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Additionally, because of the University's commitment to continue improvement of educational services, One-Stop Student Services will furnish copies of transcripts to the institutions previously attended by the student for use in ongoing programs of research and improvement at these institutions. Grade information will also be made available for studies conducted to improve academic quality within public higher education in Florida. These policies are sanctioned under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.
The University reserves the right to deny a request for copies of educational records made by a student or eligible parent when there is a financial obligation to the University which has not been satisfied and when there is an unresolved disciplinary action pending against the student.The University will charge the following fees for furnishing copies of student records and reports or any material included therein:
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Fresh from our Chefs, Just in time for Spring
Here at ClubCorp, we love Springtime! The changing of the seasons means we're getting closer to perfect golf, tennis and patio weather.
If you are entertaining this season and want to wow your guests, why not try one of our great recipes?
Fresh from our innovative Food and Beverage Department, we bring you two recipes ideal for spring:
Cedar Planked Salmon and Asparagus Noodles
Ingredients for one serving:
5oz. Salmon Fillet
5 Asparagus Spears
1/2 Red Tomato, Julienne
2 fl. oz. Dill Shallot Vinaigrette (see below)
1 fl. oz. olive oil
1/4 tsp. Salt and Pepper
1/16 oz. micro greens
1/2 oz. Butter
1 fl. oz. White Wine
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper and pan sear in the olive oil.
- Place on a soaked cedar plank and finish cooking in a 350 degree oven.
- While the salmon is cooking saute the asparagus noodles in the butter and white wine. Be sure to season to taste.
- To plate, place the asparagus noodles and tomatoes on a warm plate, top with the cooked salmon and drizzle with the dill shallot vinaigrette around the plate.
- Garnish with micro greens. To make the asparagus noodles: Take a potato peeler to the asparagus to create the noodles.
Ingredients for Dill Shallot Vinaigrette:
2 fl.oz. fresh dill
2 minced shallots
1 cup sherry vinegar
2 cups olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper
1 tsp. chopped garlic
- Chop the dill and shallots and mix with the oil and sherry. This is a broken vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper
Goat Cheese Salad with a Maple Sherry Vinaigrette
Ingredients for one serving:
1 oz. mesclun lettuce
6 black berries
1 oz. chopped cooked bacon
2 oz. crusted goat cheese
2 fl. oz. maple sherry vinaigrette
1/8 radicchio lettuce
1/8 frisee lettuce
2 oz. panko bread crumbs
- Bread goat cheese with a standard breading procedure in panko bread crumbs.
- Drop them in a deep fat fryer and fry until golden brown. About 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to fry too long.
- Toss the greens in the maple sherry vinaigrette and place on a chilled plate.
- Top with fried goat cheese and garnish with crumbled bacon and blackberries.
Ingredients for Maple Sherry Vinaigrette:
1cup. Maple Syrup
2/5 cup Sherry Vinegar
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp fresh chopped basil
2 tsp minced onion shallots
1 cup olive oil
- Blend all ingredients in blender except the oil
- Gently add oil until desired consistency
- Season to taste.
Bon Appétit!

subset: commoncrawl


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Caitlyn Nearhood named All-HCAC
Freshman Caitlyn Nearhood honored by Heartland Conference
October 19, 2011
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton University freshman Caitlyn Nearhood (Clyde) was named Honorable Mention All-Heartland Conference following a solid campaign in which the Beavers re-introduced tennis after a two-year hiatus. She anchored the first singles and first doubles (with Melissa Hostetler) slots all season for Bluffton.
Also recognized following the 2011 season was freshman Alex Fox (Berne, Ind./South Adams) who was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team. Fox competed at #4 singles and #3 doubles with fellow freshman Tyler Jennings (Archbold), posting an 8-5 victory over Mount St. Joseph in Bluffton's home opener.
The Beavers wrapped up their initial season back with a 0-10 mark (0-9 HCAC). However, with no seniors on the team, Bluffton returns everyone for the 2012 campaign.


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Brussels, 3 rd July 2009
Financial services: Commission outlines ways to strengthen the safety of derivatives markets
( se e MEMO/09/314 )
The European Commission has adopted a Communication on ensuring efficient, safe and sound derivatives markets, following a commitment made in the Communication on 'Driving European recovery' ( IP/09/351 ). The Communication looks at the role played by derivatives in the financial crisis and at the benefits and risks of derivatives markets, and assesses how risks can be reduced. Following the public consultation which this Communication launches, the Commission will host a public hearing on 25 September 2009. Taking into account the outcome of the consultation, the Commission will draw operational conclusions before the end of its current mandate and present appropriate initiatives, including legislative proposals as justified, before the end of the year to increase transparency and ensure financial stability.
This Communication marks another step in the Commission's efforts to strengthen the financial system in view of the failings unearthed by the financial crisis. It responds to the commitment contained in the Communication of 4 March and is fully in line with the principles adopted by the G20 and the recommendations of the de Larosi è re Group. The Commission stands ready to work with authorities around the world to ensure global consistency of policy approaches and to avoid any risk of regulatory arbitrage. Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said "Derivatives markets play an important role in the economy but the crisis has shown that they may harm financial stability. As regards credit default swaps (CDS), industry has committed to clear CDS on European reference entities and indices on these entities through one or more European CCPs by 31July 2009. I expect industry to move clearing of CDS to any European CCP that has received regulatory approval for clearing indices and single names by that deadline."
Taking into account the wide diversity of 'over the counter' (OTC) derivatives markets, the Communication outlines the tools to ensure that they do not harm financial stability. These tools, which can be combined with each other, are:
The Communication also highlights the actions already undertaken in response to the financial crisis in the area of derivatives (e.g. CCP clearing for CDS, securitisation, credit rating agencies and hedge funds and other alternative investment management funds, supervision).
T he Commission services have also issued two Staff Working Papers. The first one analyses OTC derivatives markets and the second one is a consultation document containing a more detailed questionnaire. The consultation will be open until 31 st August 2009. Responses can be addressed to email@example.com.
Derivatives play an important role in the economy but are associated with certain risks. The financial crisis – notably the events surrounding Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers and AIG – has highlighted that these risks are not sufficiently mitigated in the OTC part of the market, especially as regards CDS.
In an accompanying Staff Working Paper, the Commission services assess derivatives markets in further detail. The paper provides an assessment of (i) derivatives markets, (ii) OTC derivatives market segments, and (iii) an assessment of the effectiveness of current measures to reduce risks .
The Communication and the accompanying staff working paper conclude that t he crisis has highlighted how derivatives in general and CDS in particular have created a web of mutual dependence that made it difficult to understand, disentangle and contain risk in the immediate aftermath of a default. The characteristics of OTC derivative markets – the private nature of contracting with limited public information, the complex web of mutual dependence, the difficulties of understanding the nature and level of risks – increase uncertainty in times of market stress and accordingly may undermine financial stability. The Communication therefore outlines ways to strengthen derivatives markets so as to improve financial stability.
More information is available at:
The so-called Trade Information Warehouse, operated by the US Depository Trust Clearing Corporation (DTCC).
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Cora Marrett Award Statement
Charles Johnson, Oliver Cox, and E. Franklin Frazier were African American sociologists who, in their scholarship and advocacy, used the discipline to enhance the status of African Americans in the face of the nation's historic racism. The award is for a lifetime of research, teaching, and service to the community in the tradition of these namesakes. This year's awardee, Dr. Cora Bagley Marrett, exemplifies this tradition.
In her positions as teacher, researcher, administrator, and program officer she has been praised as a powerful advocate for inclusion. Whether it was the American Sociological Association's MOST (Minority Opportunity Summer Training) program, her scholarly contributions, or her service as an administrator, Dr. Marrett's career has been one in which scholars of color and women have greatly benefitted. It is generally recognized that from her contributions, the discipline has become more inclusive. As one of her letters of nomination said of her, "She was one of the early pioneers who used her sociological skills to analyze the influences of organizations on the careers of minority students and scholars…." It went on to say of her that she "…kept an eye on the organizational contexts that inhibit or encourage multiracial inclusion."
Another letter of nomination said of her:
"Cora Marrett is one of the great trailblazers in creating opportunities for African American students and faculty not only at the University of Wisconsin campus but in the profession as a whole. Her scholarship earned her a full professorship at the UW-Madison in 1977, where she spent many years on research on the organizational context of educational institutional contexts and differential outcomes that such organizational processes produced for women and men of color. She was not only interested in the structure of opportunities that education opportunities offered but also in the conditions for long term success. Thus it is not surprising that [she] left the "pure research" side of academia for actual involvement in creating the kind of institutional conditions in universities, scientific associations, and research institutes that would produce enduring diversity."
That nomination went on to read:
"As a public intellectual of a very particular sort, Cora has worked diligently to apply her knowledge of academic governance and research infrastructure to change actual organizations. Her targeted audience is often elite policy-makers of the higher education establishment, a group that she has long since entered herself."
Whether it was at the University of Wisconsin at both the Madison campus and the system as a whole, the University of Massachusetts, Western Michigan University, The National Science foundation, The Social Science Research Council, the Russell Sage Foundation or the American Sociological Association, they have all benefitted from her intellect and commitment to making these institutions and those that they serve more inclusive and diverse. It has been said of her that "[s]he has herself not only opened doors directly for African American scholars but set up expectations for excellence and opportunities to excel that have directly paid dividends across the profession of sociology and related social science disciplines." It is also said from all of her nominations, in one way or another, that she has influenced these changes with "wit, wisdom, and patience."
As a testimony to these doors being opened, one of the letters of recommendation said of Cora Marrett:
"Personally, I was a Ford Foundation Post Doctoral Fellow, a program that she urged Ford to develop once [these students] ended their pre-doctoral program. That program helped me in my career and there were many others who secured tenure because we had that critical year to focus our scholarship. The program is designed with an eye [toward] how minority faculty 's careers [often] become problematic and link [these fellows] with mentors to help navigate their careers. Understanding the extent of institutional changes necessary to actually change the color of the faculty in higher education, she has consistently worked, in many respects behind the scenes to turn knowledge into programs that are vehicles for individual mobility and institutional change."
Whether it was her role as mentor, a colleague, an administrator, a program officer or her service on boards, committees, commissions, institutes, or a fellow of some 48 varying entities, Cora Marret is an exemplar of the contributions of these African American pioneers in using sociology as a craft to, not only change status of African Americans as a people, but making use of science to replace what was often rationalization and folklore. Theoretically and empirically, the namesakes for this award used the discipline to force a confrontation with accepted empirical realities. As Johnson, Cox, and Frazier, pioneered the use of sociology in search of justice for African Americans, each in their own way, Cora Marrett's career took up where theirs left off. Hers is the case of showing where the opportunity is likely to lie, and people being pleased with the outcome. Essentially, she has used the discipline to make the discipline, itself, and higher education, more generally, more inclusive. It is this commitment and efforts over the course of her career that the committee overwhelmingly and unanimously selected Dr. Cora Bagley Marret to be this year's recipient of the Johnson-Cox-Frazier Award.


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An angry detour for Sox owner John Henry
Red Sox owner John W. Henry was cruising through town in his Volvo SUV yesterday listening to sports talk radio - shouldn't he know better? - when he heard some caustic claims about him and his Sox that he simply could not let go unchallenged.
So Henry, a dispassionate man with a quiet voice, motored off to the Brighton studios of 98.5 The Sports Hub and angrily demanded to be heard on air.
"When you're misleading the public, you should be challenged,'' Henry told cohosts Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti.
The hosts, who have been critical of the team in the wake of its stunning September collapse, were only too happy to accommodate their uninvited guest. In the wide-ranging 70-minute interview that followed, a combative Henry had his say, answering questions that surely had his employees back at Fenway Park squirming.
Henry said he did all he could to keep general manager Theo Epstein from leaving the team, a fight he ultimately lost when Epstein agreed on a five-year deal to run the Chicago Cubs earlier this week. The owner also said he opposed the landmark $142 million contract given to free agent outfielder Carl Crawford last winter.
In what turned into a feisty exchange, Henry denied the team was in chaos and said it would be "great'' next season. The owner did not back down when challenged, displaying a combative side of his personality the public rarely sees.
"I'm here to give you facts,'' said Henry, who usually speaks to the media accompanied by team president Larry Lucchino or other team officials.
Epstein has not yet officially left the Red Sox as the sides are negotiating compensation in return for his not fulfilling the final year remaining on his contract. But Henry essentially acknowledged that Epstein would not be back.
"I'd love to have Theo back,'' he said. "I would have loved for Theo to have been our general manager for the next 20 years. That was my hope. That would have been my hope. But you don't always get what you want.''
The Red Sox are expected to name Ben Cherington to replace Epstein once the compensation talks are complete.
"It would be unfair of me and to the Cubs, who I don't care that much about, but certainly to the Red Sox, Theo, and the people involved to comment on what's going on until there's something to announce,'' Henry said.
Lucchino will be staying on, according to Henry. His contract runs out at the end of the year, but he and Henry have discussed a multiyear extension.
"He hasn't slowed down a bit over the last 10 years,'' Henry said. "He hasn't set a time or a date. Theo sort of did at one point. He never saw the general manager's role as longer than 10 years for himself. After a few years, he knew that the stress of this job was too much. But in Larry's case, he thrives on it.''
Henry did not criticize the play of Crawford, who hit .255 with only 11 home runs in his first season with the Sox, but admitted for the first time that he opposed the signing.
"Anyone involved in the process, anybody involved in upper management with the Red Sox, will tell you that I personally opposed that,'' said Henry, who thought the team didn't need another left-handed hitter. "They all know that. I'll just tell you that at the time I opposed the deal, but I don't meddle to the point of making decisions for our baseball people. Theo will tell you this was driven by our baseball people.'' Henry said it was "preposterous'' to think that the Sox traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Crawford in an effort to improve the ratings on New England Sports Network, the team-owned cable station. "It wasn't a PR move,'' he said.
Crawford's agent, Brian Peters, had no comment other than to say the player was determined to improve in 2012.
"Carl is the first to admit he didn't have a good season,'' Peters said. "But it was one season.''
Henry came to the defense of pitcher Josh Beckett, who has been accused of drinking beer in the clubhouse during games, by calling him one of the most competitive athletes he has known. The Red Sox, he said, fell apart because of poor starting pitching down the stretch and not necessarily a lack of leadership.
Also, in a darker tangent, Henry said that his wife, Linda Pizzutti Henry, would not own the team in the event of his death.
"I wouldn't wish that on anybody I loved,'' he said.
Henry also clarified some of the issues involved in the departure of manager Terry Francona.
Under the terms of Francona's contract, his two-year, $9 million option could not be picked up until after the season. That was discussed during the season, but the decision was made to wait.
When the season ended, Francona elected to leave before a decision could be made.
Henry also disputed the notion that the team was in disarray.
"I think the chaos that's going on is much more external than internal,'' Henry told Felger. "There's this feeling, I think you said that we're in ashes, that the Red Sox are in ashes. That's not how we feel about it.
"If fans hang in there, I'm going to hang in there. We're going to be back as an organization. We're going to have a top-class manager and general manager, and we're going to have a great team next year. People are forgetting that this was a great team before September.
"I love this team, and I'm going to do everything I can to get it back to where it needs to be.''
Peter Abraham can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.


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Actos (pioglitazone): Ongoing Safety Review - Potential Increased Risk of Bladder Cancer
Audience: Endocrinology, Family Practice, Urology
[UPDATED 06/15/2011] Use of the diabetes medication Actos (pioglitazone) for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Information about this risk will be added to the Warnings and Precautions section of the label for pioglitazone-containing medicines. The patient Medication Guide for these medicines will also be revised to include information on the risk of bladder cancer.
This safety information is based on FDA's review of data from a five-year interim analysis of an ongoing, ten-year epidemiological study. The five-year results showed that although there was no overall increased risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone use, an increased risk of bladder cancer was noted among patients with the longest exposure to pioglitazone, and in those exposed to the highest cumulative dose of pioglitazone.
FDA is also aware of a recent epidemiological study conducted in France which suggests an increased risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone. Based on the results of this study, France has suspended the use of pioglitazone and Germany has recommended not to start pioglitazone in new patients.
Additional Information for Patients, Information for Healthcare Professionals, and a Data Summary are provided in the Drug Safety Communication.
FDA recommends that healthcare professionals should:
- Not use pioglitazone in patients with active bladder cancer.
- Use pioglitazone with caution in patients with a prior history of bladder cancer. The benefits of blood sugar control with pioglitazone should be weighed against the unknown risks for cancer recurrence.
FDA will continue to evaluate data from the ongoing ten-year epidemiological study. The Agency will also conduct a comprehensive review of the results from the French study. FDA will update the public when more information becomes available.
[Posted 09/17/2010]
ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients that the Agency is reviewing data from an ongoing, ten-year epidemiological study designed to evaluate whether Actos (pioglitazone) is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Findings from studies in animals and humans suggest this is a potential safety risk that needs further study. At this time, FDA has not concluded that Actos increases the risk of bladder cancer. Its review is ongoing, and the Agency will update the public when it has additional information.
BACKGROUND: The drug manufacturer, Takeda, conducted a planned analysis of the study data at the five-year mark, and submitted their results to FDA. Overall, there was no statistically significant association between Actos exposure and bladder cancer risk. However, further analyses were also performed looking at how long patients were on Actos and the total amount of the drug they received during that time. An increased risk of bladder cancer was observed among patients with the longest exposure to Actos, as well as in those exposed to the highest cumulative dose of Actos.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Healthcare professionals should continue to follow the recommendations in the drug label when prescribing Actos. Patients should continue taking Actos unless told otherwise by their healthcare professional. Patients who are concerned about the possible risks associated with using Actos should talk to their healthcare professional.
Additional Information for Patients, Information for Healthcare Professionals, and a Data Summary are provided in the Drug Safety Communication.
Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:
- Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
- Download form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178
[06/15/2011 - Drug Safety Communication - FDA]
[09/22/2010 - Podcast - FDA]
[09/17/2010 - Drug Safety Communication - FDA]
[09/17/2010 - Note To Correspondents - FDA]


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2007-08 Women's Basketball
Rose-Hulman 61, Bluffton 58 (OT)
Rose-Hulman rallies from 11-point deficit for 61-58 overtime win
By: Evan Miller, sports information assistant
January 26, 2008
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team fell just short to Rose-Hulman on Saturday, January 26, 2008, dropping an overtime contest to the Engineers, 61-58. The heartbreaking loss at home dropped Bluffton to 7-11 overall and 1-8 in conference play, while Rose improved to 8-10 overall with a 4-5 mark in the HCAC.
The Beavers and Engineers played a tight first half as the largest lead of the first 20 minutes was only four points. Ginny Buckingham (Bluffton/Bluffton) converted a layup from freshman Kim Miller (Delphos/St. John's) giving Bluffton a 7-4 lead with 11:39 left in the first half.
The Beavers' lead was short lived, as a pair of good free throws by Katie Tharp put Rose-Hulman on top, 13-10. Bluffton responded, taking a four-point lead following an Angie Lee (Mt. Blanchard/Vanlue) trifecta with just less then seven minutes left in the first half.
Bluffton led 23-22 with under a minute left in the opening half, seemingly poised to take a slim lead into halftime. A costly turnover with 15 seconds left allowed Rose-Hulman to get a Liz Ridgway layup as time expired, giving RHIT a 24-23 halftime advantage.
Early in the second half the Beavers regained their lead thanks to a Vicki Auer (Cincinnati/Roger Bacon) jumper. Later in the half, a jumper by Kim Miller made the score 35-31 in favor of the home team.
Bluffton extended its lead to nine points, 44-35, with a Vicki Auer three-pointer. Auer, who went down with an injury early in overtime, set a new career-high in points with 19. Bluffton got the ball back off of an Auer steal and Kim Miller nailed a pair of free throws, giving Bluffton its largest lead of the game, 46-35, with 6:42 left to play.
The Beavers were still up 51-43 with 3:10 left when Rose made their surge to tie the game. Jill Floyd hit a jumper for Rose-Hulman, pulling them to within four points, 51-47. Floyd completed a three-point play on the Engineers' next possession as she got the hoop and harm, trimming the Bluffton lead to one, 51-50.
The Beavers answered on a Vicki Auer jumper, giving them a 53-50 lead. The Engineers, however, knotted the game by way of a Julie Hart three-ball with just nine seconds left. Angie Lee was fouled on Bluffton's ensuing possession with just three ticks left, but she missed the front end of a one and one, sending the game to an extra session.
Rose-Hulman jumped out to a quick four-point lead, on a Liz Ridgway jumper. On Bluffton's next possession, Vicki Auer went down with 3:37 remaining after landing awkwardly on her knee as she was driving to the hoop.
Down only one, 59-58, with two seconds left, Kim Miller missed both foul shots and Bluffton was whistled for a foul on the rebound. Rose-Hulman added two free throws with under one second left, giving the Engineers a 61-58 victory.
Ginny Buckingham and Kim Miller each picked up four steals to lead Bluffton. Miller dropped in 11 points for the Beavers. Vicki Auer led her team in points with 19, all in the second half. Donna Marsh paced the Engineers with 17 points. Buckingham grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, eight of them coming on the defensive glass.
The Engineers turned the ball over 18 times, compared to only nine miscues for the Beavers. Rose dominated on the glass, ripping down 46 rebounds to only 31 for the home team. Bluffton hit 23-of-33 at the charity stripe (69.7 percent), while RHIT finished 13-of-16 (81.3 percent) on free throws.
Bluffton will return to action on Wednesday, January 30, when the Beavers play host to backyard rival Defiance College. The contest is slated to tip in Founders Hall at 7:30 p.m.


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Skip to comments.MORAL IMPERATIVE: Rep John Campbell, CA 45th
Posted on 01/21/2013 8:39:59 PM PST by Lorianne
Moral Imperative: I speak often in these pages about things fiscal, financial and economic. Given that I am a CPA and sit on three committees in Congress that deal with money (Budget, Financial Services and Joint Economic), this is to be expected. But, I am not all about money. And, the nation's problems are not all about money. As big a problem as our debts and deficits are, they are emblematic of deeper and actually more significant moral and cultural issues.
For some time now, we have heard of those who Tom Brokaw dubbed "the greatest generation", those who sacrificed through a world war to vanquish fascism and imperialism and leave a stronger America for their children. We can go back further to speak of the generation that took the risks to establish this country in the late 18th century or of the generation that fought the Civil War. In each case, said generation sacrificed in order to leave a better and more prosperous country of opportunity for their children.
But, what are we doing now? What will be the legacy of my generation? Our debt and deficit crisis is largely caused by giving ourselves health care and retirement benefits without paying for them. But, we "deserve" them. We are "entitled". We paid for them. The problem is that none of that is true. I have paid Medicare taxes my entire working life, and I started earning a paycheck when I was 16. I am 57 years old and, therefore, am 8 years away from Medicare benefits. In spite of that, I have only paid in 1/3 of the cost of the benefits I will likely receive. The rest, fully two-thirds of every doctor visit or medical procedure, will be borrowed. That means my kids will have to figure out how to pay for it.
I use myself as an example, but I am not unique here. No one receiving Medicare now or about to receive it has paid anywhere near the full cost. The same is true of Social Security, although those numbers are not as lopsided. And, we all want to care for the indigent, but we do not pay enough taxes to cover Medicaid expenses either.
So, as a society, we have decided that we want a bunch of stuff right now so that our standard of living will be higher...so that we can buy more things and live more comfortably. And, we don't want to pay for it. Instead, we demand that people in the future pay for it through less opportunity and lower expectations and a lower living standard. Instead of sacrificing to leave the next generation a brighter future, we are rewarding ourselves more than is our due and leaving the next generation with less opportunity, lower expectations and a lower living standard. It is selfish. It is just plain wrong.
The financial markets are also a part of the problem right now. Markets today are dominated by traders rather than investors. Those traders have a very short-term outlook. They are interested in the next week or maybe, at most, the next quarter. So, they want any accommodation that preserves their outlook for a few months and the heck with the long-term future. I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today, as the cartoon character J. Wellington Wimpy proclaimed in 1932, seems to have become Wall Street's motto. These short-term markets will hate what we might have to do to fix the problem. But, we must start becoming less concerned about the next 3 weeks in order to build a brighter future for the next 3 decades.
In the final analysis, that's really what this debt limit fight is about. The president and his minions want to give you something for nothing. That's the source of their political strength. You get health care and retirement and education all for free because you are "entitled" to it and somebody else will pay for it. Problem is that those somebody else's, like the "rich" and the "corporations", don't have even 10% of the money necessary to pay for it. So, the people paying will be your children. And, they will pay dearly.
I understand that the world moves on. I understand that things change. But, some principles are enduring. Whatever happened to the idea that you are entitled to nothing that you don't earn or show yourself to be deserving of? What about the idea that no matter how good or how modest my station in life is, I want my kids to have it better?
Our debt and this president's perpetual trillion dollar deficits are not just bad economic policy - they are morally reprehensible. We have to make a stand. Barack Obama will be president for 4 more years, to my great disappointment. We are better to make that stand now, even if it means we all have to suffer the trauma of going past the debt limit, than to condemn our children to the consequences of future collapse that will impact them for decades.
No we don't, not through taxation anyway. Quit taxing me to "care for the indigent" and I'll take care of those I see fit to take care of.
This should be easy to explain to low information voters.
Raising the debt limit is not paying our bills!
We satisfy one debt, then create another-solving nothing
We are borrowing from Peter to pay Paul
Its 2013 and this guy is just starting to figure this out? He's a CPA ... Whats he been doing all this time? These people are not our best and brightest. Can't we just declare the government as unworkable and call for a do-over?
This simple truth unfortunately doesn't have the glitz and glamor of the piece of total crap that came out of zero's mouth today.
Cloward Piven is on it's way.
The author does not understand that for progressives there is no morality. Whatever the issue is, it is not the issue. The issue is chaos and revolution, and to them, whatever is the result, it is better than what we have now.
Campbell is a Hugh Hewitt protege. Like Arnold was.
Hewitt is an influence peddler and party hack. He's always promoting some squishy moderate or liberal Republican while trying to pass him off as a conservative.
Michael Medved does the same thing. Any time that they praise someone I like it makes me take a second look to see what I missed.
And to top it off, a country going bankrupt is beyond the comprehension of Q Public, and so they don't believe it will ever happen - that the money runs out.
Always was leery of Hugh Hewitt and Michael Medved. Have always turned them off, because they would say something that really bothered me. Some things I did agree with, so had listened for awhile-—then.....Wham! Some Left Wing socialist crud gets slid in.....
I do like to think of myself as just a "Common Sense" sort of person immersed in the Natural Law Theory of St. Thomas Aquinas. Sweet Logic! : )
The so-called Greatest Generation created a number of unsustainable wealth redistribution programs, aka Ponzi schemes. They got or are getting theirs on the backs of subsequent generations. Sorry, but that's the truth. I think it's great they won the war against national socialism, but then they brought socialism here. They fought for freedom then voted for servitude.
How will you persuade them?
Isn't this the guy who caved on homosexuals what was it, shoehorning them into the military, or calling what they do "marriage"? I think the former.
And he's talking about moral imperatives?
Your common sense has served you well.
Hugh Hewitt is a GOP courtier who finds it useful to pose as a conservative. He and Michael Medved use conservative language, but as you sensed they aren't genuine.
When Hewitt first brought his carpet bag out to California in the 1990s we were enmeshed in the Prop 187 fight to try to rid ourselves of the burden that illegal aliens were imposing on our state. Hewitt, being a stooge of the GOP elite, opposed the grassroots conservatives in this campaign while posturing as a conservative to promote his own career. He is duplicitous at best. And Medved is even worse.
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12 U.S. Code § 3801 - Findings and purpose
prev | next
§ 3801.
Findings and purpose
(a) The Congress hereby finds that—
increasingly volatile and dynamic changes in interest rates have seriously impared [1] the ability of housing creditors to provide consumers with fixed-term, fixed-rate credit secured by interests in real property, cooperative housing, manufactured homes, and other dwellings;
alternative mortgage transactions are essential to the provision of an adequate supply of credit secured by residential property necessary to meet the demand expected during the 1980's; and
the Comptroller of the Currency, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision have recognized the importance of alternative mortgage transactions and have adopted regulations authorizing federally chartered depository institutions to engage in alternative mortgage financing.
It is the purpose of this chapter to eliminate the discriminatory impact that those regulations have upon nonfederally chartered housing creditors and provide them with parity with federally chartered institutions by authorizing all housing creditors to make, purchase, and enforce alternative mortgage transactions so long as the transactions are in conformity with the regulations issued by the Federal agencies.
(Pub. L. 97–320, title VIII, § 802, Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1545; Pub. L. 101–73, title VII, § 744(c), Aug. 9, 1989, 103 Stat. 438.)
[1] So in original. Probably should be "impaired".
1989—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 101–73 substituted "Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision" for "Federal Home Loan Bank Board".
Short Title
Pub. L. 97–320, title VIII, § 801, Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1545, provided that:
"This title [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the 'Alternative Mortgage Transaction Parity Act of 1982'."
Effective Date
Pub. L. 97–320, title VIII, § 807(a), Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1548, provided that:
"This title [enacting this chapter] shall be effective upon enactment [Oct. 15, 1982]."
Identification, Description and Publication of Regulations Inapplicable To, or Conformation of Regulations for Use Of Nonfederally Chartered Housing Creditors
Pub. L. 97–320, title VIII, § 807(b), Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1548, provided that:
"Within sixty days of the enactment of this title [Oct. 15, 1982], the Comptroller of the Currency, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board shall identify, describe, and publish those portions or provisions of their respective regulations that are inappropriate for (and thus inapplicable to), or that need to be conformed for the use of, the nonfederally chartered housing creditors to which their respective regulations apply, including without limitation, making necessary changes in terminology to conform the regulatory and disclosure provisions to those more typically associated with various types of transactions including credit sales."
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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09.21.12: The No. 12 ranked (NSCAA Division I poll) Lady Knights soccer team hosted the No. 14 ranked Fighting Owls of Harford Community College from Bel Air, MD on Friday at the CCRI soccer complex in Lincoln. The teams played to a 0-0 tied after 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute sudden death overtime periods. With the tie the Lady Knights are now 5-1-1 on the season.
The game went back and forth with both teams having numerous scoring opportunities but both goalkeepers were up to the task at hand making some great saves and after 90 minutes of regulation play the score was 0-0. The teams would now go to two 10-minute sudden death overtime periods to attempt to decide a winner.
Things didn't change much in the first 10-minute sudden death overtime period as both teams battled hard but no one could score. In the second overtime period Lady Knights' sophomore Tri-Captain midfielder Jess McCaughey (Warwick, RI) found herself in alone on the Harford goalkeeper. She placed a shot low and to the left side of the goal along the ground just missing by inches.
Head Coach Dennis Grassini commented after the game; "Harford is always a formidable opponent. This was just a great game all concerned. It was very exciting and what a good soccer game is all about! Our goalkeeper Alex Place (East Greenwich, RI) played outstanding today making some very quality saves throughout the entire match."
The Lady Knights next opponent is No. 6 ranked (NJCAA DI poll) district rival Lady Tribunes of Monroe Community College from Rochester, NY as the two teams square off at noon on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday Harford CC and Monroe CC played at the CCRI soccer complex in Lincoln with the Lady Tribunes defeating the Fighting Owls 2-0.
The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls 17,760 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.
This page developed and maintained by CCRI Athletics. Send comments and suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The city will soon have a finalized study in hand to assist them in moving forward with developing green infrastructure in Neosho.
The city will soon have a finalized study in hand to assist them in moving forward with developing green infrastructure in Neosho.
Neosho City officials learned more about their recent green infrastructure study Wednesday morning in a public meeting at the Crowder College MARET Center.
The city was one of 17 communities nationwide to receive a $30,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency last summer, to fund the green infrastructure study.
The study is nearly finished now, and on Wednesday, Neil Weinstein, of Low Impact Development Center, Inc., who created the report, spoke with city officials and local environmental leaders about the direction the city could go moving forward.
While the primary focus of the study included suggestions for the city in complying with Missouri's stormwater regulations, he also presented sketch drawings of some potential green spaces in the City of Neosho that could aid the city in meeting those requirements.
While the green areas are suggested to help cut down on storm water runoff, by giving the water a place to go, Weinstein said the green spaces can also offer opportunities for city residents.
"I think people do value a lot of this because it helps really create a nice community," Weinstein said.
Weinstein pointed to the vacant lot next door to the Neosho Civic, where the Baptist Church was once located, as a potential pilot project for the city.
The drawing showed green space combined with some concrete areas, featuring park benches, a pavilion, trees, flowers, and a "Neosho" sign.
"That is, to me, very inspirational, it gets you excited about what the potential is," said Community Conservation Planner Ronda Headland, of the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Troy Royer, Neosho's city manager, said the drawing was just the kind of project Neosho officials have had in mind.
"I loved it," Royer said. "That's kind of what we've been looking at since we demo'd that church property is first getting that grass established so it is a green area. It works in with our MS4(state regulations) because of stormwater management, it's having a place for that water to go."
In fact, the city had gone so far as to apply last year for a grant to aid in creating the green space downtown, however, that grant application was denied.
While it may not have made a difference for that specific grant, Royer said having a plan in hand will be helpful in pursuing future projects and funding options.
"With a lot of grant opportunities you've got to have a plan, that's where it all starts," Royer said. "A lot of them you can't apply for unless you have a plan in place. That's pretty much a standard for any grant. They all want some kind of plan to see where you're going with this."
Dana Daniel, the city's director of development services, said in an earlier interview that the EPA outlined four goals to be fulfilled with the grant: that the city's storm water codes be reviewed, that the city be given recommended areas in the community that could be developed as green infrastructure sites, that the city be provided a set of standard specifications for green infrastructure, and that a presentation be made to the city once the study is completed.
The EPA provided $950,000 nationally to assist in the green infrastructure studies, with a goal of decreasing storm water runoff's pollution of local waters.


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U.S. Stocks Close Lower
NEW YORK—The Dow Jones Industrial Average cooled off after notching its biggest advance in months last week, with shares of most retailers declining after Thanksgiving-weekend sales growth came in below last year's levels.
The Dow dropped 42.31 points, or 0.3%, to 12967.37. Investors took a cautious approach after returning from a holiday-shortened week that saw the Dow surge 421 points, the biggest one-week rise for blue chips since June.
"Today's market action is just a giveback from the extremely strong performance late last week," said Jim McDonald, chief investment strategist at Northern Trust Global Investment.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index closed down 2.86 points, or 0.2%, to 1406.29, halting a five-session streak of advances.
Telecommunications and energy stocks fell most sharply.
UnitedHealth Group dropped after the company affirmed its 2012 earnings estimate, but provided a 2013 outlook that was below current analyst projections.
Utility stocks, by far the worst performers over the past month, bucked the trend to add 1.3%. Technology stocks also posted gains.
Major benchmarks were able to bounce from session lows and wipe away the worst of Monday's decline late in the session.
The Nasdaq Composite Index reversed course and rose 9.93 points, or 0.3%, to 2976.78, ticking higher for the sixth session in a row. Apple climbed after Citigroup analysts initiated research coverage of the stock with a "buy" rating.
Shares of online retailing giant Amazon.com and online auctioneer eBay advanced on so-called Cyber Monday, typically the biggest online shopping day of the year. Total spending over the Thanksgiving weekend rose an estimated 13% over last year to $59.1 billion, according to the National Retail Foundation, less than last year's sales increase of 16%.
Department-store retailers took a hit, however. Macy's and Nordstrom were among the biggest decliners on the S&P 500.
European markets also ended broadly lower. The Stoxx Europe 600 snapped a five-session streak of gains, down 0.5%. In focus was a meeting of euro-zone finance ministers. The group is looking for common ground on austerity measures for Greece, a prerequisite for the release of more aid for the debt-strapped country. Germany's DAX dropped 0.2%, while France's CAC-40 fell 0.8%.
Investors said that continuing efforts in the U.S. by lawmakers to compromise on a series of potential tax increases and spending cuts in the new year, combined with negotiations in Europe, are likely to drive the market's direction.
"I suspect that we're going to be tossed around a bit on headlines coming out of these negotiations on the 'fiscal cliff,' and to a lesser extent, Greece," said Bill Stone, chief investment strategist at PNC Asset Management Group.
In U.S. economic news, business activity among Texas-area manufacturers contracted in November from a month earlier.
Facebook rallied as Bernstein Research, formerly one of the most bearish analysts that cover the stock, raised its investment rating to "outperform" and lifted its price target. Shares were on pace to close at their highest level since July.
Knight Capital Group climbed after The Wall Street Journal reported late on Friday that the securities firm is weighing the sale of its profitable market-making business. The report prompted analysts at Keefe, Bruyette Woods to raise their stock-recommendation rating on Knight to "market perform" from "underperform."
Front-month crude oil futures declined 0.6% to settle at $87.74 a barrel, while November gold futures lost 0.1% to $1,749.50 a troy ounce. The dollar edged higher against the euro but eased slightly against the yen. Yields on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds fell to 1.664%, as demand rose.
Asian markets closed mostly higher on the back of sharp gains in the U.S. on Friday. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.2% to a 6½-month high and Australia's S&P ASX 200 tacked on 0.3%. China's Shanghai Composite bucked the trend by slipping 0.5%.
Write to Chris Dieterich at email@example.com and Tomi Kilgore at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Barcelona star Lionel Messi is the most valuable player in football, according to a poll conducted by GiveMeFootball.
Messi, 24, won 50 percent of the total vote - with over 35,000 fans believing the Argentina international holds a greater transfer value than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
Ronaldo came second to Messi once again, with the Real Madrid forward afforded the support of 27 percent of the fans polled, while Chelsea's Fernando Torres was surprise third place.
The Spanish striker moved to Stamford Bridge for a British record £50 million in 2010, and 11 percent of fans would seem to believe that his value has increased since leaving Liverpool for London.
Neymar, meanwhile, was next in line with seven percent, while the Brazilian represents the player in the poll most likely to be sold in the not too distant future, given his want to play in Europe.
Robin van Persie was sold by Arsenal to Manchester United for £24 million last month, but only three percent of voters believed he is football's MVP, while new teammate Wayne Rooney fared even worse.
The 26-year-old striker won a meagre two percent of the vote, and will surely ask himself how he is valued lower than Torres, given the dire form shown by the latter for the majority of his Chelsea career.
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Dear Figaro,I love you very much, but your tendency to run around like a wild creature in the middle of the night is dangerous for both of us. Please stop.And while you're at it, pocket tissue packs are not toys. Please leave them alone.Love, She Who Buys You Fancy Feast
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Muscle needed for menacing mollusks
Zebra mussels became infamous in states bordering the Great Lakes about 25 years ago. Many newspaper and magazine articles have been published about the invidious and menacing mollusks since they scurried into public awareness. I've never seen a zebra mussel up close but I've read many of those articles and studied the photos of clusters of the pests. Without fail, each of those stories included this observation:
"The zebra mussel has no natural predator."
That meant there were no amphibians, fish, birds or other creatures that would be pursuing and eating the mussels. That could be filed under the heading of bad news; it gave worriers something else to fret about. It was especially bad news for managers of municipal water treatment and sewage plants, as well as power plants and other industrial users of water.
The mussels affix their little selves —they are about the size of a jellybean — to water intakes and other piping networks, clogging the systems, reducing efficiency, hampering production and being more than a major headache. They are a certified nuisance.
They usually get most of their public scrutiny during boating season. They reproduce at an astronomical pace. By the millions, they cling to the anchors and hulls of boats and many docks in over 30 states. While there is an impact on boating, most of the anxiety relates to clogged pipes, primarily plant water intakes. Clusters of mussels can become so dense they reduce the flow to a trickle.
Efforts have been made to control the mussels using chlorine, copper and other chemicals. The results have been mixed. The use of chemicals has been opposed by many groups that warn against the impact on fish and other wildlife, and the pollution of lakes and rivers.
There is finally some good zebra mussel news. There is a predator, not a natural predator, but a human one named Daniel P. Molloy, a retired biologist at the New York State Museum in Albany, now on the faculty at the University at Albany. He is well-known for the development of environmentally safe agents to replace chemical pesticides.
Before embarking on his mollusk extermination mission, Molloy achieved a measure of fame as the leader of a scientific group that found a method to decimate the black flies that annually plagued the Adirondack area. It was a quest that took him to various frontiers. He discovered an unusual bacteria in a pond in Israel and, after much testing, it was proven to be deadly to the larvae of black flies. The flies were a monstrous seasonal problem, hovering ominously around tourists and inflicting painful bites. Controlling them made summer in the Adirondacks a more pleasant period.
In 1990, he began his quest for a solution to the zebra mussel infestation that was spreading to a larger part of the country each year. He speculated about the possibility of finding bacteria that would do to zebra mussels what the bacteria from Israel had done to black flies.
It was no easy task. It took 20 years, during which he and his team tested more than 700 bacterial strains. One discovered in river mud was found to be lethal to the mussels while having no adverse effects on the environment. After approval, a California company began distribution of the products with great success. Now there is a new challenge for Molloy.
Those succulent oysters found in Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic Coast have been under attack and he is assembling a team to find a solution.
"If we work hard enough and long enough and are lucky enough, we can find the answer," Molloy observed.


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CUNA D.C. Offers Lessons in Advocacy
December 13, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. — An increasingly complex international regulatory environment is making it more challenging for credit unions worldwide to serve their members. Credit union and trade association representatives from nine Latin American and Caribbean countries traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to learn better ways of making a positive impact on their countries' lawmakers on their institutions' behalves.
The two-day workshop, organized jointly by World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and Credit Union National Association (CUNA), WOCCU's member in the United States, introduced effective advocacy practices as well as the concepts behind those practices to 31 participants gathered at Credit Union House, CUNA's meetings facility on Capitol Hill. Lessons learned can be put to good use in countries around the world, according to Bill Cheney, CUNA's president and CEO who was one of several presenters to the group.
"Each country has a different political system, but the basic principles of advocacy are universal," Cheney said. "What we tried to do through this workshop was review these principles, give examples of how they are applied in the United States and provoke a discussion on how they may be applicable in Latin America."
Participants came from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico to better understand proper lobbying techniques from CUNA, one of the credit union industry's most effective lobbying bodies. The value of the techniques taught in the meetings cannot be underestimated, according to Brian Branch, WOCCU president and CEO.
"Today more than ever, we all need to strengthen our advocacy programs to address the increasing complexity of regulations and the increasing compliance burden," said Branch. "CUNA has been recognized many times over the years as one of the most effective advocacy organizations in the U.S. We are privileged that CUNA is sharing its expertise with other countries."
In addition to Cheney, other CUNA lobbyists shared tips and techniques for effectively making the credit union voice be heard. Ryan Donovan, CUNA's senior vice president of legislative affairs, introduced the principles of basic lobbying as a method to enact meaningful legislation on behalf of credit unions. Lobbying efforts should be unified, clear and credible, and accompanied by an understanding of both allies and opponents to credit union efforts, he said.
Richard Gose, CUNA's vice president of political affairs, spoke about grassroots advocacy and the impact lobbying coalitions can have in producing effective outcomes. An educated credit union member base is important to communicating directly with legislators and holding them accountable for the decisions they make, he explained.
The workshop included exercises in developing practical lobbying scenarios, calling upon attendees to develop their own lobbying strategies based on a series of challenges set before them. The two-day event's blend of theory and practice provided a rich educational experience, according to Ramon Imperial Zuñiga, CEO of Mexico's Caja Popular Mexicana.
"Lobbying is one of the most important areas we need to understand as a movement, and all of us recognize that the U.S. movement has a lot of experience in this area," Zuñiga said. "What we have learned will help us be more effective in the lobbying we do with our own congresses and federal governments."
World Council of Credit Unions is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.
World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 89 countries. Worldwide, 68,882 credit unions in 109 countries serve 235 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.
NOTE: Click on photos to view/download in high resolution.


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The third-season premiere of ABC's Washington-centric political thriller "Scandal" reverberated beyond the Beltway, ranking at the top of the new Nielsen Twitter TV ratings.
Thursday night's episode, in which Washington fixer Olivia Pope's name was leaked as the president's mistress, attracted 10.5 million television viewers. "Scandal" also made some noise on the social media platform Twitter, with nearly 713,000 tweets about the episode reaching a Twitter audience of 3.7 million, Nielsen reported.
FULL COVERAGE: Fall TV preview 2013
The sudsy drama proved even more social than the MTV documentary "Miley: The Movement," which followed Miley Cyrus' efforts to shed her persona as a Disney Channel star and focus on music. That program generated some 142,000 tweets that reached a Twitter audience of just under 3.2 million, Nielsen reported. But overall, Cyrus was a social phenomenon, also sparking conversation with her appearance on "Saturday Night Live."
The new Nielsen Twitter TV measurement ranks shows according to the unique audience of Twitter users who have been exposed to at least one tweet about a program. It also identifies the number of tweets associated with a particular episode.
The rankings for the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 6 are as follows:
Rank Program Date Network Unique Audience (000) Tweets (000)
1 Scandal 10/3/13 ABC 3,655.2 712.9
2 Miley: The Movement 10/2/13 MTV 3,185.2 142.4
3 Saturday Night Live 10/5/13 NBC 3,146.5 175.8
4 The Voice 10/1/13 NBC 2,619.8 106.6
5 The Voice 9/30/13 NBC 2,558.7 135.0
6 The Vampire Diaries 10/3/13 CW 2,488.4 278.0
7 Glee 10/3/13 FOX 2,270.1 196.0
8 Dancing With the Stars 9/30/13 ABC 2,092.9 59.8
9 The X Factor 10/2/13 FOX 2,039.0 255.2
10 The X Factor 10/3/13 FOX 1,802.5 188.8
TV ratings: Football dominates Sunday night
Megyn Kelly on new show: 'I'm a news anchor, not an ideologue'
Nielsen measuring audience of TV-related tweets during programs
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013 PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen
PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013
PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies


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An Adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is a loan with an interest rate that changes on a periodic basis. The change is usually tied to the movement of an economic indicator, most commonly the prime interest rate.
See Also:
Ask An Advisor: Which Debt Should I Pay Off First?
Ask An Advisor: What Is a Reverse Mortgage?
Will You Get Any Mortgage Help?
Take Interest in Your Mortgage
How Much House Can You Afford… Now?
Q&A: Affording Your First Home
POP! Goes The Balloon Mortgage


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Vermont Public Television "Emerging Science" Series Features College of Medicine Faculty
- 10-24-2012
- By Jennifer Nachbur
The latest series of Vermont Public Television (VPT) "Emerging Science" programs highlights the work of several University of Vermont (UVM) College of Medicine faculty members. Research by UVM Professor of Neurological Sciences Helene Langevin, M.D., will be featured in the October 24, 2012 segment, titled "Acupuncture: A Connective Tale." On October 31, 2012, research by Kalev Freeman, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of surgery, will be featured in a segment titled "Traumatic Brain Injury in Sports."
Now in its fifth season, "Emerging Science" airs on VPT Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. The series features Vermont scientists who expand human knowledge and help solve problems around the world. A collaboration between Vermont EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) at UVM and VPT, "Emerging Science" is a multi-award-winning program that utilizes broadcast programs, web resources, community events, and educational outreach to spark high school students' interest in scientific careers. Designed to fulfill the National Science Foundation's mandate to promote scientific progress nationwide, Vermont EPSCoR supports Vermont scientists and business leaders through funding, outreach and technology development.
The October 24 "Acupuncture: A Connective Tale" program featuring Langevin explores the role of connective tissue in acupuncture and the importance of connective tissue to overall health. The episode profiles Vicky Dubois of Burlington, Vt., who suffers from the connective tissue disorder scleroderma. The episode also includes interviews with Brian Erickson, M.D., UVM clinical assistant of psychiatry, and pain medicine psychiatrist at Fletcher Allen Health Care, and Janet Kahn, Ph.D., UVM assistant professor of psychiatry and Program in Integrative Health member, and massage therapist.
The October 31 "Traumatic Brain Injury in Sports" program featuring Freeman's research profiles young Kacy Chicoine of Huntington, Vt., whose life has been altered by a series of concussions while playing hockey. An interview with Magdalena Naylor, M.D., Ph.D., UVM professor of psychiatry and a co-investigator with Freeman on this concussion research, will also be included in this program.
The November 7 program, titled "Traumatic Brain Injury at War," focuses on studies by Matthew Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Center for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and Thomas McAllister, M.D., of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth that explore the association between PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The segment will feature comments by Jom Hammack, Ph.D., UVM associate professor of psychology, who studies PTSD at a molecular level with colleagues Victor May, Ph.D., professor of neurological sciences, Karen Braas, Ph.D., associate professor of neurological sciences, and Donna Toufexis, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology. An interview with Sgt. Andrew Reeves, a veteran of the Iraq war who was injured by an improvised explosive device in 2004 and has been diagnosed with TBI and PTSD, will also be featured in the program.
Each program will be rebroadcast the following Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and the following Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Program videos will also be available on demand on the "Emerging Science" website.
"Emerging Science" was created and is produced in partnership with Vermont EPSCoR and VPT with funding provided by NSF EPS #1101317. VPT's Anya Huneke serves as producer, and Dorothy Dickie as executive producer, of "Emerging Science."


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*Real* technology reporting involves aggregating a story that's based on another story that's based on a blog-post that's based on a press release from a company or interest group.
Nah, just post the story simultaneously to different sites and have them reference each other
Hey, that's the best way to get corroborating sources.
Around we make sure to only link to a blog post linking to a news article that's "that kind of 'reporting'", with at least another one or two layers of repeating for good measure.
It's a shame what happened to this once fine profession.
Now it's a bunch of window lickers who learn to shoot from the hip for the quickest public (exclusives sell), not check facts and rely on rumors, and mutiliate the English language. I call this twitch journalism.
Unfortunately the blogosphere took over (quick instant information anyone can publish) and I get to see which drug Lindsay Lohan overdosed on today and which brand of shoes are hot fashion. While the increased speed of information propagation
Or some old media is adapting. Newspapers, for example, publish daily or less so have no need to break a story out nanoseconds after it happened.
The extra time can be used to properly research things out and try to get more than one side of a story (in an attempt to publish first, the other side's story if often forgotten because it would mean publishing seconds later. Quel horreur!).
Or to report on things that don't make for quick soundbites or appear to matter. Or to which news changes so frequently (thin
The news is a commodity, the associated press and Reuters have made it so, even if by accident. There are only two ways for a news source to avoid being a commodity:
User experience: Can I browse your news source and have a better experience that another site? Does you website annoy me with interactive ads, does it have a good layout etc?
Original material: Can I get original high quality material from your news source that I can't get elsewhere? Look at the Wall Street Journal, lots of original content, and
Title: Chasing Federal Government IT Stories
Description: Wayne Rash is a crusty old IT reporter who covers a lot of Federal Government actions, especially those that have to do with technology, for several well-known publications. How does he do it?
SlashdotTV logo bar reading "Wayne Rash is a senior tech reporter for eWeek and other well-known publications" appears over a view of the interviewee, Wayne Rash, sitting in a room cluttered with materials, with the picture fading from a grey
It seems intuitively obvious to me, which means that it might be wrong. -- Chris Torek


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England were knocked out of Euro 2013 tonight, with the Lionesses throughout the tournament failing to win a game. The final score was 3-0 to France. England were well beaten.
Hope Powell's side knew going into the game that they at least needed a draw to see them through to the quarter finals.
Yet a positive result for England failed to materialise. Eugenie Le Sommer opened the scoring at the second attempt after being denied by the post at the first.
After the goal, France faded and it gave England a chance to regain a foothold in the game.
The teams were playing an equal game with both having opportunities to score a goal. They went in to half time at 1-0 to France. England needed a goal.
Further disaster struck on 62 minutes for England, with France scoring again. Louisa Necib raced through the English defence and curled in a shot past Karen Bardsley.
France were not finished, they again scored two minutes later with tall defender Wendy Renard thumping in a header after a set piece. At 3-0, England's time in the competition was coming to a quick conclusion.
England failed to comeback with any goal, with France threatening to run riot after many further chances. England struggled and failed to create notable shooting opportunities. The full time whistle blew and a miserable night for England was over. The French had given them a master class.
It was an overall miserable tournament for Hope Powell and it the Lionesses will head home embarrassed about the failure of making it into the quarter finals.
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Submission + - DARPA Funds Research Into A Network-Based Interpretation of Dreams (medium.com)
KentuckyFC writes: Despite the universal experience of dreaming, psychologists and neuroscientists have little understanding of its purpose and mechanisms or how it varies from one culture to another. So new approaches to oneirology, or dream research, are always welcome. Now a DARPA-funded research team is using network science to analyse dreams for the first time. Dreams have become amenable to network studies because dream reports and their interpretations are now widely available on the web in repositories such as UC Santa Cruz's Dreambank. The DARPA team crawled these databases in English, Chinese and Arabic for symbols that appear in dreams and their descriptions. They then created a network for each language by treating symbols as nodes and linking them to other nodes with similar descriptions. They then searched the networks for regions of more densely connected nodes that form communities. For example, in English, symbols such as 'ladder', 'hill' and 'goal" form just such a community representing 'achievement after a struggle'. Finally, they compared the communities from different languages looking for similarities. The results show that dream symbols seem to be connected in similar ways regardless of the cultural background of the dreamers. That provides a new window into the cultural links between dreams experienced by people in different parts of the world. But it also raises the question of how the work fits in to DARPA's broader mission to create breakthrough technologies for national security.


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Help on wheel stud replacement!
Posted 16 July 2005 - 04:19 PM
The nut was tight, and when I finally got it off, it took half of the stud with it.
Aaaaanyway, I need to replace the stud and I have no idea how to do it!
Any advise on how to replace the stud would be greatly appreciated.
PS, would it be terrible if I were to drive around on only 4 lugs for a few days until I get it fixed?
Posted 16 July 2005 - 10:43 PM
Posted 16 July 2005 - 11:06 PM
Knock it out with a punch and a large hammer, before you put the new one in put some oil on it so it will not be so hard to get in. After you get it started you can pull it on in to place with the lug nut. They may be a better way to do this but this worked for me and I have seen other people do it this way.
Thank you!
However, would you be able to tell me how to get to the point where I can even do that? The back of the studs don't look very accessable. I understand that I need to remove the brake assembly to do this...
Posted 16 July 2005 - 11:37 PM
Be forewarned that you can damage your wheel bearings by pounding the studs out. Pounding the studs out and pulling the new ones through with the lug nuts is super-easy to do, but replacing wheel bearings 6 months later is definitely not:
Me personally, I'd say just drive around with 4 lug nuts, the wheel won't fall off or anything.
Posted 17 July 2005 - 04:29 PM
Posted 18 July 2005 - 10:41 AM
One of the lug studs broke in a fashion similar to yours. It happened on my wife's buick with rear drum brakes, and I couldn't get the rear drum off, so I eventually took it to a shop with better tools, they fixed it in a jiffy.
It shouldn't be too expensive to fix if you want to let someone else do it.
Posted 19 July 2005 - 03:21 PM
I just finished replacing the right rear wheel bearing on my 99 OBW and when I was putting the wheel back on I found that I had damaged a stud while doing the bearing work. The proper procedure for the rear wheel is to remove the hub and r/r the stud and reassemble. Not wanting to rip everything apart again and risk damaging the bearings and seals, I am going to get a thread restorer file and a thread chaser die and try to restore the threads. Hopefully I have only damaged the threads at the end of the stud and there are sufficient threads remaining to hold the lug nut.
Posted 22 July 2005 - 10:49 AM
Posted 22 July 2005 - 12:43 PM
4 studs sheared off on I85 in charlotte NC all at the same time. hmmm bad luck. so i wobbled to a closed gas station at 1am. i knew i couldn't make it to atlanta on one lug nut going 70/80 mph. so i searched and searched for a bolt that would work...bingo the brake caliper mounting bolts on an XT6 are the same thread and pitch as the wheel studs. so i cranked the remaining caliper mounting bolt nice and tight after scaveging one from each side to use on the wheel. they are very short compared to the studs and don't have to be pressed in as the shaft isn't fat at the head. so i had to hold the bolt in place with one hand to get the nut started and pull the wheel tight to the hub. continued on my way to atlanta and replaced them with new studs the next day. worked perfectly. banged all those studs out with a hammer and still drive that car to this day. rebuilt the entire front suspension and replaced the front bearings while i had it all apart they were good and tight. that's with lots of off road miles and such as well. all this to say knocking the studs out did'nt damage my bearings.
Posted 22 July 2005 - 12:51 PM
Everyone knows you made a big mistake... Luckily, you survived!!!
Yeah, I guess you have to do what you have to do. Remember in the early days of motoring, the wheels fell off the car routinely, but they probably only were going 30 mph top speed.
My question is how do 4 out of 5 whhel studs break at the same time?? Maybe they were over-torqued?
Posted 22 July 2005 - 01:56 PM
Anyway, yesterday I was able to get the new stud in the front in less than an hour (starting with jacking the car up and ending at setting it down).
The hardest part BY FAR was finding a stud with the correct thread pitch and knurl. AutoZone and Discount Auto Parts/Advance Auto Parts were pretty much useless there; they kept on telling me that the stud I was showing them that I removed from my car was the wrong one. Yeah, buddy, I'm sure.
I ended up having to drive to the local Subaru dealer to buy a stud for $3.83!!!
But, as fas as I'm concerned, it was worth it, as it slid right in with little effort.
Posted 22 July 2005 - 02:10 PM
That is not so far off from what I paid last time I bought studs from an auto parts place... 16 of them for 2 wheels, plus $2 each to press in.
...I ended up having to drive to the local Subaru dealer to buy a stud for $3.83!!!
But, as fas as I'm concerned, it was worth it, as it slid right in with little effort.
Posted 18 August 2005 - 03:22 PM
I have the same problem on my 2001 Legacy
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Fresh vegetables and fruits are far superior to and less expensive than popping supplements as part of a well-rounded diet. And if you don't like fresh vegetables, a new cookbook from Melissa's Produce -- "50 Best Plants on the Planet: The Most Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes" (Chronicle Books, $29.95) -- could change your mind.
In this delicious, encyclopedic guide to cooking the 50 most nutritious fruits and veggies in the world, author Cathy Thomas' recipes provide new takes on everyday produce and may even entice hardened haters of Brussels sprouts to end long-standing prejudices.
"Nutrient dense" is the best way to describe fresh fruits and vegetables: high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, anti-oxidants and low in calories. Eating more of these goodies seems like a no-brainer. Despite understanding the role nutrition plays in promoting our well-being, the concept of eating healthful foods is still a hard sell in many homes. Many of us remember that serving "healthy" foods were often accompanied by "Do I have to eat that?" scenes at the dinner table.
The book starts off with arugula, a familiar ingredient in mixed salads. Thomas notes that just one ounce of this peppery, leafy green offers more than a third of an adult's daily need for vitamin K. The Spaghetti and Arugula Pesto, which blends arugula, pine nuts and garlic, offers a new taste for this green loaded with phytochemicals -- which have anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects -- and other vitamins and minerals that provide anti-oxidant action.
Ending with watermelon, the book takes us through the alphabet of good food with 150 fabulous recipes for simple sides, breakfasts, dinners and desserts, putting a new face on fresh produce. Think Pan-Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios and Dried Cherries, Grilled Chard Stuffed with Fresh Mozzarella, Blackberry Gratin (with a bit of tofu and pecans) Kiwi-Papaya Salsa served with fish and more.
The book highlights the health benefits of these nutrient-rich foods: Detailed food values are accompanied by the reputed benefits of the produce ranging from anti-inflammatory, immunity boosting, improved memory, eye and skin health, and more. A "try it" paragraph adds suggestions for new uses for the food, in addition to specific recipes; for example under snow peas, Thomas suggests trying them with carrots, adding them to chicken soup or serving them in a ginger sauce.
When I was a child, the main veggies my mom served were peas and carrots, green beans and, occasionally, broccoli. She got us to eat spinach by incorporating it into small pancakes. Over the years I've added an assortment of greens to daily menus, but I had never cooked or eaten kale. Reading Thomas' description of this "vegetable superstar" prompted me to pick up a bunch and give it a try.
Kale is a leafy green that belongs to the Brassica family, which includes cabbage, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts. Local supermarkets carry curly kale -- ruffled, dark bluish-green leaves -- available most of the year.
Why is this vegetable a superstar? One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 15 percent of your daily adult calcium requirement, B6, 40 percent of magnesium, 180 percent of vitamin A, 200 percent of vitamin C, and 1,020 percent of vitamin K. Additionally, it's an excellent source of minerals: copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Its high concentration of two types of anti-oxidants -- carotenoids and flavonoids -- is associated with cancer prevention. Kale is also rich in lutein, which promotes eye health.
When I told my husband kale was a member of the cabbage family. he rolled his eyes, looked skeptical (he's not a cabbage fan) and wondered why I would expend cooking time with this vegetable.
Prepping it involves washing and drying the leaves, removing the stems -- including the center stem in each leaf and cutting larger leaves into smaller pieces. I drizzled the cut leaves with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and I baked the leaves in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes which yielded "chips" not unlike roasted seaweed snacks. It was not a a great hit as a snack for my "best friend" -- but they were a winner crumbled into an omelet.
Adding uncooked thin shreds of kale to salad was a "keeper" -- the kale gave a pleasant, slightly peppery taste to the vinegar and oil dressed dish. My most appreciated efforts? Boiling the cut leaves (without bottom stems) in chicken broth for about five minutes and serving them with small boiled Yukon Gold potatoes. Surprised there was no cabbage odor, my husband commented that the veggie reminded him of spinach or chard (which he likes) and he finally gave a thumbs up to this nutritional powerhouse.
Kale is my new friend and I frequently add it to my breakfast omelet. Cut or tear a few strips, fry them in a teaspoonful of olive oil for about two minutes, pour beaten egg over the crisped kale, flip and serve. Delicious.
The book's recipes include Kale with Cannellini Beans and Crumbled Sausage, Kale Salad with Dates and Almonds and Breakfast Toasts with Kale and Sunny-Side Up Eggs; her "try it" section suggests adding kale to Bean Soup or topping on Sweet Potatoes. Other uses: chop or cut into pieces and add to stir-frys, stews, casseroles. Toss cooked pasta with kale, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil. Bringing home or baking your own pizza? Top it with some chopped kale.
Melissa's/World Variety Produce Inc. is the largest distributor of specialty produce in the United States. Founded by El Paso native Joe Hernandez in 1984, the California company's website is big on consumer education and includes many recipes, serving suggestions, and nutritional information. www.melissas.com For questions about specialty produce items call them; (toll-free) 800-588-0151.
Ruth Taber is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals; firstname.lastname@example.com.


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AGL issues energy price warning for NSWBy finance reporter Justine Parker
AGL has warned NSW energy prices will rise as a result of Government measures to restrict coal seam gas, despite the company trebling its half-year profit.
AGL's managing director Michael Fraser has used the profit announcement to describe new restrictions on coal seam gas projects in New South Wales as "completely arbitrary".
Mr Fraser says they are not based on any science or evidence.
"It's plainly obvious that if you then go and sterilise the state's resources and cut off supply there can only be one consequence in terms of price," he said.
Mr Fraser also warned that two of the company's major projects may have to be written down as a result.
AGL said a proposed expansion of its Camden and Hunter gas projects could be significantly affected by new restrictions on coal seam gas projects announced by the New South Wales Government earlier this month.
However, Mr Fraser acknowledged community concerns about coal seam gas projects.
"If you're just a member of the public and heard all of the wild unsubstantiated accusations that fly around about the industry, of course you'd be concerned," he added.
AGL has trebled its half-year profit, boosted by its purchase of the Loy Yang A power station in Victoria last year.
The energy company's net profit for the first half of this financial year soared more than 200 per cent to $364.7 million.
However, it has warned that profits for the rest of the year will be limited by low electricity demand, volatile pricing in Queensland and deregulation in South Australia.
Investors will get a fully franked interim dividend of 30 cents a share.
AGL shares were up 4 per cent to $15.80 by 10:41am (AEDT) after the result.


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DARIEN — The growing pains continue for Hinsdale South's softball team.
Playing just their second game in nine days since an April 6 doubleheader split with Lemont, the Hornets fell to Downers Grove South 11-1 in a West Suburban Gold conference game Tuesday.
The four seniors in Tuesday's starting lineup — Brittany Basek, Jessica Buckridge, Lauren Cairo and Emily Mihalkanin — were offset by starting freshmen Sarah Hanson, Holli Jones and Sydney Kopp.
"We've had one practice on our field, so the weather hasn't allowed us to really get everyone on the same page," coach Kelly Van Hout said. "Eventually things will turn around. We just have to keep at it and keep working."
The Hornets (3-8 overall, 1-1 WSG) found themselves in a 7-0 hole Tuesday before they pushed a run across in the bottom of the fourth inning. They mustered just three hits, which was in contrast to their performances so far this season.
"We've been doing pretty decent hitting this season. I don't know what happened today," Cairo said. "We have a mix of young and old on our team and we're just trying to find the right combination."
The stop-and-go nature of the season has made it harder to get into a rhythm at the plate. The four errors committed Tuesday didn't show it, but the defensive chemistry has continued to develop throughout the season.
"We definitely have a chemistry out on the field and we're feeling good," Cairo said. "We're gaining more confidence."
The Hornets have a weekend away from competition with prom happening Saturday, but they are scheduled to play four games in five days next week, including WSG conference games against Leyden (4:30 p.m. Monday in Darien) and Morton (4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Cicero) sandwiched around Tuesday's home game against Hinsdale Central. Right now, the more games South can play, the better.
"We've all kind of had cabin fever," Cairo said. "We want to see as many games as possible. The more games we play during the week, the better we're going to feel when we go out there."


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Minsk or Pinsk?
Two rival businessmen meet in the Warsaw train station. "Where are you going?" says the first man.
"To Minsk," says the second.
"To Minsk, eh? What a nerve you have! I know you're telling me you're going to Minsk because you want me to think that you're really going to Pinsk. But it so happens that I know you really are going to Minsk. So why are you lying to me?"


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Posts tagged 'terry pratchett'
Terry Pratchett's Sad News
I don't really like to read fantasy but I love Terry Pratchett. Those who have read any of the Discworld books probably understands how such a seemingly contradictory statement can be made.
True, Discworld series is built completely around a world of Elves, Goblins, Zombies, Golems, Vampires, Dwarfs, Trolls, and so forth which is pretty much the definition of Fantasy. These characters even play major/leading roles in the Discworld books but that is hardly the point of the series.
Pratchett's world is all about satire. It's about taking a look at our societal norms and beliefs then showing them for the utter ridiculousness they embody. From girl witches trying to get into an all-male wizard academy, the creation of post offices, the Trolls and Dwarves disdain for each other and, my personal favorite, the creation of a war for a few people's personal gain… that one sound familiar?
With over 30 books in the Discworld series (and about a dozen others not part of Discworld) Pratchett has created a fantasy world so deep in characters and details that readers who do not normally find themselves fans of the genre get sucked in to spending the better part of a few months reading the entire collection of books. They learn the streets, the buildings, the people and immerse themselves into the crazy place that is Discworld.
Sad to say, despite the prolific nature of Pratchett, the possibility of only a few more Discworld books has become a harsh reality. Even though he is only 59 years old, Pratchett released a statementon his artist's website stating that he has a rare form of Alzheimer's.
Although Pratchett reminds us in the end of his letter that he is "not dead" and we should not be saddened by the news it is hard to feel optimistic. I have seen the effects of Alzheimer's and the tolls it eventually takes on the afflicted and their family from watching my own grandmother suffer its fate. It is painful as all you can do is watch their world slip away.
And as the years pass by for Pratchett, the saddest thing his family and fans will see is not just one world slipping away, but two.


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"Now" is the period in which people feel they live and act and have responsibility. For most of us, "now" is about a week, sometimes a year. For some traditional tribes in the American northeast and Australia, "now" is seven generations back and forward (350 years). Just as the Earth photographs gave us a sense of "the big here," we need things which gives people a sense of "the long now." (That phrase comes from British musician and artist Brian Eno.)
Scooped by
onto The Next Edge


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My system is basing on a hardware RAID, stripeset, 2 drives. Already installed is winXP SP2, using 2 partitions, one base partition, another logical, both NTFS 5.0, no dynamic drives.
I've created enough space (~60 gigs) for SL 3.4a 64bit Edition, to be precise: That open space isn't a partition anymore. I tried both, the text and the graphical installation, both give me the same result: No suitable partitions can be used or even viewed, so the installer recommends to reinitialize the harddisk(s), which I cannot do, because actually I need my winXP stuff for some time, until there's a professional video cutting software under Linux. I have tested the liveDVD environment of SL 3.4x86-64 on my and my wife's machine without installation and we're quite impressed, we actually love this distribution, but the installation doesn't work at all. We'd love to kick that M$ crap a.s.a.p, since the Linux + Wine + Beryl software makes a serious competition.
So, as far as I understand from previous installations of other OS, there'll be additional RAID drivers needed. My RAID controller is an Intel onboard, 82801 SATA type. Is that so? Or do we have to re-arrange partitions in some way (Please keep in mind that the current OS shouldn't be affected and kept on dual-boot mgnt./start for some time until I've figured out some way to use my video tools under 'wine' and shoot the wincrap to the sun by myself *g*)
Can anyone please help us?


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Big Ten officials announced the conference schedule for the 2015 football season today, which will consist of eight games for each of the Big Ten's 14 teams before the conference moves to nine-game schedules in 2016.
The 2015 schedule (see PDF attachment) includes a starts on Sept. 19 and will culminate with the fifth annual Big Ten Football Championship Game.
The 2015 Big Ten season begins with Rutgers at Penn State in a matchup of East Division members on Sept. 19. The remaining 12 conference schools will kick off Big Ten play on Oct. 3, with two East Division contests in Michigan at Maryland and Ohio State at Indiana, three West Division games in Iowa at Wisconsin, Minnesota at Northwestern and Nebraska at Illinois and a cross-division game with Purdue at Michigan State.
From Oct. 3 to Nov. 28, the 2015 Big Ten schedule will feature nine consecutive weeks of Big Ten competition, boasting at least five conference games each week. All 14 teams will be in action during the final week of Big Ten play, including six division games. The final weekend of the 2015 season begins with Iowa at Nebraska in a matchup of West Division rivals on Friday, Nov. 27. The Saturday, Nov. 28, schedule features two more West Division matchups in Northwestern at Illinois and Wisconsin at Minnesota, three East Division contests in Ohio State at Michigan, Penn State at Michigan State and Maryland at Rutgers and a cross-division game with Indiana at Purdue. The winners of each division will meet in the 2015 Big Ten Football Championship Game, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Beginning in 2014, the Big Ten football division alignments will feature Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers in the East Division and Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin in the West Division. Each school will play the other six schools in its division plus two teams from the other division in 2014 and 2015, which will serve as transitional years in which the schools will still be playing eight-game schedules. Beginning in 2016, each school will play three teams from the other division as part of its nine-game schedule. The cross-division games will include one protected matchup on an annual basis between Indiana and Purdue.


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The Long Blondes
When I first heard this band I thought they sounded quite interesting; which was true. I also thought the singer was male, probably of Scandinavian decent; which was horribly wrong. I blame all bands out there with misleading names. After discovering that The Beautiful Girls and The Mint Chicks were filled with anything but, I naturally assumed a band named The Long Blondes were making fun of the common ditz. Well I was right to an extent as none of the members are blonde and a couple are men, but the singer isn't exactly male or Scandinavian. She (Kate Jackson) is in fact a very stylish and very FEMALE lead lady from Sheffield, England. Add to this the overtly feminist (girly?) lyrics and you'll begin to see just how off my first impression was. Then again, with all the falsetto male singers out there these days, how was I supposed to know? Listening to The Long Blondes, I am often reminded The Pipettes. Both have glamorous yet strong female singers, both create incredibly addictive pop music and both have horribly cringe- worthy lyrics. Thankfully the first two points are enough to overcome the last and I find their music very enjoyable. While The Pippettes' sound is heavily influenced by 60s girl groups, The Long Blondes have a much greater punk element to their music. That's not to say they resemble the hoards of b-grade girl-punk groups out there, instead their music is pop at heart with a refreshing punk tinge. Their music definitely isn't for everyone, but if you're after a fresh new sound, The Long Blondes may be just what you're looking for.
Once And Never Again – "You're only nineteen, for God's sake, you don't need a boyfriend". This song perfectly sums how much I despise the subject matter of their songs. But as my favourite track, it also shows how easily I can look past this fault and see the highly addictive melodies underneath.
Weekend Without Makeup – Just when I thought radio in Australia was dead, they play this song and introduce me to a great new band. If only this was a common occurrence, I may actually listen more often.