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PKP Bugzilla – Bug 6409
PromoteForm and NewReviewRound form need the reviewType
Last modified: 2011-07-10 14:37:55 PDT
The grids in promoteForm.tpl and newReviewRound.tpl rely on reviewType to retrieve their data. I'd removed that based on the assumption that #6129 would remove review type altogether and only rely on review round + workflow stage. Now it's the other way round, so we either need to base everything off workflow stages or we need to consistently maintain review rounds everywhere.
that assumption is correct. It will be based on stageId and round.

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Baby and Kids
As a mom, you know what Halloween means to your kids. It's the holiday that your little ones have been thinking about and planning for ever since last October. Dressing up in the perfect costume is of utmost importance, and this deal gets you a steep discount on the treasures found at HalloweenMart.
You'll find pirate outfits, princesses, ghosts, goblins, ballerinas, wizards, fairies, and more – in short, everything you need to make this the best Halloween ever.
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4 elements yoga shop & studio
| Yoga Classes in McMinnville
|4 elements yoga shop & studio Website
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|424 ne 4th, McMinnville 97128
|Yoga Style: hatha, fusion, pilates
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4 elements yoga is a cooperatively owned studio that offers an array of yoga classes, workshops, dance and musical opportunities, and also hosts visiting teachers. Our unique retail space offers comfortable clothes for your yoga, pilates, and fusion practice; clothes that 'bridge' into your life outside the studio – wear them out after class for a glass of wine, browsing the bookstore or a hike in the hills.
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Occasionally, a delay in the time when milk "comes in" turns into an ongoing problem with low milk production. Sometimes, a mother has been producing sufficient amounts of milk, and then milk production slowly, or quite suddenly, decreases. Some of the conditions associated with a delay may also have an ongoing effect on milk production, including, but not limited to, the following:
Mothers with previous breast surgery that cut some of the nerves, milk-making tissue, or milk ducts, may have difficulty producing enough milk to fully feed a baby.
Other factors can also lead to insufficient milk production. Maternal smoking has been shown to result in less milk. Some medications and herbal preparations have a negative effect on the amount of milk produced. Hormonal forms of birth control, especially any containing estrogen, have been found to have a big impact on milk production. However, some mothers report a drop in milk production after receiving/taking a progestin-only contraceptive during the first four to eight weeks after delivery (postpartum). Milk production may also decrease if you become pregnant again.
If insufficient milk production seems to be a problem, yet the baby seems to be sucking effectively, your doctor or certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) may recommend the following:
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Think positive. Although insufficient milk production usually can be reversed, any amount of milk you produce is valuable for your baby. Try to remember that your baby is 25 to 90 percent breastfed rather than feel discouraged that he or she is also receiving a breast milk substitute.
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By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
A third softball pitcher at Corinth High School in Upstate New York was stricken last week with the same strange illness -- including seizures and tics -- that felled two other pitchers at the school.
Like the first two, Corinth 9th grader Abby Matuszak collapsed unconscious. And like them, she's being told by medical experts that it's all in her head. That's the same diagnosis officials gave earlier this year to about 20 girls, many of them athletes, at LeRoy Junior-Senior High School in the western part of the state.
But the new case in Corinth strengthens the possibility that something environmental or infectious -- or a combination of both -- may be at work. While two softball pitchers (out of four) at the same school might be dismissed as a coincidence, albeit an unlikely one, three is an alarm bell. And several local sources told us the total number of students affected over the past two school years in Corinth is now six, including a sixth-grader active in cheerleading.
Abby's mother, Shannon Matuszak, says that after her daughter was taken by ambulance to a hospital last week, doctors dismissed her symptoms as psychological. She is now at home, missing classes she enjoys, games with her varsity field hockey team, Spirit Week activities and Homecoming -- all much-anticipated events for a ninth grader. She is currently suffering "only" three to four seizures a day, according to her mother, a psychiatric nurse.
"I told them, don't you think it's odd that six girls in the same school in a tiny small town are all going through the same thing and they walk through these doors and you tell them the exact same thing?" Shannon said. "Do you think that maybe they correlate with each other -- that three were pitchers? Maybe it's nothing, but to me it's a Big Maybe."
The family found a doctor in Westchester County who has started Abby on antibiotics with a presumptive diagnosis of Lyme disease. They're hopeful her symptoms will continue clearing up and she'll be back in school soon.
Corinth Central School District Superintendent Daniel R. Starr did not respond to a request for comment.
Abby's saga began last Wednesday, just two days after we reported on the cases of Alycia Nicholson and Lori Brownell, who began suffering similar symptoms last year when they were the junior varsity and varsity pitchers. Abby is the pitcher for the ninth-grade team playing on the same fields, and her mother said no one in her family was aware of our article.
Like Lori and Alycia, Abby experienced some symptoms in the weeks before the severe attack. Her legs cramped and her joints hurt. Her mother told her to eat bananas to replenish potassium depleted by exertion. Last Tuesday, Abby got a nasal flu vaccine.
On Wednesday, "What happened was she was in lunch, and she started having her peripheral vision going," her mother said. "And she had a headache, and her hearing was off." Her friends wanted her to go to the nurse, but, typically, she insisted on attending her next class, in math.
"Her friends in the class said she was staring off and very spacey, and then all of a sudden her desk was shaking from where she was writing, and then she just toppled over, she fell right out of her seat."
During a 45-minute wait for an ambulance, she had eight more seizures, and continued to have them at the hospital in Glens Falls and after being transferred to Albany Medical Center. They ranged from 10 seconds to three minutes in length. "It took them a long time to rouse her when she got to the hospital. It took half an hour to wake her up. It wasn't until probably an hour later that she was able to even speak."
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: Mystery Illness Strikes Third Pitcher at Same New York State High School" »
By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
CORINTH, New York -- Lori Brownell's teammates nicknamed her the Beast. She threw herself into every play last year on the girls' softball team at Corinth High School, north of Albany. A star pitcher and all-around player, she dove for the ball and slid into base with bruising abandon – and has the jammed fingers, scrapes, and concussions to prove it.
Alycia Nicholson is no shrinking violet, either. She is an undefeated wrestler on the boys' junior varsity wrestling team, and, like Lori, an ace softball pitcher. This past spring, after she moved up to the varsity, she hurled a two-hitter with eight strikeouts for one victory, and slammed a solo home run in another.
It is odd, then, that these two hardy teens were the only two students felled at the high school last year by a mystery illness that included fainting spells, tics, severe fatigue, joint pain, breathing problems, seizures, rashes, and other serious signs and symptoms.
And it's even odder that both were subjected to claims in recent months that it was all, in effect, in their heads – that they suffered not from any physical illness but from a Freudian diagnosis of "conversion disorder," in which some past trauma or emotional upheaval got converted unconsciously into physical symptoms. When this happens to more than one person in the same setting, it is called mass hysteria, or, to use the modern and less judgmental-sounding term, a mass psychogenic event.
Historically, hysteria has been associated with anxious, attention-seeking people, usually women. Across the state, a similar cluster of symptoms among a group of high-schoolers was dubbed, "cheerleader hysteria." As a New York Times column by Caitlin Flanagan put it: "Most parents of adolescent girls will never have to contend with episodes of hysteria of the kind experienced by the cheerleaders. But anyone with a teenage daughter can attest that this is a time of emotional extremes and high drama, of girls who are one moment affectionate youngsters and the next screaming banshees." (See our article, The Crazy History of Conversion Disorder)
The girls, and their families, don't buy it. As Alycia, an attractive, self-contained young woman, said simply when we visited her home outside Corinth earlier this year: "Why would anyone do that to herself?"
It's a great question, and one with no good answer. The likeliest explanation in both cases remains real illness, triggered by something in the environment, or by an infection, or by some unusual combination. But unwarranted medical and media skepticism, based on 19th-century psychiatric speculation, continues to stand in the way of understanding what really happened. While Alycia, now a junior, has returned to school and sports and has only minor residual problems, Lori – an outgoing, appealing and mature senior, eager to do volunteer work for the disabled -- cannot attend class or tolerate noisy or crowded situations, and continues to have disabling verbal and physical tics. A recent video captured her on a rare trip out, to Walmart, with a friend pushing her wheelchair.
Both girls were afflicted in 2011, Alycia near the end of the school year that May, when she collapsed, passed out, and went into convulsions on the pitcher's mound at a junior varsity home game. Lori, the star varsity pitcher that year, passed out that August at a school dance, then again in October, with recurrent dizziness at school in between, followed by multiple symptoms that worsened dramatically.
Lori, used to being knocked down but not out, tried to carry on as usual, but a friend described the difficulties: "When she started to come back to school, she passed out almost every day. It killed me to see everyone just staring at her as the nurse came running down the hallway."
The cases gained national attention early this year after a similar but larger cluster of about 18 girls developed tic disorders at LeRoy Junior-Senior High School near Rochester, 250 miles west of Corinth. In LeRoy, the state health department endorsed the diagnosis of conversion disorder, and school officials said there was no environmental or infectious cause for the illness. For that reason, health experts have declined even to investigate the Corinth cases, saying that by definition they could have nothing in common with LeRoy.
Although we have drawn no conclusions, there are several plausible physical suspects in Corinth – from infections to pesticides on playing fields – that should have been investigated more intensively and ruled out more persuasively before exotic mental diagnoses were even considered. Since the start of the school year two new tic cases have been reported in LeRoy, along with a third case that suddenly worsened. This, and rumblings of more cases in both locations and clusters in other states, suggest such factors could be a continuing threat. For that reason if no other, a close look at the Corinth cases makes sense.
When we visited, we found two strong, unified families facing their daughters' mysterious illness with caring and determination. But when a reporter for The New York Times, Susan Dominus, visited the Nicholsons -- Randy Nicholson is an independent construction contractor and his wife, Heidi, is a stay-at-home mom to four kids -- it did not take her long to decide on a diagnosis. As she wrote on her Times blog:
"I drove to Corinth first and interviewed one of the two young women [Alycia] who were showing symptoms there. I'm not a neurologist or a psychiatrist, but it seemed likely to me after talking to her that anxiety was an issue, and that her symptoms seemed to get worse in situations when there was a lot of attention and concern focused on her and the other girl. I did not think that she was faking it, but that there was something psychological at play. It was not what I had expected, to be honest."
The idea that a newspaper reporter would offer such a diagnosis after a brief visit, and make it public, upset Alycia and outraged her parents. So did the family's subsequent visit to California to appear on The Doctors, a TV show. Randy Nicholson said the family participated on the understanding that the doctors would evaluate Alycia for PANDAS, a neurological condition that has been suggested as a cause of many of the LeRoy cases, but "when we arrived, the testing was changed to the most basic and general tests which would undoubtedly turn up nothing."
The doctors then told her, on national TV, "You'll be fine in no time." Translation: Tut, tut little girl. Just calm down and you'll get better. It's all in your head. Says Randy: "That's not it. There's a lot more going on."
"It's like being in a horror movie," Heidi Nicholson said of the repeated failure to find anything amiss with their daughter. "At Albany Medical Center, they told us they didn't see anything wrong, so there was no further need to investigate it. It made us so angry because we couldn't get anywhere, and she was sick all the time."
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: The Beast, the Wrestler, and the Trouble With Conversion Disorder" »
By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
One Thursday last September, a crop-dusting plane swooped down over a cornfield in Western New York and dipped below the tree line, spraying an insecticide engineered to paralyze the nervous system of agricultural pests called earworms. After several passes, the plane climbed, banked sharply, and flew away.
The event, captured on this video by a local resident, is noteworthy for when and where it happened: on a school day, on a field adjoining LeRoy Junior-Senior High School in Western New York, where an outbreak of tic disorders among 18 students, mostly girls, would soon gain national attention. By then two girls had developed symptoms, according to the state Health Department – one in May 2011, the other earlier in September – but the bulk of the cases would follow, including two more the next week.
"This cornfield is adjacent to the school property and uphill from the school," the neighbor who took the video wrote in an e-mail. "The fields in our area are dusted at least twice a year."
The "dust" that settled that day is called Tundra. Its active ingredient, bifenthrin, has been linked at high doses in animal studies to some of the same symptoms experienced by the LeRoy students. U.S. regulators regard it as much safer than earlier generations of pesticides such as DDT, but it was banned in Europe until just last week due to environmental concerns.
Most of the LeRoy girls were diagnosed by a local neurology clinic with a psychiatric illness called conversion disorder, a finding the state Health Department endorsed despite the protests of parents who said their daughters were not emotionally disturbed. Several investigations, including one made public last month, found no evidence of environmental contamination.
In May 2011, a ban on all pesticide use on school grounds went into effect in New York State. But the investigators did not appear to consider the possibility of pesticide drift or runoff from neighboring property in the intensively farmed region, or test for currently used pesticides like bifenthrin – only ones banned decades ago. There is no evidence that the crop-dusting on September 22, or any other date, was part of any investigation. (Our inquiries to the school district and the environmental consulting firm have not yet been answered.)
The video, shot by Leroy Township resident Don Dessert from his nearby home, was sent in March to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. We obtained it last week through a Freedom of Information Law request, along with supporting documents. In an e-mail accompanying the video, Dessert wrote that it showed "a crop duster spraying the cornfield on the other side of the tree stand from my house."
Dessert attached a fact sheet on agricultural practices for corn to illustrate "what part of the chemistry set is put on corn crops. Makes me want to find some organic corn …" He included a photo diagram showing his location in relation to the field and the school (click to enlarge photo):
Just below the cornfield in this photo looking south is a retention basin and the girls' softball field. In some aerial photographs, including the one on the school's Web site, the basin is full of water. The period between April and September of last year was the rainiest ever in Rochester and Buffalo, the two big cities to the east and west of Leroy.
As we wrote in February, "School officials who say environmental factors can't be responsible for the outbreak of tics at the Junior/Senior High School might want to check last year's record rainfalls – and the flood-prone ground right under their feet.
"Parts of the school grounds -- including athletic fields -- are right on top of a federally designated FEMA Flood Hazard Area. … The zone cuts right across the girls' softball diamond." (In this photo, north is toward the top of the frame, and the field that was sprayed September 22 is visible at the bottom.)
Officials told us then that the school's pesticide log was examined as part of the initial investigation but, because no pesticides were applied on school grounds during the preceding year, pesticides were ruled out as a factor. (Pesticide use was banned on all public school grounds in the state as of May 18, 2011.)
The Department of Environmental Conservation's internal notes obtained through the FOIA request show it ruled out the crop-dusting as a cause of the outbreak.
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: New Evidence Raises Pesticide Concerns in New York State Outbreak" »
By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
If you want to know what's wrong with the diagnoses of "conversion disorder" and "mass psychogenic illness" recently given to high school girls with tic disorders in New York State, the place to start is not the rural villages of LeRoy and Corinth but the cosmopolitan metropolis of Vienna, Austria.
More than a century ago, Sigmund Freud treated a 17-year-old he called "Dora." She had a cough, migraines, trouble talking, a weak left leg, depression, and other symptoms. After she passed out, her worried parents took her to Dr. Freud, a neurologist with a home office who was working on some interesting new ideas about unexplained illnesses. He was already treating Dora's father.
Freud diagnosed Dora with "hysteria" – it was all in her head. She had unknowingly converted psychological stress into mental and physical symptoms, he believed. Based on his write-up of the case -- "Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria ('Dora')" -- she became one of the best known of a dozen early cases that shaped the history of psychiatry.
Seventeen-year-old Thera Sanchez, and a dozen other girls who developed tics last year at LeRoy Junior/Senior High School, are in a sense Dora's twenty-first century peers – teenagers suffering from a baffling disorder. In addition to the Tourette's-like symptoms, Thera and the other girls repeatedly passed out, had trouble walking, and suffered from migraines, joint pain, rashes, breathing problems, and hair and weight loss.
The Buffalo neurology clinic that examined most of the girls and the state health department say they have "conversion disorder," an updated but essentially identical diagnosis to Dora's hysteria. Like Freud, the doctors didn't find anything physically wrong with the girls in LeRoy, so they declared it must be psychological.
"We have conclusively ruled out any form of infection or communicable disease, and there's no evidence of any environmental factor," said Dr. Gregory Young of the New York Department of Health following a three-month investigation.
But in both Austria and New York, we believe, the doctors have misdiagnosed what is much more likely to be real physical illness that has nothing to do with stress or trauma. In Freud's cases, the trigger was actually mercury poisoning from medicines that were in widespread use back then, a new idea we propose in detail in our book "The Age of Autism – Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-made Epidemic." In New York, infections like strep or Lyme Disease, and/or environmental factors like toxic fungi or spills from gas wells on the school grounds, are the likeliest triggers for the illnesses.
What's really sickening, though, is the use of this antiquated and unproven diagnosis in place of rigorous investigation and appropriate treatment.
Even though much of Freudian theory is now regarded as quaint, wrong-headed or downright destructive – blaming parents for serious biological illnesses like schizophrenia, for instance – hysteria and its successors have gotten the medical version of a hundred-year hall pass, reflecting the power of the psychiatric establishment to create its own version of reality.
To explain why – why Freud was wrong about hysteria and why today's medical industry is making the same mistake and doing the same disservice to patients -- we need to take a trip back to a time and place not entirely unlike our own.
Vienna at the turn of the 19th century into the 20th was in the grip of cultural and political turbulence that created its own catchphrase, "fin de siecle," or end of the century, usually followed by malaise or some other term denoting angst, uncertainty, upheaval. Amid the glitter of the ancien regime, the gears of the far-flung, polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire were gnashing loudly. A young man named Adolph Hitler had come to the capital from the hustings, nurturing deep resentments toward the wealthy and artistic, many of them (like Freud) Jewish.
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: The Crazy History of Conversion Disorder" »
By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
As the white-hot glare of attention begins to pull away from the outbreak of tics among students at LeRoy Junior/Senior High School in Western New York, most medical and media sources appear to have settled on "conversion disorder" as their default diagnosis.
Newsweek acknowledged the families' belief that something physical must be wrong, but the author insisted on "a very inconvenient truth: the cluster in Le Roy is, by all reasonable judgment, a mass hallucination. Aided by media of all sorts, what the girls are suffering from is perhaps the ultimate disease of our era."
The New York Times, without bothering to name LeRoy, published an article titled "Hysteria and the Teenage Girl": "Female adolescence is — universally — an emotionally and psychologically intense period. It is during this time that girls become aware of the emergence of womanhood, with both the great joy and promise that come with it, and also the threat of danger." As evidence, the writer noted that a LeRoy cheerleader – not a linebacker – was one of the first stricken.
"Well, that's the kind of nutty story that only happens once, or so I briefly thought," wrote Caitlin Flanagan, "until more focused Googling quickly led me to an almost identical episode, this one in 2002, in a high school in rural North Carolina. Once again, a cheerleader was first to manifest the strange symptoms, and once again other girls, some of them cheerleaders, were struck with the same condition."
Though the writer is a woman, the supposed susceptibility of peppy, excitable female cheerleaders versus stolid, masculine football players is Freudian paternalism dressed up for a new century – a misogynist's dream. (It was our skepticism of conversion disorder that drew us to this story, having addressed it in a chapter titled "The Age of Hysteria" in our book; we will have more to say about its shaky foundations in upcoming articles.)
Responding to community pressure, the LeRoy school district has grudgingly commissioned a new round of environmental tests while asserting "the school is safe," a balancing act that left many in the community dissatisfied. (The school board this week approved the new tests, expected to cost as much as $75,000. Some parents and environmental groups are pushing for broader tests than are so far planned. ) Local TV stations have stopped airing videos that show the girls' tics, concerned that might spawn more "psychogenic" cases. The neurologist in Buffalo who originally diagnosed conversion disorder has become more emphatic about the diagnosis, even as four more cases arose in the past week in and around LeRoy. He hints darkly that some of the girls have had such awful experiences that, if only we knew, we would understand – pinning responsibility on the families as well as the victims' own psyches.
The National Institutes of Health offered to evaluate the students (about 15 total at the school, possibly including one boy) for PANDAS – an autoimmune neurological reaction to strep infection. But it is downplaying the idea in advance. The lead NIH researcher who coined the term told a local news site that simultaneous outbreaks among adolescent girls would be unprecedented and unlikely.
That appears to leave only the girls, their parents and a small corps of advocates – Erin Brokovich's group, environmental and school safety activists, a doctor who found evidence of strep infection in most of the girls – to push for continued attention to physical causes.
Based on our own reporting and analysis, they are correct to do so. Real illness remains the likeliest explanation with the suggestion that these dramatic symptoms are provoked by stress a convenient excuse for avoiding a rigorous investigation of environmental risk factors . Here are six possible risks that need to be raised, followed by a key question that needs to be answered:
Mycotoxins on playing fields?
In any inquiry into a novel medical condition, identifying significant changes in the environment is a priority. In LeRoy, as we've reported, several new factors converged in May 2011, when the first girl was affected there, according to a report from the New York State health department.
That month, a statewide ban against pesticides – insecticides, herbicides, fungicides -- took effect for every school in the state. The ban coincided with the rainiest spring ever in Buffalo and the second rainiest in Rochester – LeRoy is located between them -- followed by more downpours in late summer. One of the warmest winters on record has followed.
The school district confirmed last week that it "has not applied pesticides to any of the high school athletic fields since September 2010."
That month, a product called Turf Herbicide was "used to spray broadleaf weeds on varsity football and soccer field." In summer 2009, Roundup Weed killer was used in mulch beds, but not in 2010. (The law banning pesticides was passed in April 2010 and may have affected spraying that summer.)
This probably explains the orange substance that cropped up on playing fields at the school last year – so thick that it coated students' shoes and clothes, so widespread some thought it was pesticide sprayed from an airplane. Officials said it was a harmless grass fungus called rust. Ironically, these fungal outbeaks may point to a counterintuitive new development: the complete and sudden absence of pesticides on school grounds.
Based on that and a history of flooding and water problems at the school, which is partly sited on a FEMA flood hazard area and wetlands, we speculated that harmful metabolites of a fungus – otherwise known as a mycotoxin -- might also have gained a foothold. One possibility: ergot alkaloids, toxic products of fungi that can grow on rye and other grasses. We told the story of a man in the village of Bath, about 70 miles from LeRoy, who developed similar symptoms last September. He lives next to a field that was planted last summer in ryegrass and not harvested, adjacent to a swamp and a levee. He draws his water from a well in the back yard.
Since then, local news outlets have spoken to experts debunking the possibility of mycotoxins, but no specific tests have been done. (For Leroy a Fungal Theory and Expert Doesn't Buy Ergot Theory.)
In December, the school district tested several places inside the school for mold spores and found none, although they did not do "destructive" tests – cutting open walls and the like – to look for hidden sources. Many experts say that it is the only way to completely rule out mold. They also did one test of the air outside the building – location not given – as a "control" to see if inside readings were higher.
One negative test was for a fungus called a. fumigatus, which can produce ergot alkaloids. A June 2005 study in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology found, according to its title, "Abundant Respirable Ergot Alkaloids From the Common Airborne Fungus Aspergillus Fumigatus."
"Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins that interact with several monoamine receptors, negatively affecting cardiovascular, nervous, reproductive, and immune systems of exposed humans and animals," the report said. The alkaloids develop in especially high quantities on maize (corn) and latex paint, according to the study. In a comparison chart, ergot alkaloid production was far higher in latex paint than in any other medium.
That is intriguing because one substance the LeRoy school sprays annually on its grounds is white latex paint, to create the lines that mark playing fields. In the buildings and grounds report, the district said it has used Super Stripe Athletic Paint and Field Marking Paint, two latex brands, every year including 2011.
That might offer an alternative explanation for the Cheerleader Syndrome others have noted. Simply put, cheerleaders spend their time on the sidelines. (And they wear fewer clothes than running backs.) At LeRoy, four of the first 12 girls affected were cheerleaders and two were soccer players, according to the state health department report. In the 2002 North Carolina cluster cited in the Times article, five of the 10 students were current or former cheerleaders.
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: Evidence Points to Environment, Infection in LeRoy Outbreak" »
By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
LEROY, N.Y., February 6 -- Last year, during the wettest spring ever recorded across large swaths of New York state, a little-noticed law took effect: As of May 18, pesticide use was banned from the grounds of every school in the state. That same month, a girl at the junior/senior high school here, and another at a high school near Albany, developed a mysterious tic disorder. The total number of cases in LeRoy has now risen to 15.
This convergence adds a new possibility to the list of suspects already being scrutinized in this picturesque Western New York village of 4,400, suspects that range from a 1970 train derailment that spewed toxic chemicals, to an autoimmune disorder called PANDAS, to leaks from gas wells on school grounds that may or may not have employed "fracking." The new possibility: Poisoning from a fungus that grows on a grass commonly planted on school grounds.
The fungus is called ergot, and it can grow when ryegrass – used on most athletic playing fields – sprouts a floweret that gets infected. That most often happens during wet spring months and on low-lying or marshy areas. (This photo was taken on school grounds last week.)
Two other tic cases have been reported in girls who attend Corinth High School, north of Albany. Both are members of the school softball team; the first girl collapsed unconscious in May during the first inning of a softball game and began twitching and convulsing, according to the Albany Times-Union; in LeRoy, at least 6 of the first 12 cases were among athletically active girls – four cheerleaders and two members of the soccer team.
And as we have reported, a 35-year-old man in the village of Bath, about 70 miles from LeRoy, was stricken with the same symptoms in September. He lives close to a field that was planted last spring in rye and not harvested; there is a swamp and a levee nearby; and his water comes from a well in his yard. (This is a photo of the swamp.)
In Corinth, the first girl was affected in May; according to a report from the New York State Department of Health released Friday, the first case in LeRoy was also in May, followed by three more cases in weeks that began in September, two cases in October, one case in November, and one case in December. The state report dismissed environmental or infectious factors and embraced the official diagnosis of "conversion disorder," in which stress or trauma are subconsciously converted into physical symptoms (several cases at once is called "a mass psychogenic event").
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: Pesticide Ban, Rainfall Could Point to Poisonous Fungus as Factor in Student Outbreaks" »
By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
BATH, N.Y., February 3 – "I've always been a fighter," Bryan Tremblay says, and that's not just a metaphor. Now 35 but still a slight 112 pounds at 5 foot 1, he was a bully magnet as a child and learned early to defend himself. That was an advantage when he wrestled for his high school team.
But now Tremblay, who lives in the Steuben County village of Bath in the Finger Lakes region, is battling a demon he can't control. Since September, he's suffered from a major tic disorder. It goes on, unpredictably, for hours a day. Even on three heavy-duty medicines, he has seizure-like episodes that leave him sitting dazed for half an hour.
The disorder keeps him at home. It makes it hard to study for his online degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh – and well-nigh impossible to look for work after being laid off early last year from his job at a furniture factory. It creates inevitable fears for his health, his wife, his future.
"It's so frustrating," he says. "I just want an answer to what I've got."
Whatever Bryan Tremblay's got is remarkably similar to the tic-like illnesses that have afflicted 15 students at LeRoy Junior/Senior High School about 70 miles away. Many of the LeRoy students, all but one a girl, came down with the disorder about the same time Tremblay did (he didn't hear about that until much later). Most were diagnosed with "conversion disorder," and since so many cases were involved, medical experts have declared it a "mass psychogenic event," in which stress or trauma is supposedly converted unconsciously into physical symptoms and spreads among affinity groups. School and state health officials say they've ruled out environmental or infectious causes and insisted again on Wednesday that the school the girls attend "is safe."
No one is suggesting conversion disorder in Tremblay's illness. No one he knows has anything like it. Extensive neurological workups have turned up nothing. He's due for another follow-up in a couple of weeks at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Tremblay doesn't drink or use prescription or recreational drugs, nor has he been to LeRoy.
He is no publicity seeker. His sister mentioned his situation in a comment on a story we wrote about LeRoy. She gave us his contact information when we asked, and we reached out to Tremblay.
In an e-mail, he responded: "The symptoms seemed to appear almost out of thin air. It started with uncontrollable body spasms and convulsions in my mid to upper body area. These convulsions lasted from approximately 15 minutes to a 30 minute span.
"Soon the spasms started moving to my head and neck area and the movement was similar to a strong neck-whip similar to that of whiplash, sharp and strong and completely random. I did seem to notice that the amount of stress was a factor in the strength of the tics. The problem is the stress level increases once it starts and the tics become stronger and increase as well.
"I noticed that after five months the tics have become vocal, more yelling and humming with points of time where I repeat noises over and over. I find myself spacing out for large amounts of time and daydreaming with difficulty recovering.
"I have also started hand and arm movements."
In almost every way, Tremblay's life circumstances could not be more different from the LeRoy cases. But one common factor was evident during a visit – water. Water everywhere. Tremblay lives in a low-lying area. His house backs up to a levee less than a football field's length behind his house.
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: Similar Case in County Near LeRoy May Point to Environment" »
By Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
LEROY, N.Y., February 2 – School officials who say environmental factors can't be responsible for the outbreak of tics at the Junior/Senior High School might want to check last year's record rainfalls – and the flood-prone ground right under their feet.
The tics broke out after an unusual pattern of heavy rain, followed by a mild winter that has kept the ground from freezing and left lots of standing water at Leroy Junior/Senior High School.
That should be no surprise. Part of the school grounds -- including athletic fields -- are right on top of a federally designated FEMA Flood Hazard Area. While a county official told us that the school itself sits on a slope just above the hazard area, the zone cuts right across the girls' softball diamond, as well as the football/track field and another, larger baseball field.
The land in the flood hazard area generally correlates with other mapping that shows less optimal and more flood prone Canandaigua soil covering the site.
In fact, we've been told by local residents that some fields, including the girls' softball field just built in 2009, had to be dug up and rebuilt within the last year because the ground was so wet. The building itself has not escaped water and structural woes – the gym could not be used when the school was first opened a few years back because the floor buckled and sank, and the opening of school was delayed one year for a week by flooding, according to a former student.
School officials won't comment, but Superintendent Kim M. Cox issued a new statement Wednesday, mostly blasting national press attention and the involvement of famed advocate Erin Brockovich, who has cited a train derailment of hazardous material a few miles from town in 1970 as a likely cause. Cox said new tests have shown drinking water inside the school – which comes from neighboring Monroe County – is safe.
Citing state and federal experts, she said: "All of these agencies and professionals from these agencies have assured us that our school is safe. There is no evidence of an environmental or infectious cause. Environmental causes would not discriminate. We would see a wide range of people affected."
But no one seems to be looking up at the sky or down at the ground. LeRoy, like other New York state and Northeastern U.S. locations, has seen an epic amount of rain during the past 12 months. We put this chart together to show 2011 rainfall versus normal amounts in Buffalo and Rochester. LeRoy is located between them.
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: Leroy Put Student Playing Fields on FEMA Flood Hazard Land" »
By Dan Olmsted
LEROY, N.Y., January 30 -- New playing fields, including one for girls' softball, were completed the year before the outbreak of tics and other ailments began afflicting girls at Leroy Junior/Senior High School.
Aerial photographs compiled by the Genesee County assessments office clearly show the construction in progress in 2009, here:
The 2010 photo shows the completed fields, here:
The smaller field to the immediate left of the school is the girls' softball field, according to a former student at the school. All but one of the students affected so far are girls. There are unconfirmed reports that one boy was also stricken.
School officials said earlier this month that two reports they commissioned of indoor air quality and mold had ruled out any environmental cause. New York Health Department officials concurred and a spokesman told me last week, "The school is safe." Most of the girls were diagnosed at a Buffalo neurological clinic with "conversion disorder," in which psychological stress or trauma is supposedly converted into physical symptoms that clusters of people can display at the same time.
But parents and the girls themselves have rejected that diagnosis, and other theories have been advanced; school officials now say they are ordering another round of tests. I reported last week that the first testing did not include any outside areas of the school grounds, except for reviewing school pesticide logs. Because those logs were in order, environmental factors outside the school building were ruled out. State health officials also say no infectious agent was involved.
But in any investigation of a new illness, the question of what's new in the environment -- from medicines a person is taking, to places they have been, to changes in where and how they live -- needs to be ruled out first.
Building ballfields within the past two years certainly qualifies as new. That could hypothetically create new risks, either from stirring up toxins such as pesticides on the site, or importing materials such as fill or sod that was previously contaminated. New attention has been given to a railroad derailment several miles away in 1970 that spilled both cyanide and TCE, a highly toxic manufacturing agent. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has suggested that the school site was contaminated by runoff from that incident, or that dirt from that area was used to construct the school in the early 2000s.
Continue reading "Tics and Toxins: Just Before Mystery Illnesses Hit Leroy NY, School Built New Playing Fields" »
The school where 12 girls developed tics attributed to "conversion disorder" has a history of water and structural problems, and an outbreak of rashes and sores occurred among students playing sports on land where the school is now sitting, according to a student who went there.
"When we first started we couldn't go to gym class because the floor kept sinking and cracking," said the student, who attended the new LeRoy Junior/Senior High School in 2005, its first year of operation. She was one of several people who described the site as a "swamp."
One year, students had to start a week late because of flooding inside the building, she said.
Before the current school -- which goes from eighth to twelfth grades -- was built, the site was used for student playing fields; the school itself was at another location. The new building sits directly atop those playing fields.
In the 1970s, students using those fields suffered from open sores that would not heal and rashes, said the former student, whose mother also went there and recalled the incident. The soil was tested, the cause was found, the students were treated and recovered. She did not know what the tests had shown.
This student expressed surprise that two consultant reports commissioned by the district, which found no problems with indoor air quality or toxins in the school building, stated: "No history of building water damage or site contamination was found."
She is not alone. On a Facebook site set up to support the students, one commenter wrote: "I read the environmental report and it seems like the testing wasn't very thorough. ... Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the school partially underwater when it was first built? And how about soil testing. It seems like that would be included in thorough environmental testing? These girls deserve some answers. Praying for all of them and hoping we all get some answers soon."
Last week, I reported that except for checking a log of pesticide spraying, there is no evidence the consultants considered toxins in the schoolyard or on playing fields. Yet the symptoms occurred during mild weather when students would have been outside, and the school grounds are surrounded by intensively farmed land from which chemicals could conceivably have seeped or drifted.
The school is required to keep annual pesticide logs that were reviewed by the consulting firm, and therefore pesticides were ruled out. As best I could determine, that's as far as it went.
The former student told me that some outside areas are used exclusively by girls, including a softball diamond.
Conversion disorder is a psychogenic diagnosis that means a psychological issue, such as stress or trauma, is converted unconsciously into physical symptoms. Several parents and affected students say they don't accept that explanation. According to press reports, they have lost confidence in the Buffalo clinic that made the diagnosis and are now seeking other doctors to examine their children; the Buffalo clinic has reportedly now offered to conduct more tests.
One press report says the total number of students affected has reached 16 and includes one boy.
Neither the district nor the consulting firm it hired would talk to me about the issue.
On Friday, Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, told me, "The school is safe. The environment or an infection is not the cause of the students' tics. There are many causes of tics-like symptoms. Stress can often worsen tic-like symptoms.
"All of the affected students have been evaluated and some have shown signs of improvement. Vaccines (Gardasil) have been ruled out."
Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism and co-author, with Mark Blaxill, of "The Age of Autism -- Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-Made Disorder." He has been an editor and reporter at USA Today and United Press International, where his investigation of severe side effects of an antimalaria drug given to U.S. soldiers won Best Wire Service Reporting from the National Mental Health Association.
Health experts say they've eliminated every possible environmental and infectious cause for the "tics" afflicting 12 girls at LeRoy Junior/Senior High School in New York state. They've scoured the building for mold and carbon monoxide (nothing, they say), considered illnesses that might cause the symptom (none), even checked on vaccinations (not all girls had the same shot).
However thorough that workup may have been, it seems to have stopped at the schoolhouse Exit sign. Except for checking a log of pesticide spraying, there is no evidence they considered toxins in the schoolyard or on playing fields. Yet the symptoms occurred during mild weather when students would have been outside, and the school grounds are surrounded by intensively farmed land from which chemicals could conceivably have seeped or drifted.
The school is required to keep annual pesticide logs that were reviewed by a consulting firm looking into environmental factors, and therefore pesticides were ruled out. As best I can determine, that's as far as it went.
That may not be far enough, given that parents and some of the students involved don't accept the psychogenic diagnosis they have been given, and that a number of Web commentators familiar with the school have raised concerns about the grounds and how the relatively new building is sited.
Public health officials remain adamant that the case is closed.
"The LeRoy school is safe," Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, replied Friday after I raised the issue in a telephone call. "The environment or an infection is not the cause of the students' tics. There are many causes of tics-like symptoms. Stress can often worsen tic-like symptoms.
"All of the affected students have been evaluated and some have shown signs of improvement. Vaccines (Gardasil) have been ruled out."
While the department has been careful for privacy reasons to avoid naming the illness, a doctor treating the girls has now gone public, with their permission, by calling it "conversion disorder." Known less gingerly as mass hysteria, the diagnosis is rooted in 19th century Freudian psychology: Stress or trauma is subconsciously transformed into physical symptoms that can occur in several people at the same time.
In part because the LeRoy diagnosis took months to emerge, and in part because many people – including parents and affected children – find conversion disorder a suspect explanation, multiple theories continue to arise. Those include concerns about the school building and grounds, expressed in online comments:
-- An environmental study "would be the first logical step, knowing that the school was built in a swamp and that a number of classrooms were underwater the first year as well as the gym you would think it would be the first thing the school would address- even if only to disprove it."
-- "Girls started feeling sick in September, sounds like pesticide spraying At the end of summer before the fall to protect late crops." (The girls' symptoms began as early as September 10, according to published accounts.)
-- "Have the doctors considered that the condition may be related to the school's having been built on swampy land? Water in the building continues to be a problem. A second story that should be pursued by the press and others is why this new school was built and why it was built on this particular piece of land."
A quick look look at Google Earth (click the plus sign to see the school and grounds in detail) shows the setting. The high school's Web site has an aerial photo that appears to show a large pool of standing water close to the school, with a rivulet coming even closer; it appears to be dry in the Google photo.
Farming, despite its idyllic image in American lore, is a highly chemical-intensive practice, and Western New York is no exception. For that and other reasons, it can be dangerous. In October, a few miles west of LeRoy in Genesee County, two people became ill when a pesticide being applied to a potato field wafted in their direction. The substance was a toxic fumigant being injected into the soil in preparation for planting this year's crop. Officials said humidity might have helped spread it.
Obviously, that incident had nothing to do with the LeRoy illnesses, but it does give a sense of time and place missing in accounts of the area, as well as suggesting weather is an unpredictable vector.
But in such a scenario, why would only girls be affected? That's unclear, but there are a number of possibilities that environmental triggers could help explain. For instance, in some cases of mass illness in high schools, the victims were male football players and the problems were traced to toxins where they played. Being male was not a susceptibility factor, but it pointed to the exposure nonetheless. (In another case, marching band members suffered the same problem for the same reason.)
It is possible that more has been done to consider toxins outside the school building, but if so nothing has been done to communicate it to the national media.
In fact, opportunities continue to be missed. The two consultant reports and the school district's official statement make no mention of looking for anything amiss outside the building itself ,except to note the water supply comes from neighboring Monroe County's public system. "No history of building water damage or site contamination was found," it states.
Neither the district nor the consulting firm it hired would talk to me Friday when I told them I was seeking information on whether risks outside the school building had been investigated.
Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism and co-author, with Mark Blaxill, of "The Age of Autism – Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-made Epidemic," published by Thomas Dunne Books.
By Teresa Conrick
I have a teen daughter very affected with vocal tics, OCD, enuresis, estrogen-related seizures and a significant past history of streptococcus infections as well as numerous viral illnesses. Her diagnosis in 1995 - AUTISM - and additionally in 2011 - an autoimmune diagnosis - based on two positive results for antinuclear antibodies. Armed with that knowledge, I was lured to an article this week called, Le Roy Parents Want Answers about Mysterious Illness . I was shocked to read a horrific account of twelve high school girls, all from the same school, who had each begun to have severe symptoms similar to Tourette's syndrome, with tics and verbal outbursts. These are familiar symptoms to me and for any parent who has a child who regressed into an immune or autoimmune disease.
I have researched and done much reading about Autism and also P.A.N.D.A.S. (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatic Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) because both seem to be related to Megan and to each other, as the immune system seems to be a big, common denominator. Seeing a story that describes previously healthy teens, teen girls, become so ill with movement and vocal tics, should alarm everyone. The many articles on this story offer bits and pieces of clues as we all read it is "a mystery:" Autism and P.A.N.D.A.S. used to be mysteries but over the years, many parents have reported that regression into each often came about due to vaccination or acute illness from bacterial or viral infections. Streptococcus bacteria also known as "Strep Throat" for many, has been implicated often for P.A.N.D.A.S. but parents are also seeing regression and further exacerbation with other infections, such as Lyme (Borrelia bacterium) and Pneumonia ( Mycoplasma pneumonia). Are we seeing a rise in these immune-mediated diseases over the past years of increased vaccinations?
These are some facts:
1- A mysterious disorder which exhibits symptoms similar to Tourette's Syndrome has affected twelve female students at the same high school in LeRoy, NY.
2- Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological disorder defined by involuntary motor and vocal tics.
3- The New York State Department of Health says since September, 12 girls in Le Roy suddenly developed tics. Some are so bad, they had to be pulled out of school and tutored at home.
Continue reading "LeRoy NY Girls With Neurological Tics: Science Offers Reasons When Government Officials Won't" »


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Cross-platform virus poses little risk
Security watchers have uncovered proof-of-concept (POC) malware that's capable (at least theoretically) of infecting either Windows or Linux PCs. Linux-Bi-A/Win-Bi-A is written in assembler so it is capable of infecting either Linux ELF binaries or Windows exe files. The virus only infects files in a user's current directory …
WinXP as non-admin
Using WinXP as nothing else than administrator is a horrible experience; many programs simply refuse to work or throw errors all over the place.
Being logged in as limited-rights user *is* good for security though; for some reason the wireless configuration utility refuses to work; no internet as a result.
Though completely secure I opt for Admin + Dropmyrights instead. (http://msdn.microsoft.com/ security/securecode/columns/default.aspx? pull=/library/en-us/dncode/html/secure11152004.asp)
Not running Windows as Administrator
So, to help avoid catching anything nasty, don't run Windows as Administrator heh.
What about all the software that won't install or run unless you are:
1. The user who installed it.
2. Logged in as an Administrative account.
If only Windows came with the same option as KDE - if the software instalation requires it - bring up a box asking for the root / admin password?
Problem is, most Windoews software installs itself with files or registry settings that are tied to the user who is logged on to do the installation.
Sure, there's the utility to remove user rights from programs you run but surely the 'nix GUI has it the right way round.
Bad habits
It's the administrative privileges that are key here. One of the reasons Linux is typically a safer environment is that limited user accounts are the norm. This is largely attributable to more savvy users, but most Linux distros make a fuss if you run as root, whereas Windows does not. It is easier for Windows users to become oblivious to the bad habit of using an administrative account whether or not admin privileges are required for the task at hand.
Exactly what is needed
This is exactly what is needed:
We are on the brink of a computer revolution!!!
Natural selection applied to computer software and operating systems where only the strong survive. If you build it cheaply, you disappear!
Imagine a day where know-nothing executives are no longer allowed to run free and make bad decisions with respect to choice of products for their infrastructure!
ahh to dream!
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Internet Resources for Parents
More about...
Parents, Kids, and Teachers
Recommended websites and online newsletters for parents of young children with blindness, visual impairment, or visual impairment with multiple disabilities.
Parenting & General Information
In Touch: The Newsletter of the New England Consortium of Deafblind Projects
Watertown, Mass.: New England Consortium of Deafblind Projects
Click on Resources for full-text archives of the newsletter since 2002. Offers "information that is useful for parents, teachers, and administrators who have children or students who are deafblind."
See/Hear: A Quarterly Newsletter about Visual Impairments and Deafblindness for Families and Professionals
Austin: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Newsletter rich in information about the development and education of children with visual impairments or deafblindness. Searchable by topic; back issues to 1997 are archived online.
Future Reflections: The National Federation of the Blind Magazine for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children
Baltimore: National Federation of the Blind
"Covers the issues surrounding blind children as they grow from birth through college. Each issue provides resources and information for parents and teachers as well as a positive philosophy about blindness." Full text of issues to 1991 are online.
SESA Newsletter / Keeping in Touch Newsletter
Anchorage: Special Education Service Agency
Click on Newsletters. SESA Newsletter is a rich source of information for parents of children with disabilities, including visual impairmens. Keeping in Touch is for parents of children with deafblindness. Be sure to check the excellent factsheets in The Reference Shelf.
CHARGE Accounts: A Quarterly Newsletter for Family and Friends
Columbia, Missouri: CHARGE Syndrome Foundation
On online newsletter focusing on the needs and concerns of parents whose children have CHARGE Syndrome, many of whom are deafblind.
Deafblind Focus / News and Notes
Terre Haute: Indiana Deafblind Services Project, Blumberg Center, Indiana State University
Deafblind Focus "typically presents information on a single topic related to issues for children with deafblindness." News and Notes focuses on regional events and announcements but occasionally offers excellent topical articles.
reSources Newsletter
San Francisco: California Deaf-Blind Services
Click on Newsletters. Each issue focuses on a concern of parents whose children are deafblind. Click on Fact Sheets for a large selection of useful topical information.
EnVision Newsletter
New York: Lighthouse International
Click on Newsletters and Publications. Practical advice for parents of children with visual impairments.
Freeman, Peggy. Deafblind Disabled Baby: Program of Care for Parents of the Deafblind Baby with Multiple Disabilities
Download at http://dblink.org/lib/docs/freeman-7.doc, 2001.
The author is both the mother of a deafblind daughter and a teacher of students with deafblindness. Aimed at parents of an infant with deafblindness, this booklet offers excellent advice for bonding, establishing communication, fostering relationships, and stimulating sensory development.
Family Life/Siblings
"The Reference Shelf: The Strength of Siblings"
Anchorage, AK: Special Education Service Agency
Packed with helpful advice and information.
"Brothers and Sisters: Supporting Siblings of Children Who Are Deaf-Blind"
San Francisco: California Deaf-Blind Services Fact Sheets
http://www.sfsu.edu/~cadbs/32BrothersSisters.pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Brief but to-the-point, this overview helps in understanding the perspective of siblings of children with disabilities.
"Sibling Resources"
Columbus: Ohio Legal Rights Services
How parents can understand and provide for the emotional needs of children whose sibling has a disability.
"Braille Resources for Parents"
New York: American Foundation for the Blind
Age-appropriate ideas for encouraging literacy skills by making braille a natural and enjoyable part of everyday life.
"Good Toys for Blind Kids: Suggestions from Parents"
Baltimore: National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
Tested and approved by kids. Many toys are simple and inexpensive.
Toys: Universal Tool for Learning, Communication and Inclusion for Children with Disabilities
Minneapolis: Simon Technology Center
12-page booklet with guidelines for selecting toys. Includes list of developmental areas and the types of toys that stimulate them.
Let's Play: A Guide to Toys for Children with Special Needs
Toy Industry Foundation, Inc.; Alliance for Technology Access; AFB
Toys are coded as appropriate for children with physical, visual, hearing, or developmental disabilities. Describes why toy is appropriate, so parents can apply that knowledge to the selection of other toys.
Toy Guide for Differently Abled Kids
Toys R Us, 2005
Toys in this guide are selected for qualities that stimulate the skills and development of children with disabilities. Symbols show what abilities are promoted, e.g., cognitive, fine motor skills, etc. Many toys are appropriate for children with visual impairment are featured.
"Recipes for Fun"
Visually Impaired Preschool Services, in Future Reflections, Convention issue, 2002.
Recipes for making bubble compound, modeling clay, finger paints, etc., from simple, inexpensive ingredients.
Education/Early Invervention
New York: American Foundation for the Blind
This is probably the best single source of online information about your child's educational rights and what you need to know to be your child's advocate. Be sure to check the Related Links as well.
"Are all your students with visual impairments receiving appropriate services?: An update on the National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities"
See/Hear Newsletter, v.7, n.4, Fall 2002, pp. 30-31, Austin: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
A succinct checklist and action plan for assessing the quality of education offered to children who are blind, visually impaired, or multiply handicapped.
"Pop-Up IEP"
National Center for Low-Incidence Disabilities, University of Northern Colorado
A collection of comments parents often hear at their children's Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, with exploration of the underlying issues and suggested responses that are respectful and effective.
Online Books
Both of the following books are aimed at teachers, but provide information useful to parents. The author explores the impact of visual impairment on infants and young children, and offers activities and exercises for stimulating growth and development.
Infants and Toddlers with Visual Impairments
Bishop, Virginia. Austin: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Download at http://www.tsbvi.edu/curriculum-a-publications/1051-infants-and-toddlers-with-visual-impairments-by-virginia-bishop
Focuses on infants and toddlers.
Preschool Children with Visual Impairments
Bishop, Virginia. Austin: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Download at http://www.tsbvi.edu/curriculum-a-publications/3/1069-preschool-children-with-visual-impairments-by-virginia-bishop
Focuses on slightly older children.
Information/Support/Advocacy Organizations
http://www.nfadb.org/—The National Family Association for Deaf-Blind (NFADB) is a non-profit, volunteer-based family association. Our philosophy is that individuals who are deaf-blind are valued members of society and are entitled to the same opportunities and choices as other members of the community. NFADB is the largest national network of families focusing on issues surrounding deaf-blindness.
http://www.hknc.org/—HKNC is a national program that provides evaluation, short-term comprehensive vocational rehabilitation training, work experience training and assistance to students for job and residential placements. HKNC operates an extensive nationwide network of field services through its ten regional offices that provide consultation and technical assistance to persons with deaf-blindness and their families and to public and private agencies in their regions.
http://www.dblink.org/—DB-LINK is a federally funded information and referral service that collects, develops, and distributes information to help improve the education and lives of children and youth who are deaf-blind. Services include: an information center where information specialists are available to respond to individual requests for information, including in-depth research; referrals to other organizations; topical publications on issues related to the education of deaf-blind children (some available in Spanish); and an extensive web site containing access to the DB-LINK electronic catalog and resource databases, full text copies of DB-LINK publications, links to other deaf-blind and disability resources on the Internet, and job opportunities. All DB-LINK services and materials are free of charge.
http://www.aadb.org/—American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB) is a national consumer advocacy organization for people who have combined hearing and vision impairments. AADB is open to all persons who are deaf-blind and individuals directly concerned with their well being, including spouses, children, friends, and health care professionals.
http://www.nichcy.org/—NICHCY provides free information to assist parents, educators, caregivers, advocates and others in helping children and youth with disabilities participate as fully as possible in school, at home, and in the community. Services include: personal responses to specific questions, referrals to other organizations/sources of help, prepared information packets, publications on current issues, technical assistance to parent and professional groups.
http://www.pacer.org/—An educational advocacy organization providing parent education and training to help families understand the special laws and obtain appropriate special education school programs for their children and young adults. Offers workshops and programs on a variety of topics as well as in-service training, interpreter services, computer resource center, transition planning, newsletters, booklets, videos, etc. The Alliance, a national technical assistance project, works out of PACER and coordinates the delivery of technical assistance to all parent training and information centers in the U.S. Interpreter services provided at workshops upon request.
http://www.spedex.com/napvi/—"The National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) is a non-profit organization of, by and for parents committed to providing support to the parents of children who have visual impairments…NAPVI is a national organization that enables parents to find information and resources for their children who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities…NAPVI provides leadership, support, and training to assist parents in helping children reach their potential."
http://www.e-advisor.us/—e-ADVISOR is a collaborative project of eleven agencies that serve children with visual impairments. The information is presented in non-technical language, and is designed to facilitate communication between parents, teachers and doctors of visually impaired children. Includes information sheets on eye disorders; virtual tours and tutorials; parent narratives and resources; and discussion boards.
Resources assembled by the Samuel P. Hayes Research Library at Perkins School for the Blind. We invite you to contact the Samuel P. Hayes Research Librarian at 617-972-7250 or email@example.com with any specific questions or requests.


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Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you s ... More >>
I was as surprised as anyone when I clicked online and saw the message: there was a new product from an old favorite, now available for download. Given that this was the first such release since 1991, I wanted to check it out immediately. And indeed, I was not disappointed. There was enough of th ... More >>
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From Our Experts
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Covering Unified Communications - From Our Indsutry Experts
[December 04, 2012]
Integrated Research's Prognosis VoIP Monitor Solution Now Rated 'Avaya Compliant'
(ENP Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ENP Newswire - 04 December 2012 Release date- 03122012 - Integrated Research, a leading provider of performance management solutions, today announced that its newly-released Prognosis VoIP Monitor 4 solution is compliant with key collaboration solutions from Avaya, a global provider of business collaboration and communication solutions.
Prognosis VoIP Monitor 4 enables organizations with up to 5,000 phones to manage voice quality across solutions from Avaya and other select vendors, ensuring improved call quality, service reliability and proactive issue resolution. With a brand new tablet-friendly user interface and native iOS App, Prognosis First Responder, voice administrators are empowered to manage voice quality whether in the office or on the move. The application is now compliance-tested by Avaya for compatibility with Avaya Aura Communication Manager 6.2.
'With Prognosis VoIP Monitor 4 we have taken the best of our existing products, embraced state of the art technologies and created world-class multi-vendor voice quality monitoring,' said Mark Brayan, CEO, Integrated Research. 'Avaya compliance testing validates the compatibility of IR's performance management software and means customers can be assured of Prognosis VoIP Monitor's interoperability with their Avaya environment.' Integrated Research is a Technology Partner in the Avaya DevConnect program-an initiative to develop, market and sell innovative third-party products that interoperate with Avaya technology and extend the value of a company's investment in its network.
As a Technology Partner, Integrated Research is eligible to submit products for compliance testing by the Avaya Solution Interoperability and Test Lab. There, a team of Avaya engineers develops a comprehensive test plan for each application to verify whether it is Avaya compatible. Doing so enables businesses to confidently add best-in-class capabilities to their network without having to replace their existing infrastructure-speeding deployment of new applications and reducing both network complexity and implementation costs.
'Technology partners like Integrated Research are helping Avaya bring new, innovative solutions to customers,' said Eric Rossman, vice president, developer relations, Avaya. 'These solutions not only integrate seamlessly with a customer's Avaya environment, but also extend their capabilities by embracing the changing BYOD nature of the workplace.' Additional Resources: www.avaya.com/devconnect www.devconnectmarketplace.com www.voicequality.com About Avaya: Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, networking and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.
About Integrated Research (IR): IR is a leading global provider of high-definition performance monitoring, diagnostics and reporting software. The creator of award-winning Prognosis, IR builds scalable, customizable solutions designed to manage continuity-critical IT infrastructure, payments and communications ecosystems. IR provides real time solutions that give customers the insight they need to run their business, reduce their operating costs, minimize risk, and gain competitive advantage. For further information on Integrated Research, please visit www.ir.com [Editorial queries for this story should be sent to email@example.com] ((Comments on this story may be sent to email@example.com)) (c) 2012 Electronic News Publishing -
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Tags: city, clouds, man, moleskine, monster, mountains, sketch, trees
how do you think these things up? Wild. So terribly creative too. I have to ask you, how long does it take you to do these? Also, are these "first pass" doodles?..I mean by that, you just simply draw with then and leave as is, rather than do pencil first then after getting it right, redo it with pen? They are so detailed -the sort of illustrations one could look at for ages and get more from each time. GREAT JOB!!
Thanks again, They take between half an hour to two hours depending on the size and detail. Yep they are 'first pass' I like to work this way, I don't like to over think the page, it's tricky sometimes and doesn't always work out. Glad you like them – now I need to find some people to buy prints etc, plus bring in some commissions.
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Ten Minute Transformation: Small Spiritual Steps that Revolutionize Your Life (2013) (Chalice Press-read Chapter 1 Free) (also at Amazon) Prayers from the Pit: What the Ten Prayers of Jesus Teach About Praying in Times of Pain (2010) (21st Century Christian – read Chapter 1 free) (Amazon also) Clear, down-to-earth, user-friendly and user-realistic, Altrock's study of […]
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Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque's superb opening stand helped Bangladesh to a 68-run win in the second one-day international with Zimbabwe.
Sydney FC star Alessandro Del Piero has been ruled out of his side's clash against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium on Monday.The Italian forward pulled up sore after Sydney's 1-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners on Thursday and his 38-year-old body has been unable to recover in time.
|Iqbal and Haque guide Bangladesh to victory
|Hamilton clinches F1 world title with win in Abu Dhabi
|Reus blow for Dortmund
|Mulvey leaves Roar post
|Ford: No margin for error against Australia
|Federer seals maiden Davis Cup for Switzerland
|Shakhtar Donetsk v Athletic Bilbao: Bernard eyes fast start
|Forster urges Southampton to build
|Stenson defends title in Dubai
|European Tour announces six new events
|Mixed fortunes for Wildcats in NBL
|Australia triumph to top ODI rankings
|Sporting v Maribor: Montero out to continue hot streak
|Schalke v Chelsea: Chance of revenge for Di Matteo
|Manchester City v Bayern Munich: Pellegrini putting pressure on himself
|Mourinho guards against Chelsea complacency
|Schmidt recovering well after appendix operation
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|Paris Saint-Germain v Ajax: Dutch outfit quietly confident
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|Gotze basks in Bayern form
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|Can full of praise for Gerrard
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|Marshall backs second NRL team in New Zealand
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|Eredivisie Review: Feyenoord make Peersman pay, Ajax beat Heerenveen
|La Liga Review: Real Madrid, Barcelona win big
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|Serie A Review: Top two both victorious
|Lancaster: Room for improvement from England
|Taylor hints that knee injury not as bad as first feared
|Ligue 1 Review: Lyon stumble against Bastia
|All Black Retallick named World Rugby Player of the Year
|Van Gaal critical of United despite win
|Lazio 0 Juventus 3: Pogba and Tevez star as champions dominate
|May at the double as England beat Samoa
|Red Bull duo excluded from qualifying in Abu Dhabi
|Wenger frustrated by wasteful Arsenal defeat
|Rose in awe after Cabrera-Bello ´masterclass´
|Barcelona 5 Sevilla 1: Messi breaks La Liga record as Barca cruise
|Cheika: We lacked a clinical edge
|Garcia delighted with Ljajic display
|League One Review: Swindon close the gap at the top, Yeovil off the bottom
|Messi breaks La Liga goal record
|Hansen credits All Black desire
|Ancelotti: Isco a ´perfect´ Modric replacement
|Schmidt to have tests for suspected appendicitis
|Bundesliga Review: Wolfsburg slip helps move Bayern well clear
|Wawrinka: Job not done yet
|Rooney revels in success of counter-attack ploy


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[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message]
Re: What is a "resource"? (Was: many-to-many)
bryan, > > >If you meant that the probability of somebody already > >having a URI for an obscure concept like "what Jonathan's thinking > about > >right now" is low, then I'd agree. But it's still non-zero. > > I'm thinking it might be nice to have a community project for assigning > URIs to all things that are a member of the set of things that have no > URI assigned to them. > > This it seems to me will help to solve many of the problems discussed > under this perma-thread. > You bet me to that, actually I was thinking about "something that doesn't have a URI" :-)) In any case the reason I've entered this thread at this time is that there are a couple of new WD which are relevent to this topic, both the RDF and OWL semantics/model theories and there appears enough interest in these topics that I am trying to encourage folks to have a look at how they might help work through some issues that many folks have with URIs. Jonathan
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CompsArts & Literature group with 314 members, open to all members
Thanks for visiting the Desura Contest Group. Our goal is to promote video games on Desura with you in mind helping us do it.
I'm an old schooler PC gaming and tech nut. Been employed in the industry for 20+ years and loving it. Long time coder and writer. Worked in most aspects of development in one capacity or another during my time. There's an amazing amount of talented people with fresh ideas here on ModDB. I really enjoy checking out and playing what others have/are working on. Too busy now for personal projects, but I truly appreciate the visions and efforts of those of you who can.Success to all of you and thank you! See you around the site !! Fair warning though - I have an odd sense of humor so please try not to take offense.
12 comments by jjawinte on Jun 25th, 2010
It's no secret that I'm a serious HL2 fan in all respects. There was a bit of a dry spell in the HL2 mod scene a little while back, so in the interest of waiting out some new releases, I decided to dig through some of my faves and play a game or two I hadn't indulged in in some time.
First I gave PainKiller a run ( Awesome audio and soundtrack ), but got bored with it quite quickly and moved on to FEAR. Again, a great game with some terrific play and atmosphere, but It too failed to satisfy what I was looking for. I realized I was really looking for a good free roam sandbox, and with the amazing looking mod work from Artistpavel and crew, it had to be SOC !
Loved the game ( as buggy as it was ) from the beginning, but with the " Stalker Complete 2012 " mod, the numerous enhancements created a whole new experience and I was hooked all over again. Absolutely fantastic mod ! After spending quite some time playing and completing it, I went straight to SOC CS and the " Clear Sky Complete " mod ( again, utterly fantastic ). Incredible cinematic enhancements created an amazingly immersive atmosphere in both mods , but the refined game sounds, custom music, game play tweaks and added features were the icing on the overall game play cake. Took my time playing this one too !
Now don't get me wrong, I insist on staying true to the HL2 universe and storyline and also realize the limitations facing Source, but I believe some cues taken from these enhancements could take the HL2 experience to a whole new level. I'm not suggesting a massive rework of the Hl2 modding scene, but to have some of these features introduced into it could take it in an awesome new direction !
Some ideas to entertain : The ability to more actively interact with NPC's
: The simple ability to drop weapons you don't want
: Larger sandbox style maps for exercising more strategic attacks
: Ability to earn suit and weapon upgrades
: More powerful variations of weapons ( shotguns,and pistols i.e. )
: iron sights of course ( And SMOD style scopes )
: Night vision
: Information from NPC's about important cashes
: The ability to to save med-kits for later use
: perhaps even side quests to earn some of the aforementioned
: more custom tracks
Now these are just a few thoughts thrown out here ( and I know a few have been done to one extent or another in some mods), but it's just some food for thought that I view as far from impossible. How about some thoughts on this ?
Thanks for visiting the Desura Contest Group. Our goal is to promote video games on Desura with you in mind helping us do it.
Desura is a community driven digital distribution service for gamers, putting the best games, mods and downloadable content from developers at gamers...
Here we can all share our work on dev architecture made using textures where if its on a model, character, map or for a mod!
News is a big thing for gaming and so far we have only dabbled into the blogging news field, up until now that is. Welcome to the Editor's Notes, updated...
This group is for the fans of silent hill games to stay up to date with all things Silent Hill.
☞This group consists of all kinds of people from every nation. The aim of this group is to create an enjoyable environment to be creative and having fun...
This is a group for those of us that enjoy leaving comments and reviews for HL2 mods. We encourage you to leave comments, images, or even videos on how...
This Group is for all fans of the Half-Life2 - The Origin mod. Join us.
Happy New year man! Hope everything is going fine with you :D
Hey jjaw, if youre still interested in G.W.D.T., Iam continuing the developement. So be sure to check the upcoming updates!
Hey man, happy last new year.
Long time no see, still alive and kickin'?
Hope you're well!
Thank you Raven. Hell yeah man, still kickin' !
Fantastic to hear jja! :)
how ure doing dude?ure still alive?
Sup there neahc ( and everyone else too ) ? Oh yeah man, still kickin'. Been a lot of life/career changes and free time has been a luxury this past year. Still poppin' in when I can though.
How can summer be over all ready ? Time has just been Flying ! Hope you all had a great one.
I probably did, it flew over to fast. =)
Still alive people ! Hope your all doin great !


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In dangerous weather, emergency response teams can only be in so many places at once.
"We've only got so many people out there, and you know, there's nothing better than boots on the ground," said Bill Zimmerman, director of emergency management for St. Joseph County.
The National Weather Service and personnel in emergency management services depend on volunteers to be their eyes and ears and help warn people about dangerous weather that can cause serious damage.
St. Joseph County emergency management services spent three hours Monday night training about 50 local residents to become storm spotters.
"What you can see, I can see, is valuable," said Zimmerman.
Being a weather spotter takes not only a desire to help, but the knowledge and training to do so.
Volunteers came to the training session at Jordan Hall of Science on the Notre Dame campus to learn the process of reporting dangerous weather to the National Weather Service and were shown an overview of how to differentiate dangerous weather from weather that might just have the appearance of being dangerous.
What the students learned will help them give more accurate information to the National Weather Service.
"I started last year photographing storms, and I figured if i was going to be out doing that, I might be able to help some people by reporting what I'm seeing," said John Crothers, from Vandalia, Michigan.
Kimberly Howell, who has come to the training several times, is a storm chaser.
""I like to come these courses and just basically refresh to make sure I know exactly what I'm looking at come storm season, said Howell, a resident of Niles, Michigan. "By being a spotter, by being a chaser, [I can] also relay what I'm seeing to the National Weather Service and help out in that warning process."
Zimmerman said people should not underestimate the importance of getting proper training.
"You have to be trained, because you could misinterpret the information, and if we get bad information out to the weather service or response agencies, that could cause problems all the way around," said Zimmerman.
The people who came to Monday night's training will now go on to take online courses and meet with emergency management personnel. The meetings with emergency management personnel will give volunteers practice in identifying different types of weather hazards by watching videos and looking at photos.
In an economy where resources are limited all over the country, emergency management agencies say volunteers are vital.
"We don't have a lot of money, and [there are] budget cuts across the country--as everybody keeps hearing about--so the more people we have that volunteer their time and help us out, it makes it easier to do our job, which is safeguarding the citizens," said Zimmerman.
There are about 300 trained weather spotters in St. Joseph County.
The director said the time it takes to become a proficient weather spotter varies from person to person. After an introductory training like the one Monday night, people have the option to take two to five hours of online training. They also can meet with emergency management personnel for six to eight hours of practical training, where they are shown photos and videos and tested on their ability to identify different weather hazards. The director said some people grasp the material faster than others and can become adept at identifying weather hazards after only a few hours.
The St. Joseph Emergency Management agency is currently in the process of creating a certification system for storm spotters.