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There are many commercial products that will collect device and interface statistics for network devices. I am investigating open source products to perform snmp polling, data storage and graphing. There are some open source products (like Observium) that will do fine with a small number of devices, but I am looking to find something that can scale to over 10,000 network devices.
Currently I'm looking at collectd for actually collecting the data. So far I have tested it as a local collector for Linux servers, so I have to determine how well the snmp poller performs.
Most system monitoring tools use RRD for data storage. There seems to be quite a bit of innovation around time series databases. I started looking at OpenTSDB and InfluxDB for data storage.
My current setup consists of collectd pushing data into InfluxDB (via write_graphite). For graphing, Grafana seems to be the most commonly used front end. If you have done any work with the ELK stack, Grafana will look very familiar as it is based on Kibana.
If I make any meaningful progress, I will document the configurations of the applications. I also plan on investigating some of the more recent methods of collecting performance data.


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For their last play of the season, the Little Theatre of Alexandria will present Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit," an "improbable farce" as the playwright called it, which centers around English novelist Charles Condomine and the impact three women — current wife Ruth, deceased wife Elvira and medium Madam Arcati — have on his life. Director Joe Schubert has led more intense rehearsals in the last week to prepare for the show, which includes several technical tricks.
"The cast is in high spirits and ready to go," director Joe Schubert said. "They performed it twice, with many of the special effects that will be used."
The numerous effects make "Blithe Spirit" a new experience for Schubert. "I haven't had an occasion to work with this particular kind of a show before," he said.
"Your technical staff is really the ones you rely on a lot; they're very good at what they do."
Many of the effects are "ghostly kinds of things," in keeping with the supernatural feeling of the play.
Directing "Blithe Spirit" has allowed Schubert to return to a play and a playwright he has a history with. He said that when he first began theatre 29 years ago, he auditioned and was cast for "O Coward," a musical review of Coward's work with songs and skits. Two years later, he starred as Charles in "Blithe Spirit."
"At my age, I have very little recollection of how I did," he said, laughing. "When I look at the photographs, it's quite a difference."
Two of the main cast members — Alexandria resident Tom Pentecost, who plays Charles in this production, and Frieda Enoch, who says her role as Madam Arcati is worth the trip from her home in Gaithersburg, Md. — spoke about their experiences in the play. The cast is rounded out by Laura Russell, of Reston, who plays Elvira, and Alexandrian Barbara Raffaele, who plays Ruth.
Tell me about your character. What are the challenges and opportunities the role presents?
Pentecost: Charles is kind of an Englishman Englishman … He's classically educated. Those days, that meant you had a certain privilege in life … everything was kind of presented to you as you own the world. Charles is spoiled, he's had an easy time with the opposite sex, everything sort of comes his way relatively easily. He's a novelist, he kind of manipulates a lot of things around him.
Generally a shallow kind of guy – he's kind of a child. He's been dominated by women, whether he wants to admit it or not. He loves them, I think, much like a child would love a mother.
The challenges for me are that it's a lead role, and I haven't been doing acting all that long. When I was auditioned, it's because I was asked to. I'm generally cast as a heavy – someone's who tough or mean, or authoritarian. Being light and carefree in the play has been the challenge for me.
Enoch: She's a fun, wonderful character, with wonderful opportunities to be creative. She obviously is a pivotal character – she influences people's lives, and which direction they go in.
I was drawn to the role because of how much fun she is – how creative she is, how goofy she is. It really allows you to go outside yourself as an actor.
I don't want her to be a caricature. She is a real person. I think she believes in herself, she believes in what she does. She's definitely eccentric.
It's fun being out there [but] you have to be real.
The character I was drawn to — a couple of her lines I remembered from high school: "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy" and "You can stew in your own juice"
Everything about her is such fun … I'm really honored to play the role.
How do the special effects affect your acting?
Pentecost: You have to believe what you're seeing … The crew that is working is very experienced and very, very good.
Special effects are wonderful. I guess the challenge with the special effects is the time. You have to react to it and go with the script. [The important steps are] believing it, making sure you're ready when things may or may not go right, and adjusting.
We run into little things, like mixing drinks on stage, smoking on stage – I don't smoke. It's a challenge to think about what I'm doing, having my lines, and lighting a cigarette.
Enoch: It only enhances and helps create that reality. It's wonderful – the sound, the music, the lights – that's magic, and it helps create it.
What do you think of performing Noel Coward's writing?
Pentecost: Ironically, I had been cast in a Noel Coward play, but I had to pull out. Lo and behold, after I decided I wouldn't do Noel Coward, and then I was asked to audition.
[Coward's writing is] very chatty – a lot of dialogue. The word choice makes it complicated to get your lines right. Your American brain isn't pulling in the older English, it's pulling in American. Your brain just flips for a second. Every once in a while, when you get into the moment, you're not thinking about it anymore, the Americana slips in.
Enoch: Oh my goodness. I enjoy watching the other actors because of their acting and because of Noel Coward's words, his dry wit. It's very clever and funny, and very British as well.
THE THREE individuals had three different reasons to encourage people to come see the show. "People will enjoy it for that sort of wit that Coward is known for," Schubert said. Pentecost praised the three actresses he is working with: If anyone wants a really enjoyable evening, go and watch those women do their thing." Enoch said the acting will improve when there is an audience. "We're ready to have an audience and have that input. Actors feed on the audience."

subset: commoncrawl


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Are you contagious?Mar 22
Matt. 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
In one sentence, the Lord Jesus provided one of the most powerful, relevant, contemporary metaphors of the kingdom of heaven. What is leaven? Today, we call it yeast. But whether you call it leaven or yeast, it is a bacteria. How do we define bacteria? The definition of bacteria from vocabulary.com is:
"Bacteria are microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, or beneficial, as in the process of fermentation (such as in wine) and that of decomposition." What is interesting about bacteria is that you don't see it working, you see the EFFECTS of it working. In other words, you don't see the leaven working in the meal, or dough, you see the EFFECTS of the leaven in the meal. And this is what happens with the kingdom of God in a person's life. You don't see the kingdom at work in a person, you see the EFFECTS of the kingdom in a person.
But leaven has another quality that makes it like the kingdom of God. Like all bacteria, leaven is a contagion, meaning it spreads by contact. Here are two definitions from vocabulary.com for contagion:
"Any disease easily transmitted by contact."
"The communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people."
Vocabulary.com uses this example to describe the phenomenon of contagion:
"Have you ever noticed how when one person yawns, the people around him tend to do so as well? This phenomenon can be described as a contagion, the spreading of an emotional or mental state (in this case, fatigue)."
So contagions spread by contact. Even in the example, the people affected by the yawning person were the ones around him, the ones who were close enough to see him. Others, not close in proximity, may have seen or even heard him from a distance, but were not affected. What then, does this mean for us today? It means the gospel is still spread through close contact. It isn't spread by being seated in a large gathering or assembly once a week; it is spread in your day to day contact with your co-workers, with your classmates, with your neighbors, and with your friends. The kingdom within you is supposed to be contagious; those around you don't see the kingdom in you, they see the EFFECTS of the kingdom in you. They see the change in you; they see the patience you are exhibiting; they see how you esteem others higher than yourselves. These are all effects of the kingdom working its way through your life. Are you contagious?


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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Novel Therapeutic StrategiesView this Special Issue
Clinical Study | Open Access
Todd D. Levine, Robert Bowser, Nicole C. Hank, Stephen Gately, Dietrich Stephan, David S. Saperstein, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, "A Pilot Trial of Pioglitazone HCl and Tretinoin in ALS: Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers to Monitor Drug Efficacy and Predict Rate of Disease Progression", Neurology Research International, vol. 2012, Article ID 582075, 6 pages, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/582075
A Pilot Trial of Pioglitazone HCl and Tretinoin in ALS: Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers to Monitor Drug Efficacy and Predict Rate of Disease Progression
Objectives. To determine if therapy with pioglitazone HCl and tretinoin could slow disease progression in patients with ALS. Levels of tau and pNFH in the cerebrospinal fluid were measured to see if they could serve as prognostic indicators. Methods. 27 subjects on stable doses of riluzole were enrolled. Subjects were randomized to receive pioglitazone 30 mg/d and tretinoin 10 mg/BID for six months or two matching placebos. ALSFRS-R scores were followed monthly. At baseline and at the final visit, lumbar punctures (LPs) were performed to measure cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker levels. Results. Subjects treated with tretinoin, pioglitazone, and riluzole had an average rate of decline on the ALSFRS-R scale of −1.02 points per month; subjects treated with placebo and riluzole had a rate of decline of (). Over six months of therapy, CSF tau levels decreased in subjects randomized to active treatment and increased in subjects on placebo. Further higher levels of pNF-H at baseline correlated with a faster rate of progression. Conclusion. ALS patients who were treated with tretinoin and pioglitazone demonstrated no slowing on their disease progression. Interestingly, the rate of disease progression was strongly correlated with levels of pNFH in the CSF at baseline.
1. Introduction
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive neurodegenerative disease. ALS affects people of all ages and both sexes with a reported annual incidence of 1-2 in 100,000. 90% of the cases of ALS occur sporadically, while 10% of patients with ALS have a family history of the disease. The course of ALS is progressive and the majority of the patients succumb within 2–5 years from disease onset. At present, there is no effective therapy for ALS, nor is there a single known cause. After several decades of trials, only one drug with modest disease modifying efficacy, riluzole, has been developed. Therefore, it is imperative for clinical trials to be designed and analyzed quickly. With the disease being rapidly fatal, eligible patients are difficult to enroll in studies, yet the need for compassionate care is essential.
Recent discoveries have identified several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene which have been associated with sporadic ALS [1, 2]. In addition, reduced levels of ALK mRNA have been reported in ALS patients. In 2003, Dangond et al. used spinal cord tissue and microarray analysis and observed a 9-fold downregulation of ALK mRNA in ALS patients [3]. They further substantiated this finding by verifying the change in ALK expression with real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Midkine (MK), a ligand for ALK, was also found to be decreased in patients with sporadic ALS [4].
The expression of MK is induced by retinoic acid signaling, and in addition to activating ALK, MK has the ability to activate neurite outgrowth and increase angiogenesis. It has also been shown that retinoic acid inducible genes improve survival in the G93A-SOD1 transgenic mouse model of ALS [5]. Further, two of the best-studied and most beneficial gene therapies in animal models of ALS, insulin growth factor (IGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), are induced by retinoic acid.
The importance of retinoic acid responsive genes in modulating spinal motor neuron degeneration has been demonstrated in rodent models [5]. It was demonstrated that astrocytosis, accumulation of neurofilament, motor neuron loss, and a significant loss of motor neuron retinoic acid receptor expression were observed in the lumbar spinal cord of vitamin A deficient animals. Recent findings of the role of retinoid signaling in the pathogenesis of ALS have gained momentum with the development of gene expression analysis in spinal cord from animal models and humans with disease [6]. Retinoid signaling, while crucial in the development and maintenance of the central nervous system (CNS), may also contribute to regenerative mechanisms that occur after CNS injury or disease to mediate plasticity and repair. Additional evidence supporting the role of retinoid signaling comes from proteomic studies of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Reduced levels of transthyretin (TTR) and increased posttranslational modifications to TTR have been detected in the CSF of ALS patients [7]. TTR functions to transport and deliver retinol to cells of the CNS. Altered protein levels for multiple members of the retinoid signaling pathway have been detected in spinal cord tissue of ALS patients [4]. Data also suggests that stimulating retinoic acid receptors (RARs) are neuroprotective and therefore pharmacologic agents that target these nuclear receptors may be of value in slowing the progression of ALS [8].
Retinoic acids have been studied extensively in various models of the injured nervous system. These studies have shown that retinoic acids may have three distinct, important roles in ALS. (1) Retinoids may be neuroprotective and support axonal growth. (2) They may modulate the inflammatory reaction by microglia and macrophages. (3) They may regulate glial cell differentiation [9]. These findings suggest that retinoid signaling might slow the progression of sporadic ALS.
Another potential etiology of ALS, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases, is neuroinflammation. In the last decade, the neuroprotective properties of proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) agonists have received increasing attention and have been examined in a number of preclinical models of neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cerebral ischemia, ALS, and spinal cord injury. These diseases share an excess of neurotoxic, proinflammatory immune responses as compared to anti-inflammatory microglia or T suppressor cell responses [10]. Therefore, therapeutic strategies designed to modulate microglial activation, reinstating the physiological shift toward less neurotoxic phenotypes, may represent a neuroprotective goal. PPAR gamma agonists act as potent anti-inflammatory drugs and have been studied in G93A-SOD1 transgenic mice, a mouse model of ALS. These studies demonstrate that pioglitazone HCl-treated transgenic mice have improved muscle strength and body weight, exhibit a delayed disease onset, and survive significantly longer than nontreated G93A-SOD1 mice. Quantification of motor neurons of the spinal cord at day 90 revealed complete neuroprotection by pioglitazone HCl, whereas non-treated G93A-SOD1 mice had lost 30% of motor neurons. This was paralleled by preservation of the median fiber diameter in the quadriceps muscle, indicating not only morphological, but also functional protection of motor neurons by pioglitazone HCl. Activated microglia were significantly reduced at sites of neurodegeneration in pioglitazone HCl treated G93A-SOD1 mice, as were the protein levels of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide syntheses [11].
While a PPAR gamma and a retinoic acid agent could be studied individually, a drug cocktail may offer the best chance of attaining a significant reduction in disease progression, utilizing currently available FDA-approved agents. Therefore, a trial of riluzole, in combination with pioglitazone HCl, a PPAR gamma agonist, and tretinoin, a retinoid, was undertaken.
For the past few years, there has been growing evidence that throughout the course of ALS, proteins are released from injured/dying axons and cell bodies that can be detected in the CSF. Developing biomarkers for ALS has emerged as one of the most urgent needs in the search for effective treatments, because these proteins may provide prognostic indicators for rate of disease progression, or they may be used to monitor therapeutic efficacy of drugs that reduce motor neuron injury and/or cell death. Of these proteins, cytoskeletal proteins including phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH) and tau have been shown to be elevated in the CSF of neurodegenerative diseases and proposed as biomarkers for ALS [12–15] and neurofilament aggregates have been observed in spinal cord motor neurons of ALS patients [16]. Levels of pNFH were shown to be significantly increased in the CSF of ALS patients when compared to disease mimics [17, 18]. Therefore, we also measured the levels of these candidate biomarkers before treatment and after six months of drug therapy.
2. Methods and Materials
2.1. Subjects
Twenty-eight subjects, who met the El Escorial criteria for probable or definite ALS, between the ages of 18 and 85 and were on a stable dose of Rilutek for at least 30 days prior to the start of the study, were screened. Women of childbearing potential were using an effective method of birth control and had a negative pregnancy test prior to randomization. Subjects who had a history of liver disease, severe renal failure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, clinically significant EKG abnormality at screening or intolerance to Riluzole, or any other comorbid condition which would make completion of the trial unlikely or a FVC of less than 70% were excluded. All procedures were approved by the Western Institutional Review Board (WIRB) and were conducted with the understanding and consent of all subjects. Informed consents were obtained from all individuals in accordance with institutional review board requirements prior to the start of any study-related procedures at screening.
2.2. Study Procedures
Prior to enrollment, potential subjects were evaluated, screened, and consented. A medical history was completed and a physical and neurological exam was performed. An EKG was performed to rule out significant cardiac abnormalities and a FVC test was completed for eligibility. Subjects who met all inclusion criteria and met no exclusionary criteria underwent a lumbar puncture and 6 cc of CSF were collected for analyzing specific proteins such as tau and pNF-H at screening. Subjects were also required to fast prior to screening and prior to every subsequent visit. This ensured accurate results for glucose and lipid testing. Amylase, lipase, and a comprehensive metabolic panel were also monitored monthly. Eligible subjects came back for randomization 2 months after screening. This two-month run-in phase was designed to see if we could determine an individual patient's baseline rate of progression. Subjects randomized to drug received 30 mg/day of pioglitazone HCl and 10 mg BID of Tretinoin. Subjects randomized to placebo received matching placebos for pioglitazone HCl and tretinoin. Drug and matching placebo were manufactured by The Apothecary Shop in Scottsdale, Arizona. An unblinded member of PNA's study team randomized subjects based on screening number and dispensed the appropriate medication to subjects. The PI, study coordinator and the patient were blinded during treatment. Subjects who experienced intolerable side effects abated the tretinoin but continued taking pioglitazone HCl (N = 5). 2 patients on placebo reported side effects and had the placebo matching the tretinoin stopped. Subjects were seen 8 weeks after screening for randomization then again at months 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. The primary outcome measurement, ALSFRS revised (ALSFRS-R), was administered and assessed by the same rater at each visit to insure reproducibility and reduce variability. The last recorded ALSFRS-R score was subtracted from their baseline ALSFRS-R score and was divided by the number of months that the subjects were on treatment to determine a monthly change in ALSFRS-R score. Secondary outcome measures were evaluated at baseline then again at the final visit (after 6 months of treatment), which included lumbar punctures for assessment of protein biomarkers of axonal injury.
2.3. CSF Collection and Analysis
Lumbar punctures were performed at baseline and the final visit. Samples were collected at a similar time of the day for all subjects. 6 ccs of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected into a low-bind tube and frozen in a −80°C freezer for storage. All samples were coded to maintain patient confidentiality. Total protein concentrations were determined using the BCA Protein Assay Kit (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA). Levels of candidate biomarkers were determined using commercial ELISA kits to total tau (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNF-H) (BioVendor Research and Diagnostic Products, Candler, NC) following manufacturer instructions. All samples were analyzed in triplicate within each experiment, and all experiments were performed at least twice on separate days.
Patient disease progression was monitored by decline in the revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) and correlated to CSF protein levels using the Pearson correlation test. These correlations were stratified into placebo, tretinoin plus pioglitazone HCl, and pioglitazone HCl-alone treatment groups. For group comparisons, nonparametric Mann-Whitney t-test was used to determine statistical significance, followed by paired t-test for pairwise comparisons within individual patients between baseline and final values. For all data analysis, we set a significance level of . All statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 5.0 software (GraphPad Software Inc. La Jolla, CA).
3. Results
3.1. Study Population
Twenty-eight subjects were screened, but only 27 enrolled in this double blinded, placebo controlled study (12 females and 15 males). Subjects were randomized in a 2 : 1 fashion to tretinoin and pioglitazone HCL or placebo. Subjects who were randomized to the drug arm received tretinoin at 10 mg BID and pioglitazone HCL at 30 mg QD. Subjects who were randomized to the placebo arm received matching placebos for both medications. Baseline demographics and functional indices are as noted: average FVC was 82%, average time from symptom onset was 5 months, the average baseline ALSFRS-R score was 37, and the mean age was 58. There was no significant difference between the placebo and the active arm in any of these demographic features. The average time from symptom to onset to study entry was 18 months for placebo and 24 months for the active arm.
3.2. Effect of Therapy on Disease Progression
There were 22 subjects who completed more than three months of therapy and these were all included in an intent-to-treat analysis. Of these 22 subjects, 16 were randomized to drug and 6 to placebo. There were five subjects in the active arm who experienced intolerable side effects (1 extreme dry skin, 3 felt they were progressing faster, and 1 had increased fatigue). All five subjects stopped taking the pill corresponding to the tretinoin and two of the five subjects' symptoms abated shortly after discontinuation. 3 patients felt they were progressing more rapidly on therapy and this continued even after stopping all study medication. These patients had a baseline rate of progression in the run-in phase of 1.83, and once starting therapy, their monthly change in ALSFRS-R was 1.75 (). The 16 subjects who were on active drug and completed at least 3 months of therapy lost on average −1.02 compared to their baseline rate of progression of −1.13 (). The 6 subjects on placebo averaged a loss of −0.86 compared to their baseline rate of progression of 1.11 ().
3.3. CSF Biomarkers
The baseline levels of tau in the CSF differed significantly between the two groups. The average tau level for the active arm was 300.7 pg/mL () as compared to 126.5 pg/mL for the placebo arm () (Figure 1). After six months of therapy the active arm () demonstrated a 26% decline in the tau values to 223.9 pg/mL (), whereas the placebo arm () demonstrated a 29% increase in tau values (). We did not detect a significant change within individuals over time using a paired t-test (data not shown). There was also no relationship between the levels of tau and patient rate of progression.
The CSF levels of pNFH did not differ between the active and placebo groups and there was no significant change during the course of therapy for individual patients (data not shown). However there was a strong statistical relationship between the baseline value of pNFH and the rate of disease progression (Figure 2). Patients who progressed faster than 0.5 points per months on the ALSFRS-R had an average level of 2860 pg/mL compared to patients who progressed less than 0.5 points per month who averaged 1331 pg/mL ().
3.4. Survival
There were 18 subjects who completed the entire 6 months of therapy. One patient dropped out prior to being randomized, and five subjects withdrew after at least two months of therapy. Of the five who withdrew, 3 were on treatment and 2 were on placebo. During the course of the study, 4 subjects died (2 on active drug and 2 on placebo). Three of the four subjects died of respiratory complications and one committed suicide (they had no prior history of depression or suicidal ideation). The average baseline ALSFRS-R score for the subjects who died was 33, which was lower than the average baseline value (38) for those that completed the study ().
3.5. Compliance and Safety
Compliance was measured through drug accountability. All subjects were required to return unused medication at each visit. Drug was accounted for by the amount of drug returned subtracted from drug dispensed based on how much drug should have been taken. Tretinoin administered at 10 mg bid was tolerated by 69% and pioglitazone HCl was tolerated by 88% of the subjects randomized to active treatment. There was a 19% dropout rate due to adverse events or intolerability. A DSMB board met shortly after the first four patients were randomized, then every six months thereafter to assure safety, tolerability, and study compliance. Other than one suicide, no other serious events were recorded. At the interim analysis, the majority of subjects tolerated the medication well. Shortly after the last patient completed 1 month on study drug, the FDA reported that the use of pioglitazone HCl increased the rate of bladder cancer. Subjects who were actively taking pioglitazone HCl were contacted and were given the option to withdraw or discontinue use. Everyone continued on treatment, but we felt, in the best interest of others, to stop enrollment at 28 instead of the planned 30.
4. Discussion
This initial phase II trial of tretinoin and pioglitazone HCl used in combination with riluzole showed no significant effect on the rate of disease progression. One of the weaknesses of this study was the small sample size. However, the trial was designed to see if there was a significant and dramatic effect on disease progression. This type of a dramatic treatment effect is the primary goal in ALS trials, as another agent with minimal efficacy is not desirable. If some treatment effect had been found, then this trial would have formed the basis for a larger phase II/III trial. Unfortunately, the results demonstrated lack of efficacy with tretinoin and pioglitazone HCl. Another weakness is the use of two experimental drugs and the use of riluzole in all subjects. These were compromises that were intentionally made to address limitations such as the cost of conducting a larger trial, the difficulty of recruiting subjects, and the difficulty of asking patients with ALS to forgo the only available therapy.
Among the 16 subjects randomized to active treatment who completed more than 3 months of therapy, the average decline in ALSFRS-R was −1.02 points per month. This was higher than the rate of decline in subjects randomized to placebo (−0.86); however, this was not significant (). There was also no significant difference between the rate of progression observed during the two-month run-in phase and the rates of progression seen in the placebo and active arms during therapy.
The results from our CSF biomarker studies suggest a correlation between the baseline level of pNFH and disease progression. Subjects who progressed at rates faster than −0.5 points per month on the ALSFRS-R scale had levels of pNF-H that averaged 2860 pg/mL, while subjects who progressed at less than −0.5 points per month averaged 1331 pg/mL () (Figure 2). Our results suggest that elevated levels of pNFH in the CSF may serve as a candidate biomarker for injury or death of motor neurons in patients with ALS. Thus higher CSF levels of pNFH may indicate patients with faster disease progression, a finding that mirrors results of a prior clinical study with memantine [19].
Subjects randomized to combination therapy had a nonstatistically significant decrease in tau CSF levels during the course of treatment (an average decrease of 76.8 pg/mL) and 26% decrease (P = 0.167) compared to subjects on placebo whose levels increased (average increase of 44.91 pg/mL and 29% increase () (Figure 1). These results may be skewed as there was a significant difference in baseline levels of tau between the active and placebo groups, such that the active arm had 2.4 times the amount of tau at baseline. Patients were not stratified based on these levels, thus this difference was purely coincidental. Therefore, the decline in the active arm and the increase in placebo arm may simply be a regression towards the mean. Further, levels of tau did not correlate to the rate of clinical progression as measured by the ALSFRS-R (data not shown).
5. Conclusion
In summary, our randomized, placebo-controlled trial combining riluzole with tretinoin and pioglitazone HCl failed to alter clinical disease progression over a 6-month time course. CSF-based biomarkers also failed to exhibit significant changes due to drug treatment, though initial levels of pNFH correlated to rate of disease progression. However, it remains possible that other drug treatments that target these same biochemical pathways may be beneficial for ALS.
The authors thank Jiyan An from the Barrow Neurological Institute for technical assistance.
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- J. Ganesalingam, J. An, C. E. Shaw, G. Shaw, D. Lacomis, and R. Bowser, "Combination of neurofilament heavy chain and complement C3 as CSF biomarkers for ALS," Journal of Neurochemistry, vol. 117, no. 3, pp. 528–537, 2011. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
- T. S. Reijn, W. F. Abdo, H. J. Schelhaas, and M. M. Verbeek, "CSF neurofilament protein analysis in the differential diagnosis of ALS," Journal of Neurology, vol. 256, no. 4, pp. 615–619, 2009. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
- T. D. Levine, R. Bowser, N. Hank, and D. Saperstein, "A pilot trial of memantine and riluzole in ALS: correlation to CSF biomarkers," Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 514–519, 2010. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar
Copyright © 2012 Todd D. Levine et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


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Welcome to the The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus.
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A piece for all audiences, inspired freely by Lewis Carroll's book, in which the dancers take turns as 'Alice' – a ballerina lost on a stage – and the theatre technicians, elements of the set, abandoned props, and other dancers join forces to lead Alice into a world of nonsense. The choreography alternates between abstract moments and more narrative sequences that nevertheless remain stylised. Rebellion, violence, and conflict between normality and abnormality are the main threads running through 'Behind the Looking Glass', which races along at quite a clip and tries to avoid the vapid pretty-prettiness of most children's productions.
Achter de Spiegel


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Becky Luigart-Stayner; Melanie J. Clarke
You can steep the juice in advance; add the ginger beer and rum just before serving so the punch will be fizzy. Ginger beer, which actually contains no alcohol, tastes like a spicy ginger ale.
How to Make It
Step 1
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 30 minutes.
Step 2
Strain cranberry mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Chill thoroughly. Stir in rum and ginger beer just before serving.


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Last month, we reported that the Indian government was threatening to ban Blackberry along with a host of other services like Gmail and Skype. Reuters is now reporting that, the government of India of India will meet with telecom operators tomorrow to seek concrete measures.
Like Saudi Arabia, India also wants instant access to encrypted messages sent using Blackberry devices, which were reportedly used by terrorists in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Similar demands have also been made by United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Germany. In fact, the Indian government had also made similar demands in 2008.
RIM's recent decision to grant the Saudi government access to local servers, will undoubtedly encourage the Indian government to take a stronger stance. At tomorrow's meeting, the Indian government might issue a deadline for RIM to comply with the demands. In case the Indian government goes through the ban, RIM stands to lose 1 million subscribers in a country where the iPhone is still struggling to make an impact.


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One of the most common causes of sickness for travelers is being exposed to contaminated food and water. And one of the easiest ways for these bacteria and parasites to enter your body? Through contaminated local tap water. The last thing you want is a bout of stomach cramps to ruin your trip, so this article will take a look at the tap water in South America and let you know which countries it is safe to drink in.
We can't cover every city in each country so, if in doubt, ask a local whether the water is safe to drink. Take a look at what they're doing, too -- are they buying bottled water or drinking from the taps? And a bit of quick googling for a specific city will help a lot. Sometimes the locals can stomach water that your body may not be used to, so it's wise to use some caution.
If you find yourself in a country that doesn't have clean tap water, then you can either buy bottled water or carry a portable water purifier with you. One easy way to purify tap water is with the Grayl. This water bottle eliminates pretty much all contaminants from your water, making it perfectly safe to drink.
Take care when drinking anything that contains ice cubes in places where you need to be wary, in case they're made from tap water -- ask at the restaurant if it's safe to drink. Additionally, steer clear of salads, fruits, or vegetables, which may have been washed with tap water.
Here's the list of the countries in South America, and whether the tap water is safe to drink or not.
Argentina is a well-developed country and the tap water throughout the country is safe to drink. In more rural areas, you can expect the water to taste strongly of chlorine, but it won't harm you in any way. If in doubt, ask the locals to see what they do and follow their lead. There are very few areas of the country where the water isn't safe, and as a tourist, you'd be unlikely to visit them.
Make sure to avoid drinking the tap water while you're in Bolivia -- it's not safe to drink, even in the major cities. In fact, it's best to not even use it while brushing your teeth. Fortunately, bottled water is widely available and very affordable, or you could use a Grayl water bottle, which was described above.
When it comes to tap water, Brazil can be a little tricky. In the major cities -- Rio and Sao Paulo -- you can drink the tap water, but travelers report that it tastes revolting. With that in mind, unless you're traveling on a very tight budget, expect to buy bottled water or purify water from the tap throughout your trip.
The tap water is safe to drink in Chile, with the exception of San Pedro de Atacama. Be aware that the tap water has a high mineral content, so could lead to the development of kidney stones or kidney infections if you drink it for several months straight. If you're prone to either, it's wise to limit the amount you consume. Be cautious and mix up your water routine with bottled water every now and then.
The tap water is safe to drink in most large cities in Colombia. Stick to bottled water if you decide to venture out into more rural areas. Agua Manantial is your best option for bottled water, as it tastes the best and is still inexpensive.
You should not drink the tap water in Ecuador, even in the major cities, as there are many disease-causing organisms in the water. Stick to bottled water, filter your water, or boil the tap water continuously for several minutes (because of the altitude, you need to boil it for longer than you would at sea level) before drinking.
Falkland Islands
The tap water is safe to drink in the Falkland Islands.
French Guyana
The tap water is not safe to drink in French Guyana. Buy water from a store, use a water filter, or boil your tap water before consuming it.
The water from the tap in Guyana comes out brown, due to the chemicals in the water, which can be interesting if you're not expecting it! The water isn't polluted, but the tap water is generally not safe to drink. Stick to bottled water here.
You shouldn't drink the tap water anywhere in Paraguay. Risks from doing so include dysentery, typhoid, and tuberculosis. Definitely not a place to even use the tap water to brush your teeth.
You should avoid drinking the tap water everywhere in Peru.
Drinking water is safe in Paramaribo, but ask a local for advice before drinking water outside of here, as it's not usually safe. If you're not sure, always go with bottled water.
The tap water is safe to drink throughout Uruguay.
The tap water is not safe to drink in Venezuela. Bring water purification products (iodine) with you or a water filter to make sure you'll have access to clean water in case there's a shortage of bottled water, as was the case in 2017. Filtered water bottles are a good idea, or boiling the water before you drink will keep you safe and hydrated.


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So this week's waffle is about another section of the Horizon Report on Technology in Higher Education.The last time I waffled about this I focused on the Flipped Classroom – this week I'm going to focus on something which I really want to get more involved with – so grab those open badges, those actions and levels and prepare to enjoy some gamification.
While the flipped classroom approach for learning is recommended to be implemented within one year or less, gamification is recommended to be implemented within two to three years. Not to be confused with Game Based Learning – gamification has motivated gamers to spend long and regular gaming sessions, working towards that unique item or that ultimate level of achievement. This form of motivation has long since been used within commerce where customers save points by visiting stores or purchasing itmes -I have so many store cards where I collect points and I am always working towards my free coffee at Starbucks and Costa- and business where targets are established with rewards at the end for the highest scorer. This has and continues to be successful so it was only a matter of time before it would be applied to the area of education. I am a gamer (mainly World of Warcraft and starting with Minecraft) and I know and like that feeling of attaining something which I have worked hard for both within the games and out. But can this be applied to education and can it work as well?
What to implement?
After looking across the internet and listening/reading to podcasts and articles, I decided to focus on three areas of what I considered gamification within my own site (the one which you are currently reading). Two of these have recently been implemented and the final one is still in the development/finalising phase.
What I have learnt so far?
I have only just recently implemented both of these so I am not fully in a position to say how effective they have been on my limited audience within my site, however, I do have some thoughts…
I am really looking forward to seeing how the 'games' work on my site and the feedback I receive from them – whether this is through comments/emails and through the degree of participation. I am also considering how to use gamification in my everyday practice within the sessions, for those who wish to participate, and I am continuing to develop Open Badges ready for implementation. I really like the idea and concept behind gamification and can see the benefits of this approach – but whether this would be beneficial for all learners I am not sure. Maybe it is just an idea which will briefly touch education and move on remaining within the areas of commerce and business and in the world of gamers.
I look forward to hearing your comments and ideas, please add them in the comments below or send them to me via Twitter(@iwilsonysj), Facebook, Google+ or email.
Remember keep up to date with my waffles by subscribing to;
and on iTunes!
Have fun and I'll catch you later


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Nespresso machine
Working in an office every day can get tiring and routine, so why not mix things up a little and create your own office coffee club? It's a great way to get together with your workmates and is so much cheaper than heading out to find a good coffee on the street. It'll keep your bosses happy too because you will be spending more time in the office.
So, how do you do it? Easy. Get a few of your fellow workmates together (15 is an ideal number) and pool your money to buy a coffee machine. Keep it in the office kitchen or another communal space so it is easy to access and you are on your way to coffee heaven.
When it comes to choosing the right coffee machine, you need to consider a couple of things – cost, convenience and coffee. You want something that is good value for money, that is easy to use and look after, but doesn't compromise on the quality or enjoyment of the coffee.
There are heaps of machines on the market, but Nespresso makes some great ones which are low maintenance and competitively priced. The Nespr Citiz Aeroccino C120 US Nespre is a higher end machine that not only lets you choose your favourite flavour, but because it has an inbuilt milk frother with different attachments, you can also make a variety of coffee styles, such as lattes or cappacinos.
Once you've purchased your Nespresso machine, you need to get the correct coffee pods. Everyone can buy their own pods, or you can pool some more money together. Either way, this is where the real benefit of Nespresso comes in: FLAVOURS! There are heaps of flavours to try meaning you'll never get bored. Here is a list of flavours currently available:
- Ristretto
- Arpeggio
- Roma
- Livanto
- Capriccio
- Volluto
- Cosi
- Decaffeinato Intenso
- Decaffeinato
- Vivalto Lungo
- Finezzo Lungo
- Decaffeinato Lungo
Looking after your new coffee machine is quite simple if you get a Nespresso – all you need to do is fill the water jug and empty the capsule collection when it is full. As the Nespresso doesn't contain a grinder, there's no mess and no fuss. That means you can get on with enjoying your coffee with your new found coffee mates.
Once you are set up and frothing away, a single cup of coffee costs less than a quarter of the cost of a store bought coffee. The return on your initial investment can be reached in only a few weeks depending on your current caffeine addiction. What are you waiting for? Gra your new coffee club buddies, pick someone to be the barista and start enjoying a Rsitretto or Capriccio or Finezzo Lungo today. It's fun and it's easy and is sure to add something a bit special to an otherwise routine work day.


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Welcome to our
Visit Our Local Marion County Community Pages:
Click Here for More Marion County News
The F.I.P.S. code is 17121.
Latitude: 38.7355, Longitude: -88.9199.
There are more sites for other counties and towns across the State of Illinois available.
In fact, we host pages for every State, County and Town in the U.S.!


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Welcome to
- DXN Sri Lanka
- One World One Market
- Magnum Investments (Pvt) Ltd.
- DXN Sri Lanka
- One World One Market
- Magnum Investments (Pvt) Ltd.
DXN is dedicated in following through with all aspects of its business model from Cultivation and Processing all the way to the actual marketing of its Ganoderma enriched products direct to its consumers.
This process has granted DXN global acclaim for its state of the art management system, research and development as well as the highest of quality products on the market today. DXN is the 24th biggest direct selling company in the world.
With our "One World One Market" philosophy, and the Daxen family's dedication and commitments, we shall fortify our current achievements maintain our competitive edge, and strategically build new markets.
New Products
Ganozhi Soap
Special formula enriched with Ganoderma extract and palm oil to gently cleanse and moisturize your skin while preserving the skin's natural oil in one step.
Suitable for all skin types.
Ganozhi Shampoo
A special invigorating shampoo that contains Ganoderma extract and vitamin B5 that will refresh your hair and leave it glossy soft.
DXN Ganozhi Shampoo with pH balance is suitable for all hair types.
Ganozhi Toothpaste
Innovative toothpaste that comes with high quality Ganoderma extract, food gel, menthol and food flavoring. It does not contain saccharin or colouring and will effectively clean you teeth to provide a healthy fresh breath and brighten every smile.
Gano Massage Oil
Remarkable sensual blend of massage oil that comes with the finest palm oil and Ganoderma extract which is all-natural. Simply start with Gano Massage Oil as a revolutionary way to perk up your massage and soothe your body all the time.
DXN Cocozhi
Cocozhi is formulated from the finest cocoa with Ganoderma extract. It is in a ready to drink powdered form, which gives you a chocolate taste. Just pour the contents in a hot cup of water and stir to enjoy an invigorating drink suitable for the whole family.
DXN Morinzhi
Morinzhi is a botanical beverage specially formulated from Morinda citrifolia and is enriched with Roselle. Morinda citrifolia (Noni) has been traditionally used among the folks in South Pacific region.
DXN EuCafé
Get energized; simply excellent!
DXN presents a first-rate Tongkat Ali product – Eu Café. This product is a perfect blend of the extracts from selected Tongkat Ali roots and premium quality coffee powder in a premix instant coffee packet for easy preparation and consumption. Together with its delicious and aromatic coffee flavour, EuCafé is certainly a beverage that you simply can't resist!
DXN Lingzhi Black Coffee
DXN Lingzhi Black Coffee has no sugar additives, yet it manages to retain the bold taste and rich aroma of the coffee. It is specially presented for the modern society.
DXN Lingzhi Coffee 3 in 1
DXN Lingzhi Coffee 3 in 1 is all you need for a complete cup of smooth and delicious coffee. It is specially blended with finest quality coffee beans and 100% pure Lingzhi with no artificial colourings, flavorings and preservatives.
DXN Poria S
Coming Soon!
Discover the secret of a healthy life with DXN Poria S!
- DXN Poria S is formulated from Poria cocos.
- It is harvested from 100% mycelium of Poria cocos.
- Widely used in Chinese herbalism.
- Traditionally used for health and strengthening the body.
- Comes in capsule form.
- Contains no synthetic ingredients, no preservatives, colouring, flavouring, or pesticides.
- Certified Halal by JAKIM.
- Produced in a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certified factory.
DXN Cordyceps
Coming Soon!
Formulated from a precious mushroom known as Cordyceps sinensis.
- Found naturally in the highlands of China, Tibet and Nepal.
- Cultivated under stringent quality control and testing at the DXN Farm and Factory, which controls production from cultivation to finished goods.
- Suitable for all ages except infants.
- Available in tablet and capsule forms for easy consumption.
DXN Potenzhi
What You Know You Need!
- Specially formulated with 9 pure herb extracts.
- Contains highest potency and quality of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali) and Butea superba extracts.
- Further reinforced with seven precious herb extracts which includes Ganoderma, Cordyceps, black pepper, celery, green tea, root of lalang and stem of kayu secang.
- Strict quality control in each product.


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Signed in 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi is still being argued about today. A single word, translated inaccurately from English into Maori, created a crisis that lasted more than a century. Small mistakes in legal translation services can have huge consequences. Contracts, cases and negotiations can pivot on a syllable. Precision and nuance are paramount. Inaccuracy simply criminal. To make sure you are completely covered, you need more than good a linguist. You need a legal mind.
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Skilled and accurate translations that capture the details and the true meaning of the law.
Commercial contracts with nothing lost in translation. Terms and conditions with no room to wiggle.
We don't read small print. We obsess about it. The quality of our translation shines light on every detail of a legal contract. Why be bound until you're fully clear?
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Brightlines, based in Corsham and London, has been providing legal translation services since 1999. We've got the mugs and the t-shirts.
If you need the complexity of legal translation to feel simple, get in touch with our team, or ask for a quick quote.


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At least, that's a headline the Metro is running today with the complaints from parents about Beyonce's "inappropriate" behaviour on stage at the Grammys. Now, I've not actually bothered to watch the Grammys. I don't watch any awards shows because they are almost always rich white dudes congratulating each other on being rich white dudes. They're on my list of things which need to be destroyed come the Revolution.
I am in a fucking rage about this headline in the Metro:
I'm not going to bother reading the article because the headline is deeply inappropriate. If the Metro wanted to run a discussion on the appropriateness of Beyonce's performance before the watershed (in the US), then by all means go for it. I'm going to question the parenting of adults who think the Grammys are appropriate for small children. The Grammys' have never been small child friendly. Why anyone would think different is beyond me.
So, Beyonce is a "whore" for her performance. I don't see the Metro labelling her husband (the dude in the photo with her) a whore. I doubt very much the parents in the Metro article care about what her husband did or did not do.
This headline is pure misogyny (and racism) and is why I am a feminist.
No woman is a whore. Ever.
UPDATE: it turns out the article is actually worse than I thought. Lynn Schreiber has informed me that the story was clearly decided before tweets were found to defend it. So, a journalist has manufactured the 'Beyonce is a whore' statement without having evidence first.


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Bay Colony villas offers some of the finest maintenance free living available in Pelican Bay, if not the entire Naples area. Most people who choose to live in Villa La Palma or Vizcaya do so because of the unique architecture and quality construction that has been incorporated into each of these beautiful Villas.
Villas for sale in Bay Colony are mostly detached with two or three car garages. Many have side courtyards with private swimming pools and water fountain themes. The communities have an architectural theme that is very consistent with its details and designs such as cobbled streets, European lighting, lush tropical landscaping and gardens. The majority of the villas overlook the beautiful fresh water lakes and is within close proximity to the private beach club facility and tennis courts.
Villas at La Palma consists of twenty two custom homes that range in size from 3600 to over 4600 square feet of living area. Villa Vizcaya has a total of 58 custom homes that range in size from 2600 to over 6000 square feet of luxury living area.
For discrete and professional service call me to schedule a private viewing of any one of these great Bay Colony villa listings or call me with your search criteria and I will do all the work for you. 239-963-6590
Search Bay Colony Villas For Sale Below


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Real estate investing funding comes in many different forms, depending on the type of deal. Here are a few of the major types of funds available to investor for their real estate deals.
Transactional Funding
Real Estate Transactional Funding, also known as Transaction Funding, Transaction Funds, Transactional Funds, Short Term Funds or Flash Cash, is a relatively new industry that allows double closings (also known as back to back closings or simultaneous closings) to be completed without the investor in the middle having to bring any money to the table. Transactional funds are used in short sales, REO, foreclosure and wholesale flips.
The brilliance behind transactional funding is that the collateral for the money is the transaction itself, not the investor's credit, income or ability to borrow money. Therefore, the funds are not a loan at all. In fact, the financial picture of the investor has no bearing on the issuing of the funds whatsoever. For most transactional funders, the basis of funding the transaction involves whether or not the new buyer of the property already has their purchase money in the escrow account of the closing company. This reduces the risk for the transactional funder to almost zero. However, due to recent title seasoning requirements by some mortgage companies, some transactional funders have begun allowing investors to pay them back within 30, 60 or even 90 days. This does shift tremendous risk onto the transaction funder, so to compensate, these brave new short term funders require that the new buyer have at least a 3% non-refundable deposit and the total profit for the investor reach a minimum of 10% of the end buyer sales price. Clearly, as the real estate industry continues to change, so too does transactional funding.
The reason why transactional funding is necessary when trying to complete a back to back closing is because most closing attorneys and title companies now require that each closing stand on its own two feet. In other words, let's take the example of a short sale investor who has managed to negotiate a terrific deal with a lender and the agreed upon short payoff is $100,000. Next, let's assume this short sale investor has also managed to locate a new buyer willing to pay $120,000 for the same property. Under this arrangement, the investor's goal is to make the money in the middle which would be $20,000. In order for the investor to get paid however, he must first buy the property for $100,000 and then afterwards, re-sell it to the new buyer for $120,000. Years ago, many title companies and closing attorneys would use the new buyer's purchase money ($120,000) of the 2nd transaction to payoff the agreed upon short sale of $100,000 of the 1st transaction. Some in the real estate community refer to the 1st transaction as the A to B closing and the 2nd transaction as the B to C closing. These days, closing companies are now being asked to have each transaction stand on its own two feet, as opposed to using the B to C funds to pay off the A to B transaction.
Most investors do not have a spare $100,000 laying around in a bank account to cover the A to B closing. And it is here that an entire industry has been born. So back to our example, in order for this short sale investor to make the $20,000 in the middle, he will need to use $100,000 in transactional funding. With the 1st transaction on its own two feet, now the investor can re-sell the property to the new buyer either the same day, or in states like California, the very next day.
When it's all said and done, this short sale investor will make slightly less than $20,000 (because all transactional funders charge a fee to use their money for that short period of time.) The fees can range from 2% on the low end to as much as 5% or more for riskier deals. In addition, many also charge a flat processing fee in the $600 range. Fees vary based on states (California is usally more expensive because the funds are tied up a few days longer), funding amounts (many charge a $2000 minimum on any deals below $100,000 and increase above $1,000,000), track record (if you are working with the transactional funder for the first time, they may charge slightly more than on future deals) and the length of time the funds are in process (with the advent of the 30,60 and 90 day fundings, the percentage increases as the length of time the funds are tied up increases).
The other extremely valuable service some transactional funding companies offer is providing proof of funds letters for real estate investors. Whether the investor is doing a short sale deal, buying a foreclosure or REO or simply making an offer to a property owner, sellers sometimes require a pre approval letter or a proof of funds letter to go along with the offer. Since some investors are unable to qualify for a loan, obtaining a pre approval letter is not an option, and since many investors do not have hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting in there bank account, in the past, the proof of funds letter was not an option either. However, with transactional funders, they can make the proof of funds letter a reality for any investor. For this privilege, some may charge a one time set up fee as well as require the investor to use their transactional funding services. These requirements are insignificant when you consider the power of all investors having the ability to provide a proof of funds letters on any offers they make.
In conclusion, transactional funding shows the awesome power of capitalism. For decades, one of the largest barriers to entry in real estate investing was being able to show a proof of funds letter to buyers as well as have the funds to close on a transaction. Transactional funders have broken down these gargantuan walls and have opened up real estate investing to anyone with ingenuity and the initiative to succeed.
Hard Money
Hard money funding was created to assist real estate investors, that could not qualify for conventional financing, in the buying of property. You would utilize this form of funding if you didn't have a buyer already in place to purchase the property, as in the case of Transactional Funding. Hard money loans typically require very little documentation in order to qualify for the money and usually base their decision on whether or not to fund the deal on the value of the property as opposed to the credit or loan application of the borrower. On your very first deal with a hard money lender, they may pull your credit or required you fill out a simple one page loan application, but that oftentimes is a formality and they will fund the deal regardless of what was written or discovered on your report. What protects a hard money lender's investment more than anything else is that you are purchasing a property at a huge discount to the value.
Most hard money lenders provide the funds to complete the purchase including any closing costs without the use of a down payment and will also provide additional funds for property improvement on a draw basis. These terms can be very helpful if you do not want to put any of your own money into a deal. This is not always the case however, as some hard money lenders actually require a small investment in the deal from the investor so that the lender knows you have some of your own "skin in the game".
Another aspect of hard money that is beneficial is that they usually do not report the loan to the credit bureaus. It provides an extra level of credit protection in the event one's immediate short term cash flow needs exceed current means. If a hard money loan's monthly payments are not being reported to the credit bureaus and a payment falls behind by 30 days, your credit wouldn't immediately reflect a negative item. Keep in mind however, as loan payments fall further delinquent, many hard money lenders can easily begin reporting negatively to the bureaus. This feature is usually only helpful when experiencing a short term cash flow problem.
Another important feature many hard money lenders allow is the signing of a mortgage Note in an entity's name, as opposed to one's personal name. When a mortgage Note is not signed personally, the extent to which the hard money lender can seek recourse is usually on the entity only, not the individual person. This creates an added level of protection as a borrower. Once you have borrowed and subsequently paid back in full a few hard money loans, your working relationship with your hard money lender may be strong enough to allow you to sign the Note in your entity name, as opposed to signing personally.
Further, hard money lenders they tend to loan their funds very quickly. Once you have a working relationship with a hard money lender, you may be able to have the deal closed within in a matter of days.
The main drawback to Hard Money funding is that most Hard Money Lenders will not lend any more than about 70% of the realistic value of the property. Further, hard money lenders tend to value the property extremely conservatively so their 70% is more like 60%-65% of the real world as is value. Therefore, to qualify for Hard Money, you need a really good deal.
Transactional Funding and Hard Money are the two main ways real estate investors get their deals funded.


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Book: Java EE 5 Development using GlassFish, David Heffelfinger (7 messages)
"Java EE 5 Development using GlassFish Application Server" written by David R. Heffelfinger has recently been published by Packt Publishing and is intended to guide developers "through the development and deployment of Java EE 5 compliant applications on GlassFish version 2". The book assumes that the reader has experience of Java but no previous knowledge of Java EE or J2EE. As such, this is a great book for developers who are new to this arena. The book starts with an overview of what GlassFish is, what its competitors are and why we should use GlassFish. The introduction continues to provide details of how to download, install and verify GlassFish and finishes by exploring some of the management tasks associated with GlassFish such as managing domains, creating connection pools and configuring datasources. Several sections of the book cover web development, including chapters on Servlets, JSPs, the JSP standard tag library and JSF. These chapters take the reader from initial concepts such as "What is a servlet?" and gradually build up on their knowledge by describing how to build JSF applications. Database connectivity is covered in the book, however this assumes that the reader has some experience of SQL. The book starts by covering JDBC and how this can be used from within Java EE applications, and continues to discuss the Java Persistence API (JPA). This includes details on how to configure entity relationships with JPA, such as one-to-one and many-to-many relationships. After details and examples on how to use JPA, the reader is shown how to integrate JSF and JPA. Moving away from web development, the book describes the Java Message Service (JMS) and how queues and topics can be defined within GlassFish and then accessed via Java code. This is taken further in the section on enterprise beans where the book discusses Message Driven Beans and how they interact with the application server. This section on enterprise beans also includes details about session beans and discusses life cycles, transactions and security. Security is discussed in detail and explanations are provided regarding what security realms are within GlassFish and how they can be configured. Details are included about the file, certificate, LDAP, Solaris, JDBC and custom realms. The final aspect of Java EE discussed within the book is web services. This chapter discusses how to create, deploy and test JAX-WS web services and includes details on sending attachments from web service methods and securing web services. The final chapter of the book takes the reader beyond the Java EE standard and describes additional 3rd party technologies, namely Facelets, Ajax4jsf and Seam and describes how applications developed with these technologies can be deployed to GlassFish. This is a highly recommended book for developers who are new to Java EE 5 development and the GlassFish Application Server.
- Posted by: David Salter
- Posted on: January 14 2008 07:56 EST
Threaded Messages (7)
- Looks Good by Suraj Kumar on January 14 2008 09:25 EST
- Does anyone know the author? by Tcl Warrior on January 14 2008 10:02 EST
Free online edition from the publisher by Jim Bethancourt on January 14 2008 10:09 EST
- Re: Free online edition from the publisher by Jim Bethancourt on January 14 2008 10:10 EST
- Free online edition from the publisher by Jim Bethancourt on January 14 2008 10:09 EST
- Re: Looks Good by Joseph Ottinger on January 14 2008 10:50 EST
- Re: Looks Good by Anthony McClay on January 15 2008 17:38 EST
- Book Review by John Yeary on February 10 2008 13:37 EST
- Does anyone know the author? by Tcl Warrior on January 14 2008 10:02 EST
Looks Good[ Go to top ]
This looks a good book, any reviews?
- Posted by: Suraj Kumar
- Posted on: January 14 2008 09:25 EST
- in response to David Salter
Does anyone know the author?[ Go to top ]
Is he well known, respect, etc ... The more I buy and use computer books the more I became so conscience about the importance of picking the author before picking the book.
- Posted by: Tcl Warrior
- Posted on: January 14 2008 10:02 EST
- in response to Suraj Kumar
Free online edition from the publisher[ Go to top ]
Of note is that the publisher has made an online edition available for free at http://java-ee-5-glassfish.packtpub.com/index.htm Thanks! Cheers, Jim
- Posted by: Jim Bethancourt
- Posted on: January 14 2008 10:09 EST
- in response to Tcl Warrior
Re: Free online edition from the publisher[ Go to top ]
Nevermind -- it's just the TOC... Jim
- Posted by: Jim Bethancourt
- Posted on: January 14 2008 10:10 EST
- in response to Jim Bethancourt
Re: Looks Good[ Go to top ]
- Posted by: Joseph Ottinger
- Posted on: January 14 2008 10:50 EST
- in response to Suraj Kumar
This looks a good book, any reviews?Well, there's this one.... What's truly odd is that I'd written up a review myself, and I was going to post it today. David beat me to it, so he won. It *is* a good book. It covers most of Java EE, although not in great depth - what would you expect, out of a single book? - and he tends to point out Glassfish-specifics throughout the book where appropriate. The security chapter especially stands out because of this. I like the book.
Re: Looks Good[ Go to top ]
- Posted by: Anthony McClay
- Posted on: January 15 2008 17:38 EST
- in response to Suraj Kumar
This looks a good book, any reviews?Book Review: (I wrote this on Amazon.com, but since you asked for it) To get right to the issue, if you are new to Glassfish and Java EE than this book is for you. It does a great job of covering all the major topics of the J2EE Server, JPA, EJB 3.0, JMS, WebServices, and Security. I was not too happy to see the Glassfish apptool used throughout the book, since that is not a part of the J2EE Standard toolset. Also the discussions of jsp, and the JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library is overkill, and not used as much in preference for Java Server Faces, and AJAX related technology. If the author is was going to list the commandline tool (Great for system admins), should also show the easy integration with Netbeans 6 as well. but I guess the book would be 100 more pages. Where the book lacks is in detail hints, and configuration setup. Such as Glassfish Clustering, JMS Queue Management, Management, Monitoring, Logging or connecting to Load Balancers or Web Servers. It is also hard to write a book on Glassfish without including Netbeans, which works so well with Glassfish services. I think the upcomming Netbeans 6.0 Book, should also be required to close the development circle to being productive with this tool set. The Pair of tools Netbeans 6.0 and Glassfish, is as powerful of a combination I have found. The best of the Opensource free development tools, because of the close tie to the Java Enterprise Edition Standard. I think the Author and reviewers did a great job in presenting the information. It just seams like another book for detailed Glassfish Implementations should be created. The Sun Manuals are dry even by my Sun Certified Web/Bus/Service standards. They were not meant the explain why you need to set the options or why should you care about it, whereas books like this gives you a reason to care. We as a community are taking this App server mainstream and better documentation and books there are out there, is the key to the promotion of such a great product that everyone has spent time making. Go Glassfish, it's a great product. Glassfish is my favorite to develop, and second on my list for production environments, basically because of documentation (And Cluster) issues.
Book Review[ Go to top ]
I have done a book review and posted it on my blog and on Amazon. Here is a link to my review. http://javaevangelist.blogspot.com/2008/02/book-review-java-ee-5-development-using.html
- Posted by: John Yeary
- Posted on: February 10 2008 13:37 EST
- in response to Suraj Kumar


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So by now you must have heard of the promises from EA that due to extreme and innate fragility, Rock Band guitars that cease to work will be replaced free of charge. In these days of DRM, locked hardware, and, well, most of the other stuff EA does, this came as a nice little surprise. So it was doubly surprising when some poor, patient souls with yet-unreplaced busted axes received an apologetic e-mail stating "we see that your recent request for a replacement guitar has been subject to an unacceptably long delay" and promising a free EA game. They didn't say which game (probably Barbie Horse Adventures) but hey. My goodness! What could have made the gaming giant turn into such a softie?
EA Handing Out Free Games For Rock Band Guitar Snafu [Kotaku]


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Given the months of unrest in Egypt, it is indeed hopeful to learn that the persons responsible for this act have been punished. I remember seeing the original video last year and being horrified. The video was taken by a person in a neighbouring building, as I remember. It is graphic.
The Alexandria Criminal Court has sentenced Mahmoud Hassan Ramadan and Mohamed Al-Ahmady to death for throwing three teenagers off the roof of an apartment block. The papers for the approval of the capital punishment have been sent to the Mufti.
The court has also ruled that 61 others arrested at the time of the incident will remain in detention until the next court hearing which will be held on May 19, 2014.
Two of the boys thrown off the roof in the incident that ocurred in July 2013 during pro-Morsi demonstrations suffered serious injuries. A third boy, who had just turned 19, was announced dead three hours later while in hospital.
The boys were attacked by the group of men, including a bearded man waving the black Al-Qaeda flag, for 'celebrating the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.' Dozens of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had gathered in Alexandria's Sidi Gaber to call…
View original post 30 more words


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Date: Sunday, May 5
Time: 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Location: Carson, WA
Leaders: Roger Brewer, Susan Saul, & Jason Clinch (NPSO)
Over the last few years we have made excellent progress toward control of Scotch Broom on this piece of property near Carson, WA that Russ Jolley made famous on the cover of his book Wildflowers of the Columbia River Gorge. At this work party, we will be looking for and eliminating new scotch broom sprouts and removing older plants we might have missed in the past. We'll have saws and loppers but it may be helpful, to bring more as well as your gloves and clippers. We will work for about 2 hours, from about 9:30am to 11:30am, followed by a quick lunch. After paying the price of admission at Great Camas Patch, the Giant Trees of Lost Creek will be the reward for your labor. Hike underneath the ancient Douglas-fir and western red-cedar trees of Lost Creek. In the late 1990s, the late Russ Jolley helped save the 170 acres of big, old trees from a timber sale and this place was dear to him. The hike will be on an unofficial path forming a fairly easy 1.5 mile loop. Expect to walk across streams on logs and climb over or around fallen trees. Anyone wanting to participate in the Scotch Broom Pull but not continue to the Lost Creek Trees hike is welcome to return home after the Scotch Broom Pull if you have driven. If you need to carpool, we will do our best to divide people up by car depending on their desire to return to Portland after the Pull or to continue to Lost Creek Trees. Due to the ecological sensitivity of this area, attendance is strictly limited to 15 people. Registration is required; contact Roger at email@example.com for more information or to sign-up.


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The Australian Art of Genital Origami
A runaway hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Puppetry of the Penis set its sights on world domination, playing London's West End, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and launching multiple companies in the United States, with one playing the John Houseman Theatre in New York for two years, and another two touring extensively, with sit-downs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS has been experienced by more than one million people, including celebrities Hugh Grant, Naomi Campbell, Posh Spice, Bono and Elton John, in more than 14 countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Belgium, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Portugal, as well as on popular television programs, including "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno". The show has been translated into three languages, had a "how to" book published, been played non-stop on HBO's "Real Sex" since 2002, and had DVD releases throughout the world.
For information call (702) 794 4000
Email: email@example.com
Website: http://www.puppetryofthepenis.com
To order over the phone call (800) 595-4849 (4TIX)
Events by Eventful


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This is a debate that has and can go on until the world itself stops spinning. Including your school may help us provide you with higher content suggestions based on what academics in your school or district are using in the classroom. According to a report compiled by the National Heart for Education Statistics entry-stage teachers in 1999-2000 nationally averaged $27,989 with the national common at $41,820.
At the lowest spectrum of the economic scale, it isn't surprising to see a low view of the importance of education as dad and mom are inclined to prioritize their kids's ability to make money over the longer-time period advantages of schooling. Mother and father cannot properly educate their kids about intercourse additionally as a result of they lack details that certified sex educators convey in schools.
What I'm saying is that with the proper education one might get hold of the job that they need in life. Thus, the stance of abolishing sex education at school just isn't a favorable thought. Actually, research indicate that once their primary economic needs are met, the primary precedence of most poor families is find out how to send their kids to a good school.
Social Emotional Studying is a new development in whole baby education that is gaining traction. Equal funding would grant lecturers the proper assets to higher educate students. Preschool is such an effective way to introduce youngsters to the great world of studying.
3. (Education) the act or means of imparting information, esp at a faculty, faculty, or university: education is my career. During this time, many of the youngsters are noticed to grow to be easily irritable. In many observed cases where dad and mom or children are embarrassed about speaking over sexual issues with one another, it is most likely to be uneasy state of affairs at each the ends.


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Today I am blogging about Down Syndrome Awareness......
and my church family.
The church is made of people
all in different places in our faith journey
broken people and broken processes
It is what it is.
I know many people wrestle with finding the right church.
I am a firm believer of being part of a community
We have been members of this church body for a long time
Our denomination moves pastors around more often than I would prefer.
Thats my only complaint......
not looking for perfect, just forgiven.
its all grace.......
God used my church family to help bring Lil G home
really, I dont know if we couldve done it without them
so thankful I dont have to know.
Lil G isnt the only member of the church with special needs
I continue to pray that the ministry grows
and includes something for everyone.
Does your church have many with different ablilities?
are there programs to foster spiritual growth for everyone?
are there programs to foster spiritual growth for everyone?
As a child lil G doesnt need anything special.
But I can see that over the years things will change
the gap might need to be filled in a different way.
I can see that its needed for the Adults in our congregation that with Down Syndrome.
Some of the families attend two churches to have all the needs met.
Today I was thrilled to arrive ready to serve,
you read right.
We went to church to BE the church.
Tonight we will go back for Spagetti supper on the grounds and Worship in the Evening.
ALL my peeps will be going and I am praying with all my being
that God meets them there.
I cant wait to go back and hear the stories and interact with the new people I met today.
(Paul Lil G and I went to deliver a meal to a shut-in. )
While the meals were being prepared to be delivered
Lil G and Papa went to play on the playground
I wrote notes in cards
You wanna hear how many were written
for the care packages we are putting together for soldiers?
I had to take her to look at the punkin's while Papa went to get the truck.
She wouldnt look up to have her picture taken....ugh.....
and felt the need to move them around.
Organization seems to be one of her gifts/talents.
Will come in handy since its not one of mine.
I remain,
Under His wings,


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You are here
Hitchens, Theresa
space security, cyber security, emerging technologies and international security
- B.S. in Journalism, Ohio University
Theresa Hitchens is a Senior Research Scholar at CISSM, where she focuses on space security, cyber security, and governance issues surrounding disruptive technologies. Prior to joining CISSM, Hitchens was the director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in Geneva from 2009 through 2014. Among her activities and accomplishments at UNIDIR, Hitchens served as a consultant to the U.N. Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency and Confidence Building Measures in Outer Space Activities, provided expert advice to the Conference on Disarmament regarding the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS), and launched UNIDIR's annual conference on cyber security.
From 2001 to 2008, Hitchens worked at the Center for Defense Information, where she served as Director, and headed the center's Space Security Project, setting the strategic direction of the center and conducting research on space policy and other international security issues. She was also previously Research Director of the Washington affiliate of the British American Security Information Council (BASIC), where she managed the organization's program of research and advocacy in nuclear and conventional arms control, European security and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) affairs.
Hitchens previously worked for Defense News of Springfield, Virginia, covering transatlantic relations, the European Union, NATO, arms control, USAF issues, and international security. At Defense News, Hitchens served as International Editor on security, covering arms trade issues, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and as Editor for two years.
- National Space Society
- Hitchens, T. (2014). Space Security-Relevant International Organizations: UN, ITU, ISO. In: Handbook of Space Security: pp. 507-520.
- Krepon, M., T. Hitchens, and M. Katz-Hyman (2011) Preserving Freedom of Action in Space: Realizing the Potential and Limits of U.S. Spacepower. In: Lutes CD, Hayes PL (eds) Toward a theory of spacepower: selected essays. Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Washington DC, pp. 391-405.
- Hitchens, T., "Saving Space: Threat Proliferation and Mitigation," International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, 2009.
- Hitchens, T., "Debris, Traffic Management, and Weaponization: Opportunities for and Challenges to Cooperation in Space", The Brown Journal of World Affairs, vol. 14, no. 1, 2007.
- Hitchens, T. (2004). Future Security in Space: Charting a Cooperative Course. Center for Defense Information, ISBN-13: 978-1932019230


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A Quebec man who was studying at CFB Borden military base is facing dozens of firearms charges for allegedly selling gun parts on the Internet, police said Tuesday.
Some of those parts would allow a user to add an over-capacity magazine to a gun and also to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic one, ready to spray bullets with a single pull of the trigger.
Police also discovered handgun frames and receivers for assault weapons that would not be traceable by a serial number because they weren't made by a licensed manufacturer.
David Theriault, 36, of Lyster, Que., is facing more than 30 illegal weapons charges, including importing or exporting and trafficking in firearms.
'Cop killer' among Toronto's favourite handgun
How one U.S. gun broker moved firearms across the border
Star reporters buy cheap U.S. gun, no ID required
The multi-jurisdictional investigation included officers from the province's Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit, Quebec police, the Canadian Forces and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which launched the investigation.
Undercover agents in Arizona made purchases online and alerted police here when they realized the seller was Canadian, said Peter Forcelli, the U.S. firearms bureau's assistant attaché in Toronto.
Police said they've executed several search warrants in Quebec and at CFB Borden, a base in Simcoe County about 100 kilometres north of Toronto and where the accused, a private in the military, was taking a course.
Hundreds of gun parts, including silencers, thousands of rounds of ammunition and actual firearms, were seized, along with documents related to the manufacturing of prohibited weapons as well as shipping information, according to police.
An ongoing Toronto Star investigation has revealed how cheap American guns make their way to Toronto's streets, from stateside supplier to mule to end user, up the Interstate 75 to the porous border to Toronto.
About 70 per cent of all crime guns — a gun used in a crime or robbery, or simply possessed illegally — are smuggled into Canada from the U.S.
What's interesting about this investigation, said Det.-Sgt. Joe Goodwin of the province's weapons unit, is the alleged use of the Internet as a trafficking tool.
"We normally observe trafficking between two individuals in the same place with property. In this particular case, you're doing the communication and your negotiation on the Internet and using Western Union or some other money service, and then shipping through a courier pieces and parts internationally, which makes it much more difficult for us to interdict because obviously you don't have to be in the same jurisdictions."
Police allege the accused was designing the gun parts, having "associates in his conspiracy manufacture them domestically," and then shipping throughout Canada and across "five different continents."
While Theriault was arrested and charged last summer, police didn't announce the charges until Tuesday because the investigation has been ongoing.
He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in a Barrie court on May 2.
Theriault is also facing charges in the U.S. of importing machine guns without a licence and smuggling into the U.S. Further charges are pending, police said.
Asked if any of the shipped parts ended up in the hands of known criminals, Goodwin said police aren't in a position to answer that. "Because it is international, it's going to be a fairly exhaustive investigation to try and figure out whose hands these ended up in."
The ATF's Forcelli said police are following leads across the globe.
"These types of transactions on the Internet leave a trail, people don't realize that," he said.


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Learning Outcomes and Assessment
In its ongoing commitment to undergraduate teaching and learning the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures initiated a project in 2006-07 that sought to establish student learning goals for all levels of the curriculum, as well as an assessment plan to measure whether those goals are being met.
Learning goals for beginning and intermediate language courses were completed in 2006-2007. In 2007-08 the department drafted learning goals for the upper-division and for each program.
Learning goals for the major
Lower-division learning goals:
Upper-division learning goals
Assessment Project
As an extension to the learning goals project, the Committee for the Study of Romance Languages & Cultures (CSRLC) piloted a year long assessment project focusing on oral assessment. The committee report can be found below along with common rubrics for oral assessment by level
Oral Proficiency - Executive Summary
100000 Level Rubric (pdf)
20000 Level Rubric (pdf)
30000/40000 Level Rubric (pdf)


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I saw this headline on a post on the ISAW blog today:
Job: Head Librarian
I suspect that I am not the only person in my line of work whose first thought was that this will be some sort of interesting interpretation of the central character of the Book of Job, and only a second later thought that it is more likely a notification about an employment opportunity at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University.
If you are a librarian, or know one, this may interest you. But otherwise, any thoughts on how we might interpret the character of Job as a head librarian?