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Graduate Studies Faculty
Mary Lou Vallano, PhD
Current Appointments
- Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology
Hospital Campus
- Downtown
Research Programs and Affiliations
- Biomedical Sciences Program
- Neuroscience Program
- Neuroscience and Physiology
- Physiology Program
Education & Fellowships
- Postdoctoral Fellow: Yale University School of Medicine
- PhD: Rutgers University, 1979
Research Interests
Neuronal survival and development.
Link to PubMed (Opens new window. Close the PubMed window to return to this page.)
Neuronal survival and development.
Modification of synaptic neurotransmission at glutamatergic synapses and activation of Ca2+-dependent second messenger systems contribute to the processes of learning and memory, neuronal survival and differentiation. In addition, these systems play important roles in the neuronal dysfunction that is observed following stroke and ischemia, focal epilepsies and Alzheimer's disease. Our research program was previously focused on analysis of the expression and functional responsiveness of distinct excitatory amino acid receptors (NMDA subtypes), modulation of responses by Ca+2-dependent protein kinases, and examination of the roles of these receptors and kinases in neuronal survival and differentiation.
*Note that I have transitioned from research to medical education and my laboratory is no longer functional. I am available to discuss these research idea with interested students, staff, and colleagues.
Selected Publications
Adams AC, Kyle M, Beaman-Hall CM, Monaco EA 3rd, Cullen M, Vallano ML. Microglia in Glia-Neuron Co-cultures Exhibit Robust Phagocytic Activity Without Concomitant Inflammation or Cytotoxicity. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2015 Oct;35(7):961-75. doi: 10.1007/s10571-015-0191-9. Epub 2015 Apr 18.PMID:25894384
Riordan MA, Kyle M, Dedeo C, Villwock MR, Bauer M, Vallano ML, Deshaies EM. Mild exercise reduces cerebral vasospasm after aneurysm subarachnoid hemorrhage: a retrospective clinical study and correlation with laboratory investigation. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2015;120:55-61. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-04981-6_10.PMID:25366600
Gerber AM, Beaman-Hall CM, Mathur A, Vallano ML. Reduced blockade by extracellular Mg(2+) is permissive to NMDA receptor activation in cerebellar granule neurons that model a migratory phenotype. J Neurochem. 2010 Jul;114(1):191-202. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.06746.x. Epub 2010 Apr 9.PMID:20403073
Bui CJ, McGann AC, Middleton FA, Beaman-Hall CM, Vallano ML. Transcriptional profiling of depolarization-dependent phenotypic alterations in primary cultures of developing granule neurons. Brain Res. 2006 Nov 13;1119(1):13-25. Epub 2006 Sep 20.PMID:16989786
Gerber AM, Vallano ML. Structural properties of the NMDA receptor and the design of neuroprotective therapies. Mini Rev Med Chem. 2006 Jul;6(7):805-15. Review.PMID:16842130
Vallano ML, Beaman-Hall CM, Bui CJ, Middleton FA. Depolarization and Ca(2+) down regulate CB1 receptors and CB1-mediated signaling in cerebellar granule neurons. Neuropharmacology. 2006 May;50(6):651-60. Epub 2006 Jan 18.PMID:16412482
Monaco EA 3rd, Vallano ML. Roscovitine triggers excitotoxicity in cultured granule neurons by enhancing glutamate release. Mol Pharmacol. 2005 Nov;68(5):1331-42. Epub 2005 Jul 28.PMID:16051748
Tremper-Wells B, Vallano ML. Nuclear calpain regulates Ca2+-dependent signaling via proteolysis of nuclear Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type IV in cultured neurons. J Biol Chem. 2005 Jan 21;280(3):2165-75. Epub 2004 Nov 10.PMID:15537635
Monaco EA 3rd, Vallano ML. Role of protein kinases in neurodegenerative disease: cyclin-dependent kinases in Alzheimer's disease. Front Biosci. 2005 Jan 1;10:143-59. Print 2005 Jan 1. Review.PMID:15574357
Choi JY, Beaman-Hall CM, Vallano ML. Granule neurons in cerebellum express distinct splice variants of the inositol trisphosphate receptor that are modulated by calcium. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2004 Oct;287(4):C971-80. Epub 2004 Jun 9.PMID:15189817
Monaco EA 3rd, Beaman-Hall CM, Mathur A, Vallano ML. Roscovitine, olomoucine, purvalanol: inducers of apoptosis in maturing cerebellar granule neurons. Biochem Pharmacol. 2004 May 15;67(10):1947-64.PMID:15130771


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Multiple HDS seal installations
When installing two metal-cased radial shaft seals in the same housing bore, either in a tandem or back-to-back arrangement, care must be taken that neither of the sealing lips can run dry at any time. To reduce the risk of dry running, the space between the seals should be filled with a suitable grease.
To avoid dry running, SKF recommends using spacer lugs or a spacing washer between the two seals. The spacing washer should be provided with lubrication holes so that grease can be supplied to the space between the sealing lips via a grease fitting (fig 1). No spacing washer is required when using seals that have spacer lugs built into the air side of the metal case (fig 2). HDSD and HDSE seals can be supplied from SKF with holes pre-drilled in the metal case to mate with corresponding passages in the housing bore.

subset: commoncrawl


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REPORT: Brazilian media is reporting that ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will make an emergency trip to Brazil after allegedly suffering intestinal burns during his radiation treatment in Cuba.
Chávez, who in June of last year revealed that Cuban doctors had removed a cancerous tumor from his abdominal region, has been going back-and-forth from the island nation for treatment. The Associated Press reported earlier on Thursday that the Venezuelan leader had returned to his country on Wednesday night from radiation treatment in Cuba.
"So far, fortunately there hasn't been any adverse reaction to the treatment," Chavez said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. "All the exams that have been carried out have shown positive results of physical recovery."
However, the Brazilian daily O Globo reported a rumor from Venezuelan journalist Nelson Bocaranda that Chávez could be headed to the hospital Sirio e Libanês in Sao Paulo.
"People close to Chavez fear that it is too late for a new treatment here in Brazil, which could have started long ago with the offer made by President (Ignacío Lula da Silva) and President Dilma (Rousseff) ," O Globo reporter Merval Pereira wrote.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/04/05/hugo-chavez-could-be-in-brazil-with-cancer-complications/#ixzz1rHOg7PCV


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The European Union says Ireland has given illegal tax benefits worth up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) to Apple Inc. and must now recover the unpaid back taxes from the U.S. technology company, plus interest.
EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Tuesday: "Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies — this is illegal under EU state aid rules."
She said a three-year investigation found Ireland granted such lavish tax breaks to Apple over many years that the multinational's effective corporate tax rate on its European profits dropped from 1 percent in 2003 to a mere 0.0005 percent in 2014.
U.S. & World
The Commission said "Ireland must now recover the unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple for the years 2003 to 2014 of up to 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion), plus interest."
The Irish government denied granting favorable fiscal treatment to the maker of the iPhone and other consumer electronics products, computer software and online services. "Ireland's position remains that the full amount of tax was paid in this case and no state aid was provided," the Irish statement said. "Ireland does not do deals with taxpayers."
The Irish finance minister, Michael Noonan, said he would seek approval from the Irish Cabinet to appeal the EU Commission's ruling to European courts.
"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment," Noonan said. "Apple has been in Ireland since the 1980s and employs thousands of people in Cork."


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Book review: The Best Software Writing: Volume One, edited by Joel Spolsky
What we get instead is writing about writing software, about the processes involved. For instance, Eric Lippert's punchline to the lightbulb joke is actually an amusing piece on change control. There are essays on coding. Ken Arnold argues cogently that it does not really matter which set of coding standards your project uses providing it uses something and everybody adheres to it. I agree. For a long time I have felt that the most useful tool Quest Software sells is not TOAD but PL/Formatter: it obviates all that useless time spent debating, codifying and enforcing layout standards. Apart from anything else coding standards tend to define that which can be defined - capitalisation, indentation, line breaks - when the most important things are: does the program implement the required functionality? Does it do so correctly, reliably and efficiently?
There are pieces about UI design and system design. Gregor Hohpe muses on the way Starbucks sells coffee as a metaphor for exploring messaging architecture. There are essays on project management, hiring developers, remunerating developers, outsourcing developers. There's even stuff about Sales! There are several TLA-splattered mediations on the future of the Web and the current state of the technology used to build it.
As someone who has wrestled with the issues thrown up by building a rich client interface out of JSPs I found some interesting insights in John Gruber's "The Location Field Is The New Command Line". Users want something that works, reliably, rather than something that looks pretty or comes with lots of gee-whizz features. Leon Bambrick makes the same point visually by imagining Google with MS Explorer's search interface. The corollary of this is the importance of methodologies like RAD (DSDM, XP, Agile, whatever). In order to demonstrate that our software works we must put working software in front of users on a regular basis. Otherwise we end up with requirements, specifications and acceptance tests predicated on aesthetics and the quantity of functions included.
The mix of technology is revealing. This is Spolsky's personal choice so the articles are skewed towards Microsoft's products and their technology base. There is C, C++ and VBA. There is a bit of Python and Ruby but almost no Java. There's lots of stuff about front-ends and middle tiers but nothing about databases. Certainly nothing about Oracle. Does this mean there's no good writing about databases or just that Spolsky doesn't read it? Actually, probably the former: most database writing is abstruse lectures about relational theory, uninformed witterings on normalisation or polemical rants about the inferiority of relational databases compared to object-oriented programming. Not many laughs there.
I have been calling these pieces as "essays" but they are an assemblage of various verbal constructs. There are proper essays, true. But there are also blog entries, transcriptions of conference speeches, even cartoon strips. What they have in common is that all are available on the internet. Even the Introduction is published on Joel On Software. What this means is we could click over to Google and by entering the table of contents into the location field assemble a copy of the book very cheaply (free if we print it at work, not that we would ever use our employer's paper for personal printing). So why buy the book?
Well, for a start it's got a nice colophon. And an index. Spolsky adds some insightful introductions and comments to each essay. The book is a nice size for reading on the tube or in the bath, neither of which is yet pratical with a laptop. But primarily, purchasing the book is a way of acknowledging the contribution the authors have made to the software writing community.


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Microsoft looked to Bungie's Halo to sell its Xbox console, and it's now planning to see if the same trick will persuade gamers to upgrade to Windows Vista.
Yes, Halo 2, which shipped for Xbox over a year ago, is coming to the PC but you'll need Microsoft's next major operating system release to run it. The game will not run on Windows XP, Bungie admitted this week. It will run "exclusively" on Vista.
Bungie maintains the scheme is "absolutely not" motivated by a desire to drive consumers to Vista, despite going to great lengths in its announcement to stress just how good the new OS will be for them. No, it's all about getting the best quality experience. Which begs the question, if a Pentium III-based PC can deliver said, why not a Windows XP rig?
"Windows Vista will help bring clarity to our customers and help them get more out of their personal computing experience, allowing them to focus on what matters most to them," it says, several times in the same announcement. Running Halo 2 on Vista will "ensure the title's uncompromised quality" because the OS provides the "best available technological platform for Windows games".
Beyond that, MS and Bungie aren't saying much. Clearly the PC version won't have Xbox Live support, but it will ship with a map editor. If Halo 2 does multi-player, it won't be cross-platform, Bungie said. As for a system requirement specification, don't ask, they won't tell you.
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Itarsi is located in Hoshangabad district and got its name from Intt (brick) and rassi (rope) which used to be traded around the town. It is famous for its beautiful handicrafts and handlooms, soya oil mills and ordnance factories.
Itarsi is a commercial hub for agricultural goods and is the biggest, oldest & the busiest railway junctions in Madhya Pradesh. Rail services from all 4 major metropolitan cities of India namely Mumbai to Calcutta and Delhi to Chennai pass through Itarsi. With the change of time, now plywood factory take the place of "intt" and "rassi."
It has Ordnance Factory Itarsi of the Ordnance Factories Board which manufactures products for the Indian Armed Forces. Itarsi has TAWA reservoir, Tawa Reservoir is a large reservoir on the Tawa River in central India. It is one of the junctions in India and well connected with all the major cities of India like Bhopal and Delhi to the north, Bhusawal and Mumbai to the west, the railway junctions of Nagpur to the south and Jabalpur to the east. The nearest airport is Raja Bhoj airport located in Bhopal Madhya Pradesh.
Best time to Visit
February to December.
Share your experience
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The problem.
OK, we had an election and have a new parliament with 120 members. The president has asked the leader of one party to form a coalition. (This has not happened yet in the Israeli election but it will happen soon.) Such a coalition should include parties that together have more than 60 seats in the parliament.
Can game theory make some prediction as to which coalition will be formed or give some normative suggestions on which coalition to form?
Robert Aumann and Roger Myerson made (in 1977) the following concrete suggestion. (Update: A link to the full 1988 paper is now in place.) The party forming the coalition would (or should) prefer to form the coalition in which its own power (according to the Shapley-Shubik power index) is maximal. Of course this suggestion puts political and ideological matters aside. Since the coalition-forming party has substantial freedom in forming the coalition and other parties can usually better serve their interests by joining the coalition, Aumann and Myerson expected that this idea would have some predictive value — even in reality, where political and ideological considerations are of importance. (Their paper and an earlier paper by Myerson give a framework for dealing with cases where certain parties cannot "live together" in the same coalition.)
Suppose that there are four parties: the Blue party B with 50 seats, the Red party R with 30 seats, the Green party G with 20 seats, and the White party W with 20 seats.
The Blue party was asked to form a coalition. The power of B in a coalition with one more party is 0.5; the power of B in a coalition with two more parties is 0.66 and the power of B in a coalition with all other parties is 0.5. Therefore, according to AM the Blue party should form a coalition with two other parties.
A more detailed explanation
1) Simple games
We have a set of players $\{1,2,\dots, n\}$ and a collection of subsets of players called the collection of winning coalitions. In our case the players are the parties and a set of players is winning if together they have more than 60 seats in the parliament.
2) The Shapley value
The Shapley value (or Shapley-Shubik power index) can be defined for every monotone simple game as follows:
A player is pivotal with respect to a coalition of players, if is a losing coalition and is a winning coalition.
The two major power indices are both based on this notion of pivotality and are defined as the probability that is pivotal with respect to a certain probability distribution for choosing the subset of the remaining players.
The Shapley-Shubik power index is based on the following probability distribution (that can be called the equal-slices distribution): we first choose the size of to be with probability for and then choose to be a random subset of of size according to the uniform distribution. Another equivalent way to define the Shapley-Shubik power index is to look at a random ordering of the players and to ask what is the probability that player was pivotal with respect to the coalition of earlier players.
The Banzhaf power index is the probability that is pivotal if is chosen at random uniformly from all subsets of other players. See the related post about influences. (The relations between the uniform distribution and the equal-slice distribution plays a role in a recent project discussed on Gowers's blog.)
3) The Shapley value of the winning party after a coalition is formed.
Suppose that player 1 represents the party that forms the coalition, and represents the coalition that was formed. We can define a new game whose players are the members of with the same winning coalitions as before — parties that together have more than 60 seats in the parliament.
4) Aumann-Myerson suggestion:
Maximize the Shapley value of the winning party in the coalition it forms.
What do you think?
So what do you think about this suggestion — is it a good normative suggestion? How can we test if it gives good predictions?


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Online Giving App FAQs for Donors
Online Giving App How It Works
Sunday Worship
In-person Worship Services are currently not taking place – see note below about Facebook Live and a link to the bulletin.
Sunday worship service is at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday School available with childcare
17560 Chillicothe Road
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
phone: 440-543-1071
email: email@example.com
Office hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
May 29, 2020
God will pour out the Spirit on all flesh. (Acts 2:17)
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
This Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost, remembering the time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, enabling them to speak, share and live out the good news of the gospel. Throughout scripture, the words "spirit" and "breath" are practically interchangeable: the third person of the Trinity comes to us as breath; it enlivens, protects and guides us. The church is given birth and continued life through the grace and power of the Spirit, the breath of life.
And yet, sometimes the events of the world around us make us recall how precious breath really is. This pandemic has caused many thousands of patients to require ventilators to assist their breathing. And now, we, also, collectively mourn the senseless death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, whose final living words were "I can't breathe".
Every life is precious; each breath that we are given is precious. And Pentecost reminds us that the core message of the gospel is about life with God and one another, enlivened by the Spirit who gives us breath. What are we to do with this life? Maybe the prophet Micah put it best: "God has shown us what is good: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God." (6:8)
We hope that you will join us for worship on-line this Pentecost Sunday via Facebook Live or YouTube. While some other congregations have already or soon will be resuming in-person worship, we are trying to love and protect one another by practicing safe social distancing; for now, away from church building. This is not a decision that is taken lightly, but with an eye towards justice, kindness and humility: seeking to save life and secure the opportunity for all flesh, all people, to breath.
We have reasons to worship: to turn to God for help, to lament loss, to seek justice, to confront evil, to act with kindness and humility and to pray. As the church – not defined by or confined to our building – we will continue to worship and work; and we will pray. This particular prayer comes from our denomination's Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, who has created us in your own image, grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
A Presbytery-wide Pentecost worship service can be seen at www.preswesres.org.
Please consider giving to the Pentecost offering, which supports ministries for children and youth, by check or online.
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Password: 386439
Zoom Meeting Time: 11:30 a.m.
Please click the link below for the bulletin:
May 31, 2020 bulletin
May 21, 2020
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
This weekend, we celebrate Memorial Day – a traditional marker for the end of a school year and the beginning of a new summer season. We look forward to picnics and parades, gatherings with families and open swimming pools. But Memorial Day itself is all about honoring those who have made sacrifices: Giving of themselves for our behalf and the common good. To them, we are eternally grateful.
This year, as we all know, things are not the same. And yet, this Sunday, we will attempt to honor those who have made sacrifices – our military and their families, and this year, also, the countless Americans that are making daily and often difficult sacrifices for one another. To them, we, also, give thanks.
Next Sunday, we plan to honor our graduates – those who have accomplished their academic goals and anticipated the pomp and ceremony of celebration but have been faced with something different. If there is a graduate in your family that you would like honored, please email the church office to let us know.
Thank you for all the ways that you are honoring, thanking, supporting and connecting with one another in our neighborhoods and communities. These are some of the ways we can be church in this moment in time. Please join us for worship on Sunday via Facebook Live or our Youtube channel using the links below.
We are sad to share that long-time Valley member Ron Kaufman passed away on Friday, May 15. There will be a graveside service at Western Reserve cemetery on Wednesday, May 27 at 11 a.m. Visitation will be at St. Johns Funeral Home from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. Please keep Ron's wife, Ibi, and their family in your prayers.
I will close with an offering from Thom Shuman, a Presbyterian Minister living near Columbus, OH. Maybe these are some of your prayers as well:
An evening prayer for May 17, 2020
for what shall we pray this night?
may our neighbors see us walking faithfully
in these days, God of love, simply
by not giving up, but continuing to care,
by daring to look foolish wearing masks everywhere we go,
by looking after others more than we do our selfish desires.
for what shall we pray this night?
may our communities see us serving faithfully
in these moments, Jesus of hope, simply
by noticing all those who continue to be overlooked,
by trusting in the words of the scientists and health workers,
by seeking compassion for workers scared about being called back too soon.
for what shall we pray this night?
may you see us being faithful children
of our God, Spirit of gentleness, simply
by believing that grace is the path we should walk,
by trusting that love is the gift that everyone needs,
by offering the broken and grieving the comfort you share with us.
for what shall we pray this night?
that maybe, just maybe, we will be
the faithful walking through the streets
of the kingdom in these days,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Password: 386439
Zoom Meeting Time: 11:30 a.m.
Please click the link below for the bulletin:
May 24, 2020 bulletin
May 14, 2020
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, it is important to ask what we have been learning along the way – about ourselves, our systems, our society, our world and our relationships with God. These days have produced different rhythms than most of us have before experienced; whether slower or faster, more or less predictable.
I hope and pray that if you are struggling to understand or adapt, you are reaching out to others that can lend a helpful perspective and a listening ear. And thank you to everyone who is answering the call to be good neighbors for one another by reaching and helping out. Your actions, words and prayers are all appreciated.
As our public health officials have not yet given different guidance, we are continuing for the time being to meet Sundays for worship online via Facebook Live and YouTube; as well as for fellowship via the Zoom coffee hour. The links to participate in these gatherings are below and the bulletin is attached. There is, also, access through the website for previous sermons and the current prayer list.
Finally, my colleague from Christ Presbyterian Church in Chesterland shared eight ways of spiritual navigation that might enhance your relationship with God during this time.
· Ask how to make new reality sacred, as time filled with God.
· Dedicate small moments to God––taking out trash, clearing dishes, etc.
· Receive this time as opportunity to stop multitasking.
· Resist productivity over contemplation (i.e. getting stuff done vs. being with God in doing them).
· Practice discernment in the day––what do I really need to do?
· Honor what your body is feeling during the day.
· Find beauty where you can find it.
· Make handwashing a sacred action.
Blessings to you and yours – please be safe and help to keep our neighbors safe as well.
Pastor John
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Password: 386439
Zoom Meeting Time: 11:30 a.m.
To complete the on-line survey for updating the member directory:
Please click the link below for the bulletin:
May 17 2020 service bulletin
May 7, 2020
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As you know, this Sunday is Mother's Day – a time when, in our congregation, we try to honor all the women who have nurtured, cared for and taught us what it means to be faithful. This year, much of that appreciation will need to be shared differently, remotely. But as God loved us so deeply as to send a Savior to us, so we can love others even if it means bridging great distances.
Thank you to everyone who has continued to be the church during this period of time when it has not been safe for us to gather together at the church. We are closely monitoring the guidance being provided to us by public health officials and our denominational leaders to plan for how and when we might, again, gather. We appreciate your patience as we adapt to new modes of worship and communications. Thank you to everyone who has been reaching out to check in and help out neighbors – within the church family and beyond. If you have not yet done so, please fill out the form below so that we can update our member directory. And thank you, as well, to everyone who has continued to financially support the ministry and mission.
With sadness, we share with you that former member Chuck Williams, husband of Rev. Susan Williams, passed away last week in Corbin, KY. Please keep his family in your prayers.
For those of you interested in making masks, the Presbytery is supporting this effort:
Masks for Y.O.U.:
The Committee on Outreach and Presbyterian Woman are leading the Presbytery effort to make 1000 masks for Y.O.U. (Youth Opportunity Unlimited) where Eric Dillenbeck is Director of Work Experience. This summer, Y.O.U. will be working with local employers, nonprofits, and schools in the city of Cleveland and throughout Cuyahoga County to provide meaningful summer jobs for low-income youth so they can earn as they learn. Not only do the youth and their families depend on the income from these summer jobs, but a recent Case Western Reserve study of the data shows that youth who are involved with a Y.O.U. summer job, even for one year, do better in school and are less likely to get involved with the criminal justice system. This summer the worksites are going to have to look different. All worksites will be adapted to provide for social distancing as young people work. Some are being adapted to include both in-person gatherings and some remote learning that will incentivize and support educational attainment to combat the summer and extended closure learning loss. As Y.O.U. has been busy trying to plan for these activities, the constant need that has emerged is access to personal protective gear like masks. In order for 1000 youth to start work in July, Y.O.U. needs help securing masks for our young people. If you want to help, please be in touch with Lee Lohr.
Blessings to all those who are working on our behalf and placing themselves in harm's way: continued prayers for their physical, emotional and spiritual health. And blessings to each of you as each of us tries to do our part in overcoming the many challenges this pandemic presents.
In Christ,
Pastor John
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Password: 386439
Zoom Meeting Time: 11:30 a.m.
To complete the on-line survey for the member directory:
April 30, 2020
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The Apostle Paul teaches that the church is a body made of many members; each of us has a unique part to play. And though we are different – like the eye, hand and foot have diverse roles – we are united in Christ. Through the sacrament of Holy Communion, Jesus invites us to remember both our diversity and our unity. During these days of physically distancing, we may live, work and worship in different places – largely in our own homes – and yet we are still one in Christ: unified in spirit, in faith and in mission.
This Sunday – May 3 – as is our tradition when we gather for worship, we will remember Christ in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. It will be different: done in our individual homes, not all of us partaking of the same bread and cup; and yet gathering at table can still serve as a way of bringing us together as the body of Christ.
If you choose to participate in communion, I invite you to prepare elements ahead of time that you plan to use: coffee or juice; toast or bagel. Again, those are sure to be different, but the mystical table around which we gather will be the same; God will still receive our prayers as one, unified body of believers.
Please use the order of worship to pray and sing along throughout the service and trust that God will bless us and the elements we take from creation as they become for us the body of Christ and cup of salvation.
I continue to pray for the safety and well-being of us all during this trying time. Please let us know if you have any pastoral needs or concerns. I share with you a poem forwarded to member churches from our Presbytery leaders. May this be a time of healing and restoration for our planet and all its inhabitants.
In Christ,
Pastor John
And the people stayed home.
And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.
And listened more deeply.
Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.
Some met their shadows.
And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed.
And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully.
As they had been healed.
by Kitty O'Meara (1839 – 1888)
Written during the time of cholera and republished during the 1918 Flu Pandemic.
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Password: 386439
Zoom Meeting Time: 11:30 a.m.
Please click the link below for the bulletin:
May 3, 2020 bulletin
April 24, 2020
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Grace and peace to you all. The staff and leaders of Valley are continually praying for your health and well-being during these atypical times. Thank you for your patience, your caring spirit and your generosity in helping others. We received this thank you note from Andrea Pollack, Director of Chagrin Falls Park Community Center:
Dear Pastor John,
Thanks to you and your congregants for the continued food donation and support for the community center. We are especially grateful during this difficult time.
Gratefully, Andrea
A donation box is located under the front portico; if you would like to support their ongoing efforts to feed people in need.
We have the next Upper Room (devotions) for May – June, 2020. If you would like a copy mailed to you, please contact the office.
If you have any needs or pastoral concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. Hope to see you (virtually) this Sunday.
In Christ,
P. John
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Password: 386439
Zoom Meeting Time: 11:30 a.m.
Please click the link below for the bulletin:
April 26, 2020, bulletin
April 17, 2020
May grace and peace be yours in abundance. (1 Peter 1:2)
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
In these strange and uncertain days, it can feel odd to focus on abundance. Most
of us are experiencing less (physical) contact with family and friends, seemingly
fewer choices for where to go and what to do, and – for far too many people – a
lack of income, food, health and security.
And yet, as Christians, we stand in the shadow of the resurrection. Easter Sunday
– as different as it was for most of us – has passed, but the church celebrates a
season of Easter; one that will continue through Pentecost at the end of May. The
risen Christ – revealing the living God – offers a peace beyond human
understanding and grace that is unexpected, unmerited and truly amazing. God
offers us this grace and peace freely, without conditions; asking only that we
focus not solely on ourselves, but instead on loving God and our neighbors as
During this Easter Season, we will be reading passages from the New Testament
Epistle of 1 Peter – a letter addressed to churches facing difficult times; words
encouraging them to see the abundance of God's love in all circumstances. For the
foreseeable future, we will continue as a congregation to follow the
recommendations of public health officials and hold off on in-person gatherings,
including for Sunday worship. Bulletins will be sent out weekly, and services
will continue to be available via Facebook Live and the church YouTube channel.
For the time being, staff members (Nancy, John, Rebecca and Amanda) are continuing
to work as they safely can – including planning and communicating – but largely
from home. Heart of Valley Preschool is closed at least until April 30, pending
further direction from the Governor.
As for me, I have been spending most of my time at home, trying to communicate as
needed via Zoom, phone and email. Brenda is teaching on-line classes, Jack is
off from school and AJ and Mackensie are both home from college. Thankfully, we
are all healthy and safe.
Each week, we have been delivering donated food, paper and cleaning products to
the Chagrin Falls Park Community Center, who continues to serve clients in need.
A donation bin is located under the portico at church; if you would like to make
donations. For the time being, the Pass-It-On store is closed and no longer
accepting items.
I want to express my thanks for everyone who has been reaching out during this
time: sending cards, making calls, checking in on friends and neighbors. This is
so necessary and important. Thank you, also, to everyone who has offered
continued financial support to the church. An on-line giving option has been
added to the church website, as well as a frequently asked questions (FAQs) flyer.
We are committed to trying to pay our staff and support mission giving as much as
If you have any needs, concerns or suggestions about how we can be the church at
this time, please feel free to contact the church office, or me, directly. I am
in prayer for you, for our community, our nation and our world during this
difficult and trying time.
Wishing you all grace and peace in abundance,
Pastor John
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Password: 386439
Please click the link below for the bulletin:
April 19, 2020, bulletin
April 7, 2020
Members and Friends of Valley,
Grace, peace and blessings to you during this Holy Week. Although we continue to stay physically apart during this time, I hope and pray that we are united in hope, prayer and devotion.
Attached you will find at-home liturgies for the three holy days (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil) to use if you would like. Also, attached are a meal-time home communion liturgy entitled At the Table Together Apart and the worship bulletin for Easter Sunday. Links for viewing two services can be found using the links below. There will, also, be a denomination-wide Easter Service broadcast available for viewing.
Donations to One Great Hour of Sharing – a special offering typically collected on Easter Sunday – can be mailed into the church with a notation of "OGHS".
This Sunday, we will not be hosting our Zoom coffee hour.
The Easter story reminds us that at dawn on the third day, the tomb was found empty – Jesus was (and is) alive! Though this time of darkness may be difficult and long, it too will end. I pray that in the meantime, we would continue to care for one another and pray for the safety and well-being of all who are suffering and in harm's way.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor John
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to PCUSA
Please click the links below for the bulletin and attachments:
April 12 2020 bulletin
Home worship for the three days 2020
At the Table Together Apart
April 2, 2020
Members and Friends of Valley,
As we near the beginning of Holy Week, we are all trying to process and understand that there will be no crowds gathering this Sunday to wave palms welcoming Jesus. Instead, based on the guidance of public health experts, we will be in our homes, doing our part or – for those whose jobs are essential at this time – placing themselves at risk for the sake of others. Let us all pray for community, nation and world as we navigate through uncertain times.
Attached you will find the outline for Palm Sunday worship, April 5. If you would like to make your own palm branches to wave during worship, instructions for a home project are attached. The service will be Live-streamed on the church Facebook page (see link below) and posted to the church Youtube site.
Once again, on Sunday morning, from 11:30 a.m. – noon, we will be hosting an online coffee hour via Zoom. This will be a time of fellowship and conversation, checking in with one another and, hopefully, strengthening the bonds of Christian love. We hope some of you can join us by using the link below.
As always, copies of Sunday sermons, as well as the church prayer list, can be found on the church website using the links below.
I am appreciative of everyone who has been reaching out to their neighbors or fellow church members, checking in and offering fellowship and support. It is important to be community at this time. Attached you will find links for mental health resources from our denomination as well as an encouraging letter from one of our fellow members.
Thank you to those of you who donated food, cleaning and paper products for the Chagrin Falls Park Community Center and its food bank. They were delivered this week and are very much appreciated. They are still in need of dish, hand, body, and laundry soap as well as food staples such as rice, beans, pasta and potatoes. If you would like to donate these at the church, there will be a collection bin on the front portico. In addition, Heart of Valley Preschool has extra paper towels and wipes if you or anyone you know is in need of them. Please call the office to have them delivered to you.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor John
Link to YouTube Channel
Link to Facebook Live
Link to Prayer Request List
Link to Sermons
Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Please click the links below for the bulletin and attachments:
April 5, 2020 bulletin
Making Palm Branches
Presbyterian Mental Health
Message of Hope
March 27, 2020
Members and Friends of Valley,
Attached you will find the outline for worship on Sunday, March 29. In these unsettling and unfamiliar times, we are trying to offer at least some sense of the familiar. Therefore, if you would like to join us via Facebook Live on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m., John Kautzman and I will be at the church to lead a worship service of music, prayer and sharing of the Word. If you are a member of the church Facebook page (see the link below), you are invited to join us from your home. In any case, I hope that you honor the Sabbath in some way, recognizing it as time that is "holy" and set apart.
Also, on Sunday morning, from 11:30 a.m. – noon, we will be hosting an online coffee hour via Zoom. This will be a time of fellowship and conversation, checking in with one another and hopefully strengthening the bonds of Christian love. We hope some of you can join us by using the link below.
As always, copies of Sunday sermons, as well as the church prayer list, can be found on the church website using the links below.
Some of you have been asking about ways to be of help to one another these days. The Chagrin Falls Park Community Center and its food bank are in need of canned and dry goods, paper products, soap and cleaning supplies. If you would like to donate these at the church, there will be a collection bin on the front portico. In addition, Heart of Valley Preschool has extra paper towels and wipes if you or anyone you know is in need of them. Please call the office to make arrangements to have them delivered to you.
We are all navigating new challenges these days. We appreciate your patience as we try to create digital opportunities to connect with each other; staying connected is important. We hope that you are praying for and getting in contact with your family members, neighbors and fellow church members while we are physically disconnected. As the Apostle Paul says in Galatians: So let us not grow weary in doing what is right…let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor John
To join the Valley Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009839436710
To view Prayer Request list: http://valleypresbychurch.org/prayer-request-list/
To view previous sermons: http://valleypresbychurch.org/sermons/
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 004 0823
Please click the link below for the bulletin:
March 29, 2020 Bulletin
The worship bulletin below for Sunday, March 22, outlines a modified worship service that can be used during the Facebook Live session at 10:30 a.m., or at any other time at home. Please know that during this time when we are unable to worship together in-person, we must continue to pray for and with one another.
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)
Please click the link below:
March 22, 2020 Outline
The following letter to the congregation was issued on March 19, 2020. Please click the link below to read:
Letter to the Congregation
The following letter to the congregation was issued on March 13, 2020. Please click the link below to read:
Letter to the Congregation
Pass-It-On Mission Store
Closed until further notice
The next open dates for the store will be:
Saturday, March 14 (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
Sunday, March 15 (noon – 2:00 p.m.)
To find out more about our new Pass-It-on, A Mission of Love, Store, use the following link to go to our Facebook page:
|9 Sat
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8:00 pm Bainbridge AA Group @ Valley Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
Bainbridge AA Group @ Valley Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
May 9 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm


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Women's tennis duo selected to NCAA Tournament
Women's tennis duo selected to NCAA Tournament
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Senior Petra Januskova (Ottawa, Canada) and junior Chelsea Utting (Peachtree City, Ga.) have been selected as at-large bids to the NCAA Doubles Tournament beginning Thursday, May 23.
The pairing is ranked No. 24 in the nation having made huge jumps late in the season knocking off several nationally-ranked duos. They have won five straight matches to end the regular season including wins against the No. 3 nationally ranked duo of Emina Bektas and Brooke Bolender of No. 6 Michigan as well as No. 9 Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton of No. 16 Northwestern.
Januskova and Utting have compiled a 14-4 record this spring going 8-2 in the conference. The duo ranked No. 42 in the preseason where they competed in the ITA/Riveria All-American Championships advancing to the round of 16.
This year's Nittany Lions duo is the third in program history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Allison Barnet and Pilar Montgomery were the last to advance to the Tournament when they qualified for the 1997-1998 season.
The competition will run from May 23-27 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex and Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill. The matches will be the best of three sets with regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games all.


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This event has passed.
Tasting Room Open
June 1, 2019 @ 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 11:00 am on Saturday, repeating until March 6, 2021
Regular Tasting | $12.00 per person
This includes a tasting of 6 of the wines available at the time of your visit.
Regular tastings are on a walk-in basis.
If you have a group of 10 or more please call 979-836-3252 for an appointment
Last Call for Wine Tasting 5:35pm


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ABRUPT CLIMATE VARIABILITY DURING THE LAST GLACIAL AND THE LATE HOLOCENE FROM THE WESTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC PERSPECTIVE by Reetta Maaria Saikku A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (EARTH SCIENCES) May 2009 Copyright 2009 Reetta Maaria Saikku
Object Description
|Abrupt climate variability during the last glacial and the late Holocene from the western tropical Pacific perspective
|Saikku, Reetta Maaria
|Author email
|firstname.lastname@example.com; email@example.com
|Doctor of Philosophy
|Document type
|Degree program
|Geological Sciences
|College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
|Date defended/completed
|Date submitted
|Restricted until
|Date published
|Advisor (committee chair)
|Stott, Lowell D.
|Advisor (committee member)
Douglas, Robert
Hammond, Douglas E.
Manahan, Donal
|In Project I, Western tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures and Pacific Deep Water temperatures during Marine Isotope Stage 3 have been reconstructed from the δ18O and Mg/Ca of planktonic and benthic foraminifera from Marion Dufresne core MD98-2181. This 36m marine core was collected at 6.3°N from a water depth of 2114m. With sediment accumulation rates of up to 80cm/ky, it provides a decadally-resolved history of ocean variability during the last glacial period. Surface temperatures and salinities at this site varied in close association with millennial-scale atmospheric temperature swings at high northern latitudes as reflected in the GISP2 ice core. At times of colder atmospheric temperatures over Greenland, the western Pacific was more saline and summer season SSTs were ~2oC colder. These millennial scale changes within the tropics are attributed to a southward displacement of the summer season ITCZ in response to steeper meridional temperature gradients within the Pacific. The benthic δ18O record from MD98-2181 documents upper Pacific Deep Water temperature and salinity variability. Benthic δ18O variations of 0.3-0.5‰ during MIS 3 indicate deep waters within the Pacific were varying by ~1-1.5°C, with the possibility that some of the variability was due to changing salinity and minor glacial-eustatic changes.; The observed deep water variability correlates to changes in Antarctic surface temperatures and thus reflects changes in Southern Ocean temperatures at the site of Pacific Deep Water formation. The combined planktonic and benthic records from MD98-2181 thus provides a northern and southern hemispheric climate record of anti-phased variability during MIS 3 as has been inferred previously from ice core records. Furthermore, the deep sea temperature excursions appear to have led millennial variations in atmospheric CO2 as recorded in the EDML ice core by ~1kyr. It is therefore hypothesized that the CO2 may have been outgassed from a less stratified Southern Ocean.; Project II presents a 2000-year record of Mg/Ca and δ18O measurements on planktonic, and δ18O measurements on benthic foraminifera from continuous marine cores taken from high sedimentation sites in the Western Pacific Warm Pool. The western Pacific warm pool exhibits decadal- to centennial-scale variability. The Little Ice Age is recorded as the coldest and Medieval Warm Period as the warmest over last 2ka (data does not include the last 150yrBP). The MD81 benthic record suggests a large drop in temperature of ~1°C, which may also include a salinity component. This event correlates with other proxy records from the Southern Ocean confirming the event as Southern Hemisphere-wide. Due to the ideal core location of MD81 it was also possible to address the question of phasing of the northern and southern climate records and whether the "bipolar seesaw" was still active during the Holocene. The 2000-year surface record from the western Pacific warm pool exhibits centennial scale variability, with larger, potentially millennial-scale oscillations present within the last 1000 years, as recorded by two marine sediment cores. However, based on the available data there is no evidence for a bipolar seesaw during the large benthic cooling event.
|climate; Pacific; tropical; glacial; Holocene
|Geographic subject
|oceans: Pacific; ocean regions: Western Pacific Warm Pool
|Coverage date
|after 0000
|Part of collection
|University of Southern California dissertations and theses
|Publisher (of the original version)
|University of Southern California
|Place of publication (of the original version)
|Los Angeles, California
|Publisher (of the digital version)
|University of Southern California. Libraries
|Electronically uploaded by the author
|Legacy record ID
|Contributing entity
|University of Southern California
|Saikku, Reetta Maaria
|Repository name
|Libraries, University of Southern California
|Repository address
|Los Angeles, California
|Repository email
|Archival file
|Page 1
|Contributing entity
|University of Southern California
|Repository email
|Full text
|ABRUPT CLIMATE VARIABILITY DURING THE LAST GLACIAL AND THE LATE HOLOCENE FROM THE WESTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC PERSPECTIVE by Reetta Maaria Saikku A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (EARTH SCIENCES) May 2009 Copyright 2009 Reetta Maaria Saikku


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Dancing with the Stars Special Guest Robin Thicke
Tonight was quite the shocker for me. I was certain that Melissa Rycroft would be going home. I guess I seriously underestimated the number of fans that are sympathetic to Melissa. Add in the injury and Melissa really must have garnered a ton of sympathy votes.
Don't get me wrong. Melissa is a wonderful dancer and I don't like anyone getting sent home due to injury, but I really thought that Julianne and Chuck would have gotten more votes. Hard to believe that Ty and Chelsie is possibly more popular than Chuck and Julianne. Pretty amazing stuff.
Well, as usual here's the list of Dancing with the Stars music from the week 8 results show:
Robin Thicke sang the song "When I Get You Alone" for Alec Mazo, Edyta Sliwinska, Cheryl Burke, Tony Dovolani, Kym Johnson, and Dmitry Chaplin's professional dance performance.
Robin Thicke sang the song "Sidestep" to special guest professional dancers Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis (of So You Think You Can Dance fame)
Professional Dancer Competition (future Dancing with the Star professional)
Genya Mazo & Afton DelGrosso danced a Quickstep
Mayo Alanen & Anna Demidova danced a Jive
Brent Borbon and Snow Urbin were knocked out of the competition to be the next professional on Dancing with the Stars.


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Page 40.
Smelly Feet?
Hope Ellis-Ashburn earned her M.S. in Agriculture Education from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville & her B.S. in Animal Science-Horse Science from Middle Tennessee State University. While attending MTSU she was a member of the Horse Judging and Equestrian Teams. A former Extension Agent with UTK holding, among other credentials, a teaching endorsement in agriculture education she is currently a teacher, freelance writer, and blogger. Hope is the author of "The Story of Kimbrook Arabians" and "Always Hope: How dairy cows and Arabian horses inspired grit in a young girl's life." A rider on a variety of breeds since the age of twelve, she has competed in Western, English, halter, dressage, hunter, and jumper classes. She currently owns a Half-Arabian mare with whom she enjoys farm life, trail riding, and competing locally in halter as well as hunter classes.
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When carbon-neutral was named The New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2006, the choice highlighted how recent efforts to combat climate change have brought forth a whole new class of carbon compounds (the lexical kind of compounds, not the chemical kind!). To be carbon-neutral, you can use a carbon calculator to estimate your household's carbon footprint. Then you can seek to reduce your own carbon emissions, or you can purchase carbon offsets or carbon credits. Countries can institute carbon taxes, while eco-conscious companies can engage in carbon trading on the carbon market. And maybe someday, if we're all low-carbon or even zero-carbon, we can live in a post-carbon world.
Putting aside the politics of the global warming debate, lexicographers are particularly interested in how the usage of the word carbon has been expanding in recent years. Not everyone is happy about the carbon boom. Salon's advice columnist Cary Tennis recently fielded a letter from "Bothered by Bad Buzzwords," who complained that carbon-neutral and related terms misuse the word carbon. "What I don't understand is why no one is calling the concept correctly," the letter-writer grumbled. "Carbon is not carbon dioxide! One is a black solid. One is an odorless, colorless gas. Couldn't they call it CO2 neutral?"
The column has generated quite a lot of comments from Salon readers. Some have applauded the letter-writer's questioning of poorly conceived buzzwords and have offered their own pet peeves. Others take issue with the assumption that the carbon in carbon-neutral is a misnomer for carbon dioxide. Some argue that the term could relate to any of the greenhouse gases containing carbon, including methane and chlorofluorocarbons. Decreasing the amount of carbon-containing gases in the atmosphere requires the "sequestration" of carbon in reservoirs like forests and oceans, often called carbon sinks. That's why carbon offset programs seek to balance the production of greenhouse gases through the planting of trees and other efforts to help natural sequestration.
So the carbon of carbon-neutral and similar buzzwords doesn't necessarily have to refer to the "black solid" that we recognize as carbon's elemental form. Instead, it can refer to the carbon that circulates in various molecular forms in and out of the atmosphere. Nonetheless, it's true that carbon has increasingly been used as a kind of shorthand for carbon dioxide. The forthcoming Sixth Edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary recognizes this new sense of carbon. In addition to providing definitions for the combining forms carbon footprint, carbon-neutral, carbon tax, and carbon trading, the Shorter OED gives an extended sense for the word carbon: "carbon dioxide or other gaseous carbon compounds released into the atmosphere."
Referring to atmospheric carbon dioxide as carbon is an example of "ellipsis," the omission of words or parts of words from speech or writing. We're constantly clipping the language through ellipsis — it's what allows us to move from "I will see you later" to "See you later" to just plain "Later!" If there's any potential ambiguity caused by ellipsis, we can usually deal with that by looking at clues from the surrounding context. To take another example involving chemical elements, if a sportscaster says that an Olympic athlete has won gold or silver, we can gather from context that the announcer is talking about medals rather than metals. Similarly, a colloquial reference to someone taking acid is understood to signify LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) rather than some other acidic substance. And peroxide is the common elliptical term for the form of hydrogen peroxide used to bleach hair.
Elliptical usage can sometimes lead to confusion, however. For instance, does a carbon calculator for your carbon footprint measure the amount of carbon your household produces or the amount of carbon dioxide? There's a big difference, since the molecular weight of CO2 is about four times that of elemental carbon. As it happens, a carbon footprint typically is calculated in terms of carbon dioxide production, but scientists and government agencies usually measure emissions in terms of carbon units, an estimation that takes into account other organic compounds that contribute to the greenhouse effect. (The New York Times evidently got tripped up by the ambiguity of carbon last year, when it initially reported that a gallon of gasoline emits 11 kilograms of carbon. According to a correction, that's actually the amount of carbon dioxide produced.)
We can see the word carbon moving in all sorts of new directions these days. The head of environmental markets at Barclays Capital has been quoted as saying, "Carbon will be the world's biggest commodity market, and it could become the world's biggest market overall." That's carbon in the sense of carbon trading, extended to refer to the emerging "emissions market" in general. Meanwhile, an organization called CarbonSense has issued a "carbon challenge" to foster "carbon leadership," "carbon literacy," and the discussion of "carbon issues." No doubt about it, the semantic explosion of carbon is anything but elemental.
Ben Zimmer is an editor at Oxford University Press and a true word junkie. Once a week he surfaces from his dictionaries to write this column. Check out his "words of the week" on our main page (center column) or by clicking here.


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Seamstress stitches together a secure future
Rukhsana, 40, lives in the Malikyar village in District Haripur with her husband and four children. When her husband was laid off from a local factory, they relied on the support of their extended family. As a result, Rukhsana decided to become financially independent and started sewing clothes for her neighbours.
- 60,000 people have come together in nearly 2,410 community organizations, including 879 women's organizations
- 15 percent increase in household incomes of more than 4,000 people due to skills enhancement efforts
- Poverty level reduced by 5 percent in target areas of KP and Balochistan since 2010
Her meagre income was inadequate to meet the family's basic needs, and Rukhsana was forced to borrow heavily from her relatives and friends to keep her children in school.
"Those years were the toughest for us and we accumulated huge debts" she recalls with tears in her eyes. She was unable to send her children to college.
With support from UNDP's Community Resilience initiative, a women's community organisation was set up in Rukhsana's village. She was selected as the first president of the newly set up 'Roshni' organisation and was nominated to attend a three-month training course in hand embroidery. This project was funded by the Government of Japan and the European Union.
Rukhsana's tailoring and embroidery skills improved significantly and she also learned valuable entrepreneurial skills, allowing her to start a small business in her house. Rukhsana established useful links with the Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) through the skills development programme. These enabled her to show her work in international exhibitions.
"My monthly income increased from a paltry PKR 3,000 to PKR 10,000 after I attended the skills training programme, allowing me to meet the expenses of my family. I have also been able to pay back our debts and my daughters are now going to college," she says proudly.
Rukhsana visited Turkey with a group of entrepreneurs on a trip facilitated by the MCCI. There she sold her products and picked up new orders. She also represented Pakistan at an international exhibition in India.
Rukhsana has conducted short-term training workshops on embroidery and stitching for various non-governmental organisations.
Social infrastructure projects like this address diverse needs and have been successfully implemented in collaboration with local communities, promoting social cohesion at the same time.


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Visa Teams Up with the NFL to Launch New Video Game
Highlights from Visa's Financial Football event with NYC students
Visa and the National Football League have teamed up to create Financial Football, a fast-paced, interactive game that engages students while teaching them personal finance skills. The latest release features 3D graphics and game-changing opportunities with audibles, blitzes and long yardage plays. The game is available to play for free through iOS and Android apps and online.Play Now
Highlights from Visa's Financial Football event with NYC students
Each module begins with a narrative overview of the concepts to be taught. This short synopsis will give the educator and students a quick idea of the material to follow.
Goals and objectives briefly describe the expected learning outcomes of the module.
The Teaching Notes feature the primary material on which module concepts are based. Educators may use the teaching notes as-is or adapt them to their own teaching style.
In this section, students and educators practice applying learned concepts through the discussion of concrete examples.
The Activity section can be used as a group exercise or as an assessment of student learning. In this section, students answer several questions to test their knowledge of learned concepts.
Join Alex and Jess in the immersive The Payoff game, playing the role two up-and-coming video bloggers.
Put your financial skills to the test with Visa's World Cup-themed Financial Soccer, a multiple choice question video game. Are you ready to play?
New educational game helps young kids learn to count coins and save.
Navigate Money Metropolis' multi-dimensional world while making life decisions that will affect whether virtual bank accounts shrink or grow.
Meet the challenges of a month on the road as you steer your way to financial stability and make decisions about income and savings.
Put the pieces of the puzzle back together to complete the image of a dollar bill. Choose between puzzles and learn fun facts about money.
Start your first job, earn promotions and make financial choices that will impact your future playing Countdown to Retirement.


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Warner Bros.
Jack Nicholson starred in "The Shining," which could receive a movie prequel.
"The Shining" is considered by many to be one of the most terrifying movies (and books) of modern time. But do fans want to know what went on at Colorado's spooky Overlook Hotel before Jack Torrance and family arrived?
Warner Bros., which made the 1980 film, is considering making a prequel to "The Shining," the Los Angeles Times is reporting.
The studio has producers working on a possible new take, but hasn't formally committed to the project, the newspaper reported. One of those producers, Laeta Kalogridis, wrote the script for the Leonardo DiCaprio film "Shutter Island," based on Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel.
Stephen King certainly gave Kalogridis and crew enough to work with in his 1977 novel. As fans of the movie and book know, Jack Torrance (played memorably by Jack Nicholson) comes to serve as caretaker at the Overlook after a previous caretaker murdered his family and committed suicide, and the hotel is full of ghosts of previous visitors.
The Times points out that King has been working on "Doctor Sleep," a sequel to "The Shining," featuring a grown-up Danny Torrance. Early reports were that the book will be published in 2013.
But some fans want "The Shining" to be left alone. "Is there a worse idea than this?" writes Scott D'Agostino on Twitter.
"Let me check. Nope," responds Jordan Raup, editor-in-chief of The Film Stage.
Is a "Shining" prequel a good or bad idea? Tell us on Facebook.
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At the end of each day, the Tokyo Game Show booth companions line up in front of their respective booth. Then then bow one-by-one as evident here in this Kotaku Japan clip of Sony's booth.
Some of the booth companions give deeper bows than others. A lesson in politeness!
[ #tgs2010 ]お疲れ様でした、また来年! SCEコンパニオンからのご挨拶(動画あり) [Kotaku Japan]


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William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells, 1837–1920, American novelist, critic, and editor, b. Martins Ferry, Ohio. Both in his own novels and in his critical writing, Howells was a champion of realism in American literature. His education was gained by voracious reading as he worked for his father, a printer in various small towns in Ohio. Howells early turned to writing and to editorial work on the Ohio State Journal (1856–61). He wrote a campaign biography of Lincoln in 1860 and was given an appointment as consul in Venice in 1861. The first of his many travel books, Venetian Life (1866) and Italian Journey (1867), brought popular success and recognition. After his return to the United States in 1865, he worked for various periodicals. Settling in Boston, he was associated with The Atlantic for 15 years and later wrote the
"Editor's Study"
(1886–91) and the
"Easy Chair"
(1900–1920) for Harper's Magazine.
His first novels, Their Wedding Journey (1872), The Lady of the Aroostook (1879), and others, were moralistic comedies of manners that aroused only mild interest. However, when he turned to realism with A Modern Instance (1882) and The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885), he became a leading novelist. In these two books, which are regarded as his major achievements, Howells portrayed with minute detail characters attempting to solve lifelike problems, often arising from social distinctions. His unromantic love story, Indian Summer (1886), was also highly popular. Howells' critical essays on the works of such realistic European writers as Tolstoy, Zola, and Ibsen helped to mold American taste, and he was a literary mentor to Mark Twain, Hamlin Garland, Thorstein Veblen, and Stephen Crane.
From the late 1880s on Howells spent much of his time New York City. During these years he became more and more concerned with social conflict and the problems of industrialization. Socialist thought is apparent in his novels A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890), The Quality of Mercy (1892), and An Imperative Duty (1893), and even more forthright in his utopian works, A Traveler from Altruria (1894) and Through the Eye of the Needle (1907). He was an amazingly prolific author; besides his many novels he wrote plays ranging from blank verse tragedy to farce; critical works; several volumes of reminiscence; and short stories. The most notable of his critical volumes is Criticism and Fiction (1891). His books of reminiscences include A Boy's Town (1890), My Year in a Log Cabin (1893), Impressions and Experiences (1896), Literary Friends and Acquaintances (1900), My Mark Twain (1910), and Years of My Youth (1916).
See his life in letters (ed. by his daughter, Mildred Howells, 1928); biographies by E. H. Cady (2 vol., 1956–58, repr. 1986), K. S. Lynn (1972), and S. Goodman and C. Dawson (2005); studies by E. H. Cady (1956 and 1958, both repr. 1986) and as ed. with L. J. Budd (1993), G. N. Bennett (1973), K. E. Eble (1982), J. W. Crowley (1985 and 1999), and P. Abeln (2004); bibliography by V. J. Brenni (1973).


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Mysterious French-language commercial has the internet baffled — here's what it really says
During the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, there was one commercial that left viewers guessing. Freaking out, even.
Am I stroking out? What is happening in this Old Spice commercial?
— Surly Rae Jepsen (@Mykayak) January 29, 2018
Old Spice aired a mysterious ad featuring a glamorous French woman in a sparkling Mediterranean village, who is very upset over "Old Spice." The catch? The 60-second spot was entirely in French, sans subtitles.
The commercial begins with a woman clutching a red sweater in her cozy home. As she snuggles the sweater, she envisions herself with a handsome captain wearing said sweater. But then the chaos begins.
The woman looks puzzled, as if she's lost something important, and is soon seen running through the narrow brick streets of her town, telling her glamorous neighbors something deeply upsetting — and it all boils down to "Old Spice," which is the only word English speakers can decipher, a phrase that's repeated with escalating urgency.
Why? That's exactly what Twitter was wondering.
Why are these French ladies yelling about old spice
— jenna ❄ (@highbrowjenna) January 29, 2018
This Old Spice commercial is that deal! lol it's so dramatic!!!!!
— Holliwood (@DrCMH) January 29, 2018
LMAO @ this Old Spice Commercial pic.twitter.com/iBRuiHOXYm
— #Jay444President 🇹🇹 (@The_Hip_NoTiCe) January 29, 2018
We don't know what's being said — unless, of course, we're fluent in French. Luckily, those who are swooped in to tease the answer.
Okay, the Old Spice commercial en français is HILARIOUS.
— Lexie Little (@lexielittle2015) January 29, 2018
I missed the beginning but why did this lady name her dog Old Spice? (For the first time in my life I'm sad I'm fluent in French because I had to understand this ad)
— Nic (@CloneNic) January 29, 2018
Well, mystery solved. Old Spice released the captioned commercial on Youtube and Twitter:
Oh wait, it's about a lost dog??? Never mind.
Old Spice Captain includes a line of deodorants, a body wash, and a shampoo and conditioner with a distinctly manly scent. According to the brand's website, the Captain fragrance "smells like the bold determination it takes to stare down the open ocean and laugh, with an invigorating splash of fresh sandalwood" — which may help to explain the irreverence of this commercial.


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Category: 300 News Posted by: DaisyMay As mentioned, 300 is generating quite a lot of argument between those who love it or loathe it. Much more than one would expect from a genre movie. Obviously it is touching some nerves.
300 Spartans at the Gates of Fire: Part Two (BLOG)
Article Date: April 20, 2007 | Publication: The Atlasphere | Author: Stephen Browne
Source: The Atlasphere
When I saw the film, I observed a rare instance of spontaneous applause breaking out in the audience at one scene (don�t worry, no spoilers here � and you�ll probably know what scene when you see it) and I�ve read a touching story of two young marines leaving the theater and high-fiving each other with a hearty �Semper Fi!� Distinguished classicist Victor Davis Hanson liked it in spite of the liberties it took with history.
So who doesn�t like it?
Well, the Iranians are mad as hell, partly because the bad guys are their Persian ancestors. It�s been pointed out that the modern Iranian regime (unlike the late Shah�s) has by policy denigrated its pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian past anyway so they have limited grounds to complain.
It is as might be expected, breaking records in Greece.
However, Iranians who are not jihadist crazies and are proud of their past might be made very uncomfortable. Xerxes is portrayed as a semi-nude, shaven hairless, and body-pierced giant. Classical Persians dressed in long robes, cultivated long hair and beards, and had no recorded affinity for punk jewelry.
Persian kings of the period were not effeminate cowards either. The History Channel notes that part of the graduating exercise of an heir to the throne�s education was to be put in an arena with a lion, armed only with a spear.
Some libertarians are objecting that the Spartans were a �militarist fascist state� who practiced infanticide, pederasty, slavery, and maintained the krypteia � a brutal secret police/KKK-like organization to keep the helot population terrified and under control. Some include Athens in their indictment of slave states as well.
This mixes valid considerations with puerile ones. No free state every sprung, wholly-formed and armed, like Athena from the brow of Zeus. Free institutions evolved; slowly, painfully, and with much trial and error. And the history of every free state starts with the history of free classes among the unfree.
Sparta had a military state to be sure, but one in which there were significant checks and balances in the institution of the dual kingship and the council of ephors, a governing body whose members served for limited terms. And though most of the historical attention is given to citizen-soldiers and helot serfs, there is evidence of a considerable non-citizen but free class of artisans, merchants etc, the Perioeci.
Women had more rights in Sparta than anywhere else in Greece. They dressed in ways the Athenians considered scandalously immodest, exercised naked in athletic contests, managed the property holdings of their warrior husbands and spoke their minds freely.
300 attributes to Queen Gorgo a saying of the Spartan women when a woman of Athens asked a Spartan woman, �How is it that you alone among women can rule men?� who replied �Because only we among women give birth to men.�
The Athenian democracy itself could get pretty militaristic. It was remarked at the time that it was easier to move the democracy of Athens to send a military force across the sea than it was to persuade the Spartans to send an army a few days march from home.
I think what is resonating here is the ancient problem of how a society is to be both free and united. Or put another way, how a society that is free and self-governing can exist on anything but a small and local level.
This is a problem that was only beginning to be addressed at the time, and is still a matter of debate today. The Perisans discovered that they could create a huge state while replacing the rule of stark terror with a certain amount of humanity and tolerance. This created its own problems, a population that wasn�t sufficiently ground down might nonetheless prefer to live under its own institutions, as the Greek cities of Anatolia did.
300 is entertainment pure and simple, but it touches on an important point. The problem is not so much how to become free � but how to remain free.
Now for those who think that we have nothing to learn from the Spartans, consider that in 500 years the Spartans were never ruled by a tyrant, never occupied by a foreign power, and never had a civil war.
And further, consider this: the Greeks survived as long as they did as small, free states because they created a mode of warfare superior to anything else in the world at the time, relying on heavily armed men acting with a high degree of coordination. That is, contrary to our stereotype of highly regimented masses of men, it was free men who first learned to march in ranks.
As shown, there are plenty of objections to the picture of Sparta in 300, but much to like as well. Who could fail to be inspired by the words between Leonidas and his comrade while dying from the wounds of the Persian arrows, �It is an honor to die with you, my king.� �It was an honor to have lived with you.�
�Here on the plain of Platea we are 10,000 Spartans leading 40,000 free Greeks, a paltry three to one against us. Good enough odds for any Greek!�
And who would not feel with the desire of the deformed, cast-off Spartan Ephialtes when he betrayed the secret of the pass around Thermopylae. When the Great King offered him women, wealth, and power, he responded from the depths of his anguish, �Yes, and one more thing. A uniform!�
And here is where some of the most disturbing criticism of 300 is coming from. As with Gladiator, there is on the part of some, a reflexive condemnation of any portrayal of extraordinary martial courage.
We live in dangerous times, anyone can see that, however we may disagree on the nature and sources of that danger. Freedom has made tremendous strides since the collapse of the mighty Soviet empire, and now the forces of despotism are rallying again. Surely now of all times we are going to need courage. And where else are we going to find it if not in the stories of great deeds?
Courage, like any other virtue save perhaps compassion, can be corrupted and made to serve evil ends. But courage remains the essential virtue � without it all other virtues are impotent.
Stephen Browne is a writer, editor, and teacher of english as a second language and martial arts. He has been living and working in Eastern Europe since 1991, though currently he is at the University of Oklahoma pursuing advanced coursework in journalism. He is the founder of the Liberty English Camp, held annually in Lithuania, which brings together students from all over Eastern Europe for intensive English study using texts important to the history of political liberty and free markets. He also keeps an up-to-date blog.
Category: 300 News
Posted by: DaisyMay
As mentioned, 300 is generating quite a lot of argument between those who love it or loathe it. Much more than one would expect from a genre movie. Obviously it is touching some nerves.