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Weak La Niña hints at heat, but first, thunder
Thu., April 14, 2011
Many folks continue to ask, "when will we see the warmer and drier weather?" There have been more days with clouds, rain and even a little snow compared to ones with lots of sunshine during the last four weeks.
The overall weather pattern points to above-normal moisture and below-average temperatures through mid-May. But, there will be days with sunshine and mild-to-warm afternoons.
As we get further along into the spring season, we'll start to see an increasing number of thunderstorms. The number of thunderstorms expected this spring and summer across the Inland Northwest should be slightly above average. This year, I'm predicting approximately 13 to 15 days in Spokane and surrounding areas with thunder, heavy rains, hail and damaging winds.
The average number of days with thunderstorms in the Inland Northwest is 11 (one in April, two in May, three in June, two in July, two in August and one in September). Although it's possible that one or two of those severe storms may produce a tornado, the chances of that happening are low. But, don't be surprised to see at least one or two days with severe weather conditions.
The spring and summer period is the peak of the thunderstorm season in the Inland Northwest. Although we do get our share of thunder, lightning, hail and even a rare tornado, the severity of these storms does not compare to the ones seen east of the Rockies, especially in the Great Plains "Tornado Alley." We've already seen severe weather with tornadic activity in parts of the central U.S. last weekend.
The Cascade Mountains to the west and the Rockies to the east often protect our region from the elements needed to produce the extreme weather conditions of thunderstorm and tornado activity. The warmer and more humid waters from the Gulf of Mexico are necessary ingredients to help produce the severe weather conditions across much of the central U.S., the Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic states and occasionally the Northeast. Thanks to the Rocky Mountains, the Gulf of Mexico's influence is limited across the Northwest.
La Niña, the cooler-than-normal sea-surface temperature, is weakening in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. If this trend continues, I still believe that we'll have a warm and dry summer season as a strong stationary ridge of high pressure could build into the region by late May and last through at least early September.
This should mean many days this summer with afternoon highs near or above 90 degrees. It's possible we'll see at least three or four afternoons with readings near or above 100.


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Java Draw Created Oct 10, 2010 460 x 640px Unless noted Copyright 2010 cusiwantto.
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Very scary I like it a lot, adding to my collection of Halloween 2010 drawings
Spooky and excellent!!!
Oh, now that's freaking scary. Reminds me of Lagger's work. 5h! :)

subset: commoncrawl


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You Aren't All That Good Looking
So, do you think you're good looking? Chances are you are wrong. Scientists doing science stuff found that most people "unconsciously over inflate their own physical appearance."
The authors of the study said "It is perhaps of little wonder, then, that people so rarely seem to like the photographs taken of themselves. The image captured by the camera lens just doesn't match up to the image captured in the mind's eye."
So, in my case it must be something like this:
In my head
In real life
Hooray science!


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American search company Yahoo has purchased app analytics enterprise Flurry in a bid to boost its advertising revenue generated from (more…)
American search company Yahoo has purchased app analytics enterprise Flurry in a bid to boost its advertising revenue generated from (more…)
Search company Yahoo has agreed a deal to purchase Blink, a mobile messaging service that sees messages self-destruct once (more…)
Internet giant Yahoo has revealed that it is entering the digital video content market by commissioning two original comedy series, which will be broadcast on both its website and (more…)
Internet giant Yahoo has unveiled an app that provides users with tailored news feeds based on their interests.
Yahoo claims that the News Digest app offers readers all (more…)
Search engine Yahoo has had to reinvent itself continuously in its efforts to meet its mobile-focused objectives, according to the firm's president.
Marissa Mayer, who is also the tech company's CEO, held a discussion with Marc Benioff, the head of cloud computing firm Salesforce, at a conference (more…)
American internet corporation Yahoo! is to acquire the popular blogging service Tumblr in a deal worth £723m.
Marissa Mayer, Yahoo!'s chief executive, said that Tumblr would continue to operate independently after the site's bosses promised (more…)
A popular news feed app, created by a UK teenager, has been bought by Yahoo in a deal that could be worth tens of millions of pounds to its creator.
The app in question, Summly, which is a tool which summarises news stories to just a few lines, will close though. The intellectual properties of the app will be used by the US firm in its own products.
The designer of the software, Nick D'Aloisio, has also been given (more…)
Yahoo! has seen growth in revenue during the fourth quarter of the year, thanks to the former executive and engineer of Google, Marissa Mayer. Improved sales of search advertising helped to push the company revenue up to £830 million, a two per cent rise year on year. In addition to improved results, the chief executive also announced plans to (more…)


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SEMINOLE — Time was, this city and its council were known for a lack of controversy.
Not anymore. A disagreement over the method of selecting a new council member has sparked a tiff that started with hurt feelings and seems to have progressed to a former state legislator's penning a snarky message and spurning a campaign contribution.
"Thanks anyway. Remit of '09 campaign contribution. Regret accepting it … pleased to be returning it," wrote Leslie Waters on the bottom of a check to fellow Seminole City Council member Dan Hester.
Republican Waters was the District 51 representative in the state Legislature from 1998 until she termed out in 2006. Her last two years there, she was speaker pro tem.
Hester had contributed $100 to Waters' successful campaign for council. Waters returned the entire amount.
Waters insisted Friday that her decision to return Hester's contribution had nothing to do with their disagreement over the selection of a new council member. Her decision was instead the result of a long-standing discomfort with accepting money from a colleague. Her regret, she said, began when Hester first contributed the money, because she felt it might cause an awkward situation but thought it would have been "tacky and disrespectful" to return it. Since the election, Waters said she has felt increasingly uncomfortable and finally decided to give it back. But because she had closed her campaign account, she wrote the check from her personal account."
"It was not a new regret at all," Waters said. "I'm out personal money."
Hester said Friday that Waters actually solicited the money from him by personally handing him an envelope and asking for funds. He said that he found it suspicious that Waters would wait this long after the election to return it if she felt so uncomfortable.
"But I'll take her word for it that she was concerned about a conflict," Hester said.
Hester said he has given the money to Catholic Charities.
The dispute began earlier this month after Patricia Hartstein resigned from the council. Seminole's rules say that council members must choose a replacement but fail to set out a method for doing so. And the methods have varied throughout the years, ranging from advertising for applicants to drawing straws, Hester said.
This time, the majority of the council wanted the person who was the first runner-up in the March 10 election, former council member Tom Barnhorn. They cited his experience and the fact that he was the next choice of voters.
But Hester and Patricia Plantamura saw it differently. They saw Barnhorn as someone who had been voted out of office. They advocated advertising the position to give others a chance to participate in Seminole's government. And, in any case, Hester said, the method should be set in stone and not changed willy-nilly to allow the council to pick a favored person.
"It just to me smells of very bad backroom politics," Hester said then. "It just reeks of bad backroom, smoky room politics."
No one commented during the meeting, but afterward, Waters and Mayor Jimmy Johnson said they were offended by Hester's comments.
"I never heard of such a thing," Johnson said.
Waters agreed: "I found the backroom politics comment insulting."
The next morning, Waters wrote the check returning Hester's campaign contribution.


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Jerry Jones: I had no problem giving Tony Romo a $108 million contract extension
IRVING - Jerry Jones was on the NFL Network Thursday to discuss the NFL Draft, however, the conversation quickly turned to Tony Romo and the six-year, $108 million contract extension Jones gave his franchise quarterback last month.
"When you have a player of his skills at his position, you don't have issues with that kind of commitment," Jones said. "We believe, I believe, Tony gives us an opportunity to compete at the highest level. His career, five years is 60 months and in my mind you can hold your breath for 60 months. I didn't have any problem making that kind of commitment."
Romo's critics aren't holding their breath and Jones must understand that. The only way Romo will change their minds is by winning a Super Bowl.
The contract extension shows Jones already believes Romo is capable of doing that.
"I can address specifically some things that are said about Tony - his focus on quarterback, his offseason focus on playing quarterback - and I would say 'ridiculous,'" Jones said. "I don't know when I have been around a player, a man, that concentrates more on his day job with the Cowboys than Tony Romo. He is outstanding. When I list his qualities - his mettle, his focus - is at the top of his list. Second is his ability to see. When he steps up there, when it gets loud out there, he can see the cars on the highway. Those are the things that we really want to use.
"Because of his experience we are going to have him a lot more involved as we are getting ready to play and as we are playing."
Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota


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3D Superheroine Gangbanged by Mutants!
3D - Alice in Wonderland - Part 2
3D Video Game Characters Having Some Fun 8
3D Elf Babes Destroyed by Furious Ogres!
3D Elven Princess Gangbanged!
3D Monster Fucking Contest (part 1 of 2)
Black men in wet transparent undies showing
3d pornomation1
Gay men with big hairy dicks and balls
Milking a Hucow - 3D
Mistress seduced her student
Djamie loves pussylick
3D cartoon Bella getting fucked hard by Edward
Orcs Bang 3D Babes!
Shinkon Kozukuri Elf 3D
Two Hot Country Babes with Big Tits
Extraterrestrials Fuck 3D Babes!
3D Hottest Futanari Babes!
3D Hardcore Twins Succubus
Two foxy 3D cartoon hotties sucking and fucking a guy
3D girl gets fucked by giant cock
3D Babe Has Her Tits and Pussy Fucked by a Dwarf
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About Bayswater
Bayswater lies just north of Hyde Park in the City of Westminster, with Paddington train station to the east and Notting Hill to the west. The area is primarily characterised by its residential Victorian properties, which are home to a number of prominent Britons, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, fashion designer Stella McCartney and actress Keira Knightly. Bayswaters history as an inhabited part of London reaches back at least a millennia and in recent decades it has become one of the more cosmopolitan areas of the city. British, American, Brazilian, Arab and Greek influences are notable in the area which, as a result, has a very varied array of restaurants accompanying its traditional pubs and stylish bars. With both Regents Park and Hyde Park so close by, residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to relax in the great outdoors, as they are indeed for much else in this area.
Setting up your business here
While Bayswater is a mainly residential area, its proximity to key central London business districts and commercial centres means its office space is also in high demand, from companies in a wide range of industries. The West End, Mayfair and Westminster, as well as places like Bloomsbury and Euston, are all within a very comfortable travelling distance of Bayswater, while the City and Canary Wharf are also easily accessed by Tube. Steady investment into infrastructure and services in the area has helped Bayswater grow its reputation as a desirable location for businesses, with solicitors, entertainment companies and marketing experts among those now operating from offices in the vicinity.
A typical office in Bayswater
Here is an example of a typical office in this area:
Office Space in BayswaterView Details of the Office
We offer the following office types & services:
Things to do in Bayswater
There are numerous eateries in Baywater that offer an international and cosmopolitan flavour, like the Colchis Georgian Bar & Restaurant, the Moroccan Sahara Restaurant and Le Café Anglais. Elsewhere there are quality traditional pubs in the area like the Bayswater and the Victoria, both of which offer friendly atmospheres and an enjoyable taste of London. If you were ever to tire of visiting the neighbouring Hyde Park while based in Bayswater then theres always Notting Hill and its famous Portobello Road market nearby to explore as well. Theres also the West End theatre district, the shopping areas around Oxford Street and the myriad of museums around Kensington close by too. If you want to get off the beat and track, visit the ever-fashionable retail areas around Carnaby Street and Soho, especially popular for its nightlife.
Local transportation
- Tube lines: Circle, District, Central, Hammersmith
- Mainline stations: Paddington
- Nearest motorways: M25, A40
- Nearest airports: London City, Gatwick and Heathrow
- Other: Buses and taxis are available


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Download Meetup iPhone iPad iOS
Meetup , brings Meetup with a number of new features along with the usual bug fixes. Meetup app has been update to version 2.5 with several major changes and improvements. App release that improves performance, provides several new options.
Overall Satisfaction33
Love the new layout.
Fun & Engaging53
Keeps your schedule filled with fun activities.
The new upgrade is awesome.
Social Aspects58
MeetUp has been a great way to meet people with similar interests.
The best social medium to meet new people with common interests.
Nice little social app.
Great social app.
The worst executed mobile social app or web site.
One of the more advanced social media websites in my opionon.
Ease of Use43
It makes it super handy to RSVP.
Very easy to RSVP for events.
and will not allow to RSVP button.
Security & Privacy10
Updates & Support30
MeetUp has been a great way to meet people with similar interests. found in 34 reviews
The best social medium to meet new people with common interests. found in 39 reviews
I haven't had any issues with this app on my iPhone 5s. found in 2 reviews
" request timed out " and other error messages. found in 2 reviews
can't search for groups by name & you can't delete messages. found in 21 reviews
I can't log in via facebook. found in 2 reviews
I also wish I could edit my profile. found in 4 reviews
Wish there was access to the message board through the app. found in 11 reviews
Still no iPad support. found in 9 reviews
and seriously needs to be a universal App for iPad. found in 5 reviews
If it had native iPad support. found in 21 reviews
but I can't believe it's still not Universal after all this time. found in 4 reviews
Tapping to enlarge profile pictures causes the app to crash. found in 10 reviews
There are no tools for organizers to use. found in 14 reviews
I find it aggravating that I can't delete messages from my inbox. found in 4 reviews
You do have to open a browser to access account settings though. found in 2 reviews
Latest update makes the app crash anytime a profile photo is clicked on. found in 2 reviews
I don't have any problems with this app. found in 2 reviews
The new meetup download won't log in with my Facebook. found in 25 reviews
Why can't I creat NEW meetup events. found in 13 reviews
"unable to connect meetup. found in 11 reviews
Still no iPad version and on iPad can''t use it in landscape mode. found in 9 reviews
It's incredibly frustrating that when I search for meetups. found in 38 reviews
I can't search for groups or clearly view someone's profile. found in 21 reviews
You can't look for new groups that would meet your interests. found in 20 reviews
Please add the ability to check your groups message board. found in 40 reviews
Doesn't provide iPad support and in particular doesn't support landscape. found in 21 reviews
Then the app was unable to login through Facebook. found in 31 reviews
I cannot email members about changes to meet ups. found in 100 reviews
and will not allow to RSVP button. found in 25 reviews
Unable to email members. found in 10 reviews
You can't search for new events or anything. found in 9 reviews
iPhone 320x480 1
iPhone 320x480 2
iPhone 320x480 3
iPhone 320x480 4
Icon 175x175 1
iOS Meetup 2.5 Mobile
iTranslator HD Lite
Moon Globe HD
ESPN iScore Baseball Scorekeeper
700 City Maps
R:2.5 - 1371 Ratings
Analysis of ratings from user comments
App Popularity (trend)
App Average Rating (trend)
2,532 total


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Louie Mangali recounts Ondoy flood
UNICEF Radio talks to Filipino sixth-grader Louie Mangali about his experiences during the recent floods in metropolitan Manila.
You can also download this audio feature (right click link and 'save as') to listen to on your MP3 player.
Donate now
Help fund UNICEF Philippines work with children
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text: Author: damian.eads Date: 2008-04-27 08:06:16 -0500 (Sun, 27 Apr 2008) New Revision: 4191 Modified: trunk/scipy/cluster/vq.py Log: Tightened language in vq's module summary docstring. Modified: trunk/scipy/cluster/vq.py =================================================================== --- trunk/scipy/cluster/vq.py 2008-04-27 12:55:26 UTC (rev 4190) +++ trunk/scipy/cluster/vq.py 2008-04-27 13:06:16 UTC (rev 4191) @@ -51,13 +51,19 @@ is the code corresponding to the code_book[i] centroid. whiten(obs) -- - Normalize a group of observations so each feature has unit variance. + Normalize a group of observations so each feature has unit + variance. vq(obs,code_book) -- - Calculate code book membership of obs. + Calculate code book membership of a set of observation + vectors. kmeans(obs,k_or_guess,iter=20,thresh=1e-5) -- - Train a codebook for mimimum distortion using the k-means algorithm. + Clusters a set of observation vectors. Learns centroids with + the k-means algorithm, trying to minimize distortion. A code + book is generated that can be used to quantize vectors. kmeans2 -- - Similar to kmeans, but with several initialization methods. + A different implementation of k-means with more methods for + initializing centroids. Uses maximum number of iterations as + opposed to a distortion threshold as its stopping criterion. """ __docformat__ = 'restructuredtext' @@ -580,10 +586,10 @@ centroids to generate. If minit initialization string is 'matrix', or if a ndarray is given instead, it is interpreted as initial cluster to use instead. - niter : int - Number of iterations of k-means to run. Note that this - differs in meaning from the iters parameter to the kmeans - function. + iter : int + Number of iterations of the k-means algrithm to run. Note + that this differs in meaning from the iters parameter to + the kmeans function. thresh : float (not used yet). minit : string


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After 2 facelifts, my mouth area is too low on my face, the mouth is protruding and downward, and does not feel "supported," as it did before. The surgeon tightened under the cheek "in a more proximal plane," in an attempt to lift the mouth, which only seemed to worsen that area. Could a large amount of fillers, including fat transfers, lift the mouth area? If not, what kind of surgery do you think might help most -- a cheek lift or vertical-type of facelift ?
How Much Can Fillers Lift a Mouth Area? (photo)
Doctor Answers 2
Fillers can help lift the corners of the mouth
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Fillers can help lift the corners of the mouth, but the results vary form person to person. In many individuals, the muscles around the mouth actually pull the lip corners down. This can be improved by using Botox or Xeomin to counteract these muscles
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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Ballerini, Laura, Enrico Bracci, and Andrea Nistri. Pharmacological block of the electrogenic sodium pump disrupts rhythmic bursting induced by strychnine and bicuculline in the neonatal rat spinal cord. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 17–23, 1997. The cellular mechanisms underlying rhythmic bursts induced in the isolated neonatal rat spinal cord by bath application of strychnine and bicuculline (which block glycine- and γ-aminobutyric acid-A-receptor-mediated inhibition, respectively) were probed with pharmacological tools. Such spontaneous bursts were recorded either intracellularly from lumbar motoneurons or extracellularly from ventral roots. As previously described, these network-driven events consisted of large-amplitude depolarizations arising abruptly from baseline with a highly regular period (on average 28 s). Burst episodes (lasting on average 7 s) comprised several oscillations and appeared synchronously on flexor and extensor motoneuron pools of both sides of the spinal cord. Their diffuse location made convenient to use bath-applied substances in the attempt to selectively block distinct membrane processes operating through the network. Application of apamin (0.4 μM) shortened both cycle period and burst duration without changing their regular rhythmicity. Similar results were obtained with carbachol (10 μM). Cs+ (4 mM) reversibly hyperpolarized the motoneuron membrane potential and largely increased burst duration, which was characterized by a long series of repetitive oscillatory waves. Cycle period and rhythmicity remained unaltered. Ouabain (10 μM), strophanthidin (4 μM), or K+-free solutions disrupted rhythmic bursting, which was fragmented into irregularly occurring paroxysmal activity mixed with short depolarizing events, still developing simultaneously on both sides of the spinal cord. Bursting activity eventually ceased after ∼30–40 min of application of ouabain or strophanthidin. Prolonged washout of strophanthidin or K+-free solutions reestablished regular bursting patterns, whereas no recovery from ouabain was observed. At the time of strong depression of bursting, it was still possible to evoke bursts by single electrical pulses applied to the segmental dorsal root. Antidromic spikes of motoneurons could still be evoked by ventral root stimulation. These results demonstrate that, in a spinal bursting network mainly made up by excitatory processes, blockers of slow Ca2+-dependent K+ currents, such as apamin or carbachol, or of the slow inward rectifier, such as Cs+, did not suppress rhythmicity, suggesting that these conductances simply contributed to control cycle period and/or burst duration. Conversely, pharmacological blockers of the electrogenic Na+ pump such as ouabain, strophanthidin, or K+-free solutions severely disrupted all characteristics of rhythmic bursting. It is proposed that the operation of the electrogenic Na+ pump of premotoneurons was a crucial element for rhythmic bursting.
Rhythmic bursts of activity can be experimentally observed in vertebrate spinal neurons, both in vivo and in vitro, and are presumably related to the generation of rhythmic motor patterns such as locomotion or scratching (for review see Rossignol and Dubuc 1994). Much effort has been spent in clarifying the cellular and network properties responsible for these rhythmic patterns with the use of a variety of experimental preparations. In the fictive swimming of the lamprey or tadpole spinal cord, reciprocal inhibition [mediated by glycine and/or γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)] between antagonist pools of neurons activated by excitatory transmitters represents an essential mechanism for rhythmogenesis (Dale 1995; Grillner et al. 1991). In the rat spinal cord the intrinsic pacemaker properties of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-sensitive neurons have been proposed to play a role in rhythmogenesis (Hochman et al. 1994).
Recent experiments on the neonatal rat spinal cord in vitro have indicated that pharmacological block of glycinergic and GABAergic inhibition elicits spontaneous network-driven rhythmic bursts (dependent on activation of non-NMDA glutamate receptors) that, unlike those of fictive locomotion, appear synchronously in all lumbar motoneurons (Bracci et al. 1996a). These spontaneous bursts are longer and slower than those observed during fictive locomotion induced by NMDA or serotonin (Cazalets et al. 1992), although they become as fast as those of fictive locomotion after application of the same drugs (Bracci et al. 1996a,b). In the presence of strychnine and bicuculline, rhythmic activity is likely to be generated by mechanisms different from reciprocal inhibition (because the main inhibitory processes are blocked) and from NMDA-dependent pacemaker neurons (because it can persist in the presence of NMDA receptor antagonists) (Bracci et al. 1996a). In view of the fact that suppression of chloride-mediated inhibition provides a simplification of spinal circuits, it seems interesting to study the cellular mechanisms that allow the network to express rhythmic bursting.
With the use of pharmacological tools to target membrane sites of network neurons in an isolated spinal cord preparation, the present work probes conductance mechanisms that might allow generation of rhythmic bursting in the disinhibited spinal cord. To this end we have examined the potential role of 1) the Ca2+-sensitive K+ conductance(s) that are gradually activated during a burst in the lamprey spinal cord (El Manira et al. 1994); 2) the slow inward rectifier conductance, which is important in phasing thalamocortical oscillations (McCormick and Pape 1990); 3) the electrogenic Na+ pump, which produces a long-lasting hyperpolarization of hippocampal neurons during recovery from glutamate-induced depolarization (Thompson and Prince 1986) and the electrogenic activity of which is required for spacing bursts induced by NMDA on midbrain neurons (Johnson et al. 1992). The present data provide for the first time evidence that in the absence of synaptic inhibition the activity of the electrogenic Na+ pump plays an important role in spinal rhythmogenesis.
Experiments were carried out on spinal cord preparations isolated from neonatal rats (4–9 day old) under urethan anesthesia (6 ml ip of 10% wt/vol solution) as described previously (Ballerini et al. 1995; Fisher and Nistri 1993). Spinal cords (from the midthoracic region to the cauda equina) were continuously superfused at 7.5 ml/min with oxygenated Krebs solution of the following composition (in mM): 113 NaCl, 4.5 KCl, 1 MgCl2, 2 CaCl2, 1 NaH2PO4, 25 NaHCO3, and 11 glucose, pH 7.4. Dorsal and ventral root stimulations were performed via a miniature suction electrode with the use of stimuli 0.1 ms in duration, 1.5–2 times threshold intensity (2–5 V) for the shortest-latency synaptic response. For root recordings, lumbar ventral roots (predominantly L5, although L2 or L3 were also used) were connected to miniature suction electrodes filled with Krebs solution. For intracellular recordings, lumbar (L4 or L5) motoneurons (functionally identified on the basis of their antidromic spike) were impaled with 3 M KCl-filled microelectrodes (30–60 MΩ) under current-clamp conditions (either in bridge or discontinuous current-clamp mode at ∼2 kHz). Motoneuron resting membrane potential was −74 ± 7 (SD) mV (n = 15). Responses were amplified with an Axoclamp 2A unit, stored on video tape for further analysis, digitized at 1–10 kHz with pCLAMP program (Axon Instruments; version 6.2), and displayed on a chart recorder. Ventral root responses were recorded with either DC-coupled (usually with 30-kHz low-pass filter) or AC-coupled (100 Hz–10 kHz pass band) amplification. An additional 20-Hz low-pass filter was sometimes used. Details concerning the definition of bursts and their measurement (duration and frequency) are as previously reported (Bracci et al. 1996a); cycle period was measured from the start of a burst to the beginning of the next one. Data are expressed as means ± SD with statistical significance evaluated with analysis of variance. The following drugs (applied via the bathing solution) were used: bicuculline methiodide (Sigma); strychnine nitrate (Sigma); apamin (Alomone Labs); carbachol (Sigma); ouabain (Sigma); and strophanthidin (Sigma).
Data were collected from 39 spinal cord preparations recorded either intracellularly from single motoneurons or extracellularly from one or two homologous ventral roots in the presence of strychnine (1 μM) and bicuculline (20 μM). Under these conditions network-driven rhythmic bursts characterized by intraburst oscillations developed simultaneously in motoneurons of the lumbar segments within ∼10 min (Bracci et al. 1996a). DC-coupled ventral root recordings were able to monitor potential changes in the motoneuron pool, which closely resembled those recorded intracellularly (compare Fig. 1, A and B, and Fig. 2, A and B). AC-coupled ventral root recordings were also suitable for detecting burst and intraburst oscillation frequency and duration (see Fig. 6). On average, in the presence of strychnine and bicuculline, burst frequency was 28 ± 5 s and burst duration was 7.2 ± 1.8 s. The relatively slow periodicity and long duration of bursts raised the question of the mechanism(s) responsible for their onset, maintainance, and termination. To examine this issue, it seemed useful to apply pharmacological blockers selective against membrane conductances or transport processes operating at network level.
Effects of apamin
Because in the lamprey spinal cord apamin, a selective blocker of the slow Ca2+-activated K+ conductance (Sah 1996), prolongs cycle period and duration of bursts induced by NMDA (El Manira et al. 1994), it seemed of interest to test the action of this substance (0.4 μM) on bursting in the disinhibited spinal cord. This treatment was performed in six preparations, examples of which are illustrated with either intracellular (Fig. 1 A) or extracellular recording from left and right L5 ventral roots (Fig. 1 B): unlike the case of the lamprey spinal cord, in all preparations tested apamin largely decreased cycle period and burst duration (on average by 46 ± 10% and 47 ± 14%, respectively; P < 0.001), as also illustrated by the histograms in Fig. 3 A. Expanded timebase tracings in Fig. 1, A, right, and B, right, show that intraburst oscillations persisted even if their number was usually diminished because of reduction in burst duration (Fig. 1, A and B). In the presence of apamin, bursts and intraburst oscillations still appeared synchronously in left and right L5 ventral roots (Fig. 1 B). The effects of apamin (which were not reversible for >2 h of washout) were not associated with any change in motoneuron resting membrane potential, as indicated by intracellular experiments (n = 3). Other pharmacological agents able to block slow Ca2+-activated K+ conductances are muscarinic agonists (Schwindt et al. 1988; Storm 1990). Carbachol (10 μM) was tested on the rhythmic pattern of the disinhibited spinal cord. Pooled data (see histograms in Fig. 3 B) indicate that this agent significantly (P < 0.001) reduced cycle period (by 64 ± 16%) and burst duration (by 55 ± 19%; n = 5) in a manner analogous to that observed with apamin. It is unclear whether any intrinsic cholinergic drive might be modulating rhythmic activity: further experiments in which anticholinesterase inhibitors are used may provide a clue to this question. The present results thus suggest that in the rat spinal cord block of slow Ca2+-activated K+ conductances accelerated bursting without changing its intrinsic characteristics. It therefore appeared necessary to perform further tests aimed at identifying mechanisms essential for burst generation.
Effects of cesium application
Rhythmic bursting in thalamic relay neurons depends on the activation of an inward rectifier selectively blocked by Cs+ (McCormick and Pape 1990). This monovalent cation (4 mM) was then tested on rhythmic bursting of the rat spinal cord as illustrated in Fig. 2 A with recordings from one L5 ventral root. Although burst frequency was unaffected by this agent, burst duration was significantly increased, as shown also with the faster timebase responses in Fig. 2 A, right. Individual oscillations became gradually longer within the burst episode, whereas they had similar duration before the application of Cs+. The action of Cs+ was reversed after 20 min of washout (see Fig. 2 A, bottom). Similar effects were also detected with intracellular recording (Fig. 2 B; different preparation from A), which indicated that Cs+ increased burst duration by 80%. In this cell Cs+ application caused a resting membrane potential hyperpolarization of 9 mV. Neither repolarizing (via intracellular current injection) the cell to its initial resting potential (−70 mV) nor depolarization up to −55 mV membrane potential changed the action of Cs+ on burst duration (not shown). Similar results were obtained from eight preparations with either intracellular (n = 3) or ventral root recordings (n = 5). On average, burst duration was increased to 170 ± 47% of control (P < 0.001), whereas burst cycle period remained unaffected, as illustrated by the histograms in Fig. 3 C. In intracellular recordings, Cs+ application produced an average hyperpolarization of 7 ± 4 mV. Although these findings outline a contribution of a Cs+-sensitive inward current to the control of burst length, it seems that the predominant mechanism responsible for burst generation remained elusive. One possibility worth exploring was the role of the electrogenic Na+ pump, because this process is essential for the intrinsic rhythmicity of nigral neurons (Johnson et al. 1992). A recent modeling study (Li et al. 1996) has also indicated that such a pump activity would be important to support simulated bursting. It was therefore decided to test three different methods to block such a pump activity, namely application of ouabain or strophanthidin or omission of extracellular K+ (Glynn 1993; Horisberger et al. 1991) on spinal bursting.
Pharmacological inhibition of the electrogenic Na+ pump
Figure 4 illustrates the effects of ouabain (10 μM) on an intracellularly recorded motoneuron. In this example, in the presence of strychnine and bicuculline, the resting membrane potential was −70 mV and spontaneous bursts took place at regular intervals (Fig. 4, top). Single antidromic stimulation (during quiescent periods) evoked an action potential with an amplitude of 75 mV (Fig. 4, right). Such a stimulation did not influence subsequent bursts. After a latency of ∼5 min from the start of the ouabain application, the motoneuron membrane potential slowly depolarized and, after 15 min in the presence of ouabain, it reached −64 mV, when bursts appeared irregularly and had highly variable duration, because events lasting tens of seconds coexisted with short discharges (see Fig. 4, middle). At this stage a full antidromic spike could still be evoked, although it was of reduced amplitude (63 mV) owing to depolarization (see Fig. 4, right middle). After 20 min of application (see Fig. 4, bottom), the motoneuron membrane potential declined to −50 mV and the antidromic spike amplitude was 38 mV. This phase was characterized by long quiescent periods that were interrupted by spontaneous bursts of irregular duration so infrequently as to make impractical any quantitative analysis of residual events (not shown). To check the viability of the spinal network under these conditions, dorsal root stimuli (of intensity sufficient to activate polysynaptic pathways) were delivered during quiescent periods and were found to evoke long-lasting bursts similar to the ones appearing spontaneously, as illustrated in Fig. 4, bottom. Further exposure to ouabain slowly led to suppression of electrical excitability. Similar results were obtained from eight spinal cord preparations recorded either intracellularly (n = 4) or extracellularly from left and right L5 ventral roots (n = 4), in which, in the presence of ouabain, irregular bursts appeared synchronously (not shown). These effects could not be reversed on ouabain washout.
Analogous data were obtained with bath application of strophanthidin (4 μM), another selective blocker of the electrogenic sodium pump, as illustrated by simultaneous recordings from left and right L5 ventral roots in Fig. 5. After a latency of 6–10 min from the beginning of strophanthidin application, regular rhythmic bursts (induced by strychnine and bicuculline; see Fig. 5, top pair of traces for control condition) were gradually converted into chaotic activity (shown at 30 min in Fig. 5, middle pair of traces), characterized by bursts of variable duration and unpredictable onset, similar to those observed in the presence of ouabain. Like the case of regular bursts observed in the presence of strychnine and bicuculline only (Fig. 5, top pair of traces), even this chaotic activity (Fig. 5, middle pair of traces) appeared synchronously in left and right ventral roots. Further exposure (40 min) to strophanthidin brought about nearly complete suppression of bursting even if dorsal root stimulation elicited bursts of variable duration (not shown). Recovery from strophanthidin was observed, albeit extremely slowly; regular rhythmicity returned only after 2–3 h of washout (Fig. 5, bottom pair of traces). Similar results were obtained in four preparations in which ventral root recording was preferred to intracellular recording to perform continuous long-lasting monitoring of burst suppression and recovery.
When normal Krebs solution was replaced by K+-free solution (n = 4 or n = 3 preparations for extra- or intracellular recording, respectively), changes in the spontaneous bursting pattern (evoked by strychnine and bicuculline) started after ∼20 min and developed fully after 40–60 min, as exemplified in Fig. 6 A for an AC-coupled recording from L5 right ventral root. Large control bursts (Fig. 6 A, top) were converted into short episodes of variable amplitude and interposed with small and brief spontaneous events without any ordered pattern (Fig. 6 A, middle). Return to control solution (with strychnine and bicuculline) gradually reestablished bursting patterns after 40 min of washout (Fig. 6 A, bottom). Figure 6 B shows similar changes developing in an intracellularly recorded motoneuron (resting potential −72 mV) in which the regular bursting pattern was replaced by irregular activity of shorter duration and with spontaneous fluctuations in baseline potential (−81 mV at rest). Recovery required very long washout periods (>40 min) ,which compromised intracellular recording stability.
These results demonstrate the similarity of the effects observed after application of ouabain, strophanthidin, or K+-free solution.
The principal finding of the present investigation is the novel demonstration that regular bursts generated by an excitatory network were converted into chaotic paroxysmal activity after pharmacological block of the electrogenic Na+ pump by ouabain, strophanthidin, or K+-free solution. Pharmacological block of inward rectifier or of Ca2+-dependent K+ conductances resulted in modifications of burst frequency and/or burst duration, while in both cases regular rhythmicity persisted.
Characteristics of spinal bursts
In the neonatal rat spinal cord, pharmacological block of inhibition converts the alternating flexor-extensor and left-right activity of fictive locomotion (induced by serotonin and/or NMDA) into patterns characterized by bilateral synchronous rhythmic activity (Cowley and Schmidt 1995). Coapplication of strychnine and bicuculline to the same preparation in control solution elicits highly synchronous spontaneous bursting generated by a premotoneuronal network via α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-sensitive glutamate receptors (Bracci et al. 1996a). These data thus demonstrate that rhythmicity does not necessarily depend on inhibitory (glycinergic and GABAergic) interactions. What are the mechanisms responsible for such a regular bursting? To answer this question, we bath applied pharmacological agents while recording from motoneurons, which can be considered as the output elements of the rhythm-generating interneuronal network.
Role of apamin-sensitive conductances
In the lamprey spinal cord membrane potential oscillations are due to a dynamic interplay between depolarizing and hyperpolarizing conductances, one of which, namely the apamin-sensitive Ca2+-dependent K+ one, plays a major role in burst termination (El Manira et al. 1994), although its function in controlling fictive swimming remains controversial (Meer and Buchanan 1992). Rat lumbar motoneurons also possess a sustained Ca2+-dependent K+ current (Takahashi 1990a). In the present study apamin significantly decreased cycle period and burst duration, suggesting that apamin-sensitive conductances were not the main burst-terminating factor. Carbachol, which is supposed to block the slow Ca2+-dependent K+ current (Sah 1996; Schwindt et al. 1988), induced analogous effects. The effects of apamin or carbachol might result from a mere boost in network excitability due to reduction in spike frequency adaptation, which enhances the repetitive firing behavior within the network itself. In fact, increasing network excitability via application of other agents such as serotonin or NMDA has similar accelerating effects (Bracci et al. 1996a,b).
Role of cesium-sensitive conductances
Neonatal rat motoneurons possess a slowly developing inward current evoked by hyperpolarization (inward rectifier) that is reversibly abolished by external application of Cs+ (Takahashi 1990b). This current contributes to maintaining motoneuron resting membrane potential relatively depolarized (Takahashi 1990b; note also hyperpolarization induced by Cs+ in the present study). An analogous current has been found in cat thalamic relay neurons, where it is responsible for intrinsic membrane potential oscillations (McCormick and Pape 1990). In the rat spinal cord, blockade of inward rectifier current by Cs+ significantly increased burst duration and the number of intraburst oscillations. Conversely, burst frequency was unaffected by Cs+. These data suggest that inward rectifier currents were not essential for rhythmic burst generation and for intraburst oscillations. The observation that Cs+ affected burst duration but not burst frequency suggests that distinct mechanisms are responsible for burst triggering and for burst maintenance, the latter being at least in part controlled by slow inward rectifiers.
Role of the electrogenic sodium pump
In hippocampal neurons prolonged glutamate application causes a large-amplitude depolarization followed by a profound hyperpolarization that persists for tens of seconds and is generated by the electrogenic Na+ pump, which reestablishes the normal Na+ and K+ gradients (Thompson and Prince 1986). Bursts observed in the disinhibited spinal cord are characterized by motoneuron depolarizations comparable (in amplitude and duration) with those induced by exogenous glutamate in hippocampal neurons. Intracellular recordings from motoneurons have, however, revealed that these bursts were not followed by hyperpolarization. One possibility is that the electrogenic Na+ Ca2+ exchanger (see Friedman et al. 1992) masked the motoneuron hyperpolarization, although lack of selective inhibitors of this process makes it difficult to study it directly. Because of the high sensitivity of this exchanger to membrane potential (Blaustein 1988), its contribution, if any, to the burst decay recorded from a motoneuron might be expected to be limited to the slowest and shallowest depolarizing component. We rather favor the view that the lack of hyperpolarization might be explained by the large volume-to-surface ratio of motoneurons, which allows these cells to generate strong electrical signals with relatively small changes in internal ionic concentrations. In spinal interneurons the volume-to-surface ratio is smaller, however (because of their reduced soma diameter) (Lev-Tov and O'Donovan 1995). Thus burst depolarization (presumably mediated by glutamate) (Bracci et al. 1996a) might cause a significant dissipation of interneuronal ionic gradients, leading to sustained operation of the electrogenic Na+ pump, although this phenomenon would not be measurable with intracellular recordings from motoneurons. The hyperpolarizing current resulting from electrogenic Na+ extrusion might take interneurons below threshold for bursting, thus terminating network excitation for several seconds. Although this mechanism has not been demonstrated before in the spinal cord, an analogy may be drawn from the crucial pacemaking role of the electrogenic Na+ pump in the intrinsic bursting activity of midbrain dopaminergic neurons (Johnson et al. 1992). To test the applicability of this notion to bursting of the disinhibited spinal cord, we selectively blocked the electrogenic sodium pump during rhythmic bursting by bath application of ouabain, strophanthidin, or K+-free solution (Glynn 1993; Horisberger et al. 1991). In all cases, highly regular rhythmicity was lost and the network generated irregular bursting synchronously in both sides of the cord, suggesting that side-to-side connections were functionally intact under these conditions. Ouabain or strophanthidin quickly converted rhythms into chaotic behavior characterized by irregular appearance of long-lasting bursts and short discharges. In both cases a single pulse to the segmental dorsal root (during quiescent periods) evoked a paroxismal burst lasting >1 min, thus showing that the spinal pathways were apparently functional in the presence of these agents. Moreover, ventral root stimulation was able to evoke a motoneuronal antidromic action potential even after 20 min of drug application. Although ouabain effects were irreversible (Canessa et al. 1992), during strophanthidin washout bursting activity slowly returned to a regular rhythm. K+-free experiments gave similar results, although with much slower onset (>40 min), presumably due to the buffering ability of spinal cells that can long counteract depletion of extracellular K+ (Czèh et al. 1988). A comparably slower action of the K+-free solutions versus ouabain in blocking a delayed hyperpolarization of spinal neurons mediated by the Na+ pump activity has also been observed by Davidoff and Hackman (1980). In the present study, after 1 h of exposure to K+-free solution, bursts were converted into single discharges of variable amplitude, lacking any intraburst structure and appearing at irregular intervals. These findings strengthen the observations obtained with ouabain or strophanthidin because they make unlikely any nonspecific action common to addition of blockers as well as to removal of an extracellular ion. These observations are therefore consistent with the view that the Na+ pump played a crucial role in pacing bursts. Nevertheless, it is currently unclear whether inhibition of the Na+ pump had a direct or indirect action in burst disruption, because secondary effects due to accumulation of internal Na+ with alterations in transmembrane gradients for other ions such as Ca2+ could also play a role. In summary, then, the operation of the electrogenic Na+ pump appeared to be necessary to ensure slow rhythmicity in the absence of synaptic inhibition.
This work was supported by a project grant from Telethon-Italy (Grant n.823), by a network grant of the Human Capital and Mobility Programme from the European Union, and by research grants from Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche to A. Nistri.
Address for reprint requests: L. Ballerini, Biophysics Laboratory, International School for Advanced Studies, via Beirut 2-4, 34014 Trieste, Italy.


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Are you having trouble staying positive even when you know you should?
If so, I'm your lady. I'm Sarah Yost. I cultivate a positive life and help others do the same. Yet sometimes I want to take positivity and stab it in the eyeball.
I'm an experienced and devoted Master Certified Life Coach. I teach for the amazing Life Coach School. I haven't taken a drink or drug since 1993. I also have a BA in Creative Writing, hold certifications in massage therapy, yoga, meditation, and through 2 highly regarded life coaching schools.
I'm telling you–I know this stuff. I've transformed my life more than once, overcome major addictions, let go of deep-seated phobias and resentments. I've walked hundreds of women to the same freedom.
Even so, knowing "the right thing" to do, believe and feel creates so much shame and confusion. When I told myself I was responsible for my own happiness, I stayed in bad relationships because I thought the other person "couldn't make me unhappy." While trying to force myself into self imposed grit-my-teeth-and-focus-on-the-positive happiness, I should have been slinging a hearty "fuck off."
It's true. We are always responsible for our own happiness. But ignoring other people's behavior is not the Shameless way to do it.
What Would a Shameless Woman Do?
A Shameless woman knows what she wants and goes for it.
She is powerful and has no need for power struggles.
People call her a bitch but she doesn't care.
Nice girls don't get it done. The Shameless woman does.
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The curriculum is a distillation of the very best practices I know after 23 years of intense study and practice.
Live as Shamelessly as You Dare
If this sounds good to you, the next step is to sign up for a free mini-session.
This is how you'll know if we're a good fit for each other. I'll talk to you a little bit about what you're struggling with and tell you about the Shameless U program. This way you'll experience the power of coaching and decide if this program is the answer for you. If we're a good fit, we'll go for it.
I work with clients on the phone because it's more convenient. We can be anywhere in the world and still work together. I also like the intimacy that being on the phone creates. I also do some support between sessions via text and email. I will personalize the Shameless U curriculum for you with specific challenges and assignments to ensure you meet your goals.


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Rising star camp a success
Another successful year of the 16 annual Rising Star Summer Camp has ended. Here is the link to this year's Rising Star Summer Camp slideshow. The password is "risingstar"
The Rising Star summer camp is a community-based collaboration among local school districts, the Nassau County District Attorney's office and Molloy College. The program has been in existence since 1998 and enjoys an excellent reputation among the participating school districts, parents and Molloy College students.
The program offers Molloy College students an opportunity to work directly with New York state-certified teachers and the children. College students are assigned to designated children and spend the summer as a mentor, coach and teacher in areas of academics, creative arts, sports and off-campus trips.
The Rising Star summer camp is in session for five weeks during July and August, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Contact Us
Have questions about anything here? Feel free to drop us a quick note!
Of course, feel free to Contact Us.Office of Experiential Learning
1079 Hempstead Avenue Rockville Centre, New York 11570


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Contact Info
Corpus Christi, TX 78408
- Category:
- Hotel
- Location:
- The Econo Lodge and Suites hotel in Corpus Christi, TX, near Texas State Aquarium, is an easy stop on the road.
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The Econo Lodge® & Suites hotel is conveniently located just two miles from the American Bank Center multi-purpose facility, home of the Selena Auditorium. This Corpus Christi, TX hotel is minutes from the Texas State Aquarium, the Padre Island National Seashore, the Corpus Christi Dog Track and Mustang Island State Park.
Additional nearby points of interest include:
- Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
- Del Mar College
- Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
- Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens& Nature Center
Visitors will enjoy being near scenic Shoreline Drive, many authentic seafood restaurants and several museums. Enjoy driving the loop of beaches from beginning to end, which takes about a total of two hours.
Ride a ferry boat, stroll on natural beaches, visit artist communities, do some deep-sea fishing or cruise away into the sunset. The Port of Corpus Christi and the downtown city center are also nearby.
Start each morning with a delicious free continental breakfast, complete with hot Belgian waffles. Relax and soak up the Texas sun at the outdoor pool and hot tub. If fitness is an interest, guests can workout in the fitness room or walk out onto the beach. Additional amenities include free weekday newspapers and free local calls.
Staying at this Corpus Christi< TX hotel will ease business concerns. Corporate travelers will appreciate conveniences like free high-speed Internet access, in-room desks and two telephones. A modern, stylish business center is available near the main hotel lobby.
There is a room and a rate for everyone. All guest rooms come equipped with microwaves, refrigerators, irons, ironing boards, cable television, hair dryers, coffee makers and ceiling fans. In addition to standard amenities, guests will appreciate the vibrant colors and stylish furnishings in all rooms. One-room suites have sofa sleepers, executive desks and whirlpool bathtubs. Non-smoking, connecting and handicap accessible rooms are available.
Groups and families alike will love having plenty of free parking, the close proximity to most area attractions, superior accommodations and affordable rates. Laundry facilities are located on the property for added guest convenience.
Whether traveling for business or pleasure, make your reservations at the Econo Lodge & Suites hotel today. We are the perfect hotel for anyone visiting the Corpus Christi area. Our friendly staff looks forward to seeing you soon.
Additional Details:
Map + Directions
Basic Directions
I-37 to Corpus Christi - exit N Port Ave. Hotel at first light


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
July 9, 2012
The Week in Quotes
July 2-July 8
"It will be an honor. That guy is unbelievable. He is 19 years old. That says it all for itself. It's almost to where I'm going to use his line, 'That's a clown question, bro.' If you have a kid like that in the All-Star Game I think it's well-deserved to have him right next to you."
"Well I'll say this: Doc was the best pitcher I ever had at that age, and Harper's the best position player I ever had at that age. But they're both very special. It's fun to watch them go out there and watch them express their talent. It's just really fun from my viewpoint. You never know quite what you're going to expect but you know it's going to be special."
"It was up and down all week, up and down from the beginning of the all-star voting. I was just excited Chipper [Jones] got in and David Freese got in there. I don't think anybody was going to really miss me. They have a lot of big-leaguers and whatnot there, so I don't think the fans would have been upset me not being there."
"It's definitely a tough decision. It's one that we spent quite a few days kind of mulling over. But in the end, I think it's best for the team and best for myself to take the rest. I would hate to be two, three weeks down the road and something happened and I didn't take the four days to rest my body and put the team first."
"Risking something for the All-Star Game [when the team] could possibly down the road [be] playing in the playoffs or in meaningful baseball towards the end of the season — the cons just outweighed the pros. I think going to the [Kansas City] and hanging that piece of steak in front of your face and not being able to eat it just would add insult to injury."
"I was pretty much just embarrassed by how it happened, and it kind of put us in a tough situation, the whole team. The relievers have no plans—that happens once a year, where a reliever has to get ready in the first inning if something happening. But you're never completely ready for it. I put Livan in a tough situation, and he did the best he could. It kind of put everyone on our whole entire team in a bad situation today, and then Wandy went out and pitched really good himself. So that made it tough, too."
—Bobby Valentine on former Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald, who was claimed off waivers by the rival Yankees. Apparently McDonald was "one of the guys who knew the signs" when he was with Boston. So Bobby, some Red Sox don't know the signs? Raise your hand if you're confused. (Jack Curry, @JackCurryYES, YES Network)
—Michael Schur's reaction to the trade that sent Carlos Lee to Miami for a pair of prospects. (Michael Schur, @KenTremendous)
—Oliver Perez has returned to the big leagues with some success, striking out nine batters in as many innings and pitching to a 3.00 ERA out of Seattle's bullpen. Perez was once a rising star for the Pirates and given that he's still only 30, some team may actually take a chance on him. (Jeff Passan, @JeffPassan, Yahoo! Sports)
—Anthony Gose, often considered the second fastest runner in the minor leagues, recognizes that he couldn't beat out Billy Hamilton in a foot race. (Jonathan Mayo, @JonathanMayoB3, MLB.com)
"I'm flattered to go to this year's All-Star Game with this being my last year and my last opportunity to do so," Jones said. "But I'm more excited for my boys, because this is the first that they're going to and I can't wait to see the look in their eyes when they see balls sailing out of the ballpark in the [Home Run Derby]. … I'm going to be a kid in a candy store carrying four other kids in a candy store."
Jonah Birenbaum is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
6 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Micah Owings has identified a key market inefficiency. I want to see tandem Loogy/Roogy at 1b & Sp. box score would look like
Jul 09, 2012 05:50 AM
Hudson Belinsky. Any relation to the great Bo Belinsky?
Jul 09, 2012 10:14 AM
So Owings wants to create "an entirely new position"? And what will we call this position? -- "Brooks Kieschnick"?
Jul 09, 2012 13:46 PM
Richard Bergstrom
"The thing is, people need to know baseball is not something you go to the drugstore and buy." - Ortiz
Jul 10, 2012 08:45 AM
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Directions: Please provide responses to questions below. Please use proper APA citation for any resources that you use. Your responses should be 1 to 2 paragraphs in length for each question.
1. It is often recommended that, when using content analysis as a method of research, a research team use multiple coders. What is the purpose of multiple coders in content analysis? What problem could be created when using multiple coders? How might one deal with the problem?
2. Are there any ethical concerns with the use of nonreactive research? How are ethical concerns different for nonreactive research than other types of research?
3. Validity is a major concern for researchers when using existing statistics and secondary data analysis. Explain three problems with validity when conducting existing statistics research.
4. Although using existing statistics can bring a wealth of quality research, one has to be mindful of reliability issues. Discuss some of the issues of reliability when using existing statistics.
5. What is Krippendorff's Alpha? When and why is it used in non-reactive research?
6. What is secondary data analysis? What are existing statistics? How is secondary data analysis different from the use of existing statistics? Give an example of each method not discussed in class or in the text.
7. Many lobbying groups use the findings from content analysis of television programs to make inferences about the state of American culture (the degradation of American values, etc.). Given what you have learned about content analysis, is this an inappropriate use of content analysis findings? Why or why not?
8. How variables will be coded is a primary concern when a researcher utilizes content analysis as a research method. Discuss coding in content analysis. What is the difference between manifest and latent coding?
9. Describe three ways a researcher can summarize the central tendency of a variable. Explain how each measure of central tendency is calculated and is different from other measures of central tendency.
10. Explain why a researcher uses a codebook. How does a codebook set the stage for accurate data analysis?
11. Describe three univariate statistics. Use a unique example to illustrate your comprehension of univariate statistics.
12. Why is knowing the variability (e.g., standard deviation) of a variable just as important as knowing its central tendency?
13. Discuss the concept of control as it is used in trivariate analysis. In what ways is it similar to or different from control in experiments?
14. What does the statement "It is statistically significant at the .10 level" mean? Is a Type I or Type II error more likely if a .05 level had been used? Explain.
15. Explain the difference among the three measures of variation: range, percentiles, and standard deviation.
16. Explain what content analysis is, and what types of research questions it can address. Please be specific. Then, note what issues might arise in relation to validity and reliability.
Directions:This course contains a research paper. In each module, you will work on an element of the research paper and then will submit the final research paper in Module 8. In this module, you will write the body of your research paper.
Step #1: After creating your outline in Module 4 and your survey in Module 5 (see below), you will now write the body of the research paper. Your body paragraphs should be about 3 to 4 pages in length using proper APA format.
Module 4
It is true that women are assigned lower rank roles and earn much less than men when assigned similar roles in the society regardless of ability and as a result are rank lower than men in educational, economic and professional achievement. In the following points we continue to explore further this condition and give further details about the same.
Employers tend to have a preformed mentality to the effect that women have an inferior role in the eventual business venture.
The diverse functions given to women and men in organizations give healthier explanation to gender distinction, incorporating the sexual distribution of manual labor in the family unit. According to King, women have been alienated for a long time and categorized as other individuals who may not be fundamental in patriarchal cultures. As a consequence, women are therefore deemed to be sheer objects in addition to being denied the prospect for self-realization attributable to the few chances and opportunities they get hold of in jobs (King, 2001).
In addition, other feminist writers give historical and temporary participation in resistance movement. Elsewhere, Saba Mahmood challenges Western secular feminism's reliance on liberal understandings of autonomy in its characterization of Islamic religious women as duped (Mahmood, 2005).
Other writers argue that women are rendered as invisible and the efforts of white women trying to save brown women are dominant in some countries where women are disregarded. In complex ways Western feminists are complicit with and reinforce conservative political aggressions.
For a long time, women have been cut off from the confidential sphere of diverse family units and, subsequently, are left voiceless in matters that relate to the public sphere.
Due to this fact, marriage is a place of gender dissimilarity and subsequently, women rarely gain advantage from it as men do. Men do not have as many responsibilities as women in the marriage institution.
Without a doubt, wedded women have superior intensities of nervous tension than unmarried personalities. This is because wedded women have are permanently tied in the marriage institution as compared to unmarried personalities who still free even to get involved at the work place.
The sexual distribution of manual labor in the public along with private spheres ought to be changed so as the womenfolk can attain equal opportunity.
Some writers argue that the negative paradigm needs to be supplemented by a more generative theoretical framework, if feminists are to develop a fuller account of agency.
In the negative paradigm, the subject is understood in passive terms as an effect of discursive structures. This tends to overlook ideas of self-interpretation that introduce more active dimensions into understandings of subject formation and agency (Mcnay, 2003).
Furthermore, an unqualified notion of indeterminacy does not unpick the imbrication of relations of time and power that over determine agency.
Ultimately, structural accounts of subject formation need to be integrated more closely with hermeneutic perspectives of the self in order to understand better the complexities of agency in a post-traditional society (King, 2001).
Module 5
The Place of Women in the Society
This survey will look to answer the following questions:
Step #2: Remember to use proper APA citation.
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text:
by Margie Church
Special to the Star News
After a recent Elk River Park and Recreation Commission meeting, Chairman Dave Anderson beamed. Five area Boy Scouts had just delivered their presentations describing their Eagle Scout projects that collectively transformed the Woodland Trails winter walking trail system into a destination.
To earn Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts, each candidate must plan, develop and give leadership to a community-based service project. For their projects, these young men built a bridge, restored a prairie, built a trail, designed and installed mile markers on the Great Northern Trail, and built and installed signage throughout the winter walking trails.
None of this is done without careful planning, organization, fundraising and the cooperative magic that Anderson said always seems to happen when Scouts come knocking. He estimated the materials (much of it donated) and labor total to be well over $20,000.
The joy their efforts will bring to area citizens, he said, is priceless. Together, these represent projects 15 through 19 in the city of Elk River parks system that Anderson has mentored.
Oak savannah restored along trail
Ryan Larson, of Troop 111, chose to restore a portion of the oak savannah along the Great Northern Trail. In the middle of the 20th century, the forests along the Great Northern Trail didn't exist. A prairie of grasses and flowers shouldered the railroad tracks. Grazing cattle kept the trees and brush down. When the cattle were removed, the trees and brush flourished, shading out the native plants. The idea with this service project was to reclaim a portion of that location by removing the buckthorn, poplar trees and other plants choking out the native plants.
Larson organized a huge crew in 2012 to cut down the trees and haul them to the area compost site. The stumps were treated to kill them and then cut out last spring. A controlled burn by the city of Elk River set new growth into motion. The site was over-seeded with little blue stem and other grasses that the forest had shaded out. This fall, the aspen regrowth was cut. Next spring, the site will be burned again.
"There were diverse remnants of forbs (herbaceous flowering plants) and grasses that needed the sun," Anderson said. "Once the light returned, the plant growth exploded. Ryan's service project will bring a lot of wistful smiles to those who remember how the area used to look."
Larson said he learned a lot from the project.
"I've had a great time and I've learned a lot about myself and about working with people, most of all," he said. "You can't do an Eagle project without people."
Great Northern Trail has new mile markers
Taylor Hecker is a member of Troop 378. He chose to construct and install mile markers on the Great Northern Trail. This was a complicated project from an engineering perspective. Cretex Materials Engineer John Kallemeyn worked with Hecker to construct the form and decide how to affix the numbers and letters so their impressions could be permanently cast into the monuments. They worked together to design a concrete mix, and Kallemeyn helped Hecker batch and pour the forms. A self-consolidating concrete was chosen because it needs no vibration to settle and provides a decorative finish.
"They used the latest technology in concrete," Anderson said.
Installation was really labor intensive. The soil along the Great Northern Trail is full of rocks that had to be dug out so the monument footings could be poured. Each monument and its footing weigh approximately 300 pounds.
"Thanks to Taylor's beautiful markers, anyone will be able to time how long it takes them to get from one mile to the next and know where they are," Anderson said.
Trail signs provide finishing touch
"Dylan Church's project is kind of the glue that holds everything together," Anderson said. "His trail signs are the finishing touches on the winter walking system."
Church is a member of Troop 99. He constructed and installed 15 signs throughout the 5-kilometer winter walking trails to provide visitors with way-finding signs and maps. He also installed new posts to replace old ones and unify the marking system. Until now, these did not exist, and Anderson said providing them was a natural evolution to the busy system. They also unify the other trail system identification at Woodland Trails.
Church relied on the generosity of the Elk River Sportsmans Club to fund his project, which ultimately far exceeded his needs. He donated the remaining funds to Ryan Herrboldt's project.
Bridge building was complex, expensive
Herrboldt, of Troop 111, chose to build a bridge across County Ditch 31.
"I offered this project to several Scouts in the past," Anderson said. "I never expected it to be built. I was amazed that Ryan wanted to tackle it. It was an extremely complex and expensive project."
Aspects of the bridge construction included hand-digging the holes for abutments, the first of which was 5 feet deep, and then the abutment forms were built and poured. Each of the two abutments is made with 8,000 pounds of concrete and 300 pounds of reinforcing steel. These were followed by setting three 2,000 pound I-beams by the city of Elk River.
Herrboldt then built the deck. Posts and railings will be installed by Herrboldt and his friends to complete the bridge. He oversaw the entire project, helping coordinate each aspect.
Herrboldt's project also required community effort. Jim Nystrom engineered the complex design, which the city of Elk River and Sherburne County had to approve. LeFebvre Companies transported the steel support beams from Kansas to Elk River, and then Cretex donated the concrete for the abutments and the steel I-beams.
The bridge was also quite expensive, and every Eagle Scout candidate is required to do their own fundraising. Herrboldt benefited from the generosity of several community individuals, including Chuck Larson and fellow Eagle Scout Church, who donated more than $600 from money remaining on his project.
Piano player tackled trail project
Anderson laughs when he recalls his first meeting with Blake La Vallee.
"I asked what his interests were, and he replied that he liked playing the piano," Anderson said. "I didn't have any Eagle Scout projects available that involved pianos. So, I offered him several different opportunities, and he chose the trail construction project."
La Vallee is also a member of Troop 99. He tackled a half-kilometer winter walking trail that runs from the trail head to the Great Northern Trail at the biathlon range. A tremendous amount of hard labor is involved with trail construction. He started with raw woods – cutting down and removing standing dead and live trees. Several other work sessions followed that, including removing downed trees, chopping roots, digging out boulders and hand-raking the entire trail.
"One of the hardest challenges was going through the whole trail and making everything smooth — taking out all of the roots and rocks," La Vallee said. Afterward, the city of Elk River brought in a skid steer to grind stumps and grade the trail approaches. La Vallee also dormant-seeded the new trail this fall to complete the work.
Anderson said, "His organization skills and attitude were terrific."
It's another piece of the puzzle; without Herrboldt's bridge, La Vallee's trail would have led to nowhere. La Vallee's efforts complete 5 kilometers of winter walking trails at Woodland Trails.
Anderson said he is eager to work with Eagle Scout candidates in the future.
"The projects will be a terrific learning experience, and they'll stand the test of time. Scouts can come back years from now and still see the fruits of their labor. I'm honored to have worked with all these young men and proud to see them achieve their Eagle Scout rank," Anderson said.


text:
Zull School, 1915-16
It was located in Gilead Twp. on what is now known as Hoopingarner Road.
Left to Right: First Row: Ray Peterson, Faye Peterson, Clare
Rubley, Charles Kyburz.
Second row: Fred Peterson, Duane Easterday, Arthur Thompson, Walter Weaver, Herschael Hughes.
Third Row: Bertha Mabrey, Carleton Weaver, Irene Schultz, Orpha Stull (teacher), Ross Rubley
Carl Peterson, Archie Byers, Alice Kyburz, Versal Michael.
Source: Permission obtained from
The Branch County Historical Society from their book
"History of Branch County, Vol. 2", ©1984, p. 129