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Welcome to WebmasterWorld Guest from 22.214.171.124
Forum Moderators: not2easy
So...whenever we find them we Issue DMCA complaints to Google, MSN and Yahoo, and the copycats gets taken out. So far so good.
But some bright bulb decided to try some revenge and file a false DMCA complaint against us. And Google bought it. My site has been taken down.
The results reference a DMCA complaint, along with a link to view the complaint. Clickcing the link leads to the message "Complaint Unavailable". I can't even see the false complaint. This is a nightmare. Help!
Then the false complainant has opened themselves to a perjury charge if in (or ever visiting) the US.
1) Verify that the link is valid (ie not going to a hacked/malicious site).
2) Have a look at the 'chillingeffects' site which displays DMCA complaints I think.
3) Respond to the DMCA challenge as you are allowed to, to rebut it and hopefully get your stuff restored quickly.
IANAL, and I am in the UK, but it seems that the idiot that did this might find themselves in very hot water. You might be able to add damages for your loss of business to whatever trouble they are in with any US business/assets they have.
Verify that the link is valid (ie not going to a hacked/malicious site).
Have a look at the 'chillingeffects' site which displays DMCA complaints I think.
Respond to the DMCA challenge as you are allowed to, to rebut it and hopefully get your stuff restored quickly.
Google must have a main number for corp HQ.
Call them and ask to speak with whoever deals with DMCA reports or corp legal.
I doubt if they will give a damn. I too regularly have content plagurised, libelous accusations levelled against my site by large corporations, &c. I'm a small business, I have no real defence.
Welcome to the reality of "globalisation" <g>
Apparently the necessary form to file is called a "DMCA Counter Notification". Google gives a link to a .pdf file for the form, but that link downloads a broken document. Yes, you read right. Google's own link is broken. Of course, Google provides no way to directly inform it of this shortcoming.
I managed to find an alternate copy via ChillingEffects, and fax that in instead. Now I wait.
Regarding the link mentioned in my first post, I'll repeat:
The following text appears at the bottom of a Google search for my domain:
In response to a complaint we received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 1 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaint that caused the removal(s) at ChillingEffects.org.The bolded text is Google's provided link. Clicking that link leads to ChillingEffects. org, where the following message is displayed:
Notice Unavailable
DMCA (Copyright) Complaint to Google
The notice is not available.
Google must have a main number for corp HQ.There's no way to actually reach anyone (unless you're buying advertising, that is). All calls dead-end in a recorded message to visit the Google help interface...
Call them and ask to speak with whoever deals with DMCA reports or corp legal.
or try
[edited by: Realbrisk at 1:14 am (utc) on May 18, 2007]
joined:May 21, 2002
votes: 0
All links seem to work for me, including the (sample) counter notfication link.
If you look at the gethuman dataBase, you'll notice that the only direct human contact Google provides is for AdWords sales. Like many another crassly self-serving corporation, Google only mans the phones for sales inquiries...and it's an Indian call center, btw.
File a small claims court lawsuit against them"Them" is a vague animal. Sue the mailcious miscreants in Thailand who apparently field the fake DMCA? Good luck. Sue Google? A. I'm pretty sure the only proper venue is Federal District Court, with US$10-$15K of laywer fees just to bring it there; B. Google provides a free public service. When it comes down to it, the sad truth is that Google is under zero obligation to display our websites whatsoever. The reality is that we're recipients of charity, of Google's "grace", all of us in the serps entirely at Google's capricious whim.
File a small claims court lawsuit against themAgainst Google, And yes it works my friend has done it with Citi mortgage when he could not get his payment errors cleared up
a copy of the original federal copyright registration of all my website's content
And the Copyright Website has been considered an authoritative source for years:
[edited by: Marcia at 6:59 am (utc) on May 20, 2007]


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Soundclash New Orleans Premier Beat Battle, Artist Showcase, and Networking Event
The Soundclash
Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 8:00 PM - Friday, September 21, 2012 at 1:00 AM (CDT)
Hosted by Wes B and 3rd Mind w/ GO DJ RQ Away on the wheels
Open Mic (all genres) and Ladies Free all night
Doors (producer + open mic sign-up) @ 8p show starts @ 9p
feature performers are Deep N Space, Harn SOLO, and Cooley High (Philly Beamin + MacNiffy)
Deep N Space - http://deepnspace211.bandcamp.com
Harn SOLO - http://harnsolo.bandcamp.com/album/shooting-star
Cooley High - http://soundcloud.com/philly-beamin/04-coolin
the guest judges are The Legendary OG Ron C
(Executive, Artist, Producer, Engineer, Co-Founder of Swishahouse)
[Mike Jones, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Lil Keke + more]
Core / GO DJ Black N' Mild
(DJ, CEO of GO DJs)
The Soundclash is sponsored in part by The Cookie Jar, OnPoint
Productions, Mighty Muzik, VirDiKo, Away Team, B.S. Radio, Inner Recess, NOLAHollywood.com, Dayandadream.com, T.Piper Media and iStandard.
To compete, sponsor, perform, sponsor, or more info email
The winner of Soundclash beat battle will win a slot in Space City Beat Battle in Houston, Interview with Mighty Muzik, Interview on B.S. Radio, Free studio time from Inner Recess + more.
[DOWNLOAD/STREAM] B.S. Radio Presents August Soundclash Mix and July Soundclash Mix - http://soundcloud.com/thesoundclash
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.

subset: commoncrawl


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AURORA, ON, Jan. 27, 2014 /CNW/ - Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG) (NYSE: MGA) will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013 on Monday, March 3, 2014.
Magna will hold its quarterly conference call on Monday, March 3, 2014 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. The number to use for this call is 1-800-381-7839. Overseas callers should use 1-212-231-2901. Please call in at least 10 minutes prior to start time. The conference call will be webcast at www.magna.com, and will be chaired by Donald J. Walker, Chief Executive Officer.
For anyone unable to listen to the scheduled call, the rebroadcast numbers are: North America - 1-800-558-5253 and Overseas - 1-416-626-4100 (reservation number is 21706299) and will be available until March 10, 2014.
SOURCE: Magna International Inc.
For further information:
If you have any questions, please call Louis Tonelli at 905-726-7035. For teleconferencing questions, please call Nancy Hansford at 905-726-7108.
Magna International Inc.
Browse our custom packages or build your own to meet your unique communications needs.
Fill out a CNW membership form or contact us at 1 (877) 269-7890
Request more information about CNW products and services or call us at 1 (877) 269-7890


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February 29 – L'Oreal said its revenue from China has cracked the ¥10 billion mark, reaching ¥10.7 billion in 2011 after 11 years of growing at double-digit rates, including 18% in 2011.
February 29 – Turnover at China's deal-of-the-day websites surged 255% year on year to ¥1.35 billion in January, according to Tuan800.com, a site that collects information about group buy deals.
February 29 – Metro AG said it opened its 54th Chinese store and plans to open at least 10 stores in China this year. The German retailer opened five stores in the country in 2011.
February 28 – American Dairy Queen Corp said it plans to open 100 stores in China in 2012, down from 131 openings in the previous year. It was operating over 500 stores in the country as of the end of 2011.
February 27 – Better Life Commercial Chain Co (SHE: 002251), a Chinese supermarket chain, said it plans to open 80 stores in the next three years. It was operating 19 stores as of the end of 2011.
February 27 – Parkson Retail Group Ltd (HKG: 3368), a Chinese department store operator, said it opened six stores last year and plans to open eight this year.
February 22 – British retailer Tesco opened its 108th Chinese store in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province.
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The pride of Best Western Hotel Rome Airport is the Concorde restaurant. Located inside the hotel, it welcomes guests and clients from other hotels and resorts as well as those who want a restaurant in Rome as a point of reference, for business or leisure, for breakfast or a business dinner or a stopover on the way to an excursion to Ostia Antica and Lake Trajan in Fiumicino.
Furnished in minimal style, a refined atmosphere and international clientele make Concorde one of the most popular restaurants in Fiumicino. The 80 seats of the main room and the private room available by reservation for 12 guests, provide the ideal setting for celebrating events and ceremonies in absolute tranquillity or for holding classy receptions.
The cuisine is definitely Italian with international diversions and typical Roman dishes. Fish and meat in equal measure alongside delicious Italian first courses of pasta and rice, featuring classical recipes as well as innovative techniques. Rome is well represented by spaghetti all'amatriciana, Roman-style saltimbocca and delicious Roman ricotta cheese.
The wine list which accompanies the food features a wide and varied selection of labels from all regions, with particular attention to DOC labels from Lazio and Tuscany.
• Breakfast: 07:00 - 10:00
• Lunch: 12:00 - 14:30
• Dinner: 19:00 - 22:30
Best Western Hotel Rome Airport - Via Portuense, 2465 - 00054 - Fiumicino (RM) - GPS: lat. 41.772872 - long. 12.242562
Phone: +39 06 6507221 - Fax: +39 06 65049168 E-mail:
Cancelli Rossi SRL - VAT Number: 02116811007
Each Best Western® branded hotel is independently owned and operated


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The Present Position and Prospects of the British Trade with China
James Matheson (1796–1878) became a leading taipan, with significant influence and power in Hong Kong. When this pamphlet was published, in 1836, he was still trading from Canton (Guangzhou) and, following the abolition of the East India Company's monopoly on trade with China, appealed to the British government to pressure the Chinese to lift the severe restrictions on trading. He suggests that despite the efforts of the merchants, China refuses to acknowledge the law of nations, to trade fairly, and as such has 'long since surrendered her rights and is no longer in a position to enforce them'. Matheson's personal appeal to the Duke of Wellington was rebuffed, but his business partner, William Jardine, later persuaded Lord Palmerston to adopt a tougher approach, which ultimately led to the First Opium War. This is a powerful and provocative text: a defence of both free trade and an aggressive foreign policy.
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|This book is provided by Cambridge University Press in its series Cambridge Books with number 9781108045896 and published in 2012.
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Editor's Note: This article has been updated for 2016.
Conferences play a disproportionately large role in internet marketing in general and SEO specifically. As the saying goes, it's a small world, so connections and networking matter. Attending conferences is also a great way to get in front of potential clients and industry peers to share your services and develop mutually-beneficial relationships.
They're also critical for staying on top of the latest trends, tips, and strategies to increase organic search traffic. So, what are some of the industry's must-attend events? Here are ten essential SEO conferences and how attending can give you an edge on your competition.
State of Search
This Dallas-based conference has evolved from a grassroots event into a 2-day marketing event that is attracting attendees from beyond state lines. Sponsored by Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association, State of Search draws industry greats such as Rand Fishkin, search reps from Google, and SEJ's Brent Csutoras. Emphasis is on local SEO and networking opportunities.
SEJ Summit
Search Engine Journal's event series is taglined "By SEOs, For SEOs". Held in New York, Chicago and Santa Monica, this one day event focusing on big brand SEO features an unusually favorable speaker/attendee ratio (1:18). This means attendees have better and more opportunities to interact with speakers (such as at the speakers' lunch tables). Typical SEJ Summit speakers are SEO practitioners at big brand companies like Disney, LinkedIn, Google, and Walgreens.
Geared toward social media and search marketing professionals, Pubcon is a worthwhile conference that's focused on the future of technology. They offer a full-day intensive SEO training that is geared toward experienced SEO marketers. The smaller group training gives you a chance to engage with some of the key players in the SEO industry.
This is another great choice if you're looking to expand your professional network and learn more about the industry's latest trends. It's a week-long event with 200 speakers in more than 130 sessions. The exposure to the scale of speakers and expertise – along with the networking options – make this a good investment. Forbes named this conference a must-attend event.
Formerly known as SES, ClickZ has conferences in San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. If you are hoping to make connections with some of the key players in the SEO industry, don't miss this one. Typically, the SES conference program includes some basic sessions for industry beginners, but there are also a number of sessions for experienced internet marketers that cover some of the latest trends in the industry.
As with any event this size, be sure to review the program to determine which sessions you'd benefit from the most. Specific focus is paid to both the search and social media marketing sides. Conference organizers make an effort to include consultants and practitioners, along with reps from the search engines, for a holistic conversation. Speakers are encouraged to focus on case studies, high level strategies, and tactics that can be implemented right away by attendees.
Moz is home to some of the most knowledgeable leaders in the SEO industry. And MozCon is a great opportunity to network with them and other like-minded professionals. MozCon is geared towards experienced digital marketers and goes way beyond the basics of SEO. The goal of this conference is to arm you with strategies and tactics that you can use to improve your business and your conversions.
Mozcon's agenda spans SEO, social media, marketing analytics, content strategy, data science and more. Specific sessions range from "The Mobile Content Mandate" to "How Gender and Cultural Differences in Web Psychology Affect Customer Behavior."
SearchLove Conference
The SearchLove Conference is highly popular among industry leaders. And don't worry, there's no wasting time on search basics here. Those attending SearchLove can expect to learn about the most effective industry trends, and take away actionable information for their business.
It's also a great place to network with other SEO professionals, and discuss some hot topics in the industry at the conference's popular topic tables. Sessions are geared toward SEOs, managers, and business owners. Topics range from DIY data-driven content development to scalable outreach and the future of search.
Content Marketing World
Content strategy is at the forefront of SEO and search efforts this year, and that's not changing anytime soon. Though this conference is not specifically geared toward SEO professionals, it's still an important one to attend. It covers all aspects of content marketing from the basics, to advanced email marketing, identifying your target audiences, and making sales.
If you work with clients in specific verticals, pay attention to sessions geared towards professionals in industries such as health, technology, small business, and finance. Content Marketing World is attended by a number of big brands, and it can be a great way to meet decision makers at companies like Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Cisco. Specific workshops include building your agency, content strategy for non-profits, and building advanced buyer personas.
Inbound Conference
As the name suggests, the annual Inbound Conference is focused on inbound marketing, an umbrella term that encompasses everything from SEO to social media. If your goal is to improve your knowledge of inbound marketing as a whole, this is the place to be. The conference combines marketing and technology with a bit of fun.
It also gives attendees the opportunity to network with inbound marketing giants such as Seth Godin and Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah of HubSpot. Sponsored by Hubspot, one of the leaders in inbound marketing, the agenda is full of sessions, networking events, and certification courses. If you're interested in adding Hubspot to the list of services you offer, this is a great way to get up to speed.
SMX Advanced
While many SEO Conferences are geared towards internet marketing professionals who are just starting out in the industry, SMX Advanced is not. The audience for this conference is comprised of experienced internet marketing professionals, so there's no need to worry about struggling through basic SEO sessions structured for industry newbies.
SMX Advanced provides an effective outlet for like-minded people to connect and discuss the latest trends in the search marketing world. It's a great place to learn and make connections with others in the industry that are at a similar point in their professional careers.
Attending conferences in this industry is key – but with so many events, you could spend your whole year networking and learning. Do you have a favorite event in addition to the ones I outlined above? Let me know in the comments below!
Image Credits
Featured Image: kasto via Depositphotos.com


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Fat Not! Creme It !
by Dixie USA
Make soy milk instantly with Dixie USA Fat (Not!) Creme It!. Fat free. Fat (Not!) Creme It! takes tofu to its next level.
It's like having a powdered tofu to make sauces, gravies, soups, shakes or soy milk. No blender needed - instantly dissolves. Make cream soups, hot chocolate, gourmet cream sauces and chocolate milk.
Each 1 1/2 tablespoon provides 27mg isoflavones and has 1.6g fiber, unlike regular tofu which is the most processed of all soyfoods and is fiberless. Fat free, shelf stable for one year or more -- Quick and easy. Made from dehulled soybeans with fiber.
Check out these delicious low carb recipes using Dixie USA's Carb Counters products.
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The Marine Corps is greatly expanding its experimental program that deploys infantrymen to combat zones with bomb-sniffing dogs, declaring it a successful component of the fight against the insurgents' most lethal killer — homemade bombs dug into roads and footpaths.
The Marines plan to deploy more than 600 dogs with their troops in Afghanistan, doubling the program they began testing four years ago. American K-9 Interdiction, a veteran-owned company based in Carrollton, Va., was awarded a new contract this fall worth as much as $35 million to train and kennel Marine Corps Improvised Explosive Device Detector Dogs through September 2012.
Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills, the battlefield commander for Marines and NATO's southwestern regional command in Afghanistan, had asked for hundreds more of the dogs for his troops in Helmand province, enough to send one out with every patrol heading outside the wire.
"We are putting in a great effort to get more dogs in," the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James Amos, said during a recent visit to San Diego.
"The Taliban are very clever at hiding multiple IEDs and placing them in the ground," Amos said. Dogs are not the sole solution, but in his view, the dog program has been "very successful."
Incidents involving improvised bombs in Afghanistan shot up 38 percent for the month of October compared to the previous year, according to the Pentagon's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.
The number of coalition troops wounded or killed from the bombs that month also was up — by 34 percent. Two provinces of Afghanistan accounted for 64 percent of the improvised bombs in October: Helmand, where the Marines are stationed, and neighboring Kandahar, where a major Army-led offensive is underway.
"They are trying to do everything they can, from dogs to expensive ground penetrating radar, and that is what they should do," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine. "Dogs are great for the dismounted operations where you're stepping on something like an anti-personnel mine."
That said, Hunter contends that the $20 billion-dollar investment and wide range of assets deployed against the bomb threat in Afghanistan has fallen short because "we are not taking fewer casualties, we are taking more casualties. We are failing in the IED fight."
Dog handlers with Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment who returned a few weeks ago from Afghanistan said the results of their seven-month combat tour prove that bomb-sniffing dogs are effective.
One dog, Thor, found at least four bombs.
"They save lives," said Cpl. Stephen Heath, 22, who deployed with a dog named Ivy. "Throughout our entire deployment, we had no Marines killed when we were out there in the field."
Metal detectors and other expensive technology sometimes goes on the fritz or fails to differentiate between garbage and explosives. As long as they were healthy and well-fed, the dogs were more reliable, the handlers said.
"My whole squad trusted the dog more than anything else. They have seen me train her," said Lance Cpl. Kris Jauch, 20, who deployed with a yellow snack-hound named Tango.
Cpl. Melvin Taylor, 29, served with GG on his fourth combat tour. He would not want to do a fifth, he said, without a bomb-sniffing dog.
The dynamic between Marines and their canine partners can be a powerful one.
During her training to become a Marine Corps bomb detector dog, Dixie was terrified of the thump and whirl of helicopter rotors. In combat, it was a different matter. When her handler was shot in the neck in Afghanistan, the black Labrador retriever leaped into the medevac flight and stood guard beside him.
On his next flight through the war zone, Lance Cpl. Garrett Zeigler was forced to leave Dixie behind. The wounded 23-year-old Marine hadn't brought Dixie's kennel crate, and his profane protestations did not sway the Air Force captain enforcing military regulations on the plane.
That was in June. Dixie, who was sent back to hunt bombs with another Marine and had two confirmed finds during her deployment, was reunited a few weeks ago with her original handler at March Air Reserve Base.
Dixie went wild, jumping and licking Zeigler's face. After about 10 minutes together, the dogs were loaded onto a truck headed to their East Coast training kennels. In a few months, they will return to Afghanistan with different infantrymen.
"It was sad saying goodbye. I had a tear or two," Zeigler said. He will probably never see Dixie again, he said. That left his heart "sledge-hammered."
The infantry handlers hope the Marine Corps will assign their bomb-dog duties as a secondary job, so they can build on the knowledge they gained working with canines in combat.
Despite their powerful nose for explosives, the dogs are only as good as the human minds that guide them, the handlers said.
"It's not like you just take it off the leash and it finds bombs. You need to work the dog like a tool," said Cpl. Deano Miller, 22, who deployed with Thor, a yellow lab. "You need to know what to look for."
Ideally the Marines would stick with the same dogs, they said, as Marines in the much smaller military police working dog program do. That is unlikely to happen, given the Marine Corps' deep investment in training the dogs, which can cost $60,000 each.
Some of the Marines worry the military will work the dogs almost continuously until they die or become too shell-shocked to retire as pets. Cpl. Andrew Mulherron, however, said he lost his best friend when he had to give up Boone, but he recognizes that "they have to do a job, just like we have to."
Tar, one of the dogs from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, died when he tripped an IED during a patrol. The handlers credit Tar for saving the life of his Marine guide, who was wounded, and the troops behind him.
Today a portrait of Tar hangs in the battalion headquarters at Camp Pendleton, on the wall near photos of the unit's other troops killed in action.
Many of the dog handlers saved their canine's leash for mounting alongside their portrait. The training company is breeding puppies to give to some of the Marines as pets, but they realize no dog will ever be able to live up to the one they accompanied to war.
"When you're a canine handler, that dog is almost like a part of you," Zeigler said.


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This time around, the IJ Lobby Lounge showcases a young band that takes its name, 1405, from a chapter in Marin rock history.
The number 1405 is the street address of the Church, a legendary San Anselmo recording and rehearsal studio used by some of the biggest names in Marin rock, including Van Morrison, when he lived in Fairfax, and the Jefferson Airplane and Starship's Marty Balin, who used to own the place.
The kids in 1405 — lead singer-guitarist Izel Van Epps, 13; guitarist Alex Flanagan, 13; bassist Autumn Salvo, 12; and drummer Adam Palmer, 13 — recorded their first EP at the Church. It's appropriately titled "1405 at the Church."
In the Looby Lounge, the teenage quartet rocked through three impressive original songs, "The Cards are Marked," "Time" and "Ridiculousness." They went their separate ways during the summer vacation, but are all back now, preparing to return to school. Izel attends Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Rafael, Alex and Autumn go to White Hill in Fairfax and Adam is a student at Sterne School in San Francisco. After taking the summer off, they recently held their first rehearsal and wrote a new song. So look for more fine music from this promising, exciting young band with the old-school name.
More information on 1405 is online as Band1405 on Facebook and on the website reverbnation.com/band1405.
The IJ Lobby Lounge is a new program of the Marin Independent Journal. We invite local musicians to perform in our lobby and record the sessions for online viewing. To see 1405 and other Lobby Lounge mini-concerts, visit marinij.com/lobbylounge.


text:
Research Topics
D Larrey
Country: France
Detail Information
- Epidemiology and individual susceptibility to adverse drug reactions affecting the liverDominique Larrey
service d hépato gastroentérologie et transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France
Semin Liver Dis 22:145-55. 2002....
- [Bacterial hepatitis]Dominique Larrey
service d hépato gastroentérologie et transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, CHU Montpellier, 80, rue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5
Gastroenterol Clin Biol 27:B27-31. 2003
- Drug-induced liver diseasesD Larrey
Service d Hépatogastro entérologie et Transplantation hépatique, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France
J Hepatol 32:77-88. 2000..The prediction of the hepatotoxicity of new drugs must be improved. Investigations would be particularly useful for drugs having critical chemical structures and belonging to families with an established history of hepatotoxicity...
- [From hepatic steatosis due to obesity to cirrhosis, in the absence of alcoholic intoxication]Dominique Larrey
Service d hépatogastroentérologie et transplantation Hôpital Saint Eloi, 80 rue Augustin Fliche 34295 Montpellier
Presse Med 32:512-8. 2003..Other treatments are currently proposed (anti-oxidants, insulin-resistance modulators), but none of them have presently been completely validated...
- [Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: natural history and diagnosis]Dominique Larrey
service d hépato gastroentérologie et transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, CHU Montpellier
Gastroenterol Clin Biol 27:793-8. 2003
- Drug-induced acute liver failureDominique Larrey
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier School of Medicine and INSERM Unit 632, Montpellier, France
Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 17:141-3. 2005..At the stage of liver failure, treatment is mostly supportive. Since irreversible damage is unpredictable, early transfer to a transplantation centre should be considered...
- [Chronic hepatitis C: apart from antiviral treatment what other measures should be recommended?]Dominique Larrey
service d hépato gastroentérologie et transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, CHU Montpellier
Gastroenterol Clin Biol 26:B283-90. 2002
- Diffuse inflammatory lesions in patients treated with interferon alfa and ribavirin for hepatitis C: a series of 20 patientsO Dereure
Department of Dermatology Phlebology, CHRU Montpellier, Hopital Saint Eloi, 80 avenue Augustin Fliche, 34265 Montpellier cedex 5, France
Br J Dermatol 147:1142-6. 2002..By contrast, very few data are available with regard to distant skin reactions, particularly inflammatory lesions on other parts of the body...
- [Hepatotoxicity of immunosuppressants. Diagnostic approach]D Larrey
service d hépato gastroentérologie et transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, 80, rue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
Gastroenterol Clin Biol 32:S194-204. 2008
- Variable phenotypic presentation of iron overload in H63D homozygotes: are genetic modifiers the cause?P Aguilar-Martinez
Laboratory of Haematology, CHU of Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France
Gut 48:836-42. 2001..But few H63D homozygotes with clinical manifestations of hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) have been reported. Concurrently, an increasing number of genes have been shown to interact with HFE in iron metabolism...
- Hepatitis after intravenous injection of sublingual buprenorphine in acute hepatitis C carriers: report of two cases of disappearance of viral replication after acute hepatitisHelene Peyriere
Department of Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Lapeyronie Hospital, Montpellier, France
Ann Pharmacother 43:973-7. 2009..To report 2 cases of acute hepatitis related to intravenous administration of buprenorphine in hepatitis C-infected patients...
- [Chronic hepatitis C: management of side effects of treatment]Dominique Larrey
service d hépato gastroentérologie et transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, CHU Montpellier et INSERM U632, 80 rue Augustin Fliche, Montpellier Cedex 5
Gastroenterol Clin Biol 31:4S20-8. 2007..It is also essential to provide a well adapted therapeutic education to get an optimal compliance to the treatment and thereby a better chance of success...
- Mycophenolate mofetil in combination with reduction of calcineurin inhibitors for chronic renal dysfunction after liver transplantationGeorges Philippe Pageaux
Liver Transplant Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire CHU Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France
Liver Transpl 12:1755-60. 2006..In this prospective, multicenter, randomized study, chronic CNI-related renal dysfunction was defined by an increase in serum creatinine with values >140 micromol/L and <300 micromol/L. Patients were randomized in 2 groups...
- [Is there a risk to prescribe paracetamol at therapeutic doses in patients with acute or chronic liver disease?]Dominique Larrey
Service d Hépatogastro entérologie et Transplantation hépatique, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier
Gastroenterol Clin Biol 30:753-5. 2006
- Alcohol relapse after liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease: does it matter?Georges Philippe Pageaux
Fédération médico chirurgicale d Hépato gastroentérologie et Transplantation, Hopital Saint Eloi, 80 rue Augustin Fliche, 34295 CHU Montpellier Cedex 5, France
J Hepatol 38:629-34. 2003..The aim of this study was to distinguish the types of alcohol consumption after liver transplantation (LT) for alcoholic cirrhosis and to assess the consequences of heavy drinking...
- The Southern French registry of genetic hemochromatosis: a tool for determining clinical prevalence of the disorder and genotype penetrancePatricia Aguilar-Martinez
CHU of Montpellier Laboratory of Hematology, Hopital Saint Eloi, avenue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
Haematologica 95:551-6. 2010..Despite great progress in understanding the mechanisms underlying genetic hemochromatosis, data on the prevalence and the penetrance of the disorder are conflicting...
- Is chronic hepatitis C virus infection a risk factor for breast cancer?Dominique Larrey
Liver Unit and INSERM Unit 632, Saint Eloi Hospital, Montpellier University, 80 rue Augustin Fliche, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
World J Gastroenterol 16:3687-91. 2010..To evaluate the prevalence of breast tumors in adult females with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection...
- Alpha interferon inhibits hepatitis C virus replication in primary human hepatocytes infected in vitroValerie Castet
INSERM U128, Montpellier, France
J Virol 76:8189-99. 2002..These results show that IFN-alpha acts primarily through its nonspecific antiviral effects and suggest that primary cultures of human hepatocytes may provide a good model to study intrinsic HCV resistance to IFN-alpha...
- Are preoperative patterns of alcohol consumption predictive of relapse after liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease?Pascal Perney
Service de Médecine Interne E, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier Cedex, France
Transpl Int 18:1292-7. 2005..05). Information on previous alcohol consumption (dependence, number of withdrawals, family history) helps to predict severe relapse after LT in patients with ALD, allowing early awareness and specific postoperative care...
- Transferrin receptor-2 gene and non-C282Y homozygous patients with hemochromatosisP Aguilar-Martinez
Laboratory of Hematology, CHU de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Blood Cells Mol Dis 27:290-3. 2001..Concurrently, none of the 18 hereditary hemochromatosis patients who had their TFR2 gene sequenced had any deleterious mutation. Thus, TFR2 mutations are not responsible for hemochromatosis in non-C282Y homozygous patients of our area...
- Cross hepatotoxicity between tricyclic antidepressants and phenothiazinesA J Remy
Department of Hepato Gastroenterology, Saint Eloi Hospital, Montpellier, France
Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 7:373-6. 1995..To describe a case of cross hepatotoxicity between tricyclic antidepressants and phenothiazines...
- Tacrolimus and the risk of solid cancers after liver transplant: a dose effect relationshipC Carenco
Liver Transplantation Unit, Digestive Department, Saint Eloi University Hospital, University of Montpellier I, Montpellier, France
Am J Transplant 15:678-86. 2015..It appears therefore that CNI should be used with caution after LT, and that new immunosuppressive therapies could deliver significant clinical benefits in this regard. ..
- Nocardiosis revealed by thyroid abscess in a liver--kidney transplant recipientA Vandĵme
Fédération Médicochirurgicale, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France
Transpl Int 14:202-4. 2001..Clinicians should be aware of this entity, as Nocardia Asteroides may need more than 5 days of culture to be isolated...
- [Value of MRCP for diagnosis of biliary complications after liver transplantation]S Aufort
Service d Imagerie Medicale, CHU Montpellier, Hopital Saint Eloi, 80, rue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5
J Radiol 89:221-7. 2008..To assess the value of MRCP in the detection of biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation...
- Use of human hepatocytes to investigate HCV infectionLydiane Pichard-Garcia
INSERM U632, Hepatic Physiopathology, Montpellier, France
Methods Mol Biol 640:447-62. 2010..Adult primary human hepatocytes infected with natural serum-derived HCV virions represent the model that most closely mimics the physiological situation. This chapter describes our experience with this culture model...
- Treatment of cirrhotic tense ascites with Dextran-40 versus albumin associated with large volume paracentesis: a randomized controlled trialDiego Garcia-Compean
Service d Hepato Gastroenterologie, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France
Ann Hepatol 1:29-35. 2002..05). Ascites recurrence rates and survival were similar in the two groups. In conclusion, Dextran-40 was thus not as efficacious as albumin for preventing PCD...
- Interleukin 1beta inhibits CAR-induced expression of hepatic genes involved in drug and bilirubin clearanceEric Assenat
Service de Chirurgie Digestive, Hopital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France
Hepatology 40:951-60. 2004....
- Global sequencing approach for characterizing the molecular background of hereditary iron disordersSeverine Cunat
Laboratory of Haematology, CHU of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Clin Chem 53:2060-9. 2007..This study aimed to develop a rapid automated method for sequencing the main genes involved...
- Risk factors for lymphoproliferative disorders after liver transplantation in adults: an analysis of 480 patientsChristophe Duvoux
Liver Transplant Unit, AP HP Hopital Henri Mondor, 51 Avenue du Marechal de Lattre de Tassigny, 94010 Creteil, France
Transplantation 74:1103-9. 2002..The aim of this work was to identify specific risk factors for lymphoproliferative disorders after liver transplantation in adults...
- Risk factors for hepatic decompensation in patients with HIV/HCV coinfection and liver cirrhosis during interferon-based therapyStefan Mauss
Center for HIV and Hepatogastroenterology, Dusseldorf, Germany
AIDS 18:F21-5. 2004..This paper identifies risk factors associated with hepatic decompensation in APRICOT...
- SCH 503034, a novel hepatitis C virus protease inhibitor, plus pegylated interferon alpha-2b for genotype 1 nonrespondersChristoph Sarrazin
Department of Internal Medicine II, Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany
Gastroenterology 132:1270-8. 2007....
- Hepatic findings in long-term clinical trials of ximelagatranWilliam M Lee
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75390 9151, USA
Drug Saf 28:351-70. 2005..In these studies, raised aminotransferase levels were observed during long-term use (>35 days). The aim of this analysis is to review the data regarding these hepatic findings in the long-term trials of ximelagatran...


text:
Setting Boundaries in the Ivory Tower
It's ironic that the term "ivory tower" persists as a reference to academe. The dictionary defines it as a place or attitude remote from worldly affairs, where "the life of the mind" can flourish. But reality presents a stark contrast: The typical academic is consumed with practical demands, forced to balance ever-increasing requirements for promotion and tenure with the all-too-real challenges posed by important relationships in their nonacademic lives.
Balancing work and family requires setting boundaries -- evaluating what you're willing to devote to your work and what you can give to your family, in terms of your own energy and endurance.
But how can you set limits when there seem to be no "edges" to academic work? Your work is never done. The process feels like it's dominated by the "bean counter" mentality, with constantly escalating requirements for obtaining tenure. Most untenured faculty members live with anxiety: You're under continual scrutiny from the institution as it tries to determine your value to it. You worry that without constant momentum you will lose ground.
And how can you set limits with people you love and who depend on you? Children's needs don't wait until tenure is conferred. If you postpone having children until after tenure, will it be too late? Neglected spouses can be understanding for only so long. And if you don't yet have a family, when will you find the time to create one?
Early in your academic career it seems easy to justify putting in long hours -- it's a temporary necessity. It's also natural to expect your loved ones to understand. But the demands continue and imbalance can become a way of life. Seven years of neglect -- of your family and yourself -- can have repercussions that can't be undone when you're granted tenure. And seven years of unremitting stress can have devastating consequences on your physical and emotional health.
Take a moment to compose a short list of all the life roles you now assume (e.g., "academic," spouse," "parent," "friend," etc.) Now rank them according to their importance to you. Next, list the same roles according to the percentage of time you devote to each. Do your lists match? Most people discover that although they rank their intimate relationships as most important, they devote more time to their careers.
Even if you define yourself only in part by your work, you derive self-worth by succeeding in this arena -- by getting grants, having articles published, filling classes, receiving good teaching evaluations, and especially getting tenure. When things go well you experience a sense of mastery and control. In contrast, personal relationships are difficult to control. They make you feel vulnerable. And the more time you spend working and neglecting your relationships, the more you come home to conflict and feelings of failure rather than affirmation.
Satisfaction with life and with work, as well as emotional and physical well-being, are significantly influenced by the extent to which we believe we have some control of the events of our lives. The challenge is to find ways to gain some control over a situation that seems uncontrollable. Peter B. Vaill, a management expert, likens the process to negotiating your way through "permanent white water."
Success requires a guiding vision -- an internal locus of stability within the fast tempo, changing expectations, and uncertainty of the external world. If you live a life that is consonant with your values, you will experience more control as you navigate your way through the white water.
Here are some specific suggestions on how to clarify your vision and define your boundaries:
Write a mission statement.
Go back to your list of life roles. What are your most important goals within each of these roles? What legacy do you want to leave? What contribution do you want to make within each of your roles? What gives your life meaning? How do you want to be remembered?
Many people resist writing a mission statement -- perhaps because it sounds corporate or maybe even touchy-feely. Some don't want to acknowledge the discrepancy between the life they want to lead and the one they are leading. If this is true for you, ask yourself, what are the risks of not writing it?
Look beyond tenure.
Of course tenure is a singularly important goal for you. But try focusing more broadly on the contribution you want to make in your field. Remember, you were drawn to your work because you loved it. Clarifying this can enable you to shift your focus from the tenure outcome to the process of doing the work you love. If your work is truly important to you, if it interests you, if you're passionate about it, then doing it can be a source of satisfaction, rather than stress.
Plan backwards.
Since tenure is probably your most immediate career goal, you can plan for it by beginning at the end. Imagine you've been granted tenure. What steps did you take to achieve this? Review each step in reverse order. Once all the steps are laid out you can block out time for each one. Schedule deadlines for every step of your plan. This schedule isn't set in stone -- unexpected interruptions constantly arise -- but it will keep you on course; permit you to set monthly, weekly, and daily goals; and allow you to see how far you've come and what lies ahead.
Take a weekly sabbatical.
Make a weekly appointment with yourself to reflect upon your goals. Treat this appointment as you would an appointment with a colleague or the dean. Spend time reflecting on your goals within each role. Ask yourself what you could do this week to make a difference in each role. This reminds you to live intentionally, not on automatic pilot. You may focus more on one role today and another tomorrow. That's fine as long as you're always aware of your overall mission to prevent one role from consuming your life to the neglect of the others.
Let your priorities guide you.
Not every task can be neatly penciled into your agenda. Children are notoriously resistant to being scheduled. If your child asks for a story while you're working on an article, think of it as an opportunity to fulfill one of your parenting goals.
As unanticipated things come up, make choices in terms of the priorities you've set. Wait 24 hours before responding to requests to participate on committees or take on new tasks. Ask yourself if this is the best use of your time.
Research on time management suggests that the process of setting goals and priorities gives us a sense of control. "To do" lists are merely attempts to give top priority to the urgent -- not the important -- things in your life.
Maintain focus.
Far more important than managing your time is maintaining your focus. Whatever you've chosen to do, maintain your focus on the specific task at hand. So often, when you work under pressure, there's an ongoing conversation inside your head. It usually includes thoughts about what you "should" be doing, "what if" scenarios, and thoughts about how you can scramble to get everything done.
This inner conversation, the internalization of the cultural and institutional conversations that have always surrounded you, can prove paralyzing. It impairs your ability to focus on what you are doing and makes the work itself painful. You can bring all of your resources to bear effectively only when you are giving your full attention to what you're doing.
This is the important link between your mission statement and your productivity. If you are doing what is most important to you -- what interests you, what you love to do -- then you can focus. Focusing disrupts judgmental self-consciousness and allows you to be optimally productive.
The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this state of optimal experience "flow." It is the experience of total absorption in what you are doing, when you are unaware of the passage of time.
Boundaries, focus, flow, satisfaction, a sense of control and success -- you can achieve all of these by writing a clear mission statement and referring to it regularly. Focus can enable you to return to an Ivory Tower that nurtures your work and your self.


text:
Urban Panoramas: Opie, Liao, Kim (February 2 to June 6, 2010)
- The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), February 2 to June 6, 2010
Not currently on view
42nd Street, Times Square, Manhattan
Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao (Taiwanese, born 1977)
New York, New York, United States (Place created)
negative 2005; print 2008
Inkjet print
50.8 x 121.9 cm (20 x 48 in.)
© Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao
Purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council
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Incorporated into this image is a self-portrait of the photographer himself, who posed on the steps of the subway station entrance to Times Square.
This is one of forty-seven images that make up the series Habitat 7. Using an 8 x 10-inch camera mounted on a tripod, Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao made numerous exposures over the course of several hours, adjusting it to expand his angle of vision or capture the changing light. After scanning his color negatives, Liao used digital editing software to stitch together a large-scale image that presents broad sweeps of information in minute detail. The resulting inkjet print is a complex, composite image that encapsulates the elements of time and movement.
Since moving to New York in 1999, Liao has lived along the number 7 subway line, which connects Main Street in Flushing, Queens, to Times Square in Manhattan. Likening the train's path to the rivers around which ancient civilizations developed and flourished, Liao selected specific locations as both the subject and vantage point for his Habitat 7 series. The series "transports" viewers from Flushing to the east and moving westward through the neighborhoods of Corona Park, Jackson Heights, Woodside, and Sunnyside before arriving in Manhattan. Each image creates a seamless whole, as does Liao's portrayal of the culturally and economically diverse communities that coexist harmoniously along the eight and a half miles of the train, sometimes referred to as the "International Express."


text: Virtual Earth was featured in Steve Ballmer's keynote speech at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. Brian Hall (General Manager, Windows Live Business Group) demonstrated the infamous Contoso company's partner finding application. It's a fairly simple app which loads point data layers on a Virtual Earth map (in Australia) and continues to load the data as the map is navigated. The Virtual Earth segment runs about 8 minutes as it's integrated into Windows Live Messenger, as well. You can access the video here: https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40044112. You'll want to fast forward to 38:30 to see VE.


text:
Calvin Harris Interview
Calvin Harris: Something For The Weekend
Page 1 of 2
Quick BioAfter breaking through onto the UK music scene with the hit singles Acceptable in the 80s and The Girls, Calvin Harris released his gold-selling debut album I Created Disco in 2007. He is now one of the most in demand producers in the industry and recently had a number one with his Dizzee Rascal collaboration Dance Wiv Me, before hitting the top slot again with I'm Not Alone, the first single from the new album, Ready For The Weekend.
This has been a busy summer for you...
Calvin Harris: Yeah, I've done a lot of festivals, been going to a lot of different countries and it's been great, it's the busiest I've ever been and it's been a fun time. My personal highlight was T in the Park -- it was massive for me. It was just a surprise as we were on really early in a sort of matinee slot before Lady Gaga and after Bjorn Again, which is quite a place to sit, so we were worried about who would turn up, but by the end it was hands in the air as far as I could see and I just like "Thank God". It was the home crowd too, so that was extra, because Scottish people know how to go off properly.
You seem to have this public perception of being quite outspoken, is that something you try to cultivate?
CH: No, to be honest, I'm not trying to annoy anyone, I'm really just saying how I feel about certain things, and often that's construed as "I know best" or that I think that everyone should listen to me. But I don't think that's the case -- I'm really just saying what I think, basically like everybody else in the world does, so I don't see any reason for me to stop doing that. You know, most of the time, people don't care and rightly so, they shouldn't care if I'm sitting eating an egg sandwich, but if something bad happens, I don't really see that as a good news story. People who write these things do, but I don't think it's that interesting. It's a good source for lazy journalism.
Your name is often connected with various internet crazes like Myspace, and lately, Twitter, where you had an outburst recently against a music journalist who had given the album a bad review. Would you like to add anything to that?
CH: Well, I did have a rant on Twitter, but the thing about capital letters is, when put to good use they can be quite effective, but sometimes capital letters can be misconstrued as wild anger. I'm not angry, I'm not an angry person, but I do sometimes like playing with the perception of anger, as in pretending that I'm more angry than I actually am, and sometimes it works quite well.
How do you feel about the new internet crazes like Hype Machine and Spotify, are they good tools for the industry?
CH: The thing about Hype Machine is that it can be easily manipulated so it really doesn't mean anything, as people can hype up their own tracks to get to the top of the charts, I've seen it happen many a time, so I don't really have a particular opinion on that. I suppose Spotify is a good thing, the ads are quite annoying but a lot of people seem to like it and use it, I don't myself, but it seems like a good idea and the labels are getting a huge amount of money off it but the artists aren't so that must be good for them... but not us.
Where was the album recorded?
CH: I recorded most of it in Glasgow in my flat and some of it in London. I mixed it in London at a little studio space that I've got down there, but primarily it was done in Glasgow. Happy isn't even the word to describe how I feel about it. I'm beside myself with joy that I've finally got it done and it's exactly how I wanted it to sound. The last album wasn't really a reflection of what I could do, so this one is more personal; if you don't like this album – you don't like me – and that's it.
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Expires: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 03:37:50 GMT
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 02:37:50 GMT
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Ladies Home Journal - July 1968
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Ladies Home Journal - July 1968
Ladies Home Journal - July 1968-126 complete pages. Makaing marriage wori: a new journal service - Money quarrels...vacation tensions. This is Veruschka
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text:
Never without her iPod, thesultryscribe is a secret fan of 80s music, digs classic rock and surprisingly, enjoys post-grunge and alternative metal. A born and bred Jersey girl, it's her obligation to also be a fan of both Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, a charge she gladly accepts. The motto, "Do what you love and love what you do" is posted above her desk in her cluttered but somehow peaceful office. Most importantly, she is truly and madly in love with her partner of more than a decade, who indulges her fetish for lipstick and eyeliner pencils.
She writes as Dahlia DeWinters and Olivia DuBelle….so far.


text:
1UP just wrapped up its week-long expoxé on interactive narrative last Friday. Overall, it was a solid week of op-ed and interest pieces, but I thought I'd posthumously contribute to the effort by espousing some of my thoughts on a game that has given me cause to reevaluate some of my previously conceived notions of game narrative's realistic capacities. Though the game falls short in some respects, failing to take the risks necessary to reinforce the game's narrative strengths, it comes remarkably close to the heights it could have reached. So close, in fact, that such an ideal is realistically attainable for future installments, and it's not unreasonable to expect the series to take that extra step. The game I'm referring to is Etrian Odyssey III by Atlus.
Those of you who read my post on Rainbow Moon may think my praises of Etrian Odyssey III's narrative approach to be hypocritical. After all, its prescribed plot is wafer-thin and much of the game has the player wandering around a central dungeon while grinding and completing fetch quests. On paper, this hardly seems like the narrative-heavy approach to game design I advocated for in my Rainbow Moon post, and perhaps rightfully so. The model of interactive narrative employed by Etrian Odyssey III wasn't something I discussed in that post, and some of my rhetoric, coupled with this omission, caused many to think that I was dismissive of such games. In order to rectify this miscommunication, I will here be adamantly defending this model of interactive narrative which, for the purposes of this post, I'll call the "Etrian approach."
The Etrian approach isn't a new phenomenon, nor is it one unique to the Etrian Odyssey series. In fact, it's a storied model of game narrative spanning multiple decades of gaming history. Unfortunately, it's also a model of particular scarcity, with examples of quality implementation being rarer still. Despite some of its flaws, I believe Etrian Odyssey III to be one of these rarefied gems, thus why I give this model its namesake. To explain these flaws, however, one must first determine the standard to which all are held to, what the Etrian approach actually is.
With regards to narrative, Etrian Odyssey III does something slightly different from the series' preceding entries: it provides the player a prescribed narrative. It's a lightweight and largely forgettable affair, one that, despite boasting three separate endings based on the player's actions, something I would typically praise, does nothing to play to the game's narrative strength. Paradoxically, this prescribed story is a non-factor in discussing the narrative of Etrian Odyssey III. The narrative thread players take away from the experience isn't the one Atlus devised for the game, but the ones they allowed the players to craft for themselves. And that, to put it briefly, is the Etrian approach.
The premise for every Etrian Odyssey game is a simple one: a band of adventurers guild together to venture into some yet-unexplored dungeon or labyrinth in search of riches and fame. And unsurprisingly, over the course of the game, riches are accrued and fame is achieved. By the game's end, the player's guild is respected throughout the land, and its services to the people never to be forgotten. It's a lovely sentiment, but anyone with any level of familiarity with Western conceptions of narrative knows this itself isn't a story. There are no calls refused, no loves lost, and no lessons learned. It's a linear account of progress towards a goal with no arcs inherent to the framework.
But for how soulless and barren Eterian Odyssey III's narrative bookends may be, the game does a wonderful job providing players opportunities to flex their agency within these bookends in ways that feel meaningful. There's such a high degree of personalization available to the player throughout the experience that one can't help but feel the pangs of a growing personal investment right from the outset. In the five minutes following the start of a new game, the player has established the name of her guild, the number of adventurers her guild will begin its journey with, the classes of those adventurers, their genders, their appearances, and their names. These adventurers begin the game as blank slates, allowing the player to define any manner of characterization or personal histories for them should she choose to do so. For instance, in my game, I have a prince and a hoplite who are both blonde with fair skin. Given the similarities in their physical appearances, I decided their names would be Easton and Weston, respectively, and that Easton and Weston were brother and sister. The game did nothing to reinforce or dissuade this decision, instead allowing me to make this connection on my own, intensifying the personal attachment I have with my experience and with the characters in my party.
With her guild assembled, the player is finally sent into the labyrinth. Here, the gameplay doesn't stray terribly far from the style of first-person dungeon crawlers like Wizardry, albeit with some Japanese flair in its role-playing mechanics. Yet even here, the game gives the player opportunities abound for customizing her play experience, particularly in how she builds her blank-slate characters. One can have an entire party of zodiacs (which, incidentally, is a horrible idea) and each of them could have entirely unique skill sets from one another. The role-playing progressions for all the game's classes are anything but linear, and it's up to the player to determine which path each character will take. Accordingly, seeing characters use their skills effectively in combat is a far more rewarding experience in Etrian Odyssey than in a game with stricter leveling structures. On top of the usual triumphant excitement, having a fire-focused zodiac deal high damage to a fire-averse enemy elicits a sense of pride in the player. Given the level of involvement required of the player in her party's developments, much like a coach with her athletes, their success feels more strongly like her success than in games with more static party members and role-playing mechanics.
Beyond its combat systems, Etrian Odyssey boasts another principle mechanic within its dungeon crawling portions, one that could easily yet mistakenly be written off as a gimmick. The game tasks the player with creating her own maps for each level of the dungeon. And when I say creating, I don't simply mean completing. It isn't like Majora's Mask where area maps must be purchased, or Wind Waker where sea charts are filled in by consulting with fishes. Etrian Odyssey gives the player an entire cartography suite and forces her to draw her own maps from scratch, should she desire them. Floor plans must be drawn, walls traced, and doors sketched. The player has only the cartographic information that she creates for herself. There are rewards for thorough and accurate map-making, but having complete maps isn't necessary for finishing the game's main quest, and even the most accurate maps can vary from one another in their ancillary information. While a cartography mechanic may sound dull on paper, in practice, it works beautifully for a game like Etrian Odyssey for two reasons.
The first reason is that it provides yet another opportunity for the player to personalize her experience with the game. It's perhaps less apt at cultivating a personal attachment for the player than defining the looks and abilities of her party members, but its contribution to that endeavor is not insignificant. The second reason is that it enforces in the mind of the player the setting in which her actions are contextualized. The player is meant to be leading a party of adventurers down into the depths of a labyrinth which has bested every adventurer who has attempted to do the same. While it isn't technically unexplored, little to no information exists of its inner workings outside its walls. Because no one alive has knowledge of the dungeon's layout, it's impossible for the player to purchase maps for it as they don't exist. With that knowledge, the entire dungeon crawling experience feels almost like pure exploration, like the labyrinth truly is uncharted territory. And by bringing back the maps you've made to the townsfolk, the player actually helps them in their understanding of this unknown place. The discoveries made by the player feel significant not only because they make her a more effective dungeon crawler but also because there's a sense that they positively impact the world around her. Simply by drawing maps, the player is flexing her agency within the world of Etrian Odyssey in meaningful capacities. What other map systems can you say that about?
Almost every facet of the game's experience is tailored around this idea of the player's agency defining her own narrative threads, or the Etrian approach. However, there are at least three notable flaws in the game's design that hold it back from allowing this agency to flourish into even deeper personal connections for the player. The first is perhaps not necessarily a flaw as much as it's a suggestion. Like many dungeon crawling games, bringing back rarities to the town's shops will provide better rates and better items. Other games of the genre further this mechanic, allowing the player to radically improve the town hub throughout the experience, but unfortunately Etrian Odyssey does not. Having a more robust town-building mechanic could only improve the game as far as I'm concerned, and it's a request that wouldn't be terribly difficult to fulfill in the larger scheme of a game's development.
The other two flaws of Etrian Odyssey, however, would admittedly be a bit harder to rectify in future installments as doing so would change some of the game's core mechanics. I personally think such changes would work wholly to the series' benefit, but it's understandable for the developer to be apprehensive to the idea. The first of these issues is how the game accounts for the player in its world. The second is how the game accounts for death.
The issue inherent to a game granting its player such degrees of personalization is that unless she's an emperor or commander of some sort, it's hard to account for a force of such power within the world. In Etrian Odyssey, the player is framed as the creator and leader of her guild. Though it's nice that she's at least in a position of power, that station doesn't normally grant her the ability to name her guild's members. Nor does it typically include the degrees of micromanagement required throughout the game as part of its job description. The player exists in an odd state of limbo between being an actualized character within the world and being a detached yet omnipotent god. It's the player whom shopkeepers and quest-givers speak to in town, but in the labyrinth, it's unclear whether or not the player even has an avatar in the world. She has direct control over every party member in combat but she doesn't have an avatar participating in the affair. It becomes even more confusing when party members start dying, especially so when the entire party is wiped out.
Death in Etrian Odyssey is handled in perhaps the manner one has come to expect from JRPGs: party members killed in battle must be revived by an item or a spell, and if the entire party falls in battle, the game reloads the player's last save. Unlike other games, however, Etrian Odyssey actually throws the player a bone when she dies, a surprising gesture of goodwill from the likes of Atlus. Should the player so choose, she can retain all the map data she collected in between her last save and the demise of her party. While this minimizes the amount of progress lost in reloading the game, thus alleviating much of the inherent frustration, this mechanic makes no sense from the perspective of narrative, particularly with regards to the player's capacities within the world. The map is supposed to be a physical entity created in the game's world, so how can it be retained when the entire party dies? It again calls into question the player's role within the world.
If she is meant to have a corporeal avatar, restricted in capacities by a mortal frame, does she alone survive the onslaught, managing to escape back to the town unscathed with the map in-hand? This seems unlikely for logistical reasons alone. Furthermore, because the player's party doesn't retain its progress in reloading the game, death doesn't seem to be treated as a canonized event in the game. A character last saved at level 6 who dies at level 9 will be level 6 upon reloading, meaning that by every other account besides cartography, the game's narrative doesn't acknowledge the progress made during the last save and the party's death; it doesn't acknowledge the player's agency during that time. If the player is meant to be an extended, intervening entity in the affairs of the physical realm, this complication could be explained by a veritable deus ex machina, but there are many instances throughout the game leading the player to believe that she does physically exist within the world, so I'm assuming this is not the case.
In a game whose narrative is largely derived from the agency of its player, having an easily-achievable state like an incapacitated party not be acknowledged in the game's narrative is a huge oversight, though it's not one impossible to fix. The first thing the game needs to do is make party death either permanent or semi-permanent. If one or two party members die, using revival medicines or spells should still be allowed. It's accounted for by the game's lore and mechanics, after all. However, should an entire party die, with no one able to revive their fellow combatants, the game should acknowledge the player's oversight and keep them dead.
Force the player to create a new party to replace the old one, even if this new party starts at the same level as the old party at their last save. Force this new party to venture into the depths of the labyrinth and find the bodies of their fallen comrades - only then should the player be be able to recover her map data from the previous party. Maybe even let this rescue party revive the fallen party if they have the items or skills required to do so, sending back excess party members to the town hub to be utilized later. Regardless of the particulars, in order to combat the ambiguity regarding the player's place within the game world and to promote the player's agency as the driving narrative force even further, the game needs to at least acknowledge and canonize the death of a party. And if the game takes further steps to embrace the player's agency throughout the experience, to better adhere to the Etrian approach, there's nothing holding back future entries of Etrian Odyssey from greatness. So please, Atlus, make it so.


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The following is a history of how the word
"coonass" became associated with Cajuns, and of how Cajuns are a federally-protected national minority.
From my experience, Cajuns will differ on whether the term is offensive. I know most of the older generation do find it offensive, and it is probably because they are familiar with the origin. I, as with most people regarding offensive words, feel that it depends on who is saying it and the context of its use. Basically, if you call me a coonass, you'd better be a close friend.
"Coonass" is an increasingly controversial term in Cajun Louisiana (i.e., the 22- parish Acadiana region).
In July 1980, Cajuns were officially declared a federally-protected national minority per the case "Roach vs. Dresser Industries." Historian Carl A. Brasseaux writes in "The Founding of New Acadia: The Beginnings of Acadian Life in Louisiana, 1765-1803" (Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1987):
"The plaintiff, Calvin J. Roach, who claimed Acadian descent through his maternal line, allegedly was fired by an oil-field service business when he objected to his Texan supervisor's repeated use of the pejorative term "coonass" in referring to Louisiana Cajuns. Roach consequently filed suit against his former employer for discrimination, banned by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Despite the defendant's argument that Acadia had never been an independent country and thus was incapable of producing a national minority, Judge Edwin F. Hunter ruled on July 17, 1980, that Louisiana's Acadians are of "foreign descent" and thus entitled to the full protection of the aforementioned federal legislation."
In "Louisiana Law Review" (46-July 1986), attorney James Domengeaux traces the terms etymology:
"In WWII, when American troops were stationed in France, it was necessary that the forces establish and maintain communication with the Free French Forces inhabitants. Naturally, the French-speaking Louisiana soldiers provided an invaluable resource. The French soldier, possibly threatened by his "long lost cousin," referred to the French-speaking American soldiers as "conasse." The French noun "conasse" is defined as a "stupid man or woman; used specifically for a bungling prostitute; to a prostitute without a health card; a man who does stupid things; grossly stupid person." The French word "conasse" phonetically resembles the American slur "coonass." The non-French speaking soldier, either out of jealousy or invidious jest, began to harass the Louisiana soldier by calling him "coonass" as a take of the word "conasse" used by the French forces. After WWII, large numbers of non-Louisianans came to South Louisiana for economic reasons and imported the use of the slur in referring to the Acadian inhabitants. Unfortunately, a small contingent of the Acadian population welcomed and promoted its use. This ignorant acceptance was done with the unfortunate belief by some that the term is "cute" or "humorous." Be that as it may, the majority of the Acadian people despise the slur's use. The slur does not have a proud genesis, nor is it indicative of a proud people."
Resolution: the Louisiana Legislature condemned the use of the term "coonass." The legislative body traced the slur's infamous history and condemned the sale of any items containing the word. And, if I'm not mistaken, it's illegal to use the term "coonass" on radio and television in Louisiana.


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It's no secret that I review films that fall into the Romance category with great leniency. I never expect too much except to be entertained. No deep thinking required here, please. Romance films, for the most part, are also comedies. Fist Out of Water films, on the other hand, are almost always Romance and Comedy, and this is where James Mangold's Kate and Leopold finds a home. Of course that doesn't stop it from bringing along elements of a Time Travel film.
Kate and Leopold stars Romantic Comedy queen Meg Ryan as Kate McKay, a workaholic who has no time for romance, much less get involve with Leopold (Hugh Jackman), a man who claims to not only be a British Duke, but also from the 19th century! It seems Leopold has been transported into the future unwillingly, through a "crack" in space-time while pursuing intrepid mad scientist-wannabe Stuart (Live Schreiber), the 20th century man who discovered the crack and traveled back into the past.
Now trapped in the 20th century, Leopold must rely on Stuart to survive the strange new world that he finds himself in. Unfortunately Stuart gets into an unexpected accident and ends up in the hospital, forcing Leopold to rely on Kate, Stuart's ex-girlfriend and neighbor, and Kate's struggling actor of a brother Charlie (Breckin Meyer). Can a charming but grossly out-of-his-elements Leopold survive New York City? Will he fall in love with Kate and vice versa? Will Kate realize that her life of hustle-and-bustle is an empty one and allow herself to find salvation in the arms of the traditional Leopold? The answer, of course, is Yes to all of the above. As the saying goes — Well, duh.
As previously mentioned, I don't expect very much from my Romance films. Kate and Leopold delivers just enough to keep me entertained, since its Time Travel elements are incredibly weak and filled with plot holes that, if considered for longer than a few seconds, make no sense. There are many gaping plot threads in the time travel theory that are obvious; this despite the fact that the whole time travel aspect is mostly shuffled into the background until later in the film — and even then it pops back in for just a brief hello and goodbye. On just a Romantic Comedy level, Kate and Leopold delivers what it promises and not much else, which is just fine with me.
Hugh Jackman, fresh from X-Men and another romantic comedy called Someone Like You, is starting to make his mark in Hollywood. The man has great screen charisma and, like his character's foray into commercials, Jackman has a bright future ahead of him. The man is simply a natural actor and lady's man. Meg Ryan, as usual, is very good as the "˜90s girl with a soft spot for a man who knows how to woo a woman the "right" way. Ryan has the role down so well that she could have done the whole movie while sleepwalking. But as usual, Ryan falters a bit when the screenplay calls for melodrama. Just as she proved in Proof of Life with Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan is not cut out to "stretch". A fine addition to the cast is Bradley Whitford as J.J., Kate's pretentious boss who may or may not be using a possible promotion to try to get into her pants. Whitford is hilarious and downright creepy at the same time.
Director and co-writer James Mangold (Cop Land) finds a convenient gimmick to prevent the film from having the been-there, done-that vibe of other Fish Out of Water films that involves time travelers. The Leopold character, despite being 100 years behind in technology and knowledge, is made to be a scientist and inventor, as well as a well-read and cultured gentleman. This means Mangold and fellow screenwriter Steven Rogers only has to spend the film's first 40 or so minutes introducing Leopold to his new surroundings before the inventor starts to accept the wild technological advancements and make them his own. This allows the 2-hour movie to spend the rest of its time on the romance angle.
The film also runs into trouble when it shifts back to the plight of Live Schreiber's Stuart, who after ending up in traction from his accident, is committed by the State to a mental hospital. The whole sequence with Stuart being un-allowed to have a phone (in order to contact Leopold) and his commitment smells of a gimmicky ploy to keep him from Leopold, thus forcing Leopold to rely on Kate and the happy-go-lucky Charlie. Leading, of course, to more encounters of Leopold interacting with the 20th century. But after a while, Stuart's continued forced incarceration just seems silly and really bothered the flow of the film.
Director James Mangold, who began his career with the independent feature Heavy starring a novice Liv Tyler, puts the Hollywood budget to good use. Mangold and his team renders 19th century New York with great affection, and the few minutes early in the film that we do spend in the past is gorgeous to look at. Mangold has never been a flashy director, but more of a down-to-Earth storyteller. Kate and Leopold moves at its own pace and although the Third Act is something of a mess, the movie as a whole moves well.
Kate and Leopold is not more than it is, and doesn't claim to be. It's funny in the beginning, romantic in the middle, and problematic in the end. Then again, all Romance films, seeking to resolve the "problem" as quickly as possible, are always rife with convenient plot points that leaves the audience snickering at how everything falls into place so perfectly.
Then again, it's just a Romantic Comedy, so what else did you expect?
James Mangold (director) / James Mangold, Steven Rogers (screenplay)
CAST: Meg Ryan …. Kate McKay
Hugh Jackman …. Leopold
Liev Schreiber …. Stuart Besser
Breckin Meyer …. Charlie McKay
Natasha Lyonne …. Darci


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Attend IHSAA leadership conference.
Seniors Seth Kauffman, Mikey Kelly, Jesse Ramer, Kelly Snyder, junor Mandy Schlabach, and sophomore Malaina Weldy were among those nominated by coaches and athletic director Bryan Kehr to attend the June 23 IHSAA Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. These students heard from two inspirational keynote speakers, attended leadership and college preparation seminars, and had opportunity to interact with other student-athletes from across the state.
Leadership seminars focused on areas such as sportsmanship, mental preparation, conflict resolution, and building morale. Bethany's students, such as senior Seth Kauffman, found the seminars helpful because they gave him good ideas to bring back to teams at Bethany. For senior Kelly Snyder the seminar on mental magic was insightful in helping her realize how much of a mental game soccer could really be. Junior Mandy Schlabach says, "The seminar i enjoyed the most focused on how to be a leader year round, on and off the court, in and out of season."
Senior Jesse Ramer, who is also one of 18 students across Indiana on the IHSAA Student Advisory Committee, plans to work with Bryan Kehr on forming a Student Athletic Advisory Council for the school. He says, "This will help students learn to be better leaders and allow them to share ideas with other students."
Another highlight was interacting with other athletes from around the state. Sophomore Malaina Weldy says, "My favorite part was meeting new people. It was great to talk to them about school and sports. Hearing their stories and experiences gave me a new perspective."
Bryan Kehr, who attended the seminar with the students, riding back from the seminar and stopping to eat a meal together provided a valuable time to process the conference as a group and for him to hear their ideas of what can happen at Bethany.


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Browse by Author
White Noise: (Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio) (Paperback)
by Don DeLillo
- » Buy New for
The Novel Still Exists: The Millions Interviews Don DeLillo 3
"I've been thinking lately, I'm not sure why, about my earlier novels, and I'm quite surprised how little I recall of them. I don't know whether it's liberating or worrying."
The End of the Self Is the End of the Universe 4
Sadness might seem too sincere an emotion to ascribe to a novel written by a postmodernist, but Zero K pushes its readers to feel.
Theaters of the Mind: Radio & Literature 5
Radio is like literature, like our thoughts: moving, shifting, often clouded in static, and yet sometimes out of the maddening noise comes clarity.
Recognition of Another Sort: On Ethan Canin's 'A Doubter's Almanac' 3
Do we want something different, something new, some sense that, with the same words, in the same world, we might, through the workings of fiction, find a way to rethink reality -- and to find the familiar strange, the world an ever bigger, more interesting place?
Summer Is Over: On John Cheever's "The Swimmer" 3
Allow the story to bring you back to the temporary innocence of July and August. Experience the deep melancholy of its final paragraph as you get ready for the cold months ahead, but don't worry: there is always next summer.
Bugged and Bruised: On Jason Ockert's 'Wasp Box' 1
Ockert reveals how sometimes evil arrives not with a bang or a whimper, but with the calming buzz of the inevitable.
Do Not Tell Me This Is Not Beautiful: On the Collaborative Art of Words and Images 3
The collaborative medium between prose and photography, poetry and photography deserves a more established home in the spectrum of the literary world.
September Books: A Reading List for Beginnings 7
September is the start of many things: school, fall, football, the biggest publishing season, the return to work after the end of summer.
No Right Path: Arriving at Writing from Outside the Humanities 7
Fear and wonder pulled me toward both astronomy and writing. If the world does not create awe in us, we will neuter the beautiful and complex. The profound becomes prosaic.
Blink vs. Think: When a Movie Bewitches A Writer 9
Geoff Dyer, Don DeLillo, and Jonathan Lethem, for all their differences, have one thing in common. Each became bewitched by a movie that spoke so forcefully to him that he watched it again and again until it revealed all of its secrets.
Faith in Appearances: Don DeLillo's The Angel Esmeralda 2
His vision spreads outward, encompassing ever more of the nuances and frequencies of an urbanized West that has maxed out on chatter and distraction. It has to expand like this in order to express the burden of shepherding a lone self through a world of mass-consciousness, ruled by media and money, where terror is the only form of awe that has not been stripped and sold for parts.
William Gibson's Zero History Has A Smirk On Every Page 6
Gibson has always been fascinated by fashion, not only as an expression of personal style, but as a place where technology and advertising work together, on a global scale, to create and feed human appetites in the name of corporate profits.
Oil Plumes and White Noise: On Rereading DeLillo 1
We are in a situation similar to the one Delillo lays out in White Noise: things are bad, danger is lurking, but we don't know its full extent. Our exposure has been consummate, and fatal for the health and economic stability of many, but the final tally is not yet in.
Headphone Elegies 5
We've become not just curators of music but curators of connections, immersed in an aural landscape and a transporting, internal soundtrack.


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NZXT Sentry Mesh Fan Controller - Five 30W Controls, Sliders, 3 Pin Connections - SENTRY MESHItem#: N500-1154 | Model#: SENTRY MESH
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Take a quick look at USA Today's politics page and you will see two stories that tell it all about the right wing's radical agenda. The first story is about how conservatives want "to cut taxes and trim spending" as they prepare for budget battles on Capitol Hill. They are being led by right-wing-radio-talk-show-host-turned-Congressman Mike Pence (R.), who heads a group of the House's most fringe radical elements.
The very next story down on USA Today's page is about a report from the nation's civil engineers that notes, "crowded schools, traffic-choked roads and transit cutbacks are eroding the quality of American life." Those problems, not surprisingly, have been exacerbated by the same massive federal budget cuts that conservatives want to keep in place in the name of tax cuts.
Better quality of life for all Americans, or tax cuts for the rich? The right wing has, unfortuntely, made its choice.


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Transfers, Releases & Resettlements
Joscelyn Responds to Our Posts on Matt Olsen
( A joint response from Benjamin Wittes and Bobby Chesney)
On Thursday we criticized a piece by Thomas Joscelyn at The Weekly Standard concerning Matt Olsen and the GTMO Review Task Force, in which Joscelyn called into question the task force's decision to recommend transfers for persons whom an earlier military-screening process had determined to be dangerous (see Ben's post here, and Bobby's here). In a response Friday, Joscelyn objects at some length. There are some non-merits elements of his response to which we decline to reply (suggesting that this somehow is "personal" for Bobby, or that Ben is engaging in "self-congratulations"). As to the merits, our original posts speak for themselves, though a few additional words are in order for the sake of clarity.
First, no one is arguing about whether the GTMO Review Task Force recommended transfer for persons that earlier military screening processes had determined to be dangerous. It is common ground that it did. The question is whether this proves anything. We think it does not. The whole point of the task force was to make fresh judgments based on the most information available by 2009, taking into account intelligence that may not have been considered by earlier reviews, and also taking into account changing facts on the ground--including facts concerning whether and to what extent a receiving state might be able to mitigate the risk of threat associated with particular persons (something that could lead to a decision in favor of transfer even without a change in the underyling threat assessment of that person as an individual). If Joscelyn agrees that this does not prove anything, and merely wishes to make the point that Congress should learn more about the screening criteria, then perhaps we are not so far apart after all. On the other hand, if his view is that the executive branch simply cannot and should not release anyone who previously was determined at some stage to be dangerous, then we do disagree. Moreover, to the extent that Joscelyn also is criticizing across the board the decision by the last administration to attempt resettlement and repatriation of detainees, we disagree on that point as well.
Second, our posts made larger points about the inherent imperfections of detention, by way of resisting an overall tendency in the GTMO transfer debate to hold the government to unrealistic error rates (with the left pushing to eliminate false positives, and the right pushing to eliminate false negatives). There always will be some rate of both false positives (i.e., captures of and decisions to continue to hold persons who turn out not be the people whom the state believes them at first to be) and false negatives (i.e., releases of or decisions not to capture persons who turn out to be dangerous). Both detention and release from detention are complex human systems--and all complex human systems will fail a certain percentage of the time. The task is to adopt procedures that minimize both errors as much as possible, but the trick is that these aims may be at loggerheads in some instances. Joscelyn dismisses these larger points as irrelevant; we'll have to agree to disagree on that.
Finally, in fairness to Joscelyn, he insists he has no interest in calling Matt Olsen's qualifications into question, and that he merely is making the point that Congress should know more about the standards employed by the GTMO Review Task Force. If that is really all he is saying, his point is unobjectionable, and we certainly do not mean to argue that Congress has no interest in understanding those standards better. Our concern was, and remains, that Olsen's nomination is a lousy forum for that conversation, that larger, reductionist narratives focused on zero-tolerance for false negatives will dominate, and that NCTC and Matt Olsen will pay an unfair price for that.


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Michigan picked up its second defensive line commitment of the 2013 class when three-star Maurice Hurst Jr. declared his intention to wear the winged helmet this weekend. Here is a scouting report ...
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