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What is Causing the Increase in Autism Prevalence?
"Got Questions?" is a new weekly feature on our blog to address the desire for scientific understanding in our community. We received over 3000 responses when we asked what science questions were on your mind. We answered a few here and will address the other themes we received in this weekly post.
In the last two decades, autism prevalence as reported in the scientific literature has increased by more than 600%. In 2009, the latest estimate of autism prevalence in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control was 1 in 110 children[1]. Since then, a number of studies have sought to investigate the cause(s) of this dramatic increase in autism prevalence over time. The most recent findings suggest that at least a portion of the increase in prevalence can be attributed to changes in diagnostic practices and increased awareness of autism over time, as well as other social factors such as advanced parental age. However, converging evidence also suggests that while these factors account for a portion of the increase, they cannot alone explain the dramatic rise in autism prevalence.
The criteria for assessing autism has changed over the last 20 years resulting in a broadening of autism diagnoses and the identification of cases that would not have been diagnosed as such using older criteria. Looking at a population of children in California, researchers from Columbia University reported[2] that approximately 26% of the rise in autism caseload between 1992 and 2005 could be directly attributed to changes in diagnostic criteria, specifically the shift from mental retardation diagnoses to autism diagnoses. In other words, 1 in 4 children diagnosed with autism in California today would not have been diagnosed using older diagnostic criteria.
Another aspect of the autism landscape that has changed over the past 20 years is an increase in the awareness of autism among the general public as well as healthcare professionals. In 2010, the Columbia University research team again examined[3] the California sample in an effort to quantify the influence of autism awareness on the rise in autism prevalence. The investigators found that children living in close proximity to another child that had been previously diagnosed with autism had a better chance of being diagnosed with autism themselves. The proposed explanation is information diffusion, or parents talking to and educating other parents about autism resulting in an increased likelihood of their children being diagnosed. It is estimated that 16% of the increase in autism prevalence over time in California was due to social influence and increased awareness.
An additional social factor that has been implicated in contributing to the increase in autism prevalence is advanced parental age. A number of recent publications investigating the relationship between parental age and autism have demonstrated that older parents are at increased risk for having a child with autism. This is not surprising since increased parental age is associated with a slightly increased risk for other developmental disorders as well. Researchers from the California Department of Public Health reported[4] that parental age and particularly maternal age is a significant risk factor for autism, with a 10-year increase in maternal age increasing the odds of having a child with autism by 38% and mothers over the age of 40 at highest risk. Researchers at Columbia University similarly found[5],[6] that older mothers and fathers were at increased risk of having a child with autism and estimated that the increase in parental age over time can account for 11% of the increase in prevalence over the same time period. The underlying mechanism behind the relationship between increased parental age and risk for autism is currently under investigation.
Based on the abovementioned research, approximately 53% percent of the increase in autism prevalence over time may be explained by changes in diagnosis (26%), greater awareness (16%), and an increase in parental age (11%). While this research is beginning to help us understand the increase in autism prevalence, half of the increase is still unexplained and not due to better diagnosis, greater awareness, and social factors alone. Environmental factors, and their interactions with genetic susceptibilities, are likely contributors to increase in prevalence and are the subject of numerous research projects currently supported by Autism Speaks.
The increase in autism prevalence is real and the public health crisis is growing. More families are affected by autism today then ever before. While Autism Speaks has cast a wide net to explore the role of genetic and environmental factors in increasing the risk for autism, the research community requires additional funding support to increase the pace of discovery. Never before has the need for research into the causes of autism and effective treatments for autism been greater.
[1] Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2009;58(SS-10). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20023608
[2] King, M. & Bearman, P. (2009). Diagnostic Change and Increased Prevalence of Autism. International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 38, Issue 5:1224-1234.
[3] Liu, K., King, M., & Bearman, P. (2010). Social Influence and the Autism Epidemic. American Journal of Sociology, Volume 115, Number 5:1387-1434.
[4] Grether, et al. Risk of Autism and Increasing Maternal and Paternal Age in a Large North American Population. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009;170(9):1118-26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19783586
[5] Liu, K., Zerubavel, N., & Bearman, P. (2010). Social Demographic Change and Autism. Demography, Volume 47, Issue 2:327-343
[6] King, M., Fountain, C., Dakhlallah, D., & Bearman, P. (2009) Estimated Autism Risk and Older Reproductive Age. American Journal of Public Health, Volume 99, Issue 9:1673-1679.
October 22, 2010 at 11:28 am
I wonder if this has something to do with the so many cases of ASD, since it seems to correlate with the massive increase… http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/959.html
If you can't watch the whole video, here are the major points of the video:
1. Aspartame, which is sold under a wide variety of names as a zero cal sweetener, is a neurotoxin.
2. It's in literally thousands of package food products including but not limited to diet soft drinks, candy, and chewing gum.
3. The science is, and has always been, clear: this is not a substance safe for human consumption.
4. Nonetheless the corporate-controlled governments of Europe and the United States permit it to be used by food manufacturers.
5. If you want to protect your own health and in particular the health of children who have growing nervous systems, you won't purchase these products, consume them, or have them in your house.
October 23, 2010 at 9:09 pm
I do not drink soft drinks or chew gum, nor did I when I was a child. I was raised by very strict parents who did not permit candy. Furthermore, I have never enjoyed fast food restaurants and the typical American diet. Yet I was considered "minimally brain damaged" as a child and diagnosed as on the autism spectrum as an adult. My diet is organic and that of a vegetarian, but my immune system is dysfunctional. It is what it is. I do not think Aspartame is a factor at all, not in regards to myself, my children on the spectrum, and quite a few others.
Then again, I do believe there are multiple factors that contribute. I was born prematurely in the mid 1960s, substantial decades before the increase.
October 25, 2010 at 9:55 pm
"Premature" is a risk factor but it also sounds like genetics play a part in your family. You sound like you have a nice healthy lifestyle going and are very HF. All good points!
October 22, 2010 at 11:30 am
If you have a child on the spectrum and you plan to have another baby PLEASE check out http://www.earlistudy.org/ to see if you're eligible. This is one of the studies funded by Autism Speaks and NIH to explore genetic/environmental interaction. Check out the "Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation" facebook page, too! I and several others working on this study have children on the autism spectrum, and we're looking for answers.
October 22, 2010 at 8:01 pm
my daughter regession autism and Developmental delay at 19 months while I was pregnant with my second child. My son has autism with DD and dx at 14 months because I already knew what To look out for. My two kids have are on two different scales of autism. Same parents. We have done massive gentic testing negative. I want to have a third child my husband said he can't handle a third child with autism. I am the only family member to have children with this. At a family reunion of 1000 we did asked everyone. We did find out that 4 members of had speech delay and 3 had learning problems.
October 25, 2010 at 10:00 pm
I think that Autism is HIGHLY related to ADHD or ADD? This is something that people display but they can get away with not getting a diagnosis (my son has ADHD and is highly intelligent). I am sorry both of your kids were diagnosed. It does sound like a handful and can also understand/respect your husbands feelings as well. It is exhausting but worth it. Speech delays are related and many people are undiagnosed. My husband had Speech, OT and PT while in 1st grade. Can you say HF Autism :o) He's doing well.
October 29, 2010 at 9:29 am
agreed Noreen—there are many similarities between ADHD and autism/Aspergers. The similarities increase if the child is also gifted (sounds like yours might be). My sone has ADHD, is gifted, and has a mild learning disability–he was assessed for Aspergers b/c of social difficulties that did not really start until 2nd grade. I have been in the field for 19 years and here is the difference between ADHD and autism/ Aspergers. ADHD kids have difficulty with social issues due to lack of attention and impulsive behavior. Gifted kids also tend to be socially delayed due to not being able to connect with kids their own age due to increased intellegence. However, both gifted and ADHD kids identify and know different emotions, display empathy and theroy of mind…they also have correct intonation for the situation (disaster vs. party). They understand jokes and sarcasm…
these are just a few differences. There are some studies going on in the functional neurology area that are showing that ADHD and autism are more alike than different. They do share many characteristics, but are not the same. My issues with my son might be heartbreaking at times…but in comparison to what the families that I serve deal with it is very mild as I know my son will go to college, live on his own, and find, eventually, his nitch.
October 22, 2010 at 11:53 am
In a forum to discuss science issues can I ask "applied behavior analysis" is the only proven science which is effective in the treatment of autism why are treatments which have no scientific proof or grounding receiving the same support from autism speaks ?
Perhaps I am missing something?
October 25, 2010 at 10:01 pm
This is a good question? Did anyone answer?
October 25, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I must say besides ABA there were a few things that really did work for my ASD child. Learning/Visual DVD's (he learned how to tell time with this), music definitely helped my child to "use his voice and use words", Diet He did well on both the SCD and GFCF diets with SIGNIFICANT improvements mostly in stims and behavior, OT – gave my son his first words and expanded on it also strengthened his muscles (big believer in OT for these kids because of Sensory)
October 22, 2010 at 12:46 pm
What are statistics now showing the ratio of children with Down syndrome being positively diagnosed with a form of ASD? Our daughter is 10 and was diagnosed 7 years ago. What is being done to promote getting children with Down syndrome diagnosed with ASD?
October 22, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I think it is time to accept that environmental factors play the most important role in the increase of autism!!!!! Intolerance in children to the CRAP that is put in our foods such as pesticides, hormones, additives, dyes, synthetic sweeteners and artificial ingredients is probably one of the main causes. Until the medical community accepts this fact… and informs parents appropriately of the true and possible consequences from vaccinating (Vaccines still contain mercury and other preservatives that are never safe to give to any human!!) infants with the schedule currently suggested, WE WILL NOT see a decrease!!!!!!!!!!!!! This article was completely useless. A parent dealing with an autistic child, I guarantee you, could care less about the reasons given. Focus on finding the true cause!!
October 22, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Karla – As a parent of a child with autism, I have heard every imaginable cause for why my son is autistic, ranging from the food that he eats, to vaccines to the fact that he had a bad infection when he was born. While I am always open to finding out more, I wonder if you are able to provide any facts to justify your claim that it was caused by things such as pesticides. The spike in autism may correlate to thing such as this (I'm not an expert), but can you explain how the rise has been so dramatic, considering that many of these things were around in some form well before the observed spike? I tend to believe that a large part of any genetic disorder finding more prevalence tends to be the age of the mother…..doctors have believed this for years, as they have always considered women in their late 30s/40s to be at a higher risk, and have done much more screening than for younger mothers.
Again, as great as my son is, no parent would wish for their child to be different. I have two passions for him….first, I want to ensure that more understanding/acceptance is available in the community for my son when he reaches adulthood (at one point, diabetes and epilepsy were looked upon differently than they are now). The 2nd thing is that we discover more about its causes. No one is dismissing what you say, Karla, but for proponents of your theories to become more credible, some facts would be welcome (and not biased opinions)
October 25, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Larry – I to agree with Karla. It is very apparent that even the medical community is very "touchy" about the subject (because they've all experienced Vaccine Reactions at times). I was told by a Dr. not to sign the Hep B consent form (by a Dr. because of what they've seen/suspected). I regret to this day getting a FLU shot that was recommended while I was pregnant. So far, my only child that has AUTISM was the one that received this shot while I was pregnant with him. DRUGS are definitely "suspect" and sometimes Maternal Instinct does count for something. You're not a woman or a Mother, so you wouldn't understand BUT obviously, with ALL the numbers, NO ONE is going to ADMIT anything. Immune dsyfunction is Very Common in 20-40% of these kids and always has been. What, pray tell, effects Immunity between 0-3 years. You tell me now that Corps have upped the shots from 6-33!!!?
November 29, 2010 at 1:53 am
Currently experts tout the increase in Autism to be at 600% from 1978. That is an alarming number that cannot be explained by changes in diagnostic criteria & parents of late age. These two items account for a 25% increase in the number of Autism cases. I strongly believe that nutrition and what we ingest has a correlation to the rise in Autism in the US. Pesticides and food additives may be the culprit. Especially those that can accumulate in the body. Some artificial sweeteners and pesticides have shown to case nerve damage for an extended time and occasionally some people have life long battles from extended exposure to these chemicals. While testing for these items are only for a short time 3 – 5 years. Longer tests say 10 – 15 years may uncover nerve damage that may be attributed to the rise in Autism. Please remember it is not just what we feed our children from birth forward. More importantly it is what our parents consume and what we have consumed throughout our lifetime. The damage to our DNA (nerve mapping specifically) from food sources eventually manifest in our children in the "disease" coined Autism. The increase can be easily be attributed to the changes in how much processed we consume and the pesticides & fertilizers already present in the soil in the US and South America where the majority of our food is grown.
April 2, 2011 at 12:19 am
I too believe we as a society are poisoning ourselves. Preservatives, dyes, artificial sweetners etc. I also believe are one of the main causes but not just of autism but of other diseases plaging our society…diabetes, gluten intolerance reumatory arthritis, breathing issues (more children are on inhalers and breathing med's than you can count)and allergies to name a few. But food and medicine is big business and we as a society on the whole move to fast to slow down and cook,home bake and even exercise…..its fast food, frozen food ,bread, chips and soda to wash it down. We unfortunatly are killing ourselves.
October 22, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I appreciate that Autism Speaks is so evidence-based in its positions. Comments by readers on things like aspartame being a cause are not supported by any research, and such conjecture is purely anecdotal. As the father of a 10 year old with very significant autism, no one is more anxious to find a way to prevent this condition going forward. However – Speculation, without compelling evidence, can lead to rabbit trails in the pursuit of the root cause of autism.
October 25, 2010 at 10:16 pm
How about LONG TERM studies of Vaccines. You might want to read up on the history of the DPT shot Einstein!!! Most times LOBBY is done for Dirty, Dirty reasons…but it's OK, it will effect majority of our sons/boys, no big deal???
October 29, 2010 at 9:41 am
Amen Jack! And Noreen, vaccines have been being studied since before my time. I worked with the 2nd President of the ASA and her son. DPT was considered a possible cause when her son was small—study after study has been done. I also work with a family who has 3 boys with autism –1st 2 have allergy to contents of shots therefore the 3rd was never given one shot…his autism is more severe than his 2 older brothers. And all 3 are non-verbal classic cases of autism (no question or chances that diagnosis is wrong).
October 22, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Has the percentage increase for other syndrome, such as Down's syndrome, gone up at a similar percentage to that of Autism? We have always heard that the chances of a baby being born with Down's increases with the age of the parents, so I am wondering if the level for this disorder has seen similar growth to Autism with the average age of parents getting older.
October 23, 2010 at 10:11 am
What I find more interesting is that the age of the parents, particularly, the age of the mother, is potentially one of the reasons for the increased prevalance of autism. I am waiting to hear about the research on that one. I am an older mother. I had my son (who is typically developing) at age 34.5, and I had my daughter (who is diagnosed with ASD) at nearly 37 years old.
October 25, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Age has been proven to be a Risk factor. Also, second child has a higher incident of being on the Spectrum. Being born between Oct. & March, when ear infections and virals seem to be at high spread, seem to give a higher risk (had more infections/antibiotics prescribed), obviously if you have Autism or severe ADHD in your family a much higher risk, anyone who has received Speech, OT or PT at a young age with low muscle tone (possible undx'd HF), you have a higher risk. The thing that gets me is that people describe Autism in so many different ways (neurological, developmental, behavioral, disease?, social disorder, etc.) no one really seems to know what is going on. Liver functioning at birth or Jaundice could also now be a risk factor. Risk factors help in possibly lowering (say age, having babies at a typical physically fit age 18-35) and people realizing that YES there is a BIOLOGICAL CLOCK AFTER ALL and guess what THAT INCLUDES YOU TOO MEN. :)
October 23, 2010 at 7:25 pm
A 600% increase in any disease over the course of such a short time means environmental factors are playing a primary role in the rise of the disability/ disease. Right now AS, the NIH still spend $10 on brain/gene research for every $1 they spend on environmental research.
The numbers are getting worse not better. We need to stop talking about environmental research and start actually investing in it in a serious manner.
Jack, my 9 yr old has severe autism and he went from a typical talking toddler to a screaming, miserable, febrile seizure prone baby who failed to recognize his own family within months after a catch up vaccination series. This isn't conjecture- this is a human being's life. If this isn't your experience I am glad for your son.
October 25, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Katie – I totally agree. My son started "seizures/freak outs" after the 3rd DPT and a whole bunch of other shots they added. I feel he sufferred a stroke as a result! or several of them and his head ached (inflammation) I could tell as a mom and they way he held it and was screaming. His leg inflamed like a balloon after his flu shot and the inflammation stayed for months. Even his groin area inflammed and I'm sure probably lots of places in his body (possible encephalitis)? My child was healthy before all these shots…they made him sick. Oh, and the diarehhea, they gave him something that was supposed to "avoid diarreaha" well, it gave him it for months. They almost killed my child, with their GREED. It doesn't work for many kids who have Immune dysfunction. What happened to the rest of their insides? Vaccines kill and hurt – but people don't focus on that!!! Especially the fact that we are OVER vaccinating (See Holly's Law NJ) NJ #1 in Shots/Pharma = #1 in Autism!
November 1, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Again, having worked with adults with autism up to 85 years of age…the stories of regression taking place are still there. Just for different reasons. My son talked and developed just like his sibs until his dad was sent to Korea…my son stopped talking and started having tantrums when our dog died…my son stopped talking and playing when we moved. My brother-in-law has autism and regressed after his dog was hit by a car. The stories are just different now because children receive shots about the same time that brain begins using both hemispheres for language and social functions instead of one. (this can be checked by looking up the UCLA joint attention study)
February 16, 2012 at 7:27 am
Regression would tell us that something changed…read up on PKU…the child is slowly poisoned by an inability to process phenylalinine. It is a genetic disease. I can see correlations in regressive autism. We just haven't figured out what.
Having said that, my son suffered an Hypotonic-Hyporesponsive episode, a "brain swelling" following the DTP at 2 months. I didn't know it was a compensable NVICP injury.
October 23, 2010 at 11:06 pm
oops… I meant Michael and not Michelle.
Sorry Michelle – and the http://www.earlistudy.org/ is beyond amazing.
Sadly, we're at one of the other locations entirely and are only involved in one of the High Risk Baby Siblings Research Consortium locations (who's mandate – at least – years ago – does not include biomed markers).
God, how I wish we lived near Hopkins/etc. But, hey – at least the consortium folks at my location watched my baby – and truth be known, we have nothing to complain about – how amazingly lucky my younger child was followed from infancy. Sadly, that one is now one of the NTs-w/issues/gestation from hell children that they would like to follow until they are 25 – guess why? :(
So – Autism Speaks – how about pouring money into preventing schizophrenia? I told you I'd love to live near an earlistudy site. Oh but, let's just forget any biomarkers/science/medicine and just give that one behavioral therapy too. I"m sure it'll be very beneficial for schizophrenia :).
October 29, 2010 at 9:08 am
Just a note on your article about the CDC numbers and study. Although the increase in diagnosis of autism may be due to a broader definition that is accepted by the medical community as a whole…the CDC study uses strick DSM-IV criteria and looks through school records blindly to determine how many 8 year olds from a given year meet the criteria for autism, PDD,NOS or Aspergers. They do not have access to information about if the child already has a diagnosis. I worked for an agency involed in the original study where the numbers increased to 1:150. Therefore, increase awareness or diagnostic differences cannot explain the CDC numbers. It does explain the difference in CDC's report and the numbers such as 1:90 that are reported by some groups based on how many cases are being diagnosed. Just feel it is important to understand how the numbers are being determined. CDC may of changed how they do the study since the release of the 1:150 numbers, but doubtful as it would skew the earlier research.
October 29, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Hello! Thank you for your powerful work and for this resource!
It is likely that a significant portion of autism diagnoses can be directly attributed to the expanding/evolving/enlightening nervous system. While symptoms of the expanding nervous system can feel profoundly disabling in our world — because those with expanded systems perceive the world from a profoundly expanded state of awareness (even if it doesn't always seem like this to an observer) it is actually a significant step in our evolution. The adventure in an evolutionary brink/shift is recognizing what is occurring before we have the conscious capacity to understanding it. Those born with expanded nervous systems can become easily disoriented, unless they learn how to entrain their mind to the Light/Still Core within as a compass bearing. And when those who do not have an expanded nervous system (yet!), are trying to help, it creates a rather interesting circumstance. Brilliant minds are often attributed to being on the autistic spectrum, which is direct evidence for the expanded nervous system/extrasensory perception. There is profound evidence for this view of an expanded/awakening nervous system/mind, if one is willing to consider cosmology and quantum science – the science of wave-particle fields that comprise all of existence, including ourselves (we are not our bodies, we are consciousness/life temporarily housed within what we call bodies).
Important note: There are many circumstances in our world that may also causing symptoms that present on our human created "autism spectrum" that are not a result of the expanded nervous system (such as poisons in food, environment, products). We're speaking here of the astonishing numbers of those presenting in our times that correlate perfectly with an expected and long predicted leap in our evolution. Individuals with autism are also causing us to slow down our fast paced lives in order to be able to assist them and tune into our own expanded states of awareness (in simple terms, tune into our heart's wisdom which is wise and insightful, but such heart-based intelligence only works in the present moment). The circumstance of autism is causing those of us with less expanded states of awareness to slow down and go into our heart may also be part of what is assisting our collective leap in consciousness – we cannot feel God/the Unified Source Field unless we are listening for it from an expanded state.
October 29, 2010 at 8:56 pm
I had a brother with autism diagnosed in 1968. (1-5 in 10,000) My mom was only 31 when she gave birth to him.
I have an ASD 15 year old son with many identical traits as his "Uncle Sam" (uncle Sam passed away at the age of 30 from choking on food)
I think in many cases genetics play a role.
I also think there is a herpes virus connection in many.
But who am I?
A 53 year old woman who is tired of no answers since she was a 7 year old girl!
November 3, 2010 at 1:25 am
I would like to know why AS is not supporting WPI's research in trying to find out why 14 out of 17 ASD children tested positive for XMRV and finding treatments for this retrovirus. This retrovirus would explain the "heritabilty" of autism and why the numbers are increasing so dramatically. XMRV is also associated with ME/CFS and many people that I know that suffer from this have ASD children or ASD family members. There are many papers regarding the autoimmune dysfunction problems in ASD and I still do not know why we are going over and over this and not getting to the meat of the matter. Every day, there could be an XMRV mother (not knowing that she may have this retrovirus) and could transmit this virus via breast feeding to her healthy child. Vaccinations could also trigger this virus which would explain why more children are becoming sick with the increased vaccination schedule.
November 29, 2010 at 9:01 am
Hello! Many beings with highly sensitive/expanded nervous systems are part of humanity's mind's evolution/awakening to levels of awareness that are not accessible to many humans. From our limited perspective this seems profoundly disruptive to both those with autism, and those who are interacting with such beings. Ponder that we know we are more than our bodies. We have a consciousness or awareness. We can "think" and create and dream and bring our thoughts and dreams into form (the computer I type on began as "an idea"). Our consciousness/awareness/the spirit that inhabits our physical bodies has access to exceptional levels of awareness that we don't presently perceive. Bring to mind all of humanity's turned-off DNA. This DNA is starting to turn back on. Genes have been identified related to brain growth that are turning back on. Knowledge of an evolutionary leap for our mind circulates widely in many circles (bring to mind all the hype about 2012), but because we're still learning how to integrate this expansion while we're experiencing it first hand, from a scientific perspective, what is being suggested is considered "fringe," like evolution was considered fringe in its day. Accepting new information that we don't presently have the awareness to comprehend takes awhile, but people have existed in all eras of history that access higher states of awareness, it's just never been on such a massive scale. This information is not offered to give false hope for any individual case. It is offered to suggest that as we slow down and listen within and observe the children, and interact with these beings by entering their world rather than trying so hard to make them conform to our far more limited level of awareness, we will discover remarkable information far beyond our present perception. Many of those with expanded nervous systems are not linear thinkers, which is why they may feel "unreachable" at times. They are multi-dimensional perceivers of states of awareness of Divine Intelligence.
April 2, 2011 at 11:45 am
While it is true that we are poisoning ourselves and our children by our own choice – not one of us has to purchase the products that we do – the reason for the astonishing increase in autism is the fact that our nervous system is expanding because our level of consciousness is expanding. The difficulty is that those who are making diagnosis that call this circumstance "a disability" are not looking in the right place. We need to enter the world of the children/adults with autism to realize that their consciousness is far more developed than our, only they cannot find a bearing in our world because we keep trying to "fix" and medicate them and ourselves. If we slow down – as many are doing – and listen with our hearts to these beings, giving them peace and telling them how awesome and beautiful and valuable they are to our world, we would find as a collective that this situation will begin to smooth out. Consciousness is LIGHT. It is intelligence far beyond our tiny huge human egos who think we have it all figured out and that something is broken. We need more of us willing to speak out to help these children find a compass bearing of Love within themselves (most know how to do this naturally) and for all of us to slow down and pay attention to what is really going on here. Trust the inward state of children. Affirm their beauty and stop thinking of this as a problem. Say yes to healthy foods and healthy thoughts and exercise and telling each other how beautiful we are, and simply don't pay attention to what poisons us. The beautiful thing about a free market economy is that people will stop making what doesn't sell. The choice to remember love or to forget love is up to us.
April 2, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Here is an article called Honoring the Inward State of Children. It addresses the highly sensitive nervous system. Bright Blessings to all who are diligently working to bring peace to minds and hearts.
April 19, 2011 at 10:40 am
The 600% increase is an increase in subjective labels, not concrete evidence of drastic changes in environment, brain chemistry, spiritual perception, or whatever you people are claiming. There is no objective diagnosis for autism, and it's become a fad to apply that label to any child with a possible developmental issue. When psychiatry stops being so ridiculously mutable with its diagnostic manuals, then you can start worrying about the epidemics it uncovers. Until then, turn to the field only as a last possible resort.
September 23, 2011 at 12:27 pm
I have read somewhere about a possible link between the herpes simplex virus and autism.
This is frightening because the WHO estimates that 85% of the worlds population is infected with it and there is no cure for it.
February 16, 2012 at 11:31 am
As we continue to explore that the increasing incidence of our expanding nervous system (often called "autim") is evidence of our biological evolution. This expanding nervous system sensitivity is leading to some strange manifestations in our physiology and behaviors. As we frame and realize autism is a gift and an evolutionary step forward, even if to us it seems at times like a limitation or a shift backwards, everyone will find creative ways to expand communication channels and courage to try to things and to not judge anyone (all folks are really doing their best always and we all have gifts to share). As we realize why it matters to always uplift and see all circumstances and people as beautiful and whole just as we are, all humanity will relax and find wondrous solutions, as so very many are doing, including Autism Speaks communities, that help us flow with shifting within our species. At the very least, the more we affirm and rest ourselves (our own minds and hearts) and encourage those with autism to know they are beautiful and whole with astonishing gifts to share with us all, miracles of healing hearts will resound. Share your stories. Thank you for creating such a wonderful tool for sharing. Laura Bedford
October 24, 2010 at 6:52 am
October 25, 2010 at 10:02 am


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This ultra-responsive tire's benefits and features include precise handling with a solid center rib and strong macro block shoulders to ensure high steering precision, a Black Chilli compound that contains special grip resins that enhance intermeshing between the tire and the pavement on the microscopic level for outstanding dry grip, wide circumferential grooves in the center, and bi-directional drainage grooves on the inside, efficiently evacuate water to resist hydroplaning, and surface-modified silica that is said to provide enhanced grip on wet surfaces.
The ContiForceContact will be available for purchase exclusively through Tire Rack and is available in 10 sizes ranging from P225/40ZR18 to P325/30ZR19.
Continental Tire
Callies Big-Block Con Rods
Callies Performance Products recently introduced its new Ultra Connecting Rod made specifically for high-horsepower Ford 460 cid engines. These rods are machined with the proper tower offset to match this popular engine, and are initially available in 6.700- and 6.800-inch lengths. Fastened by Ultra bolts from ARP, Ultra Ford BB rods are built for your most severe application.
Callies Performance Products
(419) 435-2711
Rocket Racing Wheels RPM 7 Wheel Finish
Supercharged drag racers of the '60s and '70s and the wheel industry applied DOW 7 to protect their magnesium wheels. The gold coating, DOW 7, quickly became iconic, but its durability was lacking. Rocket Racing Wheels' scientists have formulated the latest in a custom, durable powdercoated finish called RPM 7.
Every newly purchased Rocket Racing Wheel can now be custom powdercoated with RPM 7 to provide your ride with the iconic mag look of the '60s with today's durability. Custom Finishes are made-to-order and require extra time to complete.
Rocket Racing Wheels
(888) 307-7525
Matco Tools MSCX Service Cart
The MSCX service cart offers new, functional features and an impressive 16,458 cubic inches of lockable storage capacity with a barn door style door that swings open 270 degrees. The door can be held with magnets, giving users quick and easy access to tools.
The MSCX also features quick-release gas pistons that allow the lid to be laid back in seconds, and the stainless steel lid not only looks great, but doubles as a practical, durable work surface.
Matco Tools
(866) 289-8665
Phantom Fuel System
With Aeromotive's Phantom fuel system, you can quite simply put an electric fuel pump inside almost any fuel tank. If you're asking yourself why "in-tank" is better, there are two parts to the answer. Part one is vapor-lock or cavitation. In order to avoid these issues, you must either gravity feed your external fuel pump or submerge it in the fuel itself. Gravity feeding your pump can be an expensive and a labor-intensive undertaking, usually requiring weld-on sumps, fuel cells or custom fabricated tanks.
Part two is fuel slosh. No matter what you choose to do with your fuel tank, you must have some sort of baffling to keep fuel at the point of pickup at all times. If you launch hard, brake or make an aggressive turn, fuel sloshes to one side of the tank, uncovering the pick-up and causing the fuel pump to cavitate. This can be eliminated by proper placement of baffles or basket assemblies that control the movement of the fuel.
The Phantom Fuel Systems solve both of these problems without welding or hacking. Just drill a few holes and cut the modular kit to the height of your tank. The Phantom system includes a baffle/basket assembly that controls fuel slosh and an in-tank Aeromotive Stealth fuel pump capable of supporting high horsepower, even at EFI pressures. All this installs right into the top of your stock gas tank in about an hour.
Aeromotive Inc.
(913) 647-7300

subset: commoncrawl


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All About House Sitting
Homeowners who leave their homes for a period of time and prefer not to leave them vacant may entrust their home and property to a house sitter in their absence.
House sitters typically live in the homeowner's home in exchange for caring for the home, performing routine maintenance and housekeeping tasks and serving as a deterrent to potential trespassers. While this is the most traditional version of a house sitter, some house sitters do not live in the homeowner's residence, but instead make frequent visits to the homeowners property to perform the agreed upon house sitting tasks.
House sitting jobs can be causal or formal in nature. Some house sitters may simply exchange their services for living rent-free, while others are compensated for their services. It is up to the homeowner and house sitter to establish a mutually agreeable arrangement as pursuant to applicable laws.
Since some insurance companies offer discounts for policyholders who employ a professional house sitter to oversee their property during an extended absence, hiring a house sitter can be of utmost importance for homeowners who incur a high insurance premium. In some countries like Canada, it is not unheard of for insurance companies to actually insist that their policyholders make arrangements for when their homes will be vacant for an extended period, ideally hiring a full-time house sitter or minimally having an individual monitor and enter the home at least once every four days.
Knowing an individual is present to care for the property and to ensure routine housekeeping tasks are tended to, can provide peace of mind for the homeowner that must leave his abode. For individuals who enjoy traveling or could benefit from living rent-free, house sitting jobs can be a viable employment option.
The History of House Sitting
While the phrase "house sitter" came into wide usage in the English language during the latter half of the 1970′s as a derivative of the term "babysit," which appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary for the first time in 1937, the concept of looking after a friend or neighbor's home during a vacation or extended absence has likely existed in some form or another for as long as there have been homes to look after or vacations to take.
House sitting as it exists today has roots in the English tradition of caretaking and land management; in 1868, venerable London newspaper The Times defined a caretaker as one "put in charge of a farm from which the tenant has been evicted." During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, domestic servants often lived on estates year-round in exchange for room and board while the masters of the house traveled, keeping these homes open and in good repair in anticipation of their return. Large estates often employed groundskeepers as well as domestic servants, with a housekeeper overseeing the main house in the mistress's absence.
Over time, these many roles have evolved into a single streamlined, more modern one, which encompasses everything from casual maintenance done as a personal favor for a vacationing friend or relative to the more inclusive services of a professional house sitter. A select number of professional house sitters have been able to carve out a quite lucrative niche for themselves, spending time in exclusive locations around the world as they care for the main residences or seasonal homes of the well-to-do. House sitting has also become a favorite among travel-hungry retirees, who are able to spend their golden years traveling extensively without draining their savings accounts to pay for expensive temporary rentals in exotic locales.
What is a House Sitter?
Merriam-Webster defines the term "house sitter" as: "a person who occupies a dwelling to provide security and maintenance while a tenant is away." While a family member or trusted friend might drop in to water plants, care for pets and collect the mail while the homeowner or tenant is away, a true house sitter will live full-time in a property, ensuring the safety of the home as well as performing chores and routine maintenance.
Lawn care and specialized attention to gardens and landscaping may also be included among the expected skills of a professional house sitter; while such the completion of such tasks is almost never expected of a casual caretaker looking after a home as a personal favor. Someone who visits the property on a daily basis to provide light services while living off-premises may also be considered a house sitter.
While house sitting arrangements vary from one appointment to another, depending upon the needs of both the homeowner and the abilities and expectations of the house sitter, one common aspect that each assignment shares is that, regardless of further compensation, the house sitter will live in the property they're in charge of for the duration of the assignment with no responsibilities to pay rent. While at no time is a house sitter expected to provide the homeowner or tenant with any monetary compensation in the form of rental fees, though arrangements may include a charge for excessive utility usage fees.
Pet sitting services may be combined with house sitting; rather than incurring pet boarding or kennel fees, homeowners and tenants often opt to engage a house sitter with experience tending to household animals. Clients that require extensive pet care and other chores may provide spending money or a small salary in exchange for a house sitter's services, as well as furnishing all pet-care items and supplies.
Live-in Caretakers
While a caretaker will often collect mail and newspapers for homeowners to peruse after their return, professional house sitters typically forward any mail that appears to be time-sensitive or particularly important, especially if the client will be spending the entirety of their vacation in one location. Live-in house sitters are also responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of any pools and spas on the property, in addition to ensuring that all fixtures inside and outside of the home are in good repair. An experienced, professional house sitter should always have a list of service providers and repair-people in the event of storm damage, leaks or other unforeseen events.
Professional House Sitters
At the turn of the twenty-first century, house sitting as a career began to grow more and more prominent, with an entire lifestyle and house sitting culture springing up around it. Those who are considered the most successful in their field live in one luxurious home after another on salaries which they either earn with limited part-time work outside of those homes or collect as a fee for ensuring the safety and maintenance of their palatial temporary dwellings.
House sitters that build impressive resumes, complete with impeccable references and a reputation for discretion, respect and unwavering attention to detail often manage to carve out a respectable living for themselves by charging for their services, especially when extended arrangements include the care of pets or excessive landscaping. While these professionals have become increasingly more common, the average house sitter barters their services in exchange for the use of a vacation home free of charge. There are as many variations on the theme as there are individual house sitters, but the one thing they all have in common is the ability to live in either the humblest dwellings or the most ostentatious mansions rent-free for the duration of their engagement.


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An Astroturf campaign is a fake grassroots movement: it purports to be a spontaneous uprising of concerned citizens, but in reality it is founded and funded by elite interests. Some Astroturf campaigns have no grassroots component at all. Others catalyse and direct real mobilisations. The Tea Party belongs in the second category. It is mostly composed of passionate, well-meaning people who think they are fighting elite power, unaware that they have been organised by the very interests they believe they are confronting. We now have powerful evidence that the movement was established and has been guided with the help of money from billionaires and big business.
Much of this money, as well as much of the strategy and staffing, were provided by two brothers who run what they call "the biggest company you've never heard of".


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xchix needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 90 designs submitted by 23 freelance designers.
Your Logo will help us take over the WORLD~
We are a punk,pop, rock band from Phoenix looking to truly solidify our branding and go National!
We want a clean powerful logo that can be easily identifiable either by its familiarity visually or potentially for its sense of humor. It's got to be BETTER than what we currently use. Please look here to familiarize yourself with our current brand..sound.. and look of each band member. http://www.secondtimeever.com
***Our new missions statement as a band is everything has to be "PRO" - not up tight.. but we want everything look sound and feel "dialed in!
We have an 80's gamer lead singer, a darker more emo guitarist, a colorful straight edge drummer, and a sexy female bassist. The music is poppy and fun, sarcastic and heavy at times - but simple and catchy so the logo should be likewise.
- Our current color scheme is black background, white font, and 3399FF blue accent font. (see website for sample pictures of fans wearing our tshirts) but we are open to other options.. primary colors.. bright neons etc.
- Familiar - either in it's similarities to iconic images themes games.. superheroes.. tv shows..toys etc. or its color.. and layout.
- We'd like to see some options with an actual image as the main logo. (ie. OBEY used Andre the Giant)
- Variations all to include both a 2xe...2nd time ever.. second time ever..
- We are not apposed to pulling a similar logo from the marketplace that connects with our demographic...just with our twist on it.
- Demographic audience is 80's + 90's -- looking for simple catchy music that can fall into the emo..straightedge .. gamer.. stereotypes..
- if alternate colors are chosen, please try to limit them to 3 in each design. Black white.. and one accent color seems to catch our attention most. We use color in our clothing to play off each other live and too many colors is non cohesive..
- anything too uptight or dark ... flames.. skulls..etc are a no no
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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After the Break-Up - A Girl's Guide (Audiobook)
Out in May
|Pre-order Digital
What do you do when the One turns out not to be the One after all? When your dream home is snatched away from you, unfinished Schreiber kitchen units and all, and your dog is sent to live with your parents? When you suddenly have to find a flatmate, a way to pay the rent, a reason to keep going and maybe… ultimately… a new boyfriend?
Sharp, funny and hugely entertaining, Carrie Sutton charts her life in the year following the Big Break-Up. The bad dates… the good friends… the times when you think you can't go on and the moment when you realise that you are finally okay on your own. If you've just experienced a Big Break-Up and need some cheering up, a bit of friendly advice and a few practical tips – this is the book for you! Reading this book is like talking to your best friend over a large glass of wine. Uplifting, truthful and wise. As a feel-good remedy, it does everything except order you a cab home at the end of the evening!
Carrie is a professional actress who has worked extensively in theatre, having studied at the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts. Her West End credits include Imagine This and Cabaret and she has also appeared in touring shows such as Cats. Film and television credits include King Bastard, Buried Alive and As the Afternoon Settles.
"Carrie Sutton writes with style, wit and insight about a problem we've all had to face at some point in our lives. It's a must-read for those who've just come out of a relationship – a blueprint for survival for women and a lesson for men!" – Alistair McGowan
Written By: Carrie Sutton
Carrie Sutton (Narrator)


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25+ new holiday TV specials
With less than two weeks before Thanksgiving, the networks are beginning to roll out their holiday movies and specials this weekend. Actually, some cable networks started a week ago. Here's a look at many of the new holiday productions coming soon to our TV screens. (All descriptions come from the networks.) Curt Wagner, RedEye's Show Patrol
Copyright © 2019, RedEye Chicago


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Available ebook formats: epub mobi pdf rtf lrf pdb txt html
I write stuff. Sometimes I publish it. Usually I don't. You can find a lot of the stuff that I have published on my blog.
I have currently published 28 books on Smashwords, containing 713,988 words and 3,882,239 characters. These numbers hold no significance to me otherwise.


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Bring about the perfect touch to all holidays with these personalized holiday theme premium lip balm/compact mirror favors! They're sure to delight your guests while creating a most lasting impression even after your event has passed. Fantastic for celebrating birthdays, showers, and all other social events to come!
Design Options
Features and Facts:
Processing TimesThis item is shipping out of our Georgia warehouse. Processing time generally takes 3 business days for non-personalized items or with personalized tag it will take 5 business days. For countries other than the United States and Canada, up to 6 additional business days are required to process your orders. Please visit our International Orders page for more information.
Transit TimesTransit times generally take 1-6 business days when shipping to the United States or Canada. To view the transit time map click here. We have 3 options for international orders, Priority mail (3-4 weeks transit time), Express Mail (1-2 weeks transit time), and DHL Global Express (4-5 business days). If you are unsure if your items will arrive by your event date or you have any questions regarding transit times, please feel free to contact us by phone, email or live chat.
Please include the your event date or the latest day you are able to receive your order by in the additional information box located on the billing information page.


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WASHINGTON — Valentine's Day has always been one of my least favorite holidays, even though I've been with the same wonderful man for nearly five years. (Read: This isn't about not being able to find a date.) To me, the Hallmark holiday has always reeked of artificial affection, overcrowded restaurants and cheap candy. Never mind that I'm missing something nearly everyone else on the planet seems to have, an attribute all but required to enjoy this sugar-laden jubilee: a sweet tooth. Chocolate cake? Never gonna happen.
But I'm not trying to convince anyone of the foolishness and futility behind this celebration. Rather, I want to get in on the fun this year, to try to let go of an admittedly bitter outlook and embrace the holiday. And then it hit me. What's just as present as love on Valentine's Day? Bitterness, of course: romance's ugly twin.
It was perfect. Not only are the disgruntled lovers and sullen singles carousing in opposition this time of year, but bitter flavors abound in the kale, escarole, citrus and cranberries in season right now. Plus, bitter is one of the tastes humans are most sensitive to, and maybe a little more sensitivity is just what I needed.
And so it was decided: I would have a celebration of love and devotion with my guy in the form of bitters. But where to begin? Kimchi, the Korean staple of fermented cabbage, sprang to mind, but it seemed too funky for the occasion. Bitter melons, frequently found in Asian, African and Caribbean markets, seemed less like an aphrodisiac and more like something we should ingest to cure a bad stomachache. But Italian cuisine hit the mark on all counts. Bitter ingredients are ubiquitous; my cocktail of choice is a classic bitter Italian aperitif, the Negroni; and there's no culture more romantic, no place dearer to my heart ever since I studied in Verona in college.
I knew that Washington, D.C. chef Michael Friedman could help. The man spent a year traveling through Italy, recently returned a beaming newlywed from his subsequent Italian honeymoon and is opening an Italian-inspired restaurant, the Red Hen, next month in D.C.'s Bloomingdale neighborhood. Oh, and did I mention he catered Selma Hayek's wedding in Italy?
I called him. "What do you think about doing a bitter menu for Valentine's Day?" I asked.
"It's perfect. There are two sides of love: bitter and sweet," said Friedman, without missing a beat. "You're lucky if you have more of one than the other, but one can't exist without the other, either. Plus, they're better together." Bingo!
Friedman got to work, helping me create a menu, stressing that when you're cooking with bitter foods, balance is paramount. "Whenever a dish has a contrast in texture, temperature and flavors, that's what excites the taste buds," he told me as we went over a salad recipe for bitter greens with oranges, almonds and anchovy vinaigrette (recipe here). The radicchio, endive and escarole held up their bitter end, but they're balanced with nuttiness from cheese and almonds, sweetness from oranges, and saltiness from anchovies and capers.
Similarly, the entree Friedman developed was, while brazenly bitter, perfectly symmetrical. Short ribs, slow-cooked in a tangy tomato sauce, are served over creamy polenta with garlicky escarole and freshly shaved horseradish. Done and done.
The grand finale? Chocolate budino (that's Italian for pudding) with grapefruit cream and espresso crumbs (recipe here). Given my missing sweet tooth, I was nervous. But Friedman assured me I would love it. Grapefruit zest added a tropical note that cut the richness of the chocolate, and the textures of espresso crumbs, pudding and cream made for a flawless dish even a salty gal like myself could appreciate.
All that was left was the cocktail. If you're going to make a negroni, you'd be a fool to go anywhere besides directly to Jeff Faile, bar manager at D.C.'s Fiola and king of the negroni; he's got half a dozen varieties on his menu, after all. And for the bitter occasion, he has created a special Valentine's Day concoction, the Negroni d'Amore. For those unfamiliar with negronis, the drink, which was contrived in Florence, is an aperitif made with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and — you guessed it — bitters, usually Campari.
But Faile likes to mix things up (pun intended) and decided to use Cocchi Barolo Chinato, a bitter digestivo from Piemonte steeped with herbs and spices, in place of the vermouth, and Kina L'Avion D'Or, a wine-based spirit with notes of quinine and quince, instead of Campari. His choice of gin: Ransom Old Tom, a heavy brown gin aged in pinot noir barrels. (If wine is more your style, find pairings for bitter foods here.)
"The Barolo has nice chocolate notes and needed something heavy to pull out the flavors and maintain the body," he explained. "A lighter gin would've gotten lost." Fortunately, Faile assured me we could drink this throughout our meal, not just as an aperitif. I'll drink to that.
And I knew that my boyfriend — the sweet to my bitter — could, too.
Kate Parham is a food and travel writer based in Washington. She can be reached through her Web site, www.kateparham.com.


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Shelly Stephens, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Coal Ridge Middle School, no longer uses paper to give her weekly grammar tests.
She creates the test on a Google form, and her students use the iPad minis they all received at the end of January to take the quiz. Stephens can give the students feedback within five minutes, she said, and review problems areas immediately, instead of the next day or later.
"I can get data much more quickly and use it to direct instruction," Stephens said Wednesday.
In his seventh-grade social studies classroom at Coal Ridge, Adam Wellington asks students to explain what they think private goods are. Instead of calling on different students, though, all the students write their answers on their iPad minis. Wellington can then see the answers and share some without revealing the students' names.
As part of the St. Vrain Valley School District's learning technology plan, iPad minis will be distributed to all schools and most students on the following schedule:
2014: Coal Ridge and Westview middle school students pilot the program; all middle school teachers receive iPad minis
2014-15: All middle school students and all students at Lyons Middle/Senior High; all preschool and kindergarten teachers; teachers at Frederick, Longmont, Mead and Silver Creek high schools
2015-16: Students at Frederick, Longmont, Mead and Silver Creek high schools; teachers at Erie, Niwot, Olde Columbine, Skyline and St. Vrain Online Global Academy
2016-17: Students at Erie, Niwot, Olde Columbine, Skyline and St. Vrain Online Global Academy; all elementary teachers
2017-18: All elementary school classrooms will receive a set
Info: To learn more, visit http://tinyurl.com/svvsdtechplan
He then showed the students a graphic illustrating, by breaking up a dollar bill into 13 pieces, how the federal government spent 2012 income taxes. Because each student's iPad mini displayed the information, each student could zoom in to get a close look.
Students and teachers at Coal Ridge and Westview middle schools are the first to experience classes under the St. Vrain Valley School District's learning technology plan. Funded through the 2012 mill levy override, the plan allocates $2.2 million annually for all students in sixth through 12th grades to have their own iPads minis by the 2016-17 school year. For preschool through fifth-grade students, each classroom will receive its own set of the electronic tablets in 2017-18.
That plan is deliberate and sustainable, said Joe McBreen, the district's chief information officer. Because the iPad minis won't be distributed at the same time — 25 percent of the district gets the new technology every year — they won't begin to fail at the same time, he said.
"The downside of that is, you have to make hard choices," McBreen said. A committee of 33 district employees, including teachers and principals, chose to pilot the program at the two middle schools and decided the timeline for expanding the program, he said.
The years-long rollout will lead to some short-term inequities in the school district. This year's eighth-graders at Coal Ridge won't have iPad minis next year, when they are freshmen at Frederick High School, but will get them when they are sophomores. Trail Ridge Middle School eighth-graders won't have iPads until they are juniors at Skyline High School, though.
Students and parents are excited about the program, McBreen said.
"The thing that I'm most surprised by is, the students and parents were way more ready for this than I ever imagined. It's almost a relief that we're doing this, finally," he said.
Coal Ridge principal Brian Young said students are more involved in their classes than they were before they had the iPad minis.
"We see more students doing the work, participating in class," Young said.
"Students are communicating now with their peers, with their teachers and with myself now more than ever," he said.
Stephens created a blog to facilitate that communicating while fulfilling the language arts standard of having students study a subject in diverse formats. Her classes are studying Abby Sunderland, who was 16 when she tried to sail around the world by herself in 2010.
Through the blog, students can look at Sunderland's website, as well as stories from print and broadcast media. Stephens posts questions and discussion points for students to write about. The first student who responded — and made five comments — was a student who hadn't said five words in class all year, she said.
Shy students who share thoughtful responses often receive positive feedback from their peers, which can't help but increase those students' confidence, Stephens said.
The iPad minis also can be used to "flip" a classroom, something Stephens and Wellington have tried. In a flipped classroom, students start their learning on a new topic at home, with an assigned video or reading. Then, when they go to class, the teacher can answer questions and explore the topic more deeply.
Wellington has used the technique with units on ancient Rome, Greece and China.
"I find that (the students) come back to the room understanding it a little bit more than if I had given it to them," Wellington said.
The first time Stephens used the flip approach for a grammar lesson, that week's test scores were 13 to 15 percent higher in every class, she said.
The approach allows students to work at their own pace, reviewing one area until they understand it or quickly moving through a part they comprehend easily.
"I can't make a pace that's comfortable for everyone," without the iPad minis, Stephens said.
Contact Times-Call staff writer Victoria Camron at 303-684-5226 or email@example.com


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As an industry buzzword, 'Big Data' has reached near ubiquity in nearly every sector, which is completely justified because large amounts of data have become a driving force for any large enterprise.
But just how big is 'Big Data'? If we look at the numbers, it can be quite astounding – reinforcing both the challenge and value of leveraging data.
For example, there are 2.7 Zetabytes of data exist in the digital universe today. In one month, the Library of Congress collected 35 Terabytes of data. Consumer technology giants like Facebook store, accesses, and analyze 30+ Petabytes of user-generated data. In addition, IDC estimates that by 2020, business transactions on the Internet will reach 450 billion per day.


text: Hi, I'd like to prevent users from using POP3/IMAP other than via SSL. To do that I am attempting to use the firewall to close non-SSL POP3/IMAP ports. I am having trouble getting the firewall function to work properly. System: ISPConfig 2.2.40 running on Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS configured as described in the Perfect Server Manual. I activated all services under Management > Server > Services, including Firewall which was initially OFF. On the Firewall tab I set the following configuration: Code: Name Port Type Active FTP 21 tcp no SSH 22 tcp yes SMTP 25 tcp yes DNS 53 tcp no DNS 53 udp no WWW 80 tcp yes ISPConfig 81 tcp yes POP3 110 tcp no IMAP2 143 tcp no SSL (www) 443 tcp yes Webmin 10000 tcp no IMAPS 993 tcp no However, when performing a port scan I am seeing 53, 110, 143 open. I have not seen any error messages. I am avoiding configuring a firewall separately because I do not want to interfere with ISPConfig. Does anyone have any hints? Is there another way to ensure that users can only use SSL to connect to email services? Thanks!


text:
- Commentary
By Cody Willard
90% off! Be sure to get my new book, "Everything You Need to Know About Investing." on sale for this weekend only for 99 cents.
Over the last few years, I've repeatedly called RIM dead; I've said over and over that Dell's brand and business are ruined (see Bianna Golodryga of "Good Morning America" interviewing me when she was still an assistant for CNBC's Maria Bartiromo); and I've cited how the only way to get value of Hewlett-Packard these days is for the company to break itself up.
Let's flip it! Here is how each of these companies could drastically change their strategies and business models to get back to growth.
RIM — Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) needs to immediately open up and license its BlackBerry email service to every operating-system platform and see if it can somehow get back to being a de facto standard for email solutions. The company needs to bring in partners for its new operating system, a la Windows and Android, to see if someone else can have any luck building a hardware device that's decent. RIM's got two platforms to build on: its email platform and its operating-system platform, and if it doesn't immediately stem the market-share loss of the two, the company is truly doomed.
Dell — Why doesn't Dell Inc. (DELL) use the exact same model for smartphones that it so successfully pioneered for the personal computer, which is customization? Wouldn't it be great to call the Dell 800 number or to be able to go to Dell.com and specify which operating system, how fast a processor, how much memory, what apps and even a customized size and feel for the hardware you want from a selection of form factors? I want a souped-up, top-of-the-line Android, and my head analyst might want a basic Windows phone with extra memory. Come on, Dell, what's the wait? This is what you do!
H-P — First, fully break them apart Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) into consumer and enterprise units. Then in the consumer division, your software solutions could become a platform of its own; H-P hardware could work across any operating system, seamlessly tying your Android smartphone with your iPad with your xBox and Windows PC. The H-P consumer platform is a platform of a platforms, so build on that.
In the enterprise division, quit trying to be "IBM lite" and buy Fusion-io Inc. (FIO) (I own Fusion-io, but not because I think it'll be taken over, though it could be.) Then make your servers/storage solutions the very best, the de facto standard of flash-driven servers and storage, and never look back until you've got 50% of the server and storage markets in 2020.
Unfortunately, I don't expect any of these companies to do anything this drastic to save their businesses. So each of them will continue to flounder in its own way for the foreseeable future. I stick with the companies that are laser-focused on growing platforms such as Apple Inc., Google Inc., Fusion-io and a few others.
For more investing insights like this, I invite you to check out my new book, "Everything You Need to Know About Investing," where I explain how the whole markets work in easy-to-understand language.
Cody Willard writes Revolution Investing for MarketWatch and posts the trades from his personal account at TradingWithCody.com. At time of publication, Cody was net long Apple, Google, Fusion-IO. Follow Cody on Twitter at twitter.com/codywillard. Cody's new book, Everything You Need to Know About Investing, is available in digital and in paperback.


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Sunday, August 14, 2011
Now more than ever
Oh sure, there are still maddening stretches of inexplicably flat baseball these Blue Jays tend to fall into, but I'm willing to chalk that up to growing pains. For now. Because this is a talented roster that has nowhere to trend but up.
To these eyes, there is far more chance for even greater upside in this lineup than there is downside. And that's exciting. For the first time in a long time, these Jays have a roster stacked with talented youth who's best is yet to come (Lawrie, Arencibia, Rasmus, Thames? Sure, Thames), unquestioned superstars (Bautista, Escobar? Sure, Escobar)... and only a few question marks.
It's a roster perfectly built to growing together, and that is no coincidence. The goal of Alex Anthopoulos has always been to put together a team built for the long-term, with a stacked farm system ready to plug holes through promotion or for use in trades. That aspect is definitely in place.
So is the roster close? Now more than ever, I think that it is. Other than time and experience, perhaps the one thing the club really needed was a rallying cry......
Well then.
Look friends, it would be easy & convenient to rant on about the American media not wanting to attribute the successes of a player (Bautista) on the league's only Canadian-based team to hard work and talent. But this isn't about jingoistic baseball rhetoric. It's about the league and those covering it taking notice of an upstart team getting ready to challenge the big dogs of the AL East.
It sure seems, since the story "broke" concerning The Man in White (this whole thing is stupid!), that the Toronto line-up has, in response, got their collective backs up and are responding to the negative attention with a massive F-U.... and that's a good thing.
You think our best player is PED'd up? F-U. You think we're stealing signs? F-U. You think we celebrate inappropriately? F-U. Jerkball, baby. Jerkball.
Much like the Rays, the Jays are now on the scene. It's only a matter of time before the barking gets even louder, and once again.... that's a good thing.
7 comments:
- The Ack said...
Thanks to twitter's @ALX_Jays for pointing out no mention of Snider. Could have/should have? easily put his name in place of Thames, but was just riffing more or less on the big league roster today.
Otherwise it could have been Snider, d'Arnaud, Drabek, etc...
- August 14, 2011 at 11:26 PM
- Paul said...
While the position players are deeper for sure, the pitching staff has taken two or three steps backward this season. Wasn't Drabek the Savior of the team?
With only Romero as a quality starter (and Morrow on a good day), plus a bullpen that needs a total overhaul, I think it's way to premature to say we are even close to being close. Better position-wise, yes. Better pitching-wise, no way.
It's time for Rogers to pony up the extra money they promised to get a few quality pitchers this off season. We can't afford to waste the position talent we have watching the bullpen blow save after save.
- August 14, 2011 at 11:27 PM
Don't forget about Cecil! I think one quality rotation pitcher and a few quality relievers would make the team much more competitive this year. Romero/Morrow/Cecil will hold their own and we have a number of options for the #5 spot in the rotation. If AA lands another top 3 rotation pitcher the Jays will be looking quite good next year.
- August 15, 2011 at 12:21 AM
Maybe you may want to put a facebook icon to your site. I just bookmarked the site, although I must make this manually. Just my $.02 :)
My site:
dsl vergleichen und dsl vergleich
- August 15, 2011 at 5:17 AM
The possibilities of a contending season next year are getting better and better and it feels like we're getting close. Lemme know where "Jerkball" comes from. That's right on!
Paul: I don't think a bull-pen overhaul is needed. Janssen, CVil, Litch, Perez, and maybe Francisco is not a bad base.
- August 15, 2011 at 8:10 AM
Congrats on the Sportsnet pickup, well earned and long overdue.
Dream it, dreamer!
- August 15, 2011 at 10:17 AM
Bring back Edwin Jackson! Bring back the Sausage King! Bring back Marco Scutaro! Playoffs!!!
- August 15, 2011 at 10:22 AM


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European Commission
Press release
Brussels, 2 October 2013
The future of the Economic and Monetary Union: Commission proposes ideas to deepen social integration
The European Commission has proposed to create a new scoreboard to allow for better and earlier identification of major employment and social problems in the framework of the European Semester, the EU's yearly economic policy-making cycle.
Further involving trades unions and employers at both the EU and national level in the definition and implementation of policy recommendations during the European Semester, making better use of EU and national budgets to alleviate social distress and removing barriers to job mobility are also proposals that feature in a Communication on the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), adopted by the European Commission today.
The Communication follows the Commission's Blueprint on a deep and genuine EMU (IP/12/1272), published in November 2012, and will feed into discussions on the future of the EMU at the European Council on 24-25 October.
President Barroso said: "The EU has taken giant leaps forward in terms of economic governance in the last five years, providing financial lifelines to many vulnerable Member States. From the start of the crisis, we have taken targeted action to deal with the social distress created in part of our societies. But the severity of the crisis, particularly in the euro area, has taught us that we need to work even more closely to heal the social scars it has left behind. This Communication is about building on the rules we have already put in place under the European Semester to ensure there is a strong social dimension in the way we run our Economic and Monetary Union. We owe that to the 26 million unemployed and the most deprived in our society."
The Communication focuses on three areas:
Surveillance and coordination
The European Semester sets out an annual calendar and rules for monitoring and coordinating economic policies, while the Europe 2020 strategy contains key social and employment targets for the next decade for all 28 EU Member States.
The Communication focuses on issues that are directly relevant for the well-functioning of the EMU, while fully respecting the general social agenda for the wider EU. In it, the Commission proposes to create a scoreboard to follow key employment and social developments in order to better analyse and more swiftly identify major problems before they arise. The indicators in the scoreboard would include:
• the unemployment level and the way it evolves;
• NEET rate (young people Not in Education, Employment or Training) and youth unemployment rate;
• the real gross disposable income of households;
• the at-risk-of-poverty rate of the working age population;
• inequalities (the S80/S20 ratio).
It also proposes to integrate a limited number of extra employment and social indicators into the annual Alert Mechanism Report (AMR) used to detect economic imbalances.
The data should feed into policy – for example, the in-depth economic reviews undertaken as a result of the AMR exercise, or the Country-Specific Recommendations published each spring by the European Commission.
Solidarity and labour mobility
More can be done to effectively allocate available EU funding to alleviate social distress in countries undergoing deep economic reforms. For the period 2014-2020, the Commission has proposed that Member States devote at least of 20% of their European Social Fund (ESF) envelopes to promoting social inclusion and combating poverty.
The EU's new Programme for Employment and Social Innovation, The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived are also important instruments that can help.
Moreover, there is work to be done to make it easier to move around the EU for work. While nearly a quarter of economically active young people in the euro area are unemployed (24% in July 2013) and there are massive differences in the levels of youth unemployment between countries (the rate is highest in Greece at 62.9% and lowest in Germany at 7.7%), less than 4% of the working age population in the euro area comes from a different Member State. The Communication therefore commits the Commission to work to reduce the costs and hurdles of moving for work across the EU.
Social dialogue
There is room to better consult social partners at key steps of the decision-making process under the European Semester. The Commission has pledged to:
The Communication is part of an ongoing process to improve the EU's economic governance architecture, and takes forward the ideas in the Commission's Blueprint for a deep and genuine EMU.
It responds to the request of the 13/14 December 2012 European Council to present possible measures on the social dimension of the EMU, including social dialogue.
The June 2013 European Council recalled that the social dimension should be strengthened, emphasising the importance of better monitoring of the social and labour market situation within the EMU, notably by using appropriate employment and social indicators within the European Semester.
The European Council has also pointed out the need to ensure better coordination of employment and social policies, while fully respecting national competences, and highlighted the role of the social partners and social dialogue, including at national level.
Useful links
MEMO/13/837 Strengthening the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union: frequently asked questions
President Barroso's website http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/
Commissioner Andor's website http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/andor/
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'Law & Order: SVU' Predicts Tragic End For Chris Brown & Rihanna
Chris Brown & Rihanna will never be able to escape the night he viciously beat her on the night of the 2009 Grammys. Four years later, that incident was the basis for this week's 'Law & Order: SVU' — but did NBC do the story justice?
Chris Brown must always live with his violent past against Rihanna, which is now forever documented on the Feb. 27 episode of Law & Order: SVU. But rather than a straight re-telling of Chris and Rihanna's story, the writers took things a little further, predicting what could happen if a "promising singer" were to stay with her "popular hip-hop star" boyfriend and remain silent when he acted out.
(Watch Chris Brown & Rihanna's 'Law & Order: SVU' Full Episode)
The Episode Begins With The Beating
The episode awkwardly began with a caption on the screen telling us it was not based on anyone in real life. We see a young singer named Misha performing a duet with Caleb Bryant — interesting initials "CB" — showing that they are really in love with each other. Dave Navarro plays the sound engineer, and one of the few people excited that Misha will become a singing sensation. Then, two seconds after kissing on Misha, Caleb moves onto a background singer that looks exactly like Karrueche Tran. Misha obviously sees what is going on, but instead of handling it like a man, Caleb beats her up in front of a handful of people.
Caleb is a big jerk, getting a hold of his lawyer by saying, "Somebody call my jew!" when he gets arrested for the beating that has now been blasted all over Perez Hilton's website. What's also interesting is that when this happens, they actually have the words "Chris Brown & Rihanna" on screen. Comparing this beating to the one of Chris and RiRi were involved in is art imitating life.
The Chris Brown Character (Caleb Bryant) Gets Away With The Assault
Though he is arrested, Caleb goes onto The Wendy Williams Show to apologize, offering Misha a friendship ring. Then he actually violates a restraining order when the police find him in bed with her, so he gets sent to court and receives another slap on the wrist. The cops continue to be frustrated that he gets away with things, over and over. Caleb even gets arrested again when he is found with pot, but Misha continues to fall in love with him. Going back to the man who abused her; it certanly sounds like Rihanna and Chris, doesn't it?
Truth & Fiction Begin To Blur
During a record release party, Caleb breaks his restraining order again, shooting and killing his former band manager, and harming Misha again. Caleb may be a huge thug, but he has tons of talent, so his fans and the law are at an odds. Misha continues to lie for her love, even covering for him while the police visit her in the hospital.
But it's the death of his former band manager, who is now Misha's band manager, that really gets the case moving forward — because she actually cares for the man she calls "Brass." The cops bring Brass's family to make Misha start talking, and it works.
Misha (Rihanna) Finally Tells The Cops The Truth
Misha claims it all started when she found a text on Caleb's phone in a club from another girl. That was the first beating, which was actually very similar to Chris and Rihanna's infamous moment in 2009 when he beat her after arguing over a text! Back to the show, Misha admits that Caleb shot Brass and the case moves forward to get Caleb the punishment he deserves.
Misha & Caleb's Shocking Twist Ending
Caleb goes back to court but Misha doesn't tell the truth on all the incidents which gets the case thrown out, and the cops are understandably very upset. The police suggest that the next thing that will happen is that Caleb will kill her — and they're right! Caleb and Misha go to Bermuda on a private yacht, and when she angers him after another text, he kills her.
Overall, the show took a lot of liberties in re-telling — and adding a great deal onto — the couple's story.
So HollywoodLifers, What did you think of the dramatic retelling of the Chris Brown & Rihanna story? And did it go too far. Sound off below!
Watch: Rihanna & Chris Brown Mocked On Law & Order SVU
— Russ Weakland
More Chris Brown & Rihanna Drama:
- Chris Brown & Rihanna: 'Law & Order: SVU' Episode — Art Imitates Life
- Chris Brown: Hitting Rihanna Is My 'Greatest Regret' — Interview
- Chris Brown: 'I'm Forgiven' After Assaulting Rihanna


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The Tourist
Now Available
About The Tourist
Frank (Johnny Depp), a mild-mannered American on vacation in Venice, Italy, is befriended by Elise (Angelina Jolie), a breathtakingly beautiful woman with a mysterious secret. Soon, their playful romantic dalliance turns into a complicated web of dangerous deceit as they are chased by Interpol, the Italian police, and Russian hit men in this suspense-filled, international action thriller.
Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Denis O'Sullivan
Christopher McQuarrie, Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck, Julian Fellowes
Executive Producer
Lloyd Phillips, Ron Halpern, Olivier Courson, Bahman Naraghi
Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Graham King, Jonathan Glickman, Tim Headington
Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
Timothy Dalton, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Rufus Sewell, Steven Berkoff, Paul Bettany


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DOE A to Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
DATE: November 20, 2006
Deparment of EducationBuilding is Dedicated to
Judge Robert L. Carter
TRENTON - The New Jersey Department of Education building at 100 Riverview Plaza in Trenton was dedicated today to honor U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Carter, a pioneering civil rights attorney and one of the architects of the NAACP's legal strategy in the Brown v. Board of Education case, which outlawed segregation in public schools.
Judge Carter, 89, was born in Florida, but his family moved to New Jersey shortly after his birth. He was raised in Newark and East Orange, and graduated from Barringer High School in Newark.
"Judge Carter is a brave champion of civil rights, whose courageous legal battle and illustrious career exemplify the qualities that have put our state at the forefront of education reform," said Governor Jon S. Corzine, who spoke at the ceremony at the DOE building. "The dedication of this building will serve as an important reminder of his legacy and commitment to providing all of our children with nothing less than the very best."
Also speaking at the ceremony were U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne, Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells, Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy, New Jersey State Board of Education President Dr. Arnold Hyndman, New Jersey State NAACP President James Harris and Theodore M. Shaw, the Director-Counsel and President of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
A graduate of Lincoln University (which he entered at age 16), Judge Carter is also a graduate of Howard University Law School and holds a Master of Laws degree from Columbia Law School.
During his career, Judge Carter played a leading role in crafting and litigating many of the most significant legal cases of the civil rights era.
After leaving military service in 1944, he joined future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on the NAACP legal staff. Within a year, he had become an assistant special counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and in 1956, he succeeded Marshall as general counsel to the LDF. He won 21 of the 22 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, including Brown and NAACP v. Alabama.
Judge Carter left the NAACP in 1968 to join a private law firm, but remained active in public affairs and was a co-founder of the National Conference of Black Lawyers. In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon appointed him to the federal bench, where he continues to serve today.