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Read more in our News Archive
Motherisk Helpline
1-877-439-2744 (Toll-free)
416-813-6780 (Toronto and GTA)
Alcohol and Substance
Read more in our News Archive
Ariel Many, MD, Gideon Koren, MD, FRCPC
January 2006
One of my female patients was tested for Toxoplasma and found positive for immunoglobulin G (IgG). She is planning to get pregnant soon. What are the risks for her and her baby?
Up to 25% of Canadians are IgG-positive for Toxoplasma due to past exposure. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) titres indicate current infection. Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan that has several forms during its life cycle: oocyte, tachyzoite, and cyst.
L'une de mes patientes a subi un test de dépistage du Toxoplasma et ses résultats se sont révélés positifs quant à la présence d'immunoglobuline G (IgG). Elle prévoit une grossesse sous peu. Quels sont les risques pour la mère et l'enfant?
Quelque 25% des Canadiens ont des résultats positifs quant à la présence d'IgG pour le Toxoplasma en raison d'une exposition antérieure. Les titres d'immunoglobuline M (IgM) indiquent une infection présente actuellement. Les Toxoplasma gondii sont des protozoaires intracellulaires obligatoires qui prennent diverses formes durant leur cycle de vie: oocyte, tachyzoïte et kyste.
Members of the cat family are definitely hosts of Toxoplasma. The parasite replicates in the cat's intestine. Millions of oocytes are shed in a cat's feces during its first infection. The oocytes become infectious when they are ingested by mammals and develop into tachyzoites. This form of the parasite is disseminated in blood and infects all tissues, mainly the central nervous system, eyes, muscles, and placenta. Some infected mammals have clinical manifestations. The cysts can remain in infected mammals for life in the skeletal muscles and brain. Development of the tachyzoite form can cause reactivation of disease in immunocompromised people infected with the cysts.
Humans can be infected through undercooked or raw meat (lamb, pork) infected with cysts or through food or water contaminated with oocytes excreted by cats (eg, unwashed vegetables). Transmission of Toxoplasma has also been reported through contaminated drinking water.1 The infection usually has no symptoms or very mild symptoms (fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly); in immunocompromised patients, the infection can be very serious.
The incidence of positive serology for Toxoplasma varies in various regions and cultures. In North America, about 23% of the adult population is estimated to be seropositive.2 According to a recent Motherisk report, incidence in Canada could be somewhat lower.3
Women who contract Toxoplasma infections before pregnancy usually do not transmit it to their fetuses. If a mother becomes infected during pregnancy, the pathogen can be transmitted to her fetus across the placenta. Incidence of congenital Toxoplasma is about 1/10 000 live births in the New England region4 (but it is not mandatory to report it), but other reports suggest it could be up to 1/1000. This ratio would translate into 40 to 400 cases annually in Canada and would pose a major public health problem.
Effects on a fetus
Clinical manifestations of toxoplasmosis in fetuses and neonates vary. The typical triad of hydrocephalus, chorioretinitis, and intracranial calcifications does not always occur. Hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, microcephaly, convulsions, fever, and small-for-gestational-age newborns all suggest Toxoplasma. Nevertheless, most neonates are asymptomatic at birth on routine pediatric examination. Deafness, mental retardation, and learning difficulties are often detected only later in life.
Risk of congenital toxoplasmosis is somewhat lower if infection occurs during the first trimester (10% to 25%) than if it occurs during the third trimester (60% to 90%). But the severity of congenital infection is substantially higher if infection occurs during the first trimester.5 These risks should be communicated clearly to women and their families.
Efforts to control Toxoplasma infection during pregnancy are often successful and greatly reduce the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis.6 Health care providers should make preconception and prenatal education about toxoplasmosis a standard of care for pregnant women. Some preventive measures are listed in Table 1.7
Some countries in Europe where the incidence of Toxoplasma is high (France, Belgium) have screening programs for Toxoplasma for all pregnant women. If results of the screen are negative, serologic testing is done every month or trimester thereafter. In most countries where incidence is low, no screening is recommended. For example, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the United Kingdom and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists8 do not recommend universal screening.
Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is usually based on clinical symptoms and serologic tests. During acute infection, IgM and IgG are detected in serum within 1 to 2 weeks. In pregnant women, dating the likely start of infection is critical. If only IgG is detected and no IgM is detected, infection likely took place 6 to 12 months before. If IgM and IgG are detected, then a more thorough workup should be performed to try to determine the time of infection.
Testing for IgM for Toxoplasma can have false-positive results because some commercial kits are not sufficiently specific and because IgM antibodies can be detected more than a year after an acute infection. For these reasons, the United States Food and Drug Administration has issued guidelines for Toxoplasma antibody testing.9 When serum tests positive for IgM, an additional confirmatory assay should be performed at a reference laboratory. Another test that can aid in dating infection is IgG avidity. If the avidity is high, infection occurred 3 to 5 months before testing.
Testing for in utero infection
The most common way to test for in utero infection is a polymerase chain reaction test of amniotic fluid for Toxoplasma.10 Fetal blood sampling (cordocentesis) is not usually done because the fetal risk is higher than with amniocentesis, and cordocentesis is less sensitive. If results are positive, sonographic follow up is indicated. Signs such as calcifications, microcephaly, hydrocephalus, and severe in utero growth restriction strongly suggest in utero infection in the presence of documented maternal infection.8
Spiramycin, a macrolide antibiotic, is one of the drugs of choice for toxoplasmosis. It is approved for use during pregnancy in Europe, but in the United States it can be purchased only from the manufacturer. The adverse effects of spiramycin are usually mild and mainly produce gastrointestinal symptoms. Sulfonamides may also be used, but they have been associated with neonatal jaundice. Pyrimethamine is an antagonist of folic acid and is generally not recommended for use during pregnancy, but several reports have mentioned use of this agent among pregnant women.11
There are few data and no randomized clinical trials on the effectiveness of treatment in the presence of seroconversion during pregnancy. A European multicentre study suggested that treatment during pregnancy decreases the severity of congenital Toxoplasma in newborns but does not affect transmission rates.11,12
Motherisk questions are prepared by the Motherisk Team at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ont. Dr Many is a member and Dr Koren is Director of the Motherisk Program. Dr Koren is supported by the Research Leadership for Better Pharmacotherapy during Pregnancy and Lactation and, in part, by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He holds the Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology at the University of Western Ontario in London.Published Motherisk Updates are available on the College of Family Physicians of Canada website (http://www.cfpc.ca).
Motherisk is a proud affiliate of MotherToBaby, an information service of the non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) across North America.
* - "MOTHERISK - Treating the mother - Protecting the unborn" is an official mark of The Hospital for Sick Children. All rights reserved.
The information on this website is not intended as a substitute for the advice and care of your doctor or other health-care provider. Always consult your doctor if you have any questions about exposures during pregnancy and before you take any medications.
Copyright © 1999-2018 The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). All rights reserved.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is a health-care, teaching and research centre dedicated exclusively to children; affiliated with the University of Toronto. For general inquires please call: 416-813-1500.


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Canadian Pacific Railway and IBM Canada Ltd. today announced a seven-year agreement valued at approximately $200-mi...
December 2, 2003
Canadian Pacific Railway and IBM Canada Ltd. today announced a seven-year agreement valued at approximately $200-million under which IBM will operate and enhance the railway's computing infrastructure.
The companies said the arrangement is also intended to increase innovation in the railway's computing environment, generating cost savings, higher productivity and enhanced services for rail customers.
IBM will provide a computing infrastructure that includes servers, storage and emergency recovery planning.
The contract also enables CPR to benefit from technology and business processes and applications developed at IBM's Centre for Transportation Innovation in Boulder, Col.
"This contract gives CPR the benefit of a strategic partner whose core competencies include building, maintaining and enhancing the computing infrastructure needed to make smart, cost-effective and customer-focused
decisions," said Rob Ritchie, President and Chief Executive Officer of CPR.
CPR's mainframe and data facilities in Calgary and Toronto will migrate to IBM facilities in the two cities.
Approximately 100 CPR employees, who perform work covered by the new agreement, will become IBM employees.
As a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week business, CPR relies heavily on its computing infrastructure to schedule all components of its operations.
Computer applications map out complex interconnections of freight cars,locomotives, facilities, track and train crews to meet more than 10,000 individual customer service commitments every day.
CPR uses intricate automated traffic forecasting systems, determines car routings and yard workloads using bypass and circuitry analysis software, and generates time-distance diagrams to examine track capacity.
An estimated 2.5 trillion bytes of data move across CPR's information systems every day, which is equivalent to about 2,500 copies of the 40-volume Encyclopedia Britannica.

subset: commoncrawl


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Plan: Riverside Collection
- 5 beds
- 3 baths
- $405,990 price
- 960534 mls id
- Square Feet: 3,234 sqft
- Neighborhood: The Enclave at Lakeview
Listing Description
2 Story,
5 Bedroom,
3 Bath,
2 Formal Dining,
2 Car Garage,
Huge Storage in Garage,
and more!
Landon Homes Energy Efficiency Package - 2" x 6" Exterior Insulated Walls, 1/2" Thick Solid Blue Water Proof Foam, Tech-Shield RADIANT HEAT BARRIER for Roof Decking, Low-E Blue-colored Glass with UV blocker and Heat Blocker, 6 1/4" thick R-19 Exterior Wall Insulation, R-3 Value on 1/2" Thick Blue Foam Sheathing, R-22 Insulation on Sloped Ceilings, R-45 Blown Fiberglass Ceiling Insulation in Attic, 16 SEER Air-Conditioner.
- New Construction Yes
Subdivision: The Enclave at Lakeview
- Price Range $355.9K - $405.9K
- Sqft Range 2,200 - 3,301
- Subdivision StatusActive
- Subdivision StyleMasterPlanned
Subdivision Description
New Phase Now Selling!
The Enclave at Lakeview offers some of the best prices for new homes in Little Elm TX in the Frisco Independent School District.
Located in Little Elm just east of Lake Lewisville, this master-planned community with homes for sale includes four amenity centers, with pools, parks, trails, and more.
Lakeview is served by Frisco's newest and best schools. Panther Creek Parkway leads directly from the Tollway into the community. Frisco's key business, shopping and entertainment areas are just 10 minutes away.
2720 Hammock Lake Drive Little Elm, TX


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During one of the many conversations with Sandra this week, I remembered what I often told my Dive Master trainees when discussing risk management, accidents and fatalities in the diving industry.
- It is a number's game. If we keep taking people underwater, three times a day, seven days a week, at some stage something bad is going to happen.
Luckily, and with lots of hard work trying to minimise the risks, I never had a fatality while instructing. But, bluntly, I had to say to Sandra that training on the roads and getting hit by a vehicle was just a matter of time.
Training and the end of it for a while
The week started with an easy flat ride on Tuesday. After what happened on the weekend, I chose the Nundah-Nudge Beach bike path and Boondal Wetlands to stay away from people and cars in general, coming home with 2 h/51km in the legs. Just what it was prescribed... well, with the exception of my three sprints at the Nundah circuit.
I still like to get on the bike in the middle of the day. The wind has been fairly strong and mostly W/NW at those times and it has been warm. Firstly, I am not an early morning person, if I can avoid getting out of bed at 4:30 AM, I will. Secondly, chances are the Tour of Bright will be run in very hot and windy conditions this year and I wanted to be prepared for that.
So, the Wednesday ride was planned as 3 hours of medium intensity, 80 to 90 Km, and I left just after 12 PM. I like to do those sessions on Mt Nebo road, even knowing the intensity would rise too much during the first 6.5 km stretch to Mc Affees.
I take a few back streets on the 30 min ride to the bottom of Mt Nebo road, but it is too often that I observe cars going through red lights (in the middle of the day!)and/or cutting me off just to stop at a red light first. It must be the game to play, if some one drives a Ute or a V8 in this city.
This time, it happened on a section of the route I always take an additional care. Like this: driver stopped at intersection; driver gives way to the cars in front of me; driver looks at me; driver smiles and steps on the accelerator... I am not kidding and I was pissed off...
I went on. It was 36 C when I passed the green road sign, the warm head wind and dry air starting to hurt my lungs already. The combination of the two sending my HR to 86, 87 and 88% (170 bpm). I thought I was going to explode before I topped the first climb.
- Ah, well, Mt Hotham might just be like that... push it on!!!
The temperature dropped by 1 or 2 degrees as I rode up and every time I started one of the descents, I would splash myself with lots of water. I really needed to cool down. I also needed to practice my skills on the down hills, hence my max HR for the climb been on a descent (if the Polar was right).
I made it to the 300 m sign in good time but I was already too wasted and could not stay on the big chainring and sprint to the marker. By the sounds I was also making, my perceived effort numbers must have been 9 or 10... 17'19" with an average HR of 163 bpm. Huge in those conditions.
From there, it was the usual "enjoy the climb" approach, L to M intensity, again putting a bit of an effort on the descents and corners. I reached Jolly's lookout in 44'33" and the coffee shop in 48'35". Not Cat 1 times but pretty good for me.
From Mt Nebo on, the ride gets even better. A beautiful descent with lots of fast corners and another 240 m of climbing before the turn off to Samford Valley. The road then turns very steep and I had no problems keeping up with a car for most of the way.
Along Highvale, with a nice tail wind this time, I did one 12 min effort, averaging 43 km/h. It took me to Samford Village quick so a really cruise return home via Bunya would still get me home around the 3 hours/80 km target .
It says everything. I didn't make it home last night. A driver decided to put an end to my ride three or four kilometers from home, and on Rode Road of all roads...
The result is: a couple of small fractures on C5, a fractured rib and a very sore right leg, as it took all the impact that sent me up in the air.
It is all a bit unbelievable at this stage so I won't go into details but I am off the bike for a while, ten to twelve weeks, and will not be doing the Tour of Bright this year (again!) .
"say you will, say you won't
say you'll do what i don't
say your true, say to me
C'est la vie"


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| December 2007
How Green Will Green Get?
EGB to Return to Vegas in 2008!
Renowned green-building-industry leader and author Jerry Yudelson will present the keynote address for HPAC Engineering's fifth annual Engineering Green Buildings (EGB) Conference and Expo, which will be held Oct. 21 and 22 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The EGB Conference and Expo is the only green-design event focused on green engineering applications as they apply to mechanical systems for commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. The 2007 event attracted more than 300 participants, including mechanical-system designers and specifiers and manufacturers demonstrating the green characteristics and applications of their mechanical systems, components, equipment, products, technology, and services.
Individuals interested in attending or exhibiting at EGB 2008 should contact Jeff Ferenc, conference manager, at 312-848-8405 or [email protected]...[MORE]
Trane Sold to Ingersoll Rand for Approximately $10.1 Billion
GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership
USGBC Accepting Nominations for Building Curriculum Recognition Awards
New Government-Building Projects to Be Faster and Greener
Industry Points the Way to Zero-Carbon Future
EGB December 2007
Hide comments


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For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at the convention, contact Sharon Cordesse at firstname.lastname@example.com
Download the OSCON Java Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus
For information on trade opportunities with O'Reilly conferences or contact mediapartners@ oreilly.com
For media-related inquiries, contact Maureen Jennings at firstname.lastname@example.com
To stay abreast of convention news and annoucements, please sign up for the OSCON email bulletin (login required)
View a complete list of OSCON contacts
Save the date: OSCON returns to the Oregon Convention Center July 16-20, 2012.
Cloud computing, big data, mobile--that's where developers find the juicy new challenges in today's tech world. And the killer combination for taking them on is Java and open source.
Java: scalable, reliable, rich in code libraries, and a smart choice for building software in this age of distributed and parallelized computing.
Open source: once the disruptive upstart, now the default, and long the wellspring for innovation in Java.
They're better together, and OSCON Java brings you the best of both.
Co-located with OSCON at the Oregon Convention Center this July, OSCON Java focuses on open source technologies that make up the Java ecosystem. You'll meet your peers and learn about the latest tools, languages, and platforms that are core to making Java developers more productive and successful.
More about why we're having OSCON Java-- read this post on O'Reilly Radar, "Why OSCON Java?", or watch an interview with Edd Dumbill, OSCON program chair.
Read our Conference Diversity policy.


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Blueair Sense Air Purifier Offers Hands Off Motion Sensing Controls
Blueair Sense Air Purifier
• $479.00
• Blueair USA
Traditionally, air purifiers have been characterized by designs abiding by a strict sense of "form follows function"...a home health appliance one learns to live with, but usually an eyesore. The Blueair Sense was noticeably different in this aesthetic regard, my first glimpse at Dwell On Design, an electrostatic filtration system handsomely disguised in minimalist guise...
Designed to circulate and filter air 5 times per hour using a combination of mechanical and electrostatic particle-removing features to remove 99.97% of airborne particles, the Blueair Sense separates itself from the crowd of functionally capable, yet unattractive air purification units available thanks to a partnership with Swedish designer, Claesson Koivisto Rune.
About the size of a PC tower (and very similar in dimensions), the front intake grill reminds of a Palm Springs midcentury partition, while the LED illuminated indicator lights and controls hint of a Star Trek: Next Generation derived interface ("make it so!"). The Sense's name derives from the unit's hands off controls: swipe above and across the unit, and the filtration speed increases or decreases using built-in motion sensors. It's a futuristic feature appropriate for an allergen-reducing device (eliminating the need to touch the system, keeping it this side of being a gimmick).
Now for the more nuts and bolts details for allergy sufferers: the Sense is designed for the confines of a smaller room/home office (rated for a 150 sq. ft. room), the Blueair Sense pushes air through a three-stage progressive filter with three speed settings, an air ionization feature, and a filter change indicator system (filter replacements will set owners back about $80). The fan is quiet at the first two speed settings, and still not terribly loud at its fastest operational speed (it produces a "white noise" whirr), making it usable in bedrooms, but perhaps best next to a desk where filtered air could benefit both occupants and their dust-sensitive computer gear.
Now just make it an app controlled, smart home, wi-fi network compatible device, and now we're really talking about the future of air purification.
(Image: Blueair)


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I am here by invitation of cheeky/debby.
Hi, my name is Val, I live in PA. I've been involved with pit bulls for 8 years. I have 3 dogs, Roscoe, Aiden, and Bonnie. I got my first Pit Bull because I fell in love with the affectionate nature of the breed while volunteering/working at shelters and working at a vet's office. There is not BSL in my area.
Here are pictures of my dogs:
Roscoe: http://www.dogster.com/?811
Aiden: http://www.dogster.com/?814
Bonnie: http://www.dogster.com/?41144
Ellie Mae (in memory): http://www.dogster.com/?190515
Serena (adopted): http://www.dogster.com/?41144
I have 3 other pets, one cat, one foster cat, and one budgie (parakeet). I have 0 two legged kids, but plan on adopting one or more in the future.
I put my pants on left leg first.
My shoe size is 8.
I prefer pizzeria pizza, with numerous toppings.
Ok, let me into the forum now!


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The Mets' June cruise has not only made them relevant in the National League pennant races, but subsequently also at the July 31 trade deadline.
With management believing this is no fluke and the Mets will continue to play alert, aggressive baseball, there are serious discussions not whether they should trade, but whom to trade for – and just as important, whom they should not trade.
Their interest, despite this remarkable run by the rotation, must remain pitching. First rotation; second bullpen.
There is a sense of calm derived from how well Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey have pitched, and a feeling of optimism with Jon Niese's run since coming off the disabled list.
Slots four and five are a house of cards.


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Rich Elliott: Consistent Dolson can smile a little now
HARTFORD -- Junior center Stefanie Dolson wanted to smile. She wanted to enjoy a moment -- even if it was quickly -- that only 35 other players in the remarkable history of the UConn women's basketball program have experienced.
With 12:39 remaining in the first half of Saturday's 87-62 win over Syracuse at the XL Center, Dolson converted a pass from Brianna Banks into a layup. It sent her over the 1,000-point plateau. For the record, she did not smile. Dolson settled for a brief smirk as she ran back up the floor.
Individual milestones do not have much value at UConn. National championships are what matter most. This is why Dolson needed to keep it together. She might have been fully aware that she had reached the mark, but she could not give her teammates, the UConn coaching staff or any member of a season-high crowd of 14,786 any indication that she was focused on anything else other than the game itself.
Dolson appeared bashful when discussing the milestone following the win. But for all of the work that she has put in over the past two-plus years on developing her game and reshaping her body, it deserved at least a smirk.
"To me, it means that everything I came here to do, I did, and everything I've worked for has kind of paid off,'' Dolson said. "It's a steppingstone, but it's not everything that I came here for. I came here to win a national championship and become the best player that I can. So scoring 1,000 is great, but it's not going to mean much if we don't win the national championship at the end of the year.''
If the third-ranked Huskies do win an NCAA record-tying eighth national championship this season, Dolson will have a big say in their accomplishment. Not only did she go over 1,000 points against the Orange, she also produced another quality effort. It was one that UConn coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies have come to expect from her every time she steps on the court.
Dolson finished with a career-high 25 points (9-of-16 FG), seven rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes. She carried the Huskies at times offensively in scoring at least 20 points for the second time in the last three games.
"I think it's something that we've been looking at, coaches, fans, teammates, watching her do the things that she does,'' Auriemma said. "Now we have a center that can shoot the ball from most spots on the floor, is a really good passer and is a good defender, makes frees throws and can finish around the basket with her right or left hand. I just think she's put herself in a great situation right now and I just hope she keeps getting better every day. And I know that's her goal as well.''
Dolson has been asked to produce since the beginning of her career. She played in all 38 games -- starting 36 -- as a freshman in 2010-11. She averaged 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 24.2 minutes.
There was no grace period for Dolson. UConn needed a center. And Dolson was it. And Dolson expected nothing less.
She has always had high expectations of herself. And she has evolved into one of the top post players in the nation. She no longer struggles to get up and down the court for an extended period. She no longer struggles with consistency, either.
"I think anyone that comes to a program like Connecticut, I don't think you come here to just kind of be here,'' Dolson said. "I think you come to become the best player that you know you can be and do big things.''
Dolson, who is shooting 60.4 percent from the field, is averaging career-highs of 13.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 27.2 minutes this season. She has scored in double figures in a career-high eight straight games and in 14 of 17 games overall.
"Stef's been playing great for us,'' UConn sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis said. "Her consistency is really something that we needed from at least one person on the team, and for her to step up to that role this year has been great for us just to know that we can always count on her. It's gotten to the point where Stef's supposed to get at least 20 points a game. She's supposed to get double-(figure) rebounds.''
Dolson is a goofball off the court. But once she puts on her uniform, whether it is for practice or for a game, she takes herself very seriously.
Her success is a byproduct of her labors. It was her desire to become an exceptional player. And at this point she is proving to be just that.
"If you do have the right personality type and if you do have the right approach, which she does, and you have the right mental makeup, you can get better,'' Auriemma said. "You can get better because you're always a confident person and you're confident that if you do X, then Y will happen. And that's how she is. She's made herself into what she is because that's what she's always expected to be.''
firstname.lastname@example.com; http://twitter.com/elliottctpost; http://blog.ctnews.com/elliott/


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ROSEMONT, Ill. — Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver scored 18 points each to lead the Sparks to a 102-88 victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday night.
Candace Parker added 17 points for the Sparks (3-3), who snapped a two-game losing streak and set franchise records for field goals made (43) and assists (31).
Parker, the reigning WNBA MVP who is averaging 22.2 points per game, didn't start because of a left ankle injury. She entered the game 6 minutes into the first quarter.
Elena Delle Donne, the reigning WNBA rookie of the year, had a career-high 33 points and 14 rebounds for the Sky, who hadn't played in a week and suffered their biggest loss of the season.
Tamera Young added 15 points and Jamierra Faulkner had 13 for Chicago.
The Sparks shot 56 percent from the field to the Sky's 45 percent. Los Angeles had 10 turnovers while Chicago committed 17.
The Sparks set a franchise record for points in a half in taking a 61-44 lead. The Sky were holding opponents to 72.3 points per game and 43.4 percent shooting.
Ogwumike led the Sparks with 16 points in the first half while Delle Donne had 22.
The Sky scored the first six points of the third quarter but were unable to cut the lead to single digits. The Sparks led 81-62 entering the final quarter.
Los Angeles opened the game with a 10-3 run and led 32-21 at the end of the first quarter after shooting 63.6 percent.
The Sky were 24 of 26 from the free-throw line while the Sparks were 13 of 18.
The Sparks improved to 12-5 all-time against the Sky.


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News in Wine Country, Kids Eat Free & More
New Happenings in Wine Country
After years of renovation, Rustic, Francis's Favorites has opened in the soon-to-be-completed Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville.
The dining room is centered on the parrila, an Argentinian grill. Enjoy Neopolitan pizzas such as the one named after the famed director's daughter (a stellar director in her own right), Sofia. This pizza comes topped with arugula, prosciutto, and Parmigiano. Other dishes include a whole fish cooked in salt, classic Fiorentino steak for two, short ribs Argentine-style, and "Mrs. Scorcese's Lemon Chicken" (one guess where that recipe came from).
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily. The winery has a temporary tasting room for now. Eventually, it will include two new tasting rooms, as well as Coppola's collection of movie memorabilia, including Don Corleone's desk from "The Godfather" and the original 1948 Tucker car.
Join more than 30 of the Napa Valley's top chefs and wineries at Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Grand Tasting at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Aug. 5.
Among the restaurants participating are Peter Pahk, chef of the Silverado Resort, who will be assisted by chefs from La Toque, the Restaurant at Meadowood, and Cole's Chop House.
Funds raised will go to Share Our Strength's efforts to eradicate childhood hunger in Napa County and across the nation.
Tickets are $75 per person. One of the sponsors, Pretzel Crisps, is offering a deal on $15 off the ticket price. Just use the code, "PRETZELCRISP," when purchasing tickets online.
This month, Swanson Vineyards in Rutherford debuted a new, whimsical tasting room, Sip Shoppe.
It joins the winery's Salon tasting room. The Sip Shoppe, open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, is decorated in striped circus-like fabric and faux stone gargoyles. Enjoy sipping wines in unusual glassware such as glass "Dixie" cups, mini Riedel O's, and colored cut crystal.
A sense of fun permeates this tasting spot, which was envisioned as a candy store for grown-ups. Wines are available by the glass or by specific tastings, including the "Oakville Irony" ($15, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, a dollop of caviar atop a potato chip, and a New Orleans Snowball).
Look for new gift sets to be sold there, too, such as the "Newlywed Kit" (six bottles of Swanson Vineyards "Just Married" wine, along with a feather ostrich duster, and a sage bundle).
Kids Eat Free at Chipotle Aug. 2
Parents who purchase a burrito, salad, burrito bowl or tacos at Bay Area Chipotle's get a free meal for their kids on Aug. 2.
It's a promotion to show off the new Chipotle kids' menu, which includes choices such as small cheese quesadilla ($2.95, which includes a bag of chips, and beverage) and a "taco kit" ($3.95), which allows the pint-sized bunch to build their own tacos from three items (and enjoy chips and a beverage).
Just as with the grown-up dishes, the kid-friendly ones also are made with naturally raised meats, organic and local produce, and hormone-free dairy.
Today is National Cheesecake Day…
…And you know what that means? Half-price cheesecake slices for eat-in diners today at Cheesecake Factory locations.
Choose from more than 30 different flavors, including the new Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake, which includes chunks of your favorite candy mixed into cheesecake with layers of fudge cake and caramel. How decadent is that?
Twenty-five cents from each slice of the Reese's cheesecake will be donated to Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger relief agency.
Flea Street Cafe Dinner Event
Celebrate the achievements of two important women in the culinary world at a special dinner, Aug. 8, at Menlo Park's Flea Street Cafe.
The two women to be honored are: Temra Costa, author of "Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat" (Gibbs Smith); and Dru Rivers of Full Belly Farm in the Capay Valley.
The five-course dinner, featuring ingredients from Full Belly Farm, is $85 per person; a wine pairing option is an additional $30. Signed copies of "Farmer Jane" will be available for purchase. For reservations, call (650) 854-1226.
Urban Wine Experience
That's just what you'll enjoy, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. July 31, at Jack London Square, when 19 wineries will be pouring at the fifth annual Urban Wine Experience.
The event, by the East Bay Vintners, includes such participating wineries as Cerruti Cellars, Rosenblum Cellars and Periscope Cellars. Noshes will be provided by such restaurants as Bocanova, Wood Tavern and Yoshi's.
The indoor event, inside Jack London Pavilion (formerly Barnes & Noble) also will feature live music.
Tickets are $60 at the door (or $15 for designated drivers at the door).


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Originally Posted by stats1: where the hell have u been???
Been busy, Striped Bass fishing with the kids 1 weekend and family stuff the next. this week may be more of the same. I'll be back bro. I like the 11 for back to back W's this week (had him last week but no post to prove it). Wondering if the pressure of running his own small circiut team is enough to throw the 18 off his game just a tad this year? As others have said, will stay on the 18's sidlines until proven otherwise. GL this weekend. Go Rangers!!!
I have absolutely no clue who will win this race....pretty sure it's not going to be the 51 although he did run well for the first time last week...maybe Kurt to win the N-Wide race?
For the main event I need some help.....so.....throw me a frickin bone here.....who will win it?


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leads needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 33 designs submitted by 13 freelance designers.
This is a design for TruckRental.com
Winner guaranteed prize and future work!
This will be a relocation portal, not only truck rental website as domain name presents. People who come to this website need to feel warm and comfortable to leave their personal information.
This will be a relocation portal, not only truck
rental website as domain name presents.
Our users: People who need to move to new home or
transport their car.
How it works: User have to leave his personal
information such as: moving date, moving from/to zip code, name, email address,
phone number. User will receive quotes and will be contacted by service
providers via email and by phone.
People who come to this website need to feel warm
and comfortable to leave their personal information to be able receive
estimates for their relocation needs such as: quotes for truck rental, quotes for
car shipping, storage, moving companies and also buy boxes.
Right now we want to concentrate on home page
design but we will also need few inside pages after we have the look and feel
of Home. We will discuss these designs with the winner separately.
Must elements:
- Logo: http://99designs.com/contests/9842
- Left Menu
- Find truck rental agent near you – this will be
a search by
city/state or zip code
- Get a quote block – where user fills in his
- Blocks for "Boxes & packing supplies"
- Block for social events (users will be taken to
a page where
they can interact – swap boxes, etc…)
- Place for a widget/gadget to calculate moving
weight, truck space (similar to this)
- We need room for ads (728 x 90 banners top or
vertical) Sites we like:
Hertz.com – we like the blocks and the entire
feel of this site
Fresh new look.
Same color scheme as logo.
· Logo in .psd format HERE
Files in .PSD
loud colors
anything too busy or confusing
hard to read fonts
cheesy stock photos


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The Early Learning Field's Turning Point
The Early Learning Field's Turning Point
Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the Education Commission of the States 2013 National Forum, St. Louis, Missouri
Thank you, Governor Sandoval. It's great to be here with my colleague and good friend, Secretary Sebelius, to talk about early learning.
Before I begin, let me give a quick shout out to Gov. Sandoval. His recent budget provides an additional $40 million for an expansion of all-day kindergarten from 128 schools to 201 schools. And it also provided $40 million for class size reduction in kindergartenwhich will reduce all-day kindergarten class sizes from an average of 26 students per class to an average of 21 students per class.
These are not easy budget times, and none of these investments will pay short-term dividends. As all of you know, early childhood is the ultimate long-term investmentso I thank the Governor for his leadership and courage in this area.
I want to thank the Education Commission of the States for having us here, and for all the work that governors, lawmakers, state chiefs, and early learning experts and advocates do at the state level to strengthen early learning.
It's no secret that our children don't have lobbyists, don't have PACs, don't make campaign contributions, and can't vote. And so I'm here today to urge you to help give a voice, informed by research, to those who, sadly, are often without voice in debates in Washington.
I hope you'll walk away from this plenary session today with two takeaway messages.
The first takeaway is that investing in high-quality early learning is the best educational investment we can make as a nation. As President Obama says, it's the best bang for the educational buck because it has such a high ROI, or return on investment.
My good friend, Governor Hickenlooper, who serves as your chair, made much the same point in his State of the State address this year when he said that "early childhood education is one of the best investments we can make to ensure Colorado's kids are competitive and prepared for the future."
The second takeaway is: I hope that you walk away from this session with a renewed sense of urgencyand the recognition that we are at a fundamental turning point in the early learning field.
As you know, President Obama has proposed a landmark plan that would enable states to provide universal access to high-quality preschool for four-year olds from low-income and moderate-income families.
Let me put the magnitude of this investment in context. The President's proposal would provide the biggest increase in educational opportunity in the preschool-12 space in this century. One of my heroes, Marian Wright Edelman, called the President's early learning plan a "giant step forward for children."
We must understand the history of this movement. We can't forget that in 1971, Congress passed a law that provided free, universal access to early childhood services and child care for children from low-income families. What happened? President Nixon vetoed that law.
And, in the 42 long years since then, the evidence that high-quality early learning works has multiplied many times over. But over the decades, the United States has fallen badly behind high-achieving countries in the provision of high-quality early learning.
For those children who are lucky enough to enroll in a preschool program, fewer than 3 in 10 of our four-year-oldsless than 30 percentare in programs today that are high-quality. What we are doing is simply not good enough.
We cannot let this opportunity pass. Our children cannot wait another 42 years. We cannot let the perfect become the enemy of the good, as so often happens in Washington.
Governors, advocates, educators, philanthropists, CEOs, and leaders in the nonprofit world who all believe in the importance of early intervention cannot remain silent in their silos. Congress, and state and local leaders desperately need to hear your unified voice, your collective support, and your expert input.
Facts matter; and, today, the U.S. badly lags behind other nations in supporting early learning. Out of 29 industrial nations, the U.S. devotes less public spending to early learning as a percentage of GDP than 24 of our competitors.
Slovenia, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina devote proportionately more public spending to early learning than we do. And the United States is 28th among OECD nations in our enrollment of four-year-olds in early learning.
That is morally and educationally unacceptable. And from a long-term, economic-competitiveness standpoint, it is just plain dumb.
For our students to remain competitive in a knowledge-based, global economy, we must do much, much more to level the playing field to enable every child to begin school at the same starting line. We must, once and for all, get our schools out of the "catch-up" business.
Our nation's failure to systematically invest in high-quality early learning is a huge missed opportunity. Rigorous, longitudinal analysis by the Nobel prize-winning economist James Heckman found a return of seven dollars to every one dollar of public investment in high-quality preschool programs.
As you know, a seven-to-one ROI is a better return than any of us typically gets in the stock market, in real estate, or anywhere else you could put your money.
Children who go to high-quality preschool need fewer special services as they move through school. They get better jobs. They're in better health. They commit less crime. In short, high-quality early learning can, and does, transform the life chances of children.
The President's plan is comprehensive, not piecemeal. It would support a high-quality, seamless continuum of early learning opportunities from birth through age 5 that would help prepare infants, toddlers, and young children for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Home visiting, Early Head Start, new child care partnerships, and Head Start would cover children birth through age 3. The Department of Health and Human Services would lead and drive all of that critically important work.
Over time, four-year olds in Head Start would transition to state-run Preschool for All programs, freeing up more Head Start funds to serve literally hundreds of thousands more three-year olds in the a program that would continue to be administered by HHS.
Now, contrary to what some of you may have heard, the President's Preschool for All plan would not be a new Federal entitlement program.
States would only participate if they wanted to. For those that do, states could use federal funds to create or expand high-quality preschool programs, in partnership with local school-based and community providers. We would welcome and encourage mixed-delivery systems.
Our theory of action in expanding high-quality preschool is going to be the same as it was in the first term, with a strong emphasis on supporting and partnering with states, incentivizing innovation, and identifying what works to strengthen education and accelerate achievement.
That means that, at the federal level, we should be tight on ends but loose on means. Our Department should set a high bar for quality in preschool programs. But it should leave it to state and local leaders to choose the best means for reaching the bar.
That theory of action was very much the operating premise of the $600 million-plus Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, where Secretary Sebelius and her staff at HHS have been fantastic partners.
Fourteen states won grants to help support their efforts to coordinate their critical investments in early learning systems.
But 35 states, plus DC and Puerto Rico, applied for the RTT-Early Learning Challenge grants.
And I'm thrilled that many states that were not fortunate enough to win grantswith the limited funding we hadhave now crafted, and are committed to implementing, comprehensive plans for expanding access to high-quality early learning.
I'm also so pleased that my good friend, colleague, and another one of my personal heroes, Barbara Bowman, is slated to lead a breakout session on RTT-ELC grants later this morning. When she speaks, please listen closely.
Barbara played a leading role in the development of the RTT-ELC grants. And she was an unstoppable force in dramatically improving coordination between our department and HHS.
Historically, that relationship could frankly be characterized as dysfunctional or non-existent. But that reality made no senseand it served children poorly. I've called Barbara the intellectual godmother of President Obama's early learning plan.
So, in keeping with this theory of action from the first term, states would be required under the President's plan to meet quality benchmarks linked to better outcomes for childrenlike having high-quality state-level standards for early learning, qualified and well-compensated teachers in all preschool classrooms, and a plan to implement comprehensive data systems.
States and young children would reap enormous benefits from the President's plan. We estimate, for example, that Missouri could receive about $48 million just in the first year it participates in the Preschool for All program.
That funding, combined with an initial 10 percent state match of $4.8 million, would enable Missouri's providers to serve about 5,900 additional children from low- and moderate-income families in the first year of the program alone.
Illinois could receive a projected $102 millionenough, with the state match, to serve more than 12,000 children.
Given Congress's recent track record of dysfunction and inaction, I can see why you might be skeptical about legislation that entails substantial, new investments in young children and babies. Yet for all the very real challenges, I am actually very hopeful.
An unusually diverse, powerful, bipartisan coalition is forming in favor of dramatically expanding high-quality early learning. We have started holding fascinating town hall meetings in communities all across the countrymost recently in Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, and Kentucky.
CEOs, generals and admirals from the armed services, law-enforcement and faith-based leaders, philanthropists, a bipartisan mix of governors, and national thought leaders like Hillary Clinton are all promoting major investments in expanding high-quality early learning programs.
At the end of May, more than 300 business leaders and organizations from around the country signed an open letter to President Obama and the Congress, asking that they increase funding for early childhood education.
The signatories of that letter included local Chambers of Commerce, the Committee for Economic Development, and the former CEOs of Macy's, Proctor & Gamble, Xerox, Yahoo!, Northwest Airlines, and the current chairman of the PNC Financial Services Group.
These business leaders weren't just engaged in some feel-good philanthropy. That's not how they think.
In their letter to the President and Congress, they wrote that quality early childhood programs haveand I quotea "significant and positive impact on the skilled workforce, [on the] customer base, [and on the] economy and nation." These CEOs love this because they fundamentally understand ROI!
Earlier this month, Mission: Readinessa group of 350 retired military leaders, generals, and admiralsreleased a report that projects the President's plan could lead to two million more high school graduates nationwide and $150 billion in net economic benefits to society.
These generals and admirals believe the shortfall of high-quality early learning in America is so serious that it is literally a long-term, national security threat to maintaining a top-flight military force.
Why do they think that? Because today, three-fourths of young adults are not able to serve in the military, either because they dropped out of high school, can't pass the entrance exam, are too obese, or have a criminal record. And dropping out of high school, criminality, and obesity are all reduced by high-quality early learning.
And last, but certainly not least, in statehouses across the country, both Democratic and Republican governors are investing public dollars to expand high-quality preschool programs. Governors can't just talk, like some folks in Washingtonthey actually have to get things done.
In what must be some kind of record, more than half of our governors27referenced early learning in their State of the State addresses this year. From Mississippi to Minnesota, governors are investing in early learning and preschool.
After listening to the President's State of the Union address, Governor Bentley of Alabama, a staunch Republican, joked to me that he felt like President Obama had stolen his best lines. But like so many of his colleagues, Gov. Bentley isn't just talkinghe is walking the walk.
Last month, he signed a bill investing more than $28 million in Alabama's preschool program, enabling 1,500 more children to gain access to high-quality preschool.
Last month, I visited the well-known Perry Preschool Child Development Center in Ypsilanti with Michigan's Republican governor, Rick Snyder. Shortly afterwards, Michigan's lawmakers voted to spend $65 million more next year on preschool programs.
That's a funding increase of close to 60 percentand will add up to 16,000 more four-year-olds to pre-K next year.
One of the reasons I am so excited about the state leadership we are seeing is that high-quality early learning programs are especially effective at developing the critical social and non-cognitive skills that are so essential to succeeding in lifeskills like self-regulation, resisting distractions, building relationships with peers, and managing frustration.
James Heckman, the Nobel-prize-winning economist, is convinced that the capacity to strengthen the non-cognitive skills of children when they are young is one of the secrets of success in high-quality programs. And a wealth of research on the importance of these non-cognitive skills supports his argument.
A child's ability to delay gratification at the young age of four predicts academic performance and social competence in adolescence. And attention skills at the beginning of kindergarten predict academic achievement throughout elementary school and the odds of completing college by age 25.
I hope that all the governors, state chiefs, and early learning advocates and experts here will not only publicize those findings but work to systematically engage parents around the importance of improving executive functions and non-cognitive skills in young children.
Now, as encouraging as these recent state investments are in high-quality early learning, the unmet need remains huge. That's why we must be a good partner and also invest.
In Oklahoma, about 5,000 four-year olds sit on preschool waiting lists. In Massachusetts, 30,000 children from low-income families linger on wait lists, unable to obtain the state voucher to pay for their care.
Georgia recently restored pre-K funding cut during the recession but still has 8,000 children on the waiting list. In Pennsylvania, 6,700 children are waiting for openings. The list goes on and on.
In the end, education is so much more than a set of numbers on the ledger line. Education is not just an expense, it's an investment. It is a value choice.
Today, an unusual coalition of bipartisan partners across the country is pressing to expand high-quality early learning. We need that outside/in strategy. We must do everything in our power to make sure we invest in our babies and children. We have to make the right value choices.
We can be both flexible and creative on funding for the President's landmark early learning plan. But the default position cannot be that politicians all continue to say they love kids, they care about kids, but not invest in them.
The default position can't be that we have to invest but can only do so on the cheap. Transforming and elevating the quality of early learning costs money.
Let me be clear. It is not going to be accomplished through social impact bonds alone, though that approach is a promising, innovative effort being led by the private sector. It is not going to get done by diverting money from Head Start.
It's not going to get done through a slightly bigger Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge program. It is not going to get done through wishful thinking.
How will it get done?
By a tenacious commitment from all of us to do what is right for childrenincluding doing the tough work in Congress and in the states to find real revenue streams to finally create a truly world-class system of early learning in America.
I have to give a huge shout-out to Governor Hickenlooper here. His courage and commitment to early learning has been an example that the rest of the nation can follow.
The school finance law that he signed last month would dramatically expand Colorado's Preschool Program to allow access for at-risk 3-year olds and 4-year olds.
And he has committed to making the tough call to go back to the voters in November to find new revenue streams to pay for the preschool-12 school finance overhaul. Colorado is leading the nation to where we need to go.
We absolutely cannot give up investing in the things that make us prosperous, competitive, and a flourishing civic society. The path to the middle class runs straight through our classrooms. Simply put, America cannot win the race for the future without investing in education.
And now I'd like to turn this over to my colleague and good friend, Secretary Sebelius. We have become a traveling roadshow together. We had a day recently with a breakfast meeting, then a lunch meetingand walking out of lunch, she asked, "Where are we going for dinner?"
She has been an extraordinary partner in our departments' unprecedented, joint efforts to strengthen early learning. I've loved working with herand have learned so much from her.
She is deeply committed to keeping the interests of children first and foremostand I can't thank her enough for her moral leadership and courage. Please welcome Kathleen Sebelius.


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Flowers and floral prints brighten invitations for any occasion. Choose from modern or classic floral patterns for your birthday invitations, wedding invitations, bridal shower invitations, graduation invitations or just about any occasion that calls for stylish invitations.
Turn any party into an elegant event with rose petal invitations, bright tulip invitations or a sunny assortment of flowers. Your floral arrangement invitations will brighten your guests' day. Floral party invitations are the perfect invitations for your summer party or even your winter party with a summer theme.
Spice up your birthday with peppy floral birthday invitations. Pick a sweet pink flower for sweet 16 party invitations. Contemporary floral patterns are perfect for 21st birthday party invitations and 30th birthday party invitations. And beautiful, classic floral patterns work wonderfully for 40th birthday party invitations, 50th birthday party invitations, and much more.
Your wedding invitations would be lovely in a floral theme. Choose a flower that matches your wedding flowers or colors for a tasteful wedding invitation. You wedding invitations should be a striking expression of your style. If you're planning a destination wedding to a tropical location you might consider wedding invitations with a tropical flower design to set the tone for your big day. Floral invitations also work perfectly for wedding brunch invitations, bridal shower invitations and rehearsal invitations.
Summer flowers can also be the perfect backdrop for your graduation invitations, garden party invitations, tea party invitations, baby shower invitations and much more.


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We welcome dogs of all sizes, ages and abilities, as long as they are social with dogs and humans. No formal training or experience is needed our trainers, dog sport instructors and staff veterinarians will show you and your dog the ropes, whether your pup is looking to brush up on some old skills or learn a few new tricks. Dogs can try their paw at a wide variety of dog sports, or, if you prefer, you can just take it easy and hang out together by (or in) the pool, enjoy Yappy Hour in the dog-friendly lounge, or go for a hike with your best buddy to take in all the new sights and smells.
Held at the Roaring Brook Ranch in Lake George, NY, Canine Camp Getaway of NY offers a scenic paradise where you and your dog can be close to nature. With nearly 300 acres, the resort offers plenty of wide open space for recharging body, mind and spirit while strengthening the bond with your four-legged buddy.
Best of all, were human friendly too, so you dont have to give up the vacation amenities you cherish -- like private baths, air conditioning, cable TV, wi-fi, fine dining (with a special dog-friendly section of the dining room), nighttime entertainment in the bar/lounge, and even an on-site spa! If youd like to explore further afield, the neighboring town offers golfing, boating, outlet shopping, antiquing and more.
This is one retreat thats a real treat for you AND your dog. So give your dog the gift of a lifetime and sign up today!


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JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – If the Tennessee Tech men's
golf team had shot as well Monday as they fared Tuesday, the Golden
Eagles might have been near the top of the standings.
The Golden Eagles fired a 297 Tuesday, the sixth-best round of the day, but it only allowed Tech to move up one spot in the final standings to 13th place at the Grub Mart/Young Oil Invitational, hosted by Jacksonville State.
Tech was in 14th place Monday after a first round 319, then knocked 22 shots off their total on the second day.
Austin Peay won the team title, leap-frogging past three teams that shared the first round lead to claim the championship. The Govs carded a 282 Tuesday for a 572 total to win by 10 shots over host Jacksonville State (582). Presbyterian (586) finished third, followed by Columbus State (589) and the JSU-B team (590).
Tech's top score came from sophomore Tyler Cassetty, who finished in a tie for 20th place with a 74-74—148. His score didn't go toward Tech's team total, since he was competing as an individual.
The team's top finisher was Jared Dunn, who shot 77-75—152 to finish in a tie for 32nd place. Greyson Painter and Wes Korth tied for 44th place, each shooting a 154. Jake Heatherly and Calvin Clark each posted scores of 160 to tie for 73rd place.
JSU's Mark Whisenant won medalist honors with a 69-70—139 on his home course.


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Lawrence Murphy
Lawrence Murphy holds an MA in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia. He and his colleague Dan Mitchell were the first people on earth to use the internet for the delivery of mental health services, having established Therapy Online in 1995. Mr. Murphy co-authored the first ethical code for online counselling practice in 1998 and has published widely in the field, including the seminal work "When writing helps to heal: E-mail as therapy", published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Guidance and Counselling in 1998.
Lawrence continues to engage in research in the fields of cybercounselling, cybercounselling training, and eSupervision. He has presented on cybercounselling research at numerous national and international conferences including providing keynote addresses at several. His most recent manuscript was published in the summer of 2009 in the British Journal of Social Work.
Therapy Online works with individual practitioners and counselling agencies around the world providing counselling software, training and consultation.


text: _Move over, Hemmingway!_Whether you consider yourself the next great American novelist or a sometimes-Instagram poet, a vintage writing desk always makes a worthy companion. An efficient, table-like silhouette lends a used writing desk a superior versatility—use a writing desk in a bedroom, living room, or even an entry. Vintage writing desks also transition seamlessly from work to play, making it easy to refashion one as a vanity, buffet, or bar.


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The letter "X" is not a multiplication symbol. Not in its uppercase form, and not in its lowercase form, either. The multiplication sign looks like this: ×
A superscript letter "O" is not a degree sign. A degree looks like this: °
A lowercase "u" is not lowercase Greek letter mu, better known as the metric symbol for "micro-". The micro- symbol looks like this: µ
And we can tell the difference.
If you use Microsoft Office, here's the part of the ribbon you're looking for:
Windows users can also open up the Character Map for even more symbols.
One major technical symbol that is missing, and which scientists often want to use, is the mean symbol. It looks like an x with a bar over the top. For some reason, the mean symbol is not in Unicode character sets, or in HTML, as far as I can find.
I have seen these kinds of mistakes on posters, and slides, and documents, many times.
These mistakes show that you don't know how to use your tools. That is the definition of amateur. And wouldn't you rather look like a professional than an amateur?
(Crossposted from NeuroDojo.)
The First Printed Math Books
1 week ago


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"When you talk about the Obesity Epidemic, you are talking about me. (And probably yourself. And that's okay.) ...
"Oh, but you're an exception! When I say obese, I mean, like, you know– fat people."
That's nice– but that's not what the BMI says. And the BMI is a mathematical formula, so there's no arguing. Statistics that talk about the percentage of Americans (or whomever) that are overweight or obese include me. Not that it matters whether or not I am subjectively "fat," being that "fat people" are, you know– people. And not so much The ObeseTM. But who needs "subjective" when you have a nice, "objective," highly scientistic, evidentiarial-based formula derived from two important, health-related numbers: height and weight.
I know how she feels. I hover between size 14 and 18, most often wearing a 16. By BMI standards, I'm right on the edge of overweight and obese. According to the scientific calculations of my height and weight, I'm one of those people that needs to buy two airplane seats, that uses the money "people like us" - ie, regular, non-obese, HEALTHY people - pay in for health insurance, that wears only stretch pants and eats ice cream.
But you know what? I ran a 10k this weekend. I ran and ran and didn't stop, not until 6.2 miles after I started. I didn't think I was going to be able to run the whole way, but I made it to mile 4 and thought, "Why not? I'll just keep going until I feel I can't go anymore."
Do you want to know how many non-obese people I passed while running? Or how many people started out running but then walked? Or once I passed them, started running again because apparently size 16 people aren't supposed to pass skinny people?
By BMI standards, I am obese and not possibly healthy. In my real life, a life that's not judged by standards of height and weight but by my accomplishments, I ran 6.2 miles on Saturday. You would think a person has to be at least marginally healthy to finish a 10k.
These are my family members who ran/walked the race with me. From left to right: my mom's aunt, my mom's cousin, my uncle's girlfriend, my other uncle and his baby boy, my mom, and me. With the exception of my mom's aunt, we all ran the whole race. By BMI standards, my mom is at the upper end of the healthy weight while I'm obese.
Let me say this - slow and steady wins the race. Or at least finishes without stopping. And the BMI index doesn't have the last word on healthy.


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The Steal Call
The Steal Call is one of my favorite plays Written by Andrew Patterson
I see blank looks. I shall explain.
In many games, some players are familiar with the steal-raise and will defend their blinds in response to an open-raise from late position, especially if they notice you're a reasonable player. So, a growing number of players (well me), have begun using the steal-call.
As its name suggests, this is an open-limp with the intention of stealing the pot. Madness! I hear you cry. But it works. Some advantages.
Article continued on: Best Poker Offers
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Industry News
ISSE Long Beach: A Latino Guide
This weekend I head to the port of Long Beach for the first spin of the show season, the International Salon Spa Expo. I don't know about you, but unless I make a plan, when I get to an expo the tide carries me away. I wind up not seeing, learning, and meeting the people I wanted. So, here is my attack plan for the weekend:
Sunday, the 27th
I fly in from Arizona @ 9:01 on US Airways, I wonder how many of us will be on that flight? Would love to say hello or meet you, if so. Drop off bags at hotel, and since I already purchased my tickets online, (have my confirmation number) I hope to rush through the entrance mechanics.
Once at the Convention Center here is the route I will follow,
feel free to hang with me, we can chat up the looks...
9:30 AM "2013 Latino Collection" by Anthony Padilla and Joaquin Regalado: an explosion of shape, color and style: Room: Stage Right.
9:30 AM "From Conception to Realization" with Steve Elias, a NAHA winner and editorial stylist teaching how to create that perfect photo shoot. Room 204 (repeats on Monday 9:30 Room 204)
10:00 AM "Hair Extension Certification" with Ruben Martinez. Get certified as an extension specialist and learn a variety of methods. Room 101B
2:30 PM "The Comb" with Joaquin Regalado, learn how to use your comb in a new, revolutionary way for precision cuts. Room 102C
2:00 PM "The Bombshell" with Steve Elias, this hands on workshop is worth every penny to learn how to create styles from Monroe to Bardot. Room 201B
Sunday night dinner: I will try and squeeze into Opera Restaurant about a block away from convention center. Everyone is there. ;-)
Monday, the 28th
6:00 AM A 30-minute walk around the bay.
9:30 AM "From Conception to Realization" with Steve Elias, a NAHA winner and editorial stylist teaching how to create that perfect photo shoot. Room 204 (also Sunday @ 930AM)
12:00 PM "Intro to Extension Methods" with Ruben Martinez, Learn the basics of three methods. Room 203C
1:30 PM "The Art of Hairstyling" with Julian Macias, from Chihuahua, Mexico. Learn to create art and fashion with simple techniques from building foundation to cultivating texture. Room: Center Stage
2:00 PM "Bridging the Gap" with Gustav Mendoza. Learn to become proficient with clippers and achieving the perfect taper. Room 203A
2:00 PM "3-D Mixed Media" Nail Technology with Mireya Cardona. Learn how to paint 3-D flowers. Room Arena 7
2:00 PM "The Edwardian Era" with Steve Elias. Can't get enough of Downton Abbey's tea dresses & styles. Join the club and this hands on workshop to learn how to create them. Room 201B
3:30 PM "Advanced Color Cutting" with Raul Martez. Learn to apply three different color tones in one application for amazing results. Room Stage Right
4:30 Farewell cocktails somewhere with my show mates. And, off to the airport around 6:00 PM.
I will be posting show photos on Twitter @getcarlos01 (follow me).
Or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carlos.valenzuela.3551
Hasta la vista...
Carlos Valenzuela is a Latino market consultant, author of i-Fabulous Life Skills, cosmetologist, educatorand motivational speaker.
Contact Carlos at [email protected]


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Rapid Microbiological Methods for a New Generation
These are exciting times, as 19th-century microbiological methods make way for rapid detection, quantification and characterization technologies.
One of the greatest contributions to the field of microbiology came from the kitchen. In the 1880s, scientist Walter Hesse was searching for a solid medium that could be used to cultivate bacteria. The material had to be stable at high temperatures, and had to allow different types of microbes to be separated easily. Fanny Angelina, Hesse's wife and laboratory assistant, had the answer: Agar-Agar, a gelling agent that she used in her jellies and puddings. This simple kitchen ingredient revolutionized the science of microbiology, allowing the separation and culturing of microbes to become a routine procedure.
|LabChip technology uses microfluidics to separate and analyze samples for microbial identification. Samples are run through microscopic channels inside the chip. Courtesy of Agilent Technologies.
The growth of microbial cells on agar surfaces may provide critical information about the number and the type of organisms that are present in a sample, but it can take days or even weeks to get results. In many cases, individual organisms cannot be isolated due to confluent growth, necessitating subculturing onto additional agar media, further delaying the time to result. In addition, many microbes may not replicate when cultured on artificial media after they've been deprived of nutrients or exposed to sublethal concentrations of preservatives, disinfectants, heat or decontaminating gases.
The modern microbiological laboratory needs more innovative approaches to microbial detection, identification and enumeration. Fortunately, technology is now available — or close to being available — that will speed up microbiological analysis, allowing aseptic manufacturing to embrace the concepts of Process Analytical Technology (PAT). This article surveys the various Rapid Microbiological Methods (RMMs) that are now available (or are in development) to the pharmaceutical industry.
PAT and FDA's acceptance of rapid methods
The PAT initiative describes a regulatory framework that encourages the voluntary development and implementation of innovative approaches in pharmaceutical development, manufacturing and quality assurance (Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, November/December 2004, p. 41). Many new technologies are currently available that provide information on physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics of materials to improve process understanding and to measure, control and/or predict product quality and performance. However, RMMs have not yet been widely implemented within the pharmaceutical industry due to concerns about validation and the need to prove the technologies' "comparability" with existing methods, worries about return on investment (ROI) and regulatory uncertainty.
Many forward-looking microbiologists working at pharmaceutical companies are frustrated by their management's hesitancy to approve the use of RMMs. Typically, these managers fear that the company won't be able to make a compelling case to regulators that the new methods work as well or better than technologies that the company already uses, or that there's not enough guidance available to validate a new method and/or laboratory system. This simply is not true. Companies that have conducted successful validations or those that are now qualifying new systems have relied on guidelines presented in PDA Technical Report #33, "Evaluation, Validation and Implementation of New Microbiological Testing Methods." Published in 2000, this document provides information on validation protocol design, testing and acceptance criteria, and installation, operational and performance qualification strategies.
But demonstrating comparability of the new technology is only one part of the overall strategy for embracing RMMs. Management may also be concerned that:
- Technologies may be incompatible with product and/or processes;
- Staff may not understand what the required method sensitivity or specificity should be (e.g., detection levels and for what types of microorganisms);
- Technologies may require significant operator training and qualification;
- Technology vendors won't be able to provide support during the initial assessment, validation exercises, and most importantly, after the system has been placed in service for routine use.
Due diligence is essential, from both a technical and a business perspective, when implementing RMMs, to ensure that any technology selected will be the best possible fit for the application involved.
Making a business case for RMMs
RMMs are not inexpensive. The overhead alone can run into the hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars, required for:
- initial feasibility assessment;
- development of user requirements;
- testing protocols and SOPs;
- training;
- execution of the validation program;
- documentation;
- regulatory submission;
- technology transfer;
- site implementation.
These expenses don't include the costs for the equipment itself, or testing costs, which tend to be higher than those for established technologies.
At any pharmaceutical company, corporate management will demand to know what ROI it can expect from these new technologies. In order to provide the most accurate information, any team exploring the use of RMMs must include someone from the company's financial or business planning department. Their expertise will ensure that the budget is accurate, and that the team makes a strong business case for the technology. In many cases, the long-term benefits of RMMs will far outweigh the short-term costs.
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Every athlete went to the London 2012 Summer Olympics dreaming of one thing. The United States brought home 46, China, 38, France, 11 and Uganda, only 1.
Yep, you guessed it, the coveted gold medal. Gold symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and it the case of the Olympics, it symbolizes athletic excellence. The August, challenge #4 was to capture a photo of something gold. This week's Flickr gallery was full of shiny, glittery golden hues. Here are the Project MCP team's favorites:
Submitted by prettyprincessjen
Submitted by PHOTO HOLIC
Submitted by LLMphotos
Submitted by James Charles
Submitted by ablissfulmess
Thank you to everyone for adding your golden photos to the Flickr gallery! As usual, we really enjoyed viewing them all.
Challenge #1 – Lots of pencils, more and more books – Take a photo illustrating "back to school" or the word "return".Challenge #2 – Everyone knows a good teacher makes all the difference – Take a photo illustrating the word "teach or teacher".Challenge #3 – The weather is getting cooler and it is getting dark earlier – Take a photo with the theme "signs of fall"..(If it is not Fall in your part of the world, go ahead and take a photo with your current season's theme.)Challenge #4 – red, green, gold and brown are the signature colors of Fall – Take a photo with a Fall color scheme.


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Wesley Snipes ain't exactly qualified to teach you about paying taxes -- but TMZ has learned Snipes is teaching yoga while he's locked up.
Sources tell TMZ ... Snipes is teaching yoga to some of the other inmates at the McKean Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania. We're told Snipes requested yoga mats for himself and a few others ... and his request was granted.
Downward dog at your own risk.
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Review: Ekahau HeatMapper
Page 1 of 1
Ekahau HeatMapper
Price: Free
Pros: Great way to map small WLANs, relatively accurate, can't beat the price (free!)
Cons: 15 minute survey limit, no pan/zoom, no result save (beyond snapshots), XP/Vista only
Large WLANs are best designed and mapped using sophisticated planning and site survey tools. But most home and small business WLANs are "plug and pray"install one AP (or maybe a few) and hope that does the trick. When it doesn't, somebody wanders the area, scanning for nearby APs with an ordinary Wi-Fi client or shareware "stumbler."
While such tools can record vital WLAN stats (e.g., SSIDs, MAC, RSSI), they don't make it easy to pinpoint AP locations or visualize their coverage. Real-time locationing vendor Ekahau has now filled this gap with HeatMapper, a simple, clean, and surprisingly effective bit of Windows freeware.
Keep it simple
Ekahau recommends that WLANs with over five APs invest in sophisticated Site Survey products for multi-floor/building 3D mapping, expert RF planning, load simulation, design optimization, and real-time tracking. While HeatMapper leverages the same positioning engine, it is not a stripped-down version of Ekahau Site Survey Standard or Pro. Rather, HeatMapper is a basic utility, designed specifically to map small WLANs with minimal user input or interpretation.
Home owners and small office staff with no Wi-Fi knowledge can easily use HeatMapper for brief, informal site surveys. Just run the installer on any Windows Vista or XP (32-bit) laptop with at least 512MB RAM, 1GB HDD, 500MHz CPU, and any Wi-Fi adapter. The program auto-launches a 2D map, plotted on a basic grid or any imported image (e.g., a drawn-to-scale JPG of your home's floorplan). Move slowly throughout a single floor, left-clicking at regular intervals to mark your current location (aka "drop breadcrumbs"). You can pause, undo, or add to the current survey at any time, taking measurements for up to 15 minutes.
HeatMapper correlates those clicks with Wi-Fi observations, crunching data to position each discovered AP on the map. Each vendor-specific icon is surrounded by colored bands that represent signal strength range. By default, HeatMapper displays the aggregate coverage afforded by all APs, but hovering over a single AP displays coverage for that device only. This simple and intuitive heat map makes its easy to spot areas with strong (green) or weak (red) coverage. Hovering over any band displays the range (e.g., dark green = received signal strength of -35dBm or greater).
HeatMapper also displays a sortable list of APs, described by SSID, MAC, channel, type (a/b/g/n), max data rate, encryption (open/WEP/WPA/WPA2), and a real-time signal strength meter. These can be used to spot co-channel interference or basic configuration mistakes. For example, you might notice that your AP reverted to open during last night's power failure, that someone installed an AP in the lobby without permission, or that a neighbor is using a channel too similar to yours.
These are very common problems that are easy to fix once you notice them. Other basic Wi-Fi utilities can detect these issues, but HeatMapper gives you more information to resolve them. For example:
- NetStumbler might discover neighbors using channels 1, 6, and 11but HeatMapper lets you visualize those AP footprints so you can choose the best alternative.
- Your own AP might make you aware of nearby roguesbut HeatMapper helps you pinpoint each rogue's location.
- Any Wi-Fi client's signal strength meter might clue you in to troublebut HeatMapper plots the area(s) that could use improvement and the actual consequences after repositioning an AP.
Click to enlarge.
Just the basics
As free utilities go, HeatMapper is a gem. It doesn't require specific Wi-Fi adapters or custom drivers. It isn't beggar-ware or cripple-warethere are no registration nags or buttons that require payment to unlock. It doesn't exit unexpectedly or freeze your laptop. HeatMapper does what it does cleanly, with professional-looking results.
During our tests, HeatMapper accurately estimated the location of interior APs in several small indoor venues, including homes, coffee shops, hotel lobbies, and small offices. Although it was not good at larger, outdoor surveys (like slowly war-driving an entire block), HeatMapper did indicate the general direction of external APs by placing them at the map's outer edge.
HeatMapper may be easy to use, but it's still essential to click correctly and often. In particular, don't just walk the edges of a building or coverage areaaccuracy is far better if you walk in between APs in at least four directions. Repeating an earlier walkabout in the same session can also be helpful; additional readings refine your earlier results.
However, HeatMapper is only designed to map small venues. To survey an area larger than a typical home, you'll need to subdivide and map separately. Why? You can run HeatMapper as often or as long as you want, but it only uses the last 15 minutes of data. If an active survey runs longer, earlier breadcrumbs disappear. Furthermore, the map that HeatMapper produces cannot be scrolled or zoomed; this makes it difficult to survey a large area with sufficient accuracy.
In addition, the more APs, the more cluttered your map becomes. Virtual APs (APs that beacon multiple SSIDs) appear as discrete icons, layered on top of each other. You cannot simultaneously view coverage areas for multiple selected APs (to visualize overlap) or filter out neighbor AP coverage areas (to focus on two or more of your own APs). In short, if you have a large WLAN (or a densely-deployed small WLAN), HeatMapper is not designed for you.
Moving up the food chain
Ekahau has done a nice job of meeting simple SOHO needs with a free utility that does not cannibalize its commercial product sales. But we think there's room in the market for an entry-level 2D mapper that does more without a price tag above two grand.
For example, HeatMapper can sort discovered APs by signal strength, channel, SSID, MAC, or security. However, many small businesses could benefit from grouping APs differently or filtering data used to generate the map. You might want to see your entire "guest" SSID footprint, even if produced by five APs. Or you might want to see a physical AP's composite footprint for all SSIDs it beacons. Perhaps you'd like to see only 5 GHz coverage, or only a single channel.
These are no doubt easy refinements to HeatMapperbut they would start to clutter an otherwise simple utility aimed at novices. On the other hand, SMBs that just can't afford Ekahau's Survey products would probably pay for these value-adds.
The verdict
Of course, Ekahau might do a few things to make this freeware even better. We would love to see HeatMapper on other platforms with touch-screens. Signal strength is useful, but quality is what counts; we'd like to see RSSI and SNR. We also found launching another survey by accident a bit too easy; an explicit Start/Stop button could avoid this.
Finally, HeatMapper can save the currently-displayed map image, but not the list of APs. (To capture both, take your own screensnap.) SOHOs that use HeatMapper for real-time visualization will still need something like NetStumbler to record and compare past survey results. We'd love to be able to save and re-open past HeatMapper runs.
But frankly, these are nits. HeatMapper brings something to the Wi-Fi utility table that's been missing for a long time. When dining for free on a tasty meal, we should really just say "Thank you!"
Lisa Phifer owns Core Competence, a consulting firm focused on business use of emerging network and security technologies. A 27-year networking industry veteran, Lisa has been involved in the design, implementation, and testing of wireless products and services since 1996.


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Re: User/Usability testingtmaurer Mar 16, 2012 8:34 AM (in response to sbrown)1 person found this helpful
We actually did this in part of the company about six months after we launched our Jive platform. This was back in the days of 3.0. And yes, we had a script. We would lay out a task and ask them to complete, then shut up and watch. We recorded sessions (but never actually used the recordings), and made sure to time each response. For example, you would say, "You remember John Smith just wrote an article that is relevant to a project you are starting. How would you find John's most recent posts." And then you time how long it takes them to reach the goal.
It is important to make sure there is a defined end point to the task. This means you need to do some prep to see what exists and what you might need to create to make the scenarios make sense.
Not really convinced the observers need to be unbiased, just that they actually record what they witness and don't provide help to the people being observed. In fact, I think it is good for people who "know" the answers to watch. There were things that surprised all of us.
The reasons we found that it made sense:
- Jive is much more complicated than email. If you had/have an intranet, you might have considered doing usability testing there. And Jive is more complex than an intranet, so why not.
- We uncovered areas that were common problems. It allowed us to figure out where to focus training and documentation efforts. We also implemented a "Tip of the Day" that was publicized to staff via other mediums, so we could be more certain of reaching the audience with helpful tidbits.
Re: User/Usability testingErin Haines Mar 16, 2012 9:20 AM (in response to tmaurer)1 person found this helpful
We are also currently gearing up for an upgrade from 4.5>5. We've done user testing/still in the process in two ways:
First: We interviewed a group of 'power-users' and similar to what Tracy mentioned above - we interviewed them, asked them to show us specific actions and interactions in the community and recorded the sessions. The results from these interviews helped us to determine how people are using the community in their day to day work, but also allowed us to watch how they navigated to their content. One challenge we faced when doing these interviews, was getting a wide range of users, as our "Power-Users" of course were on board (they are power users for a reason), the folks who are less active in the community or have less experience were less willing to participate.
The feedback from this has helped us to determine gaps in our previous training (which would have been when we launched a year ago with 4.5) and is helping us to shape our training for v5, and map out any potential UI changes, enhancements, apps etc. to invest in as we move to v5. It was also encouraging that many of the "barriers" or "issues" called out in these interviews are items that the functions of v5 actually address!
-Note: as we are an Advertising Agency, we enlisted the help of one of our UI experts to help structure & conduct the interviews as well as give recommendations
Second: We have a QA version of our community in v5 that we've opened up to our Power-Users to play around in and test out the functionality of the new version. We initially had plans of having our UAT peeps test out specific functions in the QA environment, to keep the testing structured and gather feedback. But we have found keeping these users engaged in testing has been challenging for a couple reasons: 1.Our QA environment does not contain live content, and 2. our testers are doing this on top of their regular day-jobs which take priority. We have slightly abandoned our 'structured' testing plan, and are testers are still giving good feedback as they test when/what they can/what interests them the most.
We are currently trying to re-brand this UAT as more of a "Sneak Peek" of the new version to get some more interest, and invite more people to test. If anyone has had success in running a testing environment like this or tips for keeping the testers engaged I'd love to hear it!
Re: User/Usability testingsbrown Mar 16, 2012 9:37 AM (in response to Erin Haines)
Great guidance Erin, and thank you ! Interesting point on Power users vs. non. I'd like to get many of those to assist us that have litle to no experience in our current instance. To your point, it could be a bit of a challenge. Your second point is dead on. Anyone will be reluctant to invest time "testing" unless it has direct impact on their own day to day work in getting things done. Ideally, if both versions could co-exist, perhaps that challenge would be alleviated. I like the "Sneek Peek" thought. Makes me think of setting up a "kiosk" of sorts in a high traffic area that runs through a video loop of the new UAT. Hmmmm.
Thanks again!
Re: User/Usability testingsbrown Mar 16, 2012 9:30 AM (in response to tmaurer)
Thanks so much Tracy. Very helpful. I believe if we communicate it's purpose properly, i.e. for training modules, documentation, Tips... as well as record how long tasks take and what the stumbling blocks are, this will be successful. I think the challenge will be when we get questions like "why do we have to do it that way..? "Why can't you just change the colors", etc. Don't want to get bogged down in individual requests for changes that we ultimately can't control. Picking the right audience will help with that.
Thanks for taking the time!
Re: User/Usability testingtmaurer Mar 16, 2012 9:53 AM (in response to sbrown)
We made it clear that we were testing across a wide audience and looking to see what challenges were and see where there might be opportunities. We honestly didn't get a lot of negative feedback from the participants, and based on what we saw, we were able to give some of them really quick, easy tips to improve their experience right then and there. I also suggest making sure you select people from different departments and different experience levels.
Re: User/Usability testingheidi.staats Mar 18, 2012 10:29 AM (in response to sbrown)
Congratulations, Scott - testing your site with users as part of this upgrade process is a great idea.
My high level recommendations to you are:
- Try to shoot for 5-8 users in each category that makes sense based on your community. Examples: Community Managers and Admins (you may not have 5-8 of these, but as many as you can get up to that range), New users, Existing users.
- Create tasks for each group based on (if you are able) user interviews, or based on what you know about your user base and existing permissions.
- Start with a classic Usability Test Preamble - Here is a good example by Steve Krug, (his site has other resources you might like) author of the book (I recommend it!) Don't Make Me Think.
- Keep the tasks short and to the point, and don't rely on terminology that is Jive specific whenever possible. User flows that come up in daily business don't always have the added bonus of "content type." Examples:
- "Add your meeting notes from this morning's meeting into the system." vs. "Create a document and enter your meeting notes in the Project Managers group." This lets you watch their thought process and can also inform your information architecture.
- "Ask your peers if anyone has ever <something that makes sense for your community>." vs. "Start a discussion to find out if..."
- Don't feel compelled to answer or respond to questions like "Can we change the colors of the site?" - The usability proctor can simply thank the user and offer to share their comments and feature requests with the people who make the decisions when those things come up;
I've done the quick lunchroom testing before (kiosk-style as you mention above) and we lured people in by offering something along the lines of "Tell us what you think, wear jeans on Friday." We worked out a deal with management to provide special (and rare) jeans-wearing passes for their time. It worked well!
Hope this helps!
Re: User/Usability testingsbrown Mar 22, 2012 3:15 PM (in response to heidi.staats)
Heidi. Thank u so much for all the suggestions. As we build out our pLan this will really help!
Ill be back to digest this again and post our pLan


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Monroe, WI (PRWEB) November 28, 2012
David Ryan Consulting will be on the radio beginning in January 2013. The radio show will be thirty minutes long and will air in Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. David Ryan Consulting will be discussing many investment alternatives.
This radio show will especially help those who are looking to retire in the next few years, those who have already retired but are looking to protect their assets while still being able to maintain their lifestyle, and high net worth individuals. These however are not the only groups of people that should listen to the radio show. Tax strategies will also be discussed on the radio show.
Here is an example of what David Ryan Consulting will be covering in their upcoming radio show.
The difference between a good annuity and a bad annuity; there are so many different kinds of annuities out there that it can be confusing. Saying that all annuities are good are that all annuities are bad is just incorrect. There are different kinds of annuities because not one type of annuity will work for everyone.
One type of investment alternative that David Ryan Consulting will discuss will be annuities. Both deferred annuities and immediate annuities. Deferred annuity is a means for growth potential over a longer period of time. An immediate annuity is just the opposite of a deferred annuity. Immediate annuities are designed to produce a reliable source of income throughout retirement. Depending on the situation one type of annuity can be a better fit than the other.


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GDT Oilers 1, Predators 3 – Game 73 – 2011-03-22 @ 6:00 PM MST – SNETW
The Oilers are driving on fumes now. I see the effort there, but really they just don't have the right players in the line up to get it done. So tonight will again be about watching some youngsters. This time it's not about Eberle/Paajarvi/Hall/Omark, it's about Hartikainen and, to a lesser extent, Vande Velde. Hartikainen has been earning a lot of respect from Oilers fans for his gritty play. He also has a decent nose for the net too, it would seem. He recorded his first career point (an assist) against Phoenix a couple of games ago. I'm hoping we see a goal from him before the year is up.
Back to the usual suspects, Paajarvi has been a force as of late, now that it's become obvious that there aren't many other players on this team that can get it done. He notched an assist against Colorado in the last game, and a goal in the game before (Phoenix). But more notably, he had 8 shots against Colorado. The effort has definitely been there from him.
The Preds are on a 3-game winning streak, and have been a strong 6-2-2 in their last 10. The Oilers have struggled to win with such a young line up. I predict another tough one to watch tonight.
Prediction: 4-1 Predators
Continue reading 'GDT Oilers 1, Predators 3 – Game 73 – 2011-03-22 @ 6:00 PM MST – SNETW'»


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And the Babe of the Week Is… Ann French! [PICTURES]
When it comes to Marc Anthony's new girlfriend, a Playboy model and a sexy geek girl, it looks like Ann French reigns supreme. The European model's stunning looks and sex kitten persona made fans drool and send in their votes to crown French as the newest Babe of the Week. The amazingly beautiful Shannon De Lima came in second place, while little miss Vampy and Amber Sienna came in third and fourth.
See why French won the race below.
Here's the deal: At the end of the week, each Babe of the Day will compete for your votes and the winner will become Babe of the Week. Each week's winner will then face off to become Babe of the Month, and those winners will then duke it out for — you guessed it — the Babe of the Year title. Only those lucky ladies will be inducted into GuySpeed's Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for the hottest of babes.


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Waiting for the rural code: perspective on land tenure reform in Niger
Since 1986 serious efforts have been made in Niger to prepare for reform of land tenure in the form of a Rural Code. This paper aims to outline some of the problems facing successful implementation of the Rural code in Niger and to sketch out some of the social and instituttional trends which emerge in one part of the country, the arondissements of Mirriah and matameye in the Zinder department in eastern Niger.
(also in French: En attendant le Code Rural: Réflexions sur une réforme de la tenure foncière au Niger)
Lund, C.
Publisher and location:
Source publication:
IIED Drylands Networks Programme, Issues Paper No. 4. London, International Institute for Environment and Development.