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What's New?
Selected Abstracts from JASIS&T
Editor's note: We invite JASIS&T authors to submit structured abstracts of their articles for possible inclusion in the Bulletin, particularly those that might be of interest to practitioners. ASIS&T would welcome reader feedback on the usefulness of this (or any other) Bulletin feature (email@example.com).
From JASIS&T v. 55 (4)
Macpherson, K. J. (2004). An information processing model of undergraduate electronic database information retrieval, (333-347).
Study and Results: In this study, information processing theory is applied to the development of a two-stage model that represents end-user information retrieval from electronic databases. This model addresses a number of issues not covered in previous models that have been put forward in the literature. In a large (n=254) experimental study at the University of Canberra, Australia, concept-based teaching techniques for information retrieval were developed to test the model's predictive utility. Statistically significant results in terms of improvement in knowledge of the search process, and in the ability to locate credible literature, support the model's efficacy as a construct representing the cognitive underpinnings of information retrieval and the effectiveness of the concept-based teaching of information retrieval.
What's New? Effective information retrieval is a key educational outcome in an information society. Theory building in the area and practical teaching strategies derived from this are therefore timely and important. This study provides both a new perspective on theory in information retrieval and demonstrates teaching strategies that can provide significant retrieval improvement to undergraduate novice end-users of electronic databases.
Limitations: Although the sample was large, replication of results in another higher (or other) education setting would validate or refute findings.
Kabel, S., de Hoog, R., Wielinga, B.J., & Anjewierden, A. (2004). The added value of task and ontology-based markup for information retrieval, (348-362).
Study and Results: The added value of ontology-based indexing for information retrieval is investigated. Different index types, varying from flat lists of keywords to structured domain- and task-related
indexing ontologies, are compared in an experiment that simulates the task of creating instructional material from a database of source material. The results show that ontology-based indexing and task-related markup improve the
quality of the created product only to some extent, but that it certainly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of search and retrieval and precision of use.
Limitations: The experiment to measure the added value of ontology-based indexing was conducted in a controlled setting using a relatively small database.
From JASIS&T v. 55 (5)
Zeng, M.L., & Chan, L.M. (2004). Trends and issues in establishing interoperability among knowledge organization systems, (377-395).
Study and Results: In the networked environment cross-domain, cross-subject and cross-language searching are common practices. However, users are often unaware of the diverse knowledge organization systems (KOS) that impede optimal retrieval. These include thesauri, subject headings lists, classification systems and other categorization schemes used to index or organize different databases. This paper surveys activities and research projects aimed at achieving interoperability among KOS and analyzes the methods used. In all, 18 projects were examined and evaluated. The appendix provides a brief description of each.
What's New? Eight conventional and new methods that have proven to be widely accepted and promising were summarized. The article should be of interest to the following groups of information professionals: (1) those who are engaged in or contemplating the initiation of activities in linking or mapping KOS; (2) those who are designing KOS for a wide audience; (3) those who assist users in information retrieval across different domains, languages and communities that use different KOS.
Limitations: The paper is based on published reports and available sources on the Web. Similar projects that have not been published or are not known to the authors are not included in the paper. Website addresses of the projects are also subject to change.
Vinkler, P. (2004). Characterization of the impact of sets of scientific papers: The Garfield (Impact) Factor, (431-435).
Study and Results: The widely known Garfield (Impact) Factors (GF) are used or neglected, praised or criticized without any theoretical reasoning. The article shows that the GF can be regarded as a chance for citedness (number of citations per article). It is proved that the mean GF of journals of a field depends on the relative publication growth (i.e., ratio of the number of papers published recently to those issued earlier) multiplied by the mean number of references. It is shown that the normalized GF-s of journals of a set and the normalized specific impact contribution (SIC) indicators are identical measures. The SIC index relates the share of a journal in citations to that in publications within a set of journals.What's New? Scientometrics could hardly offer more appropriate elements than citations and papers for characterizing the impact of journals. The article concludes that the GF of a journal is a valid measure of its relative impact within a set of journals. GF may be regarded only formally as the mean citedness of the respective articles. Substantially, the GF of a journal measures its relative contribution to the total impact of journals devoted to the respective field. Accordingly, Garfield (Impact) Factors characterize the informational channels as entities.Limitations: Some of the findings refer only to the means of sets of journals. Assuming the calculations are correct, the article deals only with the theoretical background of GFs.
From JASIS&T v. 55 (6)
Jin, B., Li, L. & Rousseau, R. (2004). Long-term influences of interventions in the normal development of science: China and the Cultural Revolution, (544-550).
Study and Results: Intellectual and technological talents and skills are the driving force for the scientific and industrial development of a country. Major external events such as the Cultural Revolution in China or a prolonged period of war or social revolt, however, may have irreversible consequences on a country's scientific well being. Although the Cultural Revolution took place from 1966 to 1976, its aftermath can still be felt as shown in this study of the production and productivity of Chinese scientists as a function of their age. Based on the 1995-2000 data from the Chinese Science Citation database (CSCD), this article investigates the year-by-year age distribution of scientific and technological personnel publishing in China. It shows that the "Talent Fault" originating during the Cultural Revolution still exists. After 1979 China spent a lot of money and effort training young scientific and technological talent. The high peak of scientists in the age group between 30 and 40 shows that the younger generation has taken up the challenge and that they are the main force in the development of S&T in China. But we warn that a new gap resulting from the recent brain drain might be developing
What's New? The purpose of this work is to provide necessary information about the current situation and especially the existing problems of the S&T workforce in China. When the S&T personnel age structure becomes abnormal due to external events, it takes decades to return to normality, requiring several generations' efforts. Government policies can play a key role in reshaping such an abnormal situation by encouraging the young to enter the S&T system. The use of a local database (instead of ISI's data) was essential for this study, as the CSCD contains, besides the usual bibliographical information, data about the age of scientists. The article has a clear multidisciplinary focus, as it is partly sociological but based on typical information work (a scientific database) with implications for science policy.
From JASIS&T v. 55 (7)
Fan, W., Fox, E. A., Pathak, P., Wu, H. (2004). The effects of fitness functions on genetic programming-based ranking discovery for Web search, (628-636).
Study and Results: Previously, genetic programming (GP), an artificial intelligence technique, has been successfully applied to optimize a search engine's ranking function with the aim of improving Web search performance. However, in all prior work, only one fitness function was used in the experiments to guide the GP search. It's unclear how other fitness functions may impact the learning performance by GP. In this paper, we looked at the fitness function design from a utility theory perspective. Based on the utility theory, we designed several fitness functions that consider not only the relevance of documents, but also the order they appear in a search hit list higher ranked relevant documents have higher utility values than those lower ranked ones. We applied these new fitness functions along with other existing ones to the search engine ranking function optimization task based on GP. The experimental results using 10GB TREC data indicate that the design of fitness functions is instrumental in performance improvement.
What's New? This paper makes a substantial contribution in providing a theoretical foundation based on utility theory for fitness function design, while prior research on the fitness function design mostly is designed commonly based on standard performance measures or human heuristics. The guidelines given in this paper will benefit other machine learning-based IR studies to better design their objective/fitness functions.
Scholer, F., Williams, H.E., & Turpin, A. (2004). Query association surrogates for Web search, (637-650).
Study and Results: In this study we propose and evaluate new techniques for effective Web searching through the creation of document surrogates. Our surrogates are based on query association, where queries that have a high statistical similarity to a document are stored as descriptors for that document. We evaluate our approach using a well-known TREC collection. Our results show that adding query associations to document content improves topic-finding Web searches by up to 7%.
What's New? We describe a novel approach to employ past user queries in the creation of document surrogates. Our experiments show that using query associations to augment document content can lead to a significant improvement in topic-finding Web searches. We also consider the effect of parameter settings and query log size on the effectiveness of our document surrogate approaches and demonstrate that performance is likely to improve further as more queries become available. Document replacements, where documents are indexed using only associated past user queries, are slightly less effective for retrieval, but can offer efficiency benefits due to the reduced size of the collection.
Limitations: Document surrogates created from query associations are effective for topic-finding searches, but less successful for site-finding searches. For the latter, a complementary technique, where surrogates are created from anchor text, can be employed.
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Information Science and Technology


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"Taste the rainbow."
It's probably one of the most recognizable slogans in recent brand history – right?
So- how does a huge brand like Skittles stay relevant in a "web 2.5" driven world? Easy…it adapts!
Have you been to skittles.com recently? Basically, they've incorporated some of the world's leading social and shared-media networks to support their web persona, proving the social significance of the chewy fruit candies!
You'll first notice when visiting skittles.com that you are prompted to enter your age. After this, a widget appears in the upper left hand corner of the homepage which is their youtube page! Obviously, youtube is a great way to showcase the brand's popularity amongst everyday "consumers" while keeping up with their tried and true "viral" videos that have driven the brand for so long!
Now, this is where it gets really cool for a social media nerd like me…say you want "just the facts", click on "Products" and you don't end up at some obviously skewed page powered by marketing geniuses…instead, you are swiftly whisked away to Wikipedia! The same thing goes for "Friends" and "Chatter", which redirects you to their facebook page and their twitter feed.
Who knew a product created in the seventies could be so… innovative!?!
I think it's a brilliant move by Skittles and I wonder how long before we start to see a copycat campaign by that "other" multicolored candy coated confectionery….

subset: commoncrawl


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Evening classes canceled Feb. 7, 2018. Learn more.
Home | Academics | Our Schools | Conservatory of Performing Arts | Conservatory News & Features
Major: Stage ManagementMinor: Musical TheatreInternship: Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn.Expected graduation: May 2013Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
I was the stage management intern during two of the four major conferences that took place at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center (National Music Theater Conference and Cabaret & Performance Conference). The O'Neill is a place for playwrights to develop their work for both playwrights and actors. Some of my responsibilities included calling shows, assisting during rehearsals and maintaining order with a constant inflow of script changes during a performance.
I have learned a lot about running rehearsals, calling shows and developing a personality that allows actors, directors, and designers to feel comfortable to confide and trust in me. To work in an environment such as the O'Neill, people rely heavily on stage management to put up a reading in five days.
I really enjoyed working with such a talented group of people at O'Neill. From my fellow interns to Broadway stars, everyone was ready to work and support each other. This has been such a positive experience to help me in my career.
When I interviewed at Point Park, I was told that I was going to have a very hands-on experience and work with directors from all over the world. I've worked on so many shows with notable directors. I am so glad I chose Point Park.
I am someone who likes to know what's going on with everything and take care of everyone. That is basically the definition of a stage manager. You have to know what's going on with every angle of production. You are also the main support for every person involved in a show.
I had the privilege of working very closely with Charles "Roc" Dutton when I worked as the stage manager for the O'Neill Summer Gala. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity and am looking forward to applying what I've learned during the upcoming semester.
Photo by Becky Thurner
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WordPress A Bit Too Quick In Doing DMCA Takedowns
from the that's-unfortunate deptIt's becoming increasingly common for companies to try to go up the network stream with various takedown messages. Rather than just hitting a website with a takedown over certain content, they'll also hit their ISP and their registrar. What's unfortunate is that these higher level service providers are often less willing to take the time to understand the specifics, and are quick to pull the plug to avoid liability for themselves. With WordPress becoming a larger and larger ISP for many blogs, it's getting a lot more such requests.
It's unfortunate that the company is responding to them in misleading ways. For example, it recently took down some content and blocked the ability to post any new content, based on a DMCA takedown message claiming, incorrectly, that "we were legally required to remove the file from our servers." That's not quite true. First, Wordpress is not legally required to do so. It is true that the company is certainly strongly incentivized to do so, since not doing so could open it up to liability, but that's not the same as saying they're legally required to do this.
However, in this case, the details look even worse. The "content" in question was merely a link from a blog to an unauthorized version of an ebook. The author of the blog, which talks about ebooks, was complaining about certain ebooks not being available:
In a blog post, Ricardo had bemoaned the fact that a book, Ken Follett's 'Fall of Giants,' wasn't available in Spanish on the Kindle. He noted, however, that the publishers of the book didn't mind people converting other formats but presumably to save people the bother of messing with DRM removal, he linked to an already converted copy hosted on a file-hosting service.The local IP "protection" group posted a comment on the site, demanding he take that down, and when he either didn't notice the comment or didn't realize it was real, they went to WordPress, claiming that he had ignored their takedown request. Furthermore, as the article notes, under Spanish law, a link to infringing content is not, itself, infringing. In the US (where the servers were likely hosted -- so it could have an impact), links are still something of a gray area, unfortunately. Of course, it's rather amusing, as noted in the TorrentFreak article that the very first comment on that particular story complains that "the link doesn't work." So this whole thing may have been over absolutely nothing...


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"Salem: A Guide to America's Bewitching City"
Salem, Mass., has earned a reputation as the unofficial Halloween capital of the world. It has something to do with those witches.
The Salem witch trials may have taken place in 1692, but you would never know it by wandering around town. (Alas, most of the witchery events took place in nearby Salem Village, now known as Danvers, but not to worry: Danvers also is discussed in the book.)
Even so, images of broom-riding, hat-wearing witches are on mailboxes, in newspapers and even on police cars. There are witch museums galore too. They include the Witch House, the Witch Dungeon Museum and the Salem Wax Museum...


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Here is the link to our message board http://www.waterart.org/membersonly/community
We are excited to launch our message board. The goal is to provide a more interactive system to help professionals have a forum to ask questions & learn more about fitness and lifestyle coaching.
We are going to add some contests and more exciting things – but we need to get started so I am inviting you to "help" us get going – with some of your ideas ( as many of you have loads of experience ) and lots to say.....
Let's get interactive! Note: some sections are for everyone & some are for WP Members only!
Your login information is:
Login Id: Your first and last name (eg. Rick Anderson)
Login Password: We recommend using your WP number if you are a WP member. (EG. WP3499)
General Forum usage http://www.waterart.org/membersonly/community/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_vb3_board_usage
And the Reading and Posting Messages http://www.waterart.org/membersonly/community/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_vb3_reading_posting
Once logged on – you can go to FAQ(frequently asked questions) for assistance or email us!


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Both Hip Hop moguls co-headline the All Star Weekend show at Madison Square Garden last night after 20 year old beef is put to rest
Last night was undoubtedly a historic moment in the game. With Drake dropping an impromptu album and Kanye performing in below freezing temperatures in Manhattan, it could only get better.
Diddy entered the stage with the primary intent of reminding everyone that 20 years prior in Madison Square Garden, there were high stakes in the beef between the Bad Boy and Death Row camps, where the two premier artists from both camps lost their lives; the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. On August 3, 1995, the two camps that represented the East Coast and West Coast respectively clashed at the 2nd Annual Source Awards. The Bad Boy general wanted to remind all who were present by showing that footage to the audience.
Diddy began to explain what was being shown by saying,
"…I also came here to set some shit right, as y'all saw on the screen. That negative energy started right here, right on this very stage. If you about positivity, make some noise. So that's what this is about, man. This is setting that scene straight, as if we can go back, but we can't. But we get to celebrate on this stage."
Ironically, Suge Knight who famously fanned those East vs. West flames back on the MSG stage, is currently facing a murder charge that may possibly send him to prison for the remainder of his life. See the rest of this historic footage below.
Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)


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Woodchem 2011Activity by Charline Masson | added on Sep 22, 2011 | France
Within the framework of its objectives, the french fibers innovative cluster organizes an international scientific conference, called Woodchem (wood chemistry) which provides an excellent opportunity for discussion and exchange of knowledge between scientists, engineers, industrials and other specialists having an interest in
The WOODCHEM Conference is an international scientific event which provides an excellent opportunity for discussion and exchange of knowledge between scientists, engineers, industrials and other specialists having an interest in topics related to Chemical and Biochemical valorization of wood and the corresponding biomass.WOODCHEM 2011 will take place in Strasbourg, France on December 1st and 2nd, 2011. The congress is organized by both the University of Strasbourg and the French Fibers Innovative Cluster. WOODCHEM 2011 will cover a wide range of topics related to wood valorization and wood-based products and will provide an opportunity for scientists, engineers, technology developers, practitioners, policy makers and government officials to showcase leading-edge technology for future sustainable large scaled wood-based industries. Our organization and technical committees are dedicated to the organization of a rewarding congress for all participants.
|conferences, sustainable and green chemistry
|students, general public, professional chemists, professors, research scientists, universities, industrial chemists, decision makers
Want to submit your own activity or comment?
In order to do so you need to be part of the IYC network. Please log in or sign up now.
Join the IYC Network


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Jeremy5 brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 73 Designs von 30 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
Galileo Learning
We are an education company which operates 25 summer camps across the Bay Area. Our focus is on creative action, giving Pre-K through 8th graders the tools and confidence to develop their skills in areas like problem solving and teamwork. Core curriculum components of our summer programs are art, science and outdoor ed.
Our brand typically communicates a blend between clean and professional (we are a company with experience and a higher price point) and fun (we run summer camps, after all!)
Please visit our website to learn about specific programs we offer.
Families who have attended Galileo Learning programs previously, and new families who will attend summer 2011!
Our logo should appeal to both parents and campers (pre-k through 8th grades)
We are looking to develop a 10th anniversary logo, which incorporates our current company logo. (Incorporation of current logo is a requirement). Overall objective is to launch a 10th anniversary campaign which will last throughout the next year. Logo will be featured in various place -- website, t-shirts, print materials, etc.
Our aim is to showcase commitment, success, durability of concept and brand, progress we've made, all we've learned, we want to use our 10th anniversary as an opportunity to leap toward the next 10 years with big dreams.
Finden Sie heraus, wie ein Designwettbewerb funktioniert, oder lernen Sie mehr über unsere Logo-Design-Angebote.


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Return to Collection Guides
To order an image, navigate to the fulldisplay and click "request this image"on the blue toolbar.
Photomechanical, 1830
Image: 12.8 cm x 8.9 cm; whole page (visible in large image): 23.0 cm x 15.3 cm
From Portraits of American Abolitionists (a collection of images of individuals representing a broad spectrum of viewpoints in the slavery debate)Photo. 81.60
This portrait depicts George Bourne, (1780-1845).


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The weather turned on us this week, first getting wet, then getting cold & wet. On a bike, wet isn't so bad, and cold isn't so bad, but the two together? Bad. Anyone getting out on Saturday got it bad, but most cancelled their rides and seemed to head for shelter at our Redwood City store. Hey, when it's dark & cold & wet outside, we're expecting it to be quiet, so having good company (since our customers are cyclists, that goes without saying!) and a few dollars in the register was very welcome.
Even more welcome was having a nice day to ride today (Sunday). The weather forecast held up; sometime around 11pm Saturday night it started to clear up a bit, and by the time I got out at 10:30 Sunday morning, it was pretty nice. Not warm nice, not not too cold, and nice skies with a few clouds for contrast.
There were three of us enjoying the day; myself, plus Andrew & Brian from the shop. I did try to convince Burt to ride, but I don't think he really believed the day would turn out so nice. We did a variant of the reverse Pescadero loop (detailed Google map), starting in Woodside, heading up Old LaHonda and down the other side to San Gregorio, south on Stage Road to Pescadero, then over Haskins Grade (the "hard" way) and back up to Skyline via West Alpine to add a bit more "kick." You can see the details on the map; this is a ride that's nice in just about anything but rain (although I'm dumb enough that wouldn't likely stop me).
I've always tried to see something new on each ride, even on roads I've ridden literally hundreds of times before. Today? Easy. Heading out towards San Gregorio there's a barn on the right hand side, one that you can often see cows hanging out underneath on a hot summer day. Today, out in front, not too far from the road, was a Coyote munching on an animal carcass. I rode past before realizing exactly what it was; it looked, for all the world, just like a large piece of meat that would be hung from a hook at a butcher, all the ribs showing white against the red flesh. As I stopped and started back (had to get a picture, y'know?) the Coyote quickly headed off, very wary of our intentions. Strange thing, that. My recent dealings with Coyotes on rides has been that they just haven't seemed to care about me as I rode closely past. A couple of years ago, there was one on Mount Hamilton that was heading up the hill alongside the road at pretty much the same speed I was, which was almost creepy.
Brian was surprised we weren't stopping at the San Gregorio store, but I generally don't stop there when doing the counter-clockwise loop, because the much-better Pescadero Bakery isn't too far off and they actually like cyclists in Pescadero, while at San Gregorio, they're concerned we'll be displacing customers drinking their 10am Bloody Marys. Seriously.
It was in Pescadero that I noticed my rear tire getting a bit soft, and then saw a pretty good amount of exposed casing. Not much life left in that tire; please check your tires carefully before each ride and make sure they've got some life left! Thankfully, it held up the rest of the way.
The temperature was pretty nice until we got to the back side of Haskins Grade, but since we quickly started the stiff climb up West Alpine, it wasn't an issue until we got to Skyline. Not much snow, just a little bit left here & there alongside the road, probably having been washed away by the pretty heavy rains Saturday.


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Three Vandalia High School boys track athletes qualified for the state meet, and each of them set one school record in the process.
Senior Quenten Austin headlines the group – which includes juniors Ryan Ambuehl and Wade Cowger – after winning the sectional championship in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
"These guys set goals and worked for the goals, and it's a privilege to be part of that," said coach Jane Bell. "Coaches put together the workouts, but the athletes have to do them."
CHARLESTON – St. Elmo sophomore Molly Hill uncorked a strong throw at the state meet last Saturday to better her seed by four spots to place seventh in the discus.
Hill, who qualified for the meet but did not advance past the preliminaries last season as a freshman, came into the meet as the No. 11 seed, but threw a personal-best 116 feet, 2 inches.
In the preliminaries last Thursday, Hill threw a then-personal-best 113 feet, 6 inches to qualify for the finals as the No. 7 seed.
Mulberry Grove won its fifth regional title in seven years last Thursday, using a flurry of late scoring to secure an 11-1 win against Odin at the Odin Regional.
Sophomore Breann Tompkins had an inside-the-park home run to highlight a 3-for-4 day from the plate, which also included two runs and two RBI.
Her home run came in the sixth inning and scored senior Cheyenne Rogier. Sam Goodin followed with a triple, and she scored on a passed ball to give the Lady Aces a 10-run lead.
South Central won its first regional championship since 2010 by defeating Edwards County, 4-3, on Saturday at the Wayne City Regional.
The top-seeded Cougars wasted no time getting on the board, posting three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Senior Colby Bushue opened his 3-for-3 game with a single and a stolen base before scoring on a single by junior Fischer Tharp.
Senior Cole Armstrong reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch.
Other than state champion Curtis Gordon, 10 other Jr. Vandals participated at the state meet last Saturday, with seventh-grader Emma Meyer recording the next-highest finish.
Meyer qualified in four events at the Illinois Elementary School Association state meet, and her ninth place finish in the pole vault (7 feet, 9 inches) was Vandalia's only other top 10.
She also placed 21st in the 100-meter dash preliminaries (0:13.98), 19th in the long jump (14 feet, 7 ¾ inches) and was part of the 4X100-meter relay team which placed 14th (0:54.92).
The new boys basketball coach at Vandalia High School brings a wealth of experience and familiarity to the position.
Brian Buscher was the starting point guard for the Vandals his sophomore through senior seasons, and he has been an assistant coach with the team for the past 14 seasons.
And ever since his playing days, he has had a strong desire to win, which is a key ingredient for someone taking over one of the highest profile coaching positions in town.
ALTAMONT – The Lady Rams had six extra-base hits, but struggled at the plate with runners in scoring position on Saturday during a 10-3 loss to Altamont in the championship game of the Altamont Regional.
Seven Ramsey runners were left on second or third, and the Lady Rams were just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Senior Stevie Coates had a pair of triples, but a total of five strikeouts followed her hits to leave her stranded at third base both times.
ASSUMPTION – The season ended prematurely for St. Elmo last Thursday in the semifinals of the regional tournament, halting the careers of four extremely talented seniors.
Ben Sperry, Blaine Scholes, Willie Magnus and Woodsen Savage all have started for four years for the Eagles, and an 11-1 loss to Windsor that snapped a 14-game winning streak was not the finish anyone had in mind.
The South Central High School softball team surrendered two runs in the seventh inning of a 6-5 loss to Odin last Wednesday in the Odin Regional.
A victory would have secured the Lady Cougars a spot in the regional championship game.
Senior Alexis Phillips led the offense in the game, hitting a triple and driving home a pair of runs in her final high school game.
Senior Celeste Fox had a single and an RBI.
Kellie Crain had a pair of singles, and Oceana Whitt and Macie Cain each had one single.
Vandalia High School girls track coach Gena Nance and boys track coach Jane Bell handed out several awards during the teams' awards banquet on Monday night.
Copyright © 2019
The Leader Union is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Vandalia, Il, and the surrounding area.


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Download the program here:
Internet Archive
Audioport (podcast)
In August 2011, Education Radio released its debut show - filled with the passionate voices and stories of the Save Our Schools National Convention and March held in Washington DC that July, organized by parents, teachers and scholars to speak out against the corporate assault being waged on public schools and teachers. A year later, in August 2012, Save Our Schools convened again in Washington, this time with the purpose of holding a People's Convention, filled with workshops and discussion about the need for continued action and movement building to preserve and expand public education. Education Radio traveled to this convention to document where SOS has come over the past year, as well as to collect and share additional stories and voices. In today's show, we'll share some of what we collected.
|Faya Rose Touré
|Deborah Meier
Finally, we hear from two members of the Save Our Schools steering committee, Deborah Meier, a 50 year veteran practitioner and administrator in public education and Mike Klonsky, DePaul University teacher educator. In our interview with them we learn what the past year of organizing SOS has been like, what SOS stands for, and what their next steps are.
|Mike Klonsky
For more about the voices heard in this program:
Faya Rose Touré (Rose Sanders) on Alternatives to Tracking
Mike Klonsky's Huffington Post blog entries
Deborah Meier @ Bridging Differences on EdWeek.Org


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Good News gets good news
Arenac County Fund grants program $750
Good News Ministries Lutheran Church, located on M-65 between Whittemore and Twining, received a $750 grant from the Arenac County Fund, a fund of the Bay Area Community Foundation.
The funds are being used to purchase emergency food baskets for residents of Arenac County. The $750 will enable the church to distribute approximately 50 baskets.
To date, over 180 individual family members have received baskets, which are created by funds received through grant monies, from the church. Since January, over 250 baskets have been distributed to residents of Arenac and Iosco counties.
Additional funding for the baskets was provided from grants received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Thrivent Lutheran; donations by local resources and fundraising.
Also, Good News Ministries Lutheran Church sponsored more than 18 mobile food pantries that were held throughout Arenac, Iosco and adjacent counties this year. Over 150 tons of food products were allocated to over 5,000 households in the area. The most recent food pantry was at the church on Oct. 21.
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Please keep comments on topic and appropriate for all ages. Remember that people of all ages read our website. Those that are not appropriate will be removed. Please read our full community guidelines before posting.


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Is Lolo Jones, the Virgin Olympic Athlete, the Next Tim Tebow?
Lolo Jones was going to be a big deal at the 2012 Summer Olympics no matter what. Not only is the American among the gold medal favorites in the 60 and 100 meters hurdles but she is quite attractive. In fact, we think she bears a resemblance to 'Parks and Recreation' star Rashida Jones. (No relation.)
But the Olympian made a disclosure earlier this week that is sure turn spotlight on her even brighter. In an interview to air on 'Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,' Jones, 29, came out as a virgin.
Yup, the sports world now has a lady Tim Tebow.
Like Tebow, Jones is a devout Christian. And while she concedes being a virgin at 29 is no longer "cute," she is serious about saving herself for marriage.
It's just a gift I want to give my husband. But please understand this journey has been hard," she explained. "There are virgins out there and I want to let them know that it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Harder than training for the Olympics. Harder than graduating from college has been to stay a virgin before marriage. I've been tempted, I've had plenty of opportunities."
Check out more photos of Jones below, who certainly looks like she would have had plenty of opportunities for pre-martial sex.


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Comments of Commissioner Rebecca Dye at NCBFAA Government Affairs Conference
September 24, 2007
Thank you for inviting me to your Association's Government Affairs Conference. I enjoyed speaking to you in Orlando a few years ago, and I was very pleased when Ed Greenburg asked me to be here today.
I was honored that President Bush re-nominated me and the Senate subsequently confirmed me to a second term as Federal Maritime Commissioner. During the last nearly five years, I have enjoyed working with the dedicated Commission staff.
I recently read the book on the New York Times best seller list entitled Good to Great by Jim Collins. He concludes that the way good managers guide companies to become exceptionally successful is simply by getting the very best people to join them. It may sound obvious, but it is surprising to see how often this simple key to success is overlooked.
One of the best people we have at the Federal Maritime Commission is Secretary Bryant VanBrakle. I was pleased that your organization honored him today, for his over 40 years of dedicated public service. Bryant has been of enormous assistance to me since I came to the Commission. We will miss his sound advice and professionalism in serving the Commission and the public.
Ed Lee, who is here today, is also one of the best people we have at the Commission. I was grateful that Ed agreed to accompany me from Capitol Hill to the Commission to act as my counsel.
Also here today is Commission General Counsel Amy Larson, who is among the best attorneys I have worked with during my career. Amy is not only an exceptional attorney, but a strong advocate for reform as well.
Ocean transportation intermediaries are critical players in determining American success in international trade. Your companies are working with U.S. importers and exporters to develop complete logistics operations which allow American companies to thrive in a fiercely competitive world market.
As many of you know, I had the privilege of serving as the Counsel to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee during the development of the almost ten year old Ocean Shipping Reform Act.
As everyone here knows, the Reform Act allows ocean common carriers to enter into a service contract with one or more shippers. The Reform Act permits these contracts to be filed confidentially with the Commission.
As passed by Congress, the Reform Act did not grant non-vessel operating common carriers the right to offer service contracts in their capacity as carriers with their shipper customers. After a number of petitions were filed at the Commission, including one from your organization, the Commission issued regulations which exempt NVOCCs offering NVOCC Service Arrangements from the tariff publication requirements of the Shipping Act.
As of the end of July, the Commission has received approximately 1,322 NVOCC Service Arrangements filed by 92 NVOCCs. I would encourage all NVOCCs to take advantage of this new contracting option.
The NSA regulations did not allow NSAs to be jointly offered by unaffiliated NVOCCs. The Commission issued a Notice of Inquiry in 2005 asking for public comment on this question. While the Commission has yet to take action on this issue, I believe that these arrangements would qualify as joint ventures under the Justice Department's guidelines. I would strongly support allowing unaffiliated NVOCC's to offer joint NVOCC Service Arrangements filed at the Commission.
As you know, there is currently a petition before the Commission seeking verification that ocean transportation intermediaries licensed by the Commission are permitted to utilize agents to perform some services on their behalf without a separate license.
I know that your group has submitted comments in this proceeding supporting the position that NVOCCs are permitted to use agents in this manner. I support this position.
Our current regulations and common law agency principles ensure that the shipping public is protected by requiring that any NVOCC licensed by the Commission is responsible for the actions of its agent.
I do not believe that our regulations should be applied in such a way that unduly interferes with your business activities. In fact, when the Commission issued the regulations to implement the Reform Act's requirements applicable to NVOCCs, it stated that it did not want to interfere with business innovations and changes in the industry. I support an approach that imposes minimal burdens on the industry while protecting the public interest.
On a related note, I know you are concerned about recent actions by the Chinese Government that have created uncertainly in your operations in China. As I understand it, Chinese regulations on branch offices could be interpreted to include any location from which a bill of lading is issued, even if that service is performed by an agent.
The result would be that each agent would be required to obtain a license and deposit the required funds for each location deemed a "branch office."
With advice from your group, the FMC staff worked with the U.S. State Department and the Maritime Administration, and the State Department has sent an official cable expressing our concerns to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. We are hopeful that diplomatic efforts will resolve this issue so that your activities in this major trade are not impeded.
I know that many of you are interested in how the European Commission's decision to repeal the exemption from the European Commission Treaty's ban on restrictive business practices for liner conferences on routes to and from the European Union will affect carrier antitrust immunity in the United States. I do not think the U.S. needs to change its regulatory system in response to this European action.
The Reform Act balanced carrier antitrust immunity with confidential contracting in 1998. Following this action, conferences, once the dominant pricing forum, have lost much of their influence. Last year, price-fixing agreements declined to less than one percent of agreements filed at the Commission.
The Commission continues to regulate the use of antitrust immunity in the U.S. international trade. The Commission analyzes what impact a carrier or terminal agreement will have on competition, in particular, whether it is likely that the agreement will result in an unreasonable increase in transportation cost or decrease in service.
As the end of European antitrust immunity nears, the FMC staff plans to assess what competitive impacts the change will have on the U.S.-E.U. liner trades.
The Commission staff also plans to undertake an analysis of the utilization of antitrust immunity by vessel operators to enable the Commission to develop policies and revise regulations, if necessary, to better reflect market conditions and activities.
As you may know, our Bureau of Certification and Licensing has developed an automated FMC-18 which is the application for an ocean transportation intermediary license. OTIs applying for a license can now file a license application electronically, on a voluntary basis, for a greatly reduced user fee. I urge new licensees to use this system which will reduce the wait for a license and greatly lower the cost of obtaining a license.
Finally, I know that your organization is very interested in an exemption from the requirement that non-vessel operating common carriers publish tariff rates on their shipments not covered by a NVOCC Service Agreement. Like you, I believe the practical usefulness of tariffs may be ending. Almost 90 percent of freight carried to and from the United States is currently under contract.
I think it is time that we begin a discussion on tariff reform. I also think we should consider tariff publishing relief for vessel operating carriers. I am not prepared to endorse any particular approach today, but I believe that the time has come to consider tariff reform.
The economist Thomas Sowell writes often in his newspaper column about the unintended consequences of certain governmental actions. I think that the best way to avoid unintended consequences is to listen to the advice of people on all sides of an issue.
The success of the 1998 Reform Act is due in large part to the active involvement of everyone in our industry including your organization. As we move forward, I hope to work with you to ensure that we have an efficient and secure ocean shipping system to complement our dynamic American economy.
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Two things we know for sure about cultural rankings: They're inevitably arbitrary, and we can't get enough of them. The top university, sexiest person, best restaurant, greatest baseball player? The more impossible it is to make the list, the more we want to see it. And there's probably nothing crazier than trying to name—in order—the most important people who ever lived.
So, of course, we try. In 1972 astrophysicist Michael Hart published "The 100," a book-length attempt to answer the question. Rather than being applauded for his daring, however, he took heat for his choices: Mohammed at number one, Jesus Christ at number three, and the fight was on. Indeed, these exercises seem made for squabbling. We know rankings don't really offer the kinds of answers we want, but it's deeply satisfying to see these people down in a list, so we can argue about it.
Now comes a whole new approach. In "Who's Bigger: Where Historical Figures Really Rank," Steven Skiena, a professor of computer science at Stony Brook University, and Charles Ward, an engineer at Google, mine Wikipedia data in order to take a quantitative stab at who stands where in the long march of human accomplishment.
A user-generated encyclopedia might seem like a shaky foundation on which to base a data-driven book, but Skiena and Ward mount the argument that historical figures are like memes—ideas about formerly real people that propagate or fade through history. In this view, Wikipedia represents an acute listening device—a kind of unsupervised ongoing poll of who matters. Centuries on, the meme of Martin Luther is still strong, but the meme of his influential contemporary Huldrych Zwingli has grown so weak we barely hear it.
Skiena and Ward rank their historical figures based on two factors. One, which they called celebrity, they assessed by the length of a person's Wikipedia entry, how often it's viewed, and how often it's edited. The other, gravitas, weighed the impact of a person's achievements by looking at where a person's Wikipedia page sits within a network of linked pages. So, Barack Obama (number 111) gets a gravitas boost because Bill Clinton's (number 115), George W. Bush's (number 36), and Osama bin Laden's (number 765) Wikipedia pages all link to his.
The approach makes for a less provocative list than Hart's—the top five are Jesus, Napoleon, Mohammed, Shakespeare, and Abraham Lincoln—but Skiena and Ward argue that this correspondence with conventional wisdom actually validates their results: Their model would be flawed if it were elevating more obscure people. (Though maybe Napoleon seems a little high at number two.) The same goes for classical composers: Mozart (number 24 overall) and Beethoven (number 27 overall) are the most significant figures.
Relying purely on the data does leave some holes, which the authors acknowledge. For one, women are as underrepresented on Wikipedia as they have been in history books. And the online encyclopedia skews toward contemporary Americans. (While Eminem is surely a talented artist, it is hard to imagine that he's really the 823d most significant person in history, as his page views would indicate.) Skiena and Ward tried to correct for this bias, with only limited success: No fewer than seven 20th-century American presidents appear in the top 100.
As the quirks in the list imply, "Who's Bigger" is inevitably more of an entertaining exercise than an authoritative response to an unanswerable question. But the authors contend it does give us a new and useful tool, one that can be matched against other measures of worth to suggest who deserves our attention and who, perhaps, gets too much of it. Who should really be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Are autograph prices out of whack? The book tackles those questions, among others.
When it comes to the art market, for example, they chart "significance" against the highest price an artist's painting has received at auction. Significance and painting price generally seem to move together, but there are some notable exceptions. According to Skiena and Ward, many of the most undervalued artists are actually some of the most famous names in art history—Raphael, Rembrandt, Cezanne. Meanwhile, they argue there's a bubble in contemporary art.
"If I were investing in paintings I would not be buying Francis Bacon," says Skiena. A 1969 triptych by the Irish artist sold for a record $142.4 million earlier this month. "I don't think my children will know who Clyfford Still (number 21,388) is, or Cy Twombly (number 37,124) is, but they will know who Rembrandt (number 189) is and who Raphael (number 140) is, and who Braque (number 1,657) is, and so my instinct is that these painters are being relatively neglected today."
Art, of course, is worth what people are willing to pay for it. And the lesson of this project is that the same holds for historical significance: People are as significant as we say they are. We see this effect with the recent revising down of John F. Kennedy's (number 71) stature by historians, and it's evident in movements to give overlooked historical figures their due. Measuring significance inevitably raises the question, significant to whom? In that view, maybe Miley Cyrus isn't the 2,009th most important person who ever lived—but she is, at least, to us.Kevin Hartnett, an Ideas columnist, is a writer in South Carolina. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616 / Warwickshire)
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Sonnets Xiii
FROM you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dress'd in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laugh'd and leap'd with him.
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(a) The West Virginia Parole Board is continued. The board shall consist of nine members, each of whom shall have been a resident of this state for at least five consecutive years prior to his or her appointment. No more than five of the board members may at any one time belong to the same political party. The board shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(b) Appointments shall be made in such a manner that each congressional district is represented and so that no more than four and no less than two members of the board reside in any one congressional district. No more than two members of the board may reside in any one county.
(c) Any person initially appointed to the board on or after July 1, 2012, shall have a degree from an accredited college or university or at least five years of actual experience in the fields of corrections, law enforcement, sociology, law, education, psychology, social work, medicine or a combination thereof and shall be otherwise competent to perform the duties of his or her office. The members shall be appointed for overlapping terms of six years. Members are eligible for reappointment. The members of the board shall devote their full time and attention to their board duties. The Governor shall appoint one of the nine appointed members to serve as chairperson at the Governor's will and pleasure.


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Let's say that you have more time to consume content than you have content, and you're a wicked fan of cycling. Maybe Jan Ullrich was your favorite racer, and you've never seen him win gold yet in the 2000 Olympics. What do you do? Well, back in the old days you might have tried to get a paper catalog from World Cycling Productions (WCP) in hopes that they might have a video of the event in question, which would have run you at least $45USD. Now, however, thanks to the wonder of the internet, if you're willing to tread through what the site's own founders admit is a "grey area," you might be able to download free of charge a copy of the Olympic Road Race via the truly amazing website CyclingTorrents.nl.
Using the site's very simple yet thorough search feature, you'll quickly find the torrent for the race video you desire: example. You're on your own as for how to actually get the video onto your hard-drive (I don't encourage any behavior that you might find unethical or of concern), but trust me, it's not that hard.
Enjoy the show. This is a really cool site and it has made accessible some footage that would otherwise be both lost and inaccessible to the masses.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
CyclingTorrents - Race Video Site
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Firewire Helium Vader Kiteboard 4ft 10 Futures - White
Product Details
Once you jump on a FireWire kiteboard you will immediately see why Felix has chosen to ride these boards and why many of today's top surfers have FireWire in their quiver.
I'm sure you will see just as Felix has that these boards will blow your mind and take your riding to the next level.
FireWire Modern Planing Hull (MPH) rider guide:
FireWire are really excited with the latest advancements in design with the Daniel Thomson (Tomo) shapes. While these boards have proven to be fantastic for surfing, the kiteboard community benefits have truly surprised everyone. Firewire currently offer the Vanguard in a Kiteboard specific build and soon will release the next MPH shape, the Vader.
These boards give you the following benefits:
Superior upwind capability - The MPH design is a planing hull, designed to create more lift than a standard direction board which technically function as a displacement hull similar to a boat that sits down into the water. The MPH planing hull provides a ride that feels like your gliding as the board continually wants to accelerate giving the experience of forward drive which is being produced by this hull design. This forward drive translates to getting you upwind much easier than traditional boards which is beneficial for all riders, but particularly great for larger riders who used to have to sit on the sidelines on light wind days. Even in flat water riders enjoy how easy it is to get upwind and the board outline is great for practicing transitions, tricks and airs on this board.
High Performance ride- These are high performance boards ridden by some of the top surfers in the world. You get the exact same shape with the Kiteboard build of the Vanguard or Vader so you know it will carve and turn incredibly well.
Predictable stability - The Vanguard has proven to be a very versatile board. The parallel outline from nose to tail provides more overall surface area and make it a very stable platform. You will feel a smoother ride through the chop and inadvertent weight shifts won't send you toppling off the board like a standard surf shape. This makes learning on a Vanguard a snap! Firewire recommend the Vanguard for beginner and intermediate riders or people who are new to strapless. But don't worry, it won't hold you back as you progress and advance.
Durability - The MPH boards are made from Firewire's tried and tested Future Shapes Technology (FST) that offers superior durability and amazing lightweight. You will get years of use out of the FST construction, much more so than a standard polyurethane board.
Board sizing - The parallel outline of the MPH design places more rail line in the water than traditional shapes. This means there's a similar amount of rail in the water at any given time on a much smaller overall board size. We use 185lb/84kg as a general guideline for sizing the Vanguard. For larger riders over 185lb/84kg the 5ft 6 or 5ft 4 is recommended and for medium/smaller riders under the 185lb/84kg mark, the 5ft 2 or 5ft 0 is suggested. Of course wind and other factors can be taken into consideration. More wind look towards the shorter side, less wind the longer side. The Vader is intended to be ridden 1"-2" or 2cm-5cm shorter than your preferred Vanguard size.
Small miracles - The parallel rail outline and MPH design allows you to ride a very small board size. Don't be intimidated by the smaller sized models. We have a lot of customers that won't believe they can ride a kiteboard as small as the Vanguard and will purchase a 5ft 6 only to come back and buy a 5ft 2. Smaller in this case can be better. You can get a skateboard feel with tons of control. Felix and some of Firewire's other riders report that they ride 5ft 2 in triple overhead surf with no problem. In fact the board feels more stable in large surf than a traditional 6 + board! And don't forget, the Vader should be ridden even smaller and will get you the same dependable hold in any type of surf!
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Be sure to consult with your dean, adviser, and the offices of the Bursar, Student Financial Aid and Residence Life before leaving the university.
All courses for which a student is officially registered as of the close of late registration are subject to payment and will appear as part of the student's permanent record even if the student does not attend any sessions of the class.
The Office of the Registrar is the official keeper of academic records including course registrations, grades, transcripts and diplomas.
Find information about...
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NewAir AF-321-BL Scratch & Dent Portable Evaporative Cooler with Built-In Air Purifier
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This product is classified as a "Scratch & Dent" product. Scratch & Dent products are fully functional items that operate the same as a brand new appliance, but will have varying degrees of external cosmetic damage, ranging from minor to severe. We are unable to provide additional photos or details about the specific damage on the unit and make no warranty or guarantee as to the condition of the product you may receive. These products are sold "As Is", but are covered by a 90-day warranty.
Portable swamp coolers, like the NewAir AF-321 are cost effective, easy to install and easy to maintain ways to cool down specific areas of your home. They are best used in hot, arid climates and utilize the simple process of evaporation to cool the air. This particular swamp cooler can be shipped to you for free. Here are the other reasons why you should purchase this air cooler now:
Best Evaporative Cooler Value
The NewAir AF-321 packs a lot of features and outstanding performance at an even better price, making it our top evaporative cooler value.
Space-Saving Design
The compact design allows this cooler to be maneuvered very easily. Smaller spaces up to 150 square feet can be cooled very effectively.
Personalized Cooling
Three selectable fan speeds are included for custom cooling. Direct the air in the desired direction with the oscillating louvers.
Specially Designed Cooling Pads
Features a higher cooling efficiency in comparison to similar models because the pads retain a greater amount of liquid. They also never need to be replaced.
Large Capacity
The 13 liter tank allows for a greater amount of time between refills. The dedicated 4 liter ice tank is included for enhanced cooling.
Enhances Decor
The sleek design and white hue blend in with a variety of home decors. Also includes large rolling casters for increased mobility.
- Model: AF-321-BL
- Product Type: Scratch & Dent Portable Swamp Cooler
- Product Dimensions: L: 18.00" x W: 19.00" x H: 14.00"
- Product Weight: 23.00 lbs.
- Product Color: White
- Application: For cooling spaces up to 150 square feet
- Warranty: 90-day warranty
- Voltage: 120 volts
- Watts: 85 watts
- Amps: 0.71 amps
- Frequency: 60 Hz
- Coverage Area: 150 square feet
- Air Flow: 412 CFM
- Water Tank Size: 3.4 gallons
- Adjustable Louvers: Yes
- Automatic Louvers: Yes
- Number of Fan Speeds: 3
- Water Level Indicator: Yes
- Built-In Humidistat: No
- Ice Tank: Yes
- Hose Connection: No
- Timer: Yes
- Timer Length: 8 hour
- Remote Control: Yes
- Air Filter: Yes
- Built-In Air Purification System: Yes
- Air Purification Type: Carbon
- Control Type: LED
- Digital Display: Yes
- Casters: Yes
- Scratch and dent model
- 13 liter tank allows more cooling time between tank refills.
- Built-in carbon filter eliminates odors.
- Greater air distribution facilitated by oscillating louvers.
- Has a dedicated 4 liter ice tank for enhanced cooling.
- Modern design blends in with home decor.
- The control panel is very easy to read.
What is a Scratch and Dent Appliance at Air & Water?


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Joseph Jez, PhD, co-director of the plant and microbial biosciences graduate program in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, is one of 15 professors nationwide to receive $1 million over the next five years to bring the creativity he has shown in the lab to the undergraduate classroom.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) created the HHMI Professors Program in 2002 to empower research scientists to apply to science education the same creativity and rigor that made them successful in scientific research.
In the past 12 years, 40 scientists have been appointed HHMI professors, receiving grants to support innovation in undergraduate science education.
In the current competition, which opened in April 2013, HHMI invited 106 research universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as having "very high research activity" to nominate faculty members.
A panel of scientists and educators reviewed 173 nominees' proposals and eventually selected 15 HHMI Professors at 13 universities.
HHMI announced the selections in a June 30 news release.
Jez, associate professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, studies the molecular basis of biological processes in plants, microbes and nematodes.
He plans to use the HHMI grant to launch a two-year program in fall 2016. Called the Biotech Explorers Pathway, it will introduce entering students to both the science and business of biotechnology.
"Within my research group and in my courses," Jez said, "I often draw on my experiences in biotech as an undergraduate in a professor's start-up and later as a scientist at an established company to capture the imagination of students by helping them understand how discovery leads to application."
In their first year of the Biotech Explorers Pathway, students will develop science-based case studies of St. Louis biotech companies and participate in seminars led by founders and directors of local companies.
They will have the opportunity to practice job interviews with scientists and managers from those companies.
"Lectures and textbooks fall short of providing insight into the challenges of converting ideas to real-world products," Jez said. "But this class will bring in people from the St. Louis biotech community to share their experiences and perspectives with the students."
In the second year of the Biotech Explorers Pathway, teams of four students led by a graduate student or postdoctoral associate will generate project ideas and write them up as proposals, ultimately preparing two-minute elevator pitches for their projects.
The class will identify the top five project pitches, which then will be polished in the second semester and ultimately presented to a review panel. Students completing the Pathway will be eligible for summer fellowships to smooth their transition to capstone experiences.
Remarkably, Jez hopes to pull in students interested not just in science and engineering but also in business. "The long-term goal of the Biotech Explorers Pathway," he said, "is to train the next generation of science and business leaders and to provide a model for transmitting the excitement and value of scientific research to undergraduate students."
In addition to establishing the Biotech Explorers Pathway, Jez will use the HMMI funds to support undergraduate research teams in his own lab and in an upper-level laboratory course he has developed where teams of students work on research questions that turn on protein structure and function.
Team-based approach
Jez has served as a mentor to more than 60 students either in his own lab or through the WUSTL International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team, which competes in an international competition in synthetic biology. Nearly all of these students have continued in science and technology after graduation.
Jez credits this success in part to a team-based approach to research. Typically in his lab two to four students work with an advanced student who serves as a peer-mentor. A graduate student or postdoctoral associate, and Jez himself, periodically review the team's progress.
The team-based approach reduces the lack of continuity introduced by the academic calendar, gives advanced students practice with teaching and mentoring, and provides younger students with a role model for undergraduate research.
Finally, the HHMI grant will help support a lab course in protein chemistry Jez developed in 2010. Each year, the students in this extremely popular course frame a problem related to protein function that emerges from research in a WUSTL lab. They plan a series of experiments to solve the problem. The experiments are then divided up among work groups in the class.
As in Jez's other initiatives, undergraduates are treated as full participants in the research endeavor. "Students overwhelmingly value projects that lead to the generation of scientific knowledge and allow them to develop their own ideas and become intellectual entrepreneurs," Jez said.
Jez is the second WUSTL faculty member to be named an HHMI Professor. Sarah C. R. Elgin, PhD, the Viktor Hamburger Professor of Arts & Sciences, was in the inaugural group of professors chosen in 2002.
With HHMI funding, Elgin has established the Genomics Education Partnership that gives students an opportunity to do original research by participating in a large-scale genome sequencing and annotation research project. For more information about her educational initiatives and to read her HHMI biography, visit here.


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Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars perform at Victoria's Secret show
RIHANNA, JUSTIN BIEBER and BRUNO MARS proved their style credentials on Wednesday (07Nov12) by performing at the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
The Umbrella hitmaker sang new tracks Diamonds and Fresh Off the Runway, and held hands with model Doutzen Kroes as they hit the stage in New York City.
Lily Aldridge, who also modelled the lingerie company's latest designs, took to her Twitter.com page to declare, "Rihanna is soooo stunning!!!!!! Killed it at VS FashionShow."
Bieber also thrilled the crowd with his mini-set, and later told his Twitter followers, "Great Show!! Thanks for having me victorias secret!"


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Go Somewhere Else With That: 9 Intimidating And Annoying Traits Men Can't Stand!
In dating, most men will tell you that they enjoy a challenge. While some men like the thrill of the chase and conquering a woman, others find that a woman may not be worth all the hoops she makes him jump through just to be with her. Some call it high maintenance; others call it just plain annoying. While there is nothing wrong with being a strong, intelligent woman, don't be fooled into thinking that you drive men away because they can't "handle" you or because you intimidate them. It could simply be that you turn men off (men, this goes for you too) and send them running in the opposite direction because of these irritating traits.


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Staff VP Strategic Initiatives (Pharmacy)-136600
: Anthem
: Apple Valley, Minnesota -
(21) Other Locations for this Listing
: October 28, 2017
Reference ID
: 702090228
Responsible for developing long-term strategies regarding financial planning and investments for the Pharmacy Benefit Management business unit. Primary duties to include, but are not limited to:
Provides financial leadership, decision support and strategic consultation to PBM management team.
Leads PBM management team in annual planning and budgeting.
Leads the review of potential investment dollars needed to support strategy.
Develops financial controls, interfaces and processes to ensure fiscal integrity.
Counsels senior PBM management on ways to set and make plans through aggressive but financially controlled growth.
Participates in optimizing strategic initiatives and planning through challenges to cost/benefit long term investments.
Oversees business unit projects involving significant monetary investment.
Designs and executes all PBM management processes.
Provides direct professional support and staffing to executive management and leads the comprehensive strategic and annual planning for the business.
Translates complex, technical information into presentation-friendly formats including graphical displays to a wide variety of internal and external executive audiences.
Analyzes, researches and develops complex materials and documents relating to health issues, business performance, market dynamic issues, operational issues, and general management issues.
Requires a BA/BS degree in a related field; 8 years of management experience with significant large-scale project management, strategic planning and/or consulting in the health care industry; or any combination of education and experience, which would provide an equivalent background. Master's degree preferred. Excellent leadership, financial, and analytical skills required. Strategic thinker with broad & deep understanding of the health care industry required. Must be able to travel.
8-10 years related experience in significant large-scale project management, strategic planning and /or consulting in the pharmacy industry preferred.
Excellent leadership, financial, and analytical skills required. Strategic thinker with broad & deep understanding of the health care industry strongly preferred.
Job Business Development/Planning
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Anthem, Inc. will recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to age, color, disability, gender (including gender identity), marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or other status protected by applicable law. In addition, all personnel actions such as compensation, promotion, demotion, benefits, transfers, staff reductions, terminations, reinstatement and rehire, company-sponsored training, education and tuition assistance, and social and recreational programs will be administered in accordance with the principles of equal employment opportunity.
Title: Staff VP Strategic Initiatives (Pharmacy)-136600
Location: minnesota-Apple Valley
Requisition ID: 136600
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Grant Green
For his third album, Big John Patton decided to expand his band to quintet. Retaining the services of his longtime colleagues, guitarist Grant Green and drummer Ben Dixon, he hired tenor saxophonist Fred Jackson (who also played on Along Came John) and trumpeter Richard Williams. The combination of two horns can occasionally overshadow the groove Patton, Green, and Dixon lay down, but for the most part the musicians augment the music instead of detracting from it. Nevertheless, the combo never manages to match the peaks of Along Came John and Blue John. There are several fine moments on the record, and Green and Patton are typically enjoyable, but the record overall is a slight disappointment after its two predecessors.


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Pregnant women have long been assured that acetaminophen can treat their aches, pains and fevers without bringing harm to the babies they carry. Now researchers say they have found a strong link between prenatal use of the medication and cases of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.
The results, published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, add to growing evidence that the active ingredient in Tylenol may influence brain development in utero. But they do not provide clear answers for mothers-to-be or their doctors about whether acetaminophen is safe during pregnancy.
In analyzing data on more than 64,000 Danish women and their children, researchers found that kids whose mothers took the painkiller at any point during pregnancy were 29% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than were kids whose mothers took none. The risk increased the most — by 63% — when acetaminophen was taken during the second and third trimesters, and by 28% when used in the third trimester alone. But when taken only in the first trimester, the added risk was 9%.
The findings do not establish that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen — which is also an ingredient in Excedrin and is known in Europe and other parts of the world as paracetamol — caused the observed increase in hyperactivity disorders. But they underscore that medications are only "safe" for pregnant women until studies become sensitive enough to detect subtle problems, said Dr. Daniel Kahn, a UCLA obstetrician who was not involved in the research.
"We used to count a baby's 10 fingers and 10 toes and assume that any drug his mother took must have been safe," said Kahn, a specialist in fetal-maternal health. Now observational studies like this are capable of picking up on possible drug effects that are less obvious and harder to measure. As such research moves forward, he said, it's best to follow a "less is better" rule when it comes to taking medications during pregnancy.
"The lowest exposure is always the best, for any agent," Kahn said.
Even so, the study results wouldn't dissuade him from recommending Tylenol to a patient with a fever, because an unchecked fever during pregnancy has been linked to lower IQ in children, he said.
An editorial published alongside the report also cautioned that physicians and pregnant women would be wrong to change their practices on the basis of one study alone.
Without more details on how acetaminophen might lay the foundations for ADHD, and when and in whom it is most likely to boost risk, the current findings "should be interpreted cautiously," wrote the editorialists, led by neuropsychologist Miriam Cooper of the University of Cardiff in Wales.
Still, the link found in Denmark underscores that "the safety of some medications during pregnancy should not unquestioningly be considered absolute."
Members of the research team had long suspected that acetaminophen may behave as an endocrine-disrupting chemical capable of influencing fetal brain development, said Dr. Beate Ritz, chair of the department of epidemiology at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health and one of the study's senior authors.
The drug is known to cross the placental barrier between mother and fetus, and some studies have found higher rates of male babies with undescended testicles born to women who took it during pregnancy.
A Norwegian study published in October found that when a mother gave birth to a child after having taken acetaminophen during pregnancy, that child was more likely to have developmental problems relating to movement, dexterity and communication than was a sibling born after an acetaminophen-free pregnancy.
Children exposed to the drug in utero were also more likely to have behavior and emotional difficulties, including shyness and anxiety, according to the report in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
The likelihood of a child having these emotional and developmental problems rose and fell along with the number of times his or her mother took acetaminophen during her pregnancy with that child, the report said.
"Pregnancy is such a sensitive period, and the development of the fetal brain is so vulnerable to disruption," Ritz said. "So much can go wrong," she added, particularly for males, whose incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and ADHD is higher than that for girls.
The international research team, led by Dr. J¿¿rn Olsen, an epidemiologist at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, tracked the study's pediatric subjects from their first trimester of gestation for as long as 15 years. In addition to surveying parents about their children's behavior, they tapped into Denmark's comprehensive and reliable registries of physician diagnoses and dispensed pharmacy prescriptions to glean an accurate measure of ADHD in the population.
The study design averted a problem known as "recall bias" by gathering details on acetaminophen use long before signs of ADHD would become evident. Researchers did not ask pregnant subjects to detail how much or how often they took acetaminophen, but they interviewed them at the end of every trimester to gauge their use of the analgesic. That allowed the team to discern that the timing of a woman's acetaminophen use is likely to be important to fetal brain development.
"This is certainly one of the better studies we could ever do on the subject," Ritz said.
Overall, about 55% of the mothers took acetaminophen at some point during their pregnancy, the researchers found. Based on parents' assessments of their children's emotional, social and learning strengths and weaknesses over a six-month period, the baseline incidence of ADHD-like behaviors in children who weren't exposed to acetaminophen in utero was about 2.5%. Among those who used the medication at some point during pregnancy, the rate was 3.4%.
The international team that conducted the study will next investigate their data for evidence of the neuropsychiatric and other mental health effects of a variety of medications taken during pregnancy. Among the outcomes they will be looking for is autism.


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Operating in eight countries on five continents, Art & Global Health Center programs begin with local artists and artisans communicating about HIV/AIDS and other public health issues in accessible and entertaining ways. Learn more about our programs and partnerships including:
Arts based, Multiple intervention, Peer education HIV and STI prevention programming for high school youth featuring the UCLA Sex Squad and pilot squads in Atlanta, Chapel Hill, & Mexico City.
Art & Global Health Center Africa
On-the-ground, youth-driven art interventions in Malawi and South Africa. Visit the center online at aghcafrica.org.
The A.R.T. Show
A touring exhibition of work by southern African artists responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in an age of antiretroviral treatment.
Through Positive Eyes
An international photography project of HIV-positive people in cities around the world. View the project at throughpositiveyes.org.
Founded in 2006, the UCLA Art & Global Health Center is part of UCLA's unique Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance, a leading institution for the study of the arts in a global context.


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Silvalex needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 38 designs submitted by 16 freelance designers.
We're looking for a single homepage mockup with the possibility of a few more category pages to be designed after the contest (paid extra of course).
We need a clean and corporate look with a touch of web 2.0. We will be the next big data broker and need something with an edge that doesn't go too overboard with colors, yet carries a fresh and modern look.
- Keep the basics our current color scheme: Green, Black & Blue. Different hues and shades are OK
- Create a search box to be placed somewhere near the top of the page.
- Make our categories pop a bit more
- Final design file in PSD with layers
- Loose the couple on the top of the page, we dont need them
- Loose the 500 free leads pitch altogether
- Loose the quote


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I posted earlier about the inability to select multiple news items and delete them. Today the reader brought in like two months of feeds when I just read everything two days ago. I should have anything more than two days old.
I had to do a cleanup. There's no option of older than X Days so after the cleanup I had to do delete items one at a time.
The cleanup process does not allow the user to choose another app to work on. The hour glass is showing. alt-tab might have worked but the the way it should work.
No replies from the developer for my post. Not good support.
Time to move on to another reader.
a few flaws
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Roy1 needed a new button or icon design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 35 designs submitted by 16 freelance designers.
HelloFood is a unique wellness program that allows people to interact via text messages and voice (speech recognition). Please check out http://www.hellofood.com to learn about us and our services.
Our target audience are health seekers that an easy way to manage their health. Our first product is targeting people who wants to lose weight.
We expect 70% of clients to be females ages 20-45 from the US
We would like to the take the "running man" (see attached) and turn it from a flat 2d icon to a likable 3d image that our clients can connect to.
It should be a 3d rendered icon with a PERSONALITY and a face and the ability to add different facial expressions. We plan to use it on different pages on our site (http://www.hellofood.com) and create an emotional connection between the viewer and the image.
Please keep the color scheme as is. You may choose to use the speech bubble or not. On everything else - you can GO WILD. Let your creativity drive this.
In this website you can see a nice (though a bit big) example of what we are looking for: http://www.istartus.com/


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February 13, 2013
The Wabash College swimming and diving team will travel to Canton, Ohio today for the 2013 North Coast Athletic Conference Championships. The three-day event, which starts Thursday, will feature some of the top programs in the nation.
The NCAC is stacked with elite swimming programs. Denison, the defending NCAC champs and national champions in 2011 and 2012, is 19th in the CollegeSwimming.com rankings. Kenyon, winners of every NCAA men's national championship from 1980 to 2010 until being unseated by the Big Red, is fifth in the rankings while DePauw, a third-place finisher at last year's NCAC meet, is ranked 17th.
The Little Giants return nearly everyone from the group that placed fourth behind Denison, Kenyon, and DePauw at the NCAC championship meet last year.
Despite the national prowess displayed by the three conference foes, sophomore Aaron Troyer claims Little Giant swimmers are only worried about themselves.
"As a team, we're focusing on specific events and staying confident," Troyer said. "We're not necessarily worried about how fast Denison and Kenyon are; we're concerned with our race and keeping our mind set on our own lane."
Valentine's Day won't be the first time Wabash faces swimming powerhouses. Its first official meet of the year was at Denison in the debut of the school's new natatorium — the future home of the NCAC championship meet. More recently, the Little Giants raced NCAA Division II's University of Indianapolis and nationally-ranked Division III power Kalamazoo College. The exposure to these top programs is something Wabash will rely upon.
"Our guys know that nothing will surprise them in terms of times," Coach Steve Barnes said. "If anything, our guys are just hungry. They want to win; they want to do well and perform at the level the other teams are at. For us, swimming against tough competition shows our guys where they want to be and how they're going to get there."
"We won't be afraid of the competition, but instead, we'll be ready for it," Troyer added.
Troyer and his teammates are ready to do more than awe at Denison and Kenyon. Carter Adams, Zechariah Banks, Steve Batchelder, Elliot Johns, and Jack Belford as swimmers to watch for Wabash. Belford enters the week with the sixth-quickest time among NCAC swimmers in the 1650-yard freestyle (16:33.55) and is among the top-16 in the 500 free (4:45.76). Adams owns the best times for Wabash in the 100-yard butterfly (52.56), the 200 fly (1:55.36), and the 200 individual medley (1:59.29). Banks is in his first semester at Wabash after starting at Indiana University, but has already posted the team's best effort this year in the 200 breaststroke (2:13.91).
Batchelder, along with Josh Bleisch, provide a powerful tandem in the 100 breaststroke. Bleish is quickest with a time of 1:01.22 this year. Batchelder posted a 1:01.27 at the Calvin Invitational earlier in the season — a meet similar in structure to the NCAC Championship event. Johns holds top marks for the squad in the 100 free (47.09) and 200 free (1:44.08).
Troyer will also be ready to make his mark at the NCAC meet. Earlier this year, he set the school record in the 100 meter backstroke with a time of 51.8 seconds.
"A lot of us are going for national cuts so we're just we're just concerned with ourselves and our team and no one else," he said.
Troyer explained how he could still make nationals without obtaining the qualifying time. If all the slots are not filled through automatic time qualifiers, then the guys with the fastest remaining times in the country will be invited to nationals—known as "B cuts."
The conference meet will start at 10:00 a.m. February, 14 in the C.T. Branin Natatorium. Live video from the meet is available here. Complete coverage of the NCAC Championship meet can be found here.


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