text:
How to Tease Top Performance Out of Your Windows Laptop
Sep 19, 2013 5:00 AM PT
If you're noticing that your Windows laptop runs slower and crankier the older it gets -- I'm talking about your laptop here, not you or me -- it's probably because it needs a bit of maintenance.
Some tender loving care will take care of most old-laptop lethargy in much the same way a routine service visit can extend the life of your car and let it operate with more vroom.
Here's how to fix your laptop.
Step 1:
Buy a new battery if your laptop is no longer portable and needs to be tethered to the wall.
Older, nickel cadmium laptop batteries were never designed to be left endlessly plugged in -- as we all do with our laptops -- and often die before the laptop does.
Tip: Remove the battery pack from the under side of the laptop and perform a search for the model number on the Internet.
Choose newer Lithium Ion, or Li-ion, battery chemistry, if you can find that option, for the least weight and limited memory effect.
Step 2:
Run Windows Maintenance Tasks by opening the Control Panel in Windows 7 (older Microsoft operating systems are similar), and browsing to System & Security and then Find and Fix Problems.
Select Run Maintenance Tasks and allow the troubleshooter to run.
Tip: Run Maintenance Tasks will correct maintenance issues like excessive unused files and shortcuts.
Step 3:
Free up disk space by returning to the Control Panel home page and browsing to System & Security again. Choose Free Up Disk Space from the Administrative Tools area. The cleanup will run and prompt you to delete redundant files.
Tip: Freeing up disk space provides more elbow room within the hard drive.
Step 4:
Remove programs that you don't use by selecting Free Up Disk Space again. This time, choose Clean Up System Files and then the More Options tab.
Allow the list to populate and uninstall programs you don't use by double-clicking on the program label.
Tip: Programs take up space on the hard drive. As with the previous step, making space helps the laptop. Plus, fewer programs loading on laptop startup frees RAM.
Step 5:
Defragment the hard drive by choosing the Defragment your Hard Drive option label adjacent to the Free Up Disk Space label.
Click on Analyze and the tool will analyze the disk and advise you if defragmentation is necessary. Follow the prompt to perform the defragmentation.
Tip: Defragmenting physically organizes file clusters on the hard drive, making the day-to-day file reading faster.
Step 6:
Turn on Windows Update by clicking on Automatic Updating On or Off within the same System & Security section of the Control Panel, and choosing Install Updates Automatically.
Tip: Windows Update is a Microsoft service that pushes bug fixes and enhancements to the laptop.
Ensure the computer is running and online at the scheduled check time. Follow any prompts.
Step 7:
Install antivirus software. Browse to the Microsoft Windows Consumer Security Software Providers Web page and choose an antivirus application. I've had success with the free AVG product, but others are available too.
Follow the prompts to install the product and allow a scan to take place. Follow any prompts to repair virus damage.
Tip: You may have to delve deep into some of the antivirus websites to find the free version of the product.
Step 8
Install maintenance software. I've used IObit's free Advanced SystemCare, which has corrected issues for me.
Browse to the IObit website for the download. Install the application and allow it to perform a Smart Scan. Smart Scan will identify and remove malware, fix registry issues and scan the disk for errors, among other optimizations.
Tip: The paid version of Advanced SystemCare provides more in-depth fixes.
Want to Ask a Tech Question?
Is there a piece of tech you'd like to know how to operate properly? Is there a gadget that's got you confounded? Please send your tech questions to me, and I'll try to answer as many as possible in this column.
And use the Talkback feature below to add your comments!


text:
The Global State of the PMO 2012
The Global State of the PMO 2012
The Project or Program Management Office (PMO) has moved up the ranks in most organizations as more than just a warehouse of methodology and process.
Click on the button below to download the full report
With a high level of maturity, a strong business mindset, learning sustainment and a focus on customer satisfaction, the Next-Gen PMO is beginning to emerge.
This second annual global PMO benchmarking survey conducted in early 2012 with over 3,000 respondents takes a comparative view, determining what is trending, and what is not, in the PMO landscape.
This study from ESI International set out to explore topics such as the perceived value of the PMO, its role in sustainment of learning and how learning transfer impacts overall PMO maturity.
The main questions posted in the study included:
- How do PMOs measure and report on their effectiveness, if at all?
- What methods do organizations use to measure the impact of training?
- How mature are existing PMOs today?
- Has the value of the PMO increased?
- What role does learning transfer play in PMO maturity?
Click on the button below to download the full report
ESI International, a leading project management learning company, helps organisations and individuals improve the way they manage projects, contracts, requirements and suppliers. In addition to ESI's more than 100 courses delivered in more than a dozen languages at hundreds of locations worldwide, ESI offers several certificate programmes through its educational partner, The George Washington University in Washington.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What do you need to know about stressStress is often labelled the "bad guy" but then, what would we do without it? Stress is an essential life force that drives our mind and body to respond to any demand made on it. Any stressful situation that we face triggers a "fight or flight response" which makes us sit, stand, walk or run. If the mind and body are unable to cope with a given situation, it culminates into feelings of frustration, anger and fear, which eventually translates into stress. As the mind and body continue to work in overdrive in an attempt to save the day, these negative emotions keep piling up unless we find a way to release them.
Stress and your healthEvery individual responds to stress in a different way. High blood pressure, muscle tension, tightness in the chest and panic attacks are some obvious physical symptoms of stress but we can't underestimate other symptoms like digestive problems, overeating or loss or appetite, sexual incompetency, menstrual irregularity and dizziness. If you find yourself confused, anxious, aggressive or tearful very often, it may be time to step back and re-evaluate your methods of dealing with stress. Prolonged stress saps the body of its energy reserves and lowers the immunity, which makes us vulnerable to various illnesses.
Stress ControlOur careers, relationships, finances and daily chores are actually stressors that test our tolerance and our ability to adapt and readjust to a particular situation – the lower our tolerance, the greater the stress. Therefore, it is not stress that is the culprit; rather, it is our response to it that dictates whether it is going to have a positive or negative effect on our lives. This knowledge empowers and enables us to channel our energies and learn to deal with stress it in a positive way. Aromatherapy, being a holistic form of treatment, is an ideal way of dealing with stress related conditions.
Aromatherapy to the RescueAre you a workaholic who can't unwind even after leaving the office? Do you tend to exaggerate your problems and worry too much over nothing? Do new places and people make you anxious and paranoid? Are you unable to control your anger and frustration when things do not go your way? All of us have moments when we feel out of control and wish we could handle things differently. Fortunately, we have nature's essential oils, with their calming, relaxing, or uplifting qualities that not only help us cope with a stressful situation, but also improve our ability to respond to a stressful situation in a positive way.
Stress and Essential Oils
|Stress Response
|Recommended Essential oils
|Why they work
|How to Use
|Nervous tension, frustration and agitation
|Blue Chamomile, Mandarin, Bergamot, Sleep Time Essential Oil
|Relaxing and regulating
|Combine 3 drops of each with 1 cup Epson Salts. Take a bath at least once a week.
|Worrying, obsessing and over-thinking
|Vetiver, Palo Santo, Cedarwood
|Grounding, stabilizing and settling
|Put 1-2 drops on a paper towel, inhale as often as you need. Close your eyes, and feel the earthy scent clear your mind.
|Apprehension and Anxiety
|Cypress, Geranium, Lavender, Alegria essential oil
|Calming, comforting and reassuring
|Add 3 drops of each to 1 oz bottle of Carrier Oil and massage your solar plexus area twice a day.
|Anger and Frustration
|Bergamot, Grapefruit, Peppermint
|Cleansing, refreshing and peace-inspiring
|Keep it in your office or your house. Use an aromatherapy burner, fill bowl with water and add 3 drops of each. Best if used during the day.


text:
Slate: The Coalition of the Swilling Gabfest
Listen to Slate's review of the week in politics.
Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook. We will be updating the Facebook page more frequently and including content that you will only be able to find there, so get your Gabfest fix during the week by joining us there.
You can download the program here, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes.
Get your free 14-day trial membership of Gabfest sponsor Audible.com,which includes a credit for one free audiobook. This week's recommendation comes from Kuwait and listener Inderjit Gandhi, who suggests A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth. Inderjit read the book a decade ago, and listening to "the dramatization of the epic book … brings back to life vividly all the characters in this story set in 1950s India."
Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and Michael Newman talk politics. This week: disapproval over Obama's plan for health care, racism and beer at the White House, and more on Sonia Sotomayor.
Several polls were released this week showing declining approval ratings for President Obama. Particularly troubling is the slide in support for Obama's economic and health care policies. In an interview with Time, Obama described attempting to communicate the urgency of health care reform as the most difficult political task he has ever undertaken, and the polls suggest he may be losing the battle. Key committees in Congress are in gridlock, as Sen. Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate finance committee, announced that his committee's bill will not be marked up prior to the August recess (although he promised to move forward on Sept. 15, with or without Republican support). In addition to corralling reluctant members of Congress, Obama must parry disingenuous attacks from the right, including the latest claim: that the health plans will lead to euthanasia of the elderly and ill. Peter Singer, a professor of bioethics at Princeton University, wrote about the concerns about medical rationing and efficiency in a rational manner that has eluded many on both sides of the political aisle. Meanwhile, as John reported in Slate this week, many Americans are concerned that health care reform is moving too quickly for such an important reform.
President Obama and Vice President Biden welcomed professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley to the White House for some "beer diplomacy." Despite enormous press buildup, the event turned out to be a bit of a public dud. The biggest news may have been that Gates switched from Red Stripe to Sam Adams Light—a Boston beer from the largest American-owned brewery—at the last minute. However, Gates and Crowley did announce plans to continue the conversation over lunch (presumably back home in Cambridge, Mass.). And Gates followed up the encounter with a piece in The Root, Slate's sister site, written in a more conciliatory tone than previous commentaries.
The Senate judiciary committee voted 13-6 in favor of Sonia Sotomayor's nomination for associate justice. Lindsey Graham was the sole Republican to vote in favor of Sotomayor, describing her as "left of center but certainly within the mainstream." Both sides of the aisle expressed their belief that the result would help them: Republicans believe that Sotomayor's views on gun rights, racial quotas, and other issues can help them in the 2010 races, while Democrats think that the votes against Sotomayor will result in low support for conservatives among Hispanic voters, a rapidly growing bloc.
Michael chatters that the "birther" movement has a point in all its protests, just not the one that many think. Michael says that a way to neutralize the birthers' contention that Obama is not a "natural born citizen" and thus constitutionally ineligible to serve as president would be simply to remove that requirement from the qualifications for the presidency. Emily recommends Jack Rakove's The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independencefor those interested in the debate about the inclusion of that phrase in the Constitution. Still, based on Richard Hofstadter's The Paranoid Style in American Politics, John argues that those who constitute movements like birtherism will always find their cause.
Emily chatters about her recent piece in Slate defending the play date. After reading Mary McCarthy's novel The Group, about the post-college lives of eight Vassar women from the class of 1933, Emily realized that the struggles and feelings of the women portrayed in the book are the same as the ones confronting women 75 years later.
John chatters about the discussion about Sarah Palin that occurred during a focus group he attended and wrote about. When asked about their views on Palin, the participants unanimously criticized her, some in strange and novel ways. Even those who voted for McCain in 2008 had little good to say about his former running mate and putative future presidential candidate.
The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is email@example.com. (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Posted on July 31 by Jefferson Pestronk at 6:47 p.m.
July 24, 2009
Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook. We will be updating the Facebook page more frequently and including content that you will be able to find only there, so get your Gabfest fix during the week by joining us on Facebook.
Listen to the Gabfest for July 24 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:
You can also download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes.
Get your free 14-day trial membership of Gabfest sponsor Audible.com, which includes a credit for one free audiobook. This week we have two recommendations. The first, from listener Robert Johnson, is The Given Day by Dennis Lehane, read by Michael Boatman. Robert describes the story as "a real tour de force, weaving baseball, Tulsa race riots, the Boston police strike, and Attorney General Palmer together." Emily makes the second recommendation: Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, read by January Houck. Emily reports that she hadn't heard the story since she was a kid, but it is as riveting now as it was then.
Emily Bazelon and special guests Jacob Weisberg and James Ledbetter talk politics. This week: President Obama and health care; racism and the Cambridge, Mass., police department; and the stimulus package.
President Obama made his case this week for his health care reform agenda with a prime-time press conference—amid recent poll data showing that public support has declined. Obama attempted to address two of the major concerns about reform during the press conference: how a revamped health care system would benefit the vast majority of Americans who already have insurance and how to pay for reform. Obama offered support for a tax on the very wealthy, while Sen. John Kerry recently proposed taxing health insurers' most expensive plans. Obama also reiterated his requirement that any health care legislation begin to rein in the explosive growth of health care costs: The status quo is an option on the table that will ensure increasing tax burdens and growing deficits. Behind the scenes, Obama and his staff have increasingly entered the negotiating fray, speaking with reticent conservative Democrats, among others. Until this point, Obama has taken the anti-Clinton approach by outlining broad principles and then allowing Congress to fill in the blanks, but the result has been three bill outlines that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports would not produce strong cost controls. Obama is trying to avoid the outcome of Massachusetts, where despite health care reform, costs have continued to rise, threatening the solvency of the state's health care system.
Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested at his Cambridge, Mass., house on July 16 by an officer responding to a neighbor's report of a burglary in progress. The incident has become an embarrassment for the Cambridge Police Department, which dropped the charges against Gates, and for the arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley, who has refused to apologize for his actions. This is not an isolated incident of racial tension in Cambridge, and the arrest of one of the most prominent scholars in the country and President Obama's subsequent defense of Gates has pushed race back into the spotlight. The narrative is complicated by Crowley's status as a racial-profiling expert. Gates, the editor-in-chief of Slate's sister site The Root, has publicly expressed outrage about his treatment, but Crowley's union and the Cambridge police chief have both defended his actions. Whether either side is eventually vindicated, the event demonstrates that the idea of America as a post-racial society is overly Pollyanna-ish. With reports that the Cambridge police may release 9-1-1 tapes of the incident and that Crowley is considering a defamation lawsuit, the controversy will not disappear anytime soon. A potential silver lining would be a mature conversation about race in America that uses this experience as a teachable moment.
The six-month anniversary of President Obama's inauguration offered an opportunity to evaluate the success of the stimulus package, one of his signature legislative achievements thus far. Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orzsag has been among the chorus arguing that the nation's economy has stepped back from the brink, joiningSlate's own Daniel Gross. Yet it is difficult to credit too much of the recovery to the stimulus package, which has disbursed only a fraction of the available funds; Larry Summers, the top economic adviser to President Obama, has announced that stimulus spending will peak in summer 2010. This stands in contrast to China, which has aggressively spent its stimulus funds and has experienced improved economic growth as a result. Meanwhile, some prominent liberal economists, including Paul Krugman and Brad DeLong, have called for a second stimulus package to supplement anemic nongovernmental spending. For a portrait of the variety of projects the first stimulus is funding, check out The Big Money's series "Recessionary Road."
Jim chatters about evidence of "green shoots" at The Big Money. TBM's two interns, who have been with the site since the beginning of the year, recently got paying jobs at media companies, which Jim sees as downright astonishing.
Jacob chatters about the Onion's running gag, that "America's Finest News Source" has been sold to Yu Wan Mei, a Chinese company. Longtime Onion "publisher" T. Herman Zweibel writes that he sold the paper after receiving "what [he's] been assured is an appropriately absurd parcel of riches to take this tiresome publication off [his] feeble hands for good."
Emily chatters about Waltz With Bashir, the animated documentary about filmmaker Ari Folman's service in the Israeli Defense Forces during the 1982 Lebanon War. The film follows Folman's efforts to reconstruct his memories from the war, particularly the events surrounding the Sabra and Shatila Massacre. Emily missed the film when it came out in theaters, but after seeing it on DVD, she describes the film's use of animation as a very effective and seamless way of depicting the events.
The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is firstname.lastname@example.com. (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Posted on July 24 by Jefferson Pestronk at 3:52 p.m.
July 17, 2009
You can also download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.
Get your free 14-day trial membership of Gabfest sponsor Audible.com, which includes a credit for one free audio book, here. This week's recommendation comes from listener Gretel Uptegrove, who suggests The Blood of Flowers, written by Anita Amirrezvaniand narrated by Shoreh Aghdashloo. (She played Ben Kingsley's wife in The House of Sand and Fog.) Gretel says that Aghdashloo's "voice is like honey and just amazing to listen to."
Emily Bazelon, Christopher Beam, and John Dickerson talk politics. This week: Judge Sotomayor makes it through a week of hearings, health care moves toward front and center, and Dick Cheney is back in the news.
Sonia Sotomayor started and concluded her testimony in front of the Senate judiciary committee this week, with senators predicting a vote on her nomination in early August. Slate's Dahlia Lithwick wrote that the testimony was a missed opportunity for both parties, and others agree that the "advise and consent" process as it exists is a waste of time. That Judge Sotomayor failed to elucidate a strong liberal judicial philosophy generated satisfaction among conservatives. Whether Sotomayor's temperate performance makes a more traditional liberal nomination less likely for future vacancies is up for debate. What the whole exercise did make clear is that Sotomayor is not the dread "judicial activist" but rather a moderate, as even Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John Cornyn acknowledged. At this point, the question is mostly how many votes Sotomayor will receive; the Intrade prediction markets think at least 75.
The Senate health, education, labor, and pensions committee passed its health care reform bill out of conference. Progress was slower in the House, however, as conservative Democrats raised contradictory concerns about the cost of the bill and the cost-cutting measures in the bill. President Obama is pushing to have a bill completed before the August recess, but various senators and outside observers have opined that reform is moving too quickly. And even when there was good news for the president's push, such as the American Medical Association's unexpected endorsement of reform schemes including public options, bad news followed: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office announced that it does not expect federal savings from the Democratic bills currently circulating in Congress. Because President Obama has staked much of his long-term fiscal strategy on reining in health care spending ("bending the curve," as John discussed in his exchange with Office of Management and Budget head Peter Orszag), failure puts the rest of his agenda and the nation's fiscal security at risk.
CIA chief Leon Panetta disclosed a secret CIA assassination program about which Congress was never briefed. Reports suggest that former Vice President Cheney ordered the CIA to withhold the existence of the program from the members of Congress whom it is required by law to brief about covert actions. Though the existence of the program is now public, Shane Harris wrote an article for Slate describing the weighty outstanding questions that are stirring Washington. These revelations may vindicate Nancy Pelosi, who claimed that the CIA lies to Congress (or at least withholds information it needs to provide).
Emily chatters about the Gabfest drinking game that was created and sent in by listener Guy Boo. It identifies frequent phrases and verbal tics of the Gabbers as cues for drinking and will undoubtedly make listening to the Gabfest more intoxicating. You can find the rules of the game on our Facebook page.
Chris chatters about Infinite Summer, a global bibliophilic challenge to read David Foster Wallace's epically long Infinite Jest. Participants are blogging the book as the reading proceeds, providing the type of reading community that most listeners probably haven't had since college. If you started reading at the beginning of the summer, you had to knock off only about 75 pages a week; with about one-third of the summer gone now, the pace has climbed to about 110 pages weekly.
John chatters about the woefully short paid maternity leave provided to employees of the U.S. federal government. Federal employees receive only one week paid leave, much less than is provided in some peer nations. (John mentions that Germany provides three months paid leave.)
The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is email@example.com. (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Posted on July 17 by Jefferson Pestronk at 11:18 a.m.
July 10, 2009
You can also download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.
Get your free 14-day trial membership of Gabfest sponsor Audible.com, which includes a credit for one free audiobook, here. This week's recommendation comes from listener Martha Haynes, who suggests Losing Mum and Pup, written and read by Christopher Buckley. Martha calls it "more than just a memoir, by no means a dirge; this is one of those books that you will love so much you want to buy several copies to give to people you like a lot."
John Dickerson, David Plotz, and Emily Bazelon talk politics. This week: Sarah Palin bows out, an Obama round-up, and so long salon at the Washington Post.
Sarah Palin pulled off a rare political surprise when she announced plans to resign as governor effective July 26, 18 months before the end of her first term. After an announcement alternately described as shrewd and bizarre, Palin tried to clarify her statement using her Twitter and Facebook pages and several follow-up interviews. Despite reports that the decision was the result of months of thought, the shotgun nature suggested that she might have just tired of the job. Palin claimed her celebrity and various ethical and legal challenges hampered her ability to govern, and she insisted that her decision to step down was made on behalf of the state of Alaska. While it is difficult to imagine Palin as a successful presidential candidate following this performance, her resignation somehow made her even more popular among GOP faithful. Her continuing ability to confound the media and the left wing makes her a martyr to her base, but as Slate's Dahlia Lithwick wrote, Palin's cult of personality cannot counter her inability to articulate any big ideas.
President Obama was in Russia this week for a summit. The primary outcome was a new strategic arms-reduction agreement with the Russians, and while that goal was achieved, reviews of overall progress were mixed. The greatest accomplishment may have been getting the Russians back to the negotiating table after frosty relations during the Bush administration. Among the challenges Obama faced in Russia was deciding whom to focus his attention on, current President Dmitry Medvedev or former President and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who some view as still the paramount power in Russia. Obama clearly prefers Medvedev and hopes he can build a relationship with the Russian president.
While Obama was in Russia, Congress continued work on the various health care reform packages it is developing. The announcement that hospitals would take $155 billion in pay cuts to help offset the costs of reform was welcome, but the bill in the Senate finance committee stalled nonetheless over concerns about how to pay for it and the inclusion (or not) of a public option. As John wrote in Slate, if Congress is going to get health care reform done before leaving for its August recess, it's going to have to get a move on.
The Washington Post, the newspaper owned by Slate's parent company, was embroiled in controversy this week after a story broke that the paper was soliciting sponsors to pay for "salons" convened by Post publisher Katharine Weymouth. The events promised off-the-record access to members of the news team as well as other power players in the city. While other media organizations such as Atlantic Media have held similar events, the revelation was a public relations disaster for the Post that may damage its reputation. Weymouth's grandmother, longtime Post publisher Katharine Graham, was a prominent hostess who held many salons, but without the pay-for-play connotation. Some have suggested the paper's most notable sin might be getting caught playing the game in public. Or, as Jack Shafer wrote for Slate and as Ezra Klein argued in the Post, if something is worth talking about off the record, isn't it in most cases worth talking about it for public consumption?
Emily chatters about an upcoming movie, Humpday, about two straight men who decide to make an "arty" gay porn film. After reading Jessica Grose's interview of the director of Humpday, Lynn Shelton, on Double X, Emily has decided that she needs to see the movie.
David chatters about his comments during last week's show about D.C. voting rights and clarifies that the Marion Barry experience demonstrates why he thinks D.C. should not have a voting member in Congress. Barry, an important figure in the struggles for civil rights and for D.C. home rule, has made a number of public missteps in recent years, most recently his arrest for stalking an ex-girlfriend. (The charges have been dropped.) The arrest brought to light a contract Barry awarded the woman, a $5,000-a-month sinecure that may be the more problematic allegation. It may finally force D.C. to answer the question of how tolerant it can be of Barry's peccadilloes.
John chatters about a collection of WPA interviews from the 1930s that he recently discovered are available online for easy perusal. John highlighted two particularly interesting interviews: one with an ironworker and another with a stonecutter. The interviews were created as part of the Federal Writers' Project, which supported unemployed writers during the Great Depression.
The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is firstname.lastname@example.com. (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Posted on July 10 by Jefferson Pestronk at 11 a.m.
July 3, 2009
You can also download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.
Get your free 14-day trial membership of Gabfest sponsor Audible.com, which includes a credit for one free audio book, here. This week's recommendation comes from listener Duncan MacKenzie, who suggests Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji. The novel tells the story of a 17-year-old boy in Tehran who is in love with his neighbor, but she has already been promised to another man. Duncan says that the story "sheds light on a personal and human Iran few of us know about."
John Dickerson, David Plotz, and Emily Bazelon talk politics. This week: That's Sen. Franken, if you please; Sarah Palin is back; and the Supreme Court rules on the New Haven firefighters case.
More than seven months after Election Day, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled 5-0 that Al Franken defeated incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman by the thinnest of margins, 312 votes out 2.9 million cast. Coleman quickly conceded the election, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the certificate required to seat Franken, a process that will likely occur on July 6 when the Senate reconvenes. Franken will hit the ground running after being named to two committees with looming responsibilities: judiciary, which will handle the confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor; and health, education, labor, and pensions, one of two Senate committees tasked with health care reform. His victory also gives the Democratic caucus 60 votes (two independents—Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut—caucus with the Democrats), the minimum number necessary to overcome a filibuster. However, this will not give the Democrats carte blanche to pass legislation—although many conservatives would like the public to believe otherwise—as the party leadership must still corral moderate and conservative members. Democratic leaders may push for all 60 votes to overcome procedural challenges like the filibuster before freeing members to vote differently on the substance of the bill. However, two members of the Democratic caucus, Sens. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd, face serious medical problems that have recently prevented them from casting votes. Kennedy and Byrd could enter the Senate in a scene reminiscent of former Sen. Pete Wilson's appearance on the Senate floor via ambulance and wheelchair. But short of such drama, the Democratic total stands at 58 votes present.
A Vanity Fair article and a Runner's World interview and photo spread kept Sarah Palin in the news this week. The Vanity Fair feature reignited Republican internecine warfare, particularly between former McCain staffer Steve Schmidt and prominent Republican columnist Bill Kristol. Kristol accused Schmidt of being the anonymous staffer who suggested that Palin might be suffering from postpartum depression, setting off a volley of recriminations. Stories following the Vanity Fair piece highlighted tensions between Palin and Schmidt that began on the campaign trail and indicate that, despite his denials, Schmidt may indeed be the leaker. The spitball fight between former candidate and staff put the lie to Newt Gingrich's recent claim that the country would have been better off with McCain and Palin in the White House; even conservatives have begun to doubt that.
Another GOP luminary received negative press this week, as South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford rejected calls for his resignation amid additional juicy revelations of his marital infidelities. Sanford admitted during an interview with the Associated Press that he had "crossed the line" with women other than his Argentinean mistress and is now trying to fall back in love with his wife, even though he calls the mistress his soul mate. The admissions were part of Sanford's new strategy of laying it all on the table, but they may just add to the calls for his resignation.
The Supreme Court wrapped up a term in which it moved incrementally to the right with a 5-4 ruling against the city of New Haven in the Ricci case. The decision weighed two concepts of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, disparate treatment and disparate impact, against each other, concluding that the white New Haven firefighters suffered unacceptable disparate treatment when their promotions were denied. Emily and Nicole Allan's series in Slate about the history of racial disputes within the New Haven Fire Department and the bad facts of the Ricci case demonstrates why this is such a controversial ruling. The ruling does seem to leave New Haven and other cities free to use other types of tests to determine promotions. Similar questions will reappear during the confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor, but the 5-4 split shows that Sotomayor is not out at the legal extreme on this issue. However, polling suggests that the Supreme Court reversal may have reduced her public support.
David chatters about a correction that the New York Times issued to a recipe for infused oils. After the recipe, produced by Mark Bittman, was published and appeared online for three days, the Times adjusted the cooking time and the period for which the oil could be stored. Apparently, insufficiently simmering the oil or storing it for too long carries a risk of botulism, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "a rare but serious paralytic disease." This oversight led witty observers to quip that the Times cannot afford to lose any more readers.
Emily chatters about a case, Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, that the Supreme Court chose not to decide this term but instead pushed back to the fall. At issue is a film called Hillary: The Movie that was produced by corporate backers who wanted to show it as an on-demand movie and on cable. However, the Supreme Court indicated in delaying hearing the case that it wants to address two key precedents governing campaign finance, leading to speculation that the court may open the floodgates to unlimited corporate campaign contributions.
John chatters about the busy congressional calendar following the Fourth of July recess. In 25 work days before adjourning for the August recess, both houses will continue to work on health care reform; the Senate will hold hearings on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court; cap-and-trade legislation will face a tough fight in the Senate; and the United States and Russia will attempt to negotiate a new strategic weapons treaty.
The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is email@example.com. (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Posted on July 3 by Jefferson Pestronk at 8:24 a.m.


text:
All documents below are in PDF format. If you do not have this information, then it can obtained it by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com
I benefitted greatly from this course while still working in the workplace (restaurant).
I was very happy with my time at VIT studying hospitality. I don't think there is anything I would change, everything was good"
Very Convenient location had a wonderful journey at VIT.
Staff member specially Dhara was excellent.
Flexible payment option and very supportive trainer.
especially Trainer Andrea was my favourite.
Fantastic opportunity to be a student of VIT. Excellent trainer and best Administrator, thanks for their help and support
The course was very good. Trainer was fantastic and was flexible and informative
So far the course has been fantastic with a patient and understanding teacher. The course is very informative and helpful with my current job.
It is a very enjoyable and informative class.
Student Services was very supportive.
Best education and Graduation Ceremony
Enjoyed the education journey and Good teaching staff
Everyone Friendly and Helpful @ VIT
Very supportive lecturers, best staff and organising commitees
Graduation Ceremony the best and I enjoyed thoroughly
Study environment @ VIT is best
Great inspiration by our Chairman and CEO of VIT


text:
Recurrence Interval
Quantitative concepts: probability
Teaching recurrence intervalsby Dr. Eric M. Baer, Geology Program, Highline Community College
Jump down to: randomness | forecasting vs. recurrence | How to calculate | Teaching Examples and Resources
Essential ConceptsGenerally, there are four concepts that our students struggle with when studying recurrence intervals:
Hydrologic technician for USGS. Details
- the concept of a recurrence interval
- the idea that random events that are independent of previous events
- the difference between recurrence intervals and forecasting
- how to calculate recurrence intervals when data have variable magnitudes and when they don't.
Recurrence intervalWhen geologic events are random or quasi-random, it is helpful to represent their frequency as an average time between past events, a "recurrence interval" also known as a "return time." For instance, there have been 7 subduction zone earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest in the past 3500 years, giving a recurrence interval of about 500 years.
How do geologists use this concept?Recurrence intervals occur in a variety of geologic contexts including:
High flood level reaches street sign. Details
- flood frequency
- earthquake hazards
- volcanic eruption frequency
- severe weather and storms
- meteor impacts
What is meant by "random"?
Random events have a probability of occurring that do not depend on the past. While this may not always be true, for many geologic events this is a robust model. For more information on teaching and using probability, please look at our probability page.
Students express their misunderstanding of random events in a variety of ways:
- People often talk of events being "due," usually when the time without an event exceeds the recurrence interval.
- Students think that because an event has occurred recently it cannot happen again.
- Even clearly random events are often not perceived as truly random; many people are convinced that streaks exist ("the dice are hot so I should keep going") or in luck ("I have lost the last 10 times, so my luck HAS to change.") These superstitions may be transferred to geologic processes.
To reinforce the idea that geologic events are random, I often relate them to events that they recognize as random such as flipping a coin or rolling a 6 on a die. When we talk about streaks, I use the question "how does the die/coin know what it rolled the last time?" as a way to dispel misperceptions arising out of superstitions. Students can also see this by conducting an experiment flipping coins. I have each student flip a coin until they get three heads or tails in a row. Then I have the entire class flip one more time. They see that half of the class that continues their "streak" and half breaks their "streak."
Recurrence intervals vs. forecasting
Recurrence intervals refer to the past occurrence of random events. Forecasting refers to the future likelihood of random events. These are often confused because the recurrence interval (calculated from past events) is used to gauge the future probability of an event. However, the mathematics used with these two concepts are very different. The confusion between the past-determined recurrence interval and the forecasted probability is reinforced by the widespread use of "a 100-year flood" to mean a "flood with a 1% probability of occurring in any given year."
Teaching recurrence intervals
Determination of the recurrence interval is straight-forward when looking at past events. Where there is no associated magnitude or a limited magnitude (such as pumice-producing volcanic eruptions) the recurrence interval (T) is number of years in the record (N) divided by the the number of events (n). An example of an activity using these calculations is Determining Earthquake Probability and Recurrence.
When there is a magnitude associated with the data (such as discharge with a flood or seismic moment with an earthquake) the recurrence interval (T) is
T = N/n
When there is a magnitude associated with the data (such as discharge with a flood or seismic moment with an earthquake) the recurrence interval (T) is
T = (n+1)/mwhere n is the number of years of the record and m is the magnitude ranking. Student activities using these calculations are Two streams, two stories... How Humans Alter Floods and Streams and Flood Frequency and Risk Assessment.
Teaching forecastingOnce we start looking to the future, we are looking at forecasting which is governed by the mathematics of probability.
The probability (P) of an event with recurrence interval T is
The probability PT that a given event will be equaled or exceeded at least once in the next r-years is:
The probability PT that a given event will be equaled or exceeded at least once in the next r-years is:
PT = 1—Pr
Illustrating the difference between forecasts and intervalsA flood is a 100-year flood if the discharge has exceeded that value on average once every 100 years in the past. In this case the probability of such a flood occurring in the next year is 1/100 or 1%. Many students would assume that the chance of a 100-year flood occurring in the next 100 years is 100%, but that is not true.
It may be counter-intuitive to students that that a 100-year flood has a less than two thirds chance of occurring in 100 years. I explain that the chance of a 100-year flood not happening in the next 100 years is 99%100, or 36.6%. If the probability of an event NOT happening is 36.6%, the probability of it happening is 63.4%. I also explain that that there is a chance that 2 or even 3 100-year events will occur within a given 100 year period. As a result, the average recurrence will drop from these more closely spaced events. Indeed, there is only about a 35% chance that a single 100-year flood will occur in 100 years, an 18% chance that 2 100-year floods will occur, and even a nearly 2% chance that we will get four 100-year events within a given 100 year time period.
Teaching Examples
- Two streams, two stories... How Humans Alter Floods and Streams
In this exercise, students look at data from two streams in the Seattle metro area. They calculate the 100-year flood on each stream for two different time periods and note the changes wrought by urbanization and damming. This is designed to be worked in groups and can be done in-class or at home.
- Determining Earthquake Probability and Recurrence
In this exercise students gather real web-based data on earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, calculate recurrence intervals on these events and make estimations of recurrence intervals on future events. Includes analysis of error and societal implication discussions. Designed as a combination in-class and web-based homework assignment. This could easily be altered to look at earthquake possibilities for any geographic area.
- Flood Frequency and Risk Assessment
In this lab, students calculate recurrence intervals for various degrees of flooding on a portion of the Des Moines River in Iowa, based on historical data. Then they plot these calculations on a flood frequency curve. Combining flood frequency data with a topographic map of the region, students do a risk assessment for the surrounding community.
- Mount Rainier eruptions (more info)
Data from the U.S.G.S. on Mount Rainier's eruptions in the past 10,000 years could be used to do a simple recurrence interval calculation.
- The Earth Impact DatabaseThis database has an updated list of known impact structures, ages and sizes that could be used to examine recurrence intervals of meteor impacts on Earth. The individual data have errors indicated which could stimulate good discussion of errors associated with recurrence interval calculations.
- The Earth Impact Database


text:
AUSTIN – More than 44 years before Charlie Strong was hired at Texas, Raymond Clayborn dreamed of playing there. Enchanted by the mystique of his state's flagship program, the Fort Worth teenager cheered the Longhorns all the way to the 1969 national title.
"It didn't matter that they never had anyone who looked like me," Clayborn said of the team that turned out to be college football's last all-white championship squad. "I wanted to be a Longhorn."
Sunday, Strong's decision to do the same finally became official. Declaring his excitement about leading what he called "one of the premier programs in the country," Strong assumed control of UT's football program and became the first black men's head coach in Longhorns history.
Strong, who spent the last four years at Louisville, was offered the job on Friday by UT athletic director Steve Patterson and accepted it Saturday night. He agreed to a contract worth $25 million over five years, although the deal must be approved by UT's board of regents.
School president Bill Powers pronounced it a "historic day for the University of Texas," while Clayborn – the former NFL Pro Bowler who was one of only eight black UT players in 1973 – called it "a very big deal."
In a school news release announcing the hiring, Strong said the UT job was "an opportunity (he) couldn't pass up."
"Texas is one of those places that is always on your radar and a program anyone would dream of being a part of because you have a chance to compete on a national level every year," said Strong, who'll be formally introduced at a news conference Monday. "It's special because it has such great history, pride, tradition and passion for football."
Strong, 53, compiled a 37-15 record in four years at Louisville, including a 23-3 mark over his last two seasons. He replaces Mack Brown, who stepped down last month after 16 years as the Longhorns' head coach.
Patterson said he considered as many as 30 other candidates, but didn't make any other offers. He said Strong "was at or near the top of the list all along," and said he filled UT's criteria for "toughness, accountability, a great X's and O's coach, a good family man and a good recruiter."
The UT athletic director acknowledged there were factions pushing for other coaches – billionaire donor Red McCombs, for example, lobbied for former NFL coach Jon Gruden — but Patterson said he's confident he picked the right man.
"In any large organization, you're going to have a lot of stakeholders with different opinions and different things that are important to them," Patterson said. "The job of the executive is to wade through that and make the right decision."
Born in Batesville, Ark., Strong played college football at Central Arkansas and became one of the nation's most well-respected assistants during his tenure as Florida's defensive coordinator from 2003-'09.
At Louisville, he took a program that went 15-21 under predecessor Steve Kragthorpe and led it to three bowl victories in four seasons. The highlight of his time with the Cardinals was the 2012 season, when they won the Big East beat Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
In 2013, Louisville had hopes of contending for a national championship with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who's expected to be one of the top picks in this spring's NFL draft. A loss to Central Florida in October derailed those aspirations, but the Cardinals still finished 12-1 and beat Miami in last week's Russell Athletic Bowl.
Sunday morning, Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich praised Strong for the job he did with the Cardinals.
"His results were fantastic, but he did it the right way," Jurich said. "He didn't cut any corners."
Jurich, who flew to Louisville from Colorado to meet with Strong on Saturday night, said Strong wanted to speak to him in person before announcing his decision. Jurich said he thanked Strong for all of his contributions, and didn't hold his decision against him.
"Texas – that's a premier job," Jurich said. "Let's call it what it is."
It's also a job that makes Strong a trailblazer at a place that's been historically slow to change. UT was one of the last major college football programs in the country to integrate, and Clayborn said alumni have been waiting for years for the Longhorns to hire a black men's head coach.
But he said what excites him most about the hire is not Strong's race, but his track record.
"We've been underachieving for several years, and I think he can turn things around," Clayborn said. "I hope they commit to him the same way they committed to all of the other coaches."
Twitter: @mikefinger


text:
LAW Writer® Ohio Laws and Rules
If at any time the court finds that an amount owing to the court is due and uncollectible, in whole or in part, the court may direct the clerk of the court to cancel all or part of the claim. The clerk shall then effect the cancellation.
Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.169, HB 247, §1, eff. 3/22/2013.


text:
The Big Unofficial LEGO Builder's Book by Joachim klang and Oliver Albrecht, 2012, HEEL Verlag GmbH
Please note that I'm posting this same review across all my blogs, but I'm appending some blog-specific information at the end of each one.
Okay, this one is a year old, but I just got it from the library and figured I'd add to my series of reviews. Oliver Albrecht (aka *Olly*) and Joe Klang (aka -derjoe-) built The Big Unofficial LEGO Builder's Book, subtitled 'Build your own city'. As the name implies, this is all about building in the city theme. Really, though, it is mostly about vehicles, so a more accurate subtitle would have been something like 'Driving around the city'.
The book opens with a few pages of text, providing some definitions and acronyms that AFOLs use, urls to a few important community websites (of course it's always problematic which ones to choose), and a short tutorial on SNOT building. One thing really bothered me. On page 14 when they are discussing making balls, they write "A variety of solutions circulate in the LEGO forums around the world; here is ours:", and then they give exactly the instructions for the Lowell sphere. I'm not saying that there is ownership of LEGO building techniques, and you need to give credit when you build anything, since almost every technique has been done before. But don't specifically say "Here is my design", and then give someone else's design.
That quibble aside, the book quickly moves into it's main focus, directions to build city-themed MOCs, mostly cars and trucks. The first half of the book is devoted to microscale. There are 22 cars and trucks, all built at 2-wide, with 5-plate-high people. I like that they do wheels a few different ways, which lends some variety to your microscale world. They also show how you can take the same basic car design, and by varying up the colors and switching out a few parts you can get a lot of different vehicles. They also include directions for a couple of buildings, a tree, a helicopter and a plane. The designs are all well done. They are fairly simple, since micro cars are necessarily only a small number of parts, probably appropriate for intermediate builders. The instructions are very clear in LDRAW and in full color, and include parts lists. Interspersed with the directions, they have photographs of a large microscale city layout, incorporating all of the different designs in the book. The layout is great, and I would have loved to see even more of this.
In the last ~40% of the book they focus on minifig scale. A cab, a Ferrari, a convertable, a truck, and a helicopter are all built at a six-wide scale. Again, the instructions are done in LDRAW, full color, with parts lists. These models are more for intermediate to advanced builders, and the results are really good (especially the truck). There are a few photos of the completed models, but mostly just the vehicles on simple bases (there is one with a house) rather than set into a larger layout. While I liked the minifig scale vehicles, I really thought these should have been in a separate book, and left this book just at microscale.
I thought this book turned out really well. The models were great, and now I want to go build more micro city MOCs. I note that the same builders have been busy, with the previously noted Joe's Garage: Build your own LEGO Vehicles by Klang, and Build your own Galaxy along with Lutz Uhlmann and Tim Bischoff.
Blog-specific content - There is none.


text:
Mommy and daughter power duo!
Posted by Alisa on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 / Labels: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Vivienne Jolie-Pitt daughter of stunning actress Angelina Jolie will make her debut as an actress along mommy in new film Maleficent. A representative for Walt Disney Studios confirms to Us Weekly.


text:
Vasque Apex
The Apex has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best mountaineering boots for 2020.
|(no Gender)
Reviewers Paid: $200.00-$205.00
Historic Range: $139.95-$220.00
Reviewers Paid: $60.00-$210.00
4-star: 1
3-star: 1
2-star: 2
1-star: 1
Have over 300 miles on these in size 11.5D (am in-between 11e-11.5d) and these fit perfectly. Previously had Vasque Sky Walkers (light hikers) for 9 years (resoled with Vibram) and loved them as well, though I realized my feet grew and they became tight.
These boots are stiff and you cannot run streams as you can with lightweight boots. Even insulated they tend to make you sweat a bit in midsummer but will dry fast at camp.
Very good sole and very good ankle support make a great heavy packing and mountain trail ascension boot. I have added insoles taken from my other boots. I can easily give my recommendation. They also make good hunting boots in the winter.
Materials: leather
Use: rough trail w/ heavy pack
Break-in Period: 3 short hikes
Weight: 215
Price Paid: $145
I bought these boots for mountaineering, and they worked great. Great support, great traction, and very waterproof. I have had them for close to three years, and they still look and work like new. The sole has hardly worn down at all, over constant use in the alpine zone. Work great with step-in's, and they are the perfect stiffness for vertical ice. All in all, a well-rounded boot.
Materials: leather
Use: mountaineering, heavy backpacking
Break-in Period: two weeks
Weight: a couple of pounds
Price Paid: $60
I've put in over 400 miles on these boots and never had a blister. They are excellent. If fitted correctly, and given a proper break-in, they work perfect. Enough Said.
Materials: Leather
Use: Mountaineering, Off Trail
Break-in Period: 30 Miles
Weight: A lot
Price Paid: $200
Having had trouble finding a size 14 in anything comfortable, I wore these babies straight out of the box with heels cloaked in mole skin up Mount Whitney this past weekend. They performed great and I only have a couple nickle-sized heel blisters which were expected.
They never rolled off a rock, and I felt like I'd break a tibia before an ankle. They're very sure-footed in rock-scrambling, although it's heavy to "scramble" with a size 14 anything.
I went for the Apex instead of the Alpine because I didn't want to hold in the extra moisture with Gore-Tex. Even without the GTX, however, they were still not too breathable. So keep them away from hot, dusty hikes and look for cold mountain meadows.
Great boot.
Materials: Leather
Use: Mountaineering
Break-in Period: Still going
Weight: 3 lbs.
Price Paid: $134.95 Sierra Trdng
I am amazed at the number of bad reviews I've read for this boot. I have always purchased Vasque boots, even when they were called Voyagers. My last pair, which were Hiker II's, lasted me 24 years, with several resolings. I think the problem everyone is experiencing is with the initial fitting. y the way, purchasing the boots by mail order is not a good idea at all -- no wonder they didn't serve this person well! The boots must be fitted by someone who knows what they are doing.
Mine were purchased and fitted at Adventure 16 here in Southern California by a QUALIFIED and TRAINED salesperson. The boots hardly needed any break-in and I have worn them on several trips to the Sierra Nevada with absolutely no problems. I have also been snow camping/snowshoeing with them in the local mountains and they have performed admirably! It is also important to have a proper foot liner and to have the proper adjustments made for your type of foot.
Again, these are excellent boots if they are propery fitted. Most people, even seasoned backpackers and mountaineers, don't know the first thing about boot fitting.
Materials: Leather
Use: Heavy backpacking/Light mountaineering.
Break-in Period: Only a few days
Weight: 2 lbs. or so.
Price Paid: $210
Purchased first pair from Campmor 2-97 and wore around house for about 4 months to break in. The shoes were very uncomfortable at first but appeared to fit properly. I noticed just before a trip to Colorado in July that the lining had worn through on the inside of one of the boots. I wore it anyway for about 30 miles of day hiking in the mountains and these shoes ate my feet. Worst blisters I've ever had. Being a slow learner, I patched the worn area with a square of nylon and wore the boots on a two week backpacking trip to Wyoming. The other boot's lining wore through during the trip and they ate my feet again.
I must admit that these boots are very durable and they provide good support and traction. After returning from Wyoming I got in touch with Campmor and they exchanged this pair with the worn liners for new ones. Campmor was very good about this and even refunded the shipping cost. The new pair is much more comfortable and the liner is still intact after several months of light use.
I can't remember all of the construction details of the liner of the first pair, but I think the liner is constructed differently in this second pair. I have made a real effort to avoid using cotton socks during the break in period and have been checking daily for any balling of the liner and everything looks OK so far. I think that these boots will always require thick socks and tight lacing. Moleskin across the heel is probably a good idea for any uphill with a heavy load. I don't trust these boots yet, but I'm not ready to give up. Some of these problems might be common to any type of rigid footwear.
Materials: leather
Use: heavy pack
Break-in Period: cannot be accurately determined
Weight: about 4 lbs ?
Price Paid: $200
I got the Apex because I wanted a heavy duty boot for backpacking and mountaineering. They accept step-in crampons and I had an OK experience with some Vasque Newbriers. These boots have pros and cons.
Pros - They are tough and provide good support. I have never had a problem with the external construction.
Cons - I have had them for 18 months and they still give me blisters. The inside of the heal is now wearing out and there is no indication that they getting close to being broken in.
My experience with these boots - I spent $200 on the boots and I will spend that much or more on moleskin. I re-apply moleskin every 2 hours. Other people in camp refer to me as "the guy with no heels".
Mountaineering IS the art of suffering if you wear these boots.
Materials: Leather
Use: Heavy Backpacking/mountaineering
Break-in Period: Eternal
Weight: 4.0
Price Paid: $210
Where do I start with these boots. Nothing but blood, sweat and tears. I took then on several medium hikes with different sock combinations but nothing seemed to work. The initial fit in the store seemed outstanding. And still to wear them around town they are comfortable. But I put a pack on and start a serious up hill climb and in about 2 miles I can feel the blisters starting. When I thought they might be broke in I hiked the Grand Canyon with them and came out with a bloody mess of a foot. Even after that, they still are no more broke in then the day I bought them.
I spit on this boot.
Materials: Leather
Use: Heavy Packing
Break-in Period: there is no end.
Price Paid: $210
I bought these boots planning to use them for heavy backpacking in the Rockies. After six months of constant use I still get blisters.
The boots are very waterproof, sturdy, and their Vibram soles give great grip on any terrain - but, if you plan to walk epic distances, your feet will feel like hamburger. I am currently trying to appeal to Vasque to resolve this dilemma. Generally I have had good luck with their boots, but do not recommend these to anyone except light alpinists.
P.S. I am considering One Sport's new norwegian welted boot, the Mazama. If anyone has information on it, please post it on the review board.
Materials: FGL
Use: Rough trail/light mountaineering
Break-in Period: eternity
Weight: 4 lbs.
Price Paid: $205


text:
Here is a brand new video from Audio Push for their Inland Empire track "Cut Up". Directed by Chucky Millions.
Audio Push – Cut Up (Official Video)
Audio Push "Cloud 909" (Album Stream)
Audio Push drop their new project Cloud 909. The double album contains 18 records with features from Eric Bellinger, Nahom, Turtle No Joke and…
Audio Push "Pump Fake" (Official Music Video)
After dropping their new "Pump Fake" single last month, Audio Push return with the official music video. The record is set to appear on…
Audio Push "Cloud 909" Double Album Cover & Tracklist Revealed
Audio Push have announced a new double album titled Cloud 909, dropping on February 9th. The project contains features from Eric Bellinger, Nahom, Turtle…
Audio Push "Sanctified" (Official Music Video)
Audio Push release the debut single from their upcoming project Cloud 909. The duo also have dropped the visual for the record titled "Sanctified"….
Audio Push – Planet Earth Is Live (Official Music Video)
Audio Push have announced that they are dropping a new album titled Last Nights Left. Today we get a visual for the project's first…
Audio Push – The Throwaways EP
Audio Push drops off a 5-track EP called The Throwaways. The EP is comprised of music that didn't make the cut for previous projects….
HS87 duo Audio Push debut a brand new single "Smokeout 99". The joint is produced by Larry Belafonte.
Audio Push – Control Us (Official Music Video)
Audio Push revisit their debut album 90951 with a new visual for the Price-produced "Control Us". Directed by DM Films.
Audio Push – By Chance (Remix)
Rhyme spitters Audio Push are dropping their My Turn 3 mixtape on January 9th. Today we get a taste of what to expect, with…
Audio Push remixes keep coming as today they go in over Kanye West's The Life Of Pablo single "Fade".
Audio Push go in over the "Caroline" instrumental on their new remix.
Audio Push use Childish Gambino's record "Me And Your Mama" for their own version titled "Mamas Gems". Look out for their upcoming mixtape My…
Audio Push – Leftside (Official Music Video)
HS87 crew Audio Push represent the West Coast in their new music video for "Leftside". The record appears on their 90951 album, which is…
Supporting the forthcoming album, 90951, Audio Push rap about being in control on "Control Us". Produced by Price.
Audio Push – Spread Love (Feat. Eric Choice)
Courtesy of Beats 1 Radio, here is a new jam from Audio Push featuring Eric Choice about spreading love.
Audio Push & Arsonal – Murda (Freestyle) (Official Music Video)
With their EP The Stone Junction out now, Audio Push connect with Arsonal for a new freestyle titled "Murda". The Stone Junction is on…
The Latest
Future "Perkies" (Produced by Metro Boomin)
Debonair Brown "Embrace It" (Official Music Video)
A Boogie Wit da Hoodie "Reply" (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
Future "Last Name" (Feat. Lil Durk)
Lil Peep "Everybody's Everything" (Album Stream)
Tory Lanez "Chixtape 5" (Album Stream)
Kanye West "Jesus Is King" (Album Stream)
Kirill & Jaco "Hublot" (Official Music Video)
Lil X "New Kid on the Block" (Album Stream)


text:
Moroccan Views: Your Best Guide to Moroccan Adventure Tours
30 Déc
Are you eager to experience the best Morocco adventure tours? Do you really crave to discover the charm of Southern Morocco? Moroccan Views is here to satisfy all your desires.
In addition to its long experience in the domain of promoting fantastic riads and villas in Marrakech, Moroccan Views puts at your disposal many other fantastic services that will give you the chance to discover the miraculous beauty of Southern Morocco.
These services include Sahara trips that will absolutely captivate you with the magic of the Sahara Desert and the culture of the Saharan community. Moroccan Views also organise fascinating Atlas Mountain trips, which is another enthralling side of the variety and beauty of Moroccan natural spaces.
Moroccan Views offers you many activities that will help you turn your family holidays in Morocco into an unforgettable experience. First, you will savour many fantastic traditional Moroccan meals, such as couscous, harira (Moroccan soup), tagines, etc.
You will also have a chance to get involved in the heart of Moroccan culture thanks to many folkloric shows that will make you fly to another world, away from all stress and worries. You will also certainly enjoy some of your favourite hobbies during these interesting trips, such as horse riding, bike riding, camel tours in Morocco, etc.
And last but not least, Moroccan Views will be your best travelling companion, offering you special trips to cherish the stunning Moroccan nature and the Berber culture which, in spite of its simplicity, is a perfect mosaic of traditions and customs.


text:
San Antonio, Texas-based municipal utility CPS Energy will operate on an open IPv6-based networking platform to improve smart grid solutions.
This week, CPS Energy -- the largest municipal utility in the U.S. -- officially announced a new partnership to help deploy a smart grid network.
The San Antonio, Texas-based utility, which serves more than 740,000 electric and gas customers in the San Antonio metropolitan area, partnered with Silver Spring Networks to deploy features such as advanced metering and distribution automation.
The smart grid network operates on Silver Spring's open IPv6-based networking platform, which the company says enables utilities and infrastructure operators to deploy advanced smart grid features.
"Because we're all using that standardized [IPv6] platform, we can work with other types of technologies to incorporate them as new technologies become available," said Lisa Lewis, a spokeswoman for CPS Energy. "This is such a rapidly changing and growing field that as new things become available, as long as they're formatted and fit this platform, we should be able to plug them in."
CPS Energy would like to develop long-term strategies for making its smart grid more efficient, Lewis said. Thanks to the new partnership, the utility is now investing in plants and resources that have low- or no-air emissions to address concerns over air quality in the San Antonio area, as well as other infrastructure improvements to create efficiencies.
Lewis said CPS Energy will now be able to add a spectrum of new devices to the network, like smart meters, smart switches and other technologies that make the grid function more efficiently, thanks to Silver Spring's optimization of the electric grid in San Antonio combined with the company's mesh network.
On the West Coast, the Sacramento, Calif., Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has partnered with Silver Spring since 2009 and has worked on a number of utility improvements with the company, said Don Jacobs, SMUD's PMO manager and technology coordinator.
SMUD plans to work with Silver Spring to go beyond traditional smart grid infrastructure -- a pilot program to extend the Silver Spring infrastructure to host vehicle charging stations is currently being rolled out. Approximately 60 electric vehicle customers will take part in the pilot, Jacobs said.
Previously, Silver Spring hosted SMUD's mesh network, and it helps the utility with two-way wireless communications to all of the smart meters in its service territory.
Through the communication, SMUD reads customers' smart meters and completes billing remotely, which reduces the need for field forces and ultimately lowers overall costs for the utility. As a result, SMUD is able to lower rates charged to customers, Jacobs said.
The infrastructure also allows SMUD to offer a Web portal and other tools that customers can access and monitor real-time information on their electricity usage and its cost of their usage.
"It also provides the ability for the utility to offer new rates to customers in exchange for the utility's ability to control or curtail customer's usage during limited number of critical peak periods during the summer months," Jacobs said. "The rest of the year, the customer benefits with lower rates in exchange for those few occasions when we may need to curtail it."
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Looking for the latest gov tech news as it happens? Subscribe to GT newsletters.


text:
The book was interesting to read about global warming being bogus. After reading the book, I could see the truth behind the lies of global warming. I never could put together how the one world government might come about. I can see the possibility now. I am glad Grant is conveying the truth about the natural gases the Earth has. I can't believe that the socialist-Marxist would be allowed to lie about their science data to the world. I pray that the truth is made known to the world. In one chapter, Grant also talks about Al Gore and his belief on global warming. He makes a great point about Al Gore not having a degree in science.
I would recommend this book to anyone who cares about where our world is going currently. We don't have to believe everything the politicians and news media say. Sometimes the media may be wrong! If you want to find out the truth about the AGW movement then read this book!
"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review".
If you like to purchase a copy of The Global-Warming Deception it is available on Amazon.com.
Check out Chapter One:
Want to take a quiz on How much do you know about global-warming? :
Want to take a quiz on How much do you know about the global-warming deception? :


text:
The Securities and Exchange Commission's Asset Management Unit charged David Dube and his firm, Peak Wealth Opportunities, on Friday with failing to provide SEC examiners with records of a mutual fund advisory business that invested in NASCAR-related stocks.
The SEC examiners sought records from Dube and his Florida-based wealth management firm while examining a mutual fund they advised called the Stock Car Stock Index Fund. Despite repeated requests, the SEC says that Dube and Peak Wealth failed to furnish certain records to the SEC.
"After promising multiple times to provide the requested records, Dube failed to live up to his regulatory obligations and turn over the records," said Bruce Karpati, chief of the Enforcement Division's Asset Management Unit, in a statement. "When financial professionals fail to cooperate with SEC exams, they force the agency to expend greater resources to pursue investigations."
According to an SEC order initiating administrative proceedings, Peak Wealth was the advisor to the Stock Car Stock Index fund from 2008 to June 2010. SEC examination staff requested records from Peak Wealth and Dube in 2010 while examining Peak Wealth's advisory business and the operations of the fund.
The SEC further alleges that Dube and Peak Wealth:
- Failed to make and keep certain required financial records.
- Failed to withdraw Peak Wealth's registration with the SEC and make other required filings.
- Failed to provide the fund's board of directors with information reasonably necessary to assess Peak Wealth's advisory fees.
Simultaneously with the SEC's examination in 2010, the fund's board requested information from Peak Wealth and Dube as part of the fund's required annual evaluation of its advisory agreements. "Despite requesting additional time to respond to the board, Peak Wealth and Dube failed to provide any of the requested documents. The board subsequently terminated Peak Wealth's advisory agreement and liquidated the fund by returning the money to investors," the SEC states.
"A fully informed board is crucial to the advisory fee setting process, yet Dube failed to provide the board with the most basic of information," said Chad Alan Earnst, an assistant regional director in the Enforcement Division's Asset Management Unit.
Under the relevant rules, the SEC says that it could seek to permanently bar Dube from association with an SEC-registered investment advisor or broker-dealer.


text:
By DAVID GREEN
Pick your party and stick with it.
That's the way it works in the Michigan primary election. You can't vote for a Republican road commissioner and a Democratic sheriff candidate. When going to the polls next Tuesday, voting must be done either on a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot.
Voters should bring a driver's license or other identification card that includes a photograph. If an ID card is not presented, an affidavit form must be signed stating that you do not have an ID with you.
Ballots for voters in Morenci and adjoining townships don't have a lot of candidates to choose from, with one exception: the office of county sheriff. This race features an unusually high number. Voters will select two candidates among eight to face off in the November general election.
On the Democratic ballot, voters can choose from Morenci police chief Larry Weeks, undersheriff Gail Dotson, community corrections coordinator Al Navarro, county jail corrections officer Thomas Popejoy and probation officer Steven Beaubien.
Those choosing the Republican ballot will select from retired sheriff's captain Jack Welsh, sheriff's department lieutenant Cletus Smith and Adrian police officer John Birdwell.
Seneca Township voters will choose between Joy Simmons and Marie Meinke for the treasurer's post. There are no other contested township races—in neither Seneca or Medina—until the general election.
County-wide, Republicans will choose a county road commissioner candidate from three options—Matt Koester, Douglas Lerch and Donald Isley—and a drain commissioner candidate from Stephen May and Eric Anderson.
County voters will also be asked to approve a six-year renewal of .482 mills to operate the Lenawee County Department on Aging.
Democratic voters will select a candidate for U.S. Congress, choosing between Sharon Renier and Mark Schauer.


text:
The big question in San Francisco right now: Should Mike Singletary be kept on as head coach next season? The overwhelming sentiment so far is yes, although Jets' wide receiver Brad Smith may not agree. If there were ever any doubt as to whether the 49ers would begin to take on Singletary's rabid personality, this play should lay that to rest; as Patrick Willis did to Smith in the fourth quarter of San Francisco's 24-14 win over the Jets on Sunday.
You can see Smith pop up from the hit initially, walk a few steps and then collapse; not unlike David Carradine's demise in Kill Bill II. That killer instinct hasn't been around these parts in a long time; it's good to see. Singletary set the tone when he dropped his trousers and showed his team the ass at halftime during his first game as head coach. We thought he was nuts then, but was there really genius within those pants?
It's also fun just to listen to Singletary talk.
"I won't say that it's my team, and I won't say it's becoming my team," he said, "because I'm really trying to help it become the players' team ... Rather than it be my team, it's going to be their team, and then it's going to be our team (the players and coaches). My team would be the third."
Does that make any sense? Does it matter? For long-suffering 49ers fans who have now watched their team win three of their past four, it sounds like poetry.
Tell The Yorks: It's Singletary's Team [San Francisco Chronicle]


text:
While the results are inconclusive, this is an important first step to more rigorous studies that research the link between male infertility and cell phone electromagnetic waves.
A team of international researchers has found that cell phone use may have negative effects on the fertility of men.
Rany Shamloul, study leader and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Queen's University, along with a team of U.S. and Austrian researchers, have found that male cell phone users have lower quality sperm than those who do not have cell phones.
Shamloul and his team conducted the study between 1993 and 2007 at an Austrian infertility clinic, where the sperm of over 2,000 men had been collected and examined. Men were asked if they owned and used cell phones at the time of collection, and those who used one on a daily basis were labeled cell phone users.
After studying the collected sperm and cell phone users and non-users, the researchers found that men who regularly used cell phones had higher levels of circulating testosterone, but lower levels of luteinizing hormone, which is a key reproductive hormone that secretes by the pituitary.
The researchers' theory is that the electromagnetic waves that cell phones emit increase the number of testosterone-producing cells, but also lower levels of luteinizing hormone. This, in turn, may negatively impact fertility.
But at this point, these results are not conclusive. The researchers need more time and research to determine if the cell phone use is really what is causing the low quality sperm, or if it's something else.
Whether cell phone use is the culprit or not, this is an important first step to more rigorous studies that research the link between male infertility and cell phone electromagnetic waves.


text:
Spiritual Healing, Crystal Healing, Crystal Surgery Sessions With Miho Sakamoto
About Miho Sakamoto
Miho Sakamoto is a highly skilled and intuitive healer. She qualified as a Crystal Surgery Practitioner and Spiritual Healer as well as in other complementary therapies, such as Crystal Healing, Energy Healing, Bach Flower Remedies among many. Miho's sessions aim to restore "Wholeness" and a sense of balance_ so that healing can occur naturally within the body.
Treatments that Miho offers
Sessions begin with tuning in to a higher self to bring alignment with the highest good. Miho then assists with meditation for a deeper relaxation, cleanses energy fields, removes unwanted attachments, balances chakras, giving protection and grounding.
Bach Flower Remedies with Energy Healing
Miho combines Energy / Spiritual Healing and Bach flower remedies.
Spiritual / Energy Healing
We all have an innate ability to achieve a perfect state of balance within our body, mind and spirit. The purpose of spiritual healing is to enhance and empower you in finding the point of balance within yourself. Miho acts as a channel for healing energies to help facilitate this process. Spiritual healing is a complimentary therapy that may be given for illness, stress or injury without any side effects.
Bach Flower Remedies
Developed by Edward Bach, an English physician, bacteriologist, pathologist and homeopath who realised that emotional imbalance creates diseases. He discovered that flowers had healing qualities and developed a system using the flower essences. Bach flowers address the emotional issues that are present, through re-balancing the negative emotions. Once stable, the body is then able to heal itself. It is a simple protocol which benefits a wide range of people. Often, people can forget how negative emotions can affect all levels – our physical & energetic being. During a session, Miho tunes in to your higher self and uses a pendulum to work with your energy and chooses which remedies are most suitable. Miho prepares a personalised remedy by choosing the Bach flowers that match the emotions being experienced by the client, such as anxiety, fatigue, anger, stress, confusion, depression, suppressed emotions etc. There are 38 remedies plus Rescue Remedy. They are safe for everyone, including children, pregnant women, pets, the elderly and plants. It is all natural and works in conjunction with herbs, homeopathy and any medications. The Bach Flower Remedies that Miho uses come from Healing Herbs in the U.K. They are of higher vibrations as they are hand picked, handmade and preserved with Organic French Brandy with love.
Crystal Healing
Crystal Healing is intuitive Energy Healing using crystals, attuned to your needs. It is a more specialized form of healing where crystals are placed on and or around your body.
Crystal Surgery
This is a unique method of using both crystals and stones to work on the client's Energy Field and Energy Body. Crystal Surgery works systematically and through direct changes in both of these fields, changes are indirectly stimulated within the physical body. The session involves using crystals as a tool for healing. Each carries a specific vibration, made up of its mineral content, colour, outer form and inner geometry. By introducing the appropriate crystals into a client's energy field, they can help him or her regain the necessary balance needed for health and well-being.


text:
On September 11, 2001, three thousand lives turned into ash.
The story of seven families provides an extraordinary window into the psychology of grief and justice. Eleven days after the terrorist attack, the federal government put into place the largest public entitlement program in history. Through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, seven billion dollars was distributed to over 5,500 families.
Out of the Ashes: 9/11 tells the heart-wrenching and inspiring stories of seven 9/11 families. The film explains how the Fund was created and implemented, portraying both its strengths and its weaknesses with exclusive interviews with the Special Master of the Fund, Kenneth Feinberg, with the lawyers who helped families navigate the system, and with the 9/11 families.
The film raises difficult questions. Did the Fund undermine our legal system, as its critics claim? Or did it offer victims a way to avoid the extraordinary cost, complexity, and excruciatingly slow pace of a lawsuit?
If the Victim Compensation Fund was the right thing to do, did those affected by past tragedies like Hurricane Katrina, the Oklahoma City bombing, and other disasters also deserve compensation? If so, is this Fund, with its methods for calculating the value of a human life, an appropriate model? Did the Fund undermine our legal system? Or did the Fund offer 9/11 families justice? Did the Fund challenge our legal system, or did it offer 9/11 families justice?


text:
Inside materials, the interactions between groups of electrons and atoms in the crystal lattice can give rise to a variety of interesting phenomena. Their collective behavior, especially at low temperatures, can give rise to quasiparticles: particle-like excitations that have strikingly different properties than the electrons that form them. Quasiparticles have been discovered that have behaviors predicted by particle physics, but have not been observed in particle collidors.
Researchers in the Netherlands have now produced quasiparticles that act like Majorana fermions: electrically-neutral particles that are their own antiparticles, such that if two collide, they annihilate. The existence of Majorana fermions was first predicted in the 1930s, but no individual particles are known to behave that way. V. Mourik et al. found a quasiparticle version by constructing a very thin wire—a nanowire—of semiconductor material and connected it to a superconductor. The specific electronic properties of the hybrid system gave rise to a pair of zero-velocity quasiparticles at two positions in the nanowire, and these showed behavior consistent with Majorana fermions. Some researchers suggest that quasiparticles of this type would be very useful in quantum computing applications.
Theorists predicted the existence of Majorana fermion quasiparticles in a materials known as topological superconductors, in which the interior of the material has zero electrical resistance, but the outside behaves like an ordinary conductor. To create a topological superconductor, Mourik et al. connected a semiconducting indium-antimony nanowire (InSb) between a gold electrode and the edge of a superconductor (NbTiN). They deposited the whole system onto a silicon substrate, which itself was printed with set of logic circuits that read the electronic properties of the wire.
By measuring the relationship between current and voltage at various positions along the nanowire, the researchers found a strong response at two points where the Majorana fermions are expected to appear. These quasiparticles didn't move under the influence of either a magnetic field or an additional current, indicating that they are electrically neutral and trapped in place.
This effect was strongest at 60 millikelvins (60 mK, which is 0.06 degrees above absolute zero) and vanished entirely at temperatures higher than 300 mK. Additionally, Mourik et al. confirmed that these Majorana quasiparticles failed to appear when the superconductor was replaced with another gold electrode, showing that the combination of the nanowire with the superconductor was necessary to create the fermions.
As the researchers themselves note, these results are consistent with Majorana fermions, but they have not been able to test for the presence of some of the predicted properties. Specifically, while the quasiparticles in the nanowire are electrically neutral and trapped at the expected positions, they should also behave in a certain way if their positions are swapped. While that can't be directly tested in this device, this fundamental property of Majorana fermions can be tested using a superconducting device known as a Josephson junction, a standard technique.
Since the quantum states of Majorana quasiparticles in topological superconductors are not independent of each other, the total system represents a qubit (quantum bit), which has been proposed as another way to achieve working quantum computers (although that may be overselling them). Apart from that, from a pure physics point of view, this result is very important: if these quasiparticles indeed turn out to be Majorana fermions, that will be the first confirmed detection in any physical system.
Science, 2012. DOI: 10.1126/science.1222360 (About DOIs).


text:
The Qure Study: Q-fever Fatigue Syndrome - Response to Treatment (Qure)
|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: NCT01318356
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : March 18, 2011
Last Update Posted : October 14, 2015
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Q Fever Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Coxiella Infection
|Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy Drug: Doxycycline Drug: Placebo
|Phase 4
Q fever fatigue syndrome (QFS) is one of the most frequent sequelae of Q fever, and constitutes a significant problem in the current outbreak of Q fever. QFS leads to substantial morbidity and has a high socio-economic burden, related to increased use of healthcare facilities and absence from work. It is envisaged that over 750 patients will become chronically fatigued due to Q fever in The Netherlands (20% of 4000 patients from 2007 until now). Although the outbreak appears to diminish, it is expected that Q fever will remain an endemic disease, and therefore this number will continue to grow. A vast medical consumption can be anticipated, stressing the need for an accessible and effective intervention and clear treatment guidelines.
The study will contribute to a better understanding of effective treatment of QFS, providing evidence-based guidelines for general practitioners and medical specialists.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|156 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Double (Participant, Investigator)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|The Qure Study: Q-fever Fatigue Syndrome - Response to Treatment
|Study Start Date :
|April 2011
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|September 2015
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|September 2015
|Experimental: Cognitive behavioral therapy
Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy
CBT will consist of a protocolized intervention of 12 sessions during a period of 24 weeks. It starts with goal setting and psycho-education on the possible role of cognitions and behavior in maintaining the fatigue. The maintaining factors will subsequently be addressed (regulation of sleep-wake cycle, gradual increasing activity, reformulating fatigue related cognitions).
Other Names:
|Experimental: Doxycycline
Drug: Doxycycline
Antibiotic therapy will consist of doxycycline once daily 200 mg (in 1 capsule) for 24 weeks. Patients will be monitored 4, 8, 16 and 26 weeks after start for side effects (rash, liver enzymes). Antibiotics will be stopped in case of side effects or pregnancy.
Other Names:
|Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Drug: Placebo
Patients in the placebo group will receive once daily 1 placebo capsule identical in appearance to the doxycycline for 24 weeks and have the same visits and monitoring for side effects as the patients randomized to doxycycline (Patients will be monitored 4, 8, 16 and 26 weeks)
Other Name: Sham Treatment
- Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) [ Time Frame: At baseline, after 8 weeks and after 24 weeks ]The Checklist Individual Strength measures the fatigue severity
- Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) total score [ Time Frame: At baseline and after 24 weeks ]The Sickness Impact Profile measures the level of functional impairment
- Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL90) [ Time Frame: At baseline and after 24 weeks ]The total score of the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL90) measures the level of psychological distress. The SCL90 consists of 90 items scored on a 5-point scale. Scores range from 90 to 450. A low total score reflects high psychological well-being. The SCL-90 is a reliable and valid instrument.
- Coxiella serology and PCR [ Time Frame: At baseline and after 26 weeks ]Serology consists of the antibodies IgG and IgM fase I and II and reflects the immunological respons to Coxiella burnetii of an individual subject. This will be compared to the antibody immunofluorescence titer measured at baseline.
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 and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Males or non-pregnant, non-lactating females who are 18 years or older
- Laboratory-proven acute Q fever since the year 2007 and/or positive serology fitting a past infection with Coxiella burnetii;
- AND being severely fatigued, defined by scoring 35 or higher on the subscale fatigue severity of the CIS;
- AND being fatigued for at least 6 months;
- AND disabled because of the fatigue, defined by scoring 450 or higher on the SIP
- Subjects must sign a written informed consent form.
Exclusion Criteria:
Fulfilling criteria for chronic Q fever, namely:
- IFA IgG fase I ≥ 1024, ≥ 3 months after acute Q fever and/or
- Positive Coxiella burnetii PCR on serum or tissue, 1 month after acute Q fever
- Acute Q fever in the setting of a prosthetic cardiac valve or aneurysm surgery or stenting necessitating prophylactic use of doxycycline;
- Pregnancy or unwillingness to use effective contraceptives during the entire study period;
- Imminent death;
- Inability to give informed consent;
- Allergy or intolerance to doxycycline;
- Somatic or psychiatric illness that could explain the chronic fatigue;
- Subjects who are currently enrolled on other investigational drug trials or receiving investigational agents;
- Receiving antibiotics for more than 4 weeks, potentially active against Coxiella burnetii, for any other reason since Q-fever diagnosis;
- Subjects who are receiving and cannot discontinue barbiturates, phenytoin, or carbamazepine (these drugs may increase the metabolism of doxycycline and therefore reducing half-life of doxycycline);
- Moderate or severe liver disease (AF, ALAT, ASAT > 3 times the upper limit of normal).
- Current engagement in a legal procedure concerning financial benefits (only current involvement interferes with the effectivity of cognitive behavioral therapy. Once the appeal procedure ends, subjects can be included)
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): NCT01318356
|Radboud university medical center
|Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands, 6500 HB
|Study Director:
|Chantal P Bleeker-Rovers, MD PhD
|Radboud University
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|Stephan Keijmel, S.P. Keijmel, MD, Radboud University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
2011-000643-25 ( EudraCT Number )
|First Posted:
|March 18, 2011 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|October 14, 2015
|Last Verified:
|October 2015
Q fever
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Q Fever
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic
Pathologic Processes
Body Temperature Changes
Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections
Bacterial Infections
Virus Diseases
Muscular Diseases
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Neuromuscular Diseases
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Antiprotozoal Agents
Antiparasitic Agents
Protein Synthesis Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action