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i've been really having a hard time to sleep these days that my eyebags are much, much bigger than my eyes already. eww, yuck! and i know i should try to stay away from putting on eye makeup that will draw attention to my eyes. but i just can't help it. it's like, i am "forced" to use up all the makeups i've been buying for the last few months...and besides, i also need to practice, practice, practice!
this look really came out fierce. i know it did make my bags look more noticeable. oh well...another boo-boo, maybe?
Pureluxe Pink Pearls to highlight
Pureluxe Lemon on the inner lid
Shiseido palette (used the blue shade, yep blue! but it looked more black, eh!?) on the outer lid and outer-V
TFS eyeliner in White on the lower lash lines
MAC Technakohl in Phone Number on the water lines
Modelco Brow kit in Dark topped with MAC Brow Gel in Boy Girl
Elianto Gel Liner in Black on the upper lash line
VMV Oh-la-lash Mascara in Black
Monistat as primer
Cinema secrets concealer on the sides of the nose and undereyes
Buff'd foundation in Lace
Lauress Fantastic Finish in Medium
EDM Blush in Waffle Cone
MAC Sculpt and Shape to contour nose
In2it lipstick in SS 03
i wish i can go back to just wearing mascara for my eyes...for months now, there was never a single day (unless it's a weekend and i am just staying at home) that i didn't wear eye makeup. and yeah, i am really running out of color combinations. i wish i have time to watch tutorials or copy certain looks.
my eyes looked smaller in person in this eye makeup. an officemate of mine commented that my eyes look chinkier. huh!? me? with chinky eyes!?

subset: commoncrawl


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Victoria's Secret models are Just Like Us! As bikini season approaches, model Behati Prinsloo admits to Us Weekly that she at first felt "awkward" when stripping down to a teeny bikini for VS' super-sexy photo shoots. "In the beginning, [it was like], 'Hello, I'm in my underwear just standing here all day!'" recalled Prinsloo when chatting with Us at a recent event celebrating Victoria's Secret's What Is Sexy list. As the model — who split from Adam Levine earlier this year — gained confidence, she found posing in skimpy suits like "second nature."
Prinsloo's fellow VS angel, Lily Aldridge, agrees that confidence is key, but stresses the importance of dressing for your body type. "I like the string-kini on me, I think it looks the best. Boyshorts don't look so great on me," admits the mom of 11-month-old daughter Dixie, with husband Caleb Followill. "Also having a great tan, a little glow, really helps!"
Aldridge — who eats a clean diet rich with fish and veggies — will likely bring her workouts outdoors as the summer progresses.
"Working out outside is good for the body and soul," Aldridge, who also works with trainer Justin Gelband, tells Self magazine. "Nothing makes me feel more blessed than being outside on a beautiful day." One of her preferred workouts? Yoga. "I've always loved yoga, but I got really into it while I was pregnant. It's a great way to stay flexible — and a great way to meditate," she tells Self. "I could fall asleep in [the Child's Pose] position."
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


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As some of you may know, one of the final stretch goals for the recent The Naughty List Kickstarter campaign was that Brian would write a fifth book set in the world of The Rising. The stretch goal was met, but then disaster struck as the payment system shit itself because so many backers were in the US, but the campaign was in British pounds sterling - there was a real chance that not enough backers would take the necessary steps to make sure their pledge went through, and the book might not happen.
Brian has been off of social media for the last month, so fans were left wondering what was happening. Well, last night he posted this on his own forum in response to someone guessing the book wasn't happening:
The more interesting thing is what he said right after that:Originally Posted by Brian Keene
So a huge thanks to Richard for helping make this happen! I honestly expected the LE of the fifth book to come out under Brian's Maelstrom imprint, but this is just as good .Originally Posted by Brian Keene


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Manufactured Building » Board Members
Members and Terms
The purpose of the North Carolina Manufactured Housing Board is to provide a comprehensive framework for regulation of all segments of the Manufactured Housing Industry.
It is specifically empowered to issue and revoke licenses, require bonds, resolve complaints, and promulgate rules as necessary to carry out these goals.
NC Department of Insurance, Governing Body as of October 29, 2013:


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ROCHESTER — Hats, mittens, shoes, and gift certificates were just a few of the items collected over the past week to help local students struggling with homelessness this winter season.
On Tuesday, members of the Rochester Federation of Teachers stuffed a van with the items, which are being delivered to the students today.
During a weeklong drive that ended Tuesday, local businesses have been donating items like clothes, toiletries, nonperishable items.
Carrie Feyler, secretary of the Federation of Teachers, said the Federation of Teachers organized the drive as a way to have a positive presence in the community.
She said she's been impressed at the amount local businesses donated, especially when it came to donations of gift certificates and gas cards.
One staff member at Spaulding High School even bought brand new sneakers for the donation drive.
Feyler said that while not everyone is aware of homelessness being an issue in the city, there are "quite a number of homeless students" in the School District. She said that not all students who are homeless sleep outdoors or in cars — many stay on friends couches and floors during the night.
About 100 students will benefit from the items collected.
The items will be distributed by Jacky LeHoullier, the homeless liaison for the School District, said Feyler.


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This Thanksgiving, Actor/Producer/Director/Humanitarian Scott L. Schwartz returned Knoxville, TN to decorate and donate his very own custom "Hollywood" themed tree at the "Fantasy Of Trees" to benefit East Tennessee Children's Hospital (ETCH). While Scott was in town he visited the children at ETCH as well as Carter High School kids and even had time for a quick photo with Principal Siebe. Scott also returned to WBIR to visit Russel Bivens on Live At Five At Four.
This was by far the "most popular tree" at the event- as all the guests were stopping to take photos at the tree valued over $1,800.00.
The Scott L. Schwartz Children's Foundation "Hollywood" themed tree received gifts and support from the following sponsors: Wendi Russo (ShopHQ host), Rick Finkelstein (CEO/Exec Producer at Entertainment Factory, LLC), Juan Hernandez (Executive of Alicia's House Food Pantry), among others...
The Fantasy of Trees has been a holiday tradition in East Tennessee since 1985. In 2013, the 29th annual event showcased a theme of "Christmas on Main Street." All proceeds from admission ticket sales, children's activities and designer sales at the Fantasy of Trees benefit Children's Hospital. Official website.
Scott L. Schwartz is widely known as the "Ultimate Bad Guy" from his acting career including: Ocean's 11, 12 & 13, Starsky & Hutch, Spiderman, Fun With Dick And Jane, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Mentalist, Castle, among other feature films and TV shows. What most fans don't know is that Scott is really "The Ultimate Nice Guy" and has been visiting children's hospitals worldwide for the past 15 years after losing his sister to lung cancer in 1998. He realizes the value and impact of making a lasting impression on children with cancer and how important it is to make each child feel special. Scott enjoys visiting pediatric hospitals and bringing what joy he can into the lives of every child he visits. They are always smiling during his visits and usually begging him to return soon.
The Scott L. Schwartz Children's Foundation is making a difference in the lives of each child in need by continuing to visit hospitals worldwide, helping Alicia's House Food Pantry, Children's Hospitals Worldwide. For the past ten years Scott has been an essential part of the fundraising for Alicia's House Food Pantry along with former Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas and the founder (former pro wrestler) Juan Hernandez. Scott recently accepted the CHOC Glass Slipper Guild Award (a prestigious award that others that David Beckham, Gwen Stefani among others have received). On May 21, 2013 Scott was invited by General Mills to be an Ambassador for Outnumber Hunger. Outnumber Hunger partners with Feeding America and Big Machine Label Group to help Feeding America secure meals on behalf of local food bank. Scott will show his support through raising awareness with his fans about Outnumber Hunger and the staggering issue of hunger in America.
Official website.


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Yesterday afternoon, I interviewed fellow-in-transition Nick Watts for today's installment of How Transition Changed My Life. Nick has been active in Sustainable Bungay since 2008. He co-ordinated the Library Community Garden project, is one of the key organisers of Happy Monday's monthly Community Cafe and is secretary of the initiative. He also grows-his-own vegetables at home and on two allotments.
Nick had come over with his chainsaw to cut logs from the dead elm I've been felling recently, so our interview was informal. We sat by the woodburner with a cup of tea and I said, "So Nick, how has transition changed your life...?"
Nick: In October 2008, I applied to do a Phd at UEA in Norwich, involving action research on how effective the Transition movement was on bringing about change in response to Peak Oil. At that time I knew nothing about Peak Oil.
MW: So that's when you first became aware of it?
Nick: Yes, and it affected me deeply. It was totally life-changing. I thought, 'This is it. I want to spend my my life doing something about this.' I realised our whole society rested on very shaky foundations. I'd been worried for some time about climate change and that there was a real social problem with addressing it. But when I put Peak Oil and Climate Change together it crystallised my thinking. I felt the solutions to these problems went hand in hand. On a personal level it also unleashed a huge surge of creativity - one of the first things I did as a response was make a Peak Oil collage...
MW: Oh, I remember that Nick, have you still got it?
Nick: Yes, I'll send you a picture of it.
MW: So what was your next step?
Nick: Well, I didn't get on the course. But I was totally fired up. I started reading the Energy Bulletin, John Michael Greer's Archdruid Report, James Howard Kunstler's work, got into the 'doomer porn' thing a bit (laughs)...
And then I went to a Transition Norwich Economics and Livelihoods meeting. Again, I didn't really know anything about economics at the time, but my own booksearch business had dwindled after more than a decade of earning a decent living with it, so I was at a bit of a watershed in my own life...
MW: And all this was happening at the same time as the economic crash? Around October 2008?
Nick: That's right. So I went to this meeting and met Tully Wakeman. He said, 'Did you know there's a Transition Group in Bungay?' I had no idea. He told me to get in touch with Josiah...
MW: And the rest is history...
Nick (laughs): Josiah told me later that Tully had warned him, 'I have to tell you Josiah, he's VERY keen.'
So I came to that Xmas party where the only person I knew was Margaret, so I talked to her most of the evening in the living room with a couple of other people. And I kept hearing bits of the conversation everyone was having in the kitchen... about Marx! I couldn't believe I was in Bungay!
MW: Yeah, it's a shame you missed that, it was really interesting... And you know Rob is a Marxist scholar. I'd also just been reading 'Capital' for the first time, an old version I got from the library. Transition gets you like that, especially at the beginning. You want to find out about all sorts of subjects you've never paid any attention to before. And talk about it with others.
Nick: Yes. You get a head of steam up and it takes over your life.
MW: Once you've had that end-of-suburbia moment, you get kind of hooked...
Nick: It's like a transition epiphany!
MW: So once you got involved, how did it affect your life then?
Nick: Well, practically speaking I started to co-ordinate the Library Garden project in 2009, which really got going after the Permaculture weekend in Jan 2010.
MW: What about transition's impact on your social life?
Nick: It's widened my social circle. And it's really good that you become friends with people you're working with on a common understanding, for a common good. You get involved with Transition and it casts a different light on everything you do. You're thinking bigger in a way about the systems that underpin our lives, but acting from where you are.
At the beginning I did want to tell everyone about it. It was a bit like a quasi-religious experience. I couldn't believe that people didn't want to know about how our economic system was so fragile, for example, or how dependent we are on our access to fossil fuels to live the way we do... Sometimes I felt a certain distance from old friends because of this.
I've been headed in the direction of voluntary simplicity for some time and now it seems more relevant than ever. Simplifying your life to where you're less dependent on a high income or high energy use. It makes you more resilient, less dependent on supermarkets and the industrial food system for what you eat. Peak Oil presents the very real possibility of these fossil-fuel energy-intensive ways of life being taken away. I see it as a responsibility, especially if you have children, to take it seriously.
MW: So three years on Nick, what's your approach to bringing awareness of the Transition approach to others?
Nick: I still tell people about it, perhaps not so zealously though. It's difficult to engage with people in a community where there's a reluctance to new ideas. So you get on with it yourself and with those you can work with. You build it up like that. Do things people can see and join in with. I think Sustainable Bungay's doing pretty well.
MW: Yes, me too. That's great, Nick and thanks for agreeing to the interview. Is there anything you'd like to finish on?
Nick: Perhaps this quote from Vaclav Havel:
Pics: Nick in Bungay Library for Turning the Tide climate change play, April 2010; Peak Oil collage by Nick Watts; Nick shows me how to chainsaw logs, January 2012
Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.


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Here is a sample from the first part of Chapter 4 of "Times of Trial." Available at: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple iTunes, Kobo
Chapter 4
A day earlier….
"I'm starting to fear for our safety, Eric. Some of our neighbors keep calling CPS and the cops on us for homeschooling the kids, our house gets egged, and someone keeps smearing dog or cat poop on our doors. Along with the graffiti on my car and neighbors who slam their doors every time they see us outside, this is the last straw for me. We should take up that offer to move to Wyoming,"
"I think you're right, Karen. I was hoping that things might get better. It'll probably take us a week or more to get there if we go by the back roads. Selling the house and moving all of our stuff would take too long, so maybe we should take only essentials, like food and our camping gear,"
"You want us to camp on our way there?"
"Renting hotel rooms would cause too many questions. If we eat at a fast food joint, or buy anything, I'll pay in cash. We don't want the TSA to find out where we're going,"
"Yeah, I guess you're right, dear. What should we tell the kids?" asked Karen, as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"Tell them exactly what we're going to do. They'll understand. Let's go talk to them about it."
Their four children were summoned to come to the kitchen table to discuss with their parents what the family was going to be doing. After listening to what his parents wanted to discuss, Nathan, who was the oldest, asked, "What about our friends? Shouldn't the Tyler's come with us?"
"They can't. They have a responsibility to the older members of the congregation to watch out for them, but when I go inform the Pastor about what we're doing, I'll ask again. I'm pretty sure it'll only be us though. Besides, you can make new friends in Wyoming," answered Eric.
"I guess." Nathan shrugged his shoulders.
"Here, we have a map of the roads we're going to travel on," Eric laid out a map of Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming, "we'll be going through the Indian Reservations here in Arizona because the TSA doesn't have jurisdiction there. If we can find out the places to drive through in Utah without being harassed by the TSA, we should make it. We'll be camping out the whole way, so bring warm clothes and all of your blankets. Everyone understand?"
"Yes, Dad," the four answered.
"We're also leaving all electronics here. We don't want to be tracked. So no cell phones, tablets, iPads, or portable games. Where we're going will be pretty much off of the grid." the kids began whining about how that wasn't fair. "Enough. That decision is final. Ok, get to work packing the essentials; we'll be leaving in the morning."
The family spent the next four hours packing their warm clothes, blankets, camping gear, and getting it into their Suburban. The next morning, Karen asked her husband shortly before they left the house, "Do you think we should lock the doors to the house?"
He thought about it for a few minutes before answering, "Probably not. I don't think we're coming back, so we don't need any of that stuff. If anyone is that desperate for a newer TV, mattresses, washer and dryer, and all of that other stuff, then they're welcome to it. Come on, let's go."
Before leaving the driveway for the church, Eric said, "Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, please guide us on this journey. Help us to avoid being seen by government forces. Please help those who aren't able to make this journey, and please protect them. In Jesus' name, amen."
Once Eric got back into the Suburban after talking to Pastor Tyler, he asked, "So, where to next?"
Karen looked at the map and said, "Ok. Our route will have us driving up State Highway 77 through Globe, Show Low, and then to Holbrook. Once in Holbrook, we'll have to travel on or next to I-40 for a few miles, then we'll turn off again onto 77, which looks like a farm-to-market road on the map. I have us going through Chinle, which is just outside of Canyon De Chelly, and we'll camp out for the night. Since we have four wheel drive, we can get off the main road to do that,"
"Sounds like a plan. Before I drive away, does anyone need to use the restroom?" Nobody said they did. "Good, because we'll be in this car for at least two hours before we reach Globe." Eric put the Suburban into gear and began driving north.


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This is a pretty comprehensive list of roads and passes and their current status throughout the eastern Sierra as of June 02, 2017:
Here's part of the report pertaining to the Lone Pine area:
Near Lone Pine:
Roads open: Foothill Rd., Division Creek Rd., Haiwee Canyon Rd., Mazourka Canyon Rd., Movie Rd., Sage Flat Rd., Onion Valley Rd., Whitney Portal Rd, Horseshoe Meadow Rd. to USFS gate.
Road Closed: Horseshoe Meadow Rd. after the USFS gate.


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EDIT ON MARCH 7, 2012: This post was originally written in 2006. As you read and comment, please consider that it has been over 5 years since I wrote my thoughts here. I personally still have the same concerns about IC that I did when I posted this and have chosen not to contribute to their cause. However, Uganda continues to hold a very special place in my heart. When I wrote this article, I supported and I continue to support relief efforts in Uganda through the work of Steve Hoyt at Engineering Ministries International (eMi), an organization with a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator. If you'd like, you can support Steve's work in Uganda here: https://emisecure.org/donate.html . To learn more about the work that eMi does in Uganda visit http://emiea.org/index.html.
Thanks for continuing to be a part of this important conversation.
Original Post:
Invisible Children (IC) swept the university campuses of America last year. The group wanted to mobilize college students to be aware of what happened in Uganda in recent years, the atrocious acts of Joseph Kony and his rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). I heard about Invisible Children for the first time when I was researching Uganda. I was immediately fascinated by their website. It's very well done, but I noticed one thing. It lacked real information. If you haven't seen the film or know nothing about their purpose, let me catch you up to speed with my version. Three clueless college kids head to Sudan with no plans and no idea about what they're going to find. They're looking for a "story". They leave Sudan and make their way into Uganda. They find some bad stuff going on there. So they made a MTV-esque DVD about what was happening there. They wanted to draw attention to what they found.
So far, this sounds good. However, there is a major, major problem. I'm going to compare what IC is doing to an analogy that I thought of this past summer when I was Uganda thinking about this issue. Imagine that today you heard about what happened in NYC and Washington DC on September 11, 2001 for the first time. You were shown a video of footage from that day. You saw the planes hit the towers, you heard President Bush's address, you saw the Pentagon wreckage, you watch in horror as you see people plunge to their death, jumping from the burning towers. Now imagine that you are inspired by this disaster. You want to something to help. What if you went to NYC today, expecting to see piles of rubble to clean up? What if you went, expecting that there would be thousands of people in the streets crying, looking for loved ones? But what would happen when you arrived and discovered that there was none of this, but a whole host of other problems?
And back to Uganda. Uganda is no longer experiencing violence from the LRA. Yes, I said it. It's an uncomfortable truth, but it is a truth. For about the last year, since before IC hit the scene, Kony and his troops have been pushed into Congo, into the Garamba National Forest there. He's sick, starving, and on his last legs. For the first time, Uganda is in the middle of real peace talks and the rebels have laid down their arms and are assembling to make peace. Why? This is happening because Joseph Kony was defeated. The Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) has beaten them back and Kony was sitting in Congo starving to death. Since March 2002, the UPDF has been allowed to carry out raids against the LRA into Southern Sudan and has even crossed into Congo, to the distress of most of the African community. Nonetheless, Operation Iron Fist, as this military offensive was called, has freed many child soldiers and sex slaves and brought them back to Uganda. The rebels again became very violent in 2003, but since 2004, the Ugandan government has been repeatedly beating the rebels and weakening them. Uganda is no longer allowed to enter Sudan or Congo to fight the LRA.
Invisible Children was founded in 2004, with the film crew filming in Uganda in 2003. Watching Invisible Children is watching old news. Will watching it alert you to what has occurred in Uganda? Yes, but it will not let you know what is happening there today.
Invisible Children is too late. It has taught us that MTV type media can get university students interested in a world crisis, the problem is it took too much time. Night commuting, outlined as one of the major problems in northern Uganda by the film, is practically non-existent now. Why? Peace is coming to the region. According to UN reports, children who still are commuting at night are not doing it because of safety concerns, but because they want to enjoy the amenities that NGO's are offering in the towns, like Gulu, Kitgum, and Lira. At the peak of the commuting, there were between 30,000 and 40,000 children commuting. Now, estimates are below 10,000.
The scars of the 20 year conflict are everywhere in northern Uganda. I walked through internally displaced person (IDP) camps. I smelled, I listened, I saw, I touched, I tasted. I experienced Uganda. I saw people whose lives had been radically changed. I placed my hands on a woman whose lips had been cut off by the LRA. I walked with children whose parents had been killed. I sat on the foundation of a hut burned down by the LRA. I talked with people whose relatives had been abducted. I walked over land guarded by the UPDF. The landscape, the people, and the country itself has an immense burden to deal with.
Uganda has problems today. Their government is ridden with corruption. There are people still living in fear in IDP camps, afraid that violence will again return to their land. The education system is inadequate and many do not have the chance to go to school. For those who do work their way through the school system, there is a good chance that there will not be a job for them when they get even a university degree. Why doesn't anyone want to do something about these problems? Why will thousands of people participate in IC's Global Night Commute but not take the time to actually find out what is going on in Uganda today?
There have been many inspired to do more than just watch a DVD and sleep downtown for a night. However, that's where we run into another problem. This summer, IC had a bunch of college students in northern Uganda wasting time and money. There were almost 30 people who were in Uganda this summer connected with IC and even more who were inspired to change the world and fly around it. That also sounds somewhat heart warming. Self centered American kids are flying around the world to change it. The catch is they don't know what they are doing or where they are going. They are blindly making a problem worse by throwing thousands of dollars at something they don't understand.
When I traveled into Southern Sudan, you could sense something was different there. There is a greedy spirit there that you can feel. Foreign aid had ruined South Sudan. People do not want to work, they want handouts. An entire generation has been cared for by the UN and other NGO's. They are fed, clothed, protected, and sent to school without having to do anything. I walked through the market there and saw UNICEF tarps and blankets for sale. I could also buy Samaritan's Purse shoe-boxes, filled with all sorts of American goodies. I thought back how I thought it was a good idea for me to send a shoebox filled with soap, toothpaste, bouncy balls, and a washcloth to a faraway land. What I realize now is that sending things, whether money, objects, or people to a place that I have no information on is a bad idea.
The problems that Uganda faces today cannot be fixed by hundreds of uneducated Westerners going there to "help". As you read this article, think about how much you really know about the political situations in Uganda and throughout Africa that contribute to long lasting problems.
Africa as a whole needs to break free from foreign aid. Almost half of Uganda's yearly budget is made up of foreign aid. I think that many of Uganda's problems stem from its reliance on foreign support. If you want to read more on that, check out a Ugandan journalist named Andrew Mwenda. The aid to African nations is increasing the corruption there and encouraging these nations to continue this dependence on foreign nations and it does not encourage them to become totally self sufficient. When asked what rich nations should do to help Africa, Mwenda said,
So what is the solution? I've now written the first negative article I can find about Invisible Children. I also have suggested that we should think about cutting foreign aid and debt relief to African nations.
If you've seen the old news that Uganda has to offer and are disturbed, I encourage you to do some research and find out what is really going on in Uganda. I spent months before I went to Uganda researching the country. I talked to many people on the phone or with Skype, I emailed countless others, I read books, I monitored the news. If you want to find out what the situation is really like, find out. Don't blindly fly yourself to a developing country like a Western idiot. I would also suggest finding out more about organizations that you support that work in foreign countries. Find out what their relationships are like with the local people and find out how they are grooming local people to take over their group. No aid organization should plan to be somewhere forever. If they do, they are not focused on solving the problem they are there to address.
Do not be fooled by slick video editing. Sleeping outside in downtown Pittsburgh will not help anyone who is still night commuting in northern Uganda. Perhaps you are now aware that there is a problem, perhaps you know that there is more to this world than just your country, your state, and your little hometown. What you may not know is that the US government is not going to get involved if it doesn't benefit the American people. Remember Rwanda? It is up to you to figure out how to deal with this knowledge and the knowledge that your warm and fuzzy thoughts are not going to be the solution to this.
As of today, Uganda is still in a tedious peace process with the LRA, with both sides accusing each other of violating peace agreements. The good news is that they are still in the peace process and they're doing it without the help of a foreign country that will attempt to benefit from the talks. Instead, using Rick Machar and South Sudan is helping to build ties with all those in that region. The LRA and the UPDF have now signed a second peace accord and hopefully this one will result in successful peace.
As I have written this over the past couple of months, I'm disappointed that I cannot offer a real solution to this problem. I wish that I had the answers for Uganda and those of you who are interested in doing something to help the people there. Unfortunately, I feel that I have done little more than to highlight problems there and then problems with our response to their problems. I learned so much while I was there, but I still have a lot that I can learn.


text:
CRESTVIEW � June was a busy month for the Shoal River Middle School boys basketball team.
CRESTVIEW � June was a busy month for the Shoal River Middle School boys basketball team.
The Mustangs, who hosted a summer league on Monday evenings, managed to play eight games in four weeks. They also had workouts throughout the month.
More than 30 players participated in the June practices.
�We�ve got probably 22 kids working out on the varsity,� coach Mitch Buckelew said. �And I�ve got 11 or 12 working out on the incoming sixth-grade team. So we are pleased with kids showing an interest in coming over to us from the elementary schools and all.�
Buckelew saw enough positives from his team to be cautiously optimistic as the 2013-14 season approaches. �We�ve had a good summer,� he said. �We�ve had some new kids out that have come out in eighth grade. The question is how quick can they catch on. �If they can jump in there and make a difference, then it�s good. We�ve got a good group of seventh graders that have played a lot for us this summer. We have some potential.�
Buckelew cited some typical concerns. �We have to work on some defense and boxing out,� he said, �but I�ve been pleased with the summer. The summer has been good. It has passed fairly quick.
�I think our younger guys had 12 or 15 days they�ve worked out with us. And what we call our varsity � our seventh and eighth grade � had 12, maybe 14 days. We have a lot of work to do, but it�s always that way.�
Buckelew praised the team�s discipline and the players� way of handling some of the game�s finer points and said the team won�t be excessive, but it will be big enough to compete. He would like to see more fire from the players all of the time. �I think we�ve got to get used to working hard and playing hard the whole time,� he said. �We are used to working hard and playing hard in spurts. What you are trying to work up is the intensity where they are feeling it the whole time.
�You know we are probably going to be deep enough to spell (rest) some kids this year. We can do that, but we�ve just got to get them to get out there and get after it for two, three, four minutes ... whatever they have to give their all � and then we can sub in. I think just the steady consistency to hustle 100 percent of the time, so that�s what we are shooting for.�
Contact News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson at 682-6524 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @BigRandle.


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Theologian: Young Evangelicals Want to Rethink What it Means to Be Evangelical
Theologian Peter Enns believes that some – mostly young, evangelical Christians today – want to rethink what it means to be evangelical but the movement's leaders are resistant to talking about the issues for fear of repercussions.
"People within evangelicalism desperately want to question the very foundations that made evangelicalism what it is, which is, basically, defending the faith, defending the Bible against the bad guys," Enns told The Christian Post in an interview at the Pastorum Live Conference hosted by Logos Bible Software earlier this month.
The Bible raises some difficult issues that these young evangelicals want to talk about, he said. But some "old guard" evangelicals make it difficult to have those conversations. These younger evangelicals don't want to leave evangelicalism, but they want to maintain their evangelical identity while transforming it.
"What they're saying is what some of the bad guys say about the Bible makes sense, whether its evolution, whether it's Canaanite genocide, whether it's human sexuality, whatever. They're saying they want to rethink some of those issues, but they're doing it from the point of view of having a deep connection with the tradition they were raised in. They don't want to just leave it. ... They want to transform and continue the evangelical journey," Enns said.
The biblical studies professor at Eastern University in Philadelphia, Pa., said he has spoken to many fellow theologians who wanted to also address some of the issues that are presenting challenges to evangelical thought, but did not for fear of losing their job.
"I should keep a list of the people I've talked to over the years who were like, 'I'd like to talk about X, but I can't because I'd be in trouble,' because it's all about protecting the system and it's not about saying, 'hey, that's a good point, let's talk about it,'" Enns said.
The Bible scholar is speaking from personal experience. He lost his job at Westminster Theological Seminary in 2008 for some of the ideas presented in his book, Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament (2005). In it he argued for reading scripture in a way that would take seriously both the divine and human aspects of the Bible.
While at the Pastorum Conference, Enns said he spoke to another theologian who wanted to tackle some of the difficult questions challenging evangelicalism but felt constrained in doing so.
"He knows where the conversations have to go," Enns said, "but he seems somewhat hampered, because of teaching, keeping a job and things like that."
That struggle, he believes, represents one of the most significant challenges facing evangelicals today.
"Part of the problem with evangelicalism is that the power, money and the control is typically more with an older guard and you have to be careful," he said.
"The harshest way of putting it," he added, is "when you care more about the system than the truth, it's the problem the Pharisees had in the Gospels, and you want to protect the system."
The Philadelphia-based theologian believes that diversity of thought within Christianity is actually what God intended, though evangelicalism has historically been resistant to diversity of thought within its ranks. He mentioned the book of a fellow theologian and friend, Manifold Witness: The Plurality of Truth by John Franke, which makes this argument.
"It reflects the manifold character of God, to think differently about these things," Enns said, but Christians "also have to love each other and come together and talk about them.
"That's the irony of evangelicalism. They don't talk about these things easily, but that's exactly where you get to share the heart of God with each other."
The younger evangelicals who want to have those difficult conversations will continue to try to transform their faith, Enns believes, adding, "the Internet helps" because "you can't control it."


text:
Suppose you have some Common Lisp code representing a game and you want to abstract drawing the game away from updating the game. For instance, you might have everything in your game "universe" represented in a big list CLOS objects which need to be updated and drawn once per turn.
Everyone can imagine what the update method looks like for a bouncing box. The draw method is where the question arises. It might look something like this.
Code: Select all
(defparameter *game* nil)
(push (make-instance 'bouncing-box :draw-layer 1) *game*)
(push (make-instance 'bouncing-box :draw-layer 2) *game*)
(loop while T do
(map #'update *game*)
(map #'draw *game*))
This almost accomplishes what we want. Unfortunately it doesn't respect the draw layer. In order to layer our drawings correctly, we need a way of sorting the drawing operations so that they happen in the right order, regardless of the order that the objects are updated or drawn in.
Code: Select all
(defclass bouncing-box ()
((color :initform 'blue :initarg :blue :accessor color-of)
(x :initform 0 :initarg :x :accessor x-of)
(y :initform 0 :initarg :y :accessor y-of)
(draw-layer :initform 0 :initarg :draw-layer :accessor :draw-layer-of)))
(defmethod draw ((bb bouncing-box))
(draw-box-to-screen (x-of bb) (y-of bb) 4 4 (color-of bb)))
One approach is to implement layered drawing.
Then our draw method can become:
Code: Select all
(defparameter *nlayers* 6)
(defparameter *layers* (make-array (list *nlayers*)))
(defun push-layer (n lam)
(push lam (aref *layers* n) ))
(defun clear-layers ()
(loop for i from 0 below *nlayers*
do (setf (aref *layers* i) nil)))
(defun do-layers ()
(loop for layer across *layers* do
(loop for lam in layer do
(funcall lam)))
And our game loop becomes:
Code: Select all
(defmethod draw ((bb bouncing-box))
(push-layer (draw-layer-of bb) (lambda () (draw-box-to-screen (x-of bb) (y-of bb) 4 4 (color-of bb)))))
In my actual source code the objects are separated into models and views so that I can replace the renderer more easily (or even render to text, since I am working on a roguelike), but the principle is that demonstrated in the code above.
Code: Select all
(loop while T do
(map #'update *game*)
(map #'draw *game*)
The question is that in a regular game you might have 20 or so objects on the screen at once, possibly more, and making a bunch of lambdas and deleting them every turn seems like the kind of inefficiency that could rapidly become unwieldy.
We are basically using lambda here as a smart quotation, delaying computation until an appropriate time (in fact it is the implementations of delay and force which inspired this method, for instance the one here http://common-lisp.net/project/clazy/).
Certain optimizations seem obvious. Use vectors instead of lists for each layer so you can recycle the storage, for instance. Clear each layer during the draw-pass. But no approach I can think of that follows this basic architecture seems to be able to avoid the cost of creating (and then freeing) all these arbitrary lambdas.
The only think I can think of is to formalize the drawing operations much more finely so that you only allow, for instance, drawing of geometric shapes and sprites and text, say. Then each drawing request can be sent as a simple data structure and not a delayed computation. But this seems like a big lose in terms of flexibility.
So I ask the Common Lispers, is it really so bad to make this many lambdas? Is there a more "lispy" or "common lispy" solution to the problem? Is there are more efficient way to represent delayed computations?
(Before anyone asks, I know it doesn't matter until I need the efficiency, but delayed computation is an interesting subject and a good way to emphasize the usefulness of lambda as a kind of smart quotation, so I think the discussion is useful, even if in this case there may be no point.)


text:
The HP600 is used for free-pressing of samples for XRF and XRD analysis. The machine has a built-in PLC and is capable of pressing to 600 kN. The force and rate at which the force is applied is fully programmable. The time at full pressure is also programmable.
Typical applications include non-ferrous and geological samples.


text:
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Do you have what it takes to play for Team Canada?
33 comments:
Andy chance of getting this article in Word for those of us who don't have Excel?
- March 8, 2009 at 1:17 PM
- . said...
I've converted the XLS spreadsheet into a pdf document that can be read on any computer using the free Adobe Reader.
- March 8, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Awesome! Thanks, Eric.
- March 8, 2009 at 7:00 PM
I believe this was done ages ago, and was a great promotion......Let Jim Armstrong go through the drills, post them, and there lies the challenge....lots of fun, ad a challenge, while letting us know in a "one shot, snap shot" how we are doing against the best.
- March 8, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Somebody will beat he score, and figure he should be skipping team Canada.
Seriously, it would be a great challenge...how about a sponsor who will accept a "nose to nose" challenge for the best qualifier in a one on one with Jim? Winner is wheelchair curling
- March 8, 2009 at 10:03 PM
Has anyone besides me bothered to see what percentages the 160 to 170 range equates to ???? Well it is between 67% and 71%. Now go to the CURLIT web site and check the percentages from the recent Worlds and see what the team and individual percentages were....not even consistently close....not even close period!!!!! Does anyone really think that TEAM CANADA is honestly looking for new curlers in the TEAM CANADA pool with the "bar" set at that level.Even Gerry Peckham's "pride and joy" only had a percentage of 52% over 9 games at the recent Worlds and that was good enough to win the Gold, ranking 2nd among skips.
I would suggest any aspiring TEAM CANADA hopefulls would be wasting their time trying to consistently attain 67 - 71% with todays equipment and commonly used throwing "techniques". Good Luck!!!
Please note I am not afraid to put my name to the comments I post...how about some others doing the same...
- March 9, 2009 at 8:30 AM
That would be great! A national challenge for the bestscore in the skills competition plays Jim Armstrong in a one-on-one exhibititon game. Wonder if there woud be a sponsor, and if Jim would go along?
- March 9, 2009 at 9:02 AM
Whoa, Bruce:
Drills in a pratice mode are significantly different than games on arena ice with new stones. Team Canada even had a team game of over 80%, playing simple shots.
Further some of the drills are only throwing consistant weight, with no concern for results.
Relax, old fella.
- March 9, 2009 at 1:06 PM
If you think percentages in a set of drills and a game are the same, you are destined to continue to be runner-up in Ontario.
Sorry pal, like comparing apples and oranges.I have seen Darryl and Jim throw hits for an entire end in practice, and never roll out.
- March 9, 2009 at 4:23 PM
Bruce, Bruce, Bruce:
Dumb comments, with little merit. You think they are not still looking for the elusive lead/alternate position? And now, when 2010 team should be named, so they can get on with real preparation for next year, there still is no announcement.
I'll bet there won't be an announcement untill some time after the Nationals.
Direct your acid comments at the CCA, not the team that just won the Worlds, and certainly, not Jim Armstrong, who was the missing link to make it happen.
- March 9, 2009 at 4:52 PM
Ah, Bruce,
For the comments you make, you should make them anonymously. You either don't understand much, or your contempt of the CCA and Jim Armstrong certainly skews away from common sense.
And, for the record, had stats continued on for the entire week, including the toughr playoffs, im's stats would have put him well into first place for skips.
Any chance you feel you should be with Team Canada?
- March 9, 2009 at 7:28 PM
Does Bruce think that the CCA Program is not enjoying validation with the Team Canada win?
Hard to now argue with success, including inviting Armstrong to the party. Remember, Bruce, financng to date turns on results, not some esoteric dreaming about a purist 'all-inclusive" desire.
- March 9, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Very valid. The program cannot be questioned now, nor can Jim Armsrong. It is interesting to hear that Jim feel disappointed in his own play....what happens in the future?????
- March 9, 2009 at 8:05 PM
By the Way, Bruce,
If you go way back in the write-ups, you will see that the Team Canada Group of 13 was never stagnant, according to Gery Peckham. he is on record, prior to Armstrong, that the Program will always entertain new talent, and as it is today, the present 8 is not a fixed number or roster for 2010.
Your whining last year (about Jim's involvement by his "buddie" was an allowable consequence of looking for further potential talent)is unfounded. Your whining today is simply intolerable. AS WE LIKE TO SAY IN THE WEST, YOU MUST BE FROM ONTARIO...
- March 9, 2009 at 9:25 PM
Please don't paint all of the East, based on Bruce's comments. He has the best interest of the sport at heart, but sometimes get lost in a purity that simply doesn't (nor should it), exist.
- March 10, 2009 at 8:51 AM
I, for one don't have a problem with Mr. Armstrong. If he's elevated the profile and popularity of the sport, then good for him, and I was cheering for the Canadian Team along with everyone else last week.
Having said that, besides being an interesting training tool, I see no point in using those exercises as a method of getting on the National Team. Anyone from the eastern half of the country can score whatever they like on those drills and still won't get their call answered by the national program coaches, etc. To believe otherwise is extremely short sighted.
It's of no concern to me either way, as this is curling and I happen to disagree with the last poster in that I feel purity definitely has it's place. Anyone who really believes that athlete pools have more merit than playdowns, probably spells their name "anonymous".
We have the depth in this country to put out a strong national team right from the club level. THe team who won the nationals last year would have fit right in at this year's world championships and I suspect the same will be able to be said for a few of the teams set to compete in Nova Scotia.
Come on, CCA...drop the rules about limiting your pool athletes to two per team...let skips form whatever teams they want within their home clubs and cities, and everyone play to beat hell to get to the Nationals.. National winner = National team. Play the man + beat the man = BE the man.
This isn't sledge hockey or wheelchair basketball. The CCA has a golden opportunity to trailblaze in our sport. I say we take them to task and make them do it.
- March 11, 2009 at 12:56 AM
Please tell us who you are, and where you play ( unless you can tell us, Eric).
- March 11, 2009 at 3:58 PM
I think you are premature in your condemnation of a Select Team Canada. The fact is that we still do not have the numbers across Canada to insure a bonafide competitive National championship. Do not expect any change of significance pre-2010, perhaps one roster adjustment.....
Your suggestion of a championship to determine Team Canada may land on assertive ears post 2010. How about a best of 3 play-off between Team Canada and the National champions? Remember, though, Armstrong and neighbour, plus likely Forrest and Gaudet would be drafted by Team Canada....who will beat them at this point??????
I do believe that such a scenario would be an appropriate test of the select system.
- March 11, 2009 at 6:22 PM
Flip side.....B.C. has a unique situation....Let them load up and win the Nationals for the next couple of years, and CCA gets the team they want anyways.
Now the die is set that the Natinal champion moves on.
Problem to be dealt with, though, is our Nationals occurs after Worlds in the calendar year.....and what about carding?
- March 11, 2009 at 7:38 PM
Like it or not, the CCA program now has credibility, from inviting Jim to the entire selection process.
Ask the CCA about alternatives, rather than demand......lokk where Mr. Daw landed.....
- March 11, 2009 at 8:11 PM
So how many people are opposed to a selection process at this point in time?
We cannot argue with success (now), but where do the sentiments lie?
I , for one, accept this format until 2011, then allow Team Canada to be challenged. I would also agree with at least a best of three play-off.
- March 11, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Your suggestion makes sense
- March 11, 2009 at 8:27 PM
I hope Jamie is not Bruce's alter-ego
- March 11, 2009 at 8:30 PM
No one has addressed winning and funding. A club side would be challenged to hit the podium, and how much lomnger would funding continue, if we hadn't had results this year?
- March 11, 2009 at 8:43 PM
We have to accept the present format. Winning draws funding (as does identifiable players). As the program matures, let's then take advantage of these heady dys of winning.
- March 11, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Winning equals funding. PERIOD.
Even you can't argue that fact, Eric.
Let's enjoy the benefits of this year's Team Canada, and support the chosen team for next year. Jim Armstrong bring the attention, and the rest of the team certainy provides the support.
I don't understand how anyone can even argue this, after this year's win.
- March 11, 2009 at 9:43 PM
So, people, if you don't like Canaa's side, what is yur dream team?
I will bet there are no more than two suggestions from bloggers, beyond our existing squad
- March 11, 2009 at 10:02 PM
Sorry, until our numbers are significantly higher, it will be a select team, since funding is about winning. We won, and therefore it will continue.
- March 12, 2009 at 9:13 AM
- March 12, 2009 at 10:33 AM
- March 12, 2009 at 6:09 PM
I don't think you can beat the present Team Canada with another season under their belt.
- March 13, 2009 at 7:51 AM
I agree, unless there is someone that can hit better than Sonja
- March 13, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Just have Armstrong, Neighbour, Forrest, and team's choices from there
- March 14, 2009 at 5:45 PM


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double as (someone or something)(redirected from double as us)
double as (someone or something)
To serve two separate purposes. Because we're understaffed, I have to double as receptionist and file clerk right now. You wouldn't know from looking at it, but this sleeping bag actually doubles as a poncho.
double as someone or something
[for someone] to serve in two capacities. The chairman will have to double as CEO until we find a new one. This table doubles as a desk during busy times.
double as
To serve in some additional capacity: The high school principal doubles as the soccer coach.


text:
Tacrolimus and Thymoglobulin, as GvHD Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Related Donor HCT
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01246206
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : November 23, 2010
Results First Posted : June 1, 2017
Last Update Posted : June 18, 2018
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The primary goal of the study is to determine the incidence and severity of acute Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD) following human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched related donor Hematopoetic Stem Cell(HSC) transplant in patients with blood related cancers who receive the combination of tacrolimus and Thymoglobulin as GVHD prophylaxis. The investigators also will determine the safety of this combination in the first six months post transplant.
Secondary goals include determining the time to recovery of white blood cells and platelets (engraftment), determining the occurrence of opportunistic infections, defined as infection that occurs in people with weakened immune systems and caused by organisms that do not normally cause disease (fungal infections, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), and viral infections), estimating the incidence of chronic GVHD at two years and the overall and disease free survival at two years.
Immune response will be assessed by means of immuno-correlative studies both prior to and at various points after transplant.
|Condition or disease
|Hematological Malignancies
|Drug: Tacrolimus and Thymoglobulin
|Phase 2
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|21 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Single Group Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|A Phase II Study of Tacrolimus and Thymoglobulin, as Graft-versus-Host-Disease Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Related Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
|Study Start Date :
|November 2010
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|October 2013
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|October 2013
Experimental: Tacrolimus and Thymoglobulin
Tacrolimus and Thymoglobulin, as Graft-versus-Host-Disease Prophylaxis
Drug: Tacrolimus and Thymoglobulin
Intravenous Tacrolimus 0.03 mg/kg/d, beginning day -3, where day 0 is the day of stem cell infusion or "transplant." Intravenous tacrolimus will be discontinued once the participant starts eating, and the drug will then be given orally at a dose of approximately 4 times the intravenous dose. Tacrolimus will be discontinued starting 100 days after transplant unless signs of acute and chronic GVHD develop or if severe toxicity occurs. Thymoglobulin will be given 0.5 mg/kg day-3, Thymoglobulin 1.5 mg/kg day -2, Thymoglobulin 2.5 mg/kg day -1. Thymoglobulin will be given intravenously over 6 hours.
Other Name: PROGRAF®
- Incidence of Acute GVHD [ Time Frame: Assessed first 6 months post transplant ]Cumulative Incidence of grade II-V acute GVHD with relapse or NRM as competing risks
- Safety Defined by Serious Adverse Events [ Time Frame: Assessed first 6 months post transplant ]Counted the number of participants that experienced any type of grade 3 or higher toxicity.
- Severity of Acute GVHD [ Time Frame: Assessed first 6 months post transplant ]Cumulative Incidence of grade III-V acute GVHD with relapse or NRM as competing risks
- Determine Incidence of Opportunistic Infections [ Time Frame: Followed for up to two years post transplant ]
- Estimate Incidence of Chronic GVHD at Two Years [ Time Frame: Followed for up to two years post transplant ]Cumulative Incidence of chronic GVHD with relapse or NRM as competing risks
- Overall Survival at Two Year, [ Time Frame: Followed for up to two years post transplant ]
- Determine Time to Engraftment ("G500") [ Time Frame: Followed for up to two years post transplant ]The number of days until engraftment ("G500")
- Determine Time to Engraftment ("PLT20") [ Time Frame: Followed for up to two years post transplant ]The number of days until engraftment ("PLT20")
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 70 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Suitable related donor as determined by the treating physician
- High resolution molecular HLA typing is mandatory for HLA Class I and II
- Diagnosis of hematological malignancy
- Patients with one of the following hematologic malignancies, and felt to be transplant candidates by their treating physician are eligible to enroll on this protocol:
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, any complete remission (CR)/partial remission (PR)
- Hodgkin disease, any CR/PR/stable disease (SD)
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) any CR; for non-CR AML or ALL, bone marrow blast < 20% within 4 weeks of transplant and peripheral blood (PB) absolute blast count < 500/μl on the day of initiation of conditioning
- Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), treated or untreated
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in chronic phase or accelerated phase
- Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML)
- Multiple myeloma, any CR/PR/SD
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) any CR/PR
- Myelofibrosis and other myeloproliferative disorders; bone marrow blasts less than 20 percent within four weeks of transplant and peripheral blood absolute blast counts less than 500 per microliter on the day of initiation of conditioning
- Age >= 18 and able to cooperate with oral medication intake
- Filgrastim (G-CSF) mobilized Peripheral blood stem cells
- Agrees to participate, and informed consent signed
- Karnofsky performance status (KPS) >= 60, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =< 2
- Creatinine clearance > 60 mL/min
- Ejection fraction > 50%
- Serum bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) less than 3 X upper limit of normal
- Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) or diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO) > 50% predicted
Exclusion Criteria:
- Bone marrow or Ex vivo engineered or processed graft (cluster of differentiation [CD]34+ enrichment, T-cell depletion, etc)
- Patients with documented uncontrolled central nervous system (CNS) disease
- Active donor or recipient serology positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Known contraindication to administration of Tacrolimus or Thymoglobulin
- Active Hepatitis B or C
- Patients with coronary heart disease (recent myocardial infarctions, angina, cardiac stent, or bypass surgery in the last 6 months) need to be cleared with a stress echocardiogram or nuclear myocardial perfusion stress test, and cardiology consult; all other cardiac history will be at the discretion of the Principal Investigator
- Oxygen usage at the time of enrollment
- Patients with clinical ascites
- Women who are pregnant or nursing
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01246206
|United States, Michigan
|Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
|Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48201
|Principal Investigator:
|Zaid Al-Kadhimi, M.D.
|Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
|Responsible Party:
|Zaid Al-Kadhimi, Principal Investigator, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Obsolete Identifiers:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|November 23, 2010 Key Record Dates
|Results First Posted:
|June 1, 2017
|Last Update Posted:
|June 18, 2018
|Last Verified:
|May 2018
● Non-Hodgkin lymphoma,
● Hodgkin disease,
● Acute Myelogenous or Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
● Myelodysplastic Syndromes,
● Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
● Multiple Myeloma
● Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
● Myelofibrosis and other myeloproliferative disorders;
Hematologic Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
Hematologic Diseases
Immunosuppressive Agents
Immunologic Factors
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Calcineurin Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action


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Courtesy Photo.
Courtesy Photo.
The 3A prep polls endured an earthquake-like shake-up last week as teams finished off regular season play. For both the Brush boys and girls squads, a final loss to neighboring Patriot League foes from Sterling during a 39-35 similar defeat endured by both squads led to the boys being dropped from their No. 1 Colorado Preps perch into a No. 2 position, just below the No. 1 Tigers.
For head coach Tom George's Lady 'Diggers, the loss came despite Brush's 14-8 rally in the final frame. 'Digger Kristen Berg led the squad during that final Tuesday night bout with 12 points. Although a match-up with Bishop Machebeuf was originally slated to be the final regular season contest for the ladies, weather caused that game to be cancelled and now it's on to district action.
The ladies will head into Patriot League District tournament action with a 10-8 overall, 6-4 in league record that has them sitting on a No. 5 tourney berth. Their winning efforts in the regular season saw the 'Diggers earn an automatic spot in the round two quarterfinals which will pit Brush against No. 4 Platte Valley. The Broncos currently sit on a 11-8 overall, 6-4 record as they ready to host district action with Brush, slated for Tuesday, February 26 in Kersey. The last win the Broncos earned was the 33-21 defeat of Brush, although they come off a final 47-40 loss to Eaton. Action for that battle will begin at 6:00 on Tuesday. Should the Beetdiggers earn the upset, they would take on the winner of the No. 1 Sterling vs. No. 8 Strasburg bout on Thursday, February 28. A loss would send the 'Diggers to take on the loser of that contest in the consolation semi-finals, also slated for Thursday.
In Brush boys action, the now No. 2 ranked Beetdiggers have a lot on the line as they enter 3A Patriot League District tournament action. During their 39-35 heartbreaking loss in Sterling to end the regular season, the 'Diggers were led by the hot-hand of sophomore Austin Garcia who netted 12 points after going 2 of 5 in three-pointers.
The 16-3 overall, 9-1 in league Beetdiggers are slated to host second round quarterfinals action against a 10-10 overall, 5-5 in league No. 7 ranked Valley Vikings. That game is slated to tip-off at 6:00 on Tuesday, February 26 at BHS.
In late January, Brush earned an overwhelming 58-30 win over Valley, who enters the tournament after a first round win over Strasburg.
The winner of the Brush vs. Valley contest will move on to championship semi-finals action that should pit the winner against the champion of the No. 1 Sterling vs. No. 8 Strasburg contest. Semi-final action will ignite on the evening of Thursday, February 28. District championship action for both the guys and gals is slated for March 1 at UNC in Greeley.
Just 32 teams in Colorado will move on from district tournaments to earn a spot in the upcoming state tournament, with round one of state action slated to begin on Friday, March 8. Both the Brush boys and girls squads will take to the hardwood throughout this week to compete for those spots.
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We've all been raised to respect our elders, but whichever ancient came up with the Myth of Icarus was total garbage. Sorry to be so harsh, but it's true. A widely accepted morality tale that warns against trying too hard and being too adventurous? For the record: everyone should exceed limits and and everyone should be curious. Where's the allegory about choking to death on Cheetos or having a heart-attack while watching HSN? Exactly — there isn't one. Let's bury that Icarus myth in the elephant graveyard of bad education.
Documentary Club is a weekly feature in which we watch and discuss the finest documentaries available to stream on Netflix — together, as a family. Join us, won't you?
The Icarus myth is name-checked right up front in Matt Sheridan's Birdmen: The Original Dream of Flight, but despite the film's myriad examples of death and destruction at the cruel hands of gravity, this documentary still serves as a glorious rebuttal to that ancient folktale. Sure, most of us probably won't be jumping out of planes or off of cliffs or even, for that matter, donning nylon flying squirrel suits and gliding over picturesque French villages, but that doesn't mean it's not an absolute thrill to witness the sexy adrenaline junkies of this documentary GoPro-ing it for the rest of us.
At only 52 minutes, Birdmen crams in tons of background info about the origins of wingsuiting, in addition to countless stunning images of men and women gliding horizontally over impossible vistas. While there's nothing in my brain that says, "Oh yes, I've got to try that," Birdmen nonetheless thoroughly explores and justifies that instinct in others.
All that said, Birdmen isn't lighthearted. Death lurks at the corner of every frame; its shadow is omnipresent. For nearly every pioneer to advance the science of wingsuiting, there's a corpse. Roughly all of the big names in this field died for their sport, which is as tragic a notion as it is face-palm worthy. It's an all-ages documentary, so the footage is never grisly, but a later segment involving video clips of the final jumps of a brilliant Swiss physicist (and wingsuit developer) made my heart race: would Birdmen really show footage from his fatal flight? No — it doesn't end up treading into Faces of Death territory, don't worry. But make no mistake, this documentary is as much a sobering exploration of the risks of wingsuiting as it is an insightful look at just why people would accept those risks. (Also, it will make you deeply jealous of birds.)
So how did you feel about Birdmen: The Original Dream of Flight? Let's talk about this thing!
Possible Discussion Topics
1. When the wingsuiters "flocked together" and then celebrated on the ground with all the fervor of a revivalist meeting — is there a fine line between communal thrill-seeking and a rowdy churchgoing experience?
2. That part when the one wingsuiter navigated The Crack: Um, wow. Discuss.
3. Were these the saddest dedication credits ever? It sure felt like it.
4. Did these wingsuiters seem particularly, uh, attractive to you, or do thrill-seekers just have a natural radiant sexiness for those of us who are more grounded?
5. Did wingsuiting look at all appealing to you, or are you more like, "Wake me when they can fly upward"?
6. Should flying remain limited to "demons, gods, and mythological creatures"? Be honest.
What else occurred to you while watching Birdmen: The Original Dream of Flight? Let's talk it out! For more of all things Netflix, visit netflix.kinja.com.
This post is a sponsored collaboration between Netflix and Studio@Gawker.


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Women in Practice essay: Flora Samuel
The thing that is most extraordinary about the percentage of women that makes up practice is that it never really seems to change. It has hovered around 15 per cent for as long as I can remember, (now 20 per cent according to the ARB) despite female doctors amounting to over 50 per cent of the profession and lawyers likewise. What is it with architecture?
A big thing is obviously kids, and this seems to go against women even if they don't have any. I was asked recently by a student to give her the names of successful architect-mothers (not including academics as they don't count). This is quite easy if you look at the successful architect-mothers who are in practice with successful architect-fathers – the architecturally fallow years of maternity, often accompanied by a loss of confidence, are easily hidden within a practice portfolio.
It is less easy to think of successful architect-mothers with non-architect partners – I suspect that most of them are embedded within large practices, often doing a great job too. The architect-mothers I know personally, who don't practice with their architect husbands, by and large end up doing all the housework and eventually get divorced.
Running a practice single-handedly in the early 1990s, with the RIBA cracking down on PI insurance and clients wanting to do things illegally, all while looking after a small baby, made defecting to academia look like an attractive proposition. My move was facilitated by the experience of teaching on the Women into Architecture and Building programme at London South Bank University. Rethinking the history of architecture to make it relevant to women was a formative experience, making me realise the profound inadequacies of my own education in this regard. Oddly enough,
the person who came out of it best was Le Corbusier who, despite being a whipping boy for a generation of US feminists in the 1980s, had an emancipatory vision of modern life that was way ahead of its time.
So indoctrinated was I into 'the greats' that I didn't then fully appreciate the importance of socially conscious work in councils such as Haringey, the nascent stirrings of Muf or the Desiring Practices exhibition held at the RIBA in 1995, an important showcase for new talent such as Sarah Wigglesworth, Carolyn Butterworth and the short-lived but wonderfully self-critical feminist design co-operative Matrix. These people were pioneering new methodologies for a research-led, sustainable, ethical and politicised practice that seems to me now to hold the key to the future of
the profession.
It was around this time that Zaha Hadid emerged to an unfair degree of commentary on her looks, behaviour and person. She undoubtedly forged new ground, not only in her architecture, but also in what a female architect might be. Despite winning the Pritzker Prize in 2004, why did it take so many years for her to receive her first commission for a public building in her home country of Britain?
International Women's Day 2005 brought to a head Building Design's 50/50 campaign. Over 70 practices pledged to improve their working practices and to encourage more women to stay within the profession. This was to some extent a response to a 2003 survey of women in architecture by the RIBA and the University of the West of England showing just how corrosive the experience of architectural practice could be.
Another significant moment in British women's history of architecture is the election of Ruth Reed as president of the RIBA in 2009, followed by Angela Brady, who takes an unashamed interest in gender equality: 'Women and men together make better buildings'. The importance of their presence at the top of our profession, where women are so very poorly represented, is not to be underestimated.
Sometimes I am the only woman on a committee among men who are prepared to speak out about lack of female representation. This is great, as I get tired of having to do this myself. On this note I am grateful to one leading academic who refuses to participate in any panel unless it is 30 per cent female. He is an example to us all.
When I get invited to other schools to talk about the subject of gender, I always try to present a cheery, 'things are going to get better' image. Recently however, I was tackled by a student at the end of a talk. 'No they're not,' she said, and recounted to me the story of one of her friends who was told she could have a job, if she slept with one of the partners.
Friends tell me that things are 'worse than ever' in practice at the moment, and I can see that this is true. However, I sense a growing recognition of the fact that, as Michael Sorkin puts it, 'everyone has the right to architecture', and I believe that the current situation will shake up the profession in a manner that could bring all sorts of benefits in the long run, an increase in women being one of them.
Flora Samuel is head of the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield
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The organic farmers of Bali
Cultivating traditions in the jungle and by the ocean: Not everything is sacrificed to tourism on the vacation island of Bali. Meet salt farmers, seaweed farmers and cocoa growers
Sun, sky and ocean are all dazzlingly bright against the black lava sand of Bali. "Here it is," Pak Kaping calls over the roar of waves breaking on the shore. Kaping, a slightly built 52-year-old, gestures toward the beach, his workplace. His weather-beaten face is radiant as he talks about how his family has been earning a living for centuries: by extracting sea salt in the fishing village of Kusamba on the southeast coast of Bali. Even Kaping's great-great-grandparents worked as salt farmers.
His example reveals many things about Bali: that ancient traditions survive on the Indonesian island – even if fewer and fewer people still cultivate them. Tourism is flourishing, and those Balinese who speak English tend to prefer working in restaurants, hotels and as tourist guides to battling the elements. In the 1990s, more than 50 families earned their living with salt, today, only 15 of them remain. However, Kaping's example also shows that export offers opportunities to those still extracting salt from the ocean, harvesting seaweed and growing cocoa. That's because in the organic markets of cities around the world, the produce of small farmers is booming. And it demonstrates that Hindu faith and spirituality continue to shape the lives of small farmers, never mind about big business.
Kaping has gone back down to the water, as he has already done several times since dawn today, across his shoulders, a wooden pole with a leather pail suspended at either end. He fills them in the waves and hauls them laboriously up a slope. Now he splashes the water onto the sandy ground. Kaping's wife is kneeling where the sun has dried the mixture of sand and saltwater and is shoveling the glittering black mass into wooden baskets, which she will later carry into one of the work cabins, where her daughter is standing, pouring fresh water over the sand hill over and over again, to wash the salt out of the sand and dry it once more in the scorching heat. Kaping hurries to one of the flat tables where the salt that's almost ready is lying, a viscous, gleaming paste. "Have a taste!" he shouts, sticking his finger into it. It tastes … salty, of course.
Twenty kilograms, that's Kaping's daily harvest. Stored in 50-kilo sacks in one of the gloomy cabins, the salt is sold to spas in Japan and to gourmets in France. "I pray to the gods that the sea level won't rise," says Kaping. His cabin beside the ocean and the sand fields on which the salt dries are the foundations on which his life is built. To make sure his prayers are heard, he strews blossoms and rice on the beach and beside his 17 evaporation ponds every day, morning and evening.
Wayan Sudarta also appeals to the gods each morning, when he takes offerings to a sacred rock out in the ocean at low tide. "I pray for it to stay dry," he says. Rain is bad for the seaweed, he says, explaining that cloudy water affects its quality. Standing up to his knees in the waves, the 47-year-old skeptically surveys the sky – gray storm clouds and some drizzle. Sudarta works as a seaweed farmer on the northeastern tip of the small island of Nusa Lembongan, 15 kilometers south of Bali. From his seaweed fields – and with a good pair of binoculars – he could see Pak Kaping on the beach in Kusamba.
Sudarta has a broad back and a wide grin. He looks like a farmer, but in fact he's a businessman. He has 25 local seaweed farmers working for him. Flip-flops on his feet, he makes the rounds of his vast water fields during this afternoon's low tide, while a little old woman hauls one garland of green seaweed after another out of the water and lays them on the wooden boat beside her. She's helping to bring in Sudarta's harvest. "With my grandfather, I was the first on the island to plant seaweed. I was 11 at the time," he recalls. The seaweed changed everything in his village; the villagers at last earned money. Before that, they had lived solely from fishing, but that brought in so little that bitter poverty reigned. Today they profit – like Bali's salt farmers – from the worldwide demand for choice raw materials.
They send most of the seaweed to Japan, where the they are needed by pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The rest ends up in restaurants in Hong Kong, says Sudarta, heading for his house beyond the beach. His wife works at the hospital, his elder daughter is at school, and during the day, he looks after the youngest himself – and in between times, prepares a fresh load of seaweed for planting out. He plops down onto a plastic chair in the shade, reaches for a line with one hand, and with the other, fishes one gleaming seaweed shoot after the next from a basket and knots it to the line. He breaks off a piece; it snaps like a twig. "That's how it should sound when the shoots are very young," he says.
He loves his job and is proud of what he and his grandfather have built up. But the seaweed business is facing problems. "It used to take two weeks for the seaweed to ripen," Sudarta explains, "today it's six." This he attributes to climate change, explaining that as temperatures rise, the nutrients in the water change and seaweed growth becomes poorer. Added to this, prices have fallen drastically. In the mid-1990s, he could command the equivalent of roughly 1.70 euros per kilo, today, just 40 cents. A second source of income had to be found, so Sudarta joined with four other families and bought a motorboat to bring tourists from Bali to their island. "Who better for the job than us seaweed farmers? We know the weather, the water, and the currents hereabouts," he says. They optimistically called their boat Glory Express and painted a little crown over the name.
The people at Big Tree Farms are determined that the cocoa and coconut business should make enough money for no one to have to switch to tourism. They process cocoa beans and coconut blossoms not far from Ubud in the center of Bali island, inside a building that resembles a large, filigree temple with walls of woven bamboo strips. A bittersweet fragrance seeps through to where the air outside is still damp from the last rain shower. The U.S. citizens Ben Ripple and Frederick Schilling are the forces behind Big Tree Farms. The two entrepreneurs already recognized the demand for organic produce from Bali back in 2003. Ripple lives with his family just a few minutes' drive from the production site, while Schilling, who earned himself a fortune selling an organic chocolate start-up to the American candy giant Hershey Company, is now back living the USA. Both want to prove that sustainable agriculture is not only possible on Bali, but also profitable.
Cocoa butter, chocolate, coconut syrup – Big Tree Farms is constantly expanding its product range. The company sells products to confectionery companies all around the world. Nova Indriani, 29, shows us the production premises. She takes us to a press that uses a secret method to process cocoa fat until it becomes cocoa butter.She points out devices in which cocoa beans are broken down into tiny splinters. And she explains how nectar for syrup is extracted from coconut blossoms. She has to raise her voice when the grinding machine behind her starts making a deafening noise as it grates the cocoa beans into a tough, damply gleaming mass. The eggshell-colored, cast-iron machine bears a "Made in Switzerland" plaque and dates from the early 20th century – none of the technology here is newer. "We didn't want to replace people with machines," Indriani yells above the dim. The company employs 190 people, and at the end of the production process, each product is packaged and labeled by hand.
By Balinese standards, there's nothing special about coconut and cocoa, the plants Big Tree Farms processes. They grow wild beside any parking lot, in the jungle around the corner, and close to the Ayung River, the longest on the island. Wherever you look, there are dozens of shades of green, leaves rustling in the wind, coconuts swaying in the palm trees, and in a small clearing, the cocoa pods with their yellow, green and black markings. Nowhere is there any sign of Big Tree Farms possibly running out of raw materials. Nevertheless, in the middle of it all, we spot another offering: orchid blossoms, stapled onto a tree trunk. "That's left over from last week's national holiday," Indriani explains, "it's our way of giving thanks for the good harvest." A harvest that will soon be going out all over the world from Bali.
From the frequent traveller magazine Lufthansa Exclusive. For more information about Lufthansa Miles & More offers, please click here.


text:
|Up a level
Borovečki, Ana and ten Have, Henk and Orešković, Stjepan (2006) Education of ethics committee members: experiences from Croatia. Journal of Medical Ethics, 32 (3). pp. 138-142. ISSN 0306-6800
Borovečki, Ana and ten Have, Henk and Orešković, Stjepan (2006) Ethics committees in Croatian healthcare institutions: the first study about their structure, functions and some reflections on the major issues and problems. HEC Forum, 18 (1). pp. 49-60. ISSN 0956-2737
Kušec, Sanja and Orešković, Stipe and Škegro, Mate and Korolija, Dragan and Bušić, Željko and Horžić, Matija (2006) Improving comprehension of informed consent. Patient Education and Counseling, 60 (3). pp. 294-300. ISSN 0738-3991


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Announcing the California Junior College Lacrosse Association (CJCLA)
Announcing the California Junior College Lacrosse Association
Santa Rosa, California – April 10, 2013 – The growth of lacrosse continues to boom throughout the state of California and junior colleges are no exception. Set to begin in the fall of 2013, California junior college men's lacrosse clubs are invited to compete under one umbrella within the California Junior College Lacrosse Association (CJCLA).
The CJCLA is dedicated to expanding junior college lacrosse opportunities for the student-athletes of California. Membership in the CJCLA is open to any California junior college lacrosse program that is officially recognized as a student club by their institution. The mission of the CJCLA is to provide new program assistance, student-athlete eligibility requirements, administering of individual awards and accolades for players, and hosting of the CJCLA Championship Tournament at the conclusion of the regular season.
"I am very passionate about the junior college athletics mission," said Matt Blamey, president of the CJCLA and current defensive coordinator at Sonoma State University. Prior to relocating to California, Blamey was the founder and first head coach at Northern Virginia Community College, the first junior college program in the state of Virginia. "There is a huge demand in California for high-level lacrosse at the junior college level. We are working hard to create the foundation and follow the lead of Diablo Valley College. In a very short time, the dominoes will fall," continued Blamey, "…we will see competitive JUCO lacrosse programs all over the state."
Diablo Valley College (DVC) was the first junior college lacrosse program in California and has set the standard. DVC is a model program and the CJCLA is working to provide new programs with that same model.
Terry Armstrong, DVC's club advisor and author of "The Case for Club Lacrosse in California Community Colleges" (Issue 31 of the ijournal: Insight into Student Services) is thrilled with what the CJCLA will be able to offer budding programs. "The establishment of the CJCLA brings to fruition the vision of the inaugural player leadership of the Viking Lacrosse club at DVC, who in 2008 believed that if they could persist and demonstrate the feasibility of lacrosse at DVC, that lacrosse players from community colleges throughout the state would be given the hope and inspiration they would need to start intercollegiate lacrosse clubs at their respective institutions. With the CJCLA providing the technical assistance, encouragement and statewide leadership, it will be easier than ever for student athletes at other colleges to start club lacrosse programs at their colleges. As DVC has demonstrated throughout its five years of existence, community colleges have very talented lacrosse players, the preponderance of whom will compete at either the NCAA or Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) levels. The commencement of the CJCLA is likely to be remembered as the most important step in raising the quality of west coast collegiate lacrosse since the creation of the MCLA."
Along with DVC, first-year programs American River College and Santa Rosa Junior College are slated to be inaugural members of the CJCLA. Other JUCO institutions, such as Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo and San Diego Miramar, have expressed interest and have actively sought advice and counsel from CJCLA board members.
The primary goal of the CJCLA is to give junior college players a virtual-varsity athletic experience during their junior college years and assist those same student-athletes in fulfilling their dreams of moving on to the 4-year institution of their choice. By providing student-athletes with a regular-season structure, championship tournament, and individual accolades, the CJCLA will give junior college student-athletes an opportunity to continue to compete in the sport that they love while furthering their education.
The official CJCLA season will run during the fall semester, with the first CJCLA championship weekend to be held in December 2013 at Diablo Valley College in Concord, CA. More information will be posted to the CJCLA website (http://www.cjcla.org) as details are made available. Any interested prospective CJCLA programs are encouraged to contact the CJCLA board directly at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Contact for information:
Matt Blamey, President
California Junior College Lacrosse Association
California Junior College Lacrosse Association (CJCLA)Discuss NJCAA and CJCLA programs around the country
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California Junior College Lacrosse Association (CJCLA)
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California Junior College Lacrosse Association (CJCLA)
Re: California Junior College Lacrosse Association (CJCLA)
As a coach in California, I could not be more excited for this. With the education system in our state, more and more kids are choosing to go to JUCO's for their first two years before attending a 4 year institution. This is a great opportunity for them to play organized lacrosse. It will also help them get opportunities at places in the MCLA and NCAA.
Big thanks to my good friend Matt Blamey, for getting this rolling. I know this is his passion and he will most definitely help make a difference in many young men's lives!
Big thanks to my good friend Matt Blamey, for getting this rolling. I know this is his passion and he will most definitely help make a difference in many young men's lives!
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