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Lauren Clark | EECS
On Nov. 1 and 2, nearly three dozen of the world's top young female electrical engineers and computer scientists gathered at MIT to experience something rare: outnumbering men in the room.
The Institute's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) invited the women to its inaugural Rising Stars in EECS workshop. The 33 attendees came from MIT, Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, Cornell University, Carnegie Mellon University, the Max Planck Institute in Munich, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and other research institutions to network with one another and with faculty from MIT and elsewhere. On the cusp of entering the workforce, these PhD candidates and postdocs came for guidance on launching careers as professors and to raise their visibility in the field of electrical engineering and computer science.
"You see so few women [in electrical engineering and computer science], it's nice to see them all together," said Lydia Chilton, a PhD candidate at the University of Washington who studies crowdsourcing and other aspects of human-computer interaction. "As I've gotten older I really value the female colleagues that I have. I feel like I interact with them more naturally."
Floraine Berthouzoz, who works in computer graphics at UC Berkeley, is the only female doctoral candidate in a research group of about 20 people. "I'm at the end of my PhD, and I thought this was an amazing opportunity to meet other women interested in education and to get some advice," she said.
While women's representation in most science and engineering fields has increased substantially over the past 25 years, their participation in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science has been halting. A recent National Science Foundation surveyi shows that women make up just 22 percent of PhDs in computer science. Moving up the ranks of academia, the numbers become even more stark: Women constitute a mere 10 percent of tenure-track faculty in the top electrical engineering academic departments, according to the National Academiesii.
"When you talk to search committees at different universities, one of the complaints is that there aren't many applications from women," said MIT's Polina Golland, an associate professor in EECS who organized Rising Stars with the head of her department, Anantha P. Chandrakasan, the Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering. They plan to hold the workshop annually.
Departments of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT and peer institutions are keen to add more women to academia's pipeline by identifying potential candidates and encouraging them to apply for faculty positions, Golland said. She believes that the workshop was a significant step in the right direction.
It afforded a valuable opportunity, she said, for elite researchers to meet peers in the broad field of electrical engineering and computer science — outside the confines of their respective subdisciplines — and to be inspired by established women faculty.
Kristen Dorsey, a PhD candidate studying microelectromechanical systems at Carnegie Mellon, said: "Before attending [the workshop], I thought, 'Well, I'd like to be a faculty member, but I don't have what it takes. I don't have the publication record, I don't know what I'm doing.'" However, being invited to MIT and meeting women who have successful careers in academia gave her a measure of confidence, she said.
Dorsey and other attendees, including Jenna Wiens of MIT, added that meeting talented researchers from the wide variety of fields in electrical engineering and computer science exposed them to new possibilities for collaboration and professional support.
"It's a great networking opportunity to meet other women who are interested in pursuing careers in academia whom I could forge relationships with early on — and then hopefully tap into that network later," said Wiens, whose research focuses on machine learning and data mining.
That was precisely Chandrakasan's vision when he began planning Rising Stars with Golland as part of his department's 2012 strategic plan. He was inspired by the success that MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics has had with a similar annual workshop for women. In his welcoming remarks, he told the invitees, "As you start thinking about applying for faculty positions, I hope you can use each other as a resource. This is a group I hope will stay together."
MIT School of Engineering Dean Ian Waitz, who launched the AeroAstro women's workshop in 2009 when he was head of that department, was also there to welcome the Rising Stars invitees, as was Cynthia Barnhart, MIT's associate dean of engineering.
The workshop's attendees shared their research during formal presentations and poster sessions on topics ranging from improving online video-streaming rates to tamper-proofing circuits to modeling the risk of infection among hospital patients. They networked over breakfast with senior women faculty from MIT, including National Medal of Science honoree Mildred Dresselhaus and Turing Award recipient Barbara Liskov. They also got a primer on how the promotion process works from a panel of faculty representing Harvard University, MIT, Boston University and the University of Rochester.
The issue of work-life balance arose at the panel on promotions and at occasional moments throughout the workshop. The panelists noted that it has become common policy at universities to adjust the "tenure clock" for women who have to take time off to care for infants, and that male faculty can and do take advantage of family-leave policies.
During the Q&A session with junior faculty, MIT's Dana Weinstein, the Steve and Renee Finn Career Development Assistant Professor in EECS, pointed out that while being in a high-profile academic position keeps one very busy, "There is lot of flexibility in your schedule. You can have a life outside of work."
Looking ahead to a career as a faculty member, Chilton was enthusiastic about other ways in which academia offers flexibility. "I like that it doesn't preclude me from doing other things, such as a startup. And I really like being on the cutting edge. I feel like, even though I'm making things that aren't immediately practical, they will be in five years."
It is Chandrakasan's and Golland's bet that a cohort of passionate and talented women like Chilton will advance electrical engineering and computer science — not only through groundbreaking research, but by paving the way for a next, substantially larger generation of female engineers and scientists.
[See more photos from the workshop in the slideshow below.]
ihttp://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/digest/theme2_1.cfm#low_participation http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12062


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Despite the fact that Sarah Palin's inclusion on the 2008 Republican presidential ticket made John McCain look even more like the demented Yosemite Sam we'd always thought he was, CommonVices still harbors some doubts that Washington politicians have learned to see women as diverse group of voters:
I'm confused. Didn't Washington already learn that women aren't a homogeneous, easily-swayed collective back in 2008 when they dangled a Sarah Palin sock puppet in front of your demographic, and you declined to scamper after it like a cat chasing a laser pointer?
Submit nominations to the Comment of the Day tag page. Click on the comment's time stamp, and post the comment's URL to the forum. (Replying to a comment with "#cotd" does not work; you need to go to the forum.) For meetups, use the meetup forum!

subset: commoncrawl


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When I saw the post and the rave ecstatic review of this recipe on The Kitchn on Friday, I knew what I was making this weekend. The flavors sounded intriguing and the recipe was simple, no prepping the bird with Kosher Salt in advance. After picking up a nice 3.5lb bird at Whole Foods on Saturday, I knew what I was making for Sunday Dinner.
After rinsing and throughly drying the chicken, you liberally season it with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Then melt a stick (can't go wrong with a recipe that starts with a stick of butter) with a little olive oil in a dutch oven. After the butter is melted oven medium heat, place the chicken in and let it sizzle until it is browned. Repeat on the other side. This took me maybe 10 mins, flipping the bird a few times. Meanwhile, zest 2 lemons and pull the leaves off a handful of sage.
After the bird is browned on both sides, remove the bird to a plate and drain the leftover butter, but save the lovely fond that has developed. Pour the pint of milk into the dutch over, mixing with the lemon zest, sage, cinnamon stick and the un-peeled cloves from a head of garlic (recipe only called for 10, but this really was my favorite part, so go crazy if you like garlic). Roast the bird in a covered dutch oven for an hour at 375, basting with the milk "when you remember", then for another 30 mins with the lid off.
Let me just say that this was phenomenal. The meat just melted off of the bones. The leftover juice, while a little funky looking, was incredibly flavorful. The best part though was taking the cloves of garlic, completely infused with all the flavors and spreading it out on a hunk of bread, dipping into in the juices and topping it with a piece of chicken. Heaven.
Try this recipe with a nice bird. You will be glad that you did. I can't wait to have the leftovers tonight.
Recipe from Jamie Oliver via The Kitchn
Chicken in Milk with Lemon, Cinnamon, Garlic, Sage
• 1 – 3½lb organic chicken
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 stick of butter
• olive oil
• 1/2 cinnamon stick (I used a full smallish one)
• 1 good handful of fresh sage, leaves picked
• zest of 2 lemons
• 10 cloves of garlic, skin left on (or go crazy and use a whole head)
• 1 pint milk
Preheat the oven to 375°F and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in the butter and a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil and butter left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramelly flavour later on.
Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember (isn't this the greatest instruction ever?) The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce which is absolutely fantastic.
To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Dip your bread in the juice, spread with the garlic.


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The Volusia County Council will meet in the Frank T. Bruno Jr. County Council Chambers on the second floor of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand. Public comments will be accepted at 9:30 a.m.
For more information, contact Deputy Clerk Karissa Green at 386-736-5920, ext. 12613, or email@example.com. Agendas are posted at www.volusia.org/agenda.
Notice under the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II)
In accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Volusia County will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs and activities. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service or activity of the county, should contact the county's ADA Title II coordinator, George Baker, at 386-248-1760 at least two business days before the scheduled event or meeting.
This notice also applies to written requests by a physically handicapped person needing a special accommodation to attend a public meeting in accordance with section 286.26, Florida Statutes.
A copy of the county's Notice under the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II) can be obtained at www.volusia.org/ada or by calling 386-248-1760.
If you don't find what you're looking for you can reach out to us through our contact form. Thank you!


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The largest publicly traded hedge fund manager in the world, Man Group, saw its outflows boosted by 57% in Q3, in a sales atmosphere that its CEO, Peter Clark, characterized as "subdued."
Bloomberg reported Thursday that while Q2 saw outflows of client funds totaling $1.4 billion, in Q3 they reached $2.2 billion, according to a company statement. Sales totaled $3 billion, while customers withdrew $5.2 billion.
"The flow environment continues to be challenging and this was reflected in lower sales in the quarter," Clarke said in the statement. "Investor sentiment, and consequently the outlook for flows, continues to be subdued." The stock reflected the gloomy news in London trading, dropping as much as 8.1%—its largest intraday fall in 5 months.
Wary investors are hesitating to put their money into hedge funds, which have only gained about 3.6% so far in 2012 compared with gains for the S&P 500 Index—15%—and the Stoxx Europe 600 Index—10%.
AUM at Man Group increased 14% to $60 billion in Q3 after its acquisition of FRM Holdings, a hedge fund investment firm that brought $8.3 billion into the fold. Positive investment performance added another $500 million to its funds.
Barclays analyst Daniel Garrod said in the report that the company faces a "worsening" capital position, with excess regulatory capital posting a bigger-than-estimated decline to $500 million from $704 million at the end of June. In 2012 Man Group has fallen to a market value of 1.6 billion pounds ($2.5 billion); that's a loss of 32%. In June its lower valuation dropped it from the FTSE 100 Index of the U.K.'s biggest companies by market value.
The company has planned to cut costs by nearly $200 million, and made changes to its management team in June with the appointment of former Goldman Sachs Group exec Jonathan Sorrell as finance director.
COO Emmanuel Roman was quoted saying that in Europe, not just banks but also institutional investors and wealthy individuals are holding "an enormous amount of cash." They're holding off on putting those funds into hedge funds and other riskier assets, he said, because of worries about the economy in Europe. He said in the report, "When they move is a harder question. It is contingent on what happens in the macro space."


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Privacy PolicyThe privacy policy covers the use of Shoptimate ("Shoptimate), a browser extension (the "Extension") and this website and any sub-sites herof (the "Site") which are published and maintained by Sourcefully SPRL. This helps you understand what information is collected when you use the extension or site and how we use that information. By downloading the extension or using the site, you confirm that you have read and agree to the terms of this policy.
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« North Carolina's Common-Core 'Repeal' Bills, Through the State Chief's Eyes | Main | South Carolina Chief's Primaries Head to Run-Offs; Zais-Backed Candidate Out »
Gates Foundation Backs Two-Year Accountability Delay Under Common Core
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced its support for a two-year moratorium on tying results from assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards to teacher evaluations or student promotions to the next grade level.
The June 10 statement from Vicki Phillips, the Gates Foundation's director of college-ready programs, said that while the common core is having a very positive impact on education, that doesn't mean teachers and schools shouldn't be given more time to adjust.
Phillips stressed that the Gates Foundation has repeatedly heard that teachers are simultaneously enthusiastic about the common core but anxious about the challenges associated with the standards.
"The teachers' anxiety is understandable: A rushed effort to apply the assessments could punish teachers as they're trying new things, and any hiccups in the assessments could be seen as flaws in the standards," Phillips wrote in her letter.
The news was first reported in the morning newsletter of Real Clear Education.
The announcement comes on the heels of a June 8 Washington Post story detailing Gates' involvement with spreading support for the common core. The Gates Foundation, which has doled out some $2 billion for K-12 education since 2008, has been a staunch supporter of the common core, helping to finance both the development and implementation of the standards.
The June 10 announcement isn't the first time Phillips has expressed support for taking a cautious approach to tying high-stakes accountability to the common core.
Similar Statements
In a guest blog post in January on the Eduwonk blog, she wrote that in an "appropriate implementation" of the common core, "The key principle is giving teachers and students time to adjust to new expectations before they face serious consequences for not meeting them."
For teachers, Phillips said in the January post there should be "a baseline and several years of data" from tests before making personnel decisions based on test scores. And Phillips said that no schools should be newly identified as low-performing or needing improvement until teachers have had "a few years" to get used to the standards and tests.
In a subsequent Eduwonk guest blog post in February, she reiterated this theme, saying it was crucial to "ensure that teachers and students are truly prepared before consequences for not meeting the standards are implemented."
However, in an interview last year with my colleague Stephen Sawchuk, Melinda Gates, when asked about the idea of calling for a halt to evaluation based on the common core, responded, "Do I think we should pause on evaluation? No. I think we need to keep going on evaluation, but we've got to get the evaluation piece done right."
The Federal Role
Former Michigan Gov. John Engler, the president of the Business Roundtable, a coalition of private-sector executives supporting the common core, said he supported the foundation's newly stated position but didn't think it was particularly newsworthy.
He argued that such discussions are ultimately secondary to whether states continue to implement the common core and use the standards to improve student learning. While he conceded that "every time that Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation speak, they give fuel to some opponents," he ultimately didn't think the announcement would damage the common core in any way.
At the same time, he expressed concern that the attention paid to the Gates Foundation's announcement, along with the Washington Post story, would further the mistaken impression some have that philanthropic foundations and the federal government are the driving forces behind changes in education policy.
"The Gates Foundation has a lot of money, and at times they've got a lot more money than common sense," he said. "They I think should recognize that education is an area where everybody in America has an opinion ... It is a local and state activity, which I think sometimes gets lost in Washington."
Ultimately, however, any moratorium is going to be up to the U.S. Department of Education. The feds have required states that want waivers from many of the mandates of the outdated No Child Left Behind Act to put in place standards that will prepare students for college and the workforce and begin assessing students on those standards next school year. States are also supposed to evaluate teachers using data from those assessments.
So if there's going to be any change or moratorium, the Obama administration would likely have to initiate it. Already, the administration has given states flexibility on teacher evaluations linked to high-stakes tests, allowing states a longer time frame than originally proposed to tie hiring and firing decisions to the new evaluations.
The U.S. Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the foundation's position. UPDATE: In a statement, the federal department noted the flexibility it has already offered to states, but said the best strategy will be to make decisions on a state-by-state basis. "A blanket moratorium is not the best approach - just as a one-size-fits-all timeline is not the best solution. Our students should not have to wait for schools to ensure they are prepared to succeed in college, career and life," the department said.
As Phillips indicated, some states have already taken action in this vein, citing Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Maryland in her letter as examples. Lawmakers in Florida and Ohio have approved various "pauses" in their accountability systems for the 2014-15 academic year regarding school accountability.
Still, it's not exactly clear how much the Gates Foundation's new position will influence officials' positions and actions on accountability.
For example, Dan Thatcher, a senior policy specialist with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said that for the most part, state legislators aren't as connected to the Gates Foundation's work as some state superintendents and other influential education officials and advocates. For that reason and others, he argued, the announcement from the foundation probably won't greatly affect state legislators' thoughts on the matter of accountability.
What's more important is for state leaders to get the details of their accountability systems right and take more time where needed, said said Carissa Miller, the deputy executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, which along with the National Governors Association oversaw the development of the common core.
"From my perspective this is just a statement about timing. It's not about whether there should be accountability or whether there should be teacher evaluations," Ms. Miller said.
Specifically, she noted that some states might need additional time to put in accountability systems that use student growth on assessments as a key metric. Without a baseline and multiple years of testing data, she noted, those systems won't work.
Unions and Polls
Of course, Phillips is hardly the first key voice in education to call for suspending consequences for high-stakes testing as states navigate the tricky transition to the common core.
Both national teachers' unions have called for slowing down implementation. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, has supported a moratorium on attaching consequences for teachers to tests as schools get used to the new standards. And Dennis Van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, recently said stakes should not be attached to new, common-core-aligned tests until 2015-16 at the earliest.
In a statement, the AFT praised the Gates Foundation's announcement, saying it is in response to the "very real frustration of parents and educators over a badly mismanaged implementation of the standardsignoring the real needs of kids, failing to provide the supports for teaching to the standards, and fixating on testing instead of teaching."
A public-opinion poll of 800 registered voters last November conducted on behalf of Achieve, a Washington-based group that contributed to the development of the common core, showed support for a moratorium in general.
In response to the question, "Knowing that test scores may drop as these new standards and tests are implemented, would you favor or oppose giving teachers and students time to adjust to the new expectations before there are consequences for test results?" 81 percent of all respondents said they were in favor of such an adjustment period, while 54 percent said they strongly favored it.
Specifically, 31 percent of the respondents said they favored a one-year "adjustment" period, 27 percent of those responding favored two years, and 18 percent favored three years or more.
Not every common-core supporter reacted positively to the foundation's announcement however.
New Mexico Secretary of Education-Designate Hanna Skandera said that she was still wondering whether such a pause would be in the "best interest of kids."
"I question whether this is about adults or kids when we're talking about delays," said Skandera, who is also head of Chiefs for Change, a group of seven state chiefs who back the common core and accountability systems based on test scores.
Skandera indicated she had no plans to support such a moratorium, and worried that the AFT and NEA would use the foundation's announcement as political ammunition to resist accountability in principle.
Others welcomed the announcement but questioned its motives.
Susan Ohanian, a critic of the common core and of the Gates Foundation's involvement in public education, said that the foundation's announcement could at least help broaden the support for delaying consequences linked to common-core tests in a way that other opposition hasn't.
"It might convince the public, who really don't know much about the whole thing, that there is something wrong with the testing," Ohanian said. "Teachers can scream this all they want and they're accused of having this vested interest against accountability."
But she also said she suspected that the foundation's move was "all politics" with public relations as "the primary motive."
Read Phillips' full letter below:
Assistant Editor Alyson Klein also contributed to this blog post.


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Boston, Lincolnshire, pe216hx
07984 676 623
My Spirit Guides; have took me through various facets of how they can work through me from Medium-ship/Clairvoyance, Psychic Surgery and other different Energy Healing [...]Distance: 3.81 miles.
Copperfield Therapies
Wyberton, Lincolnshire, PE21 7AP
I am a Reiki Master, Crystal Healing Therapist and Spiritual Healer who uses healing energies to relieve stress, bring peace and reduce dis-ease. Although my [...]Distance: 4.62 miles.
Time Out Therapies
Boston, Lincolnshire, PE20 1JR
Time Out Therapies treatment room is based in Kirton, near Boston Lincolnshire. I am first and foremost a Holistic Therapist with the beauty treatments [...]Distance: 6.82 miles.
Reiki Master Teacher Garry Hewlett MIET
Toynton All Saints, Lincolnshire, PE23 5AQ
Reiki master Teacher based in Toynton All Saints LincolnshireDistance: 11.5 miles.
the Secret Garden Healing & Holistic Therapies
Spalding, Lincolnshire, Pe11 4tb
07920 714982
The Secret Garden' Holistic & Healing Therapies is a relaxing, home-based retreat in Donington, Spalding. My name is Louise Wells and I specialise in Reiki, [...]Distance: 12.46 miles.
reiki practioner
Spilsby, Lincolnshire
The Benefits of Reiki which may help with:Relaxation and well-beingBalancing the body's energiesImprovement of muscle tone, posture, elasticity and tone of skinTreating stress related [...]Distance: 13.2 miles.
Natural Vitality Health & Holistics
Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 6PN
Natural Vitality offer Reiki Healing Indian Head Massage Hopi Ear Candles Massage Crystal Wand Healing Facial Relaxing Facials, Body Scrubs and Massage using NYR Organic Products Diet & Wellbeing advice on [...]Distance: 14.02 miles.
Nellie Taylor Holistics
Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 9QT
01529 460865
At Nellie Taylor we offer a range of holistic treatments, including Facials, Massage & Reiki. Owner and therapist Christine is a Master Usui Reiki Practitioner.Distance: 15.32 miles.
Fenland equine and human reiki centre
Weston Hills, Lincolnshire, Pe12 6bx
Austendike road
Welcome to all I have been on my reiki journey for 6 years Teaching people to help themselves and the ones we love or to train [...]Distance: 15.75 miles.
Billinghay, Lincolnshire, LN4 4EG
Having practised Reiki since 2002 I run Reiki courses and do treatments in Billinghay and a wide surrounding area, travelling to most places to [...]Distance: 16.24 miles.
Lincs Holistic Wellness
Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire
07432 484904
Lincs Holistic Wellness was founded to help people regain some balance back into their hectic lives. So many of us are feeling stressed, anxious [...]Distance: 16.59 miles.
Julie Garner, Reiki Master
King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 4PD
A Reiki Treatment The method of receiving a Reiki treatment from a practitioner is a very simple process. The recipient simply lies on a couch [...]Distance: 17.84 miles.
SLTB Therapies
Terrington St Clement, Norfolk, PE34 4WE
Reiki is a non invasive therapy which gives a sense of calm and wellbeing to the receiving. You receive it usually lying down (but [...]Distance: 18.24 miles.
Sarah Ward Reiki Practitioner
Clenchwarton, Norfolk, PE34 4AD
My name is sarah ward, I have a mobile Reiki practice covering the areas of Kings Lynn and surrounding villages. I am qualified and [...]Distance: 19.65 miles.
Reiki Lincolnshire
Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG347DY
Treatment and tuition from a verified practitioner with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, The Reiki Council, The Reiki Association and registered Karuna Reiki® [...]Distance: 19.75 miles.
Reiki, energy healing & meditation classes
Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Lisa May is a qualified meditation teacher, has her degrees in reiki and working towards her degree in hypnosis and past life regression therapy [...]Distance: 19.91 miles.
Magical Treatments
Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7AR
Welcome! I am an Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Master Teacher. I have a background in Complimentary Therapies, Mindfulness, Meditation & Spiritual and Personal Development. I currently [...]Distance: 19.91 miles.
Healing Hearts Reiki
Sleaford, Lincolnshire
I provide Reiki healing in Sleaford at either Carre Street Clinic or my home. I also offer a mobile service for clients in and around [...]Distance: 19.91 miles.
Chris Raine – Reiki Master Teacher
Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 8FE
Reiki is a non invasive gentle form of hands on healing. The term hands on healing is used loosely here as you can provide [...]Distance: 20.43 miles.
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Greetings blogfriends. Eventually, almost none of the things i planned for Friday happened. We ended up going to the mall to buy a fan for the nursery, and i also purchased a G.G.Marquez book that i did not have. We managed to get to the zoo yesterday and as always both baby and mommy got very excited, me seeing the giraffe and baby the duckies. One kept pecking at the soles of her shoes, while she was on the stroller and she was stretching her legs so the duck can reach her and said "papaki"( greek word for ducky) over and over. She is such a smart thirteen month year old. She played a little in the play ground and she slept all the way home, which is very unusual for her. What is more unusual is that when we stopped at the super market and the doors opened and slummed closed again, she still did not wake up and i stayed with her in the underground parking lot because i did not want to wake her .
Then we returned home, she ate and took her bath with daddy while i cooked. Finally just like we do every night, Petros played guitar and i sang to her for about half an hour. She kept dancing in her crib and "sang" with us, also clapped and kept throwing her tiny night teddies, for us to catch(she does that every night, i am guessing it is some sort of protest, for going to bed at 10 and not getting to watch "hot in Cleveland" with us). Then i resumed cooking and when i finally got to sit down i could not move. We ate and listened to some music and then it was time for some magick. I could feel the New Moon's energy calling me. There is something that makes me feel like i am where i am supposed to, when in the darkest, most silent hours of the night, the incense's smoke dance over the flames of the candles while my voice chants the magic words. It feels like it is a perpetual Autumn where everything is heightened and the sensations are just melting together.
Before i began i had to remove my socks for some extra boost because the Dark Moon always drains me, the exact opposite of the Full Moon that always makes me completely wired and unable to sleep. After my ritual, i cut a bit of my hair, because there is not a more perfect time for cutting your hair than the night of the New Moon and because i had split ends that needed trimming.
Is there anyone else other there that cuts their own hair? I have been doing that for years. Hair stylists always butchered my hair, cutting way more than i wanted and my hair never got to be as long as i wanted them. Ever since i cut them they always are what i want them to be. Except once that they accidentally caught on fire at one side and i had to call a professional to make them sort of even without losing most their length. This happened to me during a telephone reading, while reaching over a candle to get a crystal. My client got really scared because i started screaming out of the blue. Good times!
And if you managed to follow my train of thought during this post you should get checked out by a mental health professional, because that is not normal.
I love you guys. Remember that tonight is the last night of the New Moon. Make the best of it. Lit your candles and stir your cauldrons, it is the time for magick!
Train of thought(Who will quit first?)
Greetings blogfriends. Eventually, almost none of the things i planned for Friday happened. We ended up going to the mall to buy a fan for the nursery, and i also purchased a G.G.Marquez book that i did not have. We managed to get to the zoo yesterday and as always both baby and mommy got very excited, me seeing the giraffe and baby the duckies. One kept pecking at the soles of her shoes, while she was on the stroller and she was stretching her legs so the duck can reach her and said "papaki"( greek word for ducky) over and over. She is such a smart thirteen month year old. She played a little in the play ground and she slept all the way home, which is very unusual for her. What is more unusual is that when we stopped at the super market and the doors opened and slummed closed again, she still did not wake up and i stayed with her in the underground parking lot because i did not want to wake her .
Pot pouri post, or the one with the cock roach!
My dreams come as warnings for me. Which may be unpleasant at times and definitely affects my sleep but it can really be useful. Yesterday we had to go and pick up my mom from her house to run some chores. My father to which i am not speaking to came down to see the baby. Which could have been sweet if he had tried to fix what he did, but in this eight months i cut the chord he tried calling twice and that was last month after bad mouthing me to everyone we know. As always what he did, was aggressive and towards granting his own desires, while disregarding everyone else's feelings. The thing is that if i was not mentally prepared for it i would have automatically turned into the scared little girl he used to terrify, but in my dreams i was warned and i was completely cool and kept it together. That is only because two nights ago, i saw we would meet in their house in a dream. Those two times he called the night before i saw him in my sleep yelling at me. Both times! But, seeing how much better i can control the situation i am grateful for every single nightmare i ever had.
That being said, we had a situation in my home. A huge cockroach flied(yes, that's right, flied!) in our bedroom and hid behind our closets and became unreachable. So, naturally, i could not sleep in there and made my husband take the mattress out in the living room where we slept two nights in the row. The first night we sprayed everything with something that allegedly kills cockroaches, closed the door and never looked back. Yesterday, the cockroach came out of hiding and Petros managed to capture it under a glass vase. The cockroach looked happy and healthy, minus the entrapment, hence those bug killers do not work. We almost used the entire canister and it did not kill one single roach. Anyway, after capturing it, the issue of what we are going to do with it surfaced. We both debated pros and cons of killing the ugly thing, but we could not do it. Although it was huge, the kind that in certain areas of Asia is considered a delicacy, when we looked at it , in the vase, it did not look either disgusting, or scary and we felt sorry for it. So, we let it go. Probably, not the best decision of our lives, but what is done is done. Have you ever seen a huge cockroach? Ewww! We are still worried it might had layed eggs behind the closet, but we are hoping it was a male roach that always wore a condom.
So, tonight, after airing the room for one entire night, we will once again sleep in our bedroom, although sleeping on the mattress, on the floor was kind of fun and weirdly enough, a bit better for my back.
Tonight, is the first night of the new moon and there are a lot to be done. Two cleansing spells, a protection ritual, the blessing of two amulets for two clients and i hope i can take a magical cleansing bath.
I am leaving you now to work out a bit and prepare to go to the zoo. We are regulars there, ever since we purchased year passes and there we all have so much fun!
Ps. i understand that my last post sounded a bit like goodbye, but it was not meant to as such and i have no intention to stop blogging. So, you are stuck with me!
Greetings blogfriends. Tonight has been a lazy night. So, i went back and read some old posts. Have you ever done that? Is 'nt it wonderful to remember all the the little things that tend to slip through our hands and memory?
I want to thank you for being here all those years to keep me company, share my little joys and sorrows and for the occasional vents. Also, you have given me strength to be openly pagan in real life, no matter what the cost. I would not be able to do it without you! Also, i am grateful for all the friends i gained here, even for those i have already lost. It is always sad when a blogger you felt close quits blogland, and tonight i saw how many have come and gone.
I truly love you guys and know that i am grateful i have you in my life.
May the Goddess bless you and light your path!
Denial is a...witch!
I need someone to remind me every day that I am not the incredible Hulk. Perhaps if I make this phrase my ringtone I will remember that I am still in the process of healing!
Remember how I was doing better? The day before yesterday I went running, after I had already worked out and I had done some cleaning! Retrospectively, not the best decision I ever made.
About souvlaki...
You know i am greek right? Well, we love souvlaki. It is probably our main source of energy. Although you do not see many variations( it is usually gyros, tzatziki, tomato, fries and onions wrapped in pita bread), most of us do not mind having that for dinner every day of the week. Or perhaps it is just me and i should not speak for the rest of the greek citizens.
Well, the last couple of nights i made the best souvlaki, my husband and I had ever had. They were delicious and much healthier than the original ones. You see my mom came by the other day and brought us about a million burgers. So, we were trying to finish them before they go bad, but at some point we could not see another mpifteki (greek word for burgers). We tried them with some tomato sauce, inside a salad, topped with cream cheese, with bbq sauce, with ketchup, for breakfast, but they were just too many. We thought about inviting over a couple of people to have a mpifteki party but i was kinda sick. At this point, you might think i am kidding about the amount of burgers, but trust me i am not. I think she made over 4 pounds of beef for just the two of us.
Anyway, we were losing the battle with time and we could see the bacteria cultivating fast. We had to eat them fast. I know you are probably thinking why not put them in the freezer and thaw them in a week or so, but i can not eat frozen meals. It just feels weird. So, i thought why not buy some whole wheat pita breads and make some tzatziki to have them? But, by the time we came back home i was too tired and running a fever to make tzatziki. Besides, i have not been cooking for some days and there were things in the fridge that would spoil and they should be our priority.
So, i had to cook some questionable mushrooms (by now, i am sure you are all dieing for a dinner invitation from me). And there was a lettuce salad that has reached its expiration date. I diced a lot of onions(they were n't looking great either) and caramelized them. I cooked the pitas and the burgers to be warm and soft with cream cheese and cheddar( which was not going bad, but seemed like a good idea). And finally, i wrapped the delicious assortment of things.
Pita bread, cheeseburger, onions, mushrooms and a pepper that i also found somewhere, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, some light mayo, ketchup and mustard with some grana padano which you guessed it, was reaching its expiration date. This was the best almost expired food i have ever had. Something between a burger and a souvlaki. We ended up eating them two days in a row. The second day, we were pretty hesitant about taking the first bite and kept smelling them first, but as soon as the souvlaki reached our taste buds we threw caution in the wind and devoured one each. Now, i am happy to inform you that the morning is here and we have not food poisoning!
Weight loss spell
Greetings blogfriends! I am much better today. Thank you for all your wishes. Tonight I came here to tell you about a mirroring spell I did a couple of months ago.
As you already know I have struggled with my weight a lot. But this was not always the case. I had a bit of a metabolic problem due to some hormonal imbalances I had as a teenager, but I was still a thin person. A very hungry thin person.
A few years ago I unintentionally exchanged energies with someone very close to me. I was performing a coffee reading to her and suddenly a coldness came over me and I couldn't breath. At that moment I saw some gruesome details of her surgery but the feeling was deeper and completely overwhelming.
That person was obese but started losing weight and I started gaining. At that point in my life I did readings anywhere and under any circumstances. No protection whatsoever. I was young and naive.
My health problems became gradually uncontrollable and the doctors could not help me. When they couldn't explain what was happening with my thyroid they either thought I was lieing about the medications they were giving me or told me it was stress. But the only thing stressing me was my condition. Anyway, the years went by and I did some spells,all love and light, and I managed by tuning in to my body to selfmedicate and control my various metabolic conditions. I managed to lose a lot of weight really slowly and painfully. But I was grateful because there was a point that all the pain and struggle would not matter.
But then I became pregnant and gave birth to the most magical creature. When she was inside me she was draining me completely and so all I managed to do was to protect her. When she came I was a mess. My thyroid was once again uncontrollable and I had a cancer scare. My doctors adjusted my medication and then I had the worse case of hypothyroidism in years. I was producing more than 2 litres of breastmilk per day, eating extremely carefully and I was gaining. When the milk stopped it only became worse. I would spin like a crazy person and no sweat would come out. For months I was malnourishing myself and work out the best I could with my bad back and I wouldn't stop gaining. But not once I lost my hope and not once I gave up. I found an enzyme that helped and kept pushing.
At this point I managed to stop gaining.But, by this point I have had it! So, I put my witchy hat on(well not literally that is just for Halloween) and I cast a mirroring spell.
It had three parts. It involved sending the weight to those that wished me harm(in this case, weight gain). Also, I combined it with a curse breaking spell of my mom's and a blood offering for beauty. All my fingers bled and my doorway was marked. It happened on the Full Moon. Looking at her silver beauty it all came to me and I was entranced.
After that I started sweating and shedding the pounds more easily than ever. And a few people began gaining. Amongst them, this friend of mine. By the first moon she gained 6 kilos while I lost the exact same amount. I was not happy by her troubles. It only proved to me that her love towards me was not as pure as mine. Fortunately she stopped gaining and I did not stop losing. Both facts gave me great pleasure. I was surprised to see a couple of people complaining about inexplicable gain and really surprised by another who did not. I keep chanting the prayer every day.
This spell brought me great things. Most important of all it almost healed my back. It made me sweat like a pig. It gave me a glow I haven't had in years. It led me to incorporate in my routine eft tapping and cinnamon and honey potions( I will make another post just about those two soon).But most important of all, after two months of worrying disbelief I finally feel free!
I know mirroring spells are frowned upon some Wiccans but I have never done anything that felt more right in my mind.
And finally, I want to discourage everybody from self medicating. It is wrong. I just have a bad carma with doctors mainly because of my Saturn in Scorpio. My grandmother was born under its influence(died because a doctor forgot a radium treatment inside her!).
My mom was born under its influence(she died once for a few minutes and came back and then almost killed because a doctor would not admit a surgical mistake that required plain calcium supplements).When I was born I could not breath for 5 minutes because a doctor after days of labor did not do a cesarean.
And now my daughter was born under its influence(yes, we procreate every 28.5 year's) and I hope she has better luck than us.
If you have Saturn in Scorpio choose your doctors carefully!
Be blessed my love's!
Best cold of all times
Greetings blogfriends. Last week i was very productive at the beginning. I worked a lot, i worked out, i did my physical therapy, i cleaned,spent a day at the beach and i rearranged all three of my balconies and took care of my plants. They needed trimming. lots of spraying with soap water, re potting, iron supplement, compost....the works. That would not be a lot of work but i have so many. One day i must take pictures to show you.
But then i came down with a cold. It has never happened to me in the Sumner again i think. I had to spent a few days lying down and away from the baby so, she would not get it too. The first day i was quite miserable, not only i was coughing and sneezing and shivering and i had menstrual cramps, but also my back was killing me from all the hard work i did. The second day though something remarkable happened. I woke up with no pain what-so-ever. This has not happened to me in almost two years. I mean there are days the pain is bad, really bad and not so bad. But never pain free. I spent two days with no pain at all. I could not believe it. And then i got up and steamed the house to kill the germs and it came all back. But, i realized something. If i res,t my back will heal. I know you all thought simultaneously duh! but after all this time, pain, treatments, exercise and restraint of doing so many things i did not think it was possible. Now, i have to gather all my inner strength and sit my ass down for a while. I think a week would do wonders. I can do it. It is the perfect time since my husband does not work very much this Summer. I just have to allow myself to heal properly.
So, where i was getting with all this? Yes there is a point! I know that this cold happened to me, because it was the only thing that would keep me from picking up Melina Nefeli all the time. It was the only way for me to heal. There are no coincidences. Plus, the fever made me lose two pounds. So, all and all this was the best cold i ever had!


text: Create a Savory Meal this Fall It's arguably the most delicious time of the year. With many produce at their peak, and cooling weather calling us toward more savory meals, it's a great time to gather together around a table and share some of the season's favorites. Top Halloween Looks for 2014 Trick-or-treating pros know one thing: the right costume can make or break your night. Missing out on the perfect look because you've waited too late to buy? We don't want that to happen. That's why we're here. We've searched the mall to find this year's top looks for Halloween 2014. Pick out your favorite and place your order early so you can focus on the treats!


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Anatomical Wall Chart: Shoulder And Elbow - Laminate
More Information
Anatomical Wall Chart: Shoulder And Elbow - Laminate
The anatomical charts are designed to function as reference material to help increase your knowledge about human anatomy, physiological principles and important pathological conditions. Medical terminology and updated supporting text are printed directly on each chart so you never have to refer to a separate keycard or manual.
- All charts are 20 wide x 26 high and mounted in a flexible lamination
- Can be written on with whiteboard markers and wiped off


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Alaska Virtual Numbers
Get yourself or your business a Alaska Number
- Use your Alaska, United States virtual number on an iPhone/Android with an app - unlimited incoming calls *
- You own the phone number with no contracts and freedom to use any software/device
- Forward calls to a regular phone line for a very low rate
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Get a Unlimited '2nd' United States Phone Line
Unlimited w/ Smartphone
- Use any Apple iOS, Android or Windows device
- Use our Virtual Phone System for multiple senarios
Buy a United States Phone Number for Your Business
Potential and current clients will both appreciate a local phone number in United States for them to use. Check your websites analytics reports, if you're getting traffic outside the areas you have your listed "Contact Us" phone number you could be missing out on business. Take a United States virtual number and forward the calls to any VOIP device and pay a flat rate for unlimited incoming minutes to that number. You'd be surprised as to how many would be callers there could be in United States.
Local United States Phone Number so friends and family can stay in touch
Whether you're moving away from home or just traveling for the summer, you'll want a local phone number for friends and family to reach you on. Choose a local United States phone number and divert the phone calls to wherever you are. This can be an international mobile phone number or a SIP client running on an iPhone or Android. The possibilities are endless.
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Return to: United States Virtual Numbers* Does not include toll-free


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Great Pencil SkirtSunday, December 28th, 2008
If you are looking to update your wardrobe for the New Year whilst saving your pennies then it may be wise to invest in items that are suitable for both work and play.
One item I have my eye on is this dogtooth pencil skirt from Topshop. For just £35 this features a really cute ruffle detailing and an exposed zip at the back.
For the office, team with a simple plain blouse or round neck slim fit Tee along with a skinny cardy and heels.
For play, capitalise on the tweed-like dogstooth qualities and quirk up with fun pieces such as a vintage blazer nipped in at the waist, a clashing print blouse or sculptural heels.


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Sandy Sanderson lives in Hamilton, New Zealand and turns aluminium drink cans into amazing automotive works of art.
A long term admirer of the graphics decorating beer and soft drink cans, he uses anywhere between eight and 30 cans to make each of these amazingly detailed 1:10 scale hot rods, buggies and racers.
His website includes instructions on how to make your own can car, as well as a blog and fan picture gallery.
Sanderson says the cars take around 43 hours to create, and sell for between $800 and $2000 NZ dollars.
Click here for the SANDY's CAN CARS site.


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Dan Selz comes to XPRIZE with a decade of experience in telling stories and building movements. As the Visioneering Head of Crowd and External Engagement, he will be taking his time-honed skills at rallying a crowd around an idea to make sure that the world-changing ideas coming out of Visioneering are supported by a broad and diverse array of people.
Prior to joining XPRIZE full time, Mr. Selz was a Visioneer himself on the 2017 Clean Air team. Prior to that, he had a diverse career in countries ranging from Denmark to India to Greece. Mr. Selz worked in entertainment, as a screenwriter working on projects from the mega-budget (20th Century Fox) to smaller Bollywood productions (Shiamak Davar Productions). He also worked in politics as a lead Field Organizer, recruiting and deploying volunteers for campaigns ranging from Presidential to those at the State Senator level
Mr. Selz graduated with his MBA from the University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business in 2018, where he was inducted to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society as well as winning the Chaltiel Scholarship and Lofgren Fellowship. Mr. Selz obtained his B.A. in philosophy from Carleton College in Minnesota, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He also graduated from the improv comedy training course at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater without any distinction whatsoever—though he did go on to co-found regionally touring improv comedy group Maybe Sherman.


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About UTS Child Care
UTS Child Care Inc (UTSCC) is a non-profit service that manages two child care centres on or near the campuses of UTS. Centres are located at Chippendale and Ultimo, where we provide education and care for children prior to school.
About our centres
The centres aim to provide high quality, affordable services which meet the particular child care needs of the university community, the ABC and the local community. Access to child care services is open to all staff and students as well as members of the local community.
UTSCC is an incorporated association set up by UTS to operate and manage the child care services at the university. While it is associated with the university and some land and buildings used for child care are the property of the university, UTSCC is a separate legal entity from UTS. The centres are operated as non-profit services managed by a board comprising representatives from the university, the Students' Association, UTS Union, as well as a representative of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and parent representatives from each of the centres. The board takes the legal responsibility for the operation of all UTSCC services, and guides the operations of those services.
UTSCC receives funding and support from UTS, the University Union, the ABC, City of Sydney Council and the NSW State Government.
Please direct any enrolment enquiries to the centre most accessible to you.
Educational program
Our educational program is based on the National Early Years Learning Framework, which guides our practice through its focus on the concepts of children 'being', 'belonging' and 'becoming'. A qualified Early Childhood Teacher and Diploma-trained staff member will plan and deliver, with the assistance of skilled and experienced childcare workers, the educational program that will foster your child's learning, communication skills and social relationships with others.
Our environment plays a large role in guiding children's learning by offering choice, independence and freedom in exploring natural materials and settings. Children develop self-esteem, self-expression, confidence and social competence through play.
UTS Child Care Centres operate with an excellent ratio of children to staff that exceeds minimum legislated requirements. This assists staff in the delivery of the high quality education and care program. We provide our staff with opportunities for ongoing professional training and development, as well as study leave, to assist them in gaining further Early Childhood qualifications.
Parents play an important role in the service and their involvement is encouraged.
Contact us
All correspondence should be addressed to:
UTS Child Care Inc
PO Box 123
Broadway NSW 2007
Centre locations
Blackfriars Children's Centre
2 Blackfriars Street
Chippendale NSW 2008
Tel: 9514 2959
Fax: 9514 2961
Magic Pudding Child Care Centre
1 McKee Street
Ultimo NSW 2007
Tel: 9211 3003


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Friends taking the place of incorrect friends! I found myself as a child around the wrong people in the wrong neighborhood! these were upper class people; money wise! These were not my people! they were filth! worthless human beings! all of them! all the ones I met! I care not to know anymore about them; the rich! Don't get me wrong; I like their money! The money part is fine! Im working on a better attitude concerning wealth and money. They were little more then pathological performers; These people thought they were superior to everyone and yet very productive people with high level educations! But they would stab you in the back for a buck! and you would never see it coming! they would be-friend you if you wanted it; their heart never with you! but you would not know it! They are masters at hiding the truth; your being used; why?, you are around them because they want something; they are using you, you dont know it! ruthless cunning and predatorial in nature; if you dont bother their nests they wont come to yours! I made the mistake of going to theirs and being led on then dropped! They were never friends of mine!
Im now asking God for real friends! real people and real place to live and people to be around; real people; nothing like what I came from! I was used and fooled! I was an exploited child! THE SUICIDAL ADOLESCENT—THE EXPENDABLE CHILD; I was a throw away and Im attempting to work through it, come up from it and move forward back into a life! its all very hard! it would be easier with the right people around me! real friends that see me for who I am! I will have to work with God on this ! Ive been around the wrong people!
In the recovery process one accepts who they deal with; I cant control who's in the rooms with me! and when needy, I would take attention from anyone; it mattered not! were they my friends? no, I had no friends or the ability to connect with anyone! I just needed love and attention from someone, anyone! so, I took what I could get! the people giving it were strangers!
As I work through my problems; I would like real friends again; not people that marginalize me and put up conditions to know them! I would like the right type of people around me!
IVe been scared of the middle class! I dont like them! they were fake wanna be'zzz! I No disrespect to the general masses; but the general masses are not for me! Im a bit more sensitive! I will call out to God for help with this and bring real people around me!
Im at the beginning of a new life; or the dawn of it! Its very close! Im simply walking with God, holding his hand as he leads me from my past life back into the present life!


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Tony Jackson has video of it. {linked here}
Puig spoke for about 20 minutes and after the press conference ended, the media heard him yell something in Spanish out loud while leaving.
One reporter translated what he said to this... {linked here}
Yasiel Puig was in the visitors clubhouse here at
How does this reporter know he meant to say "Fuck the media"? If you read his tweets after that it's because he claims he asked another reporter that speaks in Spanish and that's what he told him.
Deadspin picked that up and every big sports blog ran with it as if it's the truth. {linked here}
After reading a few Miami blogs/newspapers in Spanish, I was able to find out exactly what Puig said.
Puig yelled "Que se vayan a la pinga".
That does not mean "Fuck the media". Pinga is a Cuban slang word that means the private part of a male. But Pinga can mean so many things.
The word pinga can be something bad or good. Same thing with the word "Coño".
"Que se vayan" means "Go to". So you can't translate that to "Go to the male's private part". It doesn't mean that. It can be "Go away". "Leave me alone".
This is a word my dad (born and raised in Cuba) uses everyday. Trust me. One day he will say "Yo soy el pingudo". Which means "I'm the best". Or "Pinga!!!". That just means "No". "Ya no soy un pingudo" (I'm not the best anymore).
So there you go. This is my free Cuban class for you today.
Is Puig not immature enough? Maybe but he's 22 years old. One year ago he had nothing. NOTHING. He was in Cuba with nothing. Puig getting new shoes is big news for him. Puig posting non-stop in Instagram is fun for him. I'm sure Puig will learn and mature as the time passes. I must admit the other Cuban Jose Fernandez is more mature than Puig. But it is unfair to compare the two. Everyone is different.
Unfortunately in my opinion I see there is a negative reaction towards Puig among the national writers non-Dodger fans. They see Puig playing hard and they think he's an arrogant guy. This is the only way Puig can play.
Yes, there might be some areas where he can improve but I would pick Puig to play everyday over any of his teammates.


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Ships require complex automation tasks, such as machine control, to be solved, depending on type and utilisation. On freighters one of the main tasks is control of loading and unloading cranes. On passenger or cruise ships additional task known from conventional building automation, such as individual room control, have to be dealt with. The challenge for shipbuilding suppliers is to realise these different automation tasks with the smallest possible number of different control systems, which in addition should have standardised interfaces. Beckhoff offers a multi-purpose component kit for all automation tasks, which enables complete control and measuring solutions to be configured.
Applications: The application reports illustrate application options for Beckhoff products and technologies in practice.
Industrial PC: For shipbuilding Beckhoff offers scalable controllers ranging from Industrial PCs to modularly expandable Embedded PCs with integrated interface to the I/O level.
Bus Terminal: The modular Bus Terminal system enables acquisition of data points as well as measuring, control and drive tasks.
TwinCAT: On the software side TwinCAT integrates the PLC and the development environment in a single package. Numerous predefi ned PLC libraries – for example for lighting, HVAC, Motion or other control tasks – reduce the engineering time.


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The folks over at New Line have set their sights on a remake of the 1973 murder mystery film "The Last of Sheila". As of now they've yet to settle on a writer or director for the movie that revolves around a group of people invited to a scavenger hunt aboard a yacht owned by a man whose wife was killed in a hit and run a year earlier. I have no idea how you have a scavenger hunt on a boat so that's really what I'm interested to find out here. Also if someone uses the words "poop deck".
We already know that "The Woman in Black: Angels of Death" is in the works. Remember when I told you about that? You don't, do you. Sometimes I think I'm wasting my time coming up with witty comments day after day. Well maybe you'll listen to this! According to Hammer CEO Simon Oakes there are hopes that "The Woman in Black" will live on well past 2 films and become a franchise of sorts. Maybe it could even spawn other story lines. Like "The Woman In Plaid", about a ghost who terrorized hillbillies in the woods or something. This is going to be big.
Cam Gigandet, who's last name is impossible to pronounce, will be joining Emily Browning in a new film titled "Plush". Gigandet plays a psychic doctor who helps patients get over their past by drilling down into their memories. Browning plays a young teen who possesses the same gift. "I'm in your head!", "Well now I'm in your head!". And hilarity ensues.
Little known writer Jay Basu and UK director Tom Green have been picked up to bring "Monsters 2", the follow up to the the 2010 mumble core underground little movie that could. The only way I could be excited about this is if the real Tom Green, the bum bum song guy, was directing and starring in it. In fact I would only be excited about this if it was titled "Freddy Got Fingered 2".


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
versión On-line ISSN 2078-5135
versión impresa ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.99 no.7 Pretoria jul. 2009
Rubella in South Africa: an impending Greek tragedy?
Barry D SchoubI, *; Bernice N HarrisII; Jo McAnerneyIII; Lucille BlumbergIV
IMB BCh, MMed, MD, DSc, FRCPath, FCPath (SA), FRSSAf, MASSAf, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Sandringham, Johannesburg
IIMB ChB, MMed, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Sandringham, Johannesburg
IIIRN, RM, Dip Data Dip Method, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Sandringham, Johannesburg
IVMB BCh, MMed, DTM&H, DCH, DOH, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Sandringham, Johannesburg
BACKGROUND: The incidence of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) is unknown in South Africa. There is evidence that it may be significant and largely undetected, particularly in the upper socio-economic group. This may be due to incomplete routine administration of MMR vaccine in infancy and a build-up of susceptible females reaching the childbearing age group who could be exposed to the extensive reservoir of virus in the unimmunised public sector of the population.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent of the immunity gap to rubella by testing for protective IgG antibodies and the incidence of rubella infection by testing for IgM antibodies in sera. The data obtained would also be used to model the extent of CRS. Design. Residual laboratory serum specimens from public and private laboratories were serologically tested for rubella IgG antibodies to investigate the immunity gap in the population and IgM antibodies in sera collected from the measles rashlike illness surveillance programme. Modelling exercises calculated the force of infection and the predicted incidence of CRS in South Africa.
RESULTS: The serological immunity gap was significantly greater in the private sector specimens compared with the public sector 10.7% versus 5.4%, respectively. In most years rubella caused much more rash-like illness than measles, with a significant number (5.1 - 9.6%) of rubella-positive IgM specimens occurring in women of childbearing age.
CONCLUSION: Modelling of the data suggests that the extent of CRS may be grossly underestimated in South Africa. Approximately 654 cases are calculated to occur every year. It is suggested that selective immunisation of girls before puberty should be instituted together with a routine rubella immunisation programme of infants to forestall a possible future outbreak of CRS, as occurred in Greece in 1993.
Rubella in children and adults is almost always a mild disease, with serious or long-term sequelae a rarity. The focus of concern is infection of susceptible women in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. The risk of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in the first 8 - 10 weeks is up to 90%, after which it drops sharply and is virtually non-existent after 16 weeks other than rare mild systemic illnesses.1 The incidence of CRS globally has been estimated as between 0.1 and 0.2/1 000 live births in endemic periods and up to 1 - 4/1 000 live births following epidemics. The global toll of CRS is approximately 100 000 cases per year.1 In practice, however, relatively few cases of CRS are reported and many are unrecognised, as the clinical manifestations may be delayed until months or even years after birth. Globally only 37 cases were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1995, none of them from South Africa.2
Widespread use of rubella vaccine in the developed world has dramatically reduced the incidence of rubella and CRS. Soon after the vaccine became available in the early 1970s, many countries instituted vaccination programmes, targeting pre-adolescent girls at about 12 years of age before they become sexually active, to protect women when they reach childbearing age so-called 'selective immunisation'. These programmes, while moderately successful in protecting the group at risk, failed to influence the circulation of the virus, mainly because children are the major reservoir of infection, and the risk to unvaccinated or unsuccessfully vaccinated women remained. Approximately a decade later the strategy was changed to eliminate the circulation of wild-type rubella virus by routine immunisation of all children between 12 and 15 months so-called 'universal immunisation'. High vaccine coverage rapidly brought about a dramatic reduction of the incidence of rubella, to the extent that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has now targeted 2010 as the goal for the elimination of rubella from the Western hemisphere3 and the European region of the WHO has simultaneously set a goal of 2010 for that region.4 In these countries the problem of rubella and CRS is now confined to non-vaccinated immigrant populations.
Rubella vaccine in contemporary use, RA27/3, is a safe effective vaccine, administered either as a monovalent vaccine or far more commonly in combination with measles (MR) or measles and mumps (MMR).1 Cost-benefit analyses in both developed and developing countries have shown ratios greater than 1.5 The impetus to introduce routine rubella immunisation is therefore great. MMR can also be given as effectively and safely at 9 months of age, when measles vaccination is routinely administered in many developing countries and in South Africa.6 However, experiences in several countries have shown that hasty introduction of universal rubella vaccination (usually as MMR) before adequate precautionary conditions have been put into place (i.e. an extensive selective immunisation programme in place until adequate MMR vaccination coverage is achieved) may, paradoxically, greatly increase the risk of CRS.7 This is due to the potential for an upwards shift in age of rubella infection because of the reduction of wild-type virus circulation and its consequent reduction in population immunity, resulting in increasing numbers of vulnerable women in the childbearing age group susceptible to a still-present reservoir of circulating wild-type virus.
In South Africa, a scenario could be building up similar to that in Greece in the 1990s before their unprecedented outbreak of CRS.7 Small but increasing use of MMR in the private sector may be building up a population of susceptible adolescents and young adults, while at the same time there is no programme for selective immunisation of girls. Indications are that the reservoir of the virus is large and could pose a serious threat for CRS.
South Africa has no programme for collecting data on clinically manifest CRS. We have attempted to model the theoretically expected extent of CRS and assess the potential risk for an outbreak of CRS.
Case-based surveillance
As part of the WHO programme to eliminate measles, all patients throughout South Africa presenting with a rash-like illness with pyrexia and one of the symptoms coryza, conjunctivitis or cough have a specimen of blood taken to test for measles IgM. In addition, all specimens are tested at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for rubella IgM.
Serosusceptibility to rubella
Residual sera from laboratory specimens and banked sera were collected to assemble a range of samples from women of all ages and throughout all provinces of the country from both the private sector laboratories and the public sector through the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS).
Sera were tested for the presence of rubella IgM antibodies (to indicate active infection) and IgG antibodies (to indicate immunity or susceptibility) using commercial EIA kits. Rubella-specific IgM was tested using the Dade Behring EIA kit and IgG antibodies using Biorad Platelia ELISA kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. Rubella IgG levels >15 IU/ml were interpreted as indicating immunity.
Statistical analysis
The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 13) was used for statistical evaluation. Significance of differences was determined using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Pearson's correlation coefficient was determined within groups. Statistical significance was set at p-values <0.05.
Modelling methodology
To model the predicted incidence of CRS, data from the extent of rubella infection (IgG positive) and susceptibility data in women of childbearing age (12 - 49 years) were used. Age-stratified seroprevalence data were used to construct a simple catalytic model in Excel to calculate the force of infection (FOI), as described by Cutts and Vynnycky.8 The average age of onset of infection, basic reproductive rate and level of coverage needed to achieve herd immunity was calculated from this FOI using a standard equation as described by Anderson and May.9
To estimate the number of congenital rubella syndrome cases for 2005, the methodology described by Cutts and Vynnycky8 was used to first estimate the incidence (force) of rubella infection assuming an age-dependent infection rate. The proportion of seronegative pregnant women was assumed to be identical to that of the general population. The estimated FOI for the population 15 years and older and the proportion of seronegative pregnant women was used to calculate the estimated incidence of infection during gestation, assumed to be 40 weeks.
The risk of CRS was calculated as the weighted average of risk after infection in pregnancy from data of Miller et al.10 as 65% in the first 16 weeks and zero thereafter. The incidence of CRS per 100 000 live births was calculated by multiplying the proportion of live babies born to mothers first infected with rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy (identical to the cumulative incidence of rubella infection during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy) by this risk. The potential for fetal loss following rubella infection is not accounted for in these calculations. Statistics South Africa's 2005 mid-year estimate of the population under 1 year of age was used as a proxy for the number of pregnant women.
Patients presenting with a rash-like illness and clinically suspected measles were many times more likely to be IgM positive for rubella than for measles, except during the measles outbreak years of 2004 and 2005, and even in those years rubella positives exceeded measles positives (Table I). The seasonal distribution of rubella is shown in Fig. 1. The age distribution of IgM positives over the last 5 years is shown in Fig. 2 and ranges from 4 months to 64 years with a median of 7 years. However, a significant number of positives were also found in women of childbearing age group the proportion of positive specimens in the age group 12 - 49 years, where age and gender were recorded, ranged from 5.1% in 2008 to 9.6% in 2004 (Table II).
A total of 8 940 samples were tested for rubella IgG antibodies (Table III). Of these, 1 295 were supplied by private laboratories, reflecting the higher socio-economic sector of the population, and 7 645 were public sector specimens from NHLS laboratories or banked serum specimens. The susceptibility gap (rubella IgG negative) for women 12 - 49 years of age in private sector specimens was significantly greater that in public sector specimens (10.7% and 5.4% respectively; p<0.0005). The inter-provincial differences were insignificant.
The modelling exercise to predict the number of expected CRS cases in South Africa is shown in Table IV. During 2005 there were projected to have been 69 CRS cases per 100 000 live births in South Africa, ranging from 16 per 100 000 live births in the Eastern Cape to 69 in the Free State. The confidence intervals for most estimates are wide except for Limpopo province and the South African total. On the basis of these estimates there may have been 654 cases in South Africa for that year. The expected yearly incidence of CRS will vary depending on the epidemic cycle of the area, i.e. more cases during a year with a larger epidemic. The variation in incidence between provinces may be an artefact of small numbers or due to provinces being at different stages of the rubella epidemic cycle.
Rubella vaccine is not a component of the routine immunisation policy of South Africa, despite its being safe, effective and readily added to measles vaccine at minimal extra cost.
The annual incidence of CRS in South Africa is unknown it is rarely diagnosed by clinicians. By modelling data collected from nationwide serological studies, we predict that there should be approximately 654 cases of CRS per year in South Africa, i.e. approximately 0.5/1 000 live births, a figure considerably higher than the WHO estimated figure of 0.1 - 0.2 in endemic periods but lower than the epidemic rates of 1 - 4 per 1 000 live births.1 Most CRS cases may well not manifest at birth, and physical, intellectual and developmental retardation or auditory or visual problems appearing later in life may well not be ascribed to CRS. Surveillance of CRS requires active programmes, which have been carried out in several developing countries, such as a congenital cataracts survey in India11 and clinical-virological surveillance in Myanmar.12 Similar studies, for example newborn hearing screening,13 need to be undertaken to determine the true incidence of CRS in South Africa.
Nevertheless, data from studies in South Africa and our recent serosurveillance study reported above indicate that a significant sero-immunity gap (i.e. an absence of detectable protective IgG antibodies) exists in the upper socio-economic sector of the population, with some 10% of women whose sera were tested in private laboratories being seronegative as opposed to 5% for public sector specimens. Similar findings of a 5 - 7% serological gap were reported in public sector sera from the Western Cape,14 Johannesburg15 and Maputo.16 The worryingly wide sero-immunity gap in women from upper socio-economic strata was also evident in several studies published from Cape Town (10 - 18% in hospital staff)17,18 and Johannesburg (10 - 18.4% in laboratory staff and students).15
The immunity gap in upper socio-economic group women largely reflects better living standards and less crowding. However, the influence of the small but significant administration of MMR by private vaccination clinics may well aggravate the situation. Some 58 800 doses of MMR were administered over a 12-month period in 2007/2008. We estimate that about 100 000 children per annum utilise private vaccination facilities (about two-thirds of the 14.7% of the population who are on a medical aid), giving estimated rubella coverage of approximately 59%. This could be enough to reduce the circulation of wild-type virus sufficiently to create a significant immunity gap in adolescent and young women in this population. The scenario of rubella vaccination not being part of public policy but given in the private sector is common to many developing countries. The impact of private sector MMR vaccination has been modelled mathematically.19 The risk for the development of CRS was shown to be determined by three factors: (i) the pre-vaccination force of infection; (ii) the extent of private vaccination; and (iii) random mixing between the two populations. In South Africa the FOI is high, as shown by the large numbers of rubella IgMs detected in the rash surveillance programme as well as the high seroprevalence in women from the public sector. The extent of private vaccination is high in the urbanised population, where extensive mixing is also a feature. These factors suggest that the endemic incidence of CRS may well be considerable, while the risk of CRS were a large-scale epidemic to occur would be much greater. Fig. 1 illustrates the seasonal curve of rubella in South Africa. Although data before 2007 are very incomplete, the curve suggests increased epidemic activity every 2 - 3 years, a feature typical of rubella in temperate climates in the pre-vaccination era.20 If this pattern is followed, in the year 2009 (spring/early summer) we may well see an upsurge in rubella and possibly an outbreak of CRS.
The temptation to rush into incorporating MMR into the routine immunisation programme should be resisted until adequate protective conditions have been put into place to prevent an upward age shift of infection. The tragic outbreak of CRS in Greece is a graphic example of what could happen if MMR is introduced into routine immunisation without other programmes being in place.7 MMR immunisation of 15-month-old infants was introduced in the private sector in Greece in 1975, achieving coverage of just under 50% during the 1980s. In 1989 it was introduced into the public sector for 15-month-old infants and in 1991 changed to a 2-dose schedule at ages 15 months and 11 years. Importantly, there was no selective immunisation programme in place for adolescent girls. A study of outpatient rubella cases showed a significant shift in the age of infection from a median of 7 years in 1988 to 15 years in 1993. The percentage susceptibility in pregnant women similarly rose from 11% in 1971/5 to 35% in 1990/1. A large outbreak of rubella in the early spring of 1993 was followed later that year by the largest outbreak of CRS ever recorded in that country 24 CRS cases per 1 000 live births.
CRS can and should be eliminated from South Africa by simply making MMR part of routine immunisation. However, rushing into this without adequate safeguards may result in more harm than good. Before routine MMR is contemplated the following two precautionary conditions must be met:
A robust programme for selective immunisation of pre-pubertal/adolescent girls, best achieved by making immunisation a critical component of the school health system. This would also allow for other important adolescent vaccinations such as Td (tetanus and reduced-dose diphtheria vaccines), aP (acellular pertussis vaccine) and measles, and in future HPV and later HIV.
Routine measles immunisation coverage needs to be strengthened. A sustained coverage of >80% (the figure for the measles vaccine currently used, which is indicative of what the coverage would be if the combined MMR were to be introduced) in all districts is required in order to effect the reduction of circulating virus.1
1. World Health Organization. Rubella vaccines. Wkly Epidemiol Rec 2000; 75: 161-169. [ Links ]
2. World Health Organization. WHO Vaccine-preventable Diseases Monitoring System: 2006 Global Summary. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2006. http//www.who.int/vaccines-documents/GlobalSummary/GlobalSummary.pdf (accessed 17 December 2008). [ Links ]
3. Centers for Disease Control. Achievements in public health: Elimination of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, United States, 1969-2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2005; 54: 1-4. [ Links ]
4. Spika JS, Hanon FX, Wassilak S, Pebody R, Emiroglu N. Preventing congenital rubella infection in the European Region of WHO: 2010 target. Euro Surveill 2004; 9(4): 4-5. [ Links ]
5. Hinman AR, Irons B, Lewis M, Kandola K. Economic analyses of rubella and rubella vaccines: a global review. Bull World Health Organ 2002; 80(4): 264-270. [ Links ]
6. Schoub BD, Johnson S, McAnerney JM, et al. Measles, mumps and rubella immunization at nine months in a developing country. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1990; 9(4): 263-267. [ Links ]
7. Panagiotopoulos T, Antoniadou I, Valassi-Adam E. Increase in congenital rubella occurrence after immunisation in Greece: retrospective survey and systematic review. BMJ 1999; 319: 1462-1467. [ Links ]
8. Cutts FT, Vynnycky E. Modelling the incidence of congenital rubella syndrome in developing countries. Int J Epidemiol 1999; 28(6): 1176-1184. [ Links ]
9. Anderson RM, May RM. Infectious Diseases of Humans: Dynamics and Control. Oxford: Oxford Science Publications, 2004. [ Links ]
10. Miller E, Cradock-Watson J, Pollock T. Consequences of confirmed maternal rubella at successive stages of pregnancy. Lancet 1982; 2: 781-784. [ Links ]
11. Malathi J, Therese KL, Madhavan HN. The association of rubella virus in congenital cataract - a hospital-based study in India. J Clin Virol 2001; 23(1-2): 25-29. [ Links ]
12. Kyaw-Zin-Thant, Win-Mar-Oo, Thein-Thein-Myint, et al. Active surveillance for congenital rubella syndrome in Yangon, Myanmar. Bull World Health Organ 2006; 1: 12-20. [ Links ]
13. Swanepoel D, Ebrahim S, Joseph A, Friedland PL. Newborn hearing screening in a South African private health care hospital. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2007; 71(6): 881-887. [ Links ]
14. Corcoran C, Hardie DR. Seroprevalence of rubella antibodies among antenatal patients in the Western Cape. S Afr Med J 2005; 95(9): 688-690. [ Links ]
15. Johnson S, McAnerney JM, Schoub BD, Kidd AH. Laboratory monitoring of rubella. S Afr Med J 1985; 67(18): 721-723. [ Links ]
16. Barreto J, Sacramento I, Robertson SE, et al. Antenatal rubella serosurvey in Maputo, Mozambique. Trop Med Int Health 2006; 11(4): 559-564. [ Links ]
17. Donald PR, Berlyn PJ, Becker WB. The rubella immune status of female hospital personnel. S Afr Med J 1983; 63(1): 4. [ Links ]
18. Schoub BD, Johnson S, McAnerney JM, Borkon L. Susceptibility to poliomyelitis, measles, mumps and rubella in university students. S Afr Med J 1990; 77(1): 18-20. [ Links ]
19. Vynnycky E, Gay NJ, Cutts FT. The predicted impact of private sector MMR vaccination on the burden of congenital rubella syndrome. Vaccine 2003; 21(21-22): 2708-2719. [ Links ]
20. Best JM, Banatvala JE. Rubella. In: Zuckerman AJ, Banatvala JE, Pattison JR, Griffiths PD, Schoub BD, eds. Principles and Practice of Clinical Virology. 5th ed. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 2004: 427-457. [ Links ]
Accepted 31 March 2009.
* Corresponding author: B D Schoub (firstname.lastname@example.com)