section when their cervix has dilated 0 to 3 centimeters. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) guidelines recommend that dilation should be 4 cm or more before a failure to progress diagnosis is made. The researchers postulated that many doctors are more comfortable with the risks of c-section than they are with labors that do not progress as rapidly as expected. In addition, many doctors either do not agree with ACOG guidelines or interpret them differently.
— Obstetrics and Gynecology, April 1, 2000
The 2nd Annual Summit on Bonding and Attachment, "Healing a Nation's Trauma" will occur April 29–May 2, 2004, in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco. The purpose of this interactive Summit is to bring together leading-edge organizations and individuals to share current scientific evidence, clinical experience, and cross-cultural knowledge and practices about family bonding and attachment. The vital role of secure attachment and optimal brain development in preventing violence, addiction, and depression will be discussed.
— http://www.atlc.org/members/summit2/index.php
EchoSounder ES-101EX 2 MHz Fetal Doppler
Forestalling Prematurity
[Readers offer feedback to a letter published in E-News Issue 6:4]
In brief response to the powerful editorial by E. Johns [Issue 6:4], I laud her for supporting her own choices and for encouraging certain communities of providers to consider well their criticisms of conventional medical interventions.
On the other hand, a good deal of research by obstetricians and perinatologists reveals that the use of magnesium sulfate and the practice of bed rest has not affected birth outcomes significantly. In fact there is a measure of research about the use of magnesium sulfate and its potential effect of increasing cerebral bleeds in premies and subsequent cerebral palsy. This has been researched at length by a perinatology group in Chicago and is essentially ignored by perinatologists nationwide due to the lack of an alternative intervention. Many of the interventions still used, including cerclage, have their risks and are highly imperfect, facts that are not frequently passed on to pregnant, high-risk couples. Criticism and discussion is great in reference to issues surrounding obstetric intervention ... on all sides of the practice and patient spectrum.
— K Michalski, RN
Good points Erica—I'm glad Isaac is a well four-year-old. You have some good advice for the real world. I also have seen bed rest, brethine, wine, cerclage, etc., work for stopping preterm labor. I believe *whatever* works is better than a baby born prematurely. Each mom, baby, labor, backup, etc., is different, so there needs to be many options. That's the beauty of getting involved in your care, as midwives usually encourage. You find what works for you. I know a lot of the literature says bed rest doesn't work, wine is never mentioned, etc. But I have clients who will swear by it, and we got all but two to term (with good homebirths) in 18 years. Maybe this feedback will save some babies. We all learn from each other.
— Lisa Aman, LM, South Carolina
I agree with your reader's comments about the preterm birth article. I also found it overly negative regarding interventions. As a holistic, midwifery-supportive obstetrician who uses these interventions with a critical mind, I will say the following:
Terbutaline is way overused and many obstetricians know it. I hate the side effects such as drinking a lot of coffee, rapid heart rate, elevated blood sugar, etc. I cared for a lady during residency who had a terbutaline pump, and I literally ripped the thing out of her thigh, her heart was racing so fast. I prefer magnesium sulfate—it really does work when it's really needed. Also, magnesium deficiency is prevalent. I have a patient now who has a cerclage after two second trimester losses, done because she had cervical shortening and cramping with bleeding. After the cerclage she complained of some cramping, and oral magnesium oxide resolved it. I also like Nifedipine (Procardia) as an oral calcium channel blocker; it relaxes arterial smooth muscle to lower blood pressure and also relaxes uterine smooth muscle. No jittery side effects!
Your article struck me as overly negative and unbalanced, and I appreciated hearing from someone who had personal experience with helpful interventions. I don't like interventions, I agree that they are overused, and I plan to have my own baby at home, but your article made it sound so black or white—and it's not.
One of the reasons I went to medical school and became an OB/GYN is that I wanted to be in a position to understand and question medical interventions and avoid them in my own life. I have gone through my training and practice with a critical mind, and even midwives I work with tell me my approach toward birth is more relaxed and laid back than theirs. I feel I need to say this so my comments may not be construed as blindly supporting intervention—far from it. At the same time, I feel that to simply write off interventions—magnesium sulfate, pushing while holding the breath—is another form of putting blinders on. It is possible to question interventions and their overuse while still recognizing when they are helpful. That questioning voice must be heard. It becomes too easy to write off those who question interventions when they are not truly informed and intelligent in their critique.
— Eden Gabrielle Fromberg, DO, FACOOG, DABHM
I'm sorry that Ms. Johns had such a difficult time with her fourth pregnancy and glad that in the end her baby lived.
However, despite what Ms. Johns perceives as the "success" of the interventions used in her pregnancy, the research by the very medical community she is defending does *not* support these interventions! Time and time again, studies of the various medications used to stop preterm labor show that they have no long-term impact on preventing preterm birth—all they can do is at most prolong the birth by 48 hours. Preterm *contractions* are not synonymous with preterm *birth.* I had a client who started having contractions at 28 weeks into her second pregnancy and continued throughout her pregnancy despite use of medications and bed rest. She ultimately birthed her baby at 40 weeks. On the other hand, a friend of mine birthed her first baby at 34 weeks with only a few hours of contractions, despite being pumped full of medications in an attempt to delay the birth long enough to give steroids for lung maturity. When she was pregnant with her second child she was prophylactically put on medications, and she gave birth to that child also at 34 weeks.
Bed rest is a very little-studied intervention. It has been studied in relation to multiple pregnancies, and increasing level of bed rest was found to lead to even earlier birth; however, I doubt those studies looked at placental abruption. It is very possible that bed rest is a reasonable treatment for placental abruption—I wish there were some studies to show one way or another if it was so that either more confidence could be put in it as an effective treatment, or more energy could be devoted to exploring other treatments if it is not effective.
— Jenn Riedy, BCCE, CPS, CBE, doula
I'm really, really sorry you had such a hard time with that pregnancy, and certainly, if you felt that what was done to you was beneficial, then it was justified. You are 100% right in pointing out that midwives (and other researchers, I might add) point out the ineffectiveness of certain procedures without having anything better to offer. OBs also know this, though they don't necessarily volunteer that information. If you are happy with what they did, perhaps you're better off leaving it right there.
However, if you want to get into medical justification, p. 307–8 of Williams Obstetrics (1997) goes into great detail about the etiology of premature labor, speculates that it often might actually be caused by undetectable intrauterine infection, laments that it doesn't work well, but then describes what they do anyway. On p. 588 it describes the problem of incompetent cervices and observes that one of the main causes is prior trauma to the cervix, most especially cerclage. If I could find my copy of Enkins et al.'s Effective Care in Pregnancy (3rd ed., 2001) I'd point out the pages where it says that no studies have proven the efficacy of cerclage. As you don't say exactly what the medical problem(s) with that pregnancy were (do you have a copy of your hospital record, or are you just commenting on what they told you?), it's impossible to be precise about what happened in your case. I personally feel that, if one has a good outcome, it is due more to one's faith in having a good outcome than anything else. (That statement is probably going to infuriate a lot of midwives as well as a lot of OBs.)
I have yet to hear midwives deplore obstetrical intervention when such intervention is clearly justified; and very few midwives (if any) believe it's never justified, medically, anyway. Obstetrics has huge "gray areas" where whether or not to intervene is so very iffy that it's probably best left up to the mother's preference (in my opinion). Because of tort law, however, obstetricians have to carry out whatever's listed on their standard of care, whether it is scientifically shown to work or not, or even proven to be harmful, simply to keep their jobs; and so consulting the woman as to her wishes is seldom a priority. It seems to me that, if midwives tend to be riled at OBs, it is for those reasons, and also because state laws are frequently so stacked against midwifery that women aren't given the option of choosing a noninterventive style of care if they want it. To put it another way, they have to go to incredible lengths to secure a noninterventive mode of care and figure out how to pay for it, if indeed they're aware that such an approach is possible. It is truly lamentable that childbearing should have to take place in such a hostile climate, but as long as lawyers, insurance companies, and hospitals benefit and voters don't rise up in protest, I don't see how it's going to change.
— Jill Herendeen
Erica Johns's letter was well stated; I too would love to hear natural alternatives to premature labor. I have seen alcohol touted as a labor stopper, and I believe it may work but I don't want my unborn child on alcohol. I've also read miscarriage remedies in Susun Weed's Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year that have seemed helpful to women in early premature labor, but the same argument could be made that their pregnancies continued because they would have anyway. Having an aunt whose first child was very premature due to incompetent cervix and then delivered normally at term with a cerclage, it's hard for me to credit an article that says they are of no value because we say they are not. Likewise, seeing many women over the years (as an obstetrics nurse) who come in dilating with contractions before 34 weeks respond with total cessation of contractions after a dose of brethine, it's hard for me to credit the assertion that they would have stopped anyway.
As a mother I'd do anything to help my baby; hoping for the best doesn't cut it. Sometimes the worst happens despite all you can do, but I'd exhaust all resources available, natural and traditional medical. Can magnesium sulfate be worse than the old method of getting drunk? It may be that there are no good choices, only ones of various risks. Each woman must decide in her circumstance what would serve her baby best. Instead of narrowing our options, I'd like to broaden my knowledge of what may help. I'd welcome anyone's experience of what helped their pregnancy (or their client's pregnancy) continue despite complications.
— Catherine Fox, RN and lay midwife
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Forum Talk
I would love to hear how some of you started attending homebirths. What was your background? How did you train and for how long? Did you start as L&D nurses? How many births did you attend before you went solo and started to feel more comfortable? Do you do well-woman care as well as births? What states are homebirth friendly, and where might one find the greatest need?
— Nikko
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Question of the Week
Q: I attended a birth for a friend. She had sudden spurts of running a temperature in labor with increased blood pressure for a short period of time (less than 30 minutes), with shakes. She was feeling cold and then hot. It happened twice during labor. The midwife, who did a great job, thought about transferring after the second time, but again mom leveled out at perfect vitals soon after. Baby was born at home after a good long labor, but six hours later the temp spiked with chills, and again leveled out. Mom is now taking echinacea/goldenseal, garlic, and zinc. This also occurred the day following the labor, but not as intensely. Mom's temp hit 101 and then returned to normal within 30 minutes. Any ideas? Mom had a wonderful homebirth; baby's doing great and nursing wonderfully.
— NMdoula
SEND YOUR RESPONSE to firstname.lastname@example.com with "Question of the Week" in the subject line. Please indicate the topic of discussion *and the E-News issue number* in the message.
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Question of the Week Responses
Q: What is your preferred alternative practice to ease labor (e.g., aromatherapy, acupuncture) and why?
— Anon.
A: More and more often moms are using the effectiveness of hypnosis to create calm, comfortable births. A childbirth education program called HypnoBirthing® and developed by Marie Mongan teaches couples how to use hypnosis for birth. If you are looking for classes in your area, go to www.HypnoBirthing.com for more information.
— A. Aldridge
A: One can potentially ease or facilitate labor progress in numerous ways. I don't think there is one unique or specific way that works for all. It is important for those of us who accompany families in birth to come prepared with many options for the laboring client. Aromatherapy (e.g. lavender essential oil on a tissue, for relaxation); scented or unscented massage oils for back, shoulder, foot or hand rubs; heat and cold therapy; showering (hydrotherapy); TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation); positional changes; music; massage tools; walking; visualization or imagery exercises; sitting or leaning on a birth ball; and counterpressure are examples of alternative practices that can ease labor. In my doula practice each of these has worked differently for individual clients, and each can work at different stages of labor. The application of alternative methods is very client-specific, and it is important to come prepared to offer any of those mentioned (and more) to your laboring client. If one method isn't working, or ceases to work, reach into your bag and try something else.
— Lisa Spracklin, B.Sc. CD (DONA), CIMI (IAIM)
Regarding forced pushing [Issue 6:4]:
A: I am a British trained midwife who has worked in England, France and the Middle East and have not experienced forced pushing. We offer encouragement and support to women when the desire to push is overwhelming and compelling. We are taught from training that the mother is therefore the best judge of when and how to push. The problems with prolonged breath holding are well documented and relayed to us from training here in Europe, and I have absolutely not experienced myself nor witnessed another European midwife practise this technique of "count to ten, hold your breath."
A: I am not yet a qualified midwife but am in the final year of training. I have given a lot of thought to whether it is helpful to use "directed" pushing that you describe when women approach the second stage of labour. I can only tell you what I think: women (and midwives) should trust their bodies, and you will probably find that if you go with what your body is telling you, you will discover that you innately know how and when to push. Don't forget that those contractions are also moving the baby down the birth canal, and it is possible for those alone (given enough time) to do the work for you.
— Moira
A: Sometimes you just have to bear down and push! And often you don't. But big babies especially don't always come down with HypnoBirthing®-type pushing. I'm not into the cheerleader style pushing, but once in a while it's helpful.
— Eden Gabrielle Fromberg, DO, FACOOG, DABHM, Brooklyn, New York
Editor's Note: Responses to any Question of the Week may be sent to E-News at any time. Write to email@example.com. Please indicate the topic of discussion *and the E-News issue number* in the subject line or in the message.
What is the ecology of childbirth?
Find out at the International Congress of the Ecology of Childbirth - A Celebration of Life, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 27–30, 2004.
International speakers include Michele Odent, Jan Tritten, Robbie Davis-Floyd and Mary Zwart. For more information or to register: www.partoecologico.com.br
I want to give you a resounding thank you for E-News Issue 6:4. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a pre-nursing student at Florida Atlantic University and am on track to becoming a nurse-midwife. In my Introduction to the Nursing Profession and Discipline class we had to write a paper answering the question, "What brought us to nursing?" The professor found out that midwifery brought me to nursing. Since then, she makes it a point to include midwifery in her lectures and/or examples as it relates to nursing. I love the questions I get about midwifery and I love telling people about midwifery! People are always genuinely warmed and intrigued by the profession and the snippets I give them as examples regarding the birthing process. I share some of the things I've found exciting and informing such as nipple stimulation to help in labor and with contractions and the many herbs that can be used to stop bleeding and to heal episiotomies, etc.
Just this week, two classmates were talking about shoulder dystocia. Before I knew it, I was telling them about it and what I've read about relieving it, etc. Issue 6:4 of E-News was just what I needed (thank you, Maggie Ramsey, for "The Art of Midwifery")—complete with the wonderful and very personal feedback from Erica Johns regarding premature labor. It reminded me that we are all human and that not everything works for everyone, regardless of how wonderful midwifery is, how beautiful childbirth can be, or how sincere we try to be when imparting information.
Thanks for being wonderful, thanks for being informative, and thanks for constantly reminding me about the gratifications and realities of this wonderful profession.
— Carrie M. Campbell (future nurse-midwife)
Editor's Note: Only letters sent to the E-News official e-mail address, firstname.lastname@example.com, will be considered for inclusion. Letters sent to ANY OTHER e-mail addresses will not be considered.
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Midwifery Today: Each One Teach One!


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Court rules for Arizona redistricting commissionPosted: Updated:
An appellate court has ruled that Arizona's redistricting commission generally must follow the state's open meeting law but that prosecutors cannot resume an investigation into whether the commission violated the law when it hired mapping consultants.
A Court of Appeals panel's ruling is the latest chapter in a series of still-broiling legal fights over the commission's politically contentious work of drawing new congressional and legislative districts.
Along with saying the commission is generally subject to the open meeting law, the panel's ruling says the commission's internal communications concerning the hiring of a mapping consultant are not legally shielded.
But the decision also says there's no reasonable cause to justify conducting an investigation.
The open law meeting generally requires that bodies do their work in the open.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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Adult Protective Services
Patricia Brownell and Joanne Marlatt Otto
Adult Protective Services (APS) are empowered by states and local communities to respond to reports and cases of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, and self-neglect. While incorporating legal, medical, and mental health services, APS programs are part of the social services delivery system and incorporate principles and practices of the social work profession.
Advance Care Planning
Meredith Stensland, Sara Sanders, and Marla Berg-Weger
Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of determining and documenting desired wishes for the end of one's life. Referred to by such terms as end-of-life planning, advance (health) directives, and living wills, ACP is a relatively new concept within our society, having emerged as a social, political, and ethical issue in the United States only since the 1960s. Researchers and legislators have been challenged in their efforts to examine healthcare decision-making and design appropriate policy to guide practice. This article will define ACP, provide an overview of the history and evolution of the process and the associated legal and ethical issues, and describe the process with three specific populations. In addition, it examines the role of the social work profession in working with individuals and families on planning for the end of one's life.
Robert L. Schneider, Lori Lester, and Julia Ochieng
Social work advocacy is "the exclusive and mutual representation of a client(s) or a cause in a forum, attempting to systematically influence decision-making in an unjust or unresponsive system(s)." Advocacy was identified as a professional role as far back as 1887, and social workers consider client advocacy an ethical responsibility. Social workers are increasing the use of electronic advocacy to influence client issues and policy development. As client and societal needs evolve, universities should emphasize advocacy in their curricula, and the National Association of Social Workers should promote electoral and legislative initiatives that reflect an emphasis on social and economic injustices.
Affordable Care Act
Stephen H. Gorin, Julie S. Darnell, and Heidi L. Allen
This entry describes the development and key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which instituted a major overhaul of the U.S. health system, much of which took effect in 2014. The key provisions of the ACA included an individual mandate to purchase insurance, an employer mandate to offer coverage to most workers, an expansion of Medicaid to all persons below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), minimum benefit standards, elimination of preexisting condition exclusions, and reforms to improve health-care quality and lower costs. This historic legislation has deep roots in U.S. history and represents the culmination of a century-long effort to expand health care and mental health coverage to all citizens.
African Americans: Overview
Larry E. Davis, John M. Wallace Jr., and Trina R. Williams Shanks
African Americans have been a part of the nation's history for nearly four hundred years. Although their history includes the forced imposition of chattel slavery, the strict enforcement of legal segregation, and a tenuous acceptance as equal citizens, African Americans have been, and continue to be, major contributors, creators, investors, and builders of America. In this article we summarize briefly the history of African Americans, we examine racial disparities in key indicators of social, mental, and physical well-being, and we highlight persistent strengths that can be built upon and areas that provide hope for the future. The challenge for social work is to simultaneously celebrate the historical successes and ongoing contributions of African Americans to this country while also recognizing the vestiges of structural racism and fighting for greater civil rights and social and economic justice.
African American Social Welfare History
Iris Carlton-LaNey
This article discusses the African American social welfare system that began to develop during the early 20th century. This social welfare system, designed by African Americans to serve African Americans, addressed needs that were not being met by any other formal social services while the nascent social work profession was emerging. The myriad programs included settlement houses, boys and girls programs, training schools, and day nurseries. The women's club movement played a critical role in the development of this social welfare system and provided much of the impetus for change and inclusion. Through formal organizations, including the National Urban League (NUL) and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and an array of clubs and social groups, social services were extended to urban and rural communities throughout the United States.
Ageism in the Workplace
Patricia Brownell
Older workers make important contributions to the workplace, its productivity, and its culture. Work remains important for older adults for financial security, to give meaning to later life, to maintain social networks, and to promote lifelong learning. However, ageist beliefs about the capacity of older adults to remain productive and contributing workers in the workforce can create barriers for older workers. Understanding how older workers experience ageist behavior in the workplace can help employers, policy makers, and social workers learn more about how to address this social problem. Organizations can become more age friendly through enabling workplace programs, supportive management, and proactive human resource managers. Social workers serving older adults in employee assistance programs and in private practice can help them to challenge ageism in the workplace. Finally, legislation such as the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects the rights of older workers; however, more legislation is needed to address bullying and harassment of older adults in the workplace.
Aging: Overview
Nancy R. Hooyman
The rapidly growing older population is more heterogeneous by health and economic status, gender, race, sexual orientation, and family and living arrangements than any other age group. Although many adults face vulnerabilities and inequities as they age, most elders are resilient. This entry reviews this diversity, discusses concepts of productive, successful, and active aging, and suggests leadership roles for social workers in enhancing the well-being of elders and their families.
Aging: Public Policy
Jeanette C. Takamura
Public policy advances in the field of aging in the United States have lagged compared to the growth of the older adult population. Policy adjustments have been driven by ideological perspectives and have been largely incremental. In recent years, conservative policy makers have sought through various legislative vehicles to eliminate or curb entitlement programs, proposing private sector solutions and touting the importance of an "ownership society" in which individual citizens assume personal responsibility for their economic and health security. The election of a Democratic majority in the U.S. House and the slim margin of votes held by Democrats in the U.S. Senate may mean a shift in aging policy directions that strengthens Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, if the newly elected members are able to maintain their seats over time. The results of the 2008 presidential election will also determine how the social, economic, and other policy concerns will be addressed as the baby boomers join the ranks of older Americans.
Alaska Natives
Sarah (Hicks) Kastelic
Alaska Natives represent less than 1% of the U.S. population but reside in more than 229 Native villages and account for 40% of federally recognized tribes. Most Alaska Native communities shared common Euro-American contact experiences: exposure to western religions, education, and disease. Historical trauma contributes to many of the social welfare problems Natives experience today: low educational attainment, unemployment, inadequate health care, substance abuse, and violence. Service delivery mechanisms, lack of cultural appropriateness, and isolation compound these pressing issues. Locally delivered social welfare services that take into account traditional Native worldviews, values, languages, and intergenerational relationships are effective in addressing many of these issues.