text:
on 11-05-2011 09:42 PM
rompingdonkey wrote:
CardcaptorStacey wrote:Seriously, people are so stupid. You can use the console offline you know. :/ Sounds like stupid kids having a paddy. Really sad
To be fair if that is how the OP felt then thats his right..
I am not on about people just getting rid of there PS3 for an Xbox but for those people who are getting rid of there Consoles in general too..
At the end of the day in some ways I cant say I blame them.. Dont get me wrong I wont be selling mine but lets face it alot of people including myself only bought the PS3 for Online Gaming and it isnt doing that..
Saying "that it plays oflline too" is just like saying " well me car as broke down down but cause the wheels still turn I will push it"
At the end of the day the Console is not doing the purpose that it was bought for by alot of people so slating them for getting rid of it to me is "like kids having a paddy"
No, you are wrong. The PS3 isn't broken. It's just temporary down and will be back in a few weeks. Comparing it to a broken down car is a bad comparison. People are just being so impatient.
on 11-05-2011 10:19 PM
CardcaptorStacey wrote:
Comparing it to a broken down car is a bad comparison.
For people who play mostly online I'd say it's a pretty good analogy.
on 11-05-2011 10:31 PM
It's all very well having a pop at Sony, and yes their security should have been better.
But who started all this..........
The hackers !!!
Be patient peeps.
on 11-05-2011 10:38 PM
billtool wrote:the truth in us that either money is tight or not part of the issue just saw hell of deal on craigs list...ps3 MACHINE AND 20 GAMES 100.00 $ 45 min north new york city http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/vgm/2372671415.
That is a PS2 not a PS3.
on 11-05-2011 10:39 PM
on 11-05-2011 11:02 PM
kingchaz wrote:
This is why I own both systems, the chances of both being offline at the same time is very slim.
hahahahhaaaa - I haczored d interweb, now wut u gunna do?
(I didn't obviously - so good point, well made )
Back on topic though, if the OP is so hacked (no pun intended) off that they are willing to lose a shed load of money trading in, rather than waiting until PSN comes back up, that that is their choice, and they have every right to make it.
Not the choice I'm making, but there you go
on 12-05-2011 08:24 AM
on 12-05-2011 09:10 AM
PatC_PSN wrote:
CardcaptorStacey wrote:
Comparing it to a broken down car is a bad comparison.
For people who play mostly online I'd say it's a pretty good analogy.
To me a better analogy is that the PS3 is like a bar that only serves beer and whiskey. Some people like beer. Some people like whiskey. And some people like beer and whiskey. But the bar has run out of whiskey. So all those who like beer are still having a good time, while the whiskey only drinkers are out on the street looking for another bar.
I guess the questions are: what proportion of people fall into the whiskey only category, and how much of an alcoholic are they?
on 12-05-2011 09:13 AM
on 12-05-2011 09:53 AM
Let Sony take as long as they need to get things up and running again, we're not paying for it after all.
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Special Education
Special Education Handbook
This handbook is a guide for special education directors working in Alaska. Its purpose is to clarify requirements for the operation of district special education programs. This document should be used in conjunction with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Alaska Administrative Code to implement special education programming in Alaskan public schools.
Special Education Forms
click for formsAffirmation for Foster Parents - pdf
Affirmation that the Foster Parent will serve as Parent - pdf
Authorization for Release of Confidential Information - pdf
Authorization to Obtain Information - pdf
Behavioral Intervention Plan - pdf
Child Outcome Summary - pdf
Consent for Evaluation - pdf
Consent for Special Education Services - pdf
Documentation of Early Childhood Special Education Credits - pdf
Documentation of Paraprofessional Training - pdf
Evaluation Summary and Eligibility Report (ESER) - pdf
Functional Behavioral Assessment - pdf
Individual Education Program (IEP) - pdf
Individual Education Program Additional Goal Pages - pdf
Individual Education Program Amendment - pdf
Invitation to Attend a Meeting - pdf
Letter to Request Records for a Transfer Student - pdf
Manifestation Determination Worksheet - pdf
Notice of a Request for Due Process Request - pdf
Notice of Administrative Complaint - pdf
Notice of Appointment to Serve as a Surrogate Parent - pdf
Notice of End of Appointment of a Surrogate Parent - pdf
Notice of Transfer of Rights - pdf
Observation Form for Specific Learning Disabilities - pdf
Program Exit Form - pdf
Record of Access - pdf
Referral - pdf
Resolution Session - pdf
Written Notice - pdf
Special Education Training Resources
click for resourcesSurrogate Parent Training Video
The following video can be used to conduct surrogate parent training in your school district. Forms related to assigning surrogate parents in your district can be found in the forms section above.
Contact Information
Department of Education & Early Development
ATTN: Office of Special Education Programs
801 W. 10th Street, Suite 200
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0500
Confidential Fax: (907) 465-2806
E-mail SPED Staff


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2008-10-16 16:01
GM Daewoo Looks to Pursue Sustainable Growth
By Kim Hyun-cheol Staff Reporter Celebrating the sixth anniversary of its ``new establishment,'' GM Daewoo is poised for a new takeoff on the back of its rebirth in 2002. The automaker has enjoyed three consecutive profitable years since 2005. Last year its domestic and international sales amounted to nearly 1.9 million vehicles, more than four times that of 2002, when the company was renamed GM Daewoo from Daewoo Motor. The company has been faithful in playing its role as the global base of American marquee GM's small vehicles production, continually building up its muscle on research and development (R&D). It has invested 3 trillion won ($2.43 billion) in new product development and production facilities over the past three years, and plans to pump an additional three trillion until next year. It is an expensive effort, but the outcome has not been in vain. The maker has secured state-of-the-art technology in six-speed automatic transmission, diesel engines and power trains, and also introduced an innovative marketing and after-sales service system here. Even though the company was re-launched at the cost of a huge lay-off, the company eventually ended reinstating all of its workers in May 2006, and even doubled the number of employees later. Mutual understanding and cooperation between the management and the GM Daewoo union led to all these remarkable outcomes despite adverse domestic and global business environments, the Incheon-based maker said. In January this year, the manufacturer held a ceremony to announce a new corporate slogan and image. The slogan, ``New Ways, Always,'' is the automaker's declaration of its pursuit of innovation in its search for long-term, sustainable growth. ``The phrase suggests the direction we should be headed for, amid intensifying global competition for survival in worsening conditions including skyrocketing prices of oil and other raw materials,'' GM Daewoo said. With the new launch, Michael Grimaldi, GM Daewoo president and CEO, will go on a ``pep-up tour'' of the company's six local plants in November to celebrate its achievements over the past six years and share his blueprint for the future with employees in a series of business forums. This year also leaves a meaningful mark for its parent company GM, as the automotive giant celebrates its 100th anniversary. As one of the oldest car manufacturers, the American maker has produced numerous technical innovations that have helped shape the face of automobiles, such as electric starters, fully automatic transmissions and catalytic converters. It now has production facilities in 35 countries worldwide, with over 220,000 staff in total. Since its foundation in 1908, GM has sold over 450 million vehicles, with 9.4 million sold last year. It has also led in the development of eco-friendly and high fuel-efficient vehicles by introducing models featuring state-of-the-art technologies such as the Chevrolet Volt, which made its debut at the 2008 Paris International Motor Show. Starting as a new part of the global automotive goliath, GM Daewoo is now one of its leading lights. Six years after being absorbed by GM, GM Daewoo's exports have increased nearly eightfold. Last year, the Korean unit produced nearly 1.8 billion vehicles (including complete knock-down products), up 25.6 percent from a year earlier, ranking it as one of the biggest exporters within the GM Group. A series of new products add to the maker's new lineup this year with the newest edition of its mid-sized sedan the Tosca Premium 6, sports utility vehicle Winstorm MAXX and the new large size sedan Veritas. In addition, GM Daewoo designed three GM mini concept cars ― the Chevrolet Beat, the Groove, and the Trax ― which were unveiled at the 2007 New York International Motor Show in April last year. Of the three, the Beat was chosen as the GM Global compact car and was on display again at this year's Detroit Motor Show; proof of GM Daewoo's advancing design and technology. GM unveiled the Chevrolet Volt in September in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The innovative electric vehicle was introduced at the 2008 Paris Motor Show along with the compact sedan, Chevrolet Cruze, and the next-generation minivan, Chevrolet Orlando, both of which GM Daewoo and GM Global developed in collaboration. The Chevrolet Cruze will be launched in Korea next month under the name of the Lacetti Premier. Work by the Korean company is not confined to design, as it has also been consistently trying to re-equip facilities with cutting-edge technology. GM Daewoo built its T4 engine plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in December 2002. With the construction of the plant, the company was able to produce 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2-liter engines and obtain a robust position in the mini- and small-sized vehicle market. In addition, GM Daewoo acquired the former Daewoo Power-train in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, in 2003, providing the company with the capacity to produce automatic transmissions. In February, the Boryeong plant began to produce the cutting-edge hydromatic six-speed automatic transmissions which have been loaded into the Tosca Premium 6 and will also equip the Lacetti Premier. In 2006, GM Daewoo launched a diesel engine plant in Gunsan, North Jeolla province, which manufactures eco-friendly high-tech common rail diesel engines with a 90 percent automation rate at the production line. The design center at the Bupyeong plant in Incheon, since its foundation in November 2003, has played an important role within GM's global network by creating a variety of new and innovative vehicle designs. GM Daewoo has also established a new knock-down packing center at Incheon Port and started full operation in July 2006. It now enables GM Daewoo to pack up to an annual 1.4 million kits to be assembled in the Asia Pacific region, South America and Eastern Europe. GM Daewoo built the Cheong-Na Proving Ground, which is equipped with high-tech test-driving track and a research facility, in the Incheon Free Economic Zone in October 2007. This multi-purpose center is GM's global base for mini and small-sized models, and is where various models are developed to meet demand for GM brands on the global automotive market. The company is also accelerating development of eco-friendly futuristic vehicles, which are expected to be the biggest trendsetter in the future. GM Daewoo also held a test-drive of the Chevrolet Equinox, a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, at the Gunsan International Auto Expo last month. In its second showing of the vehicle at Gunsan, following the Busan Motor Show in 2007, GM Daewoo showed its ambition to produce next-generation eco-friendly cars. To be a global leader in car design, quality and customer services, GM Daewoo and GM Global are set to develop cutting-edge and eco-friendly vehicles as a growth engine for the future, as well as pursuing sustainable growth on both domestic and overseas markets. firstname.lastname@example.com |


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Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología
versión impresa ISSN 0120-0534
rev.latinoam.psicol. v.43 n.2 Bogotá mayo/ago. 2011
Assessment of psychosocial stressors at work: psychometric properties of the JCQ in Colombian workers
Evaluación de estresores psicosociales en el trabajo: propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario del contenido del trabajo (JCQ) con trabajadores colombianos
Carmen Maganto y Maite Garaigordobil
Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
Viviola Gómez Ortiz, Associate professor, Psychology Department, Social Sciences School, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
This study was supported by the Center of Sociocultural Studies (CESO) and the Psychology Department of the Social Sciences School at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Some of the data presented in this manuscript have been presented in previous academic events.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Viviola Gomez Ortiz. E-mail: email@example.com.
Recibido, Abril de 2011 Aceptado, Mayo de 2011
Because the two main models and instruments used to evaluate psychosocial factors at work were developed and applied primarily in developed countries, there are still questions about their properties in less economically developed countries. In this study, a Spanish version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) was tested in Colombia. Cross-sectional studies, with self-administered surveys, were performed among 294 nurses, 281 bus drivers, and one mixed occupational group with 661 participants. Means and standard deviations among Colombian workers were compared against each other and with averages from studies in other countries. The internal consistency was analyzed through the Cronbach alpha coefficient; the factorial validity through exploratory factorial analysis; concurrent validity of the instrument was calculated using correlations with the effort/reward ratio of the ERI Questionnaire; the predictive validity was tested using correlations with one indicator of health. Differences between samples were generally small, but some interesting tendencies could be observed. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were generally acceptable. Difficulties with three items (JCQ 2, 6 and 14) were found. The factor analyses indicate that the best factorial solution has seven factors. The most problematic factor seems to be "decision latitude". Some items have inconsistent loadings and reliability problems. Most of the JCQ scales were correlated with the health indicators in the expected direction. Finally, the "job strain" indicator and the effort/reward ratio were positively correlated. It was concluded that the Spanish version of the JCQ is an acceptable instrument to assess psychosocial risk factors among workers in Colombia.
Key words: Demand-control model, JCQ, psychometric properties, psychosocial factors and occupational stress
Debido a que los dos principales modelos e instrumentos usados para evaluar factores psicosociales en el trabajo se han propuesto y estudiado principalmente en países desarrollados, persisten dudas sobre sus propiedades psicométricas en países menos desarrollados económicamente. En este estudio, se evaluó en Colombia una versión en español de cuestionario del contenido del trabajo. Se realizaron estudios transversales con 294 enfermeras, 281 conductores y 661 personas con ocupaciones mixtas. Las medias y desviaciones estándar de los trabajadores colombianos se compararon con las reportadas en estudios de otros países. La consistencia interna se analizó mediante el alfa de Cronbach; la validez factorial con análisis factorial exploratorio; la validez concurrente se calculó usando correlaciones con el indicador de desbalance Esfuerzo/ Recompensa del cuestionario ERI; la validez predictiva se evaluó a través de correlaciones con un indicador de salud. En general las diferencias entre las muestras fueron pequeñas, pero a pesar de ello mostraron tendencias interesantes. Los coeficientes alfa de Cronbach fueron aceptables. Los análisis factoriales indicaron una solución de 7 factores, siendo el relacionado con "latitud de decisión" el más problemático. Algunos pocos ítems mostraron cargas factoriales inconsistentes y dificultades de confiabilidad. La mayor parte de las correlaciones con el indicador de salud fueron las esperadas. Finalmente, el indicador de tensión laboral y el de desbalance esfuerzo/recompensa estuvieron positivamente relacionados, lo que indica una buena validez concurrente. Se concluye que esta versión en español de JCQ es un instrumento adecuado para evaluar los riesgos psicosociales laborales en Colombia.
Palabras clave : Modelo Demanda-Control, JCQ, propiedades psicométricas, factores Psicosociales, estrés ocupacionalA persistent perception of an imbalance between demands and available resources to cope with them is defined as stress, a phenomenon which usually facilitates the development of health difficulties. In the occupational context, two main models are currently used to evaluate the psychosocial factors at work, which seem to be some of the most important causes of job-stress: the Demand- Control-Support (DCS) model (Johnson & Hall, 1988; Karasek Theorell, 1990) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model (Siegrist, 2002). A lot of researches have been developed based on these theoretical approaches and the instruments supported by them. However, because the models and instruments were developed and applied primarily in developed countries, there are still questions about their usefulness in developing countries. There are Spanish versions of the questionnaires designed to evaluate the psychosocial factors proposed by the models, but the process of evaluation of their psychometric properties is still incomplete. More applications to different occupational groups of various Spanish speaking countries are needed to confirm its characteristics and to improve deficiencies detected. The purpose of this paper is to report data about the reliability and validity of a Spanish version of the JCQ applied to Colombian workers.
The problem of work related stress is significant "in countries in transition who are subjected to rapid and drastic economical and social changes (for example in Russia), where there is an increased demand for adaptation of workers, the over-riding of traditional values, the reorientation of the occupational health system, and generally poor working conditions. Traditionally, the focus of Occupational Health and Safety initiatives is on chemical, biological and physical exposures, while the psychosocial risks at work are still largely neglected and their causes and consequences still insufficiently understood as they pertain to the developing country context. The current division between working conditions and the (physical) work environment makes the inclusion of the psychosocial risks at work harder to identify by most of the Occupational Health and Safety professionals" (Houtman, Jettinghoff & Cedillo, 2007, p. 1). Although it can be now documented an array of research on the magnitude of causes and consequences of workrelated stress in developed and industrialized countries, work related stress is still a problem which is far from being resolved. In turn, very little data is available from developing countries. To have the possibility of assessing the magnitude of job strain due to psychosocial stressor in countries like Colombia, and most important to retain the possibility of comparing the results of these evaluations with those of the countries in which it has been measured for longer periods of time, it is necessary to examine the psychometric properties of the existing questionnaires, in this case of the JCQ. In line with the main theoretical conceptualizations of the Demand-Control-model (Karasek, 1979) and the Demand-Control-Support model (Johnson & Hall, 1988; Karasek & Theorell, 1990), the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) is an instrument designed to measure some social and psychological aspects of work tasks that generate job strain.
The Demand-Control-Support model deals primarily with the content of work (Theorell, 1998). The most important components of the Demand-Control-Support model are psychological job demands and decision latitude. The Demand-Control model posits that the primary work related psychosocial risk factor is the lack of control over how one meets one's demands and how one uses one's skills. The jobs most likely to cause distress are hypothesized to be those in which working people are faced with high demands and low control (i.e. high strain).
Social support from the supervisor or the coworkers and job insecurity are other JCQ scales, which under the current employment conditions are of increasing importance. The Demand-Control model was expanded to include a dimension related to social relations termed Social Support (SS). Social Support in the workplace refers to overall level of helpful social interactions available on the job from supervisors and co-workers (Karasek & Theorell, 1990). Social support might affect the workers' well-being by acting as a buffer between psychosocial stressors at the workplace and adverse health outcomes (Karasek, Gardell & Lindell, 1987). "The worst combination -high demands, low decision latitude and low support-- would have the most adverse consequences" (Johnson, Hall & Theorell, 1989, p. 207).
The impact of the stressful working conditions proposed by the job strain model on health have been investigated during many years. Several studies have shown the effect of job strain (jobs with high demands and low control) on high blood pressure, coronary heart diseases and psychological distress, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes, psychiatric illness, gastrointestinal illness, occupational and traffic accidents, cardiovascular mortality, alcohol related diseases, absenteeism, sleeping problems, depression, anxiety, work satisfaction and psychological well-being, among others (Johnson & Hall, 1988; Johnson, Stewart, Hall, Fredlund, & Theorell, 1996; Karasek, Baker, Marxer, Ahlbom, & Theorell, 1981;Karasek, 1988; Landsbergis, 1993; Mcclenahan, Giles, & Mallett, 2007; Rydstedt, Devereux, &Sverke, 2007; Salavecz, Chandola, Pikhart, Dragano, Siegrist, & Jöckel, 2010; Schnall, Belkic, Landsbergis, & Baker, 2000; Theorell & Karasek, 1996, Van der Doef & Maes, 1999).
Most research based on this theoretical approach using the JCQ instrument was developed in English and primarily applied for jobs among men in countries with high economic development. Differences in cultural and socio-economic level of development among countries, since they often play a role in determining an individual's values and perceptions, can be expected to create difficulties in applying the JCQ in countries different from the ones in which it has been initially validated. What is stressful for one person in a given country may not be as stressful for another in a different one (Lazarus, 1999), and in turn affects their response to the instrument developed for use elsewhere. A similar argument can be made with respect to the gender of the workers, considering that analyses based mainly on male data could not be easily applied to female workers.
Various authors have analyzed psychometric characteristics of the JCQ scales in languages different from the original (English) and in countries with unequal economic development: Kawakami and Fujugaki (1996), and Kawakami, Kobayahi, Araki, Haratani and Furui (1995) reported that JCQ scales were reliable for Japanese population, while Brisson, Blanchette, Guimont, Dion, Moisan and Vezina (1998), Sale and Kerr (2002), and Pelfrene, Vlerick, Mak, Smets, Kornitzer and Backer (2001) reported similar results in Canadian and Belgian population, respectively. A Finish version was analyzed by Santavirta (2003) with nurses and teachers, a Dutch one by Storms, Casaer, De Wit, Van Den Bergh and Moens (2001), a Swedish one by Sanne, Torp, Mykletun, and Dah l(2005), a Maly one by Edimansyah, Rusli, Naing, Mazalisah and Kamarudin (2005), a Korean one by Eum, Li,Jhun, Park, Tak, Karasek and Cho (2007), a Chinese one by Li, Yang, Liu, Xu and Cho, (2004), a French one by Niedhammer, Chastang, Gendrey, David and Degioanni, (2006), and Escribá, Más and Flores (1999) perform a similar work with a group of Spanish nurses. The results of these studies show in general good reliability of the scales (Cronbach alpha's between 0.6 and 0.8), a factorial structure similar to the original questionnaire, and good predictive validity with different health indicators (cardiovascular, job satisfaction, anxiety, depression, negative affectivity).
A compilation from studies in four different countries (Canada, USA, the Netheerlands and Japan), some of them at a national level, was conducted by Karasek, Brisson, Kawakami, Houtman, Bongers and Amick (1998), showing the usefulness of the JCQ application across countries as well as the similarity in its psychometric values. Results suggest that psychological job characteristics (job demands, decision latitude) are more similar across national boundaries than across occupations. Karasek, et al. (op. cit., 1998) found, across the developed countries compared, surprisingly small differences in psychosocial job scales means, standard deviations, scale correlations or factor patterns. They affirm that their findings suggest "small workplace cross-national differences and much larger and consistent interoccupational differences"(p. 345).
Additionally, as previously mentioned, there is extensive research literature showing the predictive validity for health outcomes, using the JCQ scales. Karasek, et al. report that "the JCQ and JCQ-like scales have demonstrated substantial predictive validity with respect to stress-related chronic disease in international and U.S. research" (1998, p. 330). Confirmation of the equivalency of psychometric properties of the JCQ between industrialized countries and developing economies has not been enough demonstrated. The conceptual and methodological strengths of the Demand- Control model are two important reasons to consider the adaptation of the JCQ to assess the psychosocial risk factors in workers of developing countries.
To the best of our knowledge, in Latin America only Cedillo & Karasek (2003) have published a psychometric evaluation of the Spanish JCQ with Mexican population and Araujo & Karasek (2008) presented a psychometric analysis of a Brazilian version. The report of Cedillo & Karasek (2003) describes extensively the results of an exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation for the Decision Latitude (Skill discretion -SD-, and decision authority -DA) and Psychological Demands (PD) items. "Repetitive work" showed non-significant alignment with the two factors and had very low communality. "Freedom as to how" fell under Factor 2, corresponding to the Psychological Demands scale instead of falling under Factor 1, as expected, and had very low communality as well. "Have enough time", which also showed very low communality, was negatively loaded in Factor 1 and had very low positive loading in Factor 2. "Wait for other to complete tasks" had low loading and communality values (p. 19).
Cedillo & Karasek (2003) reported that the Cronbach alpha reliability values for the three main scales (SD, DA and PD) of the JCQ for their sample are lower than the international mean (these coefficients can be seen in Table 1). When one item was deleted ("repetitive work" for SD and "freedom to decide how" for PD), the reliability value of Skill Discretion and Psychological Demands scales improved to acceptable values (Cronbach's alpha more than .60), which was comparable to the international Cronbach alpha means. The values show low variability across the compared occupational groups. In the case of the Decision Authority scale there was no substantial improvement when one item was removed and there is a big gap between the values across the subgroups.
Cedillo & Karasek (2003) said that the means of the JCQ scales from the Mexican study were very similar to the international means. They only differ slightly in the Skill Discretion and Psychological Demands scales. As expected, scales that showed the best differentiating power among occupational groups were Skill Discretion and Decision Authority, followed by physical demands and coworker support. Finally, the correlations among the JCQ scales from the Mexican study and the international means of correlations are very similar. From 15 correlations "only two differ substantially from the international values, and one of those corresponds to the Psychological Demands dimension. This dimension is also the one that showed the most variety among the other countries values" (see Karasek, et al., 1998). 80% of the correlations were similar or moderately similar to the reported international values, and only 20% were quite different" (Cedillo & Karasek, 2003, p. 21).
Araujo & Karasek (2008) reported that means of the several JCQ scales used did not differ substantially from those obtained in European studies, albeit were slightly lower in the Brazilian case. In general, the Cronbach alpha coefficients revealed performance similar to other large sample studies, conducted in developed countries. The coefficients were relatively similar for formal and informal jobs. The authors affirm that the factor analysis revealed a high consistency with the theoretical model.
The present paper sets out to test the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the JCQ questionnaire in different samples in Colombia and to compare these results to similar groups in other LA countries. The results reported here were obtained from three different Colombian samples (nurses, drivers and a mixed occupational group). The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) and the exploratory factorial validity were calculated and compared between the samples and with the results from studies in other countries (Cedillo & Karasek, 2003; Karasek, Brisson, Kawakami, Houtman, Bongers & Amick, 1998). Concurrent and predictive validity of the instrument were also studied and compared between the Colombian samples. For the concurrent validity, the Job Strain value of each person was correlated to its imbalance between effort and reward value obtained with the ERI Questionnaire:1. Finally, the predictive validity was calculated correlating the value of each JCQ-scale and the Job Strain score with the subscales and total score of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28).
The total sample was constituted by 1236 workers. The three samples studied were 294 nurses (women, mean age 36, SD 9.79; five-year average work experience), 281 bus drivers (men, mean age 40, SD 8.3; five-year average work experience) and a group of 661 participants with mixed occupations (302 men and 357 women; mean age 31, SD 9.8; 5.4-year average work experience). This last sample included participants of the full occupation spectrum (belonged to the private and public sectors of Colombia, were managers, professionals, educator, clericals, service, white-collar and blue-collar workers and supervisors) working in Bogotá, Colombia. All participants gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study and were told that they could stop their participation at any moment they wanted. Their identities were protected during the research process coding their questionnaires with numbers.
An official Spanish version of the JCQ (27 items) was obtained from de JCQ-center (translation from Leonor 1 The ERI model claims that stressful experiences at work and their consequent negative effect on the health results from the perception of imbalance between high efforts and low rewards; in other words, a lack of reciprocity between cost and gains. Gains or rewards, according to the ERI model, are distributed to the working people by three transmitter systems: money, esteem and status control in terms of promotion prospects and job security. The combination of this imbalance with a high level of overcommitment increases the propensity to autonomic arousal and associated strain reactions. The ERI model has been operationalized as a standardized self-report measure containing 23 Likert-scaled items in its established short version. These items define three unidimensional scales: "effort", "reward", and "overcommitment". Cedillo). This version was previously used with Mexican population (Cedillo & Karasek, 2003; Juárez, 2007). It includes the following scales and number of items: decision latitude is composed of two subscales, e.g. job skill discretion (six items) and job decision-making authority (three items); job demands (five items); supervisor support (four items); co-worker support (four items); job insecurity (four items); physical job demands (one item). Answer choices for every question were presented on a four-point Likert-type scale. The extremes were labeled "strongly disagree" (totalmente en desacuerdo) and "strongly agree" (totalmente de acuerdo), respectively. Cronbach coefficients obtained are in Table 1.
Health was assessed in these samples using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). This scale is composed of four subscales: somatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, and social dysfunction. Each scale has seven items which are rated in a four-point Likert-type scale that ranged from 1= no, absolutely (no, en lo absoluto) to 4= more than usual (más de lo habitual). The Cronbach alpha for the four scales in all the samples oscillate between 0.7 and 0.88.
An official Spanish version of the ERI was obtained from the Spanish researcher who did the translation and evaluation of it in Spain (Juan Antonio Fernandez). It includes the following scales and number of items: extrinsic effort (6 items, range 1-5, totals core: 6-30); reward (11 items, range 1-5, total score: 11-55): Items are answered in two steps. First, subjects agree or disagree whether or not the item content describes a typical experience of their work situation. Subsequently, subjects who agree are asked to evaluate to what extent they usually feel distressed by this typical experience. The rating procedure is defined as follows: (1) does not apply; (2) does apply, but subject does not consider herself or himself distressed; (3) does apply and subject considers herself or himself somewhat distressed; (4) does apply and subject considers herself or himself distressed; (5) does apply and subject considers herself or himself very distressed. Regarding the overcommitment dimension (6 items, range 1-4, total score: 6-24), participants are asked to choose among four Likert-type options ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree". Imbalance between effort and rewards is a ratio computed for every respondent according to the following predefined algorithm: e/r*c, where 'e' is the sum score of the effort scale, 'r' is the sum score of the reward scale and 'c' defines a correction factor for different numbers of items in the nominator and denominator. The correction factor is 0.454545 if the nominator contains five items (5/11) and 0.5454 if it contains six items (6/11). As result, a value close to zero, indicates a favorable condition (relatively low effort, relatively high reward) whereas values beyond 1.0 and close to 2.0 indicate a high amount of effort spent that is not met by the rewards received or expected in turn. In general, published studies showed appropriate internal consistencies of the three scales: effort, reward, and overcommitment. Cronbach alphas were between 0.71 and 0.78 for effort; between 0.78 and 0.86 for reward, and between 0.74 and 0.76 for overcommitment. exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis replicated the theoretically assumed structure of the ERI construct in men and women (Gómez, 2010).
Socio-demographic information covered age, sex, years in education, job title, working career, and weekly paid working hours.
Data were gathered in cross-sectional studies utilizing a selfadministered survey after informed consent was obtained from each subject. The participants selection was non probabilistic. All members of the target populations were invited through personal letters or internal communications of their organizations. Participations rates varied between 80% and 90%. Questionnaires were coded with numbers to protect the identities of the participants. The internal consistency and the factorial, concurrent and predictive validity for the instrument were analyzed through the Cronbach alpha coefficient, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and correlations with the effort/reward ratio of the ERI and with the health questionnaire. For the factorial analysis the principal extraction method was used. The factors were orthogonally rotated using varimax. Factor loadings equal to or larger than .30 were accepted as sufficient loadings. An indicator of job strain was calculated using the suggestion of the JCQ-Center: "A job strain ratio term: (Demands *2)/Decision-Latitude. A score >1 would indicate job strain". This ratio is a continuous value that could be correlated with those of the General Health Questionnaire and of the ERI.
Mean scales
As the Table 1 shows, the means of most subscales of the JCQ are similar across studies. Differences between samples were small but all significant (F= 84.9, 17.6, 57.0, 43.2, 34.4, 11.3, 30.5, 11.8; p< 0.01); some tendencies could be observed: skill discretion and decision authority (decision latitude) are higher in the nurses and the Colombian mixed occupational group. Decision latitude (both scales) is the lowest in the Colombian bus drivers. The psychological demands are also higher in the group of Colombian nurses and lower in the Mexican women (women samples). The means of the coworker support are very similar between groups, but the support of the supervisor is the lowest in the group of Colombian bus drivers. Finally, the mean of job insecurity is much higher in the Colombian samples than in the other; the highest mean is the one of the Colombian nurses.
Internal consistency
As can be seen in the Table 2, internal consistency of the subscale "job skill discretion" with Colombian workers was higher than the Mexican women, and similar in comparison to the averages obtained in the United States and in Europe. The Cronbach alpha coefficients were generally acceptable.
When one item (item 2, "repetitive work") was deleted, the reliability of the scale (calculated for all the groups) improved and was similar to the international values (see Table 3). The study with the Mexican sample identified psychometric problems with this item also. Juárez-García (personal communication, October 2008) suggests to delete the item or to substitute the word "repetitivo" for the word "aburrido (bored)". The modified item had a better reliability in some Mexican pilot studies with it.
The subscale "decision-making authority" had a low reliability for all samples. The values obtained for Colombian samples were similar to those obtained in México and lower compared to those calculated with international (Canada, Netherlands, USA, Japan) samples. The internal consistency (calculated for the entire group) improved when one item (item 6, "freedom to decide how") was deleted (see Table 3). In the English version, this item has a positive direction ("lot of freedom"); the Spanish version has a negative direction ("not a lot of freedom"). This item presented psychometric difficulties in the Mexican sample too.
Internal consistency of the scale "decision latitude", which is the combination of "job skill discretion" and "decision-making authority", was acceptable and improves when the items 2 and 6 were deleted.
The scale "job demands" had an acceptable reliability that is similar to those obtained in other countries. The internal consistency of the scale improves when item 14 ("enough time to get the job done") was deleted. In the Spanish version, this is the only item with a different direction in the Job demands scale. To delete this item improves the reliability of this scale in the Mexican study too.
In all the Colombian samples, the highest and most acceptable values of the coefficients were found for the "co-worker support" and "supervisor support" scales. They were similar to those obtained in other countries.
The "job insecurity" scale had a low reliability for most samples.
Corrected item-total correlation between each item and averages of the scales they belong to confirm the problems of the above mentioned items. Their correlations are the lowest even if they still are significant.
Factorial validity of the JCQ scales
The exploratory factor analyses explains 63.7 % of the variance in bus drivers (five factors), 63.5 % in nurses (seven factors) y 59 % the mixed occupational group 1 (six factors). The factor analyses with the aggregated data of the three groups explained 58.6% of the variance (seven factors). Items 13 and 14 of the Psychological Demands-Scale have inconsistent loadings. Item 14 also presents reliability difficulties. It is the only item of this scale worded in a positive way. Items 2 and 6, which have reliability problems, have also inconsistent loadings. The social support factors are clearly distinguished. Item 27 of the Job Insecurity-Scale didn't load correctly and needs some revision. In short, the data basically confirm the JCQ scales in the factor pattern, but with exceptions for some items, which ambiguously loaded with other factors.
Predictive validity
The correlations with the health indicators in two of the Colombian samples (with the exception of the nurses) show that most of the JCQ scales are correlated with the health indicators in the expected direction (see Table 5). The scales "decision authority" and "psychological demands" do not correlate with all the health indicators in the mixed occupational sample. Decision authority correlates negatively only with social dysfunction and with total health (higher means indicate more health complains); psychological demands correlates positively only with depression. In the sample of the nurses only "psychological demands" with "somatic symptoms" and "job insecurity" with "anxiety" correlate significantly.
Concurrent validity between ERI and JCQ
The "job strain" indicator and the "Effort-Reward Ratio" were positively correlated: Nurses (r = 0.2; p=0.01); Drivers (r = 0.57; p<0.01); Mixed occupational group (r = 0.2; p<0.01).The Effort-Scale of the ERI and the Psychological Demands-Scale of the JCQ are conceptually close. Their correlations were also significant and high. These correlations indicate that both constructs are not identical, but they are measuring closely related phenomena.
Based on the results on three groups of Colombian workers presented in this article, it can be said that the Spanish version of the job content questionnaire has shown to be an adequate measurement instrument of the psychosocial risk factors at work. The measurement properties of the Spanish JCQ questionnaire with Colombian samples are acceptable and comparable to those described for the original English version and for other languages and countries. The Spanish version of the JCQ tested in this study proved to be reliable at acceptable levels.
Difficulties with three items (JCQ 2, 6 and 14) were found. However, some improvements that could be undertaken are suggested, like the development of a better wording to explain the concept of "repetitive work" and formulate the item 6 (enough time) in the same positive direction that it has in the original English questionnaire. In the English version this item had no problems. These three items have showed difficulties in previous studies. For example, Pelfrene, et al. (2001) argue that "the item 'repetitive work' had a low loading on the decision latitude factor. This has also been observed in other studies (De Jonge, Reuvers, Houtman, Bongers & Kompier, 2000; Kawakami et al., 1995). Actually, for Karasek, et al., (1998), the most troublesome decision latitude item in most studies is indeed 'repetitive work' (...). According to the authors of that review paper, it can be explained by its skewed distribution, as repetitive work is much more common at the lowest skill level" (p. 311).
The item 14, "conflicting demands", have low and inconsistent loadings on the factor related to psychological demands. This was also mentioned in at least three other studies (Karasek, et al., 1998) and for some authors it is really a measure of control and not of psychological demands. Nevertheless, the scales show acceptable levels of internal consistency, particularly when problematic items are deleted. With respect to the factor analysis, a clear factor pattern is visible that confirms Karasek's model. It was suggested as useful to compare different formats of the JCQ questions, since this could improve its reliability and sensitivity.
The JCQ-Center has currently initiated several changes to the questionnaire. The JCQ-Center has lead in the development of a "completely consistent and theoretically updated job stress questionnaire, formatted for easy international comparisons (...).Previous approaches were not sufficient to capture the complex work demand requirements of the global economy and service/ information societies." (Personal e-mail from JCQ-Center received at July 24th 2008). The Center hopes that when the revision is completed 35 countries will use the revised questionnaire.
Characterization of the psychosocial risk factors facing Colombian workers can be made using current version of the JCQ 1.0. However, it is suggested to enrich this characterization by making use of additional measurement methods like other questionnaires (e.g. ERI) and qualitative methods (e.g. observations, interviews) as well (Schoenfeld & Farrell, 2010). This procedure would offer information that facilitates the identification of specific psychosocial factors that characterize the Colombian occupational groups, but can also be used to introduce some modifications or questions in the JCQ-questionnaire that improve its reliability and sensitivity to the working conditions of this population. Some qualitative methods that follow the conceptual proposal of the Demand-Control Model or incorporate elements of it have shown its utility to "assess job characteristics over a working life" (Landsbergis, Schnall, Pickering & Schwarz, 2002) or attempt to describe the burden of work processes upon the human being.
The comparison of the scale means of the Colombian groups with those of other countries demonstrates that our findings are quite similar to those observed elsewhere. Differences between groups were observed. The nurses perceive high demands, but also high control. The bus drivers perceive less demands and control and less social support, compared to the other groups. Other results were unexpected by us; for example, the biggest difference between the Colombian samples and those of other countries was in Job insecurity. The Colombian workers perceived the lowest security in their jobs. Recently published data from Brazil (Araujo & Karasek, 2008) presented higher insecurity means as those of European, US and Mexican samples. But they are lower than those obtained in the Colombian groups. These results are apparently signaling that the insecurity at work is one of the most serious psychosocial factors they perceive.
The validity of the test scores was shown by correlating the subscale values with those of the General Health Questionnaire. As mentioned previously, some mental health difficulties were shown to be significantly predictable based on individual subscales of the JCQ and on the imbalance between demands and control; the results presented in this paper supports an association between psychological distress and job strain. The observed correlations between the measured psychosocial factors and the health indicators in nurses were unexpected and counter-intuitive. Previous studies in Colombia show that the effects of job strain are worse (blood cholesterol and depression) for nurses that act as assistants (Leguizamón & Gómez, 2002). In fact, in this previous study, when we calculate the correlations separately for assistants and not assistants, the first group showed very high negative associations between anxiety and decision authority and with control and positive correlations with job strain. The not assistants, on the other side, show some correlations in the expected direction between anxiety and somatic symptoms, especially with demands, support from supervisor and job insecurity, but none of them was higher than r=.22. We believe that more studies with this population are needed. A number of previous research results have showed that nurses are affected by job strain and the most consistent results indicated that they have increased risk of burnout (i.e. Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Sochalski, & Silber, 2002; Poncet, Toullic, Papazian, Kentish-Barnes, Timsit, Pochard, Chevret, Schlemmer, & Azoulay, 2006).
The evaluated characteristics of the JCQ in a number of studies indicate that it is a satisfactory instrument to assess and measure the psychosocial work factors of different occupations and to predict some health problems. It has been translated with success to many languages and has been used in different countries. These reasons are enough to suggest that, in spite of its deficiencies, it is worth to use it with workers in developing countries. This would also offer the opportunity to compare occupational groups and the work conditions of different countries.
The relatively small sample sizes of the Colombian groups, and the fact that some of the groups were composed of workers of only one sex, invite caution about the overall interpretation of these results. Nevertheless, because of it psychometric properties (acceptable level of internal consistency, a clear factorial pattern that confirm Karasek's demand-control model, good concurrent and predictive validity), it is suggested that there could be a more extensive application of the Spanish JCQ questionnaire with Colombian and other Latin-American workers, using different occupational samples and health indicators.
1 The ERI model claims that stressful experiences at work and their consequent negative effect on the health results from the perception of imbalance between high efforts and low rewards; in other words, a lack of reciprocity between cost and gains. Gains or rewards, according to the ERI model, are distributed to the working people by three transmitter systems: money, esteem and status control in terms of promotion prospects and job security. The combination of this imbalance with a high level of overcommitment increases the propensity to autonomic arousal and associated strain reactions. The ERI model has been operationalized as a standardized self-report measure containing 23 Likert-scaled items in its established short version. These items define three unidimensional scales: "effort", "reward", and "overcommitment". Volver
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text:
Animal Diaries Archive
2007 - january february march april may june july august september october november december
Ryan Snaps Up The Opportunity
23 July 2007
The croc team's newest recruit Ryan has completed his gator photo training and is now getting his hands dirty in our photo studio. That's right, the big fella is now signed off to handle and care for our 2yr old alligators. Not only does Ryan look after the gators and the general maintenance of their enclosures but it is now his job to introduce the little guys to the general public and give them the opportunity to have a photo holding onto one of the worlds most impressive predators, even if they are only 2yrs old and fit in the palm of your hands. Size doesn't seem to be an issue though, because the little gators are a dead set hit with anyone who walks through the front gates.
If you're visiting the zoo you may get the chance to see Ryan walking around with the 2yr olds but we also have 5 & 1 yr old alligators getting around the zoo as well. So now is the chance for anyone whom wants to meet an alligator while it's still safe to get up close and personal, and Ryan is a top bloke as well so the whole experience is top notch.
Training with the alligators is only the first step in Ryan's quest to become a fully qualified crocodile keeper. Over the next 4 years Ryan will be involved in some of the most breath taking experiences, whether it is here at Australia Zoo or out in the field with the wild crocs. One thing's for sure, Ryan is keen as mustard to get cracking on his training and do his part for crocodile conservation.
Until next time
Crocs Rule!
Our Amazing American Alligators
Crocodilians are grouped into one of three families. Crocodylidae, Alligatoridae and Gavialidae. The American alligator belongs to the sub family Alligatorinae ...more


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The main way I got ahead earlier was (real dick move coming) to talk to Burke about blowing up the bomb in the Megaton bar. Tell Sheriff Lucas Simms what Burke is up to. Lucas confronts Burke and Burke smokes him like a Christmas ham. Take Lucas' gun, duster, and everything else from his dead body.
Also if you head up to Minetown (north of Megaton) you can get a crap load of frag mines it you can disarm them. Pick a fight, back up while dropping the free mines, looters paradise! Sell all your stuff to Moria then rinse and repeat.
Do not drink the Nuka Cola Quantums (they are glowing purple). You will be making some bad-ass grenades later with them.


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BASCOM - The day is getting closer and closer for the staff and students of Hopewell-Loudon Local School District to move into the new building.
The project, which started in 2011, is now in its final phases of construction. There is still some flooring, ceiling and electrical work that needs to be completed along with paint touch-ups.
"The project is on time and under budget," Nichole Jiran, superintendent, said.
Article Photos
An aerial view of the construction site.
"We still have to finish construction on the building, which might possibly need to use some of our contingency money, and we have yet to bid the demolition of this building. Based on our construction manager's estimates, we are doing quite well at this point in the project compared to our original budgets," Jiran said. "We have been fortunate that we have not encountered any major issues during initial ground preparation (where many projects go over budget) and our last bid packages for loose furnishings and technology came in under budget."
"Our utility costs will be going up due to having a larger building with air conditioning and controlled air handling systems. However, we have many items to be more energy efficient," Jiran said.
"First off, the classrooms are all designed to maximize natural light. The rooms also have lights that are on sensors so they turn on when there is movement. We have a unique heating and cooling system called chilled beam (utilizes hot and cold water) that reduces heating and cooling costs."
The old building will be demolished in June with the old furniture and equipment auctioned off. The Chieftain gym that was built in 1988 will remain as a third gym for students and the community to use.
"The rest of the area will become either a parking lot, a grassy area or part of our bus storage," Jiran said. "The area in front of the building where the flag pole is will remain as many items that are there were planted or placed there as memorials to past students."
"The coolest thing has been that it has changed from looking like a construction site to a school building," Jiran said.


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Posted: Apr 5, 2013 4:42 PM by John Patrick
Updated: Apr 5, 2013 5:41 PM
SAHUARITA - A massive swarm of bees strikes a Sahuarita neighborhood sending two dogs to the animal hospital.
David Romero first saw the swarm of nearly 50,000 bees when they were already attacking his neighbor's dogs.
"The two dogs tried to dig themselves out from under the gate and they were just struggling," explains Romero.
Romero says there were just too many bees to help the dogs at first but eventually they cleared out and he could get them into the safety of his own home. One of the dogs, a Dobson, was so badly injured it could barely walk.
Miguel Diaz wasn't home at the time of the attack but he couldn't be more thankful that his neighbors noticed the swarm. It's thanks to their fast action that his dogs now have the chance to survive.
Diaz says, "Some of our neighbors were brave enough to come get our dogs and take them to their house and we're very appreciative of that."
Diaz thought he had normal spring time bee activity because he never noticed large amounts of bees in his yard. However, Pat McCracken with HTS Bees says this is a very common misunderstanding.
McCracken says, "It's the height where the bees go into your home, it's not something that you wouldn't normally notice."
McCracken estimates that this particular bee hive is about two years old because it measured six feet long and housed nearly 50,000 bees where a normal hive has about 15,000 residents. It only takes one sting out of those thousands of bees to send the entire swarm into an all out frenzy.
"Once that attack pheromone is being released, when you have a hive this size, you're talking about thousands and thousands of bees responding," explains McCracken.
It's this reason McCracken suggests regular inspection to the outside of your house for any holes or spaces a bee can fit in. A bee will make your house their new home if they can find a gap a quarter of an inch or larger. McCracken says to fill those holes immediately with brass, steel wool or insulation if possible.
Grant Cesarek with the Rural Metro Fire Department says if you run into a swarm of bees get yourself into a safe place such as a home or vehicle as fast as possible. If a bee sting does occur conventional tips say remove the stinger as fast possible by scraping it away from your skin with your fingernail or credit card. However, if the bees get particularly aggressive Cesarek says do not hesitate to dial 911.
"Get 911 activated that way if you do get stung or have an allergic reaction the firefighters or paramedics can be there to offer that medical care you're going to need," says Cesarek.
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Following the decisions of its December conference, the National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts (NCAFC) has created membership and affiliation structures.
All students can now join NCAFC for £1, and school, college and university anti-cuts groups can affiliate. This will give activists a democratic voice in the campaign and greatly strengthen national and local co-ordination.
The student movement, like the wider anti-cuts anti-cuts movement is in desperate need of a united federation that can carry out a common strategy of resistance to Tory austerity.
The fight to defend education is far from over – as the upcoming strikes by the NUT show.
We think all the education campaigns – NCAFC, Education Activists Network, SBL and YFFJE should hold a joint conference to agree a plan of action and fuse into one federation.
This will stop the unnecessary and destructive competition which is holding us back.
We encourage all students and anti-cuts group to join NCAFC and work to build anti-cuts groups on campus and regionally which draw in representatives from as many institutions and campaigns as possible.
Only by building a strong, unified campaign based on the most effective democratic structures like general assemblies can we hope to have a chance of taking on the Tories – and winning.


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Posted: Jan 29, 2013 7:59 AM
HUNTSVILLE - The execution of a Texas woman convicted of murdering her 71-year-old neighbor will mark the first time in three years that a woman has been put to death in the U.S.
Fifty-one-year-old Kimberly McCarthy is scheduled for lethal injection Tuesday evening for the 1997 fatal stabbing of retired college psychology professor Dorothy Booth.
Investigators say Booth had agreed to give McCarthy a cup of sugar before she was attacked at her home in Lancaster, about 15 miles south of Dallas. It was among three slayings linked to McCarthy, a former nursing home therapist who'd been addicted to crack cocaine.
McCarthy will be the 13th woman executed in the U.S. since 1976, when the Supreme Court allowed the death penalty to resume. Since then, more than 1,300 men have been executed.
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Dick's Sporting Goods Tournament
Los Osos 3, Corona Santiago 0
Chris Kohler struck out six and allowed two hits in five innings and Kyle Robeniol added three strikeouts in the last two innings for the Grizzlies (2-1). Brenden Cagle and Kohler each hit a double for Los Osos.
RBI Tournament
Oak Hills 4, Ontario Chr. 0
The Knights (3-2) fell in the fifth round to Oak Hills. Eli Zaragoza hit a double for Ontario Christian and Kyle Callahan hit a triple in the third to drive in two runs for the Bulldogs.
Ontario Christian will begin league play March 12 at Aquinas.
Victor Valley 5, Citrus Valley 4
The Blackhawks (2-3) scored three runs in the first inning, but lost steam toward the end as Victor Valley (2-3) took the win. Kyle Darby hit a double for Citrus Valley, which will play Upland on Monday in the Chino Hills Tournament.
Redlands 9, Redlands East Valley 3
Jacob Nottingham hit a two-run triple in the seventh to break the 3-3 tie in the Bulldogs' championship win over Redlands East Valley (5-1). Jimmy Walker went 3 for 3 with three RBIs, a double and a triple, and Michael Tillman hit two doubles for Redlands (5-0), which will play Buchanan on Thursday.
Palm Springs Tournament
Aquinas 9, San Jacinto 7
Zoey Casias went 2 for 3 with three RBIs for the Falcons.
Maritsa Cardona picked up her first save in one inning of relief, striking out two for Aquinas.
Redlands Tournament
Grand Terrace 10, Whittier 2
Grand Terrace 5, Oak Hills 2
Freshman Melanie Olmos struck out 10 and only allowed three hits for the Titans. On the day, Olmos was 4 for 7 with three doubles and three RBIs.
Danielle Rico drove in three runs and scored twice on the day for Grand Terrace (3-0).
Upland Tournament
Chino 4, Upland 3
Ruby Barroso hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh for the Cowgirls (4-1) to defeat Upland in the championship round. Kat Silva went 2 for 3 with a run scored and Miranda Viramontes struck out eight in seven innings for Chino, which will play in the Tournament of Champions on Thursday in Arizona.
Cassidy Duke went 2 for 2 with two RBIs and Taylor Clinkaberry had a double for Upland, which will play at Rancho Cucamonga March 14.
Victor Valley Tournament
Bloomington Chr. 8, Webb 3
(5 inn, time)
Ally Trejo went 2 for 3 with two RBIs in the Ravens' win over Webb. Victoria Melton went 2 for 4 with an RBI, Ta'lor Brown went 2 for 3 and Danielle Stocuy-Henderson earned her fourth win of the season. Bloomington Christian (4-1) will play at Western Christian on Tuesday.
Arrowhead Chr. 12-16, Temecula Prep 2-1 (5 inn, 10-run rule)
The Eagles (2-0) opened the season with two wins over Temecula Prep (0-2).
In game one, Roxy Stansberry went 2 for 3 and Nicole Hooyenga went 2 for 4 for ACA.
In game two, Julia Partiva went 3 for 4 with a double and Amanda Malanowski went 3 for 4 and earned the win.
Claremont High School
The Wolfpack went 3-0 in pool play at the Mayfair Tournament, beating Alemany (25-23, 25-18), Long Beach Jordan (25-9, 25-15) and Anaheim (25-19, 25-14). They also defeated host Mayfair before losing to Lakewood 25-16, 25-10 in the semifinals.
Hunter McIntyre had 32 kills and Stan Reeder added 26. Donovan Robinson was next with 13.


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KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- A northeast Missouri teen who pleaded guilty to shooting another teen has learned his fate.
Tyler Treece, 19, of Glenwood, Mo., entered the guilty plea in October to charges of first degree assault and shooting into a motor vehicle. Treece, who could have received up to life in prison, was sentenced to ten years by Circuit Judge Russell Steele on Tuesday. Adair County Prosecutor Matt Wilson had asked for 15 years, while the defense had requested probation.
Treece was involved in the shooting over Thanksgiving weekend of last year. The victim, who was fourteen at the time of the incident, survived the shooting. Treece had claimed that he thought the gun was not loaded at the time. Previous stories...Teen admits to shooting 14-year-old girl - Monday, October 22, 2012


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New York, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Jets could be ready to trade cornerback Darrelle Revis.
According to multiple reports, including CBSSports.com and the New York Daily News, Jets owner Woody Johnson indicated that the team needs to address the situation regarding Revis, who could become a free agent after the 2013 season.
The CBS Sports report said Johnson is uncertain about working out an extension with Revis and could seek to get maximum trade value for the All-Pro.
However, Revis is coming off major knee surgery after missing most of the 2012 campaign. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 against Miami after missing the previous game because of a mild concussion he sustained in the opener.
Revis has had issues with the Jets' front office in the past. He had a lengthy holdout in 2010 before signing a seven-year contract that can void after four years if he doesn't skip training camp again.
The six-year veteran is considered one of the top defensive players in the league. He has 19 career interceptions.
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Distinctive. Compelling. Exquisitely Designed.
Perhaps the first thing you notice upon entering Mikuni Elk Grove is the fresh, clean beauty of the décor. Inspired by the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, the restaurant boasts the architect's trademark use of linear components and uncluttered lines. Extensive use of wood is enhanced by majestic stands of bamboo, creating an atmosphere of east meets west.
In keeping with the Mikuni tradition, guests are greeted with a welcoming cry of "Irasshaimase!" With two seating options, they can choose between the inviting warmth of the all-dining room to the sophisticated energy of the dining room/bar combo. Both promise the exceptional sushi and unparalleled dining experience that distinguish all Mikuni restaurants.
Monday - Sunday: 11:30am to 4:00pm
Monday - Thursday: 4:00pm to 9:30pm
Friday: 4:00pm to Midnight
Saturday: 4:00pm to 10:00pm
Sunday: 4:00pm to 9:00pm
Christmas Eve: 11:30am to 8:00pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
New Year's Eve & Day: Normal business hours
Reservation Policy
Reservations for parties of 8 or more. No reservations taken between Noon and 1:00pm and 7:00pm and 8:00pm. Reservations will be held for ten minutes only. If the entire party is not present after ten minutes, the reservation will be forfeited. The Mikuni Sushi Bar is seated based on first come, first served. Thank you.
Mikuni Koki Black & Blue Club members may receive "jump to the front of the line" for parties up to 4. Black Club members may make reservations for parties up to 4.


text: What's Hot 2013 Gift Ideas Craft Whiskey Remembering Mandela GALLERIES Kristanna Loken Pics 0 11 Back to Top ▲ Kristanna Loken Pics Kristanna Loken Pics AskMen Editors With the announcement that Kristanna Loken was set to play the cyborg villain in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, her stock rose faster than any tech company's ever did. Her past acting experience occurred on TV in several B-rated series, but thanks to the T3 gig opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and several additional roles in TV shows like The L Word and Painkiller Jane, she is now the... Continue reading Kristanna Loken's profile. Next Page Exclusive Access Get the best deals for men on Black Friday, Cyber Monday & more ✓ You're in!We'll be in touch soon. ✗ Something went wrong.Try again later. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


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It's entirely possible that you're not going to run out, rent and line these up for Christmas day. And it's also pretty likely that quite a few of these titles are just simply beyond renting anyways. Most likely an old [...]
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Book Review: The Summer Job - Author Adam Cesare
December 8th, 2013
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Interview: Deron Miller (Caesar & Otto's Deadly Xmas, CKY, and World Under Blood)
November 17th, 2013
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November 7th, 2013
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Sebastian Vettel superbly grabbed the 32nd pole position of his Formula One career and second in succession ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Reigning world champion Vettel proved to be the class act in qualifying, crushing his rivals around Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in his Red Bull.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton again lines up on the front row, but the 27-year-old found himself three tenths of a second adrift of Vettel's hot lap of a one minute 13.784secs.
The pole elevates Vettel up to fifth in the all-time standings, and he now stands alongside Nigel Mansell, with only Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Jim Clark and Alain Prost ahead of him, the latter duo with 33 poles.
Championship leader in Ferrari's Fernando Alonso starts third as he failed to pip Hamilton at the death, followed by the Red Bull of recent Monaco Grand Prix winner Mark Webber.
Mercedes' Nico Rosberg starts sixth ahead of Felipe Massa in his Ferrari and Lotus of Romain Grosjean, with Paul di Resta in his Force India a stunning eighth, equalling his second best grid slot of his F1 career.
In ninth and 10th are Mercedes' Schumacher and Jenson Button in his McLaren, the latter in the top 10 for the first time in three races, but continuing to struggle and on a circuit where he won in dramatic fashion a year ago.
Button narrowly had survived Q2, but only by eight thousandths of a second to Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi who will start 11th.
In the dying stages of the middle 15-minute session it appeared as if Williams' Pastor Maldonado would be the man to drop Button out of the top for the third consecutive race.
But after going fastest of all in the first sector, and pushing to the limit, he clipped the Wall of Champions coming out of the final turn, sending him into a 360 degree spin and only 17th.
Kimi Raikkonen's awful weekend to date continued as he could only grab 12th, comfortably behind team-mate Grosjean.
It was a similar situation for Force India's Nico Hulkenberg - who starts 13th, 0.109secs behind the Scot.
Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo lines up 15th, with Bruno Senna in his Williams 16th ahead of the unfortunate Maldonado.
In temperatures of 25 degrees centigrade, and under clear blue skies to assist all the cars, the initial 20 minutes was fairly straightforward.
There was, however, a bit of consternation from inside McLaren as they felt the need to strap on the faster supersoft tyres for a run to guarantee their place in Q2.
Such concerns proved unfounded as Heikki Kovalainen in 18th was comfortably slower than the time set by Hamilton and Button on the soft compound.
It means both drivers have now used an additional set of tyres for this weekend, which could have a knock-on effect for the race.
For Caterham, there was a success of sorts as both Kovalainen and team-mate Vitaly Petrov outqualified a Toro Rosso as Jean-Eric Vergne showed no pace on either tyre and will start 20th.
Below the Frenchman on the grid will be the HRTs of Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan in 21st and 24th sandwiching Marussia duo Timo Glock and Charles Pic.
A smiling Vettel said: "We've had a fantastic weekend. Yesterday was very smooth with no problems.
"We've learned some lessons of late because we've been quick on a Sunday, but not in qualifying.
"Yesterday it was important to have a clean run. We trust the car we have. We go with the circuit, and I was very comfortable.
"I found I was always able to get a bit quicker. I knew it would be tight here, but it seems we've been able to make a bigger difference.
"Obviously we've got it right in qualifying today, but I'm still only eight metres ahead of Lewis."
Asked about the fact Red Bull have been to forced modify the hole in the floor of their car and the wheel hubs of late as they have both been deemed illegal by the FIA, Vettel said: "It's not just a hole in the floor that makes all the difference.
"Reading the newspapers you get that impression, but we never feared it would have a big impact on the car, and even without the hole I enjoyed qualifying."
Hamilton found himself genuinely surprised to be starting on the front row for the fourth time this season.
"It was definitely harder for us today, working with the tyres, notably in P3 (final practice) and in qualifying trying to get the tyres to switch them on," Vettel said.
"I managed to get through on a new set, so I'm very happy and surprised to see us on the front row, and we'll take it."


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Johnny Marr Tickets
Buy Johnny Marr tickets today on Seatwave. This is the place to find Johnny Marr tickets, as well as tickets for lots more sports, concerts and theatre events. Don't miss a second of the action; buy Johnny Marr tickets now. Make sure you keep checking back for updates on Johnny Marr gigs and when you can buy or sell tickets.
Buy your tickets for Johnny Marr today on Seatwave.com, the ticket marketplace, all tickets guaranteed.


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American Lithium Minerals Inc. (AMLM.OB)
American Lithium Minerals Inc. (AMLM.OB)
American Lithium is a U.S.-based mineral exploration company focused on the development of lithium and boron resources in Nevada. The company's key objective is to develop world-class lithium projects that will capitalize on surging demand for lithium-ion batteries, particularly for hybrid and electric vehicles.
The country's green energy legislation and long-term energy policies depend on developing a vibrant, domestic lithium-ion battery manufacturing sector. The Borate Hills Project is the Company's current primary focus, however it is also active in grassroots exploration for lithium deposits in the Great Basin of the United States with ten other highly prospective projects in Nevada and Utah.
About Lithium
Lithium is used for batteries, specialty glass, lubricants, pharmaceuticals and lithium alloys. Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries have become the rechargeable battery of choice in cell phones, computers, hybrid-electric cars and electric cars, with the worldwide market for lithium batteries estimated at over $4 billion per year. Demand for lithium carbonate is expected to increase four-fold over the next decade as demand for of lithium-ion battery-powered hybrid-electric and electric cars rises. GM, Ford, Toyota, Dodge, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Tesla, Saturn and Mercedes-Benz have all announced plans to build Li-ion battery-powered cars and the demand for such vehicles is currently expected to increase five-fold by 2012. There is currently only one producer of lithium carbonate in the United States, Chemetall's Clayton Valley operation Nevada. The Great Basin of the United States represents excellent potential for the discovery of new lithium brine deposits and American Lithium is well positioned for detection with its projects.
The hybrid frenzy is raging, suddenly thrusting lithium into the
profit spotlight… perhaps into the profit hall of fame.
Hitachi will supply lithium-ion batteries for GM's hybrid vehicles in
2010 and then sharply raise production to meet surging demand for on
onslaught of new gas-electric cars. They're going to need a lot of
lithium. And they're not alone.
Besides GM's critical introduction of its Chevy Volt…
o BMW plans to launch its remodeled lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery-
powered 750i luxury sedan to the Japanese in 2010. In 2009, BMW is
producing 500 all-electric MINI Es using Li-ion batteries.
o Toyota plans to launch plug-in hybrid Priuses with Li-ion batteries
later this year.
o Mercedes-Benz plans to launch its S400 Blue HYBRID with Li-ion battery
next year.
o Ford's Escape plug-in hybrid is coming out in 2012.
o Nissan is set to put 65,000 lithium-ion batteries in car in 2010.
o The Testa Roadster… Chyrsler EcoVoyager… Dodge ZEO…
Jepp Renegade… Saturn's Flextreme… all of them are using
lithium-ion batteries.
There's more.
Stimulus packages in the US and Europe are underway. The Advanced
Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program for battery development gets
$25 billion and this massive cash jolt is igniting lithium-hungry
projects left and right.
o Metal Miner tells us, "Johnson Controls and Saft of France are
building a battery production facility in Michigan supported by $220
million of state aid in one form or another."
o Privately, GE, ConocoPhillips, and Detroit Edison are said to be the
driving forces behind the $69 million raised by a lithium-ion battery
maker that just signed a deal to supply Chrysler with batteries.
o NASA just awarded a multi-million dollar contract to develop the
next-generation lithium-ion technology… for launching and operating
rovers, landers, astronaut packs, and other functions on the moon.
But first, everyone needs more lithium. Demand is off the charts. And that
brings us right back to American Lithium (AMLM). Buy this monster in the
making today.
Making Energy Investors Rich For 25 Years
John Myers grew up in the energy business. He earned a degree in geology
and over the last 25 years has written and edited some of the top
investment newsletters in North America.
Focusing on uncovering the most profitable investment gems in natural
resources, energy, mining and technology, John has a history of beating
Wall Street to the punch. Over the last two decades, energy investors
following his recommendations have made millions.
Some of his other recent picks include…
DRDGOLD +937% in 25 months
Metallica Resources +668% in 11 months
Glamis/Franciso Gold +332% in 18 months
Wheaton River Minerals +162% in 17 months
PetroChina +142% in 22 months
Southern Copper Corp +90% in 7 months
Coeur d' Alene Mines +344% in 26 months
Intrepid Minerals +162% in 17 months
American Lithium (AMLM) could top them all!
Learn more at AmericanLithium.com


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First off I just want to thank MidwestBeast and Southland for this logging opportunity. Ive been on this forum for a while now and just recently got into logging products. Ive been training since I was about 13 so I have a solid understanding of how my body is reacting to both supplements and training methods. Im looking forward to making some gains over the next few weeks and logging my experience with Recourse.
Age: 29
Height: 57
Weight: 235 as of 8/2/12
Goals: Maintain strength/gain if possible while cutting down over the next two months. Trying to lean up a little for my honeymoon in October
Current Training Split:
Day 1: Back, Bi's, abs
Day 2: Chest, Tri's
Day 3: Quads, Calves
Day 4: Shoulders, Traps, abs
Day 5: Hamstrings, Calves
* I split two rest days up throughout week- based on how I feel and work/home life needs
** Cardio minimum 5 days per week 30-45 mins on either Stairmill/Treadmill on incline. Tends to be 6 and sometimes 7 days a week as we have 4 dogs and they get walked frequently
Nutrition: For the most part is low carb, high protein and moderate healthy fats alot of tuna, eggs, white fish, ground turkey and limited amounts of red meat lately carb sources are usually brown rice, oats or whole wheat pasta- again these are fairly limited and consumed primarily on back and leg days. Typically aim for a min of 1g protein/lb bodyweight. Given my cardio is currently more frequent than usual; I will likely bump this up to 1.5g or even 2 if feasible.
Other supplements- omega 3s, mens multi, and milk thistle.
Dosing- Started today with 2 caps/3x might end up switching to 3caps/2x daily.
My schedule was a little screwy this week so I will be hitting arms and cardio tonight, followed by Quads and calves on Sat.
Stay tuned for updates.


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'delivered exactly when the text said!'
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'A Grobag Baby Sleep Bag is a wearable blanket that will keep your baby at a comfortable temperature all...'
kiddicare staff expert - peterborough
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'My little girl was struggling to sleep in the hot weather, this sleeping bag is as thin as as sheet and...'
Sophie - Lancashire
'A safe and sound night's sleep for your baby means peace of mind and more sleep for you.'
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'Nice and light for the warm we'
Kia mum - Cambridge
'I chose this for my mum to buy my son, and loved the design. I specifically looked for a side zip bag as...'
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