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July-September 2017
Volume 4 | Issue 3
Page Nos. 99-176
Online since Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Accessed 14,390 times.
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Serial heparin-binding protein compared with sequential organ failure assessment, acute physiological and chronic health evaluation ii, multiple organ dysfunction and charlson scores as predictors of mortality in critically ill septic patients
p. 99
Gamal Hamid Ibrahim, Dalia Mohamed Ragab, Amal Foad Rizk, Nora Ismail Abbas, Talal Ibrahim Hagag
Early detection and management of severe sepsis is crucial for successful outcome. We hypothesized that the progression of sepsis to severe sepsis is preceded by vascular leakage, which is caused by neutrophil-derived mediators, as heparin-binding protein (HBP).
The aim of the study was to identify the role of serial HBP measurement as a predictor of morbidity and mortality in critically ill septic patients in comparison with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), acute physiological and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, multiple organ dysfunction (MODS) scores, and Charlson scores.
Settings and design
This was an observational prospective controlled study.
Materials and methods
Patients were classified into two groups: group I, which included 40 patients with evident sepsis; and group II (control group), which included 10 critically ill nonseptic patients.
Statistically significant difference was detected between survivors and nonsurvivors in max SOFA score, APACHE II, MODS, white blood cells, and serial HBP. Receiver-operating characteristic curve using admission HBP for prediction of severe sepsis showed a sensitivity of 94.7% and specificity of 100% at cut-off level more than 1.9 ng/ml, and for prediction of mortality the sensitivity was 91.6% and specificity 100% at cut-off level more than 1.9 ng/ml.
Serial plasma HBP levels can predict severe sepsis and mortality in ICU septic patients without statistically significant difference compared with SOFA, APACHE, and MODS scores.
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Experience at a Critical Care Department with trauma patients: a 5-year registry study
p. 108
Amr A.E.E Amin Abd Allah, Nashwa A Alamir, Abdou M Alazab, Lamiaa H Mohammed
Background and objective
Trauma is the sixth leading cause of death worldwide, resulting in five million or 10% of all deaths annually. Mortality can be grouped into immediate, early, and late deaths. Recognition of these patterns has led to the development of Advanced Trauma Life Support, which is the standard of care for trauma patients, and it is built around a consistent approach to patient evaluation. The aim of our study was to assess and find a way to predict outcomes in trauma patients admitted to the Critical Care Department using admission data (clinical and laboratory) and scoring systems.
Patients and methods
This was a prospective–retrospective study carried out between January 2010 and December 2014 on 67 trauma patients. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were obtained. Revised Trauma Score (RTS) was calculated using data collected within the first 24 h of admission.
Nonsurvivors were relatively younger than survivors (29.16±12.83 vs. 39.69±19.83,
=0.036), and they had more dangerous penetrating injuries compared with survivors. Road traffic accidents were more common among nonsurvivors compared with survivors (penetrating injuries: 16% in survivors vs. 56.2% in nonsurvivors; road traffic accidents: 68% in survivors vs. 37% in nonsurvivors,
=0.025). pH, PaCO
, random blood sugar, and serum sodium were significantly higher in nonsurvivors compared with survivors. Nonsurvivors had a significantly lower Glasgow Coma Score, lower RTS, and higher APACHE II scores than survivors. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was carried out, and an APACHE II score of 20 was significant in predicting mortality with an area under the curve of 91.6%, sensitivity of 81.3%, and specificity of 87.2%. In addition, an RTS cutoff score of 6 had an area under the curve of 91.4%, sensitivity of 74.4%, and specificity of 87.5% for predicting mortality.
Both APACHE II and RTS are better predictors of mortality in trauma patients admitted to ICUs.
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Does combined general–epidural anesthesia reduce the risk for surgical site infections in radical cystectomy?
p. 117
Hoda Shokri
Radical cystectomy is an aggressive surgical procedure associated with the highest morbidity and mortality of all commonly performed urological procedures. It has been assumed that regional anesthesia may reduce infectious complications.
This aim of this study was to compare whether general anesthesia (GA) combined with epidural anesthesia reduces the incidence of superficial and deep surgical site infections, chest infection, mortality rate, and length of hospital stay.
Patients and methods
In this prospective randomized parallel group study, 150 patients between 50 and 65 years of age who were scheduled for elective radical cystectomy were randomly divided into two groups: the GA-only group (
=75), which received GA-alone, and the Epi–GA group (
=75), which received both GA and epidural anesthesia. Demographic and clinical data, such as age, sex, and BMI, and surgical data, such as duration of surgical procedure and number of whole blood units given, were recorded. Postoperative data such as superficial and deep surgical site infections, chest infection diagnosed by the consultant over 10 days' duration, mortality rate, and duration of hospital stay were recorded.
Demographic, clinical, and surgical data were similar among the study groups. There was no significant difference between the study groups as regards the incidence of superficial and deep surgical site infections, chest infection, and mortality rate. The duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the Epi–GA group compared with the GA-only group.
Our study showed that combined GA and epidural anesthesia offers no advantage over GA alone with regard to the incidence of infectious complications within 10 days postoperatively, but it significantly reduced the length of hospital stay.
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Traumatic brain injury predictive value of common intensive care severity scores
p. 124
Ahmed Kandil, Mahmoud Kenawi, Ahmed Samir, Khaled Hussein
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) causes a severe toll on society as a leading cause of mortality worldwide and the major cause of disability among young adults. The prognosis after TBI had been particularly challenging to predict, with limited availability of robust prognostic models.
To evaluate the usefulness of the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS II) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores compared to simpler models based on age and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) in predicting a six-month mortality of patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the intensive care unit (ICU).
A prospective cohort study conducted on acute TBI patients admitted to ICU at EL-HELAL trauma Centre and KASR AL AINI university hospital, Egypt during the period from August 2014 to April 2015. All patients were followed-up for 6 months from the day of admission. Patients were divided into two groups (survivors and non-survivors).
A total of 104 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 37±17.16 years. The overall six-month mortality was 25 patients (24.4%). The univariate analysis showed that APACHE II, SAPS II, SOFA, GCS, and age had a significant statistical difference regarding mortality between both groups (
-value < 0.05) and the optimal cut-off point as mortality indicator was 14, 26, 4, 9 and 49, respectively with area under the curve (AUC) 0.88, 0.87, 0.83, 0.80 and 0.79, respectively. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression found that only age and GCS had a statistically significant impact on outcome (
-value; 0.001, 0.022, respectively).
A simple prognostic model based only on GCS and age displayed good predictor for six-month mortality of ICU treated patients with TBI. The use of the more complex scoring systems (APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA) added little to the prognostic performance.
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Shorter postanesthesia care unit stay with dexmedetomidine infusion during laparoscopic bariatric surgery: a randomized controlled trial
p. 129
Mohamed El Sayed, Akmal Abdelsamad, Ayat Amer
Lesser narcotics use during laparoscopic bariatric surgery is needed to decrease the impact on respiratory parameters and reduce analgesic requirements after surgery. Using dexmedetomidine has a role in perioperative pain control in obese patients' recovery in postanesthetic care unit (PACU) and hospital stay. In this study, we hypothesized that dexmedetomidine would delay and decrease opioid requirements during surgery, promoting less time in the PACU and faster, safer recovery.
Patients and methods
After obtaining ethics committee approval, informed consent to participate in this study was obtained from 56 patients who were scheduled for planned laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Patients were randomly divided into two groups − group D (
=28) received dexmedetomidine 1 µg/kg loading for 10 min and 0.4 µg/kg/h maintenance until extubation, and group N (
=28) received normal saline (placebo) at the same volume and rate. PACU stay time, the total amount of intraoperative fentanyl used, recovery profile, pain score, and the total amount of pethidine used postoperatively were measured.
The dexmedetomidine group showed significant decrease in intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamics, shorter recovery time, and shorter stay in PACU. Perioperative narcotic use, intraoperative fentanyl use, visual analog scale scores, PACU pethidine dose in the first hour, and total pethidine dose on the first day were significantly less in the dexmedetomidine group. Patient satisfaction at discharge regarding pain management was less in the control group.
Intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion with its opioid-sparing effect enhanced recovery in this study population of morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery with minimal side-effects.
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Bronchoscopic instillation of amikacin in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia
p. 134
Mohamed E Fathy, Tamer A Helmy, Ehab M Elreweny, Mahmoud I Mahmoud
In the era of the emergence of multidrug resistant organisms, it appears that bacteria are beating the battle against the poor development of new effective antibiotics. Aminoglycosides are effective against many Gram-negative bacteria especially when given in large doses, but unfortunately it may be potentially toxic; therefore, there was an inclination toward administration of these antibiotics directly to the airway to get a high concentration of the drug at the site of infection with minimal systemic adverse effects.
Patients and methods
A total of 130 patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia were randomized to amikacin instillation (amikacin-instillation group) (AIG) and intravenous control group (ICG). Bronchial amikacin and serum trough amikacin levels were measured. Enrolled patients were followed up, and clinical cure, microbiological cure, mortality, and length of stay in the ICU stay were monitored.
In AIG, bronchial level of amikacin reached a concentration of 18 700 mcg/l (mean=13 156 mcg/l), associated with nonsignificant increase in the trough levels of amikacin. There was a significant expedition of the clearance of infection and decrease in the ventilator-free days in the AIG. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups regarding mortality and ICU stay.
Bronchoscopic instillation of amikacin is a feasible, effective, and safe mode of direct antibiotic delivery in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.
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Efficacy of sugammadex compared with neostigmine for reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade and deep extubation in outpatient surgeries for asthmatic pediatric patients
p. 143
Eslam N Nada
Bronchial asthma in children is considered a challenge for the anesthesiologist because of the perioperative adverse effects, especially the risk for bronchospasm either during induction or more commonly during recovery and extubation. Therefore, the goal should be to minimize this risk by avoiding any triggering stimulus and deep extubation with adequate recovery from the neuromuscular blocker to have full control of pharyngeal and respiratory muscles. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of sugammadex with neostigmine on reversing rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade (NMB) in asthmatic pediatric patients undergoing outpatient surgical procedures.
Patients and methods
This prospective randomized study was conducted on 60 patients, aged 3–12 years, with history of bronchial asthma, and scheduled for outpatient lower abdominal or urogenital surgeries. NMB was achieved by administration of rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg and monitorized subjectively with train-of-four mode of peripheral nerve stimulator. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups by using the sealed-envelope method: group N (
=30), which received 0.04 mg/kg neostigmine, and group S (
=30), which received 2 mg/kg sugammadex for reversal of rocuronium-induced NMB. Duration of surgery, time from injection of the reversal agent to the time of extubation (time to extubation), total doses of rocuronium, and time from extubation to recovery were recorded. Any complications such as hemodynamic abnormalities, retching, vomiting, bucking, bronchospasm, laryngospasm, coughing, need for reintubation, or any other complications were recorded.
There was no significant difference between the two groups as regards age, sex, weight, duration of surgery, and total doses of rocuronium. On the other hand, there was statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding time of NMB reversal to time of extubation: 13.43±4.92 min in the neostigmine group versus 1.84±0.66 min in the sugammadex group (
<0.0001). Moreover, there was statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding time from extubation till time of recovery: 21±5.72 min in group N versus 25.57±5.72 min in group S (
=0.019). Regarding complications, need for succinylcholine, and need for reintubation, although their incidence was higher in the neostigmine group, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.
It was concluded that reversal of rocuronium-induced NMB by using sugammadex was more rapid and safer when compared with neostigmine in asthmatic pediatric patients undergoing outpatient lower abdominal or urogenital surgeries.
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Intraperitoneal ketamine attenuates the inflammatory reactivity associated with pneumoperitoneum
p. 149
Soad Sayed El-Gaby, Sawsan Soliman Mohamed
Laparoscopic surgery is a common procedure that has replaced many types of open surgeries. Ketamine is an anesthetic drug that has immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. It results in 'homeostatic regulation' of the acute inflammatory reaction.
The primary outcome was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of intraperitoneal instillation of low-dose ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) in laparoscopic pneumoperitoneum. The secondary outcome was to evaluate its analgesic effect.
Patients and methods
This study was carried out on 46 patients aged 26–46 years of ASA grade I–II. All patients were scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patients' history, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations were carried out on the preoperative day. Patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups: the ketamine intraperitoneal (KIP) group (
=23 patients), in which 0.5 mg/kg ketamine diluted in 30 ml normal saline was instilled intraperitoneally; and the saline intraperitoneal (SIP) group (
=23 patients), in which 30 ml of normal saline was instilled intraperitoneally. The following parameters were recorded: time to extubation, time to first request for analgesia, numerical rating scale for pain, the total dose of pethidine postoperatively, and biochemical assay for interleukin 6 (IL-6).
No patients complained of pain in the KIP group compared with the SIP group. The time to first analgesic request postoperatively was significant longer in the KIP group than in the SIP group (
<0.013). Patients in the KIP group required a lower dose of pethidine in the first 24 h postoperatively compared with patients in the SIP group (
<0.001). The postoperative serum IL-6 levels were significantly lower in the KIP group compared with the levels in the SIP group (
This study suggests that low-dose ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) attenuates the increase of IL-6, which is a biomarker of inflammatory activation associated with pneumoperitoneum.
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Prospective randomized study of interscalene brachial plexus block using 0.5% bupivacaine HCl with or without dexamethasone in shoulder surgery
p. 156
Rabab S Mahrous, Rehab A Abd El-aziz
Interscalene brachial plexus block is one of the commonly performed techniques for regional anesthesia of the upper extremity. The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy and duration of 5 ml versus 10 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine HCl with and without 1 ml of dexamethasone in patients undergoing shoulder surgery.
Materials and methods
This prospective randomized blinded study was carried on 75 American Society of Anesthesiology I and II patients. Patients were assigned randomly to one of the three groups: group A received 10 ml of bupivacaine HCl 0.5%; group B received 5 ml of bupivacaine HCl 0.5%; and group C received 4 ml of bupivacaine HCl 0.5%+1 ml of dexamethasone.
There was no significant difference between the three groups in the total dose of intraoperative fentanyl dose. A statistically significantly high visual analog scale value was found in group B in comparison with groups A and C at 12 h postoperatively, and a statistically significant low visual analog scale was found in group C after 36 h. There was statistically significant earlier timing of first rescue analgesia requisite in group B and there was a significant difference between group C and the other two groups studied in the total amount of nalbuphine consumed. The incidence of block-related complications was significantly higher in group A compared with the other groups.
High volume of bupivacaine HCl 0.5% provides perioperative analgesia comparable to low volume, but low volume is safer in terms of the incidence of complications. Addition of dexamethasone to bupivacaine led to prolonged analgesic duration and was accompanied by a lower consumption of postoperative opioids.
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Diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin compared with c-reactive protein for postoperative wound infection of surgically treated trochanteric fracture
p. 164
Rabab S Saleh, Amin A Youssef, Hala M Demerdash
Because of the high prevalence of postoperative infection and its impact on mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing orthopedic and nonorthopedic procedures, a reliable marker for the diagnosis of infection would be of great importance. There has been an increasing use of procalcitonin (PCT) measurements in identifying systemic bacterial infections. This study was carried out to investigate the value of serum PCT level versus the C-reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis of postoperative inflammatory response with or without sepsis after trochanteric fracture surgery in the elderly.
Patients and methods
The study was carried out in El-Hadara University Hospital on 60 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I and II patients aged above 50 years scheduled for peritrochanteric hip fracture surgery [dynamic hip screw (DHS), dynamic condylar screw, gamma nail, cemented bipolar, cemented Thompson, and Austin Moore]. Blood samples for PCT, CRP, and white blood cells (WBCs) were drawn on day 0 (preoperatively) and days 1, 3, 5, and 7 postoperatively. The samples were collected at the same hour in the morning for each patient.
The age ranged from 65.0 to 90.0 years with a mean of 77.0±8.66 years. There were 15 (25.0%) male and 45 (75.0%) female patients. Ten (16.7%) patients underwent cemented bipolar operation, 28 (46.7%) patients were treated with DHS, and four (6.7%) were treated with cemented Thompson, and 18 (30.0%) were treated with gamma nail. In the studied group, 15 (25%) patients had proven local wound sepsis on culture and sensitivity performed on day 3, and 45 (75%) patients were not infected. There was a significantly higher difference in the infected ones than in the noninfected ones as regards WBCs, PCT, and CRP changes. In the infected group seven (46.7%) patients were treated with DHS, four (26.7%) with cemented bipolar, two (13.3%) with cemented Thompson, and two (13.3%) were treated with gamma nail.
We could conclude that PCT is an earlier and more specific marker of wound infections compared with CRP or WBC count after trochanteric fractures in the elderly.
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Hereditary thrombophilia (rare multiple genetic defects combination) caused portal vein thrombosis complicated by hypersplenism and pancytopenia
p. 173
Sally S Eldin, Nora I Abbas, Noha K Mohamed, Aml S Nasr
Venous thrombosis is the third-ranking cardiovascular disease following only coronary heart disease and stroke [1]. Venous thrombosis has an overall yearly incidence of less than 1 in 1000 [2]. A middle-aged female patient without relevant medical history was admitted with syncope and pancytopenia to the critical care unit of Cairo University hospitals. Viral profile and renal and hepatic functions were normal, as well as bone marrow aspirate. Abdominal ultrasound followed by computed tomography of the abdomen showed moderate splenomegaly with no focal splenic lesions for clinical laboratory correlation and portal hypertension with portal vein cavernoma (mostly an organized old thrombosis during pregnancy) for color Doppler evaluation, which confirmed the diagnosis. Thrombophilia screening showed rare multiple thrombophilic genetic defects.
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© Research and Opinion in Anesthesia & Intensive Care | Published by Wolters Kluwer -
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Shah established and leads QPharma's thought leader engagement practice, and his approach to achieving effective medical communication and optimizing the pharma field sales force has been well received by the industry. In this expanded role, he will take on enhanced responsibilities for growth and business development in QPharma's KOL engagement and healthcare practitioner (HCP) targeting business. He will also lead efforts to establish and grow the practices in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
"Since joining the company, Badal has helped shape QPharma's status as a leader in the KOL engagement and HCP targeting space," said Patrick P. Den Boer, President and CEO. "In this new role, he will continue to develop solutions that greatly enhance the commercial success of our life sciences clients."
A pharmacist and Rutgers University science and business graduate, with a specialization in Drug Discovery and Development, Shah is a member of the Advisory Board of Directors for the American Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance. He is based at QPharma's Morristown, New Jersey headquarters.

subset: commoncrawl


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From the minute you have that lightbulb moment and decide to embark on the challenge of start up your own venture, the business is expanding all the time. From every new contact you make, each new customer you attract and every skill you acquire, your business is constantly growing. However, more sizeable expansion milestones such as multiple offices and employee recruitment take a little more time and consideration.
Small business expansion is something that should absolutely be celebrated and we're certainly not trying to put the mockers on your admirable ambition. What we are trying to do here is show you that big decisions like these need to be thought through and thought through extremely thoroughly before agreeing to any new T&Cs.
Micro-businesses often start out as a one-man-band or with a minuscule workforce and then work tirelessly towards growth and development. This process of progression can include anything from the enrolment of a new admin assistant to the development of a mobile-friendly web application or a brand new operations base overseas. Whatever your expansion plans entail, getting the timing right is absolutely crucial, so here are our tips on knowing when it's time to expand.
First and foremost, reach break-even
Any respectable business expert will tell you that the most important milestone to reach before letting the idea of expansion even enter your mind is the break-even point. When you have reached the point when your costs and expenses are equal to or less than your revenue, then you've cracked the first big challenge of your small business mission. Attempting expansion any time before this is extremely risky for a business in its financial infancy and would almost definitely spell trouble for your vulnerable enterprise.
Expanding can involve additional employees and additional working locations and with this exciting prospect comes increased financial obligations. Ensuring that you have the economic security to cover factors like wages, rent and the cost of dealing with more complex accounting, payroll and supplementary liability insurance is paramount.
Develop your professional toolkit
So when you've developed a strong client base and are successfully cultivating a growing customer audience that has enabled you to hit the all-important break-even target, it could be time to expand. Attracting more and more custom to your services or products is fantastic – it's the dream all business owners are chasing on a daily basis – but it's important to recognise when you need to take it up a notch so as not to compromise on quality.
An increased portfolio of clients means you might need more staff to cover the accounts and ensure that the service each customer is receiving is of the highest possible standard. Similarly, if you have reinvented your product to complete in the ever-evolving marketplace, you may now need more advanced facilities in order to efficiently cater for this development. For example, if you have decided to import and export new products then you will likely require more space to store stock and an international office with more employees. Providing you have access to the financial means to back this development then as the saying goes, if you've got it, flaunt it!
Customer needs and the competition
Having the means to expand your business should never be about vanity. Sure, you should be proud of your achievements and bask in the glory of your own success but undergoing costly developments just because you can will end in tears further down the line. Instead, closely analyse the production demand of your customers and keep a close eye on the consumer behaviour of your market demographic and your competitors. This will give you a much clearer idea of if and when the time is right for you to consider expansion.
If your customers are getting a sub-standard service or are heading to your competitors in favour of their new product development then it's time to go back to the drawing board. Customers are constantly on the lookout for the next best thing and you need to make sure that you give it to them or there will be somebody else who will. If this means an expansion of your workforce or operations then by all means, set the wheels in motion.
The last ditch attempt syndrome
Another important factor to be wary of when contemplating expansion is falling victim to the common 'last ditch attempt syndrome'. The symptoms of this are a stagnant or failing business and sheer desperation to do absolutely anything in your power to remedy the situation. Pouring all of the cash you have managed to painstakingly accrue into a rash expansion project isn't necessarily the answer for every business however. In this circumstance, the business will be precariously teetering between make or break, so consider more economical options such as retraining existing staff before signing on the dotted line.


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On October 29, my colleague Scott Conking, head of Vanguard Institutional Investor Services, posted Getting Your Participants Safely Down Drawdown Mountain. Scott's blog painted a compelling image of a plan participant fearfully looking down a steep ski trail. The man's 401(k) ski lift had successfully transported him to the top of the mountain. But how was he going to safely traverse back down? In other words, having reached retirement, the plan participant was worried about safely drawing down his money. Scott tackles this issue with a thoughtful discussion about "retiree-friendly" plan design.
My blog builds on Scott's observations by exploring one tool that may help employees who choose to stay in their plan after they retire. That tool is a stable value fund. Adding a stable value fund to your plan investment menu can make your plan more retiree friendly. A stable value fund generally provides the yield of a short- to intermediate-term bond fund with the price volatility of a money market fund, thus offering a conservative journey option for "getting down the mountain."
Avoiding moguls
Stable value funds invest, directly or indirectly, in high-quality, short- to intermediate-term fixed income investments. They are distinguished from bond funds by maintaining a constant $1 share price net asset value (NAV). These fixed income investments are covered by wrapped contracts that are purchased from financial institutions—typically insurance providers—to smooth earnings volatility. This allows the stable value fund to use book-value accounting rather than market-value accounting, permitting the fund to maintain the stable share price. As with most insurance policies, there are certain restrictions and limitations.
While stable value funds dampen price volatility and ensure a minimum return of 0%, the cost of the insurance may detract from the long-term total return of the bond portfolio. For savers in the plan, bonds tend to reduce equity risk, so it may not be worth the additional cost for the insurance wrap. However, for retirees who want to avoid moguls as they draw down on their balance, they may appreciate the lower volatility and principal protection provided by a stable value fund.
How to evaluate stable value fund options
Even though all stable value funds aim to maintain a $1 NAV, not all of them are the same. Here are some things to consider when selecting a stable value fund.
First, look for a team with specific stable value industry expertise—one that has weathered many market cycles. You want a team that understands stable value from a contractual perspective, as each contract is a separate negotiation. Additionally, having access to an experienced credit team is key when building and managing the underlying bond portfolio. It's also important for the selection of and allocation to insurance company wrap agreements.
Risk controls
The best measure of risk in a stable value portfolio is the market-to-book value ratio because it shows exposure to the insurance providers. The stable value fund you select should have a strong risk control strategy. For example, Vanguard Retirement Savings Trust (RST) controls risk by investing in highly rated bonds with a minimum credit rating of single A, while other firms will invest in bonds with a lower credit rating. Also, Vanguard has a credit quality bias with our wrap providers and diversifies across a high number of providers where other firms may have a more concentrated portfolio.
While past performance is not indicative of future returns, a strong and consistent track record of performance versus other comparable stable value funds should be a factor to consider. In this respect, Vanguard RST has consistently outperformed the competition as illustrated in the chart below.
Notes: Retirement Savings Master Trust returns are gross of management fees and net of contract fees. Its expense ratio was 0.28% as of September 30, 2018.
Vanguard stable value
Vanguard offers several stable value alternatives that may be right for your plan. Are you interested in learning more about Vanguard stable value? If you'd like more information about designing a retiree-friendly investment lineup for your 401(k) plan, our experts can help. Please reach out and consult with your Vanguard team, or if you are new to Vanguard contact us at 800-523-1036.
- A stable value investment is neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. government. There is no assurance that the investment will be able to maintain a stable net asset value, and it is possible to lose money in such an investment.
- Vanguard Retirement Savings Trust is not a mutual fund. It is a collective trust available only to tax-qualified plans and their eligible participants. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information should be considered carefully before investing. The collective trust mandates are managed by Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Vanguard Group, Inc.
- All investing is subject to risk, including possible loss of principal.
- Bond funds are subject to the risk that an issuer will fail to make payments on time, and that bond prices will decline because of rising interest rates or negative perceptions of an issuer's ability to make payments.


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For the first time in MLS history, a Canadian side has won the MLS Cup. Toronto FC claimed the 2017 MLS Cup Final with a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders on Saturday night, completing a historic treble after an almost faultless year. They have been the best team by a margin this year and have now been rewarded with their first MLS Cup title.
They dominated the game from start to finish but could not get past Stefan Frei, as the game started to feel like a repeat of the 2016 Final in which Seattle stunned the hosts on penalties.
But after 66 minutes, Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore took the game by the scruff of the neck and broke Seattle's resolve. Giovinco's pass put Altidore through and the powerful striker coolly finished past the once again excellent Frei.
The goal woke the Sounders up but not enough as Toronto withstood the late pressure and then sealed the win with a stoppage time tap-in from Victor Vazquez. That goal sent BMO Field into raptures as they knew a decade's worth of pain was over. They'd got revenge. They'd won the title. And they have probably earned the tag as the 'greatest MLS side of all time'.
Check out exclusive photos from the 2017 MLS Cup Final below, courtesy of Jil Hendershot.


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Aesthetics of Democracy
Phillips, Andrea. 2009. 'Aesthetics of Democracy'. In: Building Democracy. Platform Garanti, Istanbul, Turkey. [Conference or Workshop Item]No full text available
Official URL: http://platformgaranti.blogspot.com/2009/01/demokr...
Abstract or Description
Andrea Phillips will expose how most formations of public space – political, cultural, institutional – can be critiqued for the way in which they impose types of action upon their subject. The word democracy, we must remember, implies not only intentions of freedom through open discourse, but also the basic inequalities any democratic process invariably starts from. Accordingly, conceptions of public space are on the one hand based on the democratic idea of free movement and free speech, and on the other, hinged upon the falsification or suppression of these very values.
This talk will focus on the important relationship between public space and democracy, and how it both is articulated by how we behave in the urban environment, and conditions how we move and act within it. The question is weather socially-engaged cultural practices are able to support the formation of public space, and what the nature of such an engagement might be.


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Eye For Film >> Festivals >> A-Z >> Glasgow Youth Film Festival >> 2018
This year the Glasgow Youth Film Festival is back with another great selection of films curated by young people, for young people. Alongside the screenings themselves, there will be workshops on Alternative Careers in Film and How to Make Your First Film
The festival runs from 14 to 16 September.
View previous years coverage of the Glasgow Youth Film Festival festival:
Glasgow Youth Latest Reviews
Camille's life as a lonely suburban teenager changes dramatically when she befriends a group of girl skateboarders. As she journeys deeper into this raw New York City subculture, she begins to understand the true meaning of friendship as well as her inner self.
When the zombie apocalypse hits the sleepy town of Little Haven - at Christmas - teenager Anna and her high school friends have to fight, sing and dance to survive, with the undead horde all around them.
A girl finds a strange plant that gives her magical powers but finds herself in danger as a result.
An ode to friendship in the final night of high-school leads to a party never to be forgotten.
A drop-out muso poses as a schoolteacher and finds himself setting up a rock band with a group of schoolkids.
The man who makes the sign of the 'Z' takes on a pupil.
Glasgow Youth Film Festival News
Filming sensations Mathieu Amalric on Pierre Léon, Jeanne Balibar and the sounds and colours of Barbara
Character arc Seth A Smith on filming with a two-year-old and bringing marbling to life in The Crescent
Keeping up appearances Marcello Martinessi on cultural conservatism and filmmaking honesty in The Heiresses
A different space Kelly Macdonald on working with Marc Turtletaub on Puzzle
Out of the past Susanna Nicchiarelli on Trine Dyrholm and the costume design in Nico, 1988
The iconic man Jonathan Baker on Becoming Iconic and Inconceivable
Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:
New Directors/New Films
Showcase of up and coming film talent
Cannes Film Festival
Archive of festival coverage.
Sundance Film Festival
Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.
Berlin Film Festival
Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.


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314 St. Mary Street, LA Hwy. 1,
Thibodaux, LA 70301
985-448-1375 | Fax
Website | Email
Website | Email
Property Description
Visitor center with exhibits, displays, and film shares the story of the Acadians (Cajuns) who settled the bayous, swamps, and wetlands of southeastern Louisiana. National Park Service rangers available for group tours and programs upon advance request. All facilities handicapped accessible. Motor coach parking available. Free jam sessions with local musicians Mondays at 5:30 PM. Free walking tours of historic downtown Thibodaux Monday-Saturday at 2:00 PM.
- Childrens Programs
- Walking Tours
Disabled Traveler Information
- Handicapped Accessible
Facility Amenities
- Bus Parking
General Information
- Dates closed: 12/25, Mardi Gras
Guest Information
- Family Friendly
- Meeting/Tour groups welcome
Payment Options
- Cash
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- Free Admission
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- Books
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Suitable for Ages
- All Ages


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Singing the Summertime Writing Blues
Summertime, and the writin's not easy.
Words won't come, and your brain's a hot mess.
Your plottin' stinks, and your hubby wants dinner.
Hush, now kiddies, don't you cry.
One of these mornings, you're gonna rise up writin'.
You'll have an idea—and you'll pull out your pen.
But till that morning, you're gonna need a vacation,
With a cool drink standing by.
It happens to the best of writers. Summertime rolls around and all we want is a break from the everyday grind. And you know what? A break might be exactly what you need to get your weary writing mind back to work. Try one of these mini-vacations and see if you can change your summertime blues tune.
A Reading Romp
If you're a writer, you need to be a reader; that's a tip you've heard a hundred times. So you're writing and reading and reading and writing and whew! You can't remember the last time you read a book just for the sheer joy of it. So take a break, turn off your writer's brain, and read just for fun. Read a children's classic that you somehow missed in your youth. Try one of those bodice-ripping, makes-you-blush, beach reads. Dip into something so scary, you have to sleep with the lights on. And then read a handful of swell books in the target audience you want to hit with your work-in-progress. Hey, you think, I know what's not working in my manuscript!
Now you're ready to write again.
The Think-Don't-Write (So Much) Break
It's entirely too hot to come up with 60,000 great words. You can't even come up with 600 great words. But maybe you can come up with 60 great words. Honestly, it only takes half of that number to come up with a pitch. And you don't even need the novel to come up with a pitch. In fact, if you haven't figured out a great pitch first, then your novel is destined to be ho-hum. So a summer break can be the perfect excuse, er, time to sit around, thinking up great pitches.
After you have the greatest pitch ever developed, possibly a steamy murder mystery involving cabana boys and Mai Tais, you won't be able to wait another minute to write it.
The Write-Don't-Think (So Much) Break
But what if you're not working on the Great American Novel? What if your work is coming up with ideas? I know how the psyche can take a beating after sending out queries and pitches to non-fiction markets, day in and day out. You need a vacation, need to take your brain away from work and try something different. Like a light-hearted essay (Check out Chicken Soup for a topic) or a couple blog posts on a just-for-fun subject. Or maybe, secretly, you have a book in you, too. Let your imagination run wild and write that crazy first draft. It may stink, but that's okay. You're on vacation! Before you know it, you'll be itching to get back to work—and writing what you know.
I do so love summertime. And the writin' will be easy—if you give yourself a much-needed vacation first (and don't forget the drinks with little umbrellas).
~Cathy C. Hall
Labels: Cathy C. Hall, Chicken Soup for the Soul, George Gershwin, Porgy and Bess, queries, reading, summer writing, writing pitches, writing tip


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In Markets Never Forget (But People Do), Ken Fisher demonstrates to readers how their memories play (often costly) tricks on them--and some simple ways to start improving their market-related memories, now. History never repeats itself perfectly, but if you can better understand how investors have reacted to past similar events, you can start learning to shape better forward looking expectations.
For example, in the book Ken shows how investors' memories can go haywire over market averages. Very commonly, investors believe that since over very long periods stocks average about 9% to 10% a year, an average annual return is a reasonable expectation each year. However, as Ken shows, average returns are, in actuality, unusual. This is something investors routinely forget fast. Annual stock market returns normally vary widely and annual returns close to the long-term average occur in just a small number of years.
Just one example of how investors frequently forget but markets never do: Almost uniformly for the first stage of a new bull market--the first year or even two--headlines claim, "No Bull!" or something similar. Many (maybe most) pundits don't want to look silly by being too optimistic. It's not a new bull, they say, but a counter-trend in a longer bear.
But fears normal bull market upward volatility (and yes, volatility can go up, too) is a bear market can occur at any point--and have through history:
Interestingly, people frequently think being cautious about a new bull market is prudent. They believe it's better to be wrong and too bearish rather than wrong and too bullish, even though history shows being wrongly bearish can be more harmful to long-term returns if you're growth oriented.
1 Alexandra Twin, "Recharging the Rally," CNN Money (03/26/2009), http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/26/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm (accessed 08/10/2011).
2 "Wall Street Runs Hot, Cold and Down," Chicago Tribune (12/28/1990).
3 Paul Jarvis, "Investors Ponder 'Peaking Pattern,'" Bangor Daily News (05/06/1985).


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I tried using two transistors on my Solid State Tesla Coil. The TIP35C can handle 5 amps maximum and using two I can get my power supply to provide 6-7 amps at 30 volts. It does peek at higher but then my power supply dies.
8.3 Amps @12.25
Open daily serving Breakfast and Lunch
I tried using two transistors on my Solid State Tesla Coil. The TIP35C can handle 5 amps maximum and using two I can get my power supply to provide 6-7 amps at 30 volts. It does peek at higher but then my power supply dies.
8.3 Amps @12.25
Its a lazy rainy Sunday afternoon I have no time to worry. I close my eyes and drift away.
SSTC are so much fun and no where near as noisy as SGTC Spark Gap Tesla Coil
I decided after playing with the 2N2222 slayer circuit to swap out the transistor for a BD135 it got really hot quick but did out put a little more energy. So now I have swapped out the BD135 for a TIP35C and used a different secondary coil. Much better results. The circuit is essentially the same so easy to setup
Simple Slayer Exciter circuit using common 2n2222 transistor a 7K resister LED and coil. It runs from a 9 volt battery, here I used 8 volts from a power supply current limited to 200 milli amp.
Nearly 6 months into my electronics hobby, still loving it. There is so much to learn sometimes I think my poor old brain, lol. Anyway's, after playing with some Zener diodes I got them mixed up and then got confused about which were which. I have to put them back in the right baggies so I found a method of figuring the forward voltage. I hope to demonstrate my simple understanding. Can this old dog learn a few new tricks?
Playing with the ladder, its been away for a while.
Music performed by:
Easy Dub All Stars – Dubber Side Of The Moon
Upgrade the RIGOL DP832 for free 😉
As a keen novice hobbyist I like to get stuck in and see what's what.
After discovering my CSI3005X or QJE rebranded PSU had a fault I informed the sellers, CircuitSpecialists.eu
They are quite helpful and now the PSU is being taken apart with CS.eu's approval. They sent me a photo to inspect the capacitor I told them (after looking at its schematic) I thought was shorting.
My Solder Iron last a little over two months, before death. It started with a cracked ring. Ended with a Triac blow out.
One day after ordering a new iron from china the unit dies. I open it up to find a chunk of silicon as it drops out. Not so happy day's.
ZVS Driver Jacobs Ladder. Same hypnotic plasma just with a little extra power 24 volts peeking a little over 8 amps. Everything seems better above 5 amps 🙂


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2 months left to get Data Protection legal!
It feels like Spring is still a long way off right now, as arctic blasts sweep the UK and people are left stranded at home (incidentally, a timely reminder to see our blog on Disaster Recovery planning from last year!)
While the climate is increasingly unpredictable, one behemoth that is certainly rolling into our lives in May is the General Data Protection Regulation. This month we discuss how it will impact us all and what steps you need to ensure your organisation has covered off as a minimum.
25th May 2018 = Deadline Day
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and is designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens data privacy and to reshape the way organizations across the region approach data privacy.
Brexit does not get us off the hook in the UK; it will become legally enforceable here and punishable by large fines from 25th May onwards, so if you have not at least reviewed your existing policies for handling staff and customer / donor information yet, you need to do so very quickly.
Why is this happening?
The main driver behind this new framework is our right to privacy. The EU wants to give citizens more visibility and control over the personal information that organisations hold about them.
This follows several high-profile battles waged by the EU on tech companies over recent years around how they handle our data. There have been fines for Google over search result competition rules, Uber for data breaches, and Microsoft over the lack of web browser options presented to customers, to name a few.
Under GDPR, a framework of rules and policies are set out that all organisations that hold personal information must demonstrate they adhere to, giving their customers access to said information and demonstrating robust and responsible diligence in how that data is stored and processed.
This is huge! I don't have time or budget to do all this!?
At first glance GDPR does look big and scary, and of course there are lots of businesses queuing up to sell you thousands of pounds worth of consultancy to get compliant. The framework caters for any size of organisation so sounds complex, but for most small to medium size businesses a lot of it may not apply.
The key to compliance is not spending months reading every single word of the huge Regulation document, but instead it's about demonstrating that you take data protection seriously and act responsibly when handling sensitive info.
As always, start small and break the job into chunks. By following this 12 step Checklist, you can divide up the tasks and delegate jobs into teams:
- Awareness: your Staff, Board of Directors and/or Chief Executive need to be briefed on the upcoming deadline and acknowledge time & effort is going to be needed to align to the standards
- Analysis: what personal information do you hold? Staff, Customers, Donors, Sponsor should all be mapped out. If possible, marked with the data's location – on site server, in the cloud or a 3rd party
- Review: what do your existing data protection policies say? Do you have a process to follow in the event of a data breach? Does your information security policy cover internal (staff) and external (customer) data types and where they are stored, how they are protected / encrypted?
- Rights: do you have a process and policy on data retention? How long do you hold personal information for and what checks are in place to delete data older than that period?
- Access: if a customer or ex-employee wants their personal data deleted, how would you carry that out and in what timeframe? How would you prove it had been deleted?
- Rationale: what lawful reason do you have to hold and store personal information? Why do you hold this?
- Consent: how do you inform and obtain consent for storing personal information? Maybe an explicit GDPR communication is needed to all your stakeholders to inform them of this and share your Privacy Policy
- Age: do you hold personal information on people under 18 years of age? Do you record age at all? If you hold information on children, you must have consent from a parent / guardian or local authority
- Security: what policy do you have, and actions would you take in the event of a security breach. This can be a big topic and may require IT expertise but the business side needs document too – how do staff report a possibly security breach? Is regular training held with staff to keep awareness high?
- Risk Assessment: having an ethos of "Data Protection by Design" is now a legal requirement; privacy and security of information should be at the foundation of your data policy, as well as an impact assessment of the types of data & risks associated with a loss, along with their mitigation plans
- Data Protection Officers: a register of nominated staff with a remit on data protection, just like a fire or first aid warden, these are go-to people who colleagues can reach out to
- International: if you work in multiple countries, a lead country should be nominated and act as your data protection "HQ" or Centre of Excellence
Getting support
Despite what it may sound like online and in the press, GDPR need not be feared as an expensive and dauting beast. Chances are you will already be doing a lot of what is set out in the standards, and revisiting and refreshing those policies and procedures is a sensible thing to do – regardless of what the law says.
The most important part of the work you do is to demonstrate responsibility with the data you hold. Your organisation should be instilling the principles of good data protection as set out in the regulation, in all your staff.
Following the 12 checklist steps above will go a long way to demonstrating you have done your utmost to comply to the new GDPR requirements. The updated policies and procedures you create should be ratified by your Board of Trustees and signed by the most senior person in your organisation.
As always, we are here to help too. We can share document templates and discuss how any cloud services you may use – with or without us – comply with the standard. Our free guides on Cloud Security and IT Strategy may help you identify any gaps in your current setup and plan to improve those areas too.
Above all, you should document in meeting minutes with your senior staff that everyone is aware of what the GDPR is, the 25th May deadline, and what work is underway to tick off each area of the standard, to ensure you don't get caught out.
Further Reading
Non-profit support on GDPR: https://knowhownonprofit.org/organisation/operations/dataprotection
NCVO training and resources on GDPR: https://www.ncvo.org.uk/search?q=GDPR&f=2
Information Commission support resources: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/
ICO 12 step checklist: https://ico.org.uk/media/1624219/preparing-for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf


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The Operative (San Angeles #2) (Mass Market)
Mysterious Galaxy is currently closed for in-store browsing but we remain open for all online orders! Free shipping for media mail rate within the U.S.
Gerald Brandt
Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Other Books in Series
This is book number
in the
San Angeles
The Courier (San Angeles #1) (Mass Market)
: $8.79
The Rebel (San Angeles #3) (Mass Market)
: $8.79
Related Editions
Kobo eBook (October 31st, 2016): $7.99
Hardcover (November 1st, 2016): $28.60
The second installment in the San Angeles trilogy, a thrilling near-future cyberpunk sci-fi series
Kris Merrill was a survivor. She'd lost her parents as a young girl, and she'd been forced to flee the dubious shelter of her aunt's home at thirteen to escape the unwanted attentions of her uncle. She'd lived on the streets of San Angeles, finding refuge in the lowest level of the city. When she got the chance, Kris found a room to rent on Level 2, earning a precarious living as a motorcycle messenger, a courier delivering sensitive materials the megacorporations would not trust to any method that could be hacked.
A year ago, Kris's life changed irrevocably when a delivery went terribly wrong, and she was targeted for termination by the Meridian corporation, one of the most powerful of the megaconglomerates that controlled the government. Salvation came in the form of Ian Miller, who rescued Kris from certain death, recruiting her for the underground resistance group of which he was a part.
Since then, Kris has been hidden with the resistance, training to become an operative. Just as her training with the anti-corporate movement is nearing its end, their compound is destroyed by surprise attack.
Ready or not, Kris and the other trainees are recalled to the dangerous metropolis of San Angeles. But their transport is shot down and Ian Miller, the man she loves, is captured. Someone, it seems, is using him to get to Kris.
With the help of a retired operative with PTSD, and the mysterious man who fled the scene when Kris's parents were killed, Kris searches for any sign of Ian. As the corporations battle civil unrest—and each other—the city slowly shuts down. Kris and San Angeles are running out of time....
About the Author
Gerald Brandt
is an author of Science Fiction and Fantasy. His first novel,
The Courier
, was listed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as one of the 10 Canadian science fiction books you need to read. By day, he's an IT professional specializing in virtualization. In his limited spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, rock climbing, camping, and spending time with his family. He lives in Winnipeg with his wife Marnie, and their two sons Jared and Ryan. You can find Gerald online at http://www.geraldbrandt.com, on Facebook as Gerald Brandt – Author, and on Twitter @geraldbrandt.
Praise For…
Praise for the San Angeles series:
"The Courier
is as lean and mean as Kris's rugged ride,
ripping through plot and world-building at a relentless pace
... Brandt has created a darkly gripping vision of the future." ―B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
supercharged sequel
The Courier
continues the cyberpunk fun of the San Angeles series.... Brandt fleshes out an all-too-possible future of crushing poverty and corporate control, and the complex heroine who will lead us through to a better future." —Tor.com
"Brandt has created a fully-fleshed universe, filled with
high tension, memorable villains, and plot twists by the dozen
." ―Barnes & Noble
"It felt a lot like the
Bourne Identity
movie except with a sci-fi setting and a relatable young girl as the protagonist.
The Courier
is a
fast paced science fiction thriller, with a heroine you can really root for
and a world you can't wait to learn more about." ―The Heroine Bookstore
"Gerald Brandt tells an
impossible-to-put-down tale
and introduces us to an exciting heroine I'd love to see more of." ―University City Review
"The action does not let up. Brandt writes in a way that keeps the tale clear, and easy to follow....
Quick and violent, engaging and intense
." —On a Dark Stormy Review
Product Details
Publication Date:
November 7th, 2017
San Angeles
Fiction / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure
Fiction / Science Fiction / Cyberpunk
Fiction / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
Related Editions (all)
Kobo eBook (October 31st, 2016): $7.99
Hardcover (November 1st, 2016): $28.60


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Saturday, 4 April, 2020
Remote Sensing
Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) (Popularity: )
A site dedicated to the application of kite aerial photograpy in the visible and near infra-red parts of the spectrum, with emphasis on its uses in archaeology. The limitation of ...
International Journal Of advances In Remote Sensing and GIS (Popularity: )
Integrated Publishing Association is formed by group of researchers, academia, scholars working with various esteemed institutions, research organizations across the globe. IPA was established keeping in mind to provide a ...
© 2015 Directory of Science. All Rights Reserved


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New and Used Auto Parts for Imports
Dismantler Paul Kirchner (a.k.a. bbyklr) with his S14.
Slidegood offers quality new and used auto parts for imports.
Slidegood, Inc. is a licensed automotive recycler of imports providing genuine OEM parts for; Acura RSX, Acura Integra, Nissan 350z, Nissan 240sx, Honda S2000, Honda Del Sol, Honda Prelude, Honda Civic, Honda CRX, Mazda RX7, Subaru WRX, Lexus SC300/400, AND MORE!
We start by removing every part from the vehicle when it arrives at our facility. Parts are then stored in our indoor warehouse. We have hard to find, interior, exterior, engine, wiring, transmission, suspension...etc, even full frames and quarter panels.
Everything you see on our website has been inspected and is ready to ship unless otherwise stated. Every part features photos of the exact part you are buying and include a 60 day warranty, so shop with confidence. See the FAQ page for full warranty details.
In addition to used OEM parts, we offer a full line of OEM and aftermarket performance parts for Acura, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru. Aftermarket manufacturers include;
- - Rota
- - Greddy
- - Tein
- - Tanabe
- - Bride
We are warehoused in Central Minnesota and ship worldwide. All parts are eligible for same day shipping unless otherwise noted. Larger items that must go LTL freight such as hatches, quarter panels, and engines may require additional time for packaging.
John Klein
CEO Slidegood, Inc.


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Quick facts: What you need to know about global hunger
Being hungry means more than just missing a meal. It's a debilitating crisis that has more than 820 million people in its grip.
Hunger is a perilous cycle that passes from one generation to the next: Families who struggle with chronic hunger and malnutrition consistently go without the nutrients their minds and bodies need, which then prevents them from being able to work, go to school, or improve their lives.
Mercy Corps believes that breaking the cycle of poverty and building strong communities begins when every person has enough nutritious food to live a healthy and productive life. It is key to our work in more than 40 countries around the world.
Read on to learn more about hunger and better understand what the World Health Organization considers the greatest single threat to global public health.
Who is hungry?
Around the world, 821 million people do not have enough of the food they need to live an active, healthy life. One in every nine people goes to bed hungry each night, including 20 million people currently at risk of famine in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria.
People suffering from chronic hunger are plagued with recurring illnesses, developmental disabilities and low productivity. They are often forced to use all their limited physical and financial resources just to put food on the table.
Hunger in the developing world
Ninety-eight percent of the world's hungry live in developing regions. The highest number of malnourished people, 520 million, lives in Asia and the Pacific, in countries like Indonesia and the Philippines.
Find out what the world's hungriest countries are ▸
In sub-Saharan Africa, 243 million people face hunger in arid countries like Ethiopia, Niger and Mali.
And 43 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean are struggling to find enough to eat, in places like Guatemala and Haiti.
The majority of these hungry families live in rural areas where they widely depend on agriculture to survive.
Hunger for women and girls
In many places, male-dominated social structures limit the resources women have like job opportunities, financial services, and education, making them more vulnerable to poverty and hunger. Sixty percent of the world's hungry are women and girls.
This, in turn, impacts their children. A mother who suffers from hunger and malnourishment has an increased risk of complications during childbirth or delivering an underweight baby, which can mean irreversible physical and mental stunting right from childbirth. Learn more about the impact of malnutrition ▸
Why are people hungry?
Farms are threatened
Fifty percent of the world's poorest families don't buy their food — they grow it. These families depend on their land and livestock for both food and income, leaving them vulnerable to natural disasters that can quickly strip them of their livelihoods.
Drought — as a result of climate change and increasingly unpredictable rainfall — has become one of the most common causes of food shortages in the world. It consistently causes crop failures, kills entire herds of livestock, and dries up farmland in poor communities that have no other means to survive.
Learn more about how climate change affects hunger ▸
Food is inaccessible
Many hungry people live in countries with food surpluses, not food shortages. The issue, largely, is that the people who need food the most simply don't have steady access to it.
In the hungriest countries, families struggle to get the food they need because of several issues: lack of infrastructure like roads and storage facilities, frequent war and displacement, natural disaster, climate change, and chronic poverty.
The majority of those who are hungry live in countries experiencing ongoing conflict and violence — 489 million of 821 million. The numbers are even more striking for children. More than 75 percent of the world's malnourished children (122 million of 155 million) live in countries affected by conflict.
Get the facts about the food crisis in war-wracked South Sudan ▸
Food is wasted
Up to one-third of the food produced around the world is never consumed. So much food is wasted in developing countries due to inadequate food production systems. Some of the factors responsible for food losses include inefficient farming techniques, lack of post-harvest storage and management resources, and weak market connections.
How does hunger affect people's lives?
Hunger traps people in poverty
People living in poverty — less than $1.25 USD per day — struggle to afford safe, nutritious food to feed themselves and their families. As they grow hungrier they become weak, prone to illness and less productive, making it difficult to work. If they're farmers, they can't afford the tools, seeds and fertilizer they need to increase their production, let alone have the strength to perform laborious work.
The limited income also means they often can't afford to send their children to school or they pull them out to work to help support the family. Even if children are lucky enough to go to class, their malnourishment prevents them from learning to their fullest.
Lack of education prevents better job opportunities in the future, confining yet another generation to the same life of poverty and hunger.
Hunger stunts futures
Twenty percent of all children around the world are undernourished. And most of them are suffering from long-term malnourishment that has serious health implications that will keep them from reaching their full potential.
Malnutrition causes stunting — when the body fails to fully develop physically and mentally — and increases a child's risk of death and lifelong illness. A child who is chronically hungry cannot grow or learn to their full ability. In short, it steals away their future.
Hunger kills
Around 9 million people die of hunger and hunger-related diseases every year, more than the lives taken by AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
Every 10 seconds, a child dies from hunger. Poor nutrition is responsible for nearly half of all deaths in children under the age of 5 — about 3 million children die each year because their bodies don't have enough of the basic nutrients they need to function and grow. Read about how hunger is threatening nearly 18 million lives in Yemen ▸
What can we do about it?
Boost production
The world's population is projected to rise to around 10 billion by 2050 — up from more than 7 billion today. That means there will be over 2 billion more people who need food by 2050. Making sure there's enough for everyone to eat will be an increasing concern as the population multiplies.
Even though we must increase production by 50 percent to keep up with the demand and find new, secure sources of food, the main challenge in the future fight against hunger will be the same one we're facing today: ensuring that every family is able to access it.
Increase access
There is 17 percent more food available per person than there was 30 years ago. And if all the world's food were evenly distributed, there would be enough for everyone to get 2,700 calories per day — even more than the minimum 2,100 requirement for proper health. But 25 percent of the world's food calories are lost or wasted before they're consumed.
The world produces enough food for everyone to live a healthy, productive life. The challenge is not a lack of food — it's making food consistently available to everyone who needs it.
Empower women
Supporting women is essential to global food security. Almost half of the world's farmers are women, but they lack the same tools — land rights, financing, training — that their male counterparts have, and their farms are less productive as a result.
If women and men had equal agricultural resources, female farmers could lift as many as 150 million people out of hunger.
Mercy Corps' approach to hunger
Mercy Corps takes a holistic approach to alleviate hunger right now and help communities meet their own food needs far into the future.
We respond to urgent needs: When disaster or war creates a hunger crisis, we quickly provide emergency food, cash vouchers to buy food, treatment for malnutrition, and cash-for-work projects so people can earn the money to buy food locally.
We improve access to food: We help farmers increase their yields, diversify crops, raise healthier animals and protect their harvests from spoiling and loss.
We support overall health: We teach nutrition and hygiene, help new mothers properly care for infant and child needs, and improve access to clean drinking water and sanitation, so people can avoid disease and benefit fully from the food they eat.
We build a more food-secure future: We connect buyers and sellers to increase farmers' incomes and strengthen markets, introduce mobile financial services to help farmers grow their business, and teach communities to protect and preserve the environment they depend on.
We must continue to act.
The number of people living with hunger appears to be on the rise. About 2 billion people have been freed from hunger since 1990, when the United Nations set the development goal to halve the number of people suffering from hunger by 2015. We've been making progress towards meeting that goal, but the latest research suggests the declining trend could be reversing. This year, the number of chronically hungry people increased for the first time in over a decade.
Lend your voice: Tell Congress not to make cuts to foreign aid ▸
We need to do more and act now to make sure the numbers don't continue to increase.


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Marine Aquarium Starter is designed to aid in the preparation of a successful salt water aquarium by seeding biological filters and removing fish waste or uneaten food. Marine Aquarium Starter is an ideal product that helps manage marine systems and improve fish health through improved water quality. The high concentration level of Marine Aquarium Starter makes it cost efficient. Salt water aquariums need only 6-10 drops per gallon a day in order to treat a marine aquarium system effectively.
- Activates biological filters
- Reduces startup time
- Matures new tanks
- Removes ammonia and nitrites
- Cleans biological filters
- Reduces waste build-up
- Improves water quality


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Manufacturer of synthetic oil, motor and engine oil, lubricants, air filters, oil filters and greases
Croteau's Transmission Service understands how important it is to find a quality transmission service and repair facility. This is why we value the associations we have with the reputable organizations listed below. These associations help our transmission service & repair facility to give you the confidence in knowing that your automotive repair and service needs will be met by our qualified automotive repair and service expert technicians.
Manufacturer of synthetic oil, motor and engine oil, lubricants, air filters, oil filters and greases
ATRA - the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association - is an international trade association for the professional automatic transmission repair industry. With members across the US and Canada, ATRA's network of automatic transmission repair professionals can offer you repair and warranty coverage anywhere you are likely to drive. Because, wherever you go - from coast to coast - there is always an ATRA member nearby. With nearly 2000 members, ATRA is larger than every automatic transmission repair chain combined - nearly three times the size of the largest chain in the US. Which means that no chain can provide better warranty coverage than ATRA's network of professional service centers. Every ATRA member must adhere to ATRA's Code of Ethics - ATRA's standards for providing honest, professional service. So, when you take your car to an ATRA member, you are assured of polite, professional service, at an honest price. And not just automatic transmission repair: most ATRA members also provide diagnostic and repair service for manual transmissions, clutches, differentials, driveshafts, drive axles, and transfer cases. Which all boils down to one inescapable conclusion: If your car starts but does not move, you need to call your nearby ATRA member - right away!
ATSG is a technical support service for the Automatic Transmission Industry. We offer a Technical Hotline, Books, Software, Bulletins, Seminars, and Technical Courses to the Automatic Transmission Professional.
The Automotive Service Association, aka ASA, storied history began on May 31, 1951 and is headquarted in the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area. The 12,000 ASA members perform mechanical, auto body, and transmission repairs and can be identified by its red, white, and blue ASA sign. The organization's purpose is to promote the best interests of the trade, increase its facilities for commercial transactions, and at the same time, offer better service to the public. Also, ASA strives to advance the professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. The forefathers of ASA had a vision of uniting independant automotive repair and service facilities like our transmission repair shop into a nation wide trade association, and that goal continues to this day.
The International Automotive Technicians' Network is the largest network of automotive repair professionals in the world: a group of 60,805 from 149 countries. The members of this group exchange technical knowledge with their peers around the globe, sharing over 1 million years of experience. iATN has been proudly serving the automotive service industry and the needs of professional automotive mechanics around the world, for over ten years.
The National Federation of Independent Business is the largest advocacy organization representing small and independent businesses in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. NFIB was ranked the most influential business organization (and 3rd overall), in "Washington's Power 25" survey conducted by Fortune magazine. NFIB's purpose is to impact public policy at the state and federal level and be a key business resource for small and independent business in America. NFIB also gives its members a power in the marketplace. By pooling the purchasing power of its 600,000 members, the National Federation of Independent Business gives members access to many business products and services at discounted costs. NFIB also provides timely information designed to help small businesses succeed.
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence was esablished in the early 1970's and the organization's mission is to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service through the testing and certification of auto repair and service professionals. The institue works in every segment of the automotive industry: car and truck dealerships, independant auto repair garages, fleets, service stations, franchises, and more. Each member is required to take one or more of ASE's 40+ exams that are grouped into specialties for automobile, medium/heavy truck, truck equipment, parts specialists, collision repair technicians, and collision damage estimators. Only upon passing at least one exam and providing proof of two years or relevant work experience can a auto repair shop become certified. Furthermore, ASE certified affiliates must be retested every five years.
Transtar Industries, Inc., headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the leading aftermarket transmission parts supplier to the automotive repair industry. Transtar has over 60 locations in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada, and an international division that serves more than 70 countries around the globe.
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Croteau's Transmission Service. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
Transmission Repair and custom website development solutions provided by ATRA to its members. Toolbox


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The Local Government Association have recently reported that thousands of teenagers in England are costing the country over £800m per year by dropping out of school or unsuccessfully passing their courses.
Latest figures show 178,100 16 to 18-year-olds failed to complete post-16 qualifications, including A-levels, apprenticeships and further education courses and are at risk of becoming not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA's Children and Young People Board, said: "Councils want every young person to achieve their full potential but too many are still dropping out of post-16 education and training or not achieving a passing grade. "Our analysis lays bare the substantial financial cost of this but the human cost is even greater with youngsters left struggling with uncertainty, a sense of failure and facing tough decisions about what to do next. "Councils are having success in helping young people that do drop-out back into learning but fear a failure to reform the centralised 'bums on seats' approach to funding further education could leave too many teenagers at risk of dropping out or without the skills needed to get a job. "Local councils, colleges, schools and employers know how to best help their young people and should have devolved funding and powers to work together to give young people the best chance of building careers and taking jobs that exist locally."
– See more at: http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/media-releases/-/journal_content/56/10180/6951000/NEWS#sthash.3GpLo2ul.dpuf


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Alisa Andrasek Studio
Knut Brunier (Germany)
Diego Rossel (Chile)
Jose Sanchez (Chile)
Anica Taneja (India)
Created by an abstract machine that uses self-organisation to produce an adaptive species that can reconfigure high-pressure host conditions, DataReef specifically thrives in flooding scenarios. The dispersed network of agency allows every pore in the project's external skin to work collectively and negotiate between information and matter. Amphibian intelligence within DNA consists of cellular geometry that can afford differential buoyancy while its footings lightly touches the marshy land and creates varied local neighbourhoods demanded by the agency of the host territory, along with appropriate scale and degrees of freedom allowing human inhabitation. When played out on the Two-Tree Island, which is nested with in the Thames Estuary, DataReef's phenotype plays out as a distributed ecology of performative conditions, varying from tidal energy extracting, ponds and pavilions lending to biodiversity, pockets of inhabitable space and docking marinas. Micro-negotiations facilitate the finding of a state of equilibrium in response to the daily fluctuation of 5m in water levels, gaining stability between the more rigid parts and freer, adaptive areas of the skeleton. Agent intelligence distributes varied densities in the porosity and formation of DataReef's skin to allow specific views, walkable surfaces and the embedding of other information; thus creating a multiplicity of textures across the entirety of its tissue. The artificial light and observer parameters highlight the expression of transition.


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Thyme is a tiny-leaved herb that is most often used in French cooking. Make sure to strip the leaves from the woody stems before adding them to recipes (unless it's used to flavor a roast or soup and then removed before serving!). Run your finger and thumb along the stems (the opposite direction of growth) … Continue reading Thyme
Tag: cooking
Herbal Chicken Soup
After a cold day, you need a filling soup to warm you up. This is a super easy soup and it takes less than an hour to make. It can simmer while you're busy doing other things. Chicken soup is just the thing when you feel a cold coming on. Ingredients 4 chicken thighs, or … Continue reading Herbal Chicken Soup
Cilantro or Coriander
Cilantro is an herb that is never available in dried form, since its pungent flavor and aroma seem to dissipate almost entirely when dried. Sometimes referred to as Spanish or Chinese parsley. Fresh cilantro is becoming more widely available in produce markets. Cilantro has a unique flavor and aroma that some savor and others dislike. … Continue reading Cilantro or Coriander


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I would like to introduce a short documentary I just completed. Tammy the Tumour was originally intended as a story about Maureen Steenhill and how playing the piano helped in her recovery from two major brain operations. It turns out other important factors also played a role in her healing.
There is something special about playing the piano in terms of the effect on the brain. Making music is in itself a healing activity. What piano has in addition is that very complex use of two hands acting independent of each other. The only other activity like that I can think of is juggling. There were two complementary studies; one in 2003 from University of Regensburg and another from Oxford University in 2009 that showed an increase in the size of the brain after learning to juggle. There are definite parallels to piano playing from what I have been reading.
Dr. Tara Gaertner is both a neuroscientist and a piano teacher. She writes a blog called Training the Musical Brain. I found in one of her postings called Hands Together some good points about whether the tradition of practicing new piano pieces using hands-separately is as effective as practicing with both hands at the same time. Apparently when we play with our left hand, our right motor cortex not only sends motor commands to our left hand, but it also sends commands to the left motor cortex, telling it not to move the right hand. And vice versa when we play with our right hand. Interhemispheric inhibition is an important mechanism to maximize the independent functioning of each hemisphere. But if we don't practice with both hands those inhibiting signals will simply inhibit us a little too much.
Maureen has a brain that's experienced 20 years of a growing tumour pressing on it, a second tumour, two operations and treatments of radiation. She is convinced that all this interhemispheric communication going on at the piano is helping her short term memory. I believe her and for myself who neither juggles or plays piano I have at least my french horn and DIY projects. I don't need an MRI to tell me how these activities are keeping me healthy. If you have any personal experience or expertise on this subject please feel free to add your comments or insights below.
Maureen was treated at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. Her first operation to remove a meningioma brain tumour was July 2013. In April 2014 she had a second operation when a smaller tumour was removed. Following that she received radiation treatments. Maureen is grateful to the team at The Neuro especially her doctor and surgeon Dr. Jeffery Hall.


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BEIJING: A delegation of 10 leading young entrepreneurs from China began a visit to the US today, as part of an innovative new program that provides training for the future leaders of China's sustainable economy.
The US Energy Trip aims to broaden the Chinese college students' understanding of US energy and climate change policies, innovation and practices, by meeting young American entrepreneurs as well as leading US institutions and non-profits in the sector.
The trip is part of our Youth Lead You Change program which was launched with Rt Hon Tony Blair last month. The program uses MBA-modeled courses, real case studies and internship opportunities to provide a group of young people with the professional training they need to set up their own green businesses and become future leaders of China's sustainable economy. The project's long-term aim is to expand beyond China to become a global training program.
Led by Mi Yan, a young Chinese entrepreneur, and supported by The Climate Group, during their US visit the delegates will visit institutes and universities including The Climate Group's NYC office, Columbia University, China Center of Vantone Group in New York, One Bryant Park (thanks to The Durst Organization), the World Bank, Johns Hopkins University, Woodrow Wilson Center, American University and MIT among others. They will also participate in the MIT Energy Summit, from February 21-22.
"A major highlight of the youth leadership in sustainable energy development," said Changhua Wu, Greater China Director of The Climate Group. "The US Energy Trip marks a further enhanced communication and dialogue among the youth leaders in China and the US to join hands and minds to tackle climate change and energy security challenges."
Mi Yan, founder of The Youth Lead, the Chinese youth leadership platform that organized the US Energy Trip, said: "When tackling climate change and environmental problems is concerned, the younger generations today share more common ground and a global vision of a sustainable and prosperous future regardless of race, culture or nation. As the two biggest economies in the world, China and US ought to set a good example in sustainable development. The close communication between the youth leaders in both countries will surely strengthen mutual understanding and stimulate innovative collaboration."
Yan Mi is one of the ten winners from last year's China Youth Project led by The Climate Group in China. A graduate from School of Materials Science and Engineering of Xi'an Jiaotong University, in 2013, Yan Mi started the China Energy Trip in 2009 in his sophomore year. The China Energy Trip is a summer program designed for college students around the world to come to China to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of China's energy policy and development. In the last five years, the program has offered 81 international students to China and build up a network of youth talents for a global sustainable energy future.
The Youth Lead platform plans to organize a second US Energy Trip to the West Coast in the summer, while three delegations from around the world will be organized under a China Energy Trip later in the year.
Related news:
Tony Blair says China's low carbon society will open up new jobs for innovative young people, at youth project launch in Beijing
The Climate Group Beijing launches China youth entrepreneurship program for low carbon leaders of the future
China's rapid renewables growth now accounts for more than half of all new power


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For those of us whose job requires creativity as well as those who appreciate being surrounded by beauty, we all need regular doses of inspiration to keep the juices flowing. A shot in the arm of something beautiful whether it be a swatch of fabric, a meaningful story, or a pretty photo just makes us feel better.
I thought a good way to start off the week is to share what has given me inspiration in the last few days – my 'vitamin i' – so to speak! I hope they inspire you too…
I've had this photo for a really long time and don't have any recollection of where it came from. If you do, please do tell! It's so fairytale-like isn't it? A reminder to look for opportunities to be whimsical in design and in life.
I'm going to nyc in a week and just started to think about what to pack. Last January when I went, I did not pack my Wellies thinking they would be too un-chic for nyc and I so regretted it! It snowed and the puddles at the curbs were like a foot deep. I found this photo after I got back and saved it to remind me of how cute (and yes, chic) they can be and how everyone wore them with thick leggings and parkas. I realize it won't be snowy by next week, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't giddy about the cold weather outfit options!
This is – ok brace yourself – pear, almond and chocolate cake! Sin on a plate I tell you. I discovered this recipe and this gorgeous blog Honey and Jam recently and am hooked on the recipes and the amazing photography. My own food photos are usually pretty bad, hard as I try to improve, so my appreciation for good food photography is quite high. This blog doesn't disappoint and has great props too!! Do me a favor and don't read her "About" page until after you've looked through her blog. You won't believe how old she is!
Does anyone else get the Flor catalog? I've been getting it for years, although I don't usually pay much attention to it until something on the cover recently caught my eye. When I opened it, I was quite literally "Flor-ed". The styling is superb. Made me actually want to buy those carpet squares for a second! To get inspired, click here to see their online catalog.
Have a wonderful Monday, and as I tell my kids every morning 'be your best self', and of course, don't forget to take your vitamins!


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Beginning your married life on a romantic holiday in Kerala is possibly the best choice for you to make it memorable. This is the ideal destination that a number of newlyweds from all over the world pick. The beauty of the state is unmatched with a bit of everything from picturesque beaches, rivers, waterfalls, hill stations, tea plantations, to wildlife and more. The weather is favorable throughout the year for you to travel and expect a blissful holiday. Our honeymoon packages in Kerala include everything that the God's Own Country has to offer. Make the best out of your holiday in Kerala and leave with an experience that makes you fall even more in love with each other as well as the Kerala Honeymoon Vacations.
The uniqueness of Kerala's nature and culture makes it a great place for exploration and holiday. Though relaxing by the beach sounds refreshing there is so much more that can be done. Just a drive through the roads reveals wondrous sights that are aesthetically pleasing; with greenery that stretches for as far as the eye can see. The misty air around the hills, majestic waterfalls, calm lakes are all very inviting. Enjoy candle light dinners with authentic Kerala cuisine and savor the freshest seafood. Enjoy exploring other activities like trekking, rafting and elephant rides. Another experience that can truly be enjoyed in Kerala is the houseboat stay. These are the most romantic stays that allows you to be one with nature. Explore the vast options with honeymoon packages in Kerala
Our honeymoon packages in Kerala include everything from luxurious romantic stays, sightseeing, transfers within the state to outdoor activities. We do take care of every details so that newlyweds can enjoy a hassle free Kerala honeymoon vacation.
Quality a holistic concept
Your travel satisfaction is our concern and duty, vocation and challenge. We provide the Quality of best price is our mission and objective. Quality in the purchase process, quality in the itinerary, human quality, hotels quality, meals.
Guarantees safety, trust and reliability
Safety, trust and reliability are essential cornerstones of a trip. Guaranteed prices, emergency phone number.
Flexibility a customized trip
Each person is different, everyone have different needs and preferences. Our organized trips are unique in this respect. At Rover Holidays, we believe that it is very important for you to be able to put together a trip that is tailored to your requirements.
Prices very competitive prices
One of our duties is striving to achieve the best quality/price ratio in the market. When you compare prices remember: the hotels, prices are guaranteed, no gratuities/tips, our itineraries.


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Finances and Player Contracts
Money makes the world go 'round. The same is true in OOTP, as long as you have the financial model turned on in your league. OOTP's financial model is complex and highly customizable. A good GM must understand his team's finances, the structuring of player contracts, and concepts like free agency and salary arbitration. This section of the online manual will cover the following financial aspects of the game:
Previous page: Negotiating Trades
Next page: The Team Financial Model
Next page: The Team Financial Model


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Backstage at PPAC the walls are a Technicolor dream of familiar logos and scribbled autographs. Since a production of Annie in 2001, touring companies have left their mark on the venerable … more
Photo by Brad Smith | Words by Tony Pacitti | 8/31/16
Design Week RI (DWRI) is an 11-day, statewide celebration, with over 35 events taking place all over Rhode Island from September 14-25. more
By Abby Burns | 8/31/16
"This is what Providence is about for me: this invitation for people to come together and experiment and play without a sense of hierarchy." more
By Amanda M. Grosvenor | 8/25/16
As summer fades and the kids head back to school, don't forget to savor the last days of summer with the Fall Out of Summer Arts Festival on September 18. more
By Matt Eldridge | 8/25/16
Kent Stetson has always treated his handbags as works of art. more
By Jenna Pelletier | 8/25/16
The summer is the perfect time to visit outdoor art markets and with Field of Artisans, the traditional market gets a twist. more
By Marrissa Ballard | 7/25/16
Christian Thomas Designs's Olneyville studio is small but bright, located on the first floor of a converted brick mill with colorful murals climbing the wall abutting its parking area. Inside is … more
By Amanda M. Grosvenor | 7/21/16
Join us as we geek out over a world of wonders in Roger Williams Park more
Story and photos by Grace Lentini | 6/24/16
"When they come down, are people going to say, 'I wish I'd appreciated them more?'" more
By Amanda M. Grosvenor | 6/23/16
The world renown Body Worlds gives us an inside look at ourselves more
By Abby Burns | 6/23/16


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Matt Curlee
Competed at North American Selection Round
Age 22 U.S.A.
Matt Curlee was born in Greensboro, North Carolina where he
studied organ with Billy Summers and also was a horn player and jazz pianist. He then
studied at the Oundle Festival in the U.K. and at the Salem Organ Academy and Richard
Erickson and piano with Douglas Humphries and is currently an undergraduate student of
David Higgs at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester.
Mr Curlee has participated in master class with Peter
Hurford, Gillian Weir, Simon Preston, Nicholas Kynaston and Ludgar Lohmann, among others.
He won the 1996 Grand Prix de Chartres - Interpretation and that same year was the winner
of Eastmans Harold Gleason Emerging Artists Award.
Mr Curlee has since performed throughout North America and
Europe, including recent performances in the French cathedrals of Chartres, Nice, Monaco
and Montpelier, and at international music festivals in Canada, France and Switzerland. He
has also appeared at Westminster Abbey, and in Italy, he has performed in Ravenna and
Bergamo, and at the abbey in Chiusi della Verna. A recording contract is pending.
Matt Curlee lives in Rochester and performs as a continuo
player and accompanist, as well as a soloist, and is preparing a lecture program on the
complete organ works of Maurice Duruflé.


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With a commitment to results, The Tonic will ensure your affair shows an all-important return and aligns with your overall event PR strategy.
Our approach to event PR isn't just about having a good knees-up (although we love those too!). Our events experience includes managing PR for Visa's launch of its FIFA sponsorship, 3 mobile's media launch for Rihanna's world tour, and the opening of Liverpool's flagship Hilton Hotel.
The Tonic can deliver a strong ROI by securing attendance from target guests, managing RSVPs, advising on location, format and delivery, providing creative input, VIP and celebrity liaison, speech-writing and more.
See what The Tonic has delivered for Joules, Julien Macdonald and Walter & Herbert.


text: Experience a fantastic adventure in this turn-based battle game with different monsters to choose from! Choose a warrior, a defender or a priest; Each one has its own qualities so you have to choose very carefully depending on the enemy you want to attack. Unlock new monsters by fighting them, purchase upgrades to be stronger and use the monsters' abilities to ensure victory. Good luck! // published 31/03/2017