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The Switzerland of America
In the nineteenth century Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley around the Waterbury area was known as the "Switzerland of America." Here, many different types of clock products were designed and produced at the Waterbury Clock company.
Through the demands of customers and World War I the need for a more convenient timepiece to carry around led to the development of the "wristwatch." People bought them in droves. And with further manufacturing refinements during World War II, the company produced in 1950 the world's first inexpensive but reliable mechanical watch, and called it the Timex.
The rest is, as they say… history.
The Timex Corporation – it changed to this name in 1960s – has long been a household word throughout the world, and now manufactures watches on four continents. Its early beginnings in 1850s to remarkable 21st century innovations are captured in an entertaining voyage of discovery at the Timexpo Museum in Waterbury.
At the Timexpo Museum you can explore the history of the watch and clock industry, learn about the Timex heritage, and even discover the suggested connections of ancient civilizations – there is much evidence that ancient cultures didn't develop as independently as we thought.
The museum contains plenty of hands-on exhibits, craft activities, and computer interactives. Remember the torture test ads? You'll be able to see the original versions along with a re-enactment of a watch strapped to an outboard motor in water.
The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm, with the gift shop open until 7:00pm. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $4 children 5-12.
For directions and more information check out the web site at www.timexpo.com
The Waterbury area in Northwest Connecticut contains many other attractions for day or weekend getaways. You'll discover many more exciting things to do in the area by checking out my special Connecticut vacations page here.
Talk to you at the weekend.
Cliff Calderwood
Executive Director
New England Vacation Guide


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OMAHA, Neb. The Iowa State wrestling team started the 2010 NCAA Championships with five winners in first round action at the Qwest Center. ISU picked up bonus points in the initial session from seniors Mitch Mueller (149) and Jake Varner (197). Three Iowa State losses in the first round, including fourth-seeded Jon Reader's match at 165 pounds, were decided by one point. The Cyclones are in seventh place with 13 points after the first session. Iowa (21.5) and Oklahoma State (16) hold the top two team spots. Second session competition begins at 6:30 this evening.
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subset: commoncrawl


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NOTICE: Upcoming Changed HoursWelcome to the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District's Pleasant Valley Aquatic Center. It is our goal to enrich the community through a variety of Aquatic Programs and by promoting safe water practices in all aquatic environments.
Safety is top priority for us. We strive to maintain the highest standard of safety in all aspects of running an aquatic center. At our facility you will find exceptional lifeguards and swim instructors who maintain and advance their skills through ongoing training. We are here to make your water time fun, memorable, and safe.
Our facility offers a wide variety of year round programs consisting of lap swim, water aerobics, swim lessons, special events and more!Check out our upcoming Water Safety Day!!Please navigate through our new website for more information on our programs, schedules, fees, swim lessons, rentals and more.
Have a great day and hope to see you soon! NOTE: In order to conserve water, our outdoor splash pad is temporarily not in use. Please enjoy your time at our facility by using our diving board and 65 foot water slide, or by basking in the sun on our outdoor patio.Macy AndersenAquatic Programs Coordinator View Summer 2016 Aquatic Classes
1030 Temple Avenue Camarillo, CA 93010 Cross Streets: Temple / Ponderosa or Temple / Lewis (805) 987-8198Like us on Facebook!


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Jason Freese keyboard player for Green Day and many other recording artists recently spent the day with Jessica Prokup of Discover Today's Motorcycling and Scorpion Sports was there. Jason wanted the Scorpion product line for the fit and finish, "this fits great and I love the graphic" said Jason about the VX-17 Off-Road Helmet. He picked the VX-17 Calavera and the ScorpionEXOWear™ ALL-in jacket as his gear of choice for the days adventure and future riding. Along with DTM-USA Jason was out to promote safe and responsible motorcycling and share his experiences growing up riding with father and brother.
Jason Jeremy Freese (born in Orange County, California, on January 12, 1975) provides piano/keyboard, guitar, tenor saxophone, accordion, trombone and backing vocals for Green Day. Along with many other bands and artists the Freese has been linked to, a leading one magazine described him as 'Jason Freese from Green Day'. He is also confirmed as one of the musicians from Foxboro Hot Tubs. Jason has also played for other artists/bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, Weezer, Jewel, NOFX, Lenny Kravitz, The Goo Goo Dolls, Joe Walsh, Feist, The Vandals and Liz Phair.


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"Dear Steve, I am trying to get out of debt and at the sametime trying to figure out what will be a better way. I have about $9.9k in credit cards debt, 2 car loans (~$19k) and a personal loan with $4200 left. I am making all my payments on time and always paying my cards more than the minimum, ... Read More »
Home > Tag Archives: First Creditline


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The interdisciplinary environmental studies major examines natural and cultural systems from many perspectives -- ecological, economic, ethical, historical, geographical, and political. Students study the conservation and utilization of natural resources essential for economic development and public well being.
The curriculum analyzes the problems, processes, and possibilities of creating a more sustainable society. It also offers preparation for an environmental career, broad background in several related areas of study, or concentration in a particular thematic issue as a basis for graduate study.
Florida offers an ideal laboratory for environmental studies. Nationally recognized projects such as the Everglades restoration, Wekiva Geopark, and models in the New Urbanism place Florida in the forefront of environmental protection and sustainable design.
Ten (10) courses required: six (6) core courses, one (1) required course in the origins of environmental thought, and three (3) environmental studies electives.
CORE COURSES; complete six (6):
ORIGINS OF ENVIRONMENTAL THOUGHT REQUIREMENT; complete one (1):
ELECTIVES; complete three (3):
Seven (7) courses are required: the five (5) core courses shown below and two (2) electives in environmental studies, one (1) of which must be at the 300 level or above.
ENV 105/205/305 Topics: Environmental Studies: Examines contemporary environmental issues. Topics vary from year to year.
ENV 130 The Geosphere with Lab: Introductory earth science course exploring the dynamic interactions between the earth's climate, landforms, water, ecosystems, and soils. Emphasizes key environmental topics such as global warming, tropical deforestation, and natural hazards.
ENV 189 The Environmental Crisis in its Cultural Context: Weighs humanity's responsibility to nature, technocratic drift of society, and conflicts between material and environmental values. Traces development of mechanistic worldview and re-emergence of organic or holistic perspective.
ENV 204 Landscapes of Promise: The Ecological Transformation of the West: Historical study of regional ecology with a critical analysis of economic change. Optional field study component focuses on regional landscapes that reflect the competing attempts to transform and preserve the natural world.
ENV 206 Caribbean Environmental History: Explores the tension among American, European, and African cultures in the Caribbean. Topics include the Spanish conquest, the slave economy, and the exchange of organisms between Old and New World environments.
ENV 225 The Biosphere with Lab: Introduces ecological principles forming the basis for understanding environmental issues and policy. Explores scientific concepts and laboratory field techniques used to study and assess ecosystems.
ENV 240 Ecosystems of North America: Examines the geographic distribution, characteristics, and present status of terrestrial biomes in North America. Emphasizes case studies of critical environmental regions including the Everglades, the Colorado Plateau, and the Pacific Northwest.
ENV 250 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A project-based course that examines the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the mapping of land, and how to use GIS to make well-informed decisions regarding land use.
ENV 260 History of Technology: Tools of Toil: Chronicles history of mechanization and cultural change from ancient world to this century. Considers tool evaluation and design, as well as social and psychological influences of mechanical advances. Ties everyday use of tools to modern industrialism's roots and global influences on labor.
ENV 270 Environmental Literature: Features poets, novelists, and essayists who have spoken out strongly for preservation of the environment. May include Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Muir, Leopold, and Abbey.
ENV 289 Nature in the City: Examines the origins of suburban sprawl, its problems and ongoing solutions. Traces efforts of design professionals from Frederick Law Olmstead to the present and examines their efforts to harmonize urban and natural worlds.
ENV 292 Political Economy of Environmental Issues: Traces transformation of organic society into market society and resulting commodification of nature.
ENV 302 Traditional Town Planning: Explores movement to return to pedestrian-friendly communities built along natural lines. Examines problems of suburbanization: traffic congestion, pollution, visual blight, strip malls, and housing designed for autos at the expense of pedestrians and children.
ENV 308 Science and Policy: Critically questions the role of science in contemporary society and international relations.
ENV 310 Ecological Restoration: Analysis of the origins and evolution of ecological restoration. Field trips and field projects supplement the classroom experience, which will analyze restoration projects in a variety of settings. Prerequisites: ENV 130 or ENV 225 or ENV 289.
ENV 323 Conservation of Biodiversity: Examines our present biodiversity crisis through the lens of biogeography, an integrative field of study focused on large-scale human interactions with the earth's ecosystems. Case studies presented throughout the semester sharpen our focus on specific regions. Prerequisites: ENV 130 or ENV 225.
ENV 325 Natural Habitats of Florida: In-depth look at Florida's natural habitats. Examines how human activity is changing the face of Florida's physical landscape and natural communities. Prerequisite: ENV 130 or ENV 225.
ENV 343 History of Science: Chronicles the major scientific discoveries that changed worldviews and the personalities that shaped them. Examines the social context in which these discoveries arose.
ENV 347 Islands in the Stream: Describes the literature, natural history, and settlement of our nation's subtropical region. Examines the protection of coral reefs, mangrove forests, and fisheries.
ENV 348 Sustainable Development: Explores both theoretical and actual development strategies that are ecologically and socially acceptable.
ENV 350 Food, Culture, and Environment: Is agriculture about more than simply producing food? Is modern agriculture sustainable? Is organic agriculture really as beneficial as is claimed? These questions guide our exploration of the relationships between food, culture, and the environment.
ENV 353 National Parks and Protected Areas: Discusses value of national parks as pleasuring grounds, genetic banks, working ecosystems, and symbols of national heritage.
ENV 365 Environment and Development in Central America: Studies the need for broad-based sustainable development using Central America as a case study. Explores appropriate models of development.
ENV 372 Images of the Environment as Seen Through Film: Reveals attitudes toward nature and wilderness, attitudes toward technology, exploitation of nature, and visions of the future.
ENV 375 Island Economies and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean: Examines the natural resources and conservation of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats of the Caribbean. Explores the prospects for sustainable economic development in the region.
ENV 377 Wilderness and the American Mind: Examines arguments for and against the preservation of wilderness and the role of these arguments in shaping environmental policy.
ENV 380 American Environmental History: Follows the changing patterns of land and resource use. Examines the displacement of Native Americans, expansion of the frontier, the progressive conservation movement, and development of contemporary environmentalism. Prerequisite: ENV 189.
ENV 385 Sustainable Development in the Amazon Basin: Explores the largest remaining tropical ecosystem on earth and considers the crucial ecological services it provides as well as its exceptional biological and cultural diversity. Examines new approaches to development that generate income while protecting vital ecological systems supporting economic development.
ENV 386 Environmental Law: Focuses on the interpretation and application of federal, state, and local environmental regulations.
ENV 389 Environmental Planning: Examines competing demands for urban growth and development and the need to conserve and protect limited natural resources. Prerequisites: ENV 130, ENV 189, and ENV 225.
ENV 390 Culture and Landscape: Analyzes American landscapes and human cultures that created them, particularly intensive development that has radically altered natural systems.
ENV 399/499 Independent Study Environmental Research: Designated for field-based or problem-centered topics. Prerequisite: sophomore or junior standing for ENV 399; senior standing and consent of advisor for ENV 499.
ENV 413 Senior Seminar in Environmental Issues: Senior capstone seminar. Concentrates on major themes in the discipline and their relationship to current environmental issues. Prerequisites: senior standing, environmental studies major, and ENV 389.
BIO 316 Ecology: Explores processes and organization of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Required lab uses standard field methodology to analyze aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of Central and South Florida, including the Keys and Everglades. Prerequisite: BIO 121 or ENV 225.


text: Last week my girlfriend asked me to replace her entire brake system on her SS, and after buying all the parts and installing everything, I realized the slotted arms holding the pads on the caliper are bent so much that the wheel barely fits. I'm obviously returning the caliper, I was just curious, does this happen a lot? How could this brake have been bent if it's brand new?


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- Bargaineering - http://www.bargaineering.com/articles -
Hosting Carnival of Investing and Vanities
Posted By Jim On 01/20/2006 @ 9:29 am In General,Personal Finance | No Comments
I'll be hosting two carnivals next week, the Carnival of Investing [3] and the Carnival of the Vanities. Get your submissions in!
Article printed from Bargaineering: http://www.bargaineering.com/articles
URL to article: http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/hosting-carnival-of-investing-and-vanities.html
URLs in this post:
[1] Tweet: http://twitter.com/share
[2] Email: mailto:?subject=http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/hosting-carnival-of-investing-and-vanities.html
[3] Carnival of Investing: http://retireat30.blogspot.com/2005/12/carnival-of-investing.html
Click here to print.
Thank you for reading!


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Co-producing theory and practice: new Centre for Citizenship and Community launched
Filed under: Social Economy
The Centre for Citizenship and Community, a new collaboration between the RSA, the University of Central Lancashire and the Royal Society for Public Health, was formally launched at the RSA House yesterday. Grounding academic and social research in community practice, the Centre will bring together researchers and practitioners from universities, public bodies, voluntary organisations and business to implement community projects and guide social policy using a Connected Communities approach to social and community networks. The launch consisted of key-note speeches from the Centre's associates followed by a series of discussion groups held by delegates from numerous professional backgrounds to debate the policy implications of the Centre's early perspectives.
Co-production: a connected communities approach to social policy
In a plenary speech David Morris, Professor of mental health, inclusion and community at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and the Centre for Citizenship and Community, spoke about how the Centre will promote a vision of the 'social value of empowered communities' being integrated into public policy, with a culture of co-production emerging in public services. He stressed the need for policy makers to recognise the complexity and potential that lies within communities, to build innovations around shared community assets, and to use Connected Communities-inspired research to inform the production of community owned, networked social interventions.
Afterwards, RSA Connected Communities director of research Steve Broome criticised what he described as the standard 'deficit model' of viewing communities, which focuses exclusively on their problems rather than their assets and potential. In contrast he demonstrated how social networks approaches help us to understand communities using an 'attribute model' which reveals which assets in a community help people interact and support one another. He emphasised the prominent role that public services play in supplying or supporting these community assets, and went on to highlight the danger that ill-considered spending cuts present to social networks when community assets are not mapped or recognised. A forthcoming RSA report will develop these themes further, focusing on the viability of community assets and social networks in the context of government austerity.
Theory into co-produced practice: Murton 'mams' and ways to wellbeing
Examples of such projects were presented by Mandy Chivers of Mersey Care NHS Care Trust and Lyndsey Wood of the East Durham Trust. Both organisations are working in partnership with the RSA and UCLan to implement co-produced, network-based community projects based on findings from Connected Communities research. In Liverpool, Mersey Care is training volunteers from the BAME community in the principles of the New Economic Foundation's 'five ways to wellbeing', while in Murton, a former mining town, the East Durham Trust has helped set up a new social group for single mothers called 'Murton Mams', in which the activities and programme are led by the members of the group themselves to help combat the widespread isolation among this group that the Connected Communities findings revealed.
Challenges ahead: austerity, tolerated harshness, and championing social networks
Following the introductory talks, attendees split into discussion groups to debate the implications of the presentations for public policy and community practice, and to begin to think about what the Centre can contribute to such debates in the future. Some key points that emerged from these discussions included:
i) The need for the Centre to promote and build the status of social networks in a context in which the very existence of 'communities' often seems to be doubted. The evidence base for a networked approach to public and community policy must be vigorously argued.
ii) The need to be conscious of the risk of 'making a contrivance out of ordinary connection'. Co-production, in other words, must avoid the pitfalls of regularising informal, reciprocal relationships, or exposing what David Halpern has called the 'hidden wealth' of communities to overly harsh light where they would be better preserved by remaining hidden. An example given was the 'spontaneous expression of citizenship' of a train ticket saleswoman who enjoys smiling at her customers and once decided to give Easter eggs to her regulars; if a statutory system of formalised gift-giving on public transport was initiated, the spontaneity and charm of the exchange would doubtless be compromised.
Other challenges were also discussed. Morris and Broome both highlighted the dangers posed to sometimes fragile networks by austerity, growing inequality, and 'externally enforced fragmentation', while it was elsewhere noted that cultural norms are becoming less social, along the lines of what Hugo Young described as a growing 'tolerated harshness' in society. Other attendees urged that co-productive services must be genuinely co-produced with public services taking an active role, rather than simply deferring responsibility or 'outsourcing by another name'.
The mood was on the whole optimistic, however, with numerous attendees stating that they welcomed the opportunity to network and debate issues in this way, and praising the new Centre as a valuable line of communication between community-oriented actors from the academic, public, private, and third sectors.
Based in the School of Social Work at UCLan and the King's Fund offices in London, the Centre for Citizenship and Community will meet regularly over the coming months and offers organisations dedicated support for community engagement through:
- Strategies and integrated programmes for social and community- based commissioning
- Service development and redesign, based on economic modelling and cost-benefit analysis, organisational, leadership and workforce development
This is backed up by:
- Bespoke programmes of accredited learning and professional development
- Programme evaluation and research evidence.
Its associates will be posting regular updates from varied perspectives on the RSA's blogging platform; in the meantime, more information on the Centre including contact details can be found on the RSA website. If you would like to be notified when the forthcoming RSA report on the impact of austerity on communities is published, or to be kept informed of the work of the Centre for Citizenship and Community, email firstname.lastname@example.com and request to be added the the RSA Action and Research Centre mail list.
Bursting the Twitter bubble
Filed under: Social Brain, Social Economy
Yesterday I was interviewed by a researcher from the University of Manchester who is working on a collaborative research project examining the use of social media platforms such as Twitter. The project aims to explore how people use social media in their daily lives and the extent to which people's use of social media reflects local issues, events and concerns. It is part of the Manchester eResearch Centre which exists to explore how the recent explosion in social media and the interactive web opens up opportunities for understanding societal issues and concerns. So far so interesting…
Having already interviewed a community forum, the police, city council and local MPs, the researcher is in the process of recruiting and interviewing individuals who live in South Manchester and are 'well-networked users of Twitter.' She'd got in touch with me via someone she met at a networking event, who had given my name as someone who he thought would fit the bill. I was slightly surprised – I tend to think that I don't really know what I'm doing with Twitter, and I'm an extremely long way removed from the major league 'twitterati'. Aside from that, I don't use Twitter all that much to share information about or discuss local issues, so I wasn't convinced I was quite what she was looking for.
I tend to think that I don't really know what I'm doing with Twitter, and I'm an extremely long way removed from the major league 'twitterati'.
Nevertheless, I agreed to be interviewed, not least because I was keen to hear more about the research project, and mindful of potential connections or overlaps of interest that might emerge through having the conversation. I wasn't disappointed. Aside from anything else, it was interesting to be on the other side of the voice recorder for once – there's a lot to learn from being interviewed rather than doing the interviewing.
Answering questions on my use of Twitter, the role it plays in my professional life, my personal life, and the connections between my use of Twitter and the community in which I live made me think about all these things in a particularly reflective way.
I was asked questions relating to how I use Twitter to provide information to other people, to organise debate and discussion, to gather support and interest and to portray sentiment in relation to various local issues, concerns and events. Like I've said, I don't really think of myself as someone who really knows how to use Twitter to great effect, so it was curious for me to discover that I had at least something to say in relation to each of these lines of questioning.
On one level, Twitter has facilitated the democratisation of news creation, information sharing and agenda setting. On another, it does little to engage, empower or enable members of society who are, in various ways, isolated or marginalised.
In answering the questions, I began to give examples and the discussion turned to the inclusiveness or otherwise of the Twittersphere. On one level, Twitter has facilitated the democratisation of news creation, information sharing and agenda setting. On another, it does little to engage, empower or enable some members of society who are, in various ways, isolated or marginalised. Aside from those members of society who do not have access to an internet enabled device, there are those for whom Twitter simply doesn't appeal. It isn't everyone's cup of tea, and why should it be?
My interviewer mentioned one member of the community forum she'd interviewed who was deeply negative, resistant, and unable to see any potential benefits of using social media to engage with the local community. We talked about professionals such as teachers, nurses and social workers, whose day jobs are are structured in such a way as to make it very difficult to be tweeting all the time alongside doing the job.
They may also already be part of existing communication networks that they are used to and that work well for them, or they may feel that using Twitter is a quasi-work activity that they'd rather not get involved in after hours. There's the public bodies for whom it is very difficult to use Twitter in the organic, instantaneous way that it needs to be used because of the need to adhere to policies and have all public communication formally approved and signed off. And there are people for whom Twitter is confusing, off-putting, boring or simply not their medium of choice
I'm sure I'm not the first person to suggest that Twitter is a sort of bubble – a group of relatively similar people talking to each other about the things that matter to them. It is easy, when you're part of that bubble, to imagine that all the important voices are being heard, that anyone who wants to be included in the debate will be. It's also easy to feel – if you find yourself amidst a storm of retweets – as though you're really making a difference, that the important people are listening and that you're at the heart of the action.
But there's also a world out there that doesn't live itself out on Twitter. For all the unique opportunities and connections that Twitter may facilitate, there are plenty of people outside the Twitterverse who may be doing really important and valuable things without tweeting about it, or whose voices are easily overlooked. The research I took part in is due to be published this summer and it will be fascinating to find out more about the ways in which Twitter represents, enables or excludes people from participating in community life. In the meantime, I'm very happy to hear any thoughts. Use the comment function below, write me an email, post me a letter (wouldn't that be novel?) or, if you really want to, you can even send me a tweet.
Opening Minds through Shakespeare
Filed under: Education Matters
This, believe it or not, is a photograph of a year seven pupil improvising Romeo and Juliet. Even more surprising is that this pupil was one of a group that started this Shakespeare workshop only a few hours earlier professing that they either knew nothing about Shakespeare or that what they did know of him was "boring".
This was how my day began when I visited Windsor school in Germany last week as part of a partnership project between the RSA and SCE (Service Children's Education). The aim of the partnership is to support SCE as two of its schools in JHQ Rheindahlen are due to close along with the Garrison. The focus at Windsor school is to teach the students about Shakespeare whilst also helping them to develop competences from the RSA's Opening Minds framework which they can call upon during this challenging time and in their future lives.
The pupils' initial reaction to a day of Shakespeare reminded me of the way in which I and many of my peers greeted Shakespeare learning at school. However, the workshop that followed could not have been more different. After watching the Globe's promotional video Stand Up For Shakespeare, in which celebrities, such as Judi Dench, explain that Shakespeare is to be acted and not read, we followed their cue and began improvising scenes before even glancing at a script.
Following the truly inspirational facilitation of our lead partner, SCE's Performing Arts Consultant Joy Harris, the students were led through a number of exercises that helped them to break through Shakespeare's intimidating language and recognise emotions and scenarios that are common to all people of all ages and times: children and adults, Tudor subjects and modern day citizens. By mid-morning the students were leaping around the room, brandishing imaginary knives and reciting lines from the play, unscripted.
With the children's excitement and imaginations ignited, my role – to introduce competences such as 'risk taking' and 'feelings and reactions' – was made much simpler. The children were fully engaged and able to relate the discussion to a present experience. They were, for example, able to put themselves in Juliet's shoes and explore the risks that she took in marrying Romeo and taking the poison, and to debate whether her actions were admirable or plain foolish. Through the prism of the play and an exploration of the motives and emotions of the characters, they were able to develop a deeper understanding of the competences.
All of this is even more astonishing when you consider the uncertainty that these children face. Apart from the fact that they will not be in that school next September, many do not know much else about what the next year holds. It is hard to imagine the implications this has for them personally, as well as for engagement and morale within the classroom. A number of children will not be able to see the project to completion and, for one pupil, this was their last day in the school. Despite this, every child actively participated and the staff and the school's Head fully supported the unique experience that they were able to gain that day.
I also learned a lot from the visit – and not just that Shakespeare is not as boring as I had remembered. The whole experience was an extremely powerful demonstration of how pupils become more engaged in learning if they are doing rather than just listening. This approach may seem more easily applicable to drama than other subjects, such as Maths, but maybe it is this pigeon-holing that we need to break away from.
As I approach the end of what is sadly my last day at the RSA (as I will be moving to a new role at Cubitt), my visit to Windsor has also helped me to reflect on the amazing experiences that I have gained here and to think about how I will utilise them in my next role. Perhaps, though, it will be twenty years down the line that I will draw on something that I have learnt here, and the people that helped form that learning won't have any idea of its application. In the face of what could easily be a sad and demoralising year, the teachers at SCE remain passionate about ensuring that their students access unique opportunities that they can reflect on and use in the year and years to come.
Do miracles only happen in Finland?
Filed under: Education Matters
Like most people working in the area of Education, I find myself constantly reminded of the shining beacon of success that is the Finnish education model. So I was eager to attend a recent conference by the Finnish Institute and the Embassy of Finland which claimed to explain "the Finish Miracle".
An even mix of Finnish and English educationalists presented their views on the key features of the Finnish system compared to the English, exploring the measures that have led to success and why. It was an extremely enlightening day that I won't attempt to summarise in full. The key observation that I took is that when searching for the differences between the Finnish system and our own, we need to look beyond specific measures to an underlying cultural ethos towards education.
Whilst it has been widely noted that the Finns have seen positive results from measures such as children starting school at age seven and no national inspection of schools or league tables, the event's first speaker, Professor Auli Toom from the University of Helsinki, attributed Finland's success to their educational approach. She highlighted the fact that Finnish culture regards education as a source of hope for a better society and life. This requires the same educational opportunities for every child, hence a completely comprehensive system. At the forefront of this are excellent quality teachers, who are trained to at least Masters Level, with only ten per cent of those that apply being accepted onto the teacher training program. Although teachers are not paid especially highly, prestige and status attracts the best candidates into the profession, who are then given the freedom and trust they deserve.
Next Professor Andrew Pollard, from the Institute of Education, stood up to give a markedly different story from the English perspective. Whilst he acknowledged that there are good and even excellent aspects of our education system, he queried why it is that we settle for one that is, overall, mediocre. Like Professor Toom, his answer referred to an entrenched cultural approach to teaching and learning, one that he regarded as characterised by a history of reform followed by compromise. He cited instances, including the English Civil War, the 1870 Education Act and the 1944 Education Act, as key milestones in our history where we fought for equality. However, our gains were quickly followed by some form of retreat. According to Professor Pollard, this lack of commitment to equality has resulted in an inconsistent education system, where some schools improve at the expense of others that flounder. It remains to be seen whether the National Curriculum Review will be another instance to add to his list, as it allows more freedom for teachers and schools to define the curriculum on the one hand, but places greater emphasis on core knowledge on the other.
Although Professor Pollard's view is slightly pessimistic I do think we can learn a lot from Finland in terms of equality in education. What lies at the heart of their ethos is an understanding that schooling provides an opportunity for all children to gain not just knowledge but ways of thinking and the broader skills to contribute to an effective and inclusive society. Perhaps we are stuck in the past, with our traditional concepts of achievement that only allow a minority to succeed. But instead of looking back we need to join the Finns in looking forward and ensure that we prepare every child for life in an ever changing world and trust the people who know best, teachers, to get them there.
Why Stigma Has Had Its Day
Filed under: Social Brain
In all honesty, I had never heard of The Society for Curious Thought until last week. It says it exists to foster curiosity and intellectual discovery in pursuit of a better future, which sounds good to me. On closer inspection, it turns out to host an eclectic and fascinating collection of articles and contributions covering arts, science, politics, personal experience, the environment and fiction.
As a result of my call-out last week to Fellows and others about mental health and employment, I was contacted by the Society's Director, Simon Marriott FRSA, and asked to submit an article further exploring the issues I had written about. I was very pleased to be asked, and my piece, Why Stigma Has Had Its Day has just been published.
My article attempts to summarise an issue adjacent to those I raised last week in my two blog posts about mental health and employment – the problems associated with using 'stigma' as a conceptual framework for talking about the social exclusion of people with experience of mental illness.
Here's a taster:
Discrimination and social exclusion are very real aspects of living with the experience of mental illness and the consequences can be grave: loss of opportunity in education, employment, housing and civic participation. Thirteen years ago, the disability rights campaigner, Liz Sayce did her best to change the way we deal with discrimination against people with experience of mental illness. She wrote an important article explaining why using the notion of 'stigma' to describe what is actually discrimination is in itself dangerously marginalising. Disappointingly, no one took very much notice, and these days, 'stigma' is still the primary conceptual apparatus used to describe what happens when people who have experienced mental illness are unfairly treated.
Sayce's key point was that the notion of stigma is problematic because it locates the problem within the person with the mental illness. This has the effect of individualising what is really a social problem. It amounts to a kind of victim blaming. Stigma (literally, mark of shame) carries with it the implication of there being something inherently discreditable about the person being stigmatised. Sayce argues that the 'mark of shame' should not be attached to the person with the mental health problem, but rather with the person who is behaving unjustly towards them.
It might be tempting to cast aside such issues as being merely semantic trifles. You might think that anti-stigma campaigners are fighting a good fight, and we all know what we mean when we talk about the stigma of mental illness. In fact, the reasons why discrimination against people with mental health problems continues, may well be partly down to the persistence of a damaging conceptual framework. Conceptual models carry enormous power. The implicit assumptions about where responsibility lies, or whose is the problem, determine to a large degree how we approach the issue as a society.
Networking by numbers
Filed under: Social Economy
RSA Connected Communities has started a new project with Nathan of the MIT Center for Civic Media to create a new, cost-effective way to measure the social impact of public services and civic interventions and to allow people to see their own personal networks. We're designing a mobile and tablet app for recording real-life social networks: your friends, families and contacts. The open source software we build will also be useful to journalists, ethnographers and anyone trying to make sense of rapidly changing social phenomena. Here I illustrate how we are currently recording this data, and why I think it is important that we change the way that we do it.
What is data?
Data is a rushed researcher putting together a survey to capture the full extent of a human life on paper. The scales are based on someone else's testing. The newly combined scales are then re-tested on new people. Any newly invented questions can change as a result of piloting; the old questions – based on someone else's testing – must remain constant. These newly tested combined scales – with the odd bit of cut and paste – are then recalibrated and re-launched.
A community researcher goes door to door. "Hello! My name is… " Door shuts. "Hi! I'm… Some version of a person's social network and social world is transferred from local person, to community researcher's ear, to RSA paper survey. Interesting anecdotes and unusual answers are scribbled in the margins, for few paper-based-surveys have the space to fully annotate human complexity.
Back at the RSA HQ a data entry scribe enters these reams upon reams of human data. Comment boxes are full of the annotated scribbles, although some anecdotes are lost to time, bad weather and even worse handwriting. Data entry becomes data book; data book becomes social network; social network might become a Guardian Society supplement.
We have found that allowing people to see their own networks and understand them allows them to feel they can change them.
And so what? Your social network, your human network, is a map of you. And maps need to be used in the now, not in a year's time when the roads have changed and bridges have been broken. The social app I am working on with Nathan from the MIT Center for Civic Media might allow us to do just that. It will be a means of researching somebody's human networks and then playing it back to them, in real time.
Here in the RSA Connected Communities team – when not dealing with 4000 peoples' worth of social networks and wellbeing, community health networks and the innovation networks of various councils – we are trying to help social network analysis become a real life tool. For this to happen it needs to make sense to people.
We already know that people with more diverse networks are healthier and happier. Our human networks help us to find work, with those with more diverse networks tending to have higher status and better paid jobs. We have found that allowing people to see their own networks and understand them allows them to feel they can change them. Poor networks are a real form of poverty: lack of mainstream social capital slows you down and closes off options.
You can paint me your social picture and I can ask "Does this look right, does this look like you?" before I join up the numbers
Through visualisation work to make network outputs more intelligible and the creation of network toolkits that hopefully make the subject more intuitive to people, we are trying to open up social network knowledge so it can be part of every individual's personal toolkit. I really hope that the tool we are working on with Nathan will be a big part of this.
It will allow researcher and researched to really co-produce.You can paint me your social picture and I can ask "Does this look right, does this look like you?" before I join up the numbers. It will make the data better and it will do what the data protection act tried but failed to do: it will make you own your own data, because you can see, feel and change it.
This might become a way for people to check in on their own social networks every once in a while, or a tool that might measure your isolation and suggest a local reading group or walking club. I can imagine GPs using this kind of tool to help them socially prescribe local activities. Any organisation which acts with social networks – such as the NGO Tostan- could use this as a low-cost way of measuring the impact of their interventions.
Organisations which rely on interviewing broad sections of people to understand new social phenomena – such as Human Rights Watch or any news organisation worth its salt – could use the tool as a prompt in interviews, a means of recording data and a way on ensuring that they have actually managed to ask a diverse group of people and not just people who float in similar circles.
So over to you. These social networks are your human networks. And these human networks delimit that which is possible in your life. What does this tool need to do, if it is to be of real use?
The medical model of mental illness: we're not convinced
Filed under: Social Brain
A great systematic review has been published in this month's British Journal of Psychiatry. It has the slightly less than tabloid-friendly title Biogenetic Explanations and Public Acceptance of Mental Illness: Systematic Review of Population Studies, but behind the dense title is a really useful and important piece of work.
Matthias Angermeyer and his colleagues examined 33 studies which looked at the public's beliefs about the causes of mental illness, in order to find out whether there is a relationship between those beliefs and the degree of tolerance people show towards people with experience of mental illness. This is important, not least because the shape of anti-stigma education and campaigning is determined by the causal model on which it is based.
Historically, the dominant model for public anti-stigma campaigning has been built on the foundations of the biogenetic model of mental illness, in which it is assumed that mental illness comes about primarily as a result of biochemical or genetic deviations.
Anti-stigma efforts have led to simple messages being devised, which are designed to get people to leave their prejudices behind. Under the biogenetic model, the types of messages you end up with are 'mental illness is an illness just like any other,' and 'mental illness is treated with medication'.
Angermeyer's systematic review concludes that biogenetic explanations for mental illness are correlated with less tolerance of people with mental illness amongst the general public, and therefore, basing anti-stigma work on biogenetically based causal models is an inappropriate means of countering stigma.
if you stop and think about it, it's no wonder that the public are unconvinced by messages like 'mental illness is just like any other illness'
This is not at all surprising to me, and you if stop and think about it, it's no wonder that the public are unconvinced by messages like 'mental illness is just like any other illness'. The reality is that mental illness(es) are not very much like physical illness(es). We need only to think about the way mental and physical illnesses are diagnosed to realise this.
In general medicine, diagnosis typically proceeds through the identification of signs which indicate the presence of disease. In the case of diabetes, for example, it is possible to determine whether the patient has the condition by measuring their blood glucose level. The patient may have been experiencing symptoms such as feeling thirsty and tired. These symptoms, although they do indicate the possible presence of the illness are not sufficient for a diagnosis of diabetes – the physician relies upon the results of a blood test (a sign) to make a confident diagnosis.
Psychiatric diagnosis does not work like this. Although it is assumed that there is a biological dimension to mental illness, there are no definitive physical indicators of mental illnesses which categorically and objectively confirm the presence or absence of a mental disorder. It isn't possible to determine, say through measuring their serotonin level, whether a person is suffering from depression; nor is it possible to diagnose psychosis through carrying out a blood test or x-ray. Instead, psychiatric diagnoses are made by way of observation or reporting of 'symptoms,' which are nearly always subjective judgements about what people say and do.
The truth is that, whilst it seems there may be some biological and genetic factors in mental illness, the science is not sufficiently advanced to be able to be clear about what they are and how they act. Not only that, but, to a much greater extent than with physical illness, the social and political dimensions in the construction of mental illness are controversial.
Therefore, oversimplified, biogenetically based anti-stigma initiatives are destined to fail because they don't acknowledge or attend to the true complexity of mental illness. They do little to engage with people's genuine uncertainty about why mental illnesses come about, and their legitimate fears about the sometimes worrying ways in which mental illnesses affect people's behaviour.
One of the reasons why anti-stigma work has so far tended to insist on keeping biogenetic explanations at its heart may be to do with psychiatry's need to assert its scientific credentials in line with other medical specialisms. I particularly applaud Matthias Angermeyer and his colleagues for drawing attention to this possibility in their concluding remarks. In asking whether the insistence on neuroscientific emphases in public education about mental illness is really in the interests of patients, they show a refreshing humility, which should be welcomed by psychiatrists, scientists, and patients.
Hats off for Whitley Academy!
Filed under: Education Matters
Britain's biggest name in hat design, Milliner Stephen Jones RDI, spent a second day a Whitley Academy last Thursday, delivering an inspirational talk and workshop to a group of sixth form art & design students. Stephen – who has designed hats for the likes of Princess Diana, Beyonce Knowles and Gwen Stefani – is one of the celebrated RSA 'Royal Designers for Industry' (RDI). He has been committing his time to working with the Whitley Academy students as part of the RDI '75 Days' initiative, where RDIs collectively share 75 days of their expertise with the RSA.
The brief Stephen Jones set for students was to design a hat that represented each student's character and interests. This was an exercise in building self-confidence and self-esteem as well as developing design skills, and it was a huge success. A competitive edge has now been set as Stephen returns to Whitley Academy on 30th November to help them complete their work, and he will judge the finished designs at a catwalk event to be held in the school hall.
A brilliant example of how designers can contribute inspiration and quality to design education, and also of the enrichment that partnership in our RSA Family of Academies can offer.
A citizen of the world
Filed under: Social Economy
Working on a programme called Citizen Power is, I have to admit, a bit of a challenge coming from a human rights background. Who is this citizen whose power we're so interested in?
For all that Socrates may proclaim himself a citizen of the world, citizenship is, by its very nature, exclusive. The citizens of a community must satisfy some set of requirements in order to enjoy membership in that community. While these requirements may have changed drastically from the fall of the polis to the rise of the nation state, they serve a similar purpose: to draw a line between those who belong and those who do not. The citizen is inevitably defined in opposition to the non-citizen – the culturally, ethnically, linguistically or politically different 'other' who lies on or outside the boundaries of the 'imagined community' of the nation state.
This is so for several (interrelated) reasons. First, in the modern welfare state, citizenship confers various social and welfare rights on citizens. In order to ensure that the state remains economically viable, it seems wise to limit these rights to those who, in turn, do their bit by paying taxes, contributing to the labour market, and so on.
Second, the principles of democratic legitimacy require that that rights of political participation are extended to all those who are affected by the political decision-making process. By exercising their right to vote or stand for office, citizens grant politicians a mandate to create or amend public policy on their behalf. Again, it makes sense to limit these rights to the legitimate members of a political community – we can't have every tourist and their dog turning up on polling day.
And third, citizenship – particularly in its civic republican form – is a reciprocal agreement that demands active participation from its members. Yes, citizens are entitled to certain rights – but, in return, they also have certain obligations to contribute to a common social good (by engaging in public deliberation, shaping public institutions, helping out elderly neighbours, etc). This is reflected in the idea of a "Human Rights Act Plus" (which looks at supplementing existing rights and liberties with citizens' responsibilities), and documents like the NHS Constitution and the Department for Education's Guidelines on parental responsibility, which set out both rights and corresponding obligations.
This is all very well in theory, but in practice it gets a bit messy. There are many groups that are affected by political decision-making but excluded from the sphere of citizenship, particularly where this is premised on active participation. This may be because they fail to meet the formal requirements of citizenship (including asylum seekers, refugees and migrants); they have forfeited their rights to political participation (including prisoners); or they lack the basic capacities required to participate (including those who are very elderly, severely mentally disabled, extremely poor, homeless, unable to speak English, or otherwise marginalised).
In Peterborough, where the Citizen Power programme is based, there are relatively high levels of poverty (in 2009, 18% of working age persons were claiming a key benefit, against the national average of 15%), homelessness (in 2008-2009, 2.41 households were recognised as homeless per 1,000 people, up from national average of 1.03) and ethnic diversity (8.99% of Peterborians were born outside the UK or Ireland, up from the national average of 8.32%) and, anecdotally, large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers. Citizen Power aims to revitalise a sense of attachment to place in Peterborough by building connections between people and communities and encouraging active public participation. But, in doing so, how inclusive is it of those who lie at the margins of – or beyond – the framework of citizenship, and are arguably most vulnerable? And, perhaps more importantly, how inclusive should it be?
There are definitely steps in the direction of inclusiveness. The Recovery Capital project is working closely with injecting drug users and prolific and persistent offenders. Peterborough Curriculum draws on the resources offered by a culturally diverse local community to create a unique place-based curriculum. The Take Me To project took a diverse group of residents – including members of the local Polish and Muslim communities, elderly community members, and adults with learning disabilities from 49 Lincoln Road – on an exploration of place and belonging. And the Civic Health project will examine the capacities required for active participation – including, crucially, where these are most lacking in Peterborough – and provide tools for addressing these gaps in order to encourage as broad a sphere of participation as possible.
Citizen Power Peterborough seeks to resuscitate a shared sense of community identity premised on other-regarding behaviour. In doing so, how can we best look outwards towards those on the margins of citizenship who are most in need of empowerment?
Small worlds and lost diamonds
Filed under: Arts and Society, Education Matters, Social Economy
Fairness seems a recurrent theme of late. Today's breaking news cries: "UK society divided and unfair, report claims."
That 'report claims' gets me every time. UK society is unfair: we do not need social network analysis to tell us that who you know matters. UK society is divided: the world is only 'small' (all six billon, eight hundred million of us) because we inhabit very specific parts of it.
But my science only gets me so far: I can construct you a diagram that highlights divisions; others can produce research that suggests that inequality fosters both unhappiness and unsafe societies; academics can debate as to what the conflicting libertarian and egalitarian views of fairness are. Yet birds of a feather flock; we fear difference and help our kind; and if inequality and stigma become the very lay of the land, then it is hard to see them.
Our flocking and fearing are very human, but are they fair? Fair for me is that distribution of benefits and duties that reflects our conception of human beings. If we understand all human beings to be equal, then that distribution should reflect this. If a woman is worth half of a man, then so too is her testimony. Whilst this all very much ties into how I view human rights (a post for another day), and borrows from Rawls in a way both outmoded and possibly to his displeasure, this understanding of fair is very important for the good of society.
Leaving the various statistical squabbles to more accomplished statisticians and their point-scoring, this unfair distribution of opportunity harms not just the individual but, lest we forget this is in our liberal age, it harms the collective. Our collective talent is our collective wealth, but this is squandered to stigma and lack of vision. If it is most often those born at the top that rise to it, we must either believe that it is only these children that hold the seeds of future success, or we are victims of a collective insanity that allows raw diamonds to pass for pebbles, as we laboriously polish cubic zirconia.
In my recent dissertation, alongside positing an understanding of social capital as the indicator for whether the right to participation is fulfilled (another day!), I followed the development of five girls as they took part in a film making and human rights course. These girls found a voice, found themselves as agents of change , and will soon find themselves addressing panels of their fellow residents, and Universty of London MA students. In this project, as in others I have worked on, we see that little is needed to turn aspirations around. And it is our aspirations that drive us.
The UK has shown us that equal opportunities is not equality of opportunity. If social mobility can be understood as sets of escalators, with some automatically on the up, and others automatically being driven down, then it must be surely viewed as discriminatory to not focus efforts on halting the downward trends of the marginalised 'escalators', and to instead provide equal amounts of electricity and oil and wish them both well. The fact that in a liberal society any individual can aim for anything in theory, must not be used to obscure the fact that in a liberal capitalist economy individuals are constrained by their societal and economic circumstances in practice. Life isn't fair, but less stigma and more tailored and deliberate help to those handed a raw deal might help us on our way. And here my science may help.


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Rainbow Grocery is proud to support the development of worker-owned cooperatives in the Bay Area through our Cooperative Grant Program. By supporting these groups, we are supporting the movement to create democratic worker-ownership and living-wage jobs in our community.
Ubuntu Coffee Cooperative is a small coffee roaster located in Emeryville California. They buy all of their coffee beans exclusively from Cooperative Coffees Inc. a green bean importing cooperative that represents partner farming cooperatives in coffee growing regions around the world and member coffee roasters in North America and Canada. Ubuntu Coffee Cooperative grew out of a desire to play a role in bringing to market the finest organic, fair trade coffee while creating a work environment that respects the rights and dignity of all who work to produce it.
The Worker Coop Academy assists worker cooperatives that provide good jobs for low- to moderate-income workers. The second Academy will be held in the East Bay beginning in September 2015. If you would like to be on their email list when applications become available, contact them here.
The Worker Coop Academy is an intensive multi-month training course educating teams of three or more who want to operate democratically-run, worker-owned enterprises. The six modules the Academy covers are:
Governance, Management, and Leadership
People and Culture
Cooperative Development
Legal Issues
WAGES (Women's Action to Gain Economic Security) is launching its 6th cooperative which will produce and sell sustainably sourced paletas (Mexican popsicles). For 15 years, WAGES has worked with low-income immigrant Latinas to launch green business cooperatives. Currently, WAGES supports five thriving cooperatives of more than 95 women, all of whom are worker-owners. Learn more about the new Paleta Cooperative here.
Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative is a multidisciplinary hub for local arts and culture in the Mission for over 25 years and began the process of converting to a worker-cooperative in 2012. As a new cooperative, Adobe strives to provide valuable literature, engaging art exhibits, local music and literary performance, as well as be a gathering space for the Mission community. Find out more information about Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative here.


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So while at work today, we got the new 2010 Raleigh catalog in.
The Rush Hour is murder. Fantastic looking. They've got a flat bar version of it now available called the Alley and now have a full Ultrega-drive train lugged steel bike that is a step up from the Clubman that is sexy.
I've already put in my order for the new Rush Hour. One of the sickest looking rides I've ever seen.


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How to Start Investing
Posted By timparker On 02/06/2012 @ 2:10 pm In Personal Finance | 8 Comments
Did you decide that this year you would start saving more and making your money work for you? That's a great resolution but in order to do that, you're going to have to go outside of your normal bank account and become an investor. Often, that means investing in stocks but before you put your money to work in the stock market there's a lot to learn. Losing money in the markets is a lot easier than making money so let's go in armed with knowledge.
Although not a hard and fast rule, it's best to save $5,000 or more before putting it in the stock market. This allows you to diversify your portfolio without the broker commissions eating away a large portion of your gains. If you don't have that much money ready to deploy, keep reading but start saving. We aren't going to head to the market just yet, there are a few more steps to take before putting real money to work.
Learn about the stock markets and how they work. Know what it means to own a share of a company and what causes the price of a stock to go up and down. The short version is that owning stock means you own a company and prices go up and down based on supply and demand. After you gain a basic understanding of the markets, learn how to evaluate the health of a company. Learn how to read a balance sheet, income statement, and their annual report. Understand what the P/E ratio, beta, and PEG rates mean? Finally, learn some basic chart reading skills.
Seem a little overwhelming? It will take time to learn everything you need to know but isn't that true of everything? If you want to do it right you have to put in the time.
There's no reason that you can't put some money to work in the stock market today. In fact, give yourself a $10,000 loan and trade on paper. Sites like Yahoo! and Google allow you to set up virtual accounts where you use virtual funds to invest. If you make a mistake, (and you will) you only lose fake money, not real money. What you gain is an education and experience that is every bit as valuable as all of the reading you've been doing to learn about the markets.
Ideally, trade virtual money for one year before putting real money to work. Markets and each individual stock have a personality of their own. As you spend time buying and selling stocks, you'll learn to find these behaviors. Don't be in a rush to use real money, you can afford to wait a year.
Avoid the weekend seminars that will show you how to make big money because it's probably a scam. They'll charge you a "reasonable" price of sometimes more than $1,000. If it worked, everybody would do it and there would be a seminar about it. You can't be a top producer in anything after one weekend of schooling, unless you're the one teaching the classes and collecting the fee.
Avoid penny stocks. As a new investor, avoid any stock under $5 and always stay far away from stocks under $1. There's no doubt that there are some penny stocks that will one day become big companies but your chances of finding them are slim. It's better to buy fewer shares of a proven, high quality company than to buy hundreds of shares in a penny stock.
Don't use the investment markets as a casino. If you want to gamble in the hopes of a big payout, go to Vegas. Although a lot of people try to use the investments markets as a way for quick money, it doesn't work for long term capital growth. Invest with the idea that your money will grow relatively slowly over a long period of time.
Use ETFs along with individual stocks in your portfolio. Studies show that it is nearly impossible to beat the market so purchasing an ETF that tracks the performance of the overall stock market is a great investing strategy.
Try to have a minimum of five types of investment products in your portfolio. Your positions could be two stocks and three ETFs (Learn more about ETFs here [3]) or three stocks and two ETFs or another combination but never put the majority of your money in one product.
Don't be in a rush to put your money to work. Wait until you not only feel comfortable evaluating companies but your virtual account shows more successes than failures. Make highly conservative choices at the beginning of your journey.
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Ministry of Health and Long Term Care of Ontario; Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario; Canadian Stroke NetworkEvidence-Based Review of Stroke RehabilitationTeasell, R. W., Foley, N. C., et al.
Retrieved from http://www.ebrsr.com.
Indicators of Review Quality:
Description: This is a review of published research studies and consensus opinion investigating the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for stroke rehabilitation.
Question(s) Addressed:
Question not specifically stated.
Population: Patients undergoing stroke rehabilitation.
Intervention/Assessment: Interdisciplinary inpatient and outpatient stroke rehabilitation. Interventions/assessments specific to SLPs: cognitive rehabilitation, language therapy for aphasia, and dysphagia assessment and therapy.
Number of Studies Included: Almost 956
Years Included: Through August 2009
Assessment Areas
Individuals post stroke may experience cognitive deficits with impaired attention and speed of processing.
The authors report that individuals with dysphagia be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist.
"All stroke survivors should remain NPO until a trained assessor has assessed swallowing ability" (p. 1 Module 15).
Assessment Instruments
General Findings - No gold standard exists for assessing cognitive deficits for individuals with stroke.
Videofluoroscopy - The authors indicate that modified barium swallow studies "are the only sure way of diagnosing dysphagia and aspiration" (p. 2 Module 15).
General Findings - Currently no evidence exists supporting or refuting the remediation of executive functioning and problem solving post-stroke.
Compensatory Memory Treatments - Although few studies included stroke survivors, the authors conclude that strong evidence exists for the use of compensatory strategies (e.g. imagery-based training and electronic memory aids) to improve memory outcomes post brain injury.
Computer-Based Treatment - Limited evidence suggests that "computer-assisted training of attention tasks may improve performance of specific attention tasks" (p. 30 Module 12).
Word Finding Treatment
"Phonological and semantic cueing may improve naming accuracy in aphasics with word-finding deficits" (p. 2 Module 14).
"Task-specific semantic therapy and task-specific phonological therapy improves semantic and phonological language activities respectively in aphasia" (p. 2 Module 14). The authors indicated that target-specific therapy did not improve language performance.
Computer-Based Treatment - "Computer-based aphasia therapy results in improved language skills and may improve functional communication" (p. 1 Module 14).
Constraint-Induced Language Treatment - "Forced-use aphasia therapy can result in improved language function and everyday communication in chronic aphasics"(p. 1 Module 14).
Reading Treatment - "Therapy specific to alexia in aphasic patients improves language functions" (p. 2 Module 14).
General Findings - The authors indicate that "A short course of formal dysphagia therapy may not alter clinical outcomes" (p. 1 Module 15).
Compensatory Treatment - There is limited evidence that head rotation can improve swallowing function.
Oral-Motor Treatment - There is limited evidence that lingual exercises can improve swallowing function.
Thermal Stimulation - "There is moderate evidence that thermal stimulation does not improve swallowing function post stroke"(p. 44 Module 15).
Diet Modification - Consensus opinion suggests that individuals with dysphagia receive modified diet to reduce the risk of aspiration.
Tube Feeding - Consensus opinion suggests that enteral tube feeding may be necessary to reduce the risk of aspiration.
Service Delivery
Intensity - "Language therapy is efficacious in treating aphasia when provided intensely for the first 3 months; less intensive therapy given over a longer period of time does not provide a statistically significant benefit, although clinical benefits can be achieved" (p. 1 Module 14).
Community-Based Treatment - Community-based language programs may improve functional language performance.
Trained Volunteer - "Trained volunteers can provide an effective adjunct to speech language pathologists' treatment" (p. 1 Module 14).
Communication Partner - The authors also found that training communication partners to provide supported conversation may result in increased social participation and conversational skills.
Group-Based Treatment
Evidence suggests that group treatment "may result in communicative and linguistic improvements" (p. 1 Module 14).
"There is moderate (Level 1b) evidence, based on one "good" RCT (PEDro = 6), that group therapy results in less improvement in graphic (writing) elements of aphasia when compared to individualized therapy" (p. 14 Module 14).
Keywords: Stroke, Aphasia, Swallowing Disorders
Access the Review
Added to Compendium: March 2012
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in Australia, that is. Everyone else can enjoy the pictures, at least for now. When we first wrote about this little espresso maker back in January, it did stir quite a commotion among true coffee lovers and design aficionados.
There is the slight delay in production, but the good news are that OTTO will be the better version of itself. Here I am citing - During the final testing phase we've realised breakthroughs in design, enabling an extracting pressure similar to commercial machines. Consistent with our commitment to uncompromised quality we've chosen to include minor modifications to the premier production run and have rescheduling OTTO's arrival for January 2009. Meanwhile you can register here to be one of the firsts to buy OTTO for AU$595 plus shipping & handling. You can ask if they ship internationally ... they possibly will.
Posted in Espresso Machines at October 7, 2008 1:35 AM
Appliancist is an online magazine about the latest Home Appliances & Home Appliance Trends. Covering High-End Luxury Kitchen & Bathroom Appliances.


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May 24, 2016
BAY COUNTY-- In light of recent heavy rains, and more rain in the forecast, Bay County officials are keeping an eye on Deerpoint Lake.
County officials have opened the drawdown gates and will leave them open in anticipation of more rain, which could cause the lake level to rise.
They opened the gates at 5:00 Monday morning, before that storm front dropped inches of rain, north of the Econfina Watershed.
The lake has now level reached four and a half feet,a foot below normal.
County officials will return to normal drawdown practices once the weather threat has passed.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


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Published in the News-Herald
Janurary 6, 2008
Eddie Dweyer [News-Herald Reporter]
Kenston's multitalented guard John Behm said some of the Bombers' seniors took it upon themselves to get the message across after Saturday night's dismal first quarter.
'We've been in a little bit of a skid, and it seems like we start off slow," Behm said. "But some of the seniors got the guys together and said, 'Is this how we want to go out? Is this how we want to be remembered? Guys, we've got to go right now.'"
Message heard – loud and clear.
The Bombers, who trailed Chagrin Falls by nine points after throwing the ball around and managing just two baskets in the first eight minutes, came on strong in the second quarter and went on to secure a 41-33 victory at Kenston.
In improving to 7-3 overall and 4-1 in the Chagrin Valley Conference's Chagrin Division, the Bombers outscored their long-time rivals, 18-5, in the second stanza.
"Everyone knows the Kenston-Chagrin rivalry," said Behm, whose solid all-around performance included 11 points, 11 rebounds, and eight steals. "And I seriously think that's what got us fired up."
Sparked by baskets from senior post Cory Barton and Behm, a 6-1 senior, the Bombers got their offense on track early in the second quarter.
After a power move down low by Barton, a steal and a 3-pointer by Behm, a steal and a layup by senior guard Mike Tobe and a layup by junior Scott Cardwell off an assist from Barton, Kenston had its first lead of the night, 17-15, with 3 minutes, 8 seconds remaining in the first half.
Chagrin Falls, which slipped to 6-5 overall and 2-3 in the Chagrin Division, responded with a 3-pointer by senior guard Spencer Stevenson.
However, with their seniors leading the way, the Bombers rode two free throws by Tobe, a driving one-hander by Behm and a free-throw by 6-7 post Chris Meyer to a 22-18 halftime lead.
"The kids are focused in the locker room, but they're not bringing that focus out into the initial stages of the first half," said Kenston coach Josh Jakacki. "And obviously we're digging ourselves a hole."
"Fortunately, early on in the season we've been able to dig out of those holes. But we've got to bring a more consistent effort and understand that at tipoff, we've got to be ready to play. If we put four quarters together, we're going to be a pretty good team. Right now, we're playing at about 65 percent of the game."
The Bombers kept digging for their game over the final 16 minutes and finally found some breathing room by moving to a 12-point lead with 1:06 remaining to be played, a spread, Behm said, that was the result of a smothering defense.
The clinching points came off two free throws by junior guard Cal Cumpstone, a three-point play by Barton and a layup in transition by Behm.
"We just couldn't find a way to put the ball in the basket," said Tigers coach Dave Bargar. "We had easy opportunities, and we missed them. And when you leave those points out there in a game like this, when not a lot of points wins it, you don't have much room for error."


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It may be interesting to watch what happens in Tennessee over these photos floating around the internet.
TheDirty.com » Blog Archive » Tenessee Coach Bruce Pearl
The better question is what Bruce Vande Velde would do.
Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Well...at least those girls are attractive...
I removed it.
Very true. I realize the guy is not married, or so someone makes a comment below the photos saying that...if BVD was the AD we know what his response would be!
Who gives a rip. He has his picture taken with some girls. He isn't naked or smoking dope.
Does he have kids? One of them could be his daughter and her friends.
Originally Posted by 4VR4CY
Does he have kids? One of them could be his daughter and her friends.
Yep - and it could also be that he spent a day on the lake with his family, took about 1000 photos with everyone from babies up to grandmothers - and these are the ones the dirt sniffing website got their hands to make much-a-do about nothing.
The very definition of "no news here".
Originally Posted by 4VR4CY
Does he have kids? One of them could be his daughter and her friends.
Two daughters and two sons, but no photos in the UT Media guide...
Originally Posted by rworkman83
Two daughters and two sons, but no photos in the UT Media guide...
If it turns out that that is her, I need some rep! Or the title Sr. Problem Solver.
During the Texas Memphis bb game the camera cut away from the court for a moment and showed George Herbert Walker Bush in the stands surrounded by quite a few young women.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." Albert Einstein
"If your worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on" Lance Armstrong
"Dress cute wherever you go, life is too short to blend in." Paris Hilton
"Money is one of the greatest instruments of freedom ever invented by man." F.A. Hayek
As said above, he is not married and the girls are hot. What's the problem?
"I believe the state color for Alabama should be primer," Larry the Cable Guy.
Originally Posted by kgreeny
As said above, he is not married and the girls are hot. What's the problem?
That I'm not the one with them.
Larry would say something like this given enough power
Sam Keller is also on this rather infamous website:
TheDirty.com » Nebraska
Let Prohm's Posse Ride: Hallice, Brady, Stu, Lard, Naz, Deonte, Monte, Matt, Simeon, Jordan, and Babb.
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Surgical parotitis is an acute inflammation of the parotid gland, either unilateral or bilateral, occurring most frequently after surgical procedures. Although it is an infrequent and unexpected complication, it is quite alarming when it does occur. In the past it has carried a high mortality rate and has been regarded in the literature as a grave prognostic sign.
It has long been known that patients developing parotitis1 were usually seriously ill, in poor general condition, dehydrated, undernourished, and with poor oral hygiene. A dry mouth and a decreased salivary secretion seems to be the principal precursor to the onset of the disease. The highest incidence has occurred after abdominal or genitourinary tract surgery. In 1927 Rankin and Palmer2 reported a series of 78 cases, 20 of which followed surgery of the rectum or colon. Gustafson,3 in 1951, reported 80 cases from the University of Michigan from 1932
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Steve Ellis, co-founder of TimeSplitters developer Free Radial Design, has revealed that the company was working on Star Wars Battlefront 3 and 4 before the studio was snapped up by Crytek.
Speaking with GI International, Ellis said the studio maintained a strong relationship with LucasArts after signing a deal with the Star Wars IP owner in 2006. In fact, LucasArts approached the studio to develop a sequel to the first Battlefront game before the original was even released.
"They were big fans of our work, they liked our take on making games, they liked the way we work and they wanted to do this project," said Ellis. "It was a big thing, we were very excited and for a long time it was going very well."
"We were still at that time probably a year out from completing and releasing the first game and they asked us to sign up for the sequel."
"That was a big deal for us because it meant putting all our eggs in one basket. It was a critical decision - do we want to bet on LucasArts? And we chose to because things were going as well as they ever had. It was a project that looked like it would probably be the most successful thing we had ever done and they were asking us to make the sequel to it too. It seemed like a no-brainer."
Ellis went on to detail the reasoning behind the collapse of its relationship with LucasArts, pointing the finger at numerous layoffs and a shift in focus at the Star Wars IP holder in early 2008.
"The really good relationship that we'd always had suddenly didn't exist anymore," he explained. "They brought in new people to replace them and all of a sudden we were failing milestones. That's not to say there were no problems with the work we were doing because on a project that size inevitably there will be, there's always going to be grey areas were things can either pass or fail. And all of a sudden we were failing milestones, payments were being delayed and that kind of thing."
"It was a change of direction for LucasArts as a company rather than for the games that we were working on. I think what had happened was the new management had been bought in to replace the old and given an impossible mandate. It was a financial decision basically and the only way they could achieve what they had been told to do was to can some games and get rid of a bunch of staff. So that's what they did but it was quite a long, drawn out process."
As a result of the crumbling relationship between the two companies, Battlefront 3 and 4 were both scrapped. However, while the latter barely progressed beyond the early tech stage, Battlefront 3 was in a near-complete state.
While Battlefront 3 failed to materialise under Free Radical's watch, it has been rumored that Spark Unlimited – who is currently working on Lost Planet 3 for Capcom – has now jumped on board the project.
Stay tuned to PSU.com for more details.
Star Wars Battlefront 3 was in development at Free Radical
Steve Ellis, co-founder of TimeSplitters developer Free Radial Design, has revealed that the company was working on Star Wars Battlefront 3 and 4 before the studio was snapped up by Crytek.


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Full/whole body workout routines seem to have fallen out of favor as many trainees try to
emulate the 5-6 day split routines of professional bodybuilders. But the way genetically gifted, steroid-using professional bodybuilder trains is not relevant for most of us. This is especially true for a genetically typical, natural trainee who walks in a gym with the goal of putting on his first 10-20 lb. of muscle.
A novice lifter should make pretty rapid gains in strength and be able to lift a little more or do a few more repetitions with each session. For this reason it makes sense to train every major muscle group 2-3 times a week. Otherwise you are missing out on opportunities for growth.
I wish I had understood this back when I first started lifting weights. I could have gotten bigger and stronger much faster if I had done a properly designed full body workout routine.
A beginner should stick to a few basic exercises in order to build his/her foundation of strength. It's pretty simple: you need to train your legs, push, and pull. Balance these three things and you'll be on your way to safely building muscle. You should be pulling as much as you push, for example, to avoid muscle imbalances. You should also not neglect leg training.
A beginner routine may look like this:
1. Squat (or leg press)
2. Deadlift (or rack pull)
3. Bench Press or Dips
Do each exercise for 4-5 sets of 5-8 repetitions. Do this workout 2-3 times a week for a month or two and you'll be well on your way to building the foundation.
I'd highly recommend you check out Jason Ferruggia's Muscle Gaining Secrets if you are new to lifting weights or trying to learn how to put on muscle. This program will guide you through your first 4-6 months and keep you from wasting a lot of time on inefficient training methods. Another HUGE bonus is the supplement e-report—it will keep you from wasting your hard-earned money on worthless supplements.
More intermediate/advanced trainees may want to check out Minimalist Training. This material includes both whole body routine and split routines.


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Just this last week I put new tires - Kenda Kross Plus - new cassette, and new chain on my Trek 820. It really needed them. Last night I took a 12 mile ride around the 'hood to make sure everything was working properly.
Today, I took a 38 mile ride on the Katy Trail which is flat and topped with crushed stone. I really noticed how much more uncomfortable this bike is for these kinds of rides than my Raleigh hybrid. The Trek has me leaning forward with much more of my weight on the handlebars, and after a couple of hours it got uncomfortable. I can easily do 50+ miles on the Raleigh and feel fine. I usually use the Trek for 10-15 mile rides around home on gravel and some pavement.
Maybe it was the heat, but I don't think I will repeat that kind of a ride on the Trek soon.