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Lahiri, Toibin among Booker Prize finalists
Pulitzer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri and Irish novelist Colm Toibin are among six finalists for the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction - a diverse shortlist that includes a strong American contingent, a first-time novelist and a Buddhist priest.
Lahiri's Indian-American family saga "The Lowland" and Toibin's Bible-inspired "The Testament of Mary" are on the shortlist announced Tuesday for the 50,000-pound ($78,000) prize.
The other finalists are shantytown-set story "We Need New Names" by Zimbabwe's NoViolet Bulawayo; gold rush tale "The Luminaries" by New Zealand-based Eleanor Catton; rural requiem "Harvest" by Britain's Jim Crace; and Pacific-crossing story "A Tale for the Time Being" by Canada's Ruth Ozeki.
The head of the judging panel, writer Robert Macfarlane, said the six novels were "world-spanning in their concerns, and ambitious in their techniques."
"It is a shortlist that shows the English language novel to be a form of world literature. It crosses continents, joins countries and spans centuries," he said.
The Booker, which brings a huge publicity and sales boost for winners, is closely followed by readers, booksellers and literary gamblers, and the diversity of the list makes this year's contest especially unpredictable. Crace and Toibin are both previous Booker finalists. The other four writers - all women - are first-time nominees.
Bookmaker William Hill installed Catton - at 28 the youngest writer on the list - as favorite to win, followed by 67-year-old Crace.
Jonathan Ruppin, Web editor at the Foyles bookstore chain, agreed that "the judges' debate will ultimately be between Jim Crace and Eleanor Catton."
"Either book would be a thoroughly deserving winner, but Crace is probably the marginal favorite, if only because it's easier to imagine five people concurring about `Harvest' than `The Luminaries,'" he said. "It would also be overdue recognition for a writer appreciated far more overseas than by British readers, while there's absolutely no doubt that Catton has a career full of major awards ahead of her.'"
Bulawayo, a fellow at Stanford University in California, is the first writer from Zimbabwe to be a Booker finalist and the only debut novelist on the list.
She is one of three writers giving an unusually pronounced American accent to the prize, which is only open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth. Ozeki was born in Connecticut, while the British-born Lahiri is U.S.-based and is a member of President Barack Obama's President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
Ozeki, who lives in Canada and New York, is also an ordained Zen Buddhist priest.
The winner of the prize will be announced at a ceremony in London on Oct. 15.
Founded in 1969, the award is officially known as the Man Booker Prize after its sponsor, financial services firm Man Group PLC. Last year's winner was Hilary Mantel for her Tudor political saga "Bring Up the Bodies."
Online: https://www.themanbookerprize.com
Jill Lawless can be reached at https://Twitter.com/JillLawless


text: すべてPCIeスロット、Bluetooth 4.0搭載、eSATA×2など先進の機能を満載したマザーボード - Intel Z77チップセット搭載- Intel Core i7/i5/i3、Pentium、Celeron CPU対応- DDR3メモリ×4枚(最大32GB)対応- x16 3.0スロット×2、x16 2.0スロット×1、x1 2.0スロット×4- SATA 6Gb/s×4、SATA 3Gb/s×4、eSATA 6Gb/s×2- DisplayPort、HDMI- 1000BASE-T×2(内1つはCPU負荷が低く低消費電力のIntelチップを使用)- IEEE802.11a/b/g/n無線LAN機能搭載- Bluetooth 4.0/3.0+HS無線機能搭載- USB 3.0×8、USB 2.0×8- トリプルデジタル「SMART DIGI+ Power Control」(16+4+2フェーズ)搭載- マザーボードの電力を集中管理する電力制御チップ「EPU」を搭載- クロックや電圧の制御を行うオーバークロック制御チップ「TPU」を搭載- DLNAとスマートフォンからのリモートデスクトップに対応する「Wi-Fi GO!」- CPU+ケースファンを個別に温度制御できるファンコン機能「Fan Xpert 2」- タブレットやスマートフォンをPC電源オフ時にも高速充電できる「AI Charger+」- オーバークロックからハードウェアモニタまで高機能統合ツール「AI Suite II」- 初心者モードと上級者モードを備えるグラフィカルな高機能BIOS「EFI BIOS」- CPUやメモリがなくてもUSBメモリからBIOSを更新できる「USB BIOS Flashback」- USB 3.0の転送速度をブーストする「USB 3.0 Boost」- SSD+HDDで速度と容量を両立する「SSD Caching」- ATXフォームファクター Shop Modal header Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with SMART DIGI+ Technology The world's first Dual Intelligent Processors from ASUS pioneered twin onboard chips - TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) and EPU (Energy Processing Unit). Dual Intelligent Processors 3 builds on that foundation with new SMART DIGI+ power control, which includes multiple digital voltage controllers, allowing ultra-precise tuning for the CPU, iGPU and DRAM. It's upgraded with one-click extreme performance optimization and selectable CPU wattage levels, offering easier power control and better power savings with the user-friendly AI Suite II utility. TPU plus SMART DIGI+ TPU with the All-New SMART DIGI+ for a Blazing Performance Boost Always at the forefront of power design, ASUS propels you into the future standard of power management again by SMART DIGI+ Technology, which works with the TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) to ramps up performance to its maximum. Enable the all-new SMART DIGI+ key with a single click and adjust CPU ratios manually in the TPU to increase CPU frequency up to an incredible 85%! CPU Wattage Cut in Half! SMART DIGI+ Technology also includes the Smart CPU Power Level profile, which reduces CPU power consumption to a specific indicated wattage with a single click, creating a cooler and quieter PC. With next generation Intel® VRD 12.5 future power technology, ASUS once again leaps to the future of innovation. ASUS Exclusive Features Wi-Fi GO! It's a Home Theater, Extra Router and Even Acts a Portable PC on Your Tablet ASUS Wi-Fi GO! makes enjoying home entertainment easier than ever! Exclusive Wi-Fi functions provide DLNA streaming so you can enjoy a home theater PC, while also providing remote access to your PC with a smart device. ASUS Wi-Fi GO! leads the market by integrating Wi-Fi connectivity, DLNA access and all smart devices with a one-stop utility for a futuristic connected lifestyle. Wi-Fi hotspot setup for convenience:quickly set up and connect anywhere at home thanks to instant soft access point and device detection. Build your network without an extra router! Turn smartphones and tablets into a remote control: Remote Desktop: access your PC from a tablet? No sweat! Control your PC in real-time from a mobile device for complete comfort. This function brings notebook-like convenience, by creating a virtual remote desktop, offering portable access to your data in desktop with a smartphone or pad. Motion control your PC: entertaining and customizable! Using natural gestures, you can move directionally to use applications with a smartphone or tablet's motion sensors. For example, in media players you can fast forward, go next, stop, or create a music playing motion control profile. You can even program sensor scenarios to design your own motion-based game! Remote keyboard and mouse: sit back and control your computer by using your tablet's built-in QWERTY keyboard to type and click ! (Ensure to download Wi-Fi GO! Remote to your smart devices either from Android Market or App store.) DLNA streaming made easy:enjoy HD content, music and photos from the PC on your DLNA devices via Wi-Fi connectivity, the perfect match for creating your own home theater! Easy file and screenshot transfers: File Transfer: send and share files between your PC and smart devices* with only a right click on the mouse. Capture & Send: capture and send screen shots from your PC to smart devices directly by pressing the hotkey** *iPad/iPhone can only send, not receive files from the PC. **Hotkey set by users. Fan Xpert 2 Fan Auto Tuning Mode Seeing an opportunity for more fine-tuned control, Hardware-level ASUS Fan Xpert 2 literally blows away the competition. It provides an exclusive Fan Auto Tuning Mode to scan each fan's characteristics through the exclusive automatic fan speed detection, giving custom speed settings of each fan with a single click, achieving the best balance of cooling performance and low noise. RPM Fixed Mode Fan Xpert 2 also includes an RPM Fixed Mode for users who wish to reduce noise levels to near 0dB with highly specific fan speed control. It reacts to system loads for greater control. USB 3.0 Boost Faster USB 3.0 Transmission with UASP New ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology supports UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), the latest USB 3.0 standard. With USB 3.0 Boost technology, a USB device's transmission speed is significantly increased up to 170%, adding to an already impressive fast USB 3.0 transfer speed. ASUS software automatically accelerates data speeds for compatible USB 3.0 peripherals without the need for any user interaction.> Click Here to Learn More World's 1st USB 3.0 UASP Support – 170% faster instantly Complete USB 3.0 Solution – Performance boost for most USB devices Simple Plug & Boost – Auto detection design ensures best performance always USB BIOS Flashback Simple Plug & Press - Hardware-based BIOS Flashback A truly revolutionary hardware-based update solution. USB BIOS Flashback offers the most convenient way ever to update the BIOS! It allows users to update new UEFI BIOS versions even without hardware such as a CPU or DRAM installed into the motherboard. Just plug in a USB flash drive containing the BIOS file, and press the BIOS Flashback button for 3 seconds with the power supply connected. The UEFI BIOS will then automatically update without requiring further interaction. With its new, complementary Windows application, users can regularly check for UEFI BIOS updates and download the latest BIOS automatically. Hassle-free updating for the ultimate convenience! Network iControl Real-time Network Bandwidth Control With a single-click on/off button, the application currently in use has its data and network bandwidth prioritized over other programs. Moreover, you can prioritize your favorite software easily by configuring profiles through the intuitive user interface. Within the profile, programs can be pre-scheduled to run in a specific time period to avoid network congestion and long-waits on downloads. Auto PPPoE network connection provides a one-step setup for enhanced online convenience. Overall, it's an intuitive network bandwidth control center. ASUS SSD Caching 3X Faster Performance at a Click SSD Caching from ASUS is easier than ever. At 3X faster, this feature boosts system performance by using an installed SSD with no capacity limitations as a cache for frequently accessed data. Harness a combination of SSD-like performance and response and hard drive capacity with just one click, no rebooting needed and instant activation for complete ease of use, and even prevent data loss with included backup functionality. USB Charger+ 3X Faster Charging for All Smart Devices With a dedicated onboard controller, quick-charge all your smart devices such as iProducts. smartphones, tablets and more, all up to 3X faster, even when the PC is powered off, in sleep or hibernation modes. UEFI BIOS ASUS UEFI BIOS offers the first mouse-controlled graphical BIOS designed with selectable modes, providing a user-friendly interface that goes beyond traditional keyboard-only controls. It also natively supports fully-utilized hard drives larger than 2.2TB in 64-bit operating systems. ASUS Exclusive Interface EZ Mode displays frequently-accessed info. Users can choose system performance settings and drag and drop boot priorities. Advanced Mode for performance enthusiasts includes detailed DRAM settings via a dedicated memory info page for complete insight. New Upgrade! Quick and Easy Info for Enhanced System Control F12 BIOS snapshot hotkey for sharing UEFI setup info and troubleshooting New F3 Shortcut for most accessed info ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) Information for accessing memory info, detecting faulty DIMMs and helping with difficult POST situations LucidLogix Virtu MVP Up to 60% Hybrid Graphics Boost and 3X Faster Video Conversion LucidLogix Virtu MVP featuring HyperFormance™ Technology boosts your discrete graphics card up to 60% beyond its original performance through the test of 3DMark Vantage. Designed for Intel® processor graphics and Windows® 7 PCs, it perfectly combines the performance of discrete graphics cards with fast computing iGPU. Also with the newly designed Virtual Sync, users can enjoy a smoother gaming experience by eliminating tearing artifacts. LucidLogix Virtu MVP could also dynamically assign tasks to the best available graphics resource, based on power, performance and system load. This allows users to fully utilize 3x faster video conversion with Intel® Quick Sync Video technology while retaining high-end 3D rendering and gaming performance, provided by both NVIDIA® and AMD graphic cards. When the discrete graphics card is not required, power consumption goes automatically down to near zero, making the system more environmentally-friendly. For users searching for perfection, LucidLogix Virtu MVP provides great graphical performance and the best flexibility and efficiency. * LucidLogix® Virtu Universal MVP™ supports Windows® 7 operating system. ** Intel® Quick Sync Video feature is supported by 3rd/2nd generation Intel® Core™ processor family. *** System Config: OS: Windows 7 64bit SP1 | MB: P8Z77-V DELUXE | CPU: CPU-1155-QB15-2700K-3.5G-Sandy BRIDGE100-8M |DIMM: DDR3 G.SKILL 17000CL9Q-16GBZH 4GB * 4 | Lucidvirtu MVP version: V220.127.116.1197 | On-board Intel VGA Driver version: V126.96.36.19998 | ASUS GTX580 Driver version: V22.214.171.12462 Latest Transfer Technology PCIe 3.0 Ready The latest PCI Express bus standard delivers improved encoding for twice the performance of current PCIe 2.0. Total bandwidth for a x16 link reaches a maximum of 32GB/s, double the 16GB/s of PCIe 2.0 (in x16 mode). PCIe 3.0 provides users unprecedented data speeds, combined with the convenience and seamless transition offered by complete backward compatibility with PCIe 1.0 and PCIe 2.0 devices. It's a must-have feature for PC users aiming to improve and optimize graphics performance, as well as have the latest, most future-proof technology. *This motherboard is ready to support PCIe 3.0 SPEC. Functions will be available when using PCIe 3.0-compliant devices. Please refer to www.asus.com for updated details. Complete USB 3.0 Integration Double USB Access, Double Convenience ASUS facilitates strategic USB 3.0 accessibility for both the front and rear panel - 8 USB 3.0 ports in total. Experience the latest plug & play connectivity at speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0. This motherboard affords greater convenience to high speed connectivity. Extra SATA 6Gb/s Supports Extra Ports, Extra Speed and Accessibility The Intel® Z77 Express chipset natively supports the next-generation Serial ATA (SATA) interface, delivering up to 6Gb/s data transfers. ASUS provides extra SATA 6Gb/s ports with enhanced scalability, faster data retrieval and double the bandwidth of current bus systems. ASUS Crystal Sound DTS Connect Expand Your PC Audio Experience To get the most out of your audio entertainment across all formats and quality levels, DTS Connect combines two enabling technologies. DTS Neo:PC™ upmixes stereo sources (CDs, MP3s, WMAs, internet radio) into as many as 7.1 channels of incredible surround sound. Consumers can then connect their PC to a home theater system.DTS Interactive is capable of performing multi-channel encoding of DTS bitstreams on personal computers, and sending encoded bitstreams out of a digital audio connection (such as S/PDIF or HDMI) designed to deliver audio to an external decoder. DTS UltraPC II DTS UltraPC II delivers exceptional 7.1 surround through the most popular PC audio setups - your existing stereo speakers or headphones. In addition to virtual surround, it upgrades original sound to new levels with Audio Restoration, recreating the dynamic range of audio files. Symmetry mode improves the balance of perceived loudness across different input sources and Enhance boosts audio quality through high and low frequency equalization. With these technologies, users experience better home theater audio with ease. CPU, Chipset and Graphics Features LGA1155 Intel® 3rd/2nd Generation Processors Ready This motherboard supports Intel® 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor-based platform and 2nd generation Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors, with iGPU, memory and PCI Express controllers integrated to support onboard graphics output with dedicated chipsets, 2-channel (4 DIMM) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 3.0/2.0 lanes. This provides great graphics performance. Intel® 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor-based platform and 2nd generation Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors are among the most powerful and energy efficient CPUs in the world. Intel® Z77 Express Chipset The Intel® Z77 Express Chipset is a single-chipset design to support socket 1155 Intel® 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor-based platform and 2nd generation Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors. It provides improved performance by utilizing serial point-to-point links, allowing increased bandwidth and stability. Additionally, Z77 chipset provides 4 USB 3.0 ports for 10 times faster data retrieval speed. Moreover, Intel® Z77 Express Chipset can also enable iGPU function, letting users enjoy the latest Intel® integrated graphic performance. Quad-GPU SLI and Quad-GPU CrossFireX Support! Flexible Multi-GPU Solutions, Your Weapon of Choice! P8Z77-V DELUXE brings you the multi-GPU choice of either SLI™ or CrossFireX. The motherboard features the most powerful Intel® Z77 platform to optimize PCIe allocation in multiple GPU configurations. Expect a brand-new gaming style you've never experienced before! P8Z77-V DELUXE Product Overview Other ASUS Features Auto Tuning Achieve extreme yet stable overclocking results automatically DUAL LAN Dual Gigabit LAN Support (with One Intel LAN) AI Suite II One-stop Access to Innovative ASUS Features MemOK! Quickly ensures memory boot compatibility. 100% Japan-made Solid Cap Uses 100% Japan-made Solid Capacitor. Onboard Switch Power-on and Reset more convenient Stylish Heat-pipe Design Stylish heat-pipe features 0-dB thermal solution that offers a noiseless PC environment. Q-Design ASUS Q-Design enhances your DIY experience!

subset: commoncrawl


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The What If Machine - Jetpacks
For the final episode of this first series of The What If Machine, Cam investigates jetpacks in videogames.
For the final episode of this first series of The What If Machine, Cam investigates jetpacks in videogames.
Barry's best friend Flash, a robot dog, is just one of many features in Jetpack Joyride version 1.4.
Check out the power of the x-ray specs featured in the 1.3 update for Jetpack Joyride dropping on April 26th, 2012.
Here's a trailer for Jetpack Joyride showcasing the Gravity Belt found in the 1.3 update.
Check out a new Freeze-O-Matic gadget trailer for Jet Pack Joy Ride.
The 1.3 update for Jetpack Joyride is the biggest yet, featuring a ton of gadgets that are available for purchase in the stash.
Naughty Dog leads the pack with 12 nominations for AIAS-organized honors, joins Portal 2, Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, and Zelda: Skyward Sword as Game of the Year candidates.
These are GameSpot's nominees for the Best Mobile Game of 2011.
GameSpot's Laura Parker assesses whether the growing influence of mobile games presents a threat or an opportunity for the wider video game industry.
We take a look at Jetpack Joyride, Edge Extended, and Squids. Plus, Johnny investigates the moral impact of board games on society.
Randolph Ramsay takes you through our top iOS games for the week ending September 2, 2011!
Steampunk pirates, machine-gun-propelled vehicles, role-playing goodness, and a gaming icon's big return are all part of this week's top iPhone/iPad list.
We bust out Barry Steakfries' signature hog in Jetpack Joyride.
A stray rocket ruins our run in Jetpack Joyride.
Here's the launch trailer for Jetpack Joyride.
This shows how you can customize your experience by leveling up, submitting high scores to social media sites, equipping Barry Steakfries, and updating your profile.
Use your keyboard!
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"The ones we love…are enemies of the state." Sophocles
A contemporary re-imagining of Sophocles' Antigone (which I was unfamiliar with until I wiki-ed it), deals with clashes between family, society, and religious faith. It is a tragic tale of two very different Muslim families in Britain, in an age of terror.
This year's winner of the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction, it was also longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2017. Most Bailey's selections are readable, but this one was also suspenseful to the end and had an epic feel, despite its relatively short length. The author looks at love and loyalty with the backdrop of today's immigration issues and 'home-grown' terrorism. It's so easy to paint people from other religions and cultures with the same brush, but there is of course such considerable difference and nuance in each person's story.
"Isma is free. After years of watching out for her younger siblings in the wake of their mother's death, she's accepted an invitation from a mentor in America that allows her to resume a dream long deferred. But she can't stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London, or their brother, Parvaiz, who's disappeared in pursuit of his own dream, to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he never knew. When he resurfaces half a globe away, Isma's worst fears are confirmed."
Each of the main characters in this story gets their turn to be the narrator which is a style that really works well for this type of novel. After all, seeing things from someone else's viewpoint is the most crucial element in empathy and understanding. I like how one reviewer described this book, as "…a novel that poses weighty questions about British politics and society through their impact on the most elemental levels of the state: the family and the human heart."


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We're not wasting any time -- let's get right to it. PEANUT BUTTER RECIPES AHEAD!!!
Entire recipe: 250 calories, 10.5g total fat (1.5g sat fat), 325mg sodium, 32.5g carbs, 11.5g fiber, 12g sugars, 8g protein Freestyle™ SmartPoints® value 8* OK, so there's no actual queso in this 'dilla, but you get the picture -- it's a gooey, hot, and crunchy tortilla-fest!
Ingredients: One 6-inch high-fiber flour tortilla with 80 calories or less (like the kind by La Tortilla Factory or Mission) 1 tbsp. reduced-fat creamy peanut butter 2 tsp. low-sugar strawberry preserves 1 tbsp. raisins, chopped 1 1/2 tsp. chopped peanuts Directions: Lay tortilla flat, and spread with peanut butter. Top one half with preserves, avoiding the tortilla edges, and sprinkle with chopped raisins and peanuts. Fold the PB-only half over the other half, and press gently to seal. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Cook quesadilla until hot and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Slice into wedges and enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING
1/9th of recipe: 145 calories, 6g total fat (1g sat fat), 192mg sodium, 16.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 8.5g sugars, 6g protein Freestyle™ SmartPoints® value 5* Creamy, frozen peanut butter treats with a chocolate CRUNCH? This recipe rocks hard... Ingredients: 1/2 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter 4 oz. fat-free cream cheese 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 cup light vanilla soymilk 1 cup Cool Whip Free (thawed) 2 sheets (8 crackers) chocolate graham crackers, crushed 2 tbsp. light chocolate syrup Optional topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip Directions: In a large bowl, combine peanut butter with cream cheese. With an electric mixer set to medium speed, beat until smooth and uniform. Reduce speed to low. Continue to beat while gradually adding powdered sugar, followed by soymilk. Beat until smooth, 2 - 3 minutes. Fold in Cool Whip until uniform. Pour mixture into an 8" X 8" baking pan. Top with crushed graham crackers, and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 1/2 hours. Devour! MAKES 9 SERVINGS
Forget the chocolate. Skip the jelly. For an ALL peanut butter dessert, you NEED to make this Freezy Downside-Up PB Dream Pie!
Back to the classic PB&C combo, bake up a pan of Nutty-Good PB Brownies! They're so wonderful, you'd have to be NUTTY not to love 'em...
For more peanut butter + chocolate combos, click here for our PB&C Cake in a Mug and Choco-PB Pudding Crunch Parfait recipes! Bonus: Each recipe serves one, so you don't have to share!
Peanut butter baking chips are GREAT for infusing PB flavor into snacky food items. Try our Ultimate Movie-Viewing Snack Mix, and see for yourself!
The King of Choc'-n-Roll Cake is waiting. So good, it might get you all shook up!
Peanut butter doesn't belong only in sweet foods! Click here to satisfy your taste buds with our Hip-Hip-Hooray Chicken Satay, and click here for our Thai-Style No-Cook Stir-Fry!
Everyone knows someone who LOVES peanut butter -- click "Send to a Friend" now!
A very happy National Peanut Butter Lovers Month to you! If today's email didn't give you enough options, you'll be pleased to learn that there are TWENTY-FOUR peanut-butter-ific recipes in our new cookbook, HUNGRY GIRL TO THE MAX! Including... 135-calorie Chocolate PB Pretzel Cupcakes!!!
SmartPoints® value not what you expected? Click here for more info on how the values are calculated, plus more FAQs about PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® values on our website.


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New York Times
July 28, 2005
Reading Between the Lines of Used Book Sales
By HAL R. VARIAN
THE Internet is a bargain hunter's paradise. Ebay is an easy example, but there are many places for deals on used goods, including Amazon.com.
While Amazon is best known for selling new products, an estimated 23 percent of its sales are from used goods, many of them secondhand books. Used bookstores have been around for centuries, but the Internet has allowed such markets to become larger and more efficient. And that has upset a number of publishers and authors.
In 2002, the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers sent an open letter to Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon.com, which has a market for used books in addition to selling new copies. "If your aggressive promotion of used book sales becomes popular among Amazon's customers," the letter said, "this service will cut significantly into sales of new titles, directly harming authors and publishers."
But does it? True, consumers probably save a few dollars while authors and publishers may lose some sales from a used book market. Yet the evidence suggests that the costs to publishers are not large, and also suggests that the overall gains from such secondhand markets outweigh any losses.
Consider a recent paper, "Internet Exchanges for Used Books," by Anindya Ghose of New York University and Michael D. Smith and Rahul Telang of Carnegie-Mellon. (The text of the paper is available at ssrn.com/abstract=584401.)
The starting point for their analysis is the double-edged impact of a used book market on the market for new books. When used books are substituted for new ones, the seller faces competition from the secondhand market, reducing the price it can set for new books. But there's another effect: the presence of a market for used books makes consumers more willing to buy new books, because they can easily dispose of them later.
A car salesman will often highlight the resale value of a new car, yet booksellers rarely mention the resale value of a new book. Nevertheless, the value can be quite significant.
This is particularly true in textbook markets, where many books cost well over $100. Judith Chevalier of the Yale School of Management and Austan Goolsbee at the Chicago Business School recently examined this market and found that college bookstores typically buy used books at 50 percent of cover price and resell them at 75 percent of cover price. Hence the price to "rent" a book for a semester is about $50 for a $100 book.
Ms. Chevalier and Mr. Goolsbee found that students were well aware of industry practices and took resale value into account when they bought books. (The study, "Are Durable Goods Consumers Forward Looking? Evidence from College Textbooks," is available at Mr. Goolsbee's Web site, gsbwww.uchicago.edu/fac/austan.goolsbee/w
Back to Amazon. Professors Ghose, Smith and Telang chose a random sample of books in print and studied how often used copies were available on Amazon. In their sample, they found, on average, more than 22 competitive offers to sell used books, with a striking 241 competitive offers for used best sellers. The prices of the secondhand books were substantially cheaper than the new, but of course the quality of the used books (in terms of wear and tear) varied considerably.
According to the researchers' calculations, Amazon earns, on average, $5.29 for a new book and about $2.94 on a used book. If each used sale displaced one new sale, this would be a less profitable proposition for Amazon.
But Mr. Bezos is not foolish. Used books, the economists found, are not strong substitutes for new books. An increase of 10 percent in new book prices would raise used sales by less than 1 percent. In economics jargon, the cross-price elasticity of demand is small.
One plausible explanation of this finding is that there are two distinct types of buyers: some purchase only new books, while others are quite happy to buy used books. As a result, the used market does not have a big impact in terms of lost sales in the new market.
Moreover, the presence of lower-priced books on the Amazon Web site, Mr. Bezos has noted, may lead customers to "visit our site more frequently, which in turn leads to higher sales of new books." The data appear to support Mr. Bezos on this point.
Applying the authors' estimate of the displaced sales effect to Amazon's sales, it appears that only about 16 percent of the used book sales directly cannibalized new book sales, suggesting that Amazon's used-book market added $63.2 million to its profits.
Furthermore, consumers greatly benefit from this market: the study's authors estimate that consumers gain about $67.6 million. Adding in Amazon's profits and subtracting out the $45.3 million of losses to authors and publishers leaves a net gain of $85.5 million.
All in all, it looks like the used book market creates a lot more value than it destroys.
Hal R. Varian is a professor of business, economics and information management at the University of California, Berkeley.
The link. (Registration Required.)


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Weather Blog: Comfy cool and storm photo recap
Thank you for stopping by the Weather Watch 12 blog! A comfortably cool airmass has arrived across southeastern Wisconsin. In today's blog we discuss how long below average temperatures stick around, and look at some crazy good storms photos from Sunday evening.
Closing out the Labor Day holiday we can expect less humidity, cool temperatures, and clouds gradually giving way to partly sunny skies. High temperatures look to stay near 70 or just into the low 70s early this week.
The WPC surface forecast map valid Tuesday at 7am shows high pressure('H') locked in across the Midwest. This will lead to a cool first day of school for area kids. Morning bus stop temperatures will likely be near 50 inland, with mid to upper 50s closer to Lake Michigan.
Warmer temperatures return to the area Wednesday with highs near 80. The warm-up won't last long as winds shift off Lake Michigan on Thursday with highs in the low to mid 70s. Average highs are now at 76 in Milwaukee.
With a quiet week ahead let's take a look back at a couple of amazing storm photos in our area from Sunday evening. Both photos below show mammatus clouds on the underside of the anvil of a cumulonimbus cloud.
The first photo was taken by Steve Paluch @BrewCityChaser of New Berlin. The lower hanging bumpy clouds are the one's known as mammatus.
Another photo of mammatus clouds was submitted by @VivaBrachmann -- the photo was taken in Franklin.
Seeing mammatus clouds this well defined in southeast Wisconsin does not happen often. If you have a photo to share please email it to email@example.com or tweet me the photo @jnelsonweather
For the latest weather information watch WISN 12 News.
Have a great day!
Jeremy Nelson


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While considering how to differentiate Aspenmark Roofing & Solar from its competitors in a market that has no licensing, Zazo embraced community service. "I wanted to find a way to better our industry and really take the sting off the title of 'roofing contractor,'" he says. "We were getting asked every year by this charity and that organization to support their causes' which we were happy to do. Then we got involved doing the new-build roofs for Dallas Habitat for Humanity and really rallied around that organization."
To differentiate his firm's charitable work from its for-profit work, Zazo officially established the non-profit Roof Angels in 2013, but he couldn't quiet his entrepreneurial spirit. He wondered how he could involve the entire roofing industry in community service. "I really wanted to put together a program for the industry," he explains. "I wanted to get the manufacturers and distributors involved, get our employees involved and create a model in which if we took it to a national organization it could be replicated anywhere in the United States. I dug a little further and found out Habitat has a program called A Brush with Kindness, which is perfect for this idea."A Brush with Kindness is Habitat for Humanity's home-repair program for owners who are struggling to maintain their homes. The program seeks $10,000 donations to support one family's home repairs. "When we found out about this program, we jumped in and asked, 'What if we [Aspenmark Roofing & Solar] took the roof off of your hands?'" Zazo recalls. "The roof is usually about 50 to 70 percent of the budget for the home repairs, so, without it in the budget, A Brush with Kindness could do much more to a deserving family's home. I reached out to GAF to see if they'd donate the shingles. I called SRS Distribution to see if they'd donate the accessory items and delivery. Then all we had to do was raise money for the labor. We proposed this model to Habitat and they said, 'We love it. When can you start?'"
A Brush with Kindness' representatives asked Roof Angels and its partners, Parsippany, N.J.-based GAF and McKinney, Texas-based SRS Distribution, to repair and/or replace up to 30 roofs per year. In the beginning, Zazo hadn't thought through the fundraising part of Roof Angels, so he was often paying his crews for these roof installations out of his own pocket. He started holding Happy Hours and other small events in which he could quickly raise a few thousand dollars.


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Bargain Alert at All Saints!Friday, November 28th, 2008
If like me, you've been eyeing up all that All Saints have to offer this season, then it may be worth paying one of their stores a visit or having a little peruse online, as until 30th November (Sunday) they are offering 20% selected items!
My top picks are these three gorgeous items:
Firstly, you can pick up a great leather item such as this fringed gillet, which is perfect for so many trends this season. Ordinarily £350 you can pick this up for just £280 if you pick it up before the end of the week!
Secondly you could invest in some great denim. These indigo low rise skinnies feature zip fastenings at the hem to follow for a skinnier fit. Normally £55, these can be nabbed for £44.
Lastly a great trench is a must-have for any wardrobe and I love this double breasted draped version. It features concealed flap pockets and is waterproof and is a classic item that will last and last. You'd usually have to pay £250 but for this limited time can snap it up for £200.


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Wild Cards making trade decisions more difficult
Additional postseason berths challenging teams in choosing whether to buy or sell
It can't possibly be easy to be a general manager this time of year, especially with the way the expanded postseason has added a layer of uncertainty to the standings situation.
Not that all of us necessarily feel sorry for these guys.
"You know what?" said Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips. "I like the extra Wild Cards. It gives GMs something to do. Because sometimes when I look at certain GMs, it looks like they just be chilling, eating, watching the game. So I think it's good that this gives them something to do."
Oh, they've got something to do, all right. What looks like "chilling" is actually studying a situation that, in many cases, is murky. And there is a lot of money, fan support and, oh yeah, job security relying on coming to the right conclusions.
The added Wild Card slot in each league -- an arrangement that debuted last season -- has added intrigue to the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Because while some clubs are already undisputed sellers (Miami, the most prominent example, already moved arguably the No. 1 starting pitcher on the market in Ricky Nolasco), there are several clubs that can't help but wonder if they have got that one hot streak inside them, if they can climb into contention with a strong spurt.
"I think [front-office executives] realize that," said Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee, "and obviously having another Wild Card increases your chances."
At the All-Star break, there are 17 clubs within 5 1/2 games of a postseason spot and five others within 9 1/2 games. At a time when we are short on juggernauts, the only division lead larger than 2 1/2 games is the six-game edge the Braves hold on the Nationals in the National League East. To be deeply flawed is not to be sans pulse, and that is important to note. GMs have to decide whether to buy into the possibility of a sudden surge.
Lee's Phillies are proof positive of the Deadline's difficulty, because coming out of the break last season, they were 37-50, 14 games back in the NL East and, more important, 10 games out of the second Wild Card spot. On the morning of the Deadline, they were 13 behind that final postseason spot. Naturally, they gravitated toward the selling side of the equation, and they unloaded outfielders Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence in the final hours before the Deadline.
A funny thing had happened, though, by Sept. 12: The Phillies climbed above .500 and into contention. They were just three games out of the second Wild Card slot with 19 to play.
Now, whether they would have made that run with Victorino and Pence still on the team is something we will never know. Nor will we ever know if Pence and Victorino might have allowed the Phillies to overcome that three-game deficit and vault into the postseason, where opposing clubs would have had their hands full with Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay, all of whom pitched well in that second-half surge.
And that is pretty much the point. In this game -- especially now -- you never know.
Little wonder, then, why GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies are wavering right now as they decide whether to part with some of their veteran talent -- guys like Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley and Michael Young -- in order to stock up for 2014 and beyond or ride along with (or possibly improve) what they have in a very much undecided NL East.
"The Phillies have historically been a second-half team," Lee said. "[Members of the front office] have mentioned that to me before. You don't want to continue to have to rely on that, but considering where we are right now, you've got to continue to find the positive things."
There are several clubs in situations similar to that of the Phillies. The Blue Jays, Royals and Angels are far from where they wanted or expected to be this season, but there is seemingly little reason for them to start unloading the likes of Josh Johnson, Ervin Santana or a healthy Jason Vargas, to cite just three obvious examples.
The expanded postseason has philosophically and psychologically lengthened the season, in a sense, because even when you are somewhat convincingly out of the hunt, you can fight your way back in. And that is why many of the notable names in the rumor mill are not yet on the actual trading block.
Their clubs simply can't decide what to do.
"A lot of teams you think might normally be breaking things up aren't," Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "There just aren't a lot of players that are truly available."
While the optimism about getting into the postseason might be offset slightly by the daunting specter of a one-game playoff, most clubs will gladly sign up for the opportunity. The 2011 Cardinals' improbable rise from the August ashes to championship paydirt and the Giants' surge from an 0-2 deficit in last fall's Division Series against the Reds both demonstrate, in a dramatic way, that it is the hottest team that hoists the World Series trophy in this format.
So why not give your team every opportunity to get hot?
"If you're in that situation, you see [the Wild Card] as your one big shot to get in," said Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, "and then anything can happen. That makes the game more interesting."
Right now, it is plenty interesting. The Deadline is less than two weeks away, and GMs have to decide where to draw the line between real hope and invented optimism.
They have definitely got something to do.


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Stephen Jacobi is executive director of the NZ-US Council.
TPP negotiators meet in Auckland this week to further a plan to create jobs and growth. Everyone agrees - an unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent is unacceptably high.
What is less clear is what can be done about it. New Zealand is not alone in this problem - the International Labour Organisation has forecast that in 2013 about 7 million people will become unemployed around the world in addition to the 200 million already without a job, including a large proportion of youth.
Jobs matter and trade has a role to play in providing employment to two out of every three New Zealanders.
The problem is that global job supply is failing to keep up with demand.
Markets are depressed, governments mostly broke and consumers reticent. The World Trade Organisation has revised downwards its forecast for volume growth in trade for 2012 from 3.7 per cent to 2.5 per cent.
This is the background against which officials from the eleven economies negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership will meet in Auckland this week.
That they are meeting at all is because their governments know the value in terms of jobs and growth that can be created by eliminating trade barriers, putting in place better trade rules and reducing the time and cost in doing business. OECD modelling shows that if G20 economies cut their tariff and non-tariff barriers by 50 per cent, it would create 34,400 semi-skilled jobs and 18,400 skilled jobs in New Zealand.
An open letter to the Prime Minister has been co-signed by 50 New Zealand business representatives. The letter makes clear the support that exists for the TPP negotiating process on the part of New Zealand's largest and most successful companies from a range of sectors, traditional such as agriculture, forestry and fishing and non-traditional such as manufacturing, services and technology.
These business leaders acknowledge the complexity of the negotiation and the high stakes of getting it right.
Nonetheless they see "great advantages from a future agreement that is high quality, comprehensive and ambitious ... [one that] meets business and wider needs and reflects the way business is being done today and will be done in the future".
It's time to get real. Jobs do not create themselves - jobs are created when businesses take risks and invest their money to make a return.
Investment happens when the environment is right, when the rules are clear and there is a degree of certainty about the future.
The more uncertain the outlook, the harder the investment process, the less investment and fewer jobs there will be.
This week TPP negotiators will come together to further the work started over two years ago to improve the environment for investment and business growth in the region. Collectively they represent 650 million people with a total GDP of US$21 trillion ($25.6 trillion). Credible research suggests the gains from TPP could be in the order of $500 billion for the region's economy by 2025. New Zealand's share could be $2.1 billion or just under 1 per cent of GDP.
The matters under discussion this week will cover the 29 draft chapters of the future agreement, including market access and rules of origin, services, investment, intellectual property, labour and the environment and technical barriers to trade.
Bilateral meetings between TPP participants will take place every day during the round. The TPP economies include four of New Zealand's top 10 trading partners and represent 38 per cent of our exports.
Imagine the outcry if New Zealanders were to be woken up one morning and told that a new trade agreement had been signed with this group but New Zealand was excluded. Yet not everyone this week will be happy to see the TPP team in town.
A range of opinions both for and against TPP will be aired at the Stakeholder Forum on Friday and there will be inevitable and alarmist criticism about negotiators meeting behind closed doors, the absolute certainty that TPP will lead to more expensive medicine, multinationals suing the Government and - this one is the best of all - bringing down the internet.
It's right that there is robust public debate about TPP but this is a negotiation - an attempt in a structured process to find scope for consensus.
Those opposed to TPP are right in one respect - more needs to be done to explain the benefits of free and open trade and investment to New Zealanders.
That's why the letter from chief executives has been published today and why a range of business organisations have come together to launch a new website - www.tradeworks.org.nz - which contains a wealth of information about trade and international business and resources related to the TPP negotiations.
Without more trade and business it's hard to see how the jobs dilemma can be effectively addressed. Those who oppose TPP on ideological grounds need to come up with an alternative vision.
Outdated ideas about protecting local industry and tired old arguments about sovereignty are giving way to a new dialogue about competitiveness and skills and the benefits of interdependence in the global economy. New Zealand is leading that dialogue in Auckland this week.


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11 Issue 333Published - 14:00 UTC
08:00 EST 19-Dec-2009
Next Update - 14:00 UC 08:00 EST
Editor: Susan K. Boyer, RN
All rights reserved.
Disparity in use of implantable devices to prevent sudden death in heart failure patients
(19 December 2009: VIDYYA MEDICAL NEWS SERVICE) -- A study of heart failure patients who meet national guidelines for devices that stabilize and strengthen the heart's electrical system found that only half of eligible patients received the devices. The study, which is the first to examine the management of heart failure patients in outpatient cardiology practices throughout the United States, also found wide, unexplained variations in the use of the devices, known as implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). The study is published in the December 2009 issue of the journal HeartRhythm.
Certain heart failure patients with weakened pumping ability and those who develop a condition called left ventricular systolic dysfunction after a heart attack are at risk for an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death. The heart suddenly stops beating after an electrical disturbance causes the heart to beat rapidly or chaotically. Extensive clinical trial experience and national guidelines recommend the placement of ICDs in patients with either of these conditions as a preventive measure.
"These patients have not had a major heart arrhythmia, but they are at high risk for a rhythm abnormality and therefore meet the criteria for device-based treatment," says the study's lead author, Mandeep R. Mehra, M.B.B.S., professor of medicine, head of the Division of Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and chief of cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "The device is implanted in order to be available if needed. For every 14 patients implanted with an ICD, one patient will experience a rhythm disorder that will trigger the device within two years."
The guidelines for device-based therapy of cardiac rhythm abnormalities were developed by the American College of Cardiologists, the American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society. These guidelines are Class One recommendations, which Dr. Mehra says are must-do, based on tight evidence or clear consensus in the field that they should be done.
Study design
The study, known as IMPROVE-HF (Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting), captured data from about six percent of the 40,000 cardiologists practicing in the U.S. For two years, beginning in 2005, researchers reviewed the medical records of 15,381 patients in 167 community-based and academic-affiliated outpatient cardiology practices geographically dispersed throughout the U.S. A representative sample of records was screened from each practice to yield an average of 90 patients per practice.
The data, which included patient demographics, medical history, heart function, laboratory results and treatments, was reviewed by a group of 34 chart review specialists. The investigators also evaluated the reasons that patients did not have ICD implantation, such as patient refusal and medical, economic or religious reasons.
Study findings
According to current guidelines, 7,532 patients in the study were eligible for ICD implantation; 311 of those had documented medical contraindications or other reasons for not receiving an ICD. Among the remaining 7,221 eligible patients, 3,659 (50.7 percent) had devices implanted.
Patients not offered the device despite the guidelines were most often older patients, blacks and those who did not have insurance. By contrast, men were more likely to receive a device than women. People whose hearts did not get enough blood and oxygen and those who had two types of heart rhythm disorders, atrial fibrillation and wide QRS, also were more likely to receive ICD therapy. The therapy also was more likely in patients treated with a variety of common heart disease medications, such as beta-blockers, statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
Cardiology practices in the Northeast U.S. were more likely to adhere to guidelines, as were those with a dedicated heart failure clinic and those staffed with heart rhythm disorder specialists called electrophysiologists.
The researchers note several limitations to the interpretation of the data. A proportion of the records of patients who appeared to be ICD-eligible lacked critical details that may have accounted for the decision not to use the devices. For example, functional capacity, a key measurement of heart disease severity and prognosis, was documented for only 66.5 percent of patients. Similarly, race was not consistently documented throughout the study group, potentially obscuring the true influence of race in the decision to use ICD therapy. ICD usage in eligible patients may be overestimated in this study because the data came from self-selected cardiology practices willing to participate in a quality improvement initiative.
Dr. Mehra says concerns about costs may also have figured in the decision of some cardiologists not to use ICD therapy in certain eligible patients. The cost of the devices and the professional and technical fees associated with their implantation and maintenance totals about $50,000. He says the devices have been shown to be cost-effective in the long run. But he adds that it may be necessary to develop more refined criteria for implantation, to make it easier to predict which patients might actually benefit from the devices.
"This research provides useful insight into an apparent gap in patients receiving a recommended therapy in the United States," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Whether the gap is the result of medical or societal factors, concerns about costs, or other issues, Dr. Mehra's study is an important benchmark in the effort to understand how best to treat people with debilitating heart disease."
Heart failure affects nearly 5 million Americans. It develops when the heart is not able to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. The heart compensates for this loss in pumping capacity by growing larger, increasing muscle mass and pumping faster to increase the heart's output. Eventually, the heart and the body cannot keep up with the demands, and the person begins to experience the fatigue and breathing problems that often are the first signs of the disease.
The IMPROVE HF registry and this study are sponsored by Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, a maker of ICD devices. The authors served as consultants to Medtronic.
Mehra MR, Yancy CW, Albert NM, Curtis AB, Stough WG, Gheorghiade M, Heywood JT, McBride ML, O'Connor CM, Reynolds D, Walsh MN, Fonarow GC. "Evidence of clinical practice heterogeneity in the use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators in heart failure and post-myocardial infarction left ventricular dysfunction: Findings from IMPROVE HF." HeartRhythm. Volume 6, Issue 12, Pages 1727-1734 (December 2009).
Return to Vidyya Medical News Service for 19 December 2009
© Vidyya. All rights reserved.
Information appearing on the Vidyya Medical News Service is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Seek professional medical help and follow your health care provider's advice.
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Redlands Connection is a concoction of sports memories emanating from a city that once numbered less than 20,000 people. From the Super Bowl to the World Series, from the World Cup to golf's U.S. Open, plus NCAA Final Four connections, Tour de France cycling, major tennis, NBA and a little NHL, aquatics and quite a bit more, the sparkling little city that sits around halfway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs on Interstate 10 has its share of sports connections. – Obrey Brown
There they were, lined up, one shot apart among the leader board at the 1997 "Augusta Invitational." It's called The Masters.
Tom Kite had Tommy Tolles beaten by a stroke after 72 holes, 282-283. At 284, there was a legend, Tom Watson, a multiple major tournament champion. He was followed by a pair of golfers at 285, Constantina Rocca and Paul Stankowski. Previous Masters champion Fred Couples, two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer, British Open champion Justin Leonard, PGA Champions Davis Love III and Jeff Sluman closed out their tournament with identical 286s.
At 270 stood Tiger Woods. A dozen shots ahead. Dominant. A record 18-under par. Augusta would never be the same.
He'd won The Masters.
It would be the lead story in the April 14, 1997 Redlands Daily Facts.
The local angle was simple.
Sixteen years earlier, Redlands Country Club head golf professional Norm Bernard had called me with an invitation. Maybe it was an assignment. Or a request. Maybe he was begging.
Little Eldrick Woods, already known to the world as Tiger, had been invited to Redlands for a 9-hole exhibition match. He was about to turn six.
Norm and I started a little verbal sparring. I didn't necessarily want to be there. He very definitely wanted me to be there.
"I don't know, Norm. A 9-hole exhibition?"
Would our readers even care?
"What else have you got going on?" Norm asked.
In truth, he was correct. Nothing, at least locally, was taking place. School was shut down for winter break. Except for the San Bernardino Kiwanis Tournament, a basketball extravaganza for Redlands High, nothing of a sporting nature was taking place.
It just seemed like I could be working on something more meaningful that day.
"Aw, Norm."
"C'mon. I'll buy you lunch."
He was being as gracious as possible. While being demanding. Charming. A little pushy. Norm was always under fire at that club. Private golf members can be demanding. They want their privacy. They also wanted a little publicity when it mattered.
Redlands CC was full of private club members that were movers and shakers in our community. One of them, Bill Moore, had been my publisher. There had long been rumblings and grumblings about country club coverage in our local pages.
The women's club had its set of demands.
Of course, there was the club tournament.
Weekly twilight play, results in the summer. Usually, it was the same names.
It was Norm's job to process results for newspaper publication.
No resentment from me. All part of the job. Bowling had its own set of demands. So did recreation tennis. We had local motorsports. The soccer people were always on the move. The sports section is for everyone. Any achievements should be duly noted.
That was the undercurrent of the relationship between the local country club and the local newspaper.
The year was 1982, just after Christmas. Bill Moore, who'd sold the paper a year or so earlier, was gone. His country club cronies were no longer bugging him to light the fire under me. Meanwhile, they'd light the fire under Norm. No longer were there job-related demands hanging over my head. This was truly my decision. I had to admit I was a little curious.
The next day would be little Tiger's sixth birthday. Already, the little guy had been celebrated on television, once on the Mike Douglas Show as a three-year-old that could amazingly swing a golf club. Bob Hope, an avid golfer in his own right, was also a guest that day.
Another appearance came on ABC-TV's "That's Incredible," hosted by John Davidson, Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby.
Norm had known Tiger's dad, Earl Woods. Because of that association, he'd invited Tiger to play golf at Redlands.
Fourteen-year-old Michele Lyford, who would one day go on to win the girls' CIF golf championship, was selected to be Tiger's playing opponent on that day. There was a small gallery as Tiger finished the nine-hole round by shooting 47.
Lyford was also the champion of the 1986 Junior World in the older 15-17 age category, an event held every summer in San Diego. It should also be pointed out that other yearly winners included Carolyn Hill, Kim Saiki, Brandie Burton (who was from nearby Rialto) and Christi Erb – future LPGA professionals.
Tiger, of course, was the headliner at Redlands on Dec. 27, 1981.
The highlight of the day was, perhaps, the final hole. Tiger had knocked his ball smack into the bunker, smack dab against the lip – an impossible shot for even the most experienced of golfers.
The kid was poised even then.
One day shy of his sixth birthday, Tiger took out his club and hit his shot backward, into the chipping area in front of the green.
Then he knocked the ball in position for a double bogey. Even then, he was trained to minimize trouble. Of the 30, or so, people in attendance for this little showcase match, they had to be awestruck at his club selection.
No one discussed the shot. No one told him what to do. The kid was left alone.
His father, Earl, wasn't present. His mother, Kultilda, was watching quietly nearby.
This little golf prodigy had played bogey golf throughout the match. That in itself was incredible, John, Fran and Cathy Lee!
Afterward, the club gave him a birthday party.
Afterward, I'm embarrassed to say, I handed this little guy a piece of paper – and a pen. Yes, I asked him for his autograph. He made his letters carefully, his little tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth while he wrote, "Eldrick Woods."
Wish I still had that little slip of paper.
Sixteen years later, he won the Masters. That was just the beginning.
I forgot what Michele shot that day.
My column on April 14, 1997 was all about Tiger. Redlands. Winning the Masters. My reluctance to cover it. I'd written, "I'm glad Norm convinced me to come."
Norm called later to recall the memories.
Any more birthday parties you want me to cover, Norm?


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Chávez's Health Worsens, Hit By New, Severe Infection
President Hugo Chávez is breathing with greater difficulty as a new and severe respiratory infection has taken hold, Venezuela's government said, describing the cancer-stricken president's condition as "very delicate."
A brief statement read on national television by Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas late Monday carried the sobering news about the charismatic 58-year-old socialist leader's deteriorating health.
Villegas said Chávez is suffering from "a new, severe infection." The state news agency identified it as respiratory.
Chávez has been undergoing "chemotherapy of strong impact," Villegas added without providing further details.
Chávez has neither been seen nor heard from, except for "proof-of-life" photos released in mid-February, since submitting to a fourth round of surgery in Cuba on Dec. 11 for an unspecified cancer in the pelvic area. It was first diagnosed in June 2011.
The government says he returned home on Feb. 18 and has been confined to Caracas' military hospital since.
Villegas said Chávez was "standing by Christ and life conscious of the difficulties he faces."
He also took the opportunity to lash out at "the corrupt Venezuelan right" for what he called a psychological war seeking "scenarios of violence as a pretext for foreign intervention."
The communications minister called on Chávez's supporters, who include thousands of well-armed militiamen, to be "on a war footing."
Upon Chávez's death, the opposition would contest the government's candidate in a snap election that it argues should have been called after Chávez was unable to be sworn in on Jan. 10 as the constitution stipulates.
Indeed, the campaigning has already begun, although undeclared, with Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who Chávez has said should succeed him, frequently commandeering all broadcast channels Chávez-style to tout the "revolution" and vilify the opposition.
Chávez has run Venezuela for more than 14 years as a virtual one-man show, gradually placing all state institutions under his personal control. But the former army paratroop officer who rose to fame with a failed 1992 coup, never groomed a successor with his force of personality.
Chávez was last re-elected on Oct. 7, and his challenger, youthful Miranda state Gov. Henrique Capriles, is expected to again be the opposition's candidate.
On state TV Monday night, opinion show host Mario Silva slung the latest volley of mud at Capriles, claiming his family had purchased a multi-million-dollar New York City apartment with stolen money.
Opposition lawmaker Julio Borges condemned Villegas' political use of Monday night's health bulletin. "I lament such a poverty of humanity," he tweeted.
Pro-Chavez militant Enrique Barroso sounded grave when reached by telephone.
"This is not easy for him nor for us," he said. "We call on the people to pray and hold vigil for the health of the president."
One of Chávez's three daughters, Maria Gabriela, expressed thanks to well-wishers via her Twitter account. "We will prevail!" she wrote, echoing a favorite phrase of her father. "With God always."
There has been speculation that Chávez's cancer has spread to his lungs and can't be halted.
An oncologist not involved in Chávez's treatment, which has been conducted in tightly enforced secrecy, told The Associated Press that he viewed Villegas' statement as recognition that Chávez's condition is "truly precarious."
He called into question the veracity of Villegas' statement that Chávez had been undergoing chemotherapy, saying patients in such a delicate state are not put on chemotherapy.
Maduro said last week, in the first such announcement, that the president had begun receiving chemotherapy around the end of January.
Doctors have said that such therapy was not necessarily to try to beat Chavez's cancer into remission but could have been palliative, to extend Chávez's life and ease his suffering.
Dr. Carlos Castro, scientific director of the Colombian League Against Cancer in Bogota, Colombia, said "it's difficult to predict" when Chávez might die, but he believes "it's a matter of days."
Chávez said that Chavez could face further respiratory complications if he receives more intense chemotherapy treatment.
If the president's medical team "gives him strong chemotherapy again, then it would not be surprising if some infections reappear," Castro said in a telephone interview.
While in Cuba, Chávez suffered severe respiratory infection in late December that nearly killed him, Maduro said last week. A tracheal tube was inserted then and government officials have said his breathing remained labored.
They have sent mixed signals throughout Chávez's post-operative days, and in an early February opinion survey nearly three in five Venezuelans said they believed the president whose largesse has endeared him to the poor would recover.
In Cuba, Chávez has undergone a series of radiation treatments and chemotherapy after his operations.
But the entire treatment regimen was kept far from public scrutiny.


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Vetee Magazine is a clean and professional wordpress magazine theme. This theme is also good for business and corporate sites. Packed with some awesome features such as different color schemes and multiple sidebars. Plus a built-in Unbranded Theme Options Panel.
Theme Support & Feature Request
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Posted By Reji Modiyil On 16 June 2018
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Businesses have many goals in mind. One of these is to reach as many customers as possible. This could mean reaching clients globally. That is the reason why companies invest lots of money on marketing for popularizing their services and goods. If you seek for professional translation services, this just means that your products and services will get broader audience. If your brand has a more general audience, you'll get more clients and would translate to increased revenues.
There are other reasons why your business should take for consideration of professional translation services. With this, you can be assured that your business will be able to reach your clients from anywhere across the world.


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The Achilles Desert Hawk H/T 2 is a light truck, SUV, highway tire designed for a comfortable ride made for dry and wet road conditions. The Desert Hawk H/T 2 is compounded with Achilles' HD Silica technology which improves fuel efficiency and wet tractions as well as providing large shoulder blocks with provide strength and stiffness for outstanding handling and braking while driving.
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Speed Ratings (SR) are based on laboratory tests and indicates the maximum speed the tire can achieve. These tests are based on limited time trials. Higher speed rating tires typically will yield better handling capabilities, but may often result in lower mileage. Refer to your vehicle owner's manual for the recommended minimum Speed Rating. It is not recommended to install a tire with a lower speed rating as it could affect the handling of your vehicle. It is important to note that speed ratings only apply to tires that have not been damaged, altered, under-inflated or overloaded. Additionally, most tire manufacturers maintain that a tire that has been cut or punctured no longer retains the tire manufacturer's original speed rating, even after being repaired because the tire manufacturer can't control the quality of the repair. ... read more read less
To help consumers evaluate their tires, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) created the Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQG). The UTQG rates tires are rated on their tread-wear, traction performance, and temperature resistance. The grade for each of these can be found on the sidewall of your tire (except for winter tires and certain light truck tires). ... read more read less
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Indians beat second seeds Mirnyi-Nestor in Group B shoot-out to book semis spot
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna clinched their place in the semi-finals of the ATP Tour Finals after winning their Group B shoot-out with second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor yesterday.
With Jonathan Marray and Freddie Nielsen already certain of making the semi-finals from Group B, this clash would decide who qualified in second place and the Indian duo produced a superb performance to win 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (5/7), 10/5 at London's O2 Arena.
The two teams had faced off four times this year, with two wins apiece, but Bhupathi and Bopanna won their last meeting in Shanghai and they had the edge again in the prestigious season-ending event.
Bhupahti and Bopanna made the perfect start as they took the first set in a tie-break, but an epic second set lasting 56 minutes went to Belarus's Mirnyi and Canada's Nestor after another tie-break.
That meant a super tie-break was required to settle the match and Bhupathi and Bopanna seized control, racing into a 9-4 lead before sealing the win on their second match point.
The Indian pair, seeded fifth, were making their first appearance together at the Tour Finals, although Bhupathi had qualified on 11 previous occasions with three different partners and finished as runner-up four times.
After winning the Paris Masters doubles crown last week, they will believe they are in good enough form to win Sunday's semi-final — their opponent will be decided on Saturday — and possibly even the title itself.
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https://media.blubrry.com/proudlyresents/p/proudlyresents.com/media/prp163.mp3Podcast: Download | EmbedSubscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS"Samurai Cop" cop star, Matt Hannon, sat at my dining room table for a candid, fascinating interview. Find out some of the shooting secrets to some of the great scenes. Why was Matt wearing a woman's wig in parts of the film? Was Matt dead? And for how long? Matt opens up about his two real life felony convictions. Between shooting "Samurai Cop" and the eventual sequel Matt went to prison twice. He's open up to what happened. Listen to our review of the film from back in the day!…Read More


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Q: I'm using your AZ series absolute stepper motor & drive with built-in motion controller for a medical dispensing robot application. What I want to do is command the motion controller to perform a move with a given number of steps, and have it output a signal to my PLC every X steps (with a trigger length in the order of 20 micro seconds). Is this possible, and can you explain how I can program the motion controller to do so?
A: There are several ways you can do this. It depends on if you can break up the long move into smaller moves and allow a quick stop in between moves, or how often you need the output signal.
IF YOU CAN BREAK UP THE LONG MOVE INTO SMALLER MOVES, AND ALLOW A QUICK STOP IN BETWEEN THE SMALLER MOVES, it would be really easy to set this up. The AZ driver offers a standard/default output that would turn on when the positioning operation is complete. This output is called IN-POS, which is pre-assigned at the factory to OUT1 or pin 19 of the output connector terminal of the driver. All you have to do is wire this output to your PLC, and the output will turn on every time the motor stops.
IF YOU NEED TO OUTPUT THE SIGNALS WHILE IT'S CONTINUOUSLY MOVING, BUT ONLY NEED TO OUTPUT THE SIGNAL 8X OR LESS, you can use our AREA outputs. The AZ driver has up to 8 AREAx outputs which can turn on at different step intervals. The user can set exactly the # of steps at which these AREA outputs turn on. When the motor passes these preset areas, these AREA outputs will turn on. When the motor leaves the preset area, the output will turn off. The limitation with using these outputs is that there are only 6 direct outputs you can assign functions to. If you can use less than 6 output signals, then we can reassign 6 direct outputs to the 6 AREA outputs (out of 8 total). However, that also means you don't have any outputs assigned to other functions you might need. If you need these output functions, or need to have 8 AREA outputs, you can set up a master/slave field bus network with your PLC and the driver via Modbus RTU communication protocol through the driver's RS-485 port. This way, you'll have access to the driver's outputs without being limited to 6 direct outputs.
To make the setup/assignment of output functions easier, you can use our GUI software, MEXE02, which can be downloaded from our website for free. You will only need a USB 2.0 mini-B cable (commercially available) to connect the driver to your PC. Besides offering an easy way to program the stored data parameters in a GUI interface, the software also offers some extremely useful real-time monitoring functions for preventative maintenance or troubleshooting.
IF YOU NEED TO OUTPUT THE SIGNALS WHILE IT'S CONTINUOUSLY MOVING, AND NEED MORE THAN 8 OUTPUT SIGNALS, then it gets a little more complicated. We can use a combination of the AZ driver's Continuous Form Connection link method, Loop function, Area offset setting and its MAREA output to achieve this.
Below is a PROGRAMMING EXAMPLE for the setting of required parameters. You can set these stored data parameters with either our MEXE02 software or from a Modbus RTU master in a master/slave RS-485 network.
IF YOU ARE USING OUR MEXE02 SOFTWARE TO EDIT THE STORED DATA, you will need to set the parameters up as follows:
-the example is for 128 MAREA output signals while continuously running in one direction.
The above parameters are found in the OPERATION DATA table in the MEXE02 software. Please see below.
IF YOU ARE USING A MODBUS RTU MASTER TO EDIT THE STORED DATA, you will need to be aware of the parameter values and the register addresses:
The above register address information is from PAGE 378 of the AZ Functions manual (for area offset, area width, and loop count):
http://www.orientalmotor.com/products/p ... 60262E.pdf
-other register addresses that you'll need to use are also listed in the manual.
-PAGE 375 describes the "base" addresses.
Once you have set up the data correctly and run the motor, it should run like this:
The top portion shows the continuous motion of the motor in one direction while using "Continuous Form Connection" link method. Y axis is speed while X axis is positioning distance from home (in steps). The bottom portion shows the MAREA output signal waveform. You can see that the MAREA output turns on at 5000 steps, and this output will turn on at each 10000 steps. This is because your position (step) parameter is set to 10000 and your area offset is set to -5000. 5000 (where the MAREA output turns on) is -5000 from 10000. Because the LOOP is set to "loop128", it will loop 128x. Area width determines the range (# of steps) at which the MAREA output would turn on. For more details, please refer to the AZ Functions manual.
If you have any questions, please contact our knowledgeable technical support team or post to this topic.
Using AZ stepper+drive to output signals during continuous move for dispensing robots
Application notes featured in our monthly newsletters are posted here.
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text: "Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up." ~Pablo PicassoThis was me. Maybe you too? Well, I've been blessed in my life to have never let art go completely. I've dabbled, thinking that's all I was, 'a dabbler'. Until one fateful day in October, 2013.......A beautiful new stranger, who quickly became my soul-sister asked the question: "Are you an artist?" After a long, doubtful pause I said, "Yes." This is the short story of how this journey began. I've since learned that in order to HAVE ANYTHING, you have to first BE it. So now I AM an artist. Be, Do and THEN HAVE. I've had it backwards my entire life. huh. Enjoy sweet people, j. xo


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even samples couldn't sell all our cucumbers today.
Today at the Windsor Market, we had the fine fortune of experiencing an accidental double-booking of musicians. So the market was forced to put one group where they always do, at the far opposite end of the market — and one group in an entirely new location, right next to us. It was one of the few times we've actually been able to hear the music, and I ended up dancing or tapping my foot a good deal of the time. (We liked them so much, we tipped them in tomatoes and chard.)
At one point, the band — a father-son shenanigan named "Generation Gap" — played "If I had a million dollars," by the Barenaked Ladies. It seemed a fitting song, since the day's sales were extremely s–l–o–w. In the end, we made less than 2/3 of what we did yesterday… and of course, we spent just as much time harvesting, preparing, and selling.
Anyhow, after the band finished playing that particular song, Emmett cracked a joke that I'd never heard before:
Q: What does the farmer, who's just won a million dollars, do with the money?
A: Keep farming until it's gone.
On a slow day like today, that joke seems fitting. But despite the slow sales I'm still in a good mood, because when I came home from the market and peeked in the rooster's infirmary pen, lo and behold, the lame had risen to walk! He stands up and flaps his wings self-importantly; without the boots, his feet are straight, not curled; and he walks, albeit a bit nervously. He's now in a shipping crate where he can see a light brahma and a silver laced wyandotte through breathing-holes, so he has some company. When I put his lady neighbors in his side of the pen for a visit, he only made one rude lunge, and then graciously permitted them to polish off the rest of his chick feed. (I think that, faced with two hungry females, he knew instinctively that he was toast if he tried to get between the girls and their lunch.)
Updates on our fall planting tomorrow.


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Purported Photos of Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Leak Ahead of Launch
An anonymous source showed the Galaxy Gear before the official reveal.
Sept. 3, 2013 -- Tomorrow Samsung will reveal its next big thing -- its Galaxy Gear Smartwatch.
But just a couple days before the event, an independent promotion group that has worked closely with the company gave a private showing of its Galaxy Gear smartwatch. As first reported by VentureBeat, an anonymous source showed writer Christina Farr some of the features that the watch would be capable of (including a high quality OLED display, camera, and voice command controls).
Farr was not allowed to take pictures of the actual watch and could only photograph stills from the promotional video. (You can see those here.) In addition, she says that Samsung is very mindful about protecting its product news from leaks. "[Samsung] occasionally sends off prototypes that don't mirror the final design," she writes in her article. She says that Samsung's final product won't differ much from what she saw.
GigaOm said that Farr's sneak peek wasn't all that sneaky. According to writer Om Malik, the exact model of watch seen in VentureBeat's pictures is the same that developers had access to. A Samsung representative told Om that the final watch will be a more finished-looking product.
Samsung did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on the photos, however, the company has repeatedly said it would not comment on rumor or speculation about the wearable.
If the photos are representative of the final product, the Galaxy Gear does not appear to have a flexible display. Lee Young-hee, Samsung's executive vice president, has said as much, though Samsung has filed a patent on the technology with the Korean Intellectual Property Office.
According to Farr's report, the watch sports an approximately 3-inch display within a large rounded rectangular bezel. In addition, she says that the watch itself has over ten hours of battery life, which pales in comparison to Pebble's smartwatch seven-day battery life. However, given the difference in display quality, this drop in battery life isn't surprising.
Of course, Samsung's introduction of the watch will come before Apple's anticipated iWatch. For months Apple has been said to be working on a watch of its own and has been hiring executives from the fashion industry to work on the secret project.
Tomorrow we should know much more about Samsung's new smartwatch. ABC News will have live coverage of Samsung's event on Wednesday, Sept. 4, starting at 1 p.m. ET.


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Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Riluzole in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00805493
Recruitment Status : Terminated (Insufficient recruitment of participants)
First Posted : December 9, 2008
Results First Posted : August 23, 2013
Last Update Posted : September 15, 2017
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (BD) is uncommon in children. Its symptoms include periods of manic behavior (being overly happy or giddy, feeling grandiose, feeling a decreased need for sleep, having too much energy, moving more than usual, talking fast, having speeded-up thoughts and other symptoms). Sometimes there also is depression (extreme feelings of sadness or irritability, not taking pleasure in things, even ones that used to be enjoyable, feeling worthless or guilty, sleeping too much or having trouble getting to or staying asleep, feeling slowed down or restless, having wishes to be dead or suicidal ideas, and other symptoms). Pediatric BD is often difficult to treat; children may respond only partially to the medications now available or have too many side effects to tolerate them.
Riluzole is a medication that is thought to work on a brain chemical called glutamate that may be involved in symptoms of depression and BD. Previous research studies have shown that riluzole may help adults with BD who have depression and adults who have depression, anxiety disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorders. Riluzole may also be helpful for children with obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, it has never been given to children with BD.
This study will evaluate the effectiveness of riluzole in 80 patients between 9 and 17 years of age who have BD and symptoms of anxiety. Participants must have tried at least two other medications that have not been effective.
The study will consist of four phases carried out over 4 to 5 months. Most children will be inpatients at the Pediatric Behavioral Health Unit for at least part of the study.
In Phase 1, each patient will undergo blood and urine tests, and will gradually taper off his or her medication. The duration of this phase depends on the medication that the patient was receiving before starting the study.
In Phase 2, the patient will remain off all medication for 1 week. Throughout this time, patients will be monitored carefully and medication will be restarted if needed.
In Phase 3, which lasts 8 weeks, patients will be assigned randomly to receive only riluzole or only a placebo. Those who receive riluzole will have the dose adjusted as needed. Patients and families will be informed of which drug they were on at the end of this phase. Patients who improved on riluzole may continue to receive it from NIH for 1 month and will then be prepared for discharge from the study. Patients who received placebo and improved, and those who received riluzole but did not improve, will be treated with standard medications as appropriate and prepared for discharge from the study.
Phase 4 is for patients who received placebo and did not improve. They will be given the chance to try riluzole for 8 weeks and, if it is effective, continue it for an additional 4 weeks while they prepare to be discharged from the study.
Patients will not be able to receive riluzole at the National Institutes of Health after the completion of the study. However, the child's doctor may be able to prescribe riluzole as an off-label use.
Most patients will be admitted to the Pediatric Behavioral Health Unit at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center during the medication withdrawal part of the study (Phases 1 and 2). From Phase 3 on, a patient may participate as an inpatient, outpatient, or in day treatment, depending on what is in his or her best interests.
All participants in this study will be invited to also enroll in the National Institute of Mental Health protocol 00-M-0198, The Phenomenology and Neurophysiology of Affective Dysregulation In Children And Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder. Some research tests for that protocol will be done during the medication-free period of this protocol.
|Condition or disease
|Bipolar Disorder Anxiety Disorders Bipolar Affective Disorder Bipolar Depression
|Drug: Riluzole
|Phase 2
OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy of riluzole in youth with bipolar disorder
STUDY POPULATION: Youth, ages 9-17, with DSM-IV bipolar disorder, who have failed to respond to two adequate trials of medication, one with an atypical antipsychotic medication, and the second with either a mood stabilizing medication or a second atypical antipsychotic medication.
DESIGN: Medication withdrawal, followed by a 15-day dose stabilization phase and a 6-week double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment trial. The first two phases will be completed as inpatients or in day treatment, while the third phase can be completed either in those settings or as an outpatient. Individuals who received placebo will be offered an 8-week open trial of riluzole followed by an additional 4 weeks if they respond, while those who received riluzole in the placebo-controlled trial and wish to continue it will receive 4 weeks of open treatment. Thus, all patients will have the opportunity to receive a total of 12 weeks of riluzole treatment.
OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical rating scales, including the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Improvement Scale
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|6 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Riluzole in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
|Study Start Date :
|November 2008
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|June 2012
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|June 2012
No Intervention: Medication Taper
All participants begin with gradual tapering to the point of discontinuing medication
No Intervention: Random assignment to placebo
Once they are medication-free, 50% of participants are randomized to placebo
Active Comparator: Random assignment to riluzole
One they are medication-free, 50% of participants are randomized to riluzole
Drug: Riluzole
- Clinical Global Impression--Improvement [ Time Frame: 8 week trial with the study running for about 4 years. ]This is a clinician rated measure that is a standard in pharmacological trials. the scores range from 1 to 8 with 5 being unchanged, 1 being completely recovered and 8 being markedly worse.
- Pediatric Anxiety Scale [ Time Frame: Weekly for 8 weeks ]A standard measure of severity of anxiety over the previous week. The score ranges from a total of 0-25, with 0 being absence of symptoms and impairment, and 25 being marked symptoms and severe impairment. The outcome measure for each participant is the change in PARS, that is, the difference at week 8 compared to baseline (when medication-free).
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|9 Years to 17 Years (Child)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
- Boys and girls
- Ages 9-17 years of age
- Meet DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder.
- The child must have a primary caregiver who can accompany him or her on trips to NIMH, provide reliable history and information, and complete rating scales.
- Patients must have a psychiatrist who provides clinical care for their BPD.
- All youth accepted into the study must be able to complete self-rating forms and to cooperate with other study procedures.
Previous treatment failure as defined by:
- Failure to respond to an adequate trial (adequate dose for at least two weeks) of a mood stabilizer (either lithium or divalproex) plus an adequate trial (sufficient dose for an adequate duration) of an atypical antipsychotic (such as risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, or aripiprazole)
- Failure to respond to an adequate trial (sufficient dose for an adequate duration) of two atypical antipsychotics (such as risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, or aripiprazole) or
- Evidence of intolerance (severe weight gain or other side effects) of a mood stabilizer or atypical antipsychotic agent.
The child is failing his/her current treatment as defined by (all 3 met):
- The child's current CGAS score must be less than 60.
- The child's current psychiatrist must agree that the child's response to his/her current treatment is no more than minimal or there are drug side effects that are proving problematic. According to this criterion, it would be clinically appropriate to change the child's current treatment.
- On the basis of record review and interviews with child and parent, the research team agrees that the child's response to his/her current treatment is no more than minimal.
- Subject has a PARS score of greater than or equal to 10, derived from the total of the following individual items: 3 (overall severity of anxious feelings), 5 (overall avoidance), 6 (interference with family), and 7 (interference outside of the home). In addition, patients must score 3 or higher (i.e., in the clinical range) on at least one of the four items noted above.
- I.Q. less than 70
- Autistic disorder or severe pervasive developmental disorder; psychosis that interferes with the child's capacity to understand and comply with study procedures;
- Unstable medical illness (e.g. severe asthma) or contraindication to riluzole
- Medical illness that could cause the symptoms of bipolar illness (e.g. multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease);
- Pregnancy
- Renal or hepatic dysfunction that would interfere with excretion or metabolism of riluzole as evidenced by increase above upper limits of normal for BUN/creatinine, or two-fold elevation of serum transaminases (ALT/SGPT, AST/SGOT), gamma glutamate (GGT), or bilirubin.
- Documented history of hypersensitivity or intolerance to riluzole.
- Substance abuse within two months of study entry
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00805493
|United States, Maryland
|National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
|Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
|Principal Investigator:
|Ellen Leibenluft, MD
|Responsible Party:
|National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
09-M-0042 ( Other Identifier: The National Institutes of Mental Health )
|First Posted:
|December 9, 2008 Key Record Dates
|Results First Posted:
|August 23, 2013
|Last Update Posted:
|September 15, 2017
|Last Verified:
|September 2017
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Manic-Depressive Illness
Bipolar Mood Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders
Pathologic Processes
Bipolar and Related Disorders
Mental Disorders
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
Excitatory Amino Acid Agents
Neurotransmitter Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Neuroprotective Agents
Protective Agents


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Welcome to Western Springs Recreation Online Registration
PLEASE NOTE: To register online, all members MUST have a birth date and grade listed.
To review this data, log in to your account. Under "My Account" go to "Review Member Data."
If you have trouble logging in, please use the forgotten password link below, or contact the Recreation Office at (708) 246-9070.
View our procedures for online registration. To review our Covid-19 protocols, please visit our website.
Please note: All credit cards transactions will be assessed a 1% convenience fee on the total amount of the transaction. It will appear as a separate charge on your credit card statement. Online Registration for a program ends at midnight, 2 days prior to the start of the program.
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