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Wild pitch helps lift Gio, Nats over Cards
Lefty allows just one run over seven innings while striking out seven
WASHINGTON -- The way the Nationals played on Friday night was the antithesis of how they played the previous night. They played much better defense and Gio Gonzalez pitched his best game of the season as the Nationals defeated the Cardinals, 3-1.
Gonzalez pitched a season-high seven innings, allowed one run on four hits and struck out seven batters. He retired the last 11 batters he faced. Gonzalez had a close call when the Cardinals had runners on first and second with two outs in the first inning. Catcher Yadier Molina hit the ball to deep left field, but left fielder Bryce Harper caught the ball close to the wall.
Gonzalez allowed his only run in the fourth inning. Mark Ellis singled to right field, scoring Allen Craig to tie the score at 1.
"Gio threw the ball well against a really tough lineup," manager Matt Williams said. "He was aggressive in the strike zone, he threw a good fastball tonight. He threw his curveball occasionally to keep them off balance."
The score was tied at 1 when Washington took the lead against Michael Wacha in the seventh inning.
With runners on first and second and no outs, Danny Espinosa bunted the ball back to Wacha, who made a perfect throw to third baseman Matt Carpenter. But Carpenter dropped the ball to load the bases.
"We had an out. We had just met at the mound and Yadi, myself and Michael discussed how we're going to be real aggressive getting that out at third," Carpenter said. "We got the perfect bunt. Michael made a great play. I got back to the bag and pretty much what happened was I stretched before I saw where it was going and ended up missing it. It was a good throw, should have caught it, but it tipped off my glove and ended up being the difference in the game. It's just unfortunate. He pitched great and I hate that it ended up happening like that."
Two outs later, the bases were still loaded and Zach Walters was at the plate, when Wacha threw a changeup that got away from Molina, who tried to throw out Ian Desmond trying to score. But Molina threw the ball into the Cardinals' dugout, allowing both Desmond and Espinosa to score.
"You never see a ball get away from Yadi, ever," Williams said. "Heads up baserunning and aggressive baserunning and, over all, they played it really well. ... The ball was far enough and Desi made the decision to get toward the plate and we picked up the other one on the bad throw."
Wacha took responsibility for the wild pitch.
"I short-hopped one to Yadi that got away from him, and they end up scoring two runs on it. I have to make a better pitch in that situation and try and get out of it," Wacha said. "It was 0-1 and you want to make your pitch for sure. I spiked a changeup down in the dirt and it ended up getting away from Yadi. I've got to make a better pitch in that situation."
However, the Cardinals didn't take it easy on reliever Tyler Clippard an inning later. With runners on first and second and no outs, Jhonny Peralta battled Clippard and hit a liner to the right-hander. The ball hit Clippard's glove and bounced to the ground, but he threw out Peralta at first to put runners on second and third.
Williams then decided to take Clippard out of the game in favor of right-hander Drew Storen, who had better success against Matt Holliday. Against Storen, Holliday was 0-for-5 as opposed to being 1-for-2 with two walks against Clippard.
"If we want Clippard available for tomorrow, he is going to run into 30-plus pitches. It's also not a favorable matchup," Williams said. "It's a better matchup off Drew. I want to potentially have Clippard tomorrow, too."
Storen forced Holliday to pop out to first baseman Adam LaRoche and Craig to ground out to Desmond at shortstop to end the threat.
"Drew was aggressive. He threw his fastball when he wanted to. It's important for him. He was good," Williams said.
With the win, the Nationals improved their record to 10-7 and snapped an eight-game losing streak to St. Louis that dates back to Game 5 of the 2012 National League Division Series.
Is it a big deal for the Nationals, who have two more games this weekend against the Cardinals?
"I don't pay attention to those things, but they are a tough team to beat," Williams said. "It's the reason they have been in the playoffs. They have been so good because they do things right. We happen to take advantage of one tonight."
Said Gonzalez, "The Cardinals are a tough lineup, tough team altogether. We needed something like this. Now we go from here -- one game at a time."


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Test Recipes: Quick Gazpacho
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Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 16776765
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 6:50 pm
Post subject: Test Recipes: Quick Gazpacho
Last week, Tina and I visited Nate and Annie of
House of Annie
for an heirloom tomato tasting. They provided twenty different tomato varieties that they grew in their backyard (as well as providing a wonderful dinner) to try. After the tasting, they packed me a care package of tomatoes and suggested I make gazpacho.
For a full account of the taste testing, take a look at what Nate wrote:
Herloom Tomato Tasting at House of Annie
. For the record, I liked Brandy Boy (my favorite), Little Lucky, Goose Creek, and JD Special CTex the best.
Gazpacho is a Spanish soup traditionally made with bread and vegetables (usually tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion) and seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and vinegar. It's usually served chilled but some regions serve it warm or hot.
I decided to do the fastest and simplest recipe possible for a chilled, raw, tomato gazpacho. I based the recipe on one of House of Annie's
gazpacho recipes
I started off (as always) assembling the ingredients 1/2 large (150 g) cucumber, 1 slice white bread (roughly chopped), 1 clove (6 g) garlic, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. paprika, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar. The tomatoes (about 800 g of chopped up and whole tomatoes) were in a large Ziploc bag in my refrigerator.
After chopping up the cucumber, I stuffed all the ingredients into a large blender and pulsed for one second at a time about ten times. (The number and duration of pulses will depend on the power and efficiency of your particular blender).
After the pulsing, the mixture was fairly homogeneous with only a few small bits (smaller than the size of tomato seeds) suspended in the mixture. I'll remove those bits later buy pouring through a sieve.
The mixture was poured into a large bowl and refrigerated for an hour to chill and allow the flavors to meld.
Before serving, I ladled the gazpacho into a sieve (strainer) and stirred it (in the sieve) to filter out any pulp and seeds.}?>
This method really did yield a tasty gazpacho with a minimum of time and effort in the kitchen - just a couple minutes to assemble the ingredients, run the blender, and stick the soup into the fridge. I did find that the texture of the soup was more "fluffy" probably due to the incorporation of air into the soup during the violent blending stage. Nate had the same results when using his blender and prefers some of his other recipes. I'm no a gazpacho aficionado, and besides the texture (which I didn't mind) I found the gazpacho to be very flavorful (although I suspect that the high quality of the tomatoes really took this dish to the next level) and had a nice lingering spiciness from the garlic. Overall a refreshing dish on a warm evening.
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Aussie Altissima
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:48 pm
Post subject: Spanish smoked Paprika
Lucky you! those tomatoes look delicious. We in the southern hemisphere are just planting our tomatoes now.
You didn't specify what type of paprika you used. I notice House of Annie's recipe specified Smoked Spanish Paprika, and I would heartily endorse this for gazpacho- it adds delicious depth and complexity. I prefer the sweet/mild variety , but it also available in hot.
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Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Posts: 2
Location: Vic
Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:29 am
Post subject: About ingredients
At home we eat quite a lot of gazpacho, maybe 2-3 times per week, specially during hot summer months. It is excellent for its mix of vegetables, vitamins and everything else :-D
We never used paprika, maybe next time we'll try it.
BTW, that smoked paprika has a proper name: Pimentón de la Vera :-)
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:13 pm
Post subject: Stick Blender is slower but better
Hi Michael,
thanks again for coming over. It was a very pleasant evening, meeting and eating with you and Tina.
I've done this gazpacho in my old el cheapo Hamilton Beach blender, and I don't recall the gazpacho coming out as "fluffy" as it did using the Vita-Mix. I guess the more powerful blender is able to pull more air into the soup. I think I'll just sick with the hand blender from now on.
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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:41 pm
Post subject: Close to what I had in Spain
While I was studying in Spain a few years ago, I learned how to make gazpacho from a guy I met in Seville. This is extremely close to what he taught me. Only difference is that we didn't use paprika and added some cold water while straining the puree. The water might fix your fluffy texture. We drank it instead of eating it as a soup and I've never tasted anything so refreshing on a hot summer day!
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Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 3:34 pm
Post subject: When using supermarket tomatoes that don't have much flavor.
If I am making Gazpacho from supermarket tomatoes that don't have a lot of flavor, I add some V8 juice to the recipe. It really perks up the final result.
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Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 2:09 am
Post subject:
There's maybe as many gazpacho recipes as families in Spain. I give my penny with the tips of our way. We use yesterday bread leftovers, no paprika, a little of Cumin ( my father prefer no cumin
and 1mix :1 water or ice for crash action drink chill gazpacho.
Great page and sorry for my English.
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I knew it would happen someday. After years of getting my veggies from farmer's markets, it became obvious that choosing food from local soil gave people a kind of high, and that farmers were some of the absolute coolest people around. That they had fans, almost groupies, really, people who anticipated their appearance at the market for weeks and were completely bummed if they didn't get to eat their vegetables or cheese or eggs or chicken all week. That they were the new rock stars.
Calendar collaborators Liz Gaylor and Kelsi Nagy were way ahead of me. Their enterprise, Pitchfork Pinups Calendar Co., has created the first "Farmers of the Front Range" calendar for 2012, with the help of Fort Collins photographer Darren Mahuron. Each month features the folks you've seen at farmer's markets in Denver, Boulder or Fort Collins, with an epigram, a recipe, and a description of the farm itself.
For example, June's pinups are Bailey and Dennis Stenson of Happy Heart Farm, who pioneered one of the first CSA (community supported agriculture) programs in Colorado. They're shown with their tandem bicycle, which usually accompanies them outside the farm close to Fort Collins. June also features this bit of wisdom from Barbara Kingsolver: "Whatever lofty things you might accomplish today, you will do them only because you first ate something that grew out of dirt."


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How to Turn Your Content into Link Bait
In late December of 2011, HTML5 cheat sheets, which we originally created for WebDesignLedger (WDL), were shared by Google on their Google Developers profile. WDL has 74k+ Twitter followers. Google Developers has 65k+ users in their circles. Together, their promotion increased our referral traffic for that day by 300%. Since then, we've experienced a steady stream of traffic and incoming back links. This was definitely a link bait win for us.February 1, 2012 27 31


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James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins made history as the scientists credited with discovering the double helix structure of DNA, the molecular basis of life itself.
They were awarded a 1962 Nobel Prize for this momentous achievement. But at the time it was not widely known that a female scientist also had a pivotal role in their research. She was Rosalind Franklin, the subject of the award-winning 2008 play "Photograph 51" by Anna Ziegler.
The title of "Photograph 51" (which opens at Seattle Repertory Theatre on Wednesday, under Braden Abraham's direction) refers to an X-ray photograph of a DNA molecule taken by Franklin, a brilliant young British researcher using the specialized technique of crystallography. Though Franklin never knew it, her image helped Watson and Crick discern and theorize the double helix construction.
Why was Franklin not initially given credit for this? Why was she later disparaged by Watson? In retrospect, how important was her contribution?
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As a budding playwright in her 20s, Ziegler avidly pursued answers to those questions. "I had no science background, but was asked by the (Maryland) theater company Active Cultures to write a play about female scientists," she recalls. Suggested candidates were environmentalist Rachel Carson; African-American biologist Roger Young; and Franklin.
"They were all interesting, and I sort of gamely wrote a play interweaving their lives. But during a reading it was apparent that the Franklin section was the most compelling. I'd never heard of her before, and her story was a real eye-opener."
Franklin most appealed to Ziegler not as an unsung feminist heroine, but "a fascinating and complicated woman, the kind of character one can really sink one's teeth into. I was very interested in how she got in her own way, and dealt with the obstacles in her path."
Franklin came from a prosperous Jewish family that encouraged her interest in science. She earned a chemistry degree at Cambridge University, then won research fellowships at a time when women were largely shut out of the top science professions.
"The play begins as Rosalind arrives in London, after she's been in France for some years researching coal molecules," explains Ziegler. "She wasn't used to working in this kind of old-boy environment of British laboratories. Paris wasn't like that at all."
Franklin's difficult partnership with Wilkins, as they looked into the structure of DNA, was a focal point for Ziegler. "It's really at the heart of the play. They got off on the wrong foot immediately. She was told she'd be in charge of her work. He was told he'd be her superior. She was very headstrong, and didn't want to work with him. In the play, he realizes he's in love with her, which she can't handle."
Also portrayed are the brash American researcher Watson and his partner Crick, an Englishman, who were (unbeknown to Franklin and Wilkins) pursuing similar research in another lab at the time the crucial photograph was made.
Says Ziegler: "Rosalind didn't immediately see a double helix image in her work. The play's version of what happened, which is the prevailing version, is that Wilkins got so frustrated with their failed collaboration, in a naive moment he showed the image to Watson, who made use of it. It was an unintended betrayal, and Wilkins felt guilty about it the rest of his life."
Franklin died young (at 37) of ovarian cancer in 1958. "Nobels can't be given posthumously, so there's a lot of debate about whether she'd have been on the podium with them, had she lived. In the play I stuck to versions of events imparted to me by her brother Roland Franklin and other relatives. They say she never even knew her work was used, and never felt betrayed."
But controversy brewed after Watson's tell-all memoir, "The Double Helix," came out in 1968. While noting the importance of her photo, Watson disparaged Franklin's scientific abilities, her unglamorous work attire, her allegedly ill-tempered disposition. He also made the chauvinistic crack, "the best home for a feminist was in another person's lab." ( Wilkins also tarred Franklin during their work together — calling her in letters a "dark lady," exuding "the smoke of witchcraft" — but at least mentioned her name in his Nobel acceptance speech.)
Brenda Maddox's recent biography "Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA" gives a more generous, faceted account of Franklin's strong personality — and her scientific career, which also involved coal, carbon and virus research, and co-authoring many scientific papers.
Franklin's double-helix legacy still is disputed. After a 2011 performance of "Photograph 51" at the World Science Festival, "there was a panel of scientists, and it was incredible to see these guys duke it out!" Ziegler reports. "Some men defended her, and Watson was leveling one insult after another at her."
For her part, Ziegler didn't want to frame Franklin as a victim, or "take away from the genius of Watson and Crick. I don't think of this as a particularly feminist play."
But she adds, "It is about a woman who was subject to a lot of sexism, and thrived in a really impossible environment. " In order to succeed in that sphere, Ziegler suggests, Franklin became defensive and guarded in ways "that could make her hard to collaborate with. It was a vicious cycle."
"Photograph 51" has been successfully staged in New York and around the U.S., and Ziegler is penning a film version (with Rachel Weisz attached to star).
"There have been some great talk-backs after the show, about whether there's been real progress made by women in science," says Ziegler, whose new play, "The Minotaur," just debuted in Washington, D.C.
"Some say the field is totally transformed now; others say it's the same as in Franklin's day. I'm certainly happy to have something I wrote spark discussion about that."
Misha Berson: firstname.lastname@example.com


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It Is All About BTC, LTC, ETH, ZEC mining as well as other alternative crypto currencies
A new major Bitcoin Core version 0.11.0 is now available for download bringing both new features and bug fixes, so it is recommended to upgrade to it if you are running a full Bitcoin node or a local Bitcoin Core wallet. This release also addresses the recent issues with the network being flooded with low-fee transactions resulting in slow processing time of Bitcoin transactions. Now you can change a few configuration options to work around this issue and more robust solutions are being worked on for a follow-up release.
Among the notable changes is the Block file pruning that allows running a fully validating node without maintaining a copy of the raw block and undo data on disk which is good for running a full node with more limited space, but does not work with local wallets yet. Block pruning allows Bitcoin Core to delete the raw block and undo data once it's been validated and used to build the databases. Experimental support for big-endian CPU architectures was added in this release. There have been many changes in this release to reduce the default memory usage of a node. This release also improves the algorithm used for fee estimation.
– For the list of new features with additional details about the Bitcoin Core 0.11.0 release…


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Old-Fashioned Pounded Cheese With Walnuts and Port Syrup From 'The New Midwestern Table'
Making pounded cheese from Amy Thielen's new cookbook, The New Midwestern Table, was a jump into uncharted territory for me. Dropping blocks of gorgeous aged Cheddar into a food processor was an act of faith. How could this cheese not break down and turn into a greasy pile of cheese ooze? The secret is in the cool butter: adding it to processed cheese brings the mixture right back into alignment, turning that purée into a creamy spread. Drizzled with sweet port syrup and chopped walnuts, the final dish is an entertainment-worthy appetizer for any and all cheesehounds.
Why I picked this recipe: I had never even heard of pounded cheese before this week, but how could the combination of aged cheddar, butter, and port syrup be bad?
What worked: Like magic, a few spins in a food processor with most of a stick of butter turns a block of sharp aged cheddar into a grown-up, funky version of EZ Cheez. And I mean this in the best way possible. Spread it on a few Ritz crackers and you'll understand.
What didn't: Make sure to follow the directions carefully. The processed cheese really needs the addition of cooler butter to turn it into a smooth mixture without breaking.
Suggested tweaks: If you're not into port, you could drizzle the cheese with maple syrup or serve it with a thinned jam (currant or blackberry would be quite nice).
Reprinted with permission from The New Midwestern Table: 200 Heartland Recipes by Amy Thielen. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.
- Yield:Makes 1 1/2 cups
- Active time: 20 minutes
- Total time:20 minutes
- 1/2 cup port wine
- 1 tablespoon (packed) light brown sugar
- 7 ounces aged cheddar cheese (3 years old or more), at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter, cool but not cold
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup walnut halves, toasted
To make the port syrup, combine the port and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer gently until reduced to a light syrup (it will start to throw bigger bubbles and should be the consistency of maple syrup), about 3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
Break the cheddar cheese into chunks and drop them into a food processor. Process until pureed. Add the butter, mustard, black pepper, and cayenne and process, stopping often to scrape down the sides, until whipped and smooth.
Transfer the cheese to a shallow dish, break up the walnut halves and drop them on top, and drizzle with the port syrup. Note: The pounded cheese can be made a few hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Or it can be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator; just be sure to bring it back to room temperature before garnishing with the port syrup and nuts.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Learning to implement dynamically typed language compiler
- by TriArc
I'm interested in learning how to create a compiler for a dynamically typed language. Most compiler books, college courses and articles/tutorials I've come across are specifically for statically typed languages. I've thought of a few ways to do it, but I'd like to know how it's usually done. I know type inferencing is a pretty common strategy, but what about others? Where can I find out more about how to create a dynamically typed language? Edit 1: I meant dynamically typed. Sorry about the confusion. I've written toy compilers for statically typed languages and written some interpreters for dynamically typed languages. Now, I'm interested in learning more about creating compilers for a dynamically typed language. I'm specifically experimenting with LLVM and since I need to specify the type of every method and argument, I'm thinking of ways to implement a dynamically typed language on something like LLVM.


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Wednesday, July 7, 2010
ESTRELLITA Reading Programs for Pre-K Through First Grade
Today, though, I will be sharing another Spanish resource for teaching your children to read. I stumbled upon this recently, and though I have no first-hand experience with this program, it appears to be highly recommended and productive. So I will share what I have learned with you and let you be the judge!
ESTRELLITA Accelerated Beginning Spanish Reading is a supplemental program for bilingual classrooms that offers novel approach to Spanish readiness and beginning reading based on the principals of task analysis. It does NOT teach children how to speak Spanish, but rather it is an educational reading program in Spanish for Spanish-dominant speakers. So if you are looking for a reading curriculum in Spanish, then this may be it!
Developed by teachers, the goal of the program is to provide PreK children with a head start by developing a strong sense of phonemic awareness and basic blending skills in preparation for kindergarten, where it bridges the gap from non-reader to reader in 4-9 months. It also accelerates 1st grade children through the decoding process within 6-8 weeks. ESTRELLITA works to build early reading fluency and comprehension in order to prevent learning problems later.
The best part is that the program assists children in a successful transition to English by providing a strong foundation in the primary language in their early years. I recently shared this post with you which describes a study that states how "research shows that the development of rich oral language and literacy in the home language supports the development of a second language because language skills are transferable."
The ETRELLITA program is state-approved in both California and Texas, and the K-1 program has been adopted in Texas at the turn of the century.
This is a COMPREHENSIVE curriculum. The Pre-K program includes:
• Teacher's Guide
• Sonidos Iniciales Wall Chart
• Tracing and Copying blackine masters
• Instructions for setting up Estrellita Centers
• Foldable Syllable Charts
• Illustrated Mini-Books
• Assessment
• Complete Games and Activities component (again, very comprehensive as well. Includes everything from puppet-making to flip charts to "chanting" activities, etc.)
• And More!
When I asked them if the program was available for bilingual homeschoolers, they responded with the following:
"Our program is designed as a teacher's curriculum that contains blackline masters which can be reproduced for one or up to as many students as needed. We have parents who home school their children and use our product. Our program is the same whether a teacher in a school uses it or a parent at home."
So if any of you have used this program, please share your experience.
Con mucho cariño...
5 comments:
- AnonymousApril 2, 2011 at 10:35 PM
I taught the Estrellita Program when I taught PreK and Kinder in the Austin Independent School District in 1997-1999. I found it to be INCREDIBLY effective!! It was an intuitive approach that the children learned easily and flowed to the subsequent steps easily and naturally. Of course, back then it did not have as many additional components as it does now. From what i remember it had the SOnidos Iniciales component with the chant on audio cassette, the Sílabas, then the Cuentos. I didn't have any training on it. That would have been nice to receive from the school district. So, there were materials I am sure we did not use to their potential. Even still, the children did wonderfully and my first year using it, when I had a mixed class of PreK & Kinder combined, I had a handful of PreK students that finished the year with the ability to read!ReplyDelete
At the end of '99 I moved to the Washington DC area and it is not used around here that I know of. About 4 years ago I purchased the "Parent Packet" so I could use the system on my son at home. At that time that was the only product they offered me to use at home. I'm not sure that is even still on the list of products.
My son is now 5. We have spoken Spanish exclusively to him at home and it is still his dominant language. I have used Estrellita with him since he was 2 yrs. old, but not on a daily basis as I had done in the schools. I worked the Sonidos frequently when he was 2 and 3 yrs old. but then I got very laxed. The "Parent Packet i purchased only covered the Sonidos Iniciales, so I didn't have material to continue on with the Sílabas section. However recently I simply started working from my memory on how the next component of Sílabas might have been, doing as a group all the consonants combined with "o". Again I have been amazed at how easily he "gets it" and is suddenly trying to read everything!! And i don't think it is my son's intellect but rather the logical way the information is presented.
The fact that in the beginning the letter names is not taught at all, but rather the letter sound, seemed strange, but it makes complete sense! Knowing the letter name does not enable you to read, but knowing its sound does!! My son is now in a MOntessori class and their method is similar also. They don't teach letter names but rather letter sounds first. And the Montessori Methods have been the same for more than 100 years!
Bottom Line: I HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Estrellita Method!!
Hello, My name is Maria Teniente. I am the Estrellita Senior Consultant and am available to guide any interested parents with all/any clarifications, suggestions, methodologies, extensions or discussions about the Estrellita program. Let me assure you that it is Parent-as-Teacher friendly and is perfect for any "beginning Spanish Reader" of any age. Please e-mail me at email@example.com to make a contact or with questions. I commend you on your dedication to your child's education....adelante!ReplyDelete
- Victoria Salinas-DavisSeptember 2, 2016 at 2:32 PM
Do you know if there is an introductory letter for parents that explains the Estrellita curriculum?ReplyDelete
Sorry, Victoria. I don't know. Have you tried emailing Maria Teniente, who left a comment above?ReplyDelete


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Terps Head to #5 Ohio State for Big Ten/ACC Clash
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland travels to Columbus, Ohio for its first road game of the season Wednesday at 6:00 pm as it takes on future Big Ten foe No. 5 Ohio State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. It is the first meeting between the teams since 1985.The game will be aired live on ESPN.
Watch: ESPN – Dave O'Brien (Play-by-play), Bob Knight (Analyst)
• The Terps are tied for the second-most wins in Big Ten/ACC Challenge history since the tournament's inception in 1999 (Duke-12, Maryland-10, Wake Forest-10, Clemson-9). Maryland also has a tournament-best road mark of 4-1 amongst teams that have played at least four games, defeating Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. last season.
• Winners of four games in a row, Maryland was highly efficient offensively in an 89-62 victory against Morgan State last Friday, shooting 33-of-53 (.623) from the field en route to victory. The team also dished a season-high 26 assists, including six from freshman Roddy Peters.
• Maryland was lights-out from beyond the arc against Morgan State, connecting on 13-of-20 (.650) shots from beyond the arc. It was the first time the Terrapins made 13 3-pointers since they shot 13-of-30 in an overtime victory against North Carolina on Feb. 21, 2009. Jake Layman led the way Friday, knocking down seven 3-pointers for a career-high 27 points.
• Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz has played Ohio State more times (six) than Maryland in its entire history (five). Smotrycz's Wolverines played the Buckeyes three times in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Last Time Out
Maryland put on an incredible shooting display last Friday when it handily defeated Morgan State by its largest margin of the season, 89-62. After scoring a season-high 45 points in the first half, the Terps shot 67-percent in the second half to cap a strong offensive outing.
The Terps posted 14 points in the first 3:51 of the game and never looked back as they shot 33-of-53 (.623) from the field, including 13-of-20 (.650) from beyond the arc.
Jake Layman led the way in the outing, tallying a career-high 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. In the second half, Layman scored 16 points in just 13 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Evan Smotrycz posted his second consecutive double-double with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Scouting Ohio State
Ohio State enters Friday's contest as one of the nation's hottest teams, beginning the season 6-0 and climbing into the top-5 in the national rankings. The Buckeyes have dominated opponents, winning by an average margin of 19.6 points.
The Buckeyes are led by standout senior guard Aaron Craft, who earned 2013 First Team All-Big Ten and 2013 Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. Craft ranks second in the Big Ten in steals (2.5/g) and fourth in assists (5.3). Lenzelle Smith, Jr. leads the Buckeyes with 11.6 ppg, in addition to 4.6 rpg.
Ohio State has played suffocating defense thus far, holding opponents to just 53.3 ppg (2nd in the nation). OSU's strong defense is coupled with its ability to avoid fouling opponents, ranking first in the Big Ten in fewest fouls (97).
Smotrycz Returns to Columbus
In two years as a player at Michigan, Evan Smotrycz amassed more experience (six games) against Ohio State than Maryland has in its entire history (five games). In six games, including two contests in the Big Ten Tournament, Smotrycz averaged 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 20.2 minutes of action. His best performance came on January 12, 2011, when he scored 14 points and added six rebounds in a 68-64 loss.
Smotrycz has found early success in the Maryland system, notching back-to-back double-doubles in his last two performances. He is the first Terrapin to do so since Jordan Williams in 2011. After being named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team last Monday, Smotrycz poured in 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against Morgan State.
Lights Out Layman
Sophomore Jake Layman had his best game in a Maryland uniform against Morgan State last Friday, turning in career-high marks in points (27), field goals made (9) and 3-point field goals made (7). Layman shot 7-of-10 from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 overall in the victory.
The Wrentham, Mass. native has been lethal from 3-point range this season, connecting on an ACC best 3.3/game (23rd nationally). His .511 percentage (23-45) from beyond the arc ranks third in the conference behind Joe Harris (UVA) and Ben Emelogu (VT).
Terps Support Toys for Tots
The Terps have partnered with the UMCP Campus Police and Prince George's County Police for the Toys for Tots drive. Donation bins will be located outside Gates A, B and Terrapin Trail Garage entrances for the Men's Basketball game onDecember 14 vs. Florida Atlantic. Fans are encouraged to bring new unwrapped toys for boy or girls to the game.
– Maryland –


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Though most conventionally produced personal care products can easily be switched out for organic products, certain items still receive a skeptical response from consumers. Organic deodorants are often met with more uncertainty than other body care products. This wary reaction is most likely due to our familiarity with antiperspirants and the way they perform.
Conventional antiperspirants are made with aluminum to block pores and prevent perspiration from surfacing. While this may give us a sense of security where dryness is concerned, aluminum is considered a neurotoxin that can potentially cause DNA damage. That is not quite as comforting.
Aluminum used in antiperspirants (in the form of ALUMINUM ZIRCONIUM TRICHLOROHYDREX) is listed in The Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Database as a human nervous system toxicant. Studies have also shown that aluminum salts mimic estrogen in our bodies and have been found in their intact forms in the tumors of breast cancer patients.
And breast cancer is not the only disease linked to aluminum. The ingredient is also suspected of increasing risk of Alzheimer's Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. Scientists have found plaques in the brains of some patients suffering from the disease, and research is beginning to show that aluminum may contribute to the formation of plaques in the human brain.
Aluminum aside, most antiperspirants on drugstore shelves also contain such harmful ingredients as parabens, propylene glycol, synthetic fragrance and petro-chemicals. The real danger is that antiperspirants and deodorants are products the majority of us apply each and every day. So, we are constantly exposed to these harmful chemicals.
And so are our children. Kids are starting to use deodorant at an increasingly younger age which adds up to a lifetime of greater exposure and further risk for disease.
There are safer alternatives and though they may not behave like the products you are used to, your body will adjust to the natural ingredients. Natural deodorants actually provide longer lasting odor control than the synthetic variety and you can feel good knowing only healthy ingredients are applied to your skin.
Natural essential oils and plant extracts used in natural deodorants are very effective at limiting bacterial growth and keeping underarms fresh all day. Ingredients like baking powder, cornstarch and alum are often used to absorb wetness and do a good job at that.
Lavera deodorants are made without aluminum, phthalates or synthetic ingredients. These natural deodorants contain pure plant ingredients to safely and effectively neutralize odor-causing bacteria. Lavera's customer favorite is our Basis deodorant.
You may still be concerned about the wetness factor. The bottom line is that most over-the-counter antiperspirants will not keep you bone dry in a pulse pounding situation. And even if you do sweat a little bit, which is the body's natural way of keeping cool, you will smell fresher when using a product with natural ingredients than those with chemical scents.
Tip: If you are truly in need of added dryness protection try patting on a small amount of baking soda after you have applied the roll-on. This should help to absorb excess moisture.
Natural deodorants are a healthy way to stay fresh all day.


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Forgive me for posting another video (I've got quite a bit of original stuff waiting on the production line but am having some trouble engaging the machinery needed to crank it out) but last night I watched the second episode of ubiquitous Scot, Neil Oliver's BBC series, 'A History of Ancient Britain', and thought it provided a pretty decent exploration of the arrival of intensive agriculture in the British Isles some 6,000 years ago – an important subject to me for obvious reasons. Anyway, some kind soul put the whole thing up on youtube, so when you've got an hour to spare…
I wasn't aware of the theory about multiple 'first contact' with farmers in Kent, Ireland and even the Orkneys (voles in grain sacks, you say? – well okay, unless they arrived on driftwood or hitched a ride with a friendly eagle), or that the Carnac stones in Brittany were put in place by hunter-gatherers in the Mesolithic ('We will be remembered', eh? – reminds me more of the civilised preoccupation with stamping a mark on the landscape in the form of dead monuments rather than preserving a living legacy in thriving ecosystems, but I could be wrong…)
I spotted the old trope of hunter-gatherers 'struggling for survival', even alongside evidence of the backbreaking nature of the farming lifestyle – cutting down all the trees, killing all the wild animals & plants, building walls to protect livestock, yearly ploughing, the 'daily grind' of an hour or more of processing wheat for a family's daily bread, the insecurity of next year's crop being dependent on this year's harvest…etc. He also says they stuck to the coasts and waterways and perceived the forested interior as a 'dangerous, forbidding world' [8:06] after making it clear that they derived a large proportion of their subsistence from hunting woodland animals and saying himself that 'these people didn't just live close to nature – they were part of nature' [2:36]. I would've thought it was the farmers who were far more likely to see the forests in that way. As Luther Standing Bear put it:
We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, the winding streams with tangled growth, as 'wild'. Only to the white man was nature a 'wilderness' and only to him was it infested' with 'wild' animals and 'savage' people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery.
Although he does his best among the Carnac stones and with the meditation at the end on how 'sad' it was that the farmers were trying to 'separate' themselves from the wild, undomesticated world (or rather, I would say, trying to impose their way of doing things and thus destroying that world), I thought Oliver's account was rather 'embedded' in the experience of those oh-so courageous pioneer farmers. He could have looked at examples throughout the historical record of clashes between hunter-gatherer and farming cultures to convey the likely attitudes of prehistoric British tribes towards the people clearing the land of all the species necessary for their subsistence. I even saw an exploration of this on the BBC in the form of Marco Bechis's film, 'Birdwatchers', about the struggle of the Guarani Indians in Brazil who are in the process of being displaced from their land by cattle ranchers and sugar cane farmers:
I was struck by the stark contrast in the visuals throughout the film of lush, green rainforest on the one hand next to bleak, brown farmland on the other. There must have been a similar disparity between the early wheatfields and stone-walled livestock enclosures of Neolithic Britain and Ireland and the vast, peopled Wildwood they too were setting out to conquer. At one point in the film a Guarani shaman instructs his pupil to not eat the meat from a domestic cow the tribe has just poached, because such a beast does not belong to that landscape in the way that the rainforest species – considered brothers and sisters by the Indians – do. After showing us [55:33] the difference between the ankle bone of domesticated and wild cows in prehistoric Britain, I wish Oliver had followed in the footsteps of Jared Diamond and Weston A. Price in showing us the difference between domesticated and wild humans. Is the evidence here consistent with evidence around the world indicating that hunter-gatherers lived longer, were taller, healthier, stronger, less stressed, more … human than their genetically identical farming counterparts? Who most truly belongs to the British landscape; to any landscape – Homo sapiens domestico-fragilis or Homo sapiens neo-aboriginalis?
(hat-tip to C)
Altogether, though, I want to applaud Oliver's effort here in shedding light on this important transition, putting modernity into its ancient context and going some considerable distance towards rescuing what was surely an epic, richly meaningful drama from the precious few scraps of evidence that survive.


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text: London - England have "given the first Test away" after a shambolic first innings collapse against Australia in Brisbane on Friday, according to former opening batsman Geoffrey Boycott.After delighting in Stuart Broad's superb bowling performance which gave England the upper hand on the first day of the Ashes series on Thursday, England fans woke up on Friday to discover they had been bowled out for 136.A mid-afternoon collapse, in which England lost six wickets for nine runs, allowed Australia to seize control, moving 224 runs ahead with all their second innings wickets intact."It's been decent bowling by Australia, but the batting has been pathetic," Boycott, commentating for BBC radio, said of the day's play at the Gabba, which begun with Australia's first innings being wrapped up for 285."They've played some poor shots. The problem is we've seen it all before. It's very sad to see them almost give away the Test match like this."It will take a dramatic performance to bowl Australia out and then produce a batting display with no mistakes. They've just about gifted the match to Australia."Boycott also accused England's batsmen of playing Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon as if he were bowling down "hand grenades" after he took two wickets.England spinner Graeme Swann summed up the mood in the camp when he said on Twitter "On a scale of one to ten that day at the Gabba was a minus six #howler".Former England captain Michael Vaughan, also watching the carnage from the safety of the commentary box, applauded pace bowler Mitchell Johnson's spell of four for 61."What we saw today was quick bowling at its best. Mitchell Johnson changed the course of the match, as did Ryan Harris (who claimed two wickets)," Vaughan, who captained England to their 2005 home Ashes victory over Australia, said."For the first time, questions are being asked about (Jonathan) Trott against pace. Mitchell Johnson roughed him up and his feet were all over the place."Despite it being a poor day for England, however, Vaughan said it summed up the magic of Test cricket."The roar of a crowd... bouncy pitch. 90mph bowling... no matter who you support, today was a great day for TEST cricket..." Vaughan added on Twitter.


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Executive Assistant Sharon Velder and General Accountant Christina Bostron were recognized by their fellow city employees at the City of Fort Morgan's annual holiday banquet on Dec. 14.
Velder was named the city's employee of the year and Bostron manager of the year.
Both were honored for their adherence to the city's goals, hard work and dedication and willingness to go above and beyond their normal job duties to provide the best possible service to the city, its employees and Fort Morgan residents.
Bostron started as a utility billing clerk and was later promoted to payroll, according to City Treasurer Jeanne Kinney, who presented the manager of the year award to Bostron at the banquet.
When the previous city treasurer left in mid-2011, Bostron was promoted to general accountant and shortly afterward was named interim treasurer. She jumped in and learned all she needed to know so she could fulfill the role the city asked of her, Kinney said.
Bostron worked long hours to catch up the books for the city, and the city's financial audit was issued with a clean opinion — quite a feat considering there was no City Treasurer for eight of the months normally used for financial statement and audit prep work, Kinney said.
Bostron also hired and trained a new employee in the payroll department while taking on the additional responsibilities of accountant and treasurer, and was instrumental in making the transition to a new financial and accounting software system.
Bostron took on a new role as manager of accounts payable and payroll, and also worked with individual departments to help them transition to the new software.
Bostron presented the employee of the Year award to Velder, who also took on new roles and extra duties, along with a heavier workload, according to City Manager Jeff Wells. She assumed the role of executive assistant to the city manager in addition to her duties as legal assistant to the city attorney.
Velder worked extensively with all city departments in her dual role, and willingly stepped in whenever help was needed. She trained new employees in the procedures of both of her departments and provided excellent customer service to both residents and city staff.
Velder's pleasant, respectful and professional demeanor is displayed whether dealing with customer complaints or interacting with various departments and employee requests, Bostron said. Her friendly personality, experience and knowledge of the city organization make her a good ambassador for the community and the citizens of Fort Morgan, she added.
Employee of the year candidates were nominated in each of five areas of the city organization by managers in those areas – administration, community services, public safety, wet utilities and dry utilities. All managers then voted on the five finalists to choose the employee of the year.
The other four finalists for employee of the year were Jorge Rico of the Parks Department in community services, Anthony Gagliano of the Fort Morgan Police Department in public safety, Denise Crosby of the wastewater treatment plant in wet utilities and Ken Wright of the Streets Department in dry utilities.
The manager of the year candidates were nominated and voted on by the eight city directors.


text: We have one of our customers where we are setting up some Onicon System 10 BTU meters. They are on a separate stand-alone loop right now and when we connect them to the existing FX60 BACnet MS/TP trunk, it causes some of the other controllers to randomly go online and offline. We did discover a duplicate address on one of the meters and removed it. However, right now we can only leave two of the meters connected, because any more than that causes instability. I am not sure if it is simply the number of meters on the trunk. They all can't be bad. We still have to do more testing, but was wondering if anyone has encountered communication issues while using this hardware. A couple of days have already been spent on something that shouldn't take this long. I can scan the meter loop alone and see all of the meters, but as soon as we connect them to the bus, everything goes nuts. As a last resort, I have thought about placing them on their own dedicated loop, but this will incur more expense and I'm not sure if this will cure the problems.


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Any social studies teacher understands the importance of teaching about resources. I discuss resources----human, capital, and physical/natural----everyday in my room. The quest for resources and how we use them are at the heart of any historical event we study.
One of the reasons why Japan attacked the United States in 1941 boiled down to their need for oil. They felt our presence in the Pacific hindered them from getting what they needed. When the Spanish began their conquest of Mexico and South America they understood the need for a large labor force to man their gold and silver mines so they used the labor resource that was available, the indigenous population. Criminals and terrorists the world over have become very savvy in their need to legitimize their financial transactions and use our own laws to maintain bona fide companies that are mere fronts for nefarious activities. I guess you could say our quest for resources is what generates historical events.
One of the things I am often amazed at as an educator is the amount of resources that go untapped and unused in our own buildings. Children with enormous potential choose to do enough simply to get by and fail to use the talents that we all strive for but was theirs at birth. Teachers resist new programs and strategies simply because they are removed from their comfort zone. The software, the books, the seminar manuals all sit unused in the classroom until they are eventually placed on some dusty shelf in a closet or book room. The saying is true---out of sight, out of mind. Administrators often overlook tremendous human potential they have in their buildings as they recommend the same few people for committees and conferences or to develop solutions to real problems. There is a myriad list of reasons why this is done but it is never good for the performance of the school.
An Atlanta area high school went from last to third place in the state's standardized writing test district scores all because a principal asked someone in the building for help, and that person analyzed the resources available to her. She discovered a writing program that had simply sat unused. By simply going out of the box and utilizing a forgotten resource her school ended up with motivated students and teachers, a beaming administrator, and scores to be proud of.
My happy dance of summer is almost up as I have to return to school for pre-planning on July 24th. As I begin to attempt to ramp up my mindset to "teacher" mode again, I am making a call for all educators to check out your resources. Take stock of your classroom and that dark hole of a book room down the hall. What is lying around that could be utilized to challenge you and your students for the coming year?
Are you already in possession of the one thing that could turn your program around and you don't even realize it?
You can access Eschool News here for the article about Therrell High in Atlanta.


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Monday, April 19, 2010
Interview with Dr. Eidelberg at AAN
At the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting in Toronto, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with David Eidelberg, M.D., this year's PDF-AAN Movement Disorder Research Awardee. Dr. Eidelberg is a Professor of Neurology at New York University School of Medicine and Director of both the Center of Neurosciences at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and of the Movement Disorders and Functional Neuroimaging Center at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health Systems. He has been hailed as an innovative thinker who has developed new ideas to advance our understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD) and movement disorders in general.
In particular, Dr. Eidelberg (pictured at right) is known for his work with neuroimaging. In a recent study, he and his colleagues used one neuroimaging method – FDG-PET scans—combined with their own computerized image classification program to accurately differentiate people living with classic Parkinson's from those living with related disorders, or parkinsonisms, such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy (MSA).
How does this work and is it a real option for solving cases of difficult diagnosis? Is the cost prohibitive? As we find out below, the technique may not be ready for maintstream use, but it is helpful in teaching us more about Parkinson's.
Q1: Your team's recently published study in Lancet Neurology, the culmination of many years of work, used a special form of glucose to measure brain metabolism via a type of imaging called FDG-PET in order to differentiate PD from other related disorders like PSP and MSA. Can you briefly explain how FDG-PET works and discuss your method of classifying classic Parkinson's versus PSP and MSA?
A: The name "FDG-PET" simply refers to the two parts that comprise the imaging process—a tracer (FDG) and an imager (PET). For the first part, FDG, it is important to understand that the living brain, even at rest, consumes glucose (sugar) as its energy source. In our study, we took advantage of this fact by 'tagging' glucose with a harmless, FDA-approved radioactive molecule to see what parts of the brain were more active than others. The resulting compound is called 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose or FDG for short. Part two, PET, simply refers to the specialized imaging apparatus, or positron emission tomography machine, that is used to measure the location of the FDG as it gets utilized in the brain. By studying the images we take, we can then observe how metabolically active are the various regions of person's brain.
Administering the FDG is very straightforward. The person undergoing imaging is injected with a small amount of FDG through an IV line and then is able to move around freely for about 25 minutes while the compound circulates in his or her body. The PET scan itself is also relatively brief and lasts about 20 minutes. Results are ready within a few minutes of completing the scan.
If the scan shows high FDG uptake in a particular brain region, this reflects tissue with high metabolic activity, whereas low FDG uptake reflects tissue with low metabolic demand, due to loss of synaptic activity (loss of input signals from other brain regions, compromised cell function, or even neuronal death).
We have found that the brains of people living with neurodegenerative diseases, including idiopathic Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes such as MSA and PSP, are associated with distinct patterns of altered regional metabolism that are indicators of highly specific pathological change. We can observe the activity of each of these abnormal patterns of brain metabolism in an individual's FDG PET to measure his or her disease severity. This is important, because in clinical practice, people who actually have MSA and PSP can be misdiagnosed as having PD, particularly early in the clinical course.
While the interpretation of the results of a FDG-PET scan can currently be made by someone who is highly trained to read these studies, the problem is that there are more of these machines available than are physicians trained to interpret the results. Therefore, in our recent study, we developed a fully automated computer algorithm to differentiate accurately between PD, MSA and PSP. In addition, this approach allows for computing the probabilities of each of the three disorders in a given parkinsonian individual based on the expression of the disease patterns in his or her brain.
By comparing the disease probabilities in each case with the imaging criteria for each disease possibility, the person could then be given a tentative pattern-based diagnosis. This automated approach remains experimental and we intend to be able to test and validate it in a larger, multi-center study before it would be widely available for use.
Q2: How do the sensitivity and specificity and predictive rates of your method compare to a clinician's diagnosis of PD, or even diagnostic approaches for other diseases?
A: In the population of people with Parkinson's that we studied, the image-based diagnoses are both sensitive and specific – meaning very accurate – when compared to the final clinical diagnoses obtained by movement disorders specialists who followed the same individuals for several years. Our imaging approach was designed as a confirmatory diagnostic test to assist clinicians in specialty practices.
We therefore focused on something called the positive predictive value (PPV), a measure of the accuracy of classification using the early scan versus the later clinical ascertainment by a movement disorder specialist. Indeed, our automated classification approach achieved a PPV of 98% for diagnosing PD, 97% for MSA, and 91% for PSP. More importantly, the diagnostic accuracy of our approach remained excellent (> 90%) even in people in the early stages of parkinsonism with very short symptom durations (i.e., >94%) of the technique. We note that our approach also had reasonable sensitivity (~85%), which is a little lower than seen with dopamine imaging methods like FDOPA PET and βCIT-SPECT. It is important to appreciate that the latter imaging methods are often used as screening tools to distinguish people with presynaptic nigrostriatal defects from healthy subjects –with very few false negatives. These methods, however, have limited specificity in that they don't do a good job in separating PD from atypical look-a-like conditions, because both have presynaptic nigrostriatal dopamine abnormalities.
Q3: Given the cost of this imaging to people with Parkinson's (and parkinsonisms) and insurance companies, do you think it will be practical to use such techniques beyond academic medicine, e.g., would imaging techniques such FDG-SPECT or BOLD-MRI offer viable approaches too?
A: Our study demonstrated that our approach is most useful to assist in differential diagnosis of individuals with uncertain parkinsonism. Previous research has shown that such individuals are not infrequently misdiagnosed (~25%), especially at early stages. Indeed, such diagnostic errors can be costly because of the expense and morbidity (complications) of attendant management decisions, as can happen when people with atypical parkinsonian syndromes are referred for invasive procedures such as DBS. By the same token, incorrect early diagnosis can lead to problems in the conduct and interpretation of clinical trials of potential disease modifying agents. So when applied correctly, this technique could help lower the costs of incorrect treatments for some people.
Regarding the costs of FDG-PET, it is important to bear in mind that this FDA-approved imaging modality is now widely available (most Americans live within 70 miles of a clinical PET instrument) and is routinely reimbursed for other neurological indications including epilepsy, brain tumor and dementia. Moreover, the costs (and invasiveness) of this procedure have declined steadily over the past five years and is now in the range of $1500-2000.
Lastly, it is important to realize that pattern-based diagnostic algorithms such as ours do not specifically require FDG-PET. Indeed, we and others have shown recently how this method can be easily applied to other imaging techniques, i.e., perfusion imaging of the brain with SPECT and with functional MRI. While FDG-PET is currently the clinical "gold standard" for resting state metabolic imaging, it is likely that these (and similar) techniques will ultimately be used for pattern-based diagnosis on a broader clinical scale.
Q4) There seems to be a real push, as evidenced in the abstracts presented here at AAN in Toronto, to identify potential anatomic differences (volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or diffusion trace imaging (DTI)) in the brains of people living with Parkinson's. Where do you feel that technology stands and what promise do you think it holds for the future?
A: While these new anatomical approaches can be used to identify significant brain abnormalities, it is not clear how "diagnostic" they will prove to be on the individual subject level. Progressive changes in local tissue volume (voxel-based morphometry, VBM) or pathway microstructure (DTI) occur in PD as a reflection of ongoing neurodegeneration. But how large are these regional changes at early stages of disease, and how quickly do they evolve over time? Also, it is important to understand how these structural abnormalities relate to changes in brain function – both regionally and at the circuit level. Indeed, such changes can be extensive and are likely to be present before symptoms actually appear (see our recent paper mentioned above). In the end, complementary approaches employing specialized MRI scans to elucidate brain structure and anatomy, in conjunction with neurochemistry/metabolism imaging to reveal brain function, may provide the most effective strategy to identify robust imaging biomarkers for Parkinson's.
PDF thanks Dr. Eidelberg for his time. Do you have questions or thoughts on his research? Please post your comments and we'll try to answer them to the best of our ability.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Watch for Next Tuesday's Interview with Dr. Eidelberg
From James Beck, Ph.D., Director of Research Programs
Do you have questions about brain imaging and its potential for diagnosing and measuring Parkinson's? Submit your questions now to PDF and we'll bring them directly to the experts. Next week, I'll be interviewing David Eidelberg, M.D., during the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurology (AAN) in Toronto, Canada, a major event that brings together neurologists from all over world.
During the AAN meeting, Dr. Eidelberg will become the tenth recipient of the PDF-endowed Movement Disorders Research Award. He is being recognized for his work in brain imaging and Parkinson's. His team's recently published report in The Lancet Neurology described an automated process to classify the images from a type of brain scan called a fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography. This method could help separate Parkinson's disease from other related diseases, or parkinsonisms, possibly leading to an ultimate diagnosis years earlier than before.
Submit a question by Monday, April 11 and I'll bring it with me (Dr. Eidelberg isn't available for general PD questions, but you can submit those questions to our Parkinson's Information Service at http://www.pdf.org/en/pins_question)
The full interview will be posted on this blog by 5 PM ET, Thursday April 15.Submit a Question


text:
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The SkyMap Site
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The SkyMap Discussion Forum
We invite all SkyMap users to join the SkyMap mailing list, an e-mail discussion list for any subject relating to the use of the SkyMap Pro application. The list is hosted by Yahoo Groups, and is free to join and use. Click the button on the right to join the SkyMap mailing list
Our Mission
To become the leading supplier of high quality astronomy software for the serious amateur and professional astronomer.
Company Profile
SkyMap Software is based in Cheshire, England. The company was founded in 1990 by Chris Marriott, a professional physicist and software developer with a life-long interest in astronomy. The company's main product - the SkyMap planetarium (after which the company is named) - was first released in February 1993 and is now a market leader in this very competitive field.


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cncnews brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 222 Designs von 31 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
Create a logo for Capitol News Connection a public radio news producer located in Washington, DC, specializing in customized reports from Congress, and serving public radio stations across the country.
CNC Capitol News Connection
WHAT: Logo for "CNC Capitol News Connection" a public radio news producer specializing in customized coverage of Congress for public radio stations across the country.
WHY: Need to update our company logo to better reflect our image as a young, lean, forward looking organization.
LISTEN: Please listen to our radio news reports to get a feel for our tone, style and connection to public radio listeners & stations across the country: http://www.cncnews.org/
WHO WE ARE: Capitol News Connection produceslocalized Congressional news coverage for public radio stations across thecountry. We're young, lean and well respected on Capitol Hill and within thepublic radio world.
WEBSITE: Visit our website to sample our content and see current logo: http://www.cncnews.org/
Visit our Ask Your Lawmaker site to get a feel for the design direction we're moving toward: http://www.askyourlawmaker.org
CREATIVE BRIEF: Focus on conveying a sense of connection between Capitol News Connection and our clients.
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Finden Sie heraus, wie ein Designwettbewerb funktioniert, oder lernen Sie mehr über unsere Logo-Design-Angebote.


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When Dr. Maria Woodward opted to have Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) surgery on April 1st of this year, she entered the doors of Emory Vision as a patient, rather than as a physician. When I asked her to describe the experience, she replied, "One word: surreal."
Dr. Woodward's description is understandable, especially when you consider how accustomed she is to being on the other side of the operating table. However, she knew that she was in incredibly capable hands with Dr. Randleman, who performed her surgery.
But before I continue with her story, I'll explain some differences and similarities between LASIK and PRK. PRK corrects vision through the reshaping of the surface of the cornea, which involves the removal of the epithelium, the outer layer of cells that cover the cornea. After the laser reshapes the corneal surface, a new epithelium grows back over the treated area, which usually takes 3-7 days. In LASIK surgery, the surgeon uses a surgical instrument to create a protective flap in the cornea, allowing him or her to sculpt the cornea with a laser. The flap is then folded back into place and bonds securely without the need for stitches. The recovery for LASIK is just under 24 hours. PRK and LASIK yield the exact same results; however, PRK results are slightly slower to appear.
According to Dr. Woodward, nearly 20% of her patients undergo PRK, as opposed to LASIK. Example PRK candidates include military personnel, fighter pilots, professional athletes, or anyone involved in everyday situations that involve higher risks of trauma to their eyes. PRK is also performed when the cornea is too thin for LASIK, or when there are mild irregularities in the shape of the cornea.
On the day of surgery, Dr. Woodward was caught a little off guard by her nervousness: "I woke up and asked myself: Am I really doing this today? It's one thing to talk about having the procedure done, and another thing entirely to actually go ahead with it," she said.
"The surgery itself was actually much easier than I expected," she added. "I think knowing exactly what was going to happen actually made it a very smooth process."
Now, post-surgery, Dr. Woodward feels an even greater empathy and understanding for what patients feel when they experience a PRK (or LASIK) procedure. She learned extra tips to help facilitate PRK patient recovery, like using an egg timer or phone alarm to remind them of when to administer drops, storing drops in the refrigerator to keep them cool, and even listening to music or 'This American Life' on NPR during recovery.
She can also truly identify with the sense of joy her patients feel from their newfound ability to see life with absolute clarity.
Do you have thoughts or questions about PRK surgery? If so, be sure to share them with me in the comments.


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Heating & Cooling
How to insulate a ceiling
Keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer by insulating your ceilings. We'll show you all you need to know about installing ceiling insulation.
How to clean gutters
Cleaning out your gutters helps to keep your roof in good condition and stops rainwater leaking into your home.
How to clean roof tiles
Cleaning old roof tiles is a quick way to give any house a facelift. Discover how to do the cleaning yourself.
How to replace a fascia board
This video shows you how to repair a rotten section of fascia board, without replacing the whole board.
How to choose fire-resistant gutter guards
If you live in an area prone to bushfire, it's important to choose the right fire resistant gutter guards for your roof. We'll show you how installing the correct guards can help protect your home.
How to remove roof tiles
If there's a problem with your roof you may have to replace some roof tiles. Learn how to take tiles off a roof and put them back properly.
Outdoor Living
D.I.Y. bar stools
With just a few pieces of dowel and some plywood, you can make your own D.I.Y. bar stools.
New Product Innovation
Power your tools for longer with the AEG 18V Force Battery
The AEG 18V Force Battery features next generation cell technology and smart systems that'll push your tools harder and for longer.


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We are committed to doing everything we can to meet the needs of our customers. We are here for you with the solutions, support and advice that you need to manage your mortgage account.
We adapt and make required changes, we ask that you please continue to check our website for changes that may affect you.
Need to check your account details, or make a payment? Please take advantage of the tools and features available via our website and our interactive telephone system. Need assistance with your mortgage? Please call us at (877) 735-3637 to discuss the options available to you.
If you have experienced property damage or otherwise been affected by a recently declared FEMA disaster, there are resources available to assist you. For details on how Selene can help you with your mortgage payments please call us at 877-768-3759.
You may also contact FEMA at
or (800)-621-FEMA (3362) for possible government assistance.
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Our team is committed to providing superior quality and unparalleled customer service
in all aspects of your mortgage experience. Selene Finance has empowered our professionals
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We understand that your home is an important and valuable asset. Selene Finance
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We at Selene Finance look forward to fulfilling all of your mortgage needs. In the coming days you should receive a welcome
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The information from your prior servicer is being loaded to our system and being thoroughly checked for accuracy to better serve you.
In the meantime, please feel free to visit the rest of our website and get familiar with Selene Finance LP.


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After working on bipartisan tax reform for the past three years, the Senate Finance Committee's leaders have said they want to start with a blank slate.
Chairman Max Baucus and the committee's ranking member, Sen. Orrin Hatch, sent a letter to their fellow lawmakers Thursday asking for their input by July 26 on how to reform the tax code, as they're "now entering the home stretch."
Baucus, D-Mont., and Hatch, R-Utah, told their colleagues "now it is your turn" to give your ideas and "partnership to get tax reform over the finish line." Both said they want to complete reforming the tax code in this Congress.
To ensure "that we end up with a simpler, more efficient and fairer tax code, we believe it is important to start with a 'blank slate'—that is, a tax code without all of the special provisions in the form of exclusions, deductions and credits and other preferences that some refer to as 'tax expenditures,'" the two write. "This blank slate is not, of course, the end product, nor the end of the discussion."
The senators went on to say that "some of the special provisions serve important objectives." Indeed, they said, "some existing tax expenditures should be preserved in some form. But the tax code is also littered with preferences for special interests."
To clear out all the unproductive provisions and simplify in tax reform, Baucus and Hatch said they "plan to operate from an assumption that all special provisions are out unless there is clear evidence that they: help grow the economy, make the tax code fairer, or effectively promote other important policy objectives."
Hatch and Baucus asked that lawmakers submit legislative language or detailed proposals for what tax expenditures meet the above mentioned tests and should be included in a reformed tax code, "as well as other provisions that should be added, repealed or reformed as part of tax reform" by July 26. "We will give special attention to proposals that are bipartisan," they said.
The two senators explained in their letter that the "blank slate approach would allow significant deficit reduction or rate reduction, while maintaining the current level of progressivity." The amount of rate reduction "would of course depend on how much revenue was reserved for deficit reduction, if any, and from which income groups," they said.
The specter of a tax code stripped of "special provisions" is stoking worries in much of the financial sector. Cities and other localities have been nervous for some time about the effects of a possible end to the muni bond tax exemption.
Brian Graff, CEO of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, says the senators' blank-slate approach means that to begin the tax reform process, "the tax deferral incentive for retirement savings is to be thrown out along with every other tax incentive in the Internal Revenue Code that represents permanent lost revenue."
But Graff said that while ASPPA "appreciates the senators' acknowledgement that some tax incentives should be preserved — and we believe the incentive for retirement savings is clearly one of them … we are disappointed that there is no recognition that the tax incentive for retirement savings is a deferral, not a true 'tax expenditure,'" he said in a statement.
Tens of millions of workers, Graff continued, "count on their employer-based retirement plans, and it is the tax incentive that powers these programs. In fact, the primary factor in determining whether or not a worker is saving for retirement is whether or not they have a retirement plan at work."
The benefits of this deferral incentive "are very real," Graff said, "and the revenue that would be gained by eliminating it is not. Every dollar of retirement savings excluded from income today will be included as income when it is paid out in retirement. Treating the retirement savings income deferral like a permanent exclusion is terribly misleading, and could lead to bad policy decisions."
Check out Repeal of Muni Tax-Exempt Status Would Devastate Counties: Report on AdvisorOne.


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The Conn-Selmer Division of Education increased their support and outreach through the National Association of Music Merchants, N.A.M.M. this year at the 2012 N.A.M.M. show in Anaheim, California.
Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, Vice President of Education for Conn-Selmer served as the keynote speaker for N.A.M.M.'s "Education Days" in which 500 teachers from the surrounding area participated in a multi-day docket of clinics, concerts, and workshop presentations. Marcia Neel, President of Music Education Consultants, also served as one of the select clinicians. Marcia is a tenured faculty member of the Conn-Selmer Institute where she leads the college division.
In addition, Beth Sokolowski, Director of Music Education at the University of the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and Gary Markham, Supervisor of Music in Cobb County public schools in Georgia, were presenters for the Conn-Selmer Institute, in collaboration with N.A.M.M., at sessions focusing on the critical role of the music administrator. The two day event was an extension of the music supervisor program that was initiated at the 2011 Conn-Selmer Institute held at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana. Music supervisors and coordinators from several states participated in the N.A.M.M. sponsored program. Guest speakers also included Jim Frankel from Sound Tree and Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser.
"Music education has become a major investment for Conn-Selmer," says John Stoner, President and CEO of Conn-Selmer, Incorporated. "We continue to pour resources into leadership, advocacy, and training focused on music education. With the Conn-Selmer Institute in its thirteenth year, the addition of Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser as our Vice President of Education, and the entire team of quality faculty he has assembled, we are committed to continually strengthening our position as the leader in educational support."
For more information on N.A.M.M. visit www.namm.org. For more information on the Conn-Selmer Division of Education and Conn-Selmer Institute visit www.csinstitute.org.
About Conn-Selmer
Conn-Selmer, under a portfolio of brands, is the leading manufacturer and distributor of musical instruments for student, amateur, and professional use. With a tradition of innovation, and superior musical performance, brands such as Vincent Bach, CG Conn, King, Holton, Selmer, Armstrong, Leblanc, Ludwig, Musser, Scherl & Roth, Glaesel, and William Lewis have earned a legacy of respect unparalleled by any other builders. Conn-Selmer is also the North American distributor of Selmer Paris woodwinds, the US distributor of Yanagisawa saxophones, and the global distributor of the Jiggs pBone (the world's only plastic trombone). With a focus on quality craftsmanship, Conn-Selmer operates US production facilities in Elkhart, IN, Cleveland, OH, Eastlake, OH, Lagrange, IL, and Monroe, NC. Through its educational outreach team, led by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, Conn-Selmer is the industry leader in providing support and advocacy tools specifically tailored to music education. For more information on the complete line of instruments, services, and support available from Conn-Selmer, visit www.conn-selmer.com.


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The sound of my momvoice could make my teenage son twitch all over like a fly-covered racehorse. So I started texting the guy when he turned 14.
I found he was happy to pick up milk on his way home or grab his brother as long as I texted him. He would explain exactly why he got home late or what happened to his chemistry grade as long as I did not talk out loud.
During conflict, my son seemed to need the space and distance that texting could provide in order to get his point across. The sooner he felt "heard" via text, the sooner he started talking again. It worked for us.
So I was intrigued when I saw that the Military Crisis Line now offers crisis intervention by text (838255) as well as by phone (1-800-273-8255) or online chat.
In a time where we have more soldier suicides than combat deaths, this service is set up to reach vets in their moment of crisis.
I got to wondering whether the largely male veteran population might be a little like my son. Could veterans in crisis be better served by the space provided by text than by the sound of a human voice or a real in-person human being?
I called the folks at Military Crisis Line to talk it over. Licensed clinical psychologist Kimberley Mullen told me that their whole goal is to lower the barrier for veterans to get help. The research says that men in particular have more negative attitudes toward seeking help and then tend to underutilize existing mental health services. Since 85% of all military members are male, lowering that barrier seems paramount to me.
"Suicide is one of the most difficult things to talk about -- especially for servicemembers and returning veterans," said Mullen. "It is incredibly difficult to take those first steps. With our help, we can make the process easier on them."
But how? While reviewing their data, the team at Veteran's Crisis Line could see that users were browsing the website, but not engaging in an online chat. They knew they had to offer something else with this population.
Why not text? This generation of military veterans was already used to texting. While walking into a VA hospital or making an appointment with a doctor might be overwhelming to a veteran, sending a quick text is pretty easy.
Debra Woodworth, a call responder with 26 years of experience in therapy, says that the most common starter texts she gets from vets are things like "I'm struggling tonight." Or, "I'm really depressed."
She says that unlike calls, texting tends to be brief and abrupt. Ten minutes can go by without a response.
"Some call in with relationship issues. Others are drunk. We get all kinds," said Woodworth. "It's a slower process at a slower pace."
That slower pace might be especially good for men in crisis. Research by John Gottman demonstrates that men are more susceptible to emotional flooding than women. Men can get emotionally overloaded and feel powerless or that they have no options.
Offering a crisis therapy that gives men a little more time to recover between engagements with a therapist seems kind of brilliant to me.
Military Crisis Line responders are available day or night to talk about whatever has a servicemember struggling -- chronic pain, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, anger, or even disturbing memories of their service. The service is free to active-duty servicemembers, members of the National Guard and Reserves, veterans and family members. They can start with a text or the anonymous online quiz, then move up the scale of interaction into a phone call or a referral -- if it is necessary.
"We refer hundreds of people to the suicide prevention coordinators at the VA. They do the follow up. Those are folks on the ground," said Mullen. Military Crisis Line responders also refer users to other services than can help.
"We think of our users as airplanes flying through fog," said Mullen. "We're here to give them directions. We're here to keep them safe."


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