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Product Highlights
The 16 Channel GPU-Xpander Rack Mount 8 (4x Compute Modules, 16x PCIe Slots) from Cubix is a Series II, 5U, external PCIe expansion chassis that can support 1-4 server connections with up to 8 double-wide or 16 single-wide GPUs. This enables massive parallel calculations independent from the server, thus enhancing system performance and flexibility. The GPU-Xpander Rack Mount 8 allows you to add up to 16.48 teraflops of computational power to your data center.The GPU-Xpander Rack Mount 8 is specifically certified for use with the Cubix HostEngine but you can also connect to virtually any host computer with the Cubix host interface controller (HIC). Additionally, as the GPU-Xpander Rack Mount 8 separates parallel processing from the server itself, you have more freedom to allocate server assets to other tasks.
|Expansion Slots
|4x compute modules of 4x PCIe Gen 2 slots each Each module capable of supporting 8 double-wide or 16 single-wide GPUs Supports 1-4 separate Mac Pro workstations
|External PCIe Connecting Cable
|x16, 136-pin standard6.56' (2 m) standard length 250 mating cycles maximum per connector standard for x16 cable
|Host Interface Controller
|PCIe x16 host adapter standard, install in a PCIe x16 slot- PCIe Gen 2 slot provides 80 Gbps theoretical data transfer rate - PCIe Gen 1 slot provides 40 Gbps theoretical data transfer rate
|Front Panel Indicators and Switches
|1 set of 4 status LEDs per GPU-Xpander unit inside a rack mount enclosure- System Reset: On, system reset; off, normal operation- Link OK: On, cable connected; off, cable not connected- Power Supply Good: On, power on, voltages in spec; off, power off, voltage out of spec - Power Supply On: On, main power on; off, main power off
|Rear Panel Power Input Receptacles
|Receptacle 1, right controls GPU-Xpander units 1 and 2 Receptacle 2, left controls GPU-Xpander units 3 and 4
|AC Power Supplies
|Two single-phase, auto-ranging, 100 - 240 VAC, 15 - 7 Amps, 50 / 60 HzTotal output power for each is not to exceed 1200 W each
|Operating Environment
|Temperature: 32 to 86°F (0 to 30°C) Humidity: 5 to 80% non-condensing
|Dimensions (HxWxD)
|7.00 x 19.00 x 24.50" (17.78 x 48.26 x 62.23 cm)
|35.00 lb (15.87 kg)


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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Sports Medicine
Elbow clicking with pain.
Why is my left elbow clicking with pain everytime I bend elbow under any kind of resistance?
Back in Aug. of 09`, I had subcutaneous transposition surgery on my left ulnar nerve due to severe ulnar neuropathy. Surgeon advised the surgery went well. While rehabbing the elbow, my therapist and I noticed my elbow is clicking profoundly on the medial side at the elbow joint. Once I grab a 10 lb dumbell, in an attempt to do tricep extensions, the elbow clicks with pain and fourth and fifth fingers go numb. I do have a 5 inch scar over that area. Is this just scar tissue build up, a loose body, torn or loose ligament/tendon, or is this my ulnar nerve moving out of the new position the surgeon placed it in? Would an MRI detect any of those abnormalities, or don`t worry it is just plycae buildup.
Your surgeon should be able to shed light on the basis for your symptoms; if not, consider seeking a second opinion by consulting with another orthopedic surgeon who performs ulnar nerve transposition surgeries. Your symptoms could be due to subluxation of the medial head of the triceps tendon over the medial epicondyle, which has been reported to occur despite successful ulnar nerve transposition surgery.
An MRI scan should show a loose body, as well as a torn tendon or torn ligament. It should also show the position/location of your ulnar nerve. However, the best imaging study to dynamically assess what may be happening is "musculoskeletal ultrasound," which is becoming increasingly available and performed by sports medicine physicians in physical medicine and family medicine, as well as by neurologists.
Brian L Bowyer, MD
Clinical Associate Professor
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University

subset: commoncrawl


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Casting Identical Twins for Short Film "Teeth" – Los Angeles, CA
Casting Call Details:
CASTING: M or F identical twins age 5-10 to play leads in 3 minute quirky horror film. When Timothy (or Tina) fails to brush his teeth despite his mother's warnings, his copy comes out of his bedroom closet, switches places with him, and steals his mother. Up to 8 hours on set.
Shooting tentatively: April 25-26. Several lines of dialogue, minimal horror.
Casting Calls Categories: Kids Auditions, Short Film
Audition Date: March 29th, 2015
Project: "Teeth"
Casting Call Location: Los Angeles, California
Casting Call Submission Form:
SPECIAL OFFER: Save 30% off the regular price of Backstage, including Backstage.com and Backstage Magazine. Casting You Can Trust: Start your acting, modeling, and singing career today!
This Casting Call/Audition filed in: Casting Calls for Kids / Casting Calls in Los Angeles, CA / Kid Actors Casting Calls / Kid Auditions / Short Films Casting Calls


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Redken Fresh Curls Curl Refiner
Redken Fresh Curls Curl Refiner Reviews
good anti frizzI like Redken's fresh curls for my naturally curly hair. It doesn't have a strong fragrance, leaves your curls with soft hold that not too crunchy. — 7 years, 9 months agoiggymama | 296 reviews
Great product!This product works on my curly hair to detangle it. It is nice also in the sense that it makes hair that is normally frizzy so defined curly. — 8 years, 5 months agojeni27 | 186 reviews
Great detanglingThis is great for eliminating frizz and detangling. It doesn't do much to enhance curls but will smooth out frizz. — 6 years, 9 months agoheidindg | 247 reviews
Home » Reviews » Hair » Conditioner » Redken Fresh Curls Curl Refiner
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My Reasons for Reporting This


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American Mineralogist
- © 2009 American Mineralogist
Orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene-plagioclase needles and symplectite along the cleavage planes and grain boundaries of fluorine-bearing titanian-ferroan pargasite from the Highland Complex, Sri Lanka, are interpreted as evidence for dehydration melting at ultrahigh-temperature conditions. High Ti (up to 0.4 pfu) and F (XF up to 0.56) content in pargasite extends its stability to higher temperatures, and the composition indicates the dehydration melting reaction may take place at ultrahigh-temperatures (~950 °C) at a pressure around 10 kbar, close to peak metamorphic conditions. The increase of Ti content close to the grain boundaries and cleavage planes in pargasite indicates titanium partitioning from the melt during dehydration melting enhanced the stability of the mineral toward ultrahigh-temperature conditions. The REE content in the pargasite shows a similar behavior to that of titanium. The cores with no breakdown assemblage consist of low and flat REE concentrations with respect to the high and Eu-depleted rim. Clinopyroxene in symplectite and needle-shaped lamellae within the pargasite porphyroblasts have similar REE patterns with slightly low-concentrations relative to that of pargasite. In the breakdown assemblage, LREEs are partitioned mainly into plagioclase while the HREEs are partitioned into orthopyroxene. The REE enrichment in the pargasite rims signals their relative partitioning between pargasite rims and melt. Modeling of the partitioning of Ti and REEs associated with pargasite breakdown demonstrates that its stability is greatly enhanced at UHT conditions. This investigation implies that the stability of hydrous minerals such as amphibole can be extended to UHT conditions, and expands our knowledge of metamorphism in the lower crust.
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Poor spend more on entertainment
No wonder Hollywood is hurting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), spending on entertainment has declined 7% since 2009.
No wonder Hollywood is hurting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), spending on entertainment has declined 7% since 2009.
Officially, Congress makes the laws in the United States.
Many entertainment industry players lost money in the financial downturn, but savvy financial advisors helped them restore their assets -- and then some.
When it comes to TV ratings, CBS and Fox are slugging it out for top honors. But Murdoch's net edges the Eye web when it comes to employee 401(k) plans.
The 15% tax on dividends can have unintended consequences, and it's amazing how many CEOs who never liked dividends before love them under certain circumstances.
Despite the volatility, October was a good month for stocks. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 10.77%, which is the 23rd-best monthly advance since 1926, according to the S&P Indices Group. Over…
Are cable-TV stocks the place to make money in the year ahead?
Is investing in entertainment a risky proposition? One list of the top-10 riskiest companies includes two showbiz congloms.
By at least one measure, the Mouse House is a better credit risk than Uncle Sam.
Companies often buy back their own shares, and Wall Street believes this enhances shareholder value.
Universal Pictures may not be winning the box office race, but shares of parent Comcast Corp. top the mutual fund charts.


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Federal Hazard Communication Standard (HCS): 29 CFR 1910.1200
Nebraska Workers' Compensation Reform Act, Revised Statutes of Nebraska (Neb. Rev. Stat.) 48-443 to 48-449
U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Nebraska Workforce Development (NWD)
Nebraska Department of Labor (DOL)
See national section for basic information and federal regulations.
· Rules. Nebraska does not have an OSHA-approved regulatory program. Therefore, Nebraska follows federal safety and health program requirements for hazard communication for all private sector employees.
Nebraska has adopted its own rules for public sector employers, who are expected to follow the requirements of the federal HCS.
· Administration and enforcement. OSHA administers and enforces the HCS requirements for private sector employers in Nebraska. DOL administers and enforces the HCS for public sector employers in Nebraska.


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Tel: (336) 691-9222
Fax: (336) 691-9259
Website: www.cgspllc.comNC Chapter: www.NCMediators.org
This free online scheduling service is funded by
our Academy members.
Mr. Gwyn has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution "ADR" procedures. He is a member of the Large Complex Case Program (LCCP) Panel of Arbitrators and the Construction Master Panel for the American Arbitration Association, and is one of five mediators recently selected by the American Arbitration Association for its Carolinas Construction Mediation Panel.
A. Holt Gwyn is a member of our NC chapter, NC Academy of Superior Court Mediators, the state's premier roster of certified attorney-mediators. The NCASCM profile includes more specific local information, such as counties and regions served, and can be visited directly at www.ncmediators.org/holt-gwyn


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Trends in Managed Care
If you're like most Americans with health insurance, you probably belong to some type of managed care health plan. Managed care has grown rapidly in recent years and evolved in certain ways. You may be wondering where it's heading.
Although patients are generally happy with the minimal paperwork and lower out-of-pocket costs associated with managed care, the emphasis on cost cutting has led to a certain backlash. Most states have enacted managed care consumer protection laws, and Congress has debated a patients' bill of rights. In addition, physicians have begun to unionize. The spiraling cost of prescription drugs is another issue that begs to be addressed.
While health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other managed care delivery systems have concentrated on lowering costs, many of them have been socked by rising claims and pharmacy costs. Profits have declined. Consequently, some companies have merged, and others have withdrawn from particular states altogether. The challenge faced by lawmakers will be to safeguard patients' rights without driving managed care providers out of business.
What is managed care?
First, a little history. In the past, health insurance was usually provided by traditional fee-for-service insurers, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield. You paid the health-care provider and submitted a claim to your insurance carrier. Then, after your deductible was satisfied, you were reimbursed for some or all of your expenses. You could go to a doctor or specialist (or emergency room) as many times as you wanted. However, these uncontrolled claims resulted in high loss ratios for insurance companies, which in turn caused them to increase health-plan premiums significantly.
Because the industry needed to lower and control costs, managed care became popular. Managed care is a strategy for containing or minimizing medical care costs while delivering appropriate medical care. In managed care, patients pay significantly reduced fees to see their primary care physicians, but they usually can't see specialists or other medical service providers without their primary physician's approval.
To contain costs, managed care companies exercise control by denying or allowing insurance coverage for certain procedures, promoting generic drugs in place of brand-name drugs, and encouraging wellness programs and preventive measures. In fact, some companies now send registered nurses to workplaces on a periodic basis to educate employees regarding weight loss and nonsmoking.
Changes in managed care
Managed care grew rapidly in the form of HMOs, which require that the primary care physician act as gatekeeper for further care. In response to the public's frustration at being unable to access certain providers without authorization, preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and point of service (POS) plans have arisen in recent years to allow members to use both in- and out-of-network doctors and hospitals. However, these plans have higher co-payments and deductibles when you go outside the network.
State consumer protection laws
Most states have enacted at least one law concerning managed care. These laws may:
- Mandate coverage for certain medical conditions or services
- Forbid financial incentives for physicians who limit care
- Prohibit gag clauses (clauses that forbid physicians from disparaging the health plan or suggesting treatment that the plan does not cover)
- Specify when emergency room care is necessary
- Provide for complaints/appeals of coverage decisions
Federal legislation
In recent years, Congress has considered the issue of patients' rights. Consumer groups, legislators, and the American Medical Association (AMA) have raised concerns about managed care and its effect on patients. Various bills have addressed information disclosure to patients, choice of providers and health plans, access to emergency services, participation in treatment decisions, nondiscrimination, confidentiality of health information, complaints and appeals, and consumer responsibilities.
Opponents of these bills argued that they were too costly, that they called for too much regulation, and that they made HMOs too vulnerable to lawsuits. Although Congress has not yet passed a comprehensive patients' bill of rights, this issue is popular with voters and will continue to be debated. The future probably holds some form of federal codification of managed care rights for patients.
Another hot issue involves prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients. With the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Medicare beneficiaries can now join prescription drug plans offered by private companies or insurers that have been approved by Medicare.
In recent years, many physicians' organizations (such as the AMA) have pushed for unionization of doctors. In fact, some unions have already sprung up. In large part, this movement has stemmed from the growth of the managed care industry. In explaining why they wanted to join a union, several doctors cited a loss in their decision-making authority and a drop in reimbursements from HMOs.
In an attempt to cut costs, some HMOs specify the number of patients doctors should see per hour and deny coverage for certain procedures deemed medically necessary by the physicians. Doctors, watched over by plan accountants, are encouraged to minimize the number of tests, referrals, and hospitalizations they order. In addition, physicians whose expenditures for patients are regarded as too high are sometimes dropped from the health-care plan. Expect the unionization movement to gain strength.


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Public child welfare agencies often contract with private providers to provide services, a process known as privatization. A number of States have privatized all or most services. Resources in this section provide information and tools to help agencies measure outcomes and ensure the quality of contracted services, including performance-based contracting. State and local examples are included.
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Provides information and resources to help States and Tribes implement performance-based contracting. Audio files and handouts from past teleconferences (located under "Learn") provide guidance in areas such as Enhancing Performance in Contracts.
Ensuring Quality in Contracted Child Welfare Services
Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (2008)
Provides information on monitoring and assuring quality of contracted services within the context of the agency's overall quality assurance/improvement system. (PDF - 190 KB)
Governing for Children and Families: Improving Outcomes for Children Through Performance-Based Contracting [Webcast]
Chapin Hall Center for Children (2008)
Discusses strategies to overcome policy, practice, and implementation challenges involved in shifting incentives for service providers to match the needs of children and families with their service array.
State and local examples
Performance-Based Contracting for Human Services: Does It Work?
In Administration in Social Work, 29, 2005
View Abstract
Examines the approaches of six State human service agencies and concludes that providers are meeting the goal of focusing more on performance.
Private Delivery: Center Studies Privatization of Child Welfare Services (including, Privatization of the Case Management Function in Child Welfare) (PDF - 1,956 KB)
In State News (The Council of State Governments), 50(1), 2007
Describes the National Quality Improvement Center on the Privatization of Child Welfare Services (QIC PCW), and its work to increase knowledge about the use of public/private partnerships in child welfare service delivery through research and demonstration grants to test innovate strategies.
Privatization of Child Welfare Services: Lessons Learned from Experienced States
Flaherty, Collins-Camargo, & Lee
In Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 11(1), (2008)
View Abstract
Reports shared themes described by public, private, and community partners, including challenges in defining performance standards and in establishing balanced contract monitoring and quality assurance systems.


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Posted 6 years ago
(31 items)
Some Civil war relics! The button is a union button. With a shield on the eagles chest, The back reads "Extra Quality"
The bullets are for the most part unkown.
Id like to know more about these! Must have been dropped trying to load?


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|View Poll Results: For the most part are you happy or unhappy being a stay at home parent?
|I am mostly happy
|I am back and forth and in the middle ground somewhere.
|I am mostly unhappy
|Voters: 176. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
For the most part... not counting bad days.
Please vote!
I'm happy. It's challenging, certainly, and I was the last person to ever think of becoming a SAHM, but it's working for us! I get a little giddy just saying (typing) that! It's working it's working it's working!
The very first day I should have been back to my caseload and wasn't, Little Miss rolled over for the first time. Like some kind of sign.
She's so high-needs but so sweet and yes, shy, I am terrified of what might have happened to her in day care. Maybe she would have adjusted. Or maybe my sweetling would have been left to sob in a crib in a corner. Certainly no one would have spent hours on hours playing the "Boop!" game with her. Who would have taken her to the park? Who would have taken her to hear stories at the library? Who would have given her Cheerios and milk after her afternoon nap?
It was pretty clear after she was born that we were not meant to be separated. So we made the right choice for us, and yes, we're happy.
And on 09/23/2011, we were three; husband, daughter, and me!
Dp, me ds#1 , ds #2 and ds#3
Curious to see the outcome of this poll. Also wondering if the result would be different at, say, Babycenter...
Mama to Blake, 6, and Grant, 4
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Yes. Even on my rougher days (usually when DH is working, he is on 24-48hr shifts), I still can't imagine having my children be with anyone but me.
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Mama to 11 babies in Heaven
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Mostly happy, but I wouldn't mind working PT when both kids are in school.
I voted unhappy. I've been a SAHM for 7 years now and I find it really unfulfilling. My youngest is almost 5 yo and I am going back to school next year. I am really looking forward to having something in my life that is not my kids and housecleaning.
Mostly happy, or at least happier then when I was a WOHM. DS2 is extremely challenging, and I feel as though I spend a lot of time in crisis mode, which is draining. But, I feel much less hedged in and trapped than I did when I worked.
Lisa, lucky mama of Kelly (3/93) , Emma (5/03) , Evan (7/05) , & Jenna (6/09)
Loving my amazing dh, James & forever missing Aaron Ambrose (11/07)
Yes, very happy.
I was not a career person. My entire life I wanted to be a momma, and now I am. I choose to homeschool and I want to keep my kids close so this is just a lifestyle that I choose and what works for us. I'm lucky though, to have an amazing support system of parents that live close by and an amazing friend/babysitter who comes a few hours a week so I can write/nap/do whatever. It is hard at times and I have my moments, but I woudln't change it!
I'm trying to transition back to work now that the youngest is in high school.
I would be really happy if I wasn't so lonely. If I had family or a strong network of stay at home mom friends, it would be great.
DH(9/04) DS(12/08) and DD(5/11)
I'm mostly happy. We recently moved and I lost all my "Mom friends" and my Martial Arts school where I was very close to everyone and I got to have a break from my son a few times a week. Now I'm with him nearly 24/7, and its hard somedays. I'm hoping to set up my garage as a workshop and have sometime a few times a week when DH is home to be out there alone. I told him the other day I need about 5 daytime hours a week to myself with out worrying about M and I'd be very happy. He said we can do that. So hopefully once we are into more of a routine here that will happen.
I'm pretty content with putting some of my dreams and passions on hold to raise my son (and hopefully have another kid) for now. :)
I'd say mostly unhappy right now. It's still what I choose, but I am very burnt out from it. I don't really have any other choice than to be a SAHM, 24/7, so there's no point in wondering about it. I am a total introvert and very noise sensitive. My son is ADHD and on the autism spectrum... very loud, can't sit still, etc.. He and his sister are 10 months apart and they are nonstop on the go from about 5-6 in the morning until bedtime. Right now they're going through a very undisciplined stage. Normally they're better but geez, this pregnancy has taken a toll on me and they are hurting for attention, and acting out something terrible. And I feel age creeping up on me as the big 30 milestone looms in a few months, and I have nothing to "show" for it. I graduated college and then basically went straight to mothering. I thought that was great at the time, and in a way it was, but... I dunno. I just feel stuck a lot of the time. My education is pretty much obsolete and now, no work history, and now that I'm expecting our third baby, I feel like I'm starting all over in the mothering department and it will be years before this child is a bit independent... So I'm kind of going through dark nights of the soul right now.
There is only so much fulfillment I can get from the baby stage, the homesteading thing... I've spent a lot of energy into those things in the past five or so years and I think I've made fabulous progress but it's not really "learning" anymore, it's living it, and it's just not that fun and exciting anymore. I do tend to stretch my mind via the library but it only goes so far when I can read in 5 minute chunks. By the end of the day when they're in bed I'm just blank and want to go to sleep. (And yes, I'm dreading the whole "new baby" sleeplessness coming up.)
I am happy. BUT I wasn't this happy until I did get a part-time job. I work 20 hrs/week and it is the perfect balance. When I quit teaching to SAH full-time after my son was born, I was very lonely and stressed. He was a very poor sleeper and constant nurser and I was just physically, emotionally drained all the time. Life has gotten much better as he has learned to sleep- YAY! and gotten more independent. And when I got my job when he was just shy of a year old. We still do not have a babysitter which would be nice to have for date nights and such but I"m working on it...
I am at the point where my child is old enough. I would like to go back to work. I also fear that if I stay home any longer there will be too much of a gap on my resume.
I am completely and totally happy, much much more so than I ever expected to be as a SAHP. I knew in my heart that this is the lifestyle that I wanted for my children but I really wasn't sure how it would go for me, I expected to feel like I was making a sacrifice for them and for DH who wanted me home. Now three years in, I am in the best stage of my life. But I know I am lucky to have all the essential factors in place - financial security, very supportive partner, close but not too close family, great circle of friends, great volunteer opportunities that involve my kids, super community with lots of activities, a house that works well as a home. Most of all the love and fascination I feel for my kids is beyond anything I thought I was capable of feeling.
It feels very weird to write all that - I was totally miserable and depressed most of my life, from a very young age. I never would have dreamed that I'd ever be truly happy, I honestly didn't really believe that humans could be. Working was about the only thing that I actually liked, so never would I have expected that leaving the business world to be a housewife and full time mother would be what would make my life complete!
In addition to the list above, one thing that helps me a lot to get through the challenging times is to think of mothering as a job that I need to train for, practice and study up on. Rarely does an evening go by when I'm not thinking about what went well and what didn't, why and how we can improve tomorrow. This really helps me to stay calm and patient, and to keep intellectually active.
I am impressed with the poll results - I know a lot of happy SAHP IRL but more unhappy ones, I thought I was the exception to the norm. I'd be curious to see a breakdown by age. In my case, being older helps. I've done a lot in life already and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.
Happy mumma to my boys Henny Tom (Nov 30, 2008), Arlo Odie (Oct 5, 2010), and baby SISTER! due mid-Dec 2014.
I've found being a SAHM more fulfilling than I thought it would be. Through my work as SAHM and homemaker and the challenges the past six years have brought, I've learned much about myself and have been able to put this knowledge to work to craft a better life for myself and my family...and a very different one than my teenage self envisioned for my future.
Unschooling Mother to S, my 6yo "Moon Farmer"
I'm currently working and considering stopping as I am so tired I have no energy for anything. I had a month off over Christmas with a combination of holiday and sickness but I enjoyed it so much, I had time and patience with my kids and I was able to cook decent meals and not just want to lie around all the time. I know it would be challenging being at home, but, I really want to walk my daughter to school and pick her up when she starts in September and not be paying someone else to do it for me, then I can take my son to playgroup and hopefully together we can sort out housework and cooking and maybe even fit in some adventures too. And that should mean I can take my daughter to her swimming and dancing classes she likes so much, we'll be living on a tight budget, but, that feels like the easiest problem to deal with.
I am completely, totally happy that I'm a SAHM!. Of course there are rough days, especially the days my 19 year old is PMSing or cranky or, well, there really aren't any other kinds of days for her.lol. But I really enjoy all my other children. I love homeschooling them and learning right along with them. Catching all their firsts and knowing they were safe.
When I worked, I worried most of the day about them. Were they okay at school? Being bullied? Were they okay at daycare? Being bullied there too? I hated it so much. Especially on the days both my kiddos were at daycare and i knew I was paying more for daycare than I was making. What was the point of that? Plus I missed all their firsts. First time they stood up? At daycare. First steps? Daycare. It really sucked.
When my really nice daycare lady's mean, grumpy husband got injured at work and was home all the time that was it for me. I prayed and I pushed for my husband to find another job and while we now scrape by most of the time to make it, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love being home with my children and getting to share all those moments with them that I used to miss.
Mostly happy, like 98% happy! That doesn't mean it's easy. Doesn't mean that there are moments in a day that I wish I could be more patient. I just love being there for all the special moments, playing with them, watching my 4 year old learn to wash dishes, making cookies with my 1 year old in a carrier, laughing at all the funny things they say. It's so beautiful being a mother.
I get the best of both worlds because I work from home and bring in decent $, on my own time when the kids are asleep. Which makes things very hard in the sense that I get little sleep, which makes me cranky. But still I would rather do this than leave my kids with anyone else!
is more trouble than it is worth right now. My ds (the older) has been challenging (and also delightful) since birth. He brings me to the limits of my patience and beyond on a daily basis, and I often feel I don't have enough in me to give both of them everything they need. That said I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything. I know they are better off with me even if I don't do it right all the time. I know things will get easier as they get a bit older and I really look forward to that while at the same time trying to enjoy the beautiful moments that happen with them everyday. I also am working on accepting that my house will never be clean enough and I will never be able to plan and prepare enough perfectly nutritious meals to satisfy myself. So I'm trying to let that go!
me: C (36), wife to P (39), mom to peanut butter
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(1/10), porky
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(5/11), and dumplin' :
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I am mostly happy. But I don't think that I would be like this after an year when my daughter would start her school. I also like the job I used to do, and looking forward to resuming once my daughter gets older.
I have been a SAHM for 15 years as of 1-23-13! It has been an adventure, often challenging, and so full of love and laughter that I would have missed if I were working outside the home. There have been some very trying times as we attempt to raise a large family on one income, but it has been worth it in every way. I would not change my decision, and my hubby says neither would he!
I go to a nursing moms group, and this week's discussion was about an article posted online called "Why you're never failing as a mom." It was a great article, and the group concensus was that we can't do it all, and who ever told us we should be able to? If you can fall into bed at the end of the day, knowing you did your best (even if your best didn't include a clean kitchen and a gourmet meal), then that day was a good one! Bottom line is that your kids know you love them, and chances are they do when you give them your time and attention.
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text:
Press Releases
Managed Futures Gain 2.55% in April;
Diversified Traders Advance 3.46%
FAIRFIELD, Iowa, May 17, 2011– Managed futures gained 2.55% in April according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. Year-to-date, the Barclay CTA Index is up 2.07%.
"Investor zeal for risk was demonstrated again in April as prices for equities, non-US currencies, and commodities moved higher," says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge. "A weakening US dollar and demand from Asia were driving factors."
All eight of Barclay's CTA indices made gains in April. The Barclay Diversified Traders Index advanced 3.46%, Systematic Traders added 3.20%, Currency Traders gained 1.64%, and the Agricultural Traders Index was up 1.07%.
"Although the Reuters-CRB Index increased by more than three percent, the gains resulted primarily from outsized price increases in inflation-linked commodities such as precious metals and energy," says Waksman. "Industrial commodities turned in mixed performance for the month with copper losing three percent."
The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures performance of the largest CTAs, gained 2.21% in April.
Click here to view 30 years of Barclay CTA Index data.
Sol Waksman is an experienced media source, providing perspectives on hedge fund and managed futures trends. For more commentary or background, call 641-472-3456 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
BarclayHedge was founded in 1985 and actively tracks more than 6,000 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and managed futures programs. Each month Barclay provides updated performance rankings for 38 Hedge Fund categories and 16 CTA categories.
Institutional investors, brokerage firms and private banks worldwide utilize Barclay's data as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.


text:
Carolyn Owens
Up-Level Your Skills
Career Strategist, Leadership and Life Coach
As Featured On
A Special Free Gift For You!
To Achieve Extraordinary Success!
Receive Carolyn's FREE report and learn 15 proven strategies you can put in place that will lead you down the road to rapid success.
These power strategies WILL enhance the quality of your life AND career!
Fill in the box below and get your FREE copy NOW.
"Too often we get lost in the world we live in
and don't stop to regenerate.
Choose to live in the moment . . . live now!"
- Carolyn R. Owens
"Carolyn Owens empowers her clients to do extraordinary things!" - Mark Thorn
"Carolyn is a rare jewel among the shining lights of life." - Dr. Jeffrey Magee
"I do believe that Carolyn's gift of encouragement is divine! - S. Carter
Mark Thorn
Executive and Leadership Coach
"Carolyn R. Owens empowers her clients and colleagues to do extraordinary things. She challenges them to raise the bar in their lives, and helps them to accomplish things they have only dreamed about. An extraordinary coach and accomplished public speaker, she uses her diverse background, especially her military career, to inspire. I learn something new every time we work together. An amazing lady who you want to work with if you're looking at raising your game."
S. Carter
After hearing Carolyn speak at The Pink Event
"I would like to thank you for letting God speak through you to encourage women - we all definitely need it. Your talk today (at the Pink Event) was so inspirational and empowering! I do believe that your gift of encouragement is divine. The principles and scripture given during your seminar was absolutely of God! Thank you for reaching out to help others and taking the time to speak with me individually after your speech. May God continue to bless you as you bless others with the wisdom He has given you!"
Dr. Jeffrey Magee, CMC, PDM, CSP
Human Capital Developer
"Carolyn is a rare jewel among the shining lights of life, from a powerful career as a military Officer to her professional coaching practice, Carolyn teaches individuals how to achieve professional success. Her concentration encompasses the whole person concept moving clients forward and transforming lives. Her approach whether as a frequently requested Keynote Speaker or through her workshops, it's always amazing! All organizations and individuals need to experience the COMMAND process she developed and take their games to the next level!"
"You need a plan of action with short- and long-term goals. If you get off track, you can refer back to them!"
- Carolyn R. Owens
In my last article I shared ideas on how you can start your own practice of gratitude. Many people only focus on gratitude during the holiday season, from mid-November through December. With all the benefits that come from practicing gratitude you should practice it all year long. I wanted to close out this series […]
In my last few articles I discussed the power of having a practice of gratitude which includes giving and receiving and practicing gratitude during the bad times. Many people only focus on gratitude during the holiday season, from mid-November through the end of December. Studies have shown there is a true benefit in having a practice of […]
Over the last couple of articles I have written, I talked about the power of having a practice of gratitude which includes giving and receiving. But, what happens when things aren't going well in your life. The times when you are hurting and you just don't have it in you to be the happy, […]
With the holiday season upon us, you hear and see a lot of information being shared about gratitude. Practicing gratitude is something that should be done year round, not just during the last two months of the year. Have you ever stopped to think about what your life would be like if you practiced […]


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I have wrote a database of char arrays and a search function for it, but I need to make it better. I have to allow it to accept '*' as a variable( any number of characters), and '?' as a variable( only one character ).
If anyone has any ideas on how to do this it would be grealy appreciated. Thnx.


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Results 26 to 26 of 26
July 31st, 2012 06:55 PM #26Junior Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2012
- Location
- Oregon
- Posts
- 17
I would use top 100 names, but I probably would put my foot down at top 10. The only top 10 name I really love though, is Olivia, and my husband hates it.
I guess my reasoning is that my name was #1 the year I was born (Jennifer) and although I don't mind my name, I was always "Jennifer T." in school because there were others. That being said, outside of school situations, I don't run into my popular name everyday like I did in school, and none of my close friends have my name.


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Todd Coffey of the Milwaukee Brewers might have the coolest entrance of any middle reliever in baseball. While closers enter games to specific music, Coffey has created his own fashionable entrance by sprinting from the bullpen to the mound.
Coffey does not run casually. He hustles from the time his foot touches the warning track to the time he reaches the dirt on the mound. He is 6 foot 4 and weighs 241 pounds, so he resembles a fullback who stumbled upon a baseball field instead of a football field.
The scoreboard operators at Miller Park have added a wrinkle to Coffey's run by timing it. Even though the Brewers were trailing by six runs when Coffey was summoned to face the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night, the fans roared as if Trevor Hoffman were coming in for a save. Coffey completed his run in 13.53 seconds.
"That's my fastest time at this park," Coffey said.
Coffey first sprinted in from the bullpen when he was with the Cincinnati Reds' Class AA Chattanooga affiliate in 2004. Chattanooga had scored seven runs in the top of the eighth inning to snatch the lead. Coffey was so excited about the rally that he bolted out of the bullpen.
"I liked the way it felt," he said. "I liked the spike of adrenaline. My legs felt good. I just decided to keep doing it."
There was one time where Coffey's enthusiasm created an awkward situation. He ran in from the bullpen at Wrigley Field, which is in foul territory down the right-field line and is closer than bullpens that are behind the outfield fence. Coffey got there so fast that the starting pitcher had not yet left the mound.
Since the incident at Wrigley last season, Coffey has tried to time his entrance better. Still, when he entered the game as part of a double-switch involving the catcher on Wednesday, he arrived on the mound before the new catcher was behind the plate and had to wait to warm up. But that blip will not slow Coffey down.
"I'm always going to do it, as long as I have legs," Coffey said.


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|2 reviews in total
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Simply one of the best in quite a while. Really gripping and hard hitting stuff. It's hard to believe so much was packed into the 45 minute format. Just goes to show what can be done when the bar is high. Take the House story arc alone. He finds out that he's risked his life with experimental rat medicine. He opts to perform life threatening surgery on himself. This is filmed so viscerally, it's genuinely hard to watch. You know he's stoned himself to handle the pain, but he can't be so stoned that he passes out or cuts an artery. It doesn't get much more messed up than this, even for House. You feel like you're there with him, in the bath tub, alone, rat poison in the veins, a set of tumors in a withered leg, a scalpel and a bunch of drugs. When it starts to go wrong and he starts calling all his "friends", you sense his aloneness. It makes you reflect on who you could call in such a situation. And that it would wind up to be Cuddy who answers his calls, coming with child in toe, was quite poetic. The family united! So dysfunctional and yet so very poignant... The story arcs for Taub, 13, Foreman and Chase are equally strong, and only space forbids me to comment on their dramas. This probably should have been extended into a double episode and been the season finale... On a side note, this one reminded me of a great Stephen King short story, entitled "Survivor Type", about another junkie doctor who also performs major surgery on himself. Brief, gripping and well worth a read, a good accompaniment to this episode. Some things just stay with you.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This episode is without a doubt the best episode I've ever seen its
full of witty one liners and great stories , finally house is back to
the way it was before intelligent gory and heartfelt , you can see each
character change in this episode into a completely new person you see
sides to the characters you never actually thought was there ,
House: I new he was ignorant and a egoistic manic but i never thought he was so egotistical he would give himself 6 anesthetics and remove tumors from his own leg in the bath tub.
13: Shes very stubborn and until now I've never seen her not back down from something , when chase and her got into a brawl over her friend i really thought she would carry on fighting but she remained down and they took her friend to the hospital.
Cuddy: I really thought she wouldn't answer her phone , i'd assumed even if house explained to her over the phone what he had done , she would of thought he was up to his old games again , shes become extremely trusting in other people
Taub: I've finally gained some respect for his character hes finally pushed the normal boundaries of the show and gotten a girl pregnant and touched a lap dancer at a strip club , finally the man is becoming interesting.
Foreman: Rather than just walk off and leave his friend walking into a oncoming calamity , he asked him 3 times to get in the car hes starting to care a lot more about his colleges , but hes still a power control freak.
So this one episode has resuscitated the characters to a point where the show has become even more interesting i can only hope this show goes on for 10 seasons , just like every other decent show out there.
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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's government says it will use public funds to buy a nationally treasured work by sculptor Constantin Brancusi after a donation campaign failed to raise the money needed.
The government on Wednesday pledged an additional several million euros toward the country's purchase of "Wisdom of the Earth" from its private owners. The sculpture will be displayed in a Bucharest museum.
A 6-month fundraising campaign that ended last month raised 1.27 million euros ($1.4 million), well short of its 6-million-euro target.
The government had already pledged to pay 5 million euros toward the sculpture's purchase price of 11 million euros ($12.1 million.)
"Wisdom of the Earth" depicts a female figure sitting with folded arms and her legs pulled up. It is one of just a few Brancusi works remaining in his homeland.


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"The Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan has spoken out on the Aurora, Colo. mass shooting that left 12 dead.
ABC News reports Nolan issued a statement via his publicist.
"I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community," Nolan said, speaking for the cast and crew of "The Dark Knight Rises."
"I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie," he continued. "I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime."
The director of the "Batman" trilogy talked about the movie theater as his "home," one that, with all the shocking violence and death, had been desecrated "in such an unbearably savage way."
403 Forbidden
In the wake of the shooting, some theater chains have made adjustments in the interests of making the potentially tense experience a bit smoother for customers who are turning up to see "The Dark Knight" despite the events in Colorado.
The Los Angeles Times reports AMC Theatres is banning any kind of costumes that make other patrons uncomfortable, also disallowing fake weapons and masks. Regal Entertainment, too, said it would exercise "stricter controls" on "character attire."
Both theater chains added they would address refunds or exchanges to customers that request them.
Related coverage:
• Opinion: 'Batman' shooting is the end of an era for movie-going
• After Aurora massacre, Warner Bros. pulls 'Gangster Squad' trailer featuring a theater shooting
• Midnight movie massacre: Colorado Batman shooting leaves 12 dead, 59 wounded
• Christopher Nolan: Keeping 'The Dark Knight' in the shadows
• The bat's back: Brooding, complicated 'Dark Knight' uplifts a genre
• Colorado Batman shooting: Complete coverage of theater massacre


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Although the program is only in its second year of existence, American Canyon's football team is no longer the new kid on the block.
Although the Wolves were playing in their first playoff game on Friday night, they looked like they had seen more postseason time than the Rolling Stones have seen time in the music business as they rolled to a 37-8 victory against River Valley in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs. Next week American Canyon will host the winner of Cosumnes Oaks and Christian Brothers, who play today.
Following the win, American Canyon head coach Ian MacMillan said he was not surprised at how quick the team earned its first playoff win.
"Yeah I'm not surprised because of the kids," MacMillan said. "It not how long you've been around but how quickly you can buy into the program and that's exactly what the kids have done. They've bought into everything we've taught them and they deserve the credit for tonight's win."
The Wolves got off to an extremely good start in the first quarter as Robert Wilkes took a handoff 47 yards for a touchdown on the games third play. Wilkes would finish with a very respectable 60 yards on three carries, but he wasn't the main attraction in the Wolves' running game Friday night. Jomon Dotson, nicknamed "Juice" by his teammates, exploded for 160 yards on 10 carries, including a 34-yard touchdown run with 8:15 left in the first quarter to make it 14-0 Wolves.
Before River Valley could blink, American Canyon scored again as they forced the Falcons to punt three minutes later. The Wolves' Chris Seisay took the punt back 50 yards for a touchdown and a 20-0 lead.
Seisay wasn't done, however, as the receiver hauled in a 16-yard catch from quarterback Mike Rapacon for a touchdown with 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Seisay finished the game with two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown. He also had one rush for 16 yards while playing stellar defense as well.
Also playing well on defense was Yacoub Hammoudeh, who recovered a fumble in the first half. Joey Dodson was also stellar with two interceptions, including one to seal the game in the second half.
In the second quarter Jomon Dotson helped add to the Wolves big lead when he ran in a touchdown from 50 yards out to give American Canyon a 34-0 lead. Helping the Wolves on the drive were Dotson runs of 10 and 15 yards.
"He's been a constant for us all year," MacMillan said of Dotson. "He runs tough and he runs hard and he played well tonight just like he has all year long for us."
The Wolves added a 27-yard field goal by Rapacon as time expired in the first half to make it 37-0. From there, American Canyon's defense took over as they held River Valley's offense to only a touchdown by Bruce Anderson III and two-point conversion by Dewey Maxham in the fourth quarter. Maxham finished the game with 82 yards rushing. The Falcons' top rusher, Timothy Dove, did not play Friday due to an injury.


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Program Officer - Aging
Senior Program Officer - Aging
Questions? Contact:
Therese Ellery
p: 303.398.7413
e: firstname.lastname@example.com
To ensure a spectrum of opportunities and services are available to support Greater Denver's older adults in living independent and meaningful lives for as long as possible. Learn more about our Aging philosophy and the various ways we strive to make an impact.
Direct In-Home and Community-Based Services – Programs that support assistance for daily living activities (including care management, home safety, home repair, home-delivered meals and transportation) and caregiver support.
Transportation – Projects to increase senior mobility through expanded and improved access to transportation services.
Systemic Change – Efforts with selected partners to address emerging issues and opportunities that have the potential for systemic change.
Higher consideration will be given to requests directly addressing one or more of the following components:
The Aging program area generally does not fund:
It may be helpful to review a list of recent Aging grants to determine whether your program or project is a fit with our funding priorities.
We accept applications for programs or projects that serve the seven-county Greater Denver area of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson Counties. Learn more about this and other grant eligibility criteria.
We encourage applicants to speak with Senior Program Officer Therese Ellery prior to submitting an application to the Aging program area to discuss their program, project or organization.
Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis (no deadlines) and the submission process is all online. Learn more about submitting your application.
All grantees are required to submit certain forms and reports.
Answers to many questions can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). For additional questions, please contact Therese Ellery, senior program officer – Aging, at firstname.lastname@example.com or 303.398.7413.
Questions? Contact:
p: 303.398.7413
e: email@example.com
Retirement Community in Edgewater Plays to Boomers' Strengths
Read More


text: The Dallas Cowboys manned down. Again. There isn't a team in the league that consistently finds more dramatic ways to lose big games than the Cowboys. And they did it again in Baltimore yesterday. How do you lose when you dominate the entire game, recover an onside kick late and draw a 20 yard P.I. penalty seconds later? Easy. With horrible clock management and by clutching down. Just like they always do in these situations.


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On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 9:22 AM, Robert Haas <robertmhaas(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote: > On the other hand, if you have technical corrections, or if > you have suggestions on how to do the same things better (rather than > suggestions on what to do differently), that would be greatly > appreciated. Somewhere in that wiki page there is some musing about the size of .git directories being somewhat dissatisfying when one feels compelled to have multiple check-outs materialized. There's a facility in git known as "alternates" that let you fetch objects from some other pool. This is highly useful if you have the same project checked out many times, either for personal use or on a hosting server of some sort. Because the object pool being referenced has no knowledge of other repositories referencing it, garbage collection (should you be doing things that generate garbage, such deleting branches and tags) of the underlying pool can cause corruption in referencing repositories in the case where they reference objects that have since been deleted. This will never happen if the repository monotonically grows, as is often the case for a 'authoritative' repository, such as the one at git.postgresql.org that only has major branches and release tags that will never go away. (save the rare case when fixing up after a cvs race condition that has occurred a few times in the past). In practice, one can just make a clean clone of a project for the purposes of such an object pool and then let it sit for months or even years, as the size of each subsequent .git, even for considerable amounts of history, is marginal. Once in a while one can perform the clean-up task of catching up the object pool, if they feel their .git directories have gotten unacceptably large. Here's a brief section about it on a git wiki: https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/GitFaq#How_to_share_objects_between_existing_repositories.3F fdr
Next: From: Tom Lane Date: 2010-07-28 23:33:01 Subject: Re: [GENERAL] Incorrect FTS result with GIN index Previous: From: Jeff Davis Date: 2010-07-28 23:09:18 Subject: Re: string_to_array has to be stable?


text:
Dapoxetine hydrochloride
Dapoxetine hydrochloride
English Synonyms: DAPOXETIN;DAPOXETINE;(S-(+)-N,N-Dimethyl-a-[2-(naphthalenyloxy)ethyl]benzenemethanamine hydrochloride;Dapoxetine hydrochloride
Assay: 99%
Molecular Formula: C21H23NO HCL
Molecular Weight: 341.88
Molecular Structure:
Packing: 1kg/ Foil Bag
Appearance: This product is light yellow powder, odorless, sweet, soluble in water, alcohol. Can be made into tablets, beverages, wine, capsules and other dosage forms
Usage: Dapoxetine (dapoxetine) as a new fast SSRI, a short half life, a selective 5 - HT reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), for the treatment of premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Dapoxetine is a selective 5 - HT reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), such drugs widely used to treat depression and related affective disorders
Other supplier products
|Peppermint oil
|Jinyang base
|St.John's.Wort P.E.
|Huperzine A


text:
Laura Johnston Cleveland Plain Dealer 09/16/07 — Article Columbus — Picking my path down Beck Street, my feet thumping the bricks and my iPod pumping a Jock Jams anthem into my ears, I stop. There, behind that wrought-iron fence is a storybook garden with a wooden trellis, deck chairs, curtains and lamps. And there, that next house, lush pink and greenery surrounding a glittering pool. And there, across the street, a forest of flowers in Frank Fetch Park. Like charms on a silver bracelet, they beckon. "Aren't I darling?" "Look at me!" "No, no, look at me!" I look. And I marvel at the narrow brick road and wavy brick sidewalks, the magazine-spread gardens and stunningly restored brick homes. I'm not in Ohio anymore. This must be Charleston, S.C. Or Back Bay Boston. Or some hidden corner of Brooklyn. It feels too cosmopolitan, too old and too stylish to be… Read more »
Step Into Charming German Village


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IF you want to see an example of council- condoned ecological vandalismtake a look at what CALA homes has done to the marshes in Catshill.
At the initialmeetingwewere informed that no trees would be cut down.
Some half dozen mature trees havenow gone, along with significant areas of undergrowth.
No one in Catshill wanted the development and I recall a council official early last year declaring that any development in Bromsgrove would not be foisted on residents.
I shall refrain from comment.
I'd like to congratulate the council for endorsing the destruction of this wildlife pocket.
I have always exercised my vote, but now realise that it was absolutely pointless with this council. I won't be bothering again.
Chris Homer via e-mail


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By Sarah Ashworth, Minnesota PublicRadio
Minneapolis -- Tonight, and every Wednesday night through February, local music icons "Spider" John Koerner and Tony Glover will take to the stage at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis. It's a homecoming of sorts for the legendary folk and blues musicians.
They're now in their seventies, but they first began playing around the city's West Bank in the 1960s. Morning Edition producer Sarah Ashworth stopped by one of their recent shows.
Glover told her that being back on stage brings back lots of memories.
"It's kind of nostalgic," he said. "I've met several women who I ended up living with back when it was a bar."
Women also make up some of Koerner's memories. He says he met at least one of his wives at the 400 Club. Back in the 1960s, the bar was part of a vibrant music scene near the University of Minnesota's West Bank. Glover says it was an exciting time and the West Bank felt like Greenwich Village. Today, he views his once-a-week gig in far more practical terms.
"It's a way to get out of the house, after dark. It's kind of like it's familiar, it's comfortable like an old shoe, but there's always something a little different about it that keeps me awake, keeps me interested," he says.
On stage, Koerner and Glover sit side by side. Old friends, hanging out, playing their favorite songs. Glover slouches a bit in his chair. As he plays harmonica, his silver rings catch the light. Koerner's on his left and his nickname still holds. Like a spider, he's thin and all legs. While he plays his 12-string guitar, one leg taps loudly.
"The music I play with Tony, or Tony plays with me, is old traditional stuff, which is really solid material," Koerner says.
They've never played together regularly, although from time to time they would join their friend, the late Dave Ray, and perform as the trio Koerner, Ray and Glover. But their lives took them in different directions. Somehow they always found their way back together -- and back to the West Bank.
"I think of this as being home, pretty much," Koerner says, but the neighborhood, which is now a thriving immigrant enclave, has a new feel. "Back in the old days it was kind of the hippie era, and that was probably the most interesting of the times. Now of course it's quite different."
Koerner refers to the fans on hand as the "gray hairs" in the audience - they make up a lot of the crowd. But Koerner says he's encouraged to see younger people also showing up-- like Tommy Saunders. He's part of the band, Local Thief, that opened for the duo.
"They still sound the same after you know how many years they've been playing, they still sound great I think," Saunders says. "It's nice to be able to hear that now, when we wouldn't have had the chance before."
Koerner and Glover's set lasts a little more than an hour. Between songs, Koerner tells an "Ole and Lena" joke, and talks about the mild winter weather. After a one-song encore, the two begin to pack up. It's a little different from how their shows ended forty years ago.
"Back in those days, we might get done playing here and then look for a party to hang out. These days, when I'm done, I get home as quickly as I can and hit the sack," he says with a laugh.


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ECHOES in Song is the name of a collaboration between classical musicians, Ledbury Poetry Festival and the Three Choirs Festival.
On Friday, at a free event in Ledbury, an audience will be able to hear those haunting echoes, and the centenary echoes of World War One.
Two of the most celebrated festival on the local arts scene has been working with the Orchestra of the Swan this summer to devise a series of creative poetry and music sessions for primary schools in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The final outcome will be linked directly to this year's theme's for the Worcester Three Choirs Festival.
Clare Stevens, marketing and media manager for the Three Choirs Festival, said: "This process was inspired by two of the key works in the festival: Britten's War Requiem and Torsten Rasch's A Foreign Field, both of which use settings of poetry from World War One.
"Poets Mandy Ross and Julie Boden visited schools in Eastnor, Malvern, Redditch and Ledbury and worked with children to write their own texts which were about, or reminiscent of, World War 1."
She added: "Themes explored in the initial sessions included responses to Lord Kitchener's call to join up at the beginning of the war; the role of women in the war; and the experiences of children whose older brothers were serving at the front. The children sang and marched in step to 'Pack Up Your Troubles' and went on to imagine the individual doubts and worries packed into 'your old kit bag' that might lie unspoken behind the decision to join the army."
Children from Somers Park School in Malvern, which opened in 1909, imagined the lives of former pupils who gave their lives in the war, and made a link with the school's small war memorial, which quotes Laurence Binyon's famous poem 'For the Fallen', one of the texts used in Sir Edward Elgar's Spirit of England, - to be performed at the Three Choirs Festival.
The children also wrote about the poppy meadows being planted this year in memory of those who gave their lives in the war.
In the next sessions, composer Freya Waley-Cohen and two musicians from the Orchestra of the Swan helped the children to create musical settings for their poems. Vocal coach Robbie Jacobs then helped them learn how to perform their work.
The first presentation of work by Ledbury Primary School and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Redditch, took place on June 26.
Ledbury Poetry Festival has invited all the schools to come and share their work on Friday, July 4, at 10.30am. This will be a free event at the Community Hall in Lawnside Road.
Schools attending will include Eastnor C. E. Primary, Ledbury Primary and Somers Park Primary, Malvern.


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The Trespassers
Hobson, Laura Z.
Place Published: New York
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date Published: 1943
Edition: First edition
Binding: Hardcover
Book Id: 17744
410pp. Octavo [21 cm] Beige cloth. Very good condition. The dust jacket is in very good condition. There are several small closed tears in the edges. The longest tear measures 1 inch long. There is a thin 1 inch long open tear in the top edge along the fold of the rear inside flap. The edges are also chipped, creased and rubbed. Very subtly soiled. The jacket is actually quite bright. Protected with a plastic gaylord.
This is Hobson's first novel.


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Funny Business
What is the world's funniest joke? According to the early results of an Internet-based study run by British scientists, it is as follows:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go camping. They pitch their tent under the stars and go to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes wakes Watson up, saying, ''Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you deduce.'' Watson says, ''I see millions of stars, and if there are millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it's quite likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life.'' Holmes replies, ''Watson, you idiot, somebody stole our tent!''
Whether you are guffawing or gagging is important data for the scientists, who are in the midst of what they call the largest experiment ever in the psychology of humor (laughlab
.co.uk). A survey was devised by Dr. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, in cooperation with the British Association for the Advancement of Science. To date more than 100,000 people from 70 countries have rated jokes on a scale of 1 to 5 at the site.
The researchers also cite examples of the worst jokes and study reactions by nationality (Canadians were least likely to laugh) and gender (not surprisingly, ''huge'' differences were found in what men and women find funny). The second stage of the study will involve audio files so researchers can gauge different reactions to timing in joke telling.
But at least one professional comic sees the study as flawed. ''You can't ask people to rate jokes -- you either laugh or you don't,'' said Jim Richardson, a comedy coach who works with stand-up comedians and speechwriters. Mr. Richardson said he also considered the focus on nationality and gender differences to be misguided. He suggested that researchers ''interview professional comics who deal with these issues every night,'' adding, ''You will find that comics do not aim their jokes at particular groups but at what 90 percent of any general audience find funny.''Continue reading the main story
In the Film Loop
The granddaddy of movie sites, the Movie Review Query Engine (www.mrqe.com), recently celebrated its eighth birthday. Few sites are more useful to the filmgoer or, apparently, to film critics. Here, for example, you may peruse no fewer than 119 linked reviews of ''The Lord of the Rings.'' Over all more than 25,000 films are indexed, with the reviews drawn from 450 English-language sources like newspapers and magazines.
Although advertising sales cover its costs, the site is primarily a hobby for Stewart M. Clamen, a computer science instructor at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. He has kept the site blessedly simple to use while offering a wealth of statistics on the top titles. In November, the last month for which figures are available, the engine was queried more than 934,000 times, with ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' generating the most requests.
Over the years, Mr. Clamen has received e-mail from many prominent film reviewers, including a critique of the site by Roger Ebert (a thumbs up). But he also hears from filmmakers intent on blaming the proverbial messenger. ''Every few months I get e-mail from a film producer or director unhappy if there are mostly negative reviews in the index,'' he explained. ''They want me to find some positive reviews to include'' -- whether or not they exist.
Helping Net Addicts
The technique known as intervention has long been accepted as a way for desperate loved ones to help a compulsive gambler or alcoholic who otherwise rejects aid. Now the method, in which a counselor prepares a small group to confront the individual with the necessity of treatment, is being applied to those with so-called Internet addiction.
Net addiction is not accepted as a separate disorder by all in the medical community. But whether it is a disease in its own right or a symptom of another, compulsive computer use is not uncommon and, in practice, is often treated similarly to other obsessive disorders. Increasingly, that has meant the use of intervention, said Randee McGraw, president of the Association of Intervention Specialists and manager of the treatment program at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery (www.addictionrecov.org) at Proctor Hospital in Peoria, Ill.
Net-addiction intervention differs little from other forms of intervention, said Vaughn J. Howland, a licensed social worker who has organized hundreds of such encounters. For example, there is no need to confront the person in front of the computer. He added that intervention for Internet addiction now makes up 5 percent to 10 percent of his caseload, with most cases involving obsessive viewing of online porn or sex chat.
Mr. McGraw finds the long-term recovery rate in Internet-addiction cases to be low, mostly because of a failure to monitor computer use after treatment. Mr. Howland despairs of allowing even limited computer use for people in recovery: ''I'd like to put a bullet through the screen.''
The Year in Searches
Lycos (50.lycos.com) and Google (google.com/press/zeitgeist.html), two popular search engines, have assessed 2001 and drawn up lists of what people looked for most on the Internet in 2001. The result is an odd mixture of pop culture and post-Sept. 11 news.
The two sites calculate statistics differently and Google has a more international flavor, yet both counted Britney Spears, Osama bin Laden, Nostradamus, Harry Potter and Anna Kournikova among the dominant personalities. Both chronicled the rise of Morpheus, the music-file sharing service, at the expense of Napster. And both found reality television dominating the television-related queries.
Google also offers a timeline (google.com/press/timeline.html) showing the year's search highlights month by month. It is compact, yet it is as evocative a year-in-review feature as you are likely to find anywhere.Continue reading the main story


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WARNINGS have been issued by police after a spate of anti-social behaviour under the A48 bridge at Chepstow.
Messages have gone out to OWL neighbourhood watch members in the area, alerting them to underage drinking and smoking, loud music, littering and drug use local officers have had to respond to in recent weeks.
Members were told of an incident on March 1 when about 60 youths, aged 12-18, were gathered under the bridge. A week later, an ambulance had to be called for an unconscious 16-year-old girl, believed to be under the influence of alcohol and found by police at The Back.
A spokeswoman from Gwent Police said: "Anti social behaviour is PACT priority for Chepstow Police and local officers are working very closely with local schools and partner agencies in order to minimise this.
"Alcohol has been seized, details taken, parents and guardians have been informed and referrals have been sent to partner agencies.
"Officers are warning any repeat of this behaviour could lead to arrests being made. Not only do gatherings in this volume cause a nuisance to local residents it can also present real danger to youngsters who are very vulnerable in this situation.
"Officers urge parents and guardians to take an interest in what their youngsters are doing on weekends and remind them of the dangers of underage drinking."


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___FDA proposes sweeping new food safety rules WASHINGTON (AP) â¿¿ The Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed the most sweeping food safety rules in decades, requiring farmers and food companies to be more vigilant in the wake of deadly outbreaks in peanuts, cantaloupe and leafy greens. The long-overdue regulations are aimed at reducing the estimated 3,000 deaths a year from foodborne illness. Just since last summer, outbreaks of listeria in cheese and salmonella in peanut butter, mangoes and cantaloupe have been linked to more than 400 illnesses and as many as seven deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The actual number of those sickened is likely much higher. The FDA's proposed rules would require farmers to take new precautions against contamination, to include making sure workers' hands are washed, irrigation water is clean, and that animals stay out of fields. Food manufacturers will have to submit food safety plans to the government to show they are keeping their operations clean. ___ 'McDreamy' says he beat Starbucks for coffee chain SEATTLE (AP) â¿¿ "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey may be the real "McSteamy." The actor, who was dubbed "McDreamy" by fans of the hospital drama while his co-star affectionately has been called "McSteamy," won a bankruptcy auction to buy Tully's Coffee, a small coffee chain based in Seattle. Among those Dempsey beat out is Tully's much bigger Seattle neighbor, Starbucks Corp., which wanted to convert the cafes to its own brand. Dempsey, whose company Global Baristas LLC plans to keep the Tully's name, declared victory on the social media site Twitter with the message: "We met the green monster, looked her in the eye, and...SHE BLINKED! We got it! Thank you Seattle! But Starbucks says not so fast. The chain, which has 18,000 cafes worldwide, said in a statement that a final determination on the winning bid won't be made until a court hearing on Jan. 11. Starbucks said it's in a "back-up" position" to buy 25 of the 47 Tully's cafes, with another undisclosed bidder making an offer for the remainder.
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Steam has only been available for OS X for about a month, but if the latest Valve Hardware Survey is anything to go by, it already looks like the Mac is the platform it was made for.
According to the latest survey results, Steam gamers on Apple computers have beefier machines than their PC counterparts. For example, most Windows-based gamers only have 2GB or 3GB of memory, while 53% of all Mac owners have a 4GB of RAM.
When it comes to dual-cores, Windows users are also behind the pack: 17 percent of Windows machines only run on a single-core, over 90 percent of people running Steam for Mac are running on dual-core machines (although that is probably because many of the existing Steam games have a multi-core requirements.
Macs are even beefier when it comes to connection speed: 65 percent of Macs are on 2MBit+ connections, while less than half of PCs are.
The only place where PCs shine? GPUs: only 32.5 percent of Macs surveyed had anything that wouldn't be considered a lowest-tier graphics card.
My guess is a lot of these statistics can be explained away by the sheer volume of PC gamers, and especially those still mostly playing games like Counter-Strike in net cafes. But still, it bodes well for the future of Steam to come.
Read more at Steam (via Gizmodo)


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Spring/Summer 2012 brings the introduction of the newest 02DERIV. STORM PARKA-NYLON TUSSER GORE-TEX 3L. Despite the long-winded title, the tenants of the surf-inspired jacket are rather simplistic in their execution — water-resistant durability and contemporary aesthetics. Boasting two spacious anterior pockets, the GORE-TEX-constructed outerwear piece is mocked up in a navy blue shell and positioned alongside complementary bold red hits that trace their origins to the taped zippers, cuff Velcro and lining. Understated metal eyelets provide a degree of breathability to the jacket while leather hood drawstrings and cinched sleeve cuffs round out the both street-ready and trail-ready parka. Availability is now offered through select 02DERIV. stockists.
Photography: HYPEBEAST


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Social Media Marketing
Rozpočet £250-750 GBP
We have 3 clients that we want to push on our social media outlets. All posts will be mainly focusing on promoting the clients business name and some products that they sell/offer. We are looking for 3 posts per client per day to go out over a months campaign. PLEASE NOTE we are hoping to engage with a freelancer on a LONG TERM proposition if they can meet the requirements of promoting the companies correctly.
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I had bilateral malar cheek implants done on 2/15/11. Unfortunately the right side implant shifted the day of the surgery and is not where it should be. The left side looks good- but there is no improvement on the right side. How long should I wait before undergoing the revision surgery? Also, will there be the same amount of swelling involved as with the original surgery?
Cheek Augmentation: How Long Before I Can Have Revision Surgery?
Doctor Answers 5
Cheek Implant RevisionCan Be Done After Three Months
Revisional cheek implant surgery can be done as soon as one is sure that it is truly asymmetric or malpositioned. After three months you can be fairly confident that what are seeing is implant position and not just swelling. Such secondary surgery is not associated with as much swelling or discomfort as the first surgery because the implant pocket has already been developed. The key to successful revisional surgery is appreciating what has made its current position asymmetric and to enure that it is stabilized into its new position. This is best done with a very small screw, securing the implant to the underlying bone to prevent a recurring problem.
Learn more: http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/cheek.html
Revision Cheek Implant surgery
If you can wait 3-4 months, the cheek tissue will be healed more and this will make the removal and replacement...if you want that done, easier. Because the surgical pocket, for the Cheek Implants, was already created, you should have much less swelling after this procedure.
Learn more: http://www.drfpalmer.com
Revision cheek implants after 6 months.
You might also like...
Cheek Augmentation: How Long Before I Can Have Revision Surgery?
6-9 months. This is how long it takes for healing process to complete and majority of swelling to resolve. All faces are asymmetric and this includes the cheeks. Since, cheek implants are the same size and shape, the asymmetry will persists or may be exaggerated post op.
How to Manage Malposition Cheek Implant
Sorry to hear you have an issue with your cheek implant. The most common problem with cheek implants is getting them symmetric and you are no exception.
First, you need to be 100% sure that the implant is actually asymmetric and that it is not asymmetric swelling. Assuming your are sure the implant is in the wrong place then you should proceed with a plan to fix that.
I think the highest success is to remove the implant, allow it to heal, then replace the implant a few months later. Trying to move an implant in one surgery once it has healed in the wrong place is challenging. The implant tends to slide back into the wrong spot. If you are certain the implant is in the wrong position, there is no reason to wait at all if this approach is used.
If you prefer to try to reposition in the implant in a single surgery, you should wait about 6 months from the original surgery. You certainly can have success doing it this way, but I believe your highest success is to remove, allow to heal, and replace.
Learn more: http://www.dr-apo.com
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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On Thursday, Sept. 8, The Shoppes at The Palazzo and The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, in partnership with The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas, will host an only-in-Vegas Fashion's Night Out event.
Celebrity power couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic will guide guests through the season's most talked-about fashion tips and trends; the festivities kick-off at 6 p.m. on level two of The Shoppes at The Palazzo near Chloè and Piazza Sempione.
"Bill and I are thrilled to host Fashion's Night Out at The Shoppes at The Palazzo in Las Vegas. It's no secret that fashion is a passion of mine and Las Vegas retail ranks among the best. The city is home to many of the world's top designer brands and The Shoppes at The Palazzo is easily one of my favorite places to indulge in some retail therapy," said the "E! News" and "Fashion Police" host and Style Network reality star, Giuliana Rancic. "Barneys New York, Fendi, Diane von Furstenberg, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin are just a few of the designers on board. We look forward to a successful Fashion's Night Out -- Vegas style!"
The Shoppes at The Palazzo and The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian are owned and managed by General Growth Properties, and join other GGP malls across the country celebrating Fashion's Night Out, including Honolulu, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Boston and Miami.


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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Last Friday, I reviewed the performance of my annual list of small-cap dividend growers, which for the third consecutive year outperformed the S&P 500. More importantly, they outperformed the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index and Russell 2000 Index, which are both more appropriate benchmarks. While three years of outperformance does not necessarily mean that this technique will always be successful, it is worth repeating at the very least.
The theory behind this screen is quite simple. Assemble a group of smaller companies that have been increasing their dividends and appear to be able to continue doing so. I have long been a believer that dividends may be a better indicator of a company's health and prospects than earnings alone. I think this primarily because dividends cannot be manipulated as earnings can. Furthermore, a management team that is increasing the dividend is displaying confidence about the future, another potential positive.
For this strategy, all selected stocks must have:
- Market Caps between $500 million and $2 billion,
- Regular dividend increases in each of the past five years (special dividends are not included),
- Long term debt to equity ratios below 50%, and
- Dividend payout ratios below 50% for the trailing 12 months and last two fiscal years.
Last year, 27 companies made the list; this year there are just 17. That is not surprising given the great run in the markets over the past year. The rising tide no doubt lifted several potential candidates above the $2 billion market cap limit. (Perhaps I'll embark on a search for mid-cap dividend growers in the future).
There are several familiar names that also made the cut last year. These include International Speedway Corp (ISCA), J&J Snack Foods (JJSF), Raven Industries (RAVN), Stepan (SCL), Lindsay (LNN), Gorman Rupp (GRC), BancFirst (BANF), and Badger Meter (BMI).


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Tuesday, June 4, 2013 | 9:45 p.m.
Talk about surprises.
After a recent "Sirens of TI" show, Ally and Tally Costa will have one to talk about for years.
The little girls first watched the Sirens bring down a pirate ship with supernatural powers, surrounded by explosions of fire and water, bursts of song and dance.
But the best part?
"Ladies and gentlemen," a siren announced at show's end, "TI is proud to introduce to you and welcome home Capt. John 'Arrow' Costa!"
Then their daddy popped up onstage and waved to them — home early from a yearlong deployment in Qatar, Afghanistan.
The shock of seeing her dad brought tears to the eyes of 10-year-old Ally, who clapped and clapped until she could hug her dad and cry.
Ally, who is 6 years old and a foot shorter, didn't cry. She smiled wide and waved to her dad with two hands until she could wrap her arms around his neck and squeeze, telling everyone on the pirate ship, "he's my dad."
Costa, a trainer of F-16 fighter pilots with the U.S. Air Force and supporter of Operation Enduring Freedom, had returned home the day before. When he found out he'd be home a week early, he called his wife, Lori, and tried to figure out how to surprise his daughters.
His original plans were not as elaborate as they'd later become.
"It was amazing," Costa said after the surprise. "This is more than I ever imagined."
Costa's boss Lt. Col. Scott "Kidd" Poteet felt determined to make his friend's homecoming unforgettable.
It's complicated, but, as Costa understands it, Poteet knew a guy who knew a guy — and before Costa knew it, he was in rehearsal to prepare for the surprise show.
Before the theatrical reunion, Costa's affection had to be funneled through FaceTime and phone calls. Over his 15-year career in the Air Force, Costa had deployed many times, but never for an entire year.
The longest stint before the last one was 220 days.
"Nothing compares to a year apart," said Lori Costa, standing next to her family.
"I just missed them so much," John Costa said.
Ally had trouble finding the words to describe how she felt. But she was sure her tears were "tears of enjoyment."
"I missed him," she said. "I don't know to explain it."
And she didn't have to do any explaining. Tally, the little one, summed it up pretty well when she described how she felt.
"Gooood," she said, dragging out the vowel.
Costa's contract has him stationed at Nellis Air Force Base until the end of 2014. When those orders expire, he hopes he'll be able to stay home.
"I want to stay with them as long as I can," Costa said.


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Certified? Yes. Satisfied? Not Always.
By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Published: May 6, 2007
GETTING halves of two cars was not what Paulette Day expected when she bought a red 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that year from a dealership near Detroit for $22,000. The car was used, but it was a ''G.M. certified'' car, meaning it had supposedly passed a rigorous inspection by the dealer. As General Motors says in its marketing material, buying a certified car means ''the reliability of new and the affordability of used.''
Not in this case. Ms. Day said she became suspicious about the car after noticing the paint did not match. After a mechanic put the car on a lift and saw the welds, Ms. Day learned that it included pieces from the front of one Monte Carlo and the rear of another, both seriously damaged in crashes.
''I thought being certified, there are supposed to be so many checkpoints to make sure the car is safe,'' she said. ''I think they skipped over all of it. They would have had to notice that.''
Certified used cars have become popular over the last five years, favored by consumers worried about getting a lemon when they buy used. A guarantee from an automaker that the car checks out is peace of mind for which an increasing number of people are willing to pay extra, sometimes $2,000 or more. But some consumers are finding that certified does not protect them and some, like Ms. Day, are filing lawsuits.
Robert Minton, a G.M. spokesman, said the automaker would not comment on Ms. Day's case. Three telephone calls to the dealership, Rowan Pontiac GMC in Southgate, Mich., were not returned.
Automakers said buying a certified vehicle was the next best thing to buying new and that, in general, customers have been pleased with the programs. Indeed, most consumers who buy vehicles certified by automakers say they are substantially more satisfied with their vehicles than those who bought comparable used vehicles, said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, an automotive research company in Bandon, Ore.
Certified vehicles ''pretty much matched the satisfaction numbers you see from new cars,'' he said.
Mr. Spinella also found that in the last seven years the certified market had grown about 12 percent to 15 percent a year. Last year, new-car dealers sold about six million used vehicles that were one to four years old. About 1.7 million of those vehicles were certified, he said.
Automakers said that more than 100 items were inspected before a vehicle could be certified. Many involve major mechanical components and the frame. However, some of the inspection items are insignificant, like checking windshield-washer fluid, said Jack Gillis, the director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America.
If problems were found, the automakers said they had to be fixed for the vehicle to be listed as certified. Certification programs, which vary from automaker to automaker, usually cover current models and the previous four or five model years. Vehicles must have relatively low mileage, often less than 60,000 miles.
The automakers' provide inspection guidelines and the extended warranty that comes with the certification, for which they charge the dealer several hundred dollars. The dealers conduct the actual inspections and decide how much more to charge the buyer for a certified vehicle. On average, a certified used car costs about $2,200 more than a vehicle that is not certified, CNW found.
One problem for consumers is that there are no industry standards to define what certified means. Anyone from a major new-car dealer to the owner of a small used-car lot can say a vehicle is certified.
Also, most automakers allow vehicles that have been in crashes to be certified if the damage was properly repaired and did not involve damage to the frame.
''So long as the damage has been repaired, most vehicles can be certified,'' said Virginia Y. Calder?a San Diego lawyer who often handles complaints about certified cars. ''You always have to be concerned about that.''
In some lawsuits automakers have denied responsibility by saying the dealer -- not the automaker -- certified the vehicle.
The only guarantee with a certified used vehicle is that the dealer and the automaker make more money, said Cliff Weathers, deputy editor for autos at Consumer Reports magazine.
With relatively new vehicles in particular, certification makes little sense because they are likely to be relatively trouble-free anyway, Mr. Weathers said.
Calling a used vehicle certified suggests it is better, but there is no way a consumer can be sure of that, said Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, a California-based advocacy group.
Ms. Shahan lobbied the California legislature to enact a Car Buyer's Bill of Rights, which took effect last year. It includes a certified used-car section that prohibits automakers from certifying a vehicle with frame damage.
''There are some problems with the manufacturer programs where they have been lax,'' Ms. Shahan said.
She also said that because the dealer paid the expense of any repairs, there was a built-in conflict of interest not to make them, Ms. Shahan said.
It is a system that depends heavily on the honesty and diligence of the dealer. Automakers said good dealers saw the value of the program and would not abuse it.
''Ultimately, the dealer is our eyes,'' said Larry Pryg, advertising and marketing manager for G.M. Certified Used Vehicles.
In Ms. Day's case that system failed, said Dani K. Liblang, a Birmingham, Mich., lawyer representing Ms. Day. It is hard to imagine how mechanics at Rowan Pontiac GMC could not have known that the Monte Carlo was two vehicles, Ms. Liblang said.
''It took our expert less than five minutes to figure out that this vehicle was two vehicles welded together with two different vehicle identification numbers,'' she said.
Auto company officials in charge of the certified programs said they ensured that the inspections were done correctly and that only the best used vehicles were certified. They conduct audits at the dealerships by inspecting some vehicles themselves. But many automakers warn the dealers in advance, with Toyota being an exception.
Automakers said they also checked the paperwork of vehicles the dealers wished to certify. That includes looking at Carfax vehicle history reports to see if the vehicle was in a major accident or had flood damage. But that still leaves consumers vulnerable because even major problems may not show up on Carfax, Ms. Liblang said. A Carfax inquiry run in April on the vehicle identification number for the front of Ms. Day's Monte Carlo showed no problems.
Ms. Shahan of the California consumers' group said that buying a certified used vehicle was a waste of money and suggested that consumers use a different strategy.
''Basically you are paying a lot to have somebody else to do an inspection,'' she said. ''Instead, spend $100 or $200 and get your own inspection done.''
Auto company officials responded that few consumers have the time or knowledge to find a competent mechanic familiar with the particular model. In addition, certified vehicles come with factory warranties.
Mr. Gillis of the consumer federation said he saw presale inspections as ''generally a good thing'' and ''at least an attempt to sell a healthy vehicle.'' But he warned that a certified label was ''no guarantee of a problem-free used vehicle.''
Ms. Day, who still has her Monte Carlo, had some advice for those who find certified used vehicles alluring.
''Whether they say it is certified or not,'' she said, ''take it somewhere and have it checked because you never know what you are getting.''
Photos: FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP -- Certification for Paulette Day's Monte Carlo, top left. Ms. Day with her car, above, which was rebuilt using parts from the front of one Monte Carlo, right, and the rear of another. (Photo Courtesy of Dani K. Liblang); (Photos by Top left and above, Bridget Barrett for The New York Times)(pg. 1); Paulette Day paid $22,000 for her car. (Photo by Bridget Barrett for The New York Times)(pg. 4)