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Take photos of each of your interaction plates. Make sure that the photos are sharp enough to evaluate later. Download them to your dropbox in Sakai. Email them to yourself and to each of your partners.

Take photos of each of your interaction plates. Make sure that the photos are sharp enough to evaluate later. Download them to your dropbox in Sakai. Email them to yourself and to each of your partners.

A sample completed assay is shown below.

A sample completed assay is shown below.

Revision as of 05:38, 18 January 2012
- 1 LAB 8 Finishing the project!
- 2 Finding Evidence for Co-operation and Competition Among Cultured Members of a Soil Community
- 3 Complete Antibiotic Production & Sensitivity Testing
- 4 Complete the Motility & MNM Tests & Analyze the Results
- 5 Assessing Bacterial Morphology: morphological features visualized by special staining techniques
- 6 Special Stains:
- 7 Assignment
- 8 Links to Labs
LAB 8 Finishing the project!
This is your last wet lab! Please discard all cultures as soon as you have recorded all your results and photographed your evidence. If you have positive antibiotic producers or AI producers, or cool interactions please show them to your lab instructor so they can be shared with the class and saved. Please do not leave any cultures in the lab while we are away for break. You will receive 5 "clean-up points" if we do not find any evidence of your cultures or tests. If we have to discard and clean-up later after you, you will not receive any of those 5 points.
Finding Evidence for Co-operation and Competition Among Cultured Members of a Soil Community
Complete the Interaction Assays
Take photos of each of your interaction plates. Make sure that the photos are sharp enough to evaluate later. Download them to your dropbox in Sakai. Email them to yourself and to each of your partners.
A sample completed assay is shown below.
Observe the colonies on your plate, comparing any differences in the appearance of the colony growth of each isolate, alone vs mixed. Look first at each control culture: the inoculum in each of the diagonal spots is a pure culture control as are the spots in the column on the far left. Compare each "spot" where two isolates are mixed to the control spots where each isolate is growing alone. Is either isolate growing better in combination than alone? If so, you have found a mutualistic (beneficial) interaction. Are there combinations that show a reduction in the amount of growth of either isolate compared to the growth of the control areas? If so, you have found an antagonistic (negative) interaction. Note that there might be an "edge" effect, a difference in the appearance of the colony growth in the cultures along the perimeter of the plate as opposed to those growing in a more protected locations (such as the diagonal control colonies). Spend some time with these plates carefully and fully evaluating all possible combinations of your soil community isolates for as many as possible examples of mutualism or antagonism. Record your results in your lab notebook with copies of the photos of your plates.
Complete Antibiotic Production & Sensitivity Testing
Week 3
- Examine the plates and look for evidence of a zone of inhibition (no growth or reduced growth) of any of the "control" organisms in an area near the putative antibiotic producer's colonial growth. Evidence of antibiotic production should appear as a measurable zone of inhibition (section of a circle of no growth or reduced growth compared to the growth see on the control plate). The size of the zone of inhibition is indicative of the diffusion potential of the antibiotic and/or an indication of how sensitive the test organism is to the secreted inhibitor. Compare your results to other tested isolates in your lab section. Think about why an antibiotic might work differently on a Gram positive vs. a Gram negative organism or between two bacteria that are both Gram positive or Gram negative.
- Take photos of any plates that show evidence of the presence of antibiotic producers in your soil community. If you found that your isolates did not appear to cause measurable inhibition of growth, does that mean that your isolate does not secrete any antimicrobial compounds? Explain?
Complete the Motility & MNM Tests & Analyze the Results
Look for radiating growth around the stab line of inoculation of each isolate in each of your soft agar deeps. Motility detection is possible due to the semisolid nature (low concentration of agar) of these soft agar deeps. Growth radiating out from the central stab inoculation line indicates that the test organism is motile. First hold an E. coli positive control tube up to the light to see an example of radiating growth. Growth appears cloudier than the medium. Compare your positive control to an uninoculated tube and to a negative control culture of a non-motile organism. Non-motile bacteria exhibit growth in a tighter, defined line limited to where the organism was inoculated. In contrast, motile organisms exhibit detectable growth radiating away from the stab inoculation line towards the periphery. Strictly aerobic organisms may show more growth radiating down from the surface of the medium compared to the growth deep in the tube. Consult with your instructor if you are having a hard time deciding whether or not your isolates are motile. Why might it be useful for some soil community members to be motile?
The NA soft agar deep is used exclusively for motility testing. The MNM tubes are also soft agar deeps and can, therefore, be used for motility testing of bacteria that grow well in this medium. However, since MNM is more selective (not all bacteria will grow well in it), we are using it to test for other metabolic capabilities. Your NA soft agar should be your principle test for motility. If you have time, you can try to confirm a positive preliminary motilility test by doing a flagella stain. See the Protocols section in the wiki on Motility Tests for directions on performing a flagella stain.
TEST for MANNITOL as a sole carbon source
What functional advantage would bacteria have if they are able to use mannitol as their sole carbon source? Would having only some soil community members possess this functional capacity be advantageous to the soil community as a whole? How so? Remember that all metabolic processes are "expensive" in terms of energy and raw materials used. Does this testing give us direct rather than theoretical evidence of a community where members have different metabolic capabilities that contribute to the success of the community? Did the assessment we did previously of community carbon source utilization patterns and diversity provide additional evidence for functional metabolic diversity? Do you understand why we did these tests as part of this investigation?
The ability of an isolate to ferment mannitol as its sole carbon source can be assessed as a color change from red to yellow when the isolate is grown in MNM medium. The MNM medium has a pH indicator that recognizes the acidic byproducts of fermentation and show this as a color change. If this test is positive in an isolate that you originally selected on Azotobacter medium, does that mean that the isolate is more or less likely to be in the Azotobacter group of nitrogen fixing bacteria?
Note that motility and ability to use mannitol as a sole carbon source should be evaluated before you add the indicator reagent to the tubes to test for nitrate reduction to nitrite as described below.
Test for reduction of NITRATE TO NITRITE
Develop the nitrate to nitrite test in the MNM tube by adding Gries reagent (2 drops of solution A, and then 2 drops of the solution B) to the surface of the medium. Nitrate-negative organisms are unable to reduce nitrates and they yield no color after adding the reagent. Nitrate-positive: The appearance of a pink or red coloration indicates that the nitrates have been reduced to nitrites. Be careful about interpreting negative reactions as evidence that the organism does not contribute to the nitrogen cycle. It is possible for nitrogen cycling bacteria that reduce nitrate to nitrite to give a negative Gries test because the nitrite produced from reduction of nitrate has been further processed and is gone by the time you do your testing. A positive test is meaningful but a negative test may not necessarily be evidence of incapability to reduce nitrate to nitrite.
Gries reagent consists of solutions:
Solution A
Sulfanilic Acid 0.8% (v/v) in Acetic Acid 5N
Solution B
Alpha-Naphthylamine (0.001% v/v) in Acetic Acid 5N
Control Organisms:
|Mannitol as sole C source
|Nitrate to Nitrite
|Escherichia coli
|Klebsiella pneumoniae
|Proteus mirabilis
|Acinobacter anitrartum
Assessing Bacterial Morphology: morphological features visualized by special staining techniques
Today you will make smear slides (Protocols as Smear Slide Preparation Smear Slide Preparation)) to repeat Gram stains and to perform a few special stains to look for spores, capsules, or flagella ( Stains: Gram Stain).
Special Stains:
Directions for the Schaeffer-Fulton Endospore stain and Capsule negative stain are found in the Protocols section of the wiki.
Stains : Simple, Gram, Endospore, Capsule. The confirmatory tests for motility are found in Protocols under MOTILITY.
Detecting Endospores
All Gram positive bacilli or any bacteria that showed a spore shaped, unstained area in the cells when Gram stained should be stained for endospores. In addition, any Gram positive isolates growing from your dried soil extract on Glyerol Yeast Extract Agar (GYEA) medium should be stained for endospores. There is no need to stain Gram negative isolates for endospores. Would it surprise you to know that most of the spore forming bacteria are common soil organisms? Why would the capacity to form a highly protective, heat tolerant, dessication resistant, non-metabolic spore be useful to soil community microorganisms? Would this capacity give those members a competitive advantage to survive weather extremes? Would you expect a tropical greenhouse habitat to contain relatively fewer or more spore forming members than other habitats?
Confirmatory Tests for Motility
Directions for the Hanging Drop motility test and Flagella stain can be found in the Motility section of Protocols. All bacteria that were positive or ambiguous for motility in SIM medium should be looked at by Hanging Drop technique. Any "swarmers" (bacteria that spread all over the plate when cultured on solid medium)should be looked at by Hanging Drop, too. If the hanging drop test is positive and you have time after you have performed any other confirmation tests or special stains, you could try the Flagella stain, but don't worry if you don't have time for this stain. It is VERY difficult to see flagella even when they are coated with several layers of stain reagent that make the diameter larger. It is hard to get this stain to work well.
Detecting Capsules by Negative Stain
Highly mucoid (sticky and wet) colonies could be tested for the presence of a capsule using the capsule stain protocol if you have time. If you don't have time, don't worry. This test isn't particularly useful in acquiring evidence to fulfill the investigative goals of our project. The capsule stain protocol is found in the Special Stains section of PROTOCOLS.
If your Gram stain results were ambiguous or not what you expected from the growth patterns you observed on PEA and EMB media, you should probably repeat those Gram stains.
Study for your Lab Practical.
In Lab 9 you will have a LAB PRACTICAL, an exam that tests your ability to function as a microbiologist in the lab. There will be two main categories of assessment: testing practical skills such as your ability to perform crucial techniques (aseptic transfer, streaking for isolation, performing a Gram stain, micropipetting, etc.) and testing for your understanding of the biological basis behind the work that you've done this semester. For example: we might give you a starch plate flooded with iodine and ask you which, if any, of the bacteria forming colonies on that plate are capable of digesting starch, what metabolic enzyme is produced by these bacteria that allow that digestion and/or what is the ingredient in the medium that allows this evaluation?
Wondering how to study? A lot of what we will evaluate you on, you already know how to do in your sleep, such as streaking for isolation using proper technique. You do not have to memorize the procedures in the wiki. You will have access to the directions that are printed in the wiki for performing techniques, such as Gram staining; however, you will not have access to how to read those tests or to the theoretical background information about those tests, such as the cell structural differences that the Gram stain uses as its differentiating principle. You should know that sort of information by studying the background information and protocols found in the Protocols section of the wiki for all the work that have you performed this semester. The protocols in the wiki that describe tests that you have not done are NOT included in the practical. However, even if you didn't do or get a positive test from those tests performed on your isolates, you should know how to evaluate the tests we all set up, such as the MNM soft agar deeps, eg. how to recognize a positive vs. a negative.
Don't forget that understanding of the molecular tools we used for identifying bacteria using their 16srRNA gene sequence. What we can learn from sequencing this gene is practical material. Your homework assignment on the theory behind that work should be a good study guide for that material as is all of the background information in the wiki in LABS 1-8 and in the general information page for our project in the main menu.
Continue to wind down and complete your work on your isolates. Start discarding your cultures.


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I still kinda miss Renee...
With that (fake) accent of his I thought he was the sexiest thing on the show...
Ahh well... Hoyt's starting to look better and better...
Vampires have long been used as an outlet for human sexuality in story telling, I don't think it's lazy to immediately jump to that conclusion if the whole series hasn't been dropped in our laps. Alan Ball knows what's coming or where he wants to go, we don't. It is lazy on Alan's part to alienate (<not the word I wanted to use, but it's slipped my mind) some of his fan base with his thoughtless comment considering Vampire history in film, especially in the 80's when "the bite" was correlated with becoming infected [with aids].
"...they're amoral, a lot of them." I think the same can be said about a lot of homosexuals screwing everything in sight and defiling their bodies with drugs. He should have chosen his words more carefully.
Anyway, I love me some True Blood. I actually like it when he says "Sookie" when he's frustrated or trying to explain something to her.
Which is weaselly if you ask me, it's not like we're not paying for it...
Oh well...
As for the series being a metaphor for gay rights... Look, I really don't want to argue about it. Whatever your opinion is is the right opinion for you.
But, we *are* talking about Alan Ball here. Everything he's been involved in from "American Beauty" to "Six Feet Under" has had a strong homosexual undertone running through it.
I doubt much has changed.
I think the episode recap coming up sunday is caused by HBO not wanting to compete with America's attention to the Independence weekend.
^ ah thanks for that info .. was wondering why there was no new episode
And along comes Barry.
The character Barry was cute.
This show is incredible...tonight was GRADE A stuff.
Thank goodness for DVR the sex scene with Mechad Brooks made me bust 4 nuts...i kept rewinding it and playing it in slow motion till i nutted.
I almost nutted when Lafayette was sucking Erics blood that was sexy.
So Mary Ann Is The Monster That Tried To Kill Sookie...
She is also the girl in the painting by the pool last episode.....the girlfriend of the god pan ( animal and party god)
Eric is sexy
Ah crap, they came back this week huh?
Man, so far I've had to watch everything on demand this season. I'm getting really bad at keeping up with shows. I'm so thankful for shows and movies on demand.
Eric is so hot. And so is Jason's bunkmate -- the one that told him that Sarah wanted his "hot beef injection." I hope we see more of him.
Lafayette dancing was probably the funniest/weirdest thing that's happened on the show so far. And I loved when Sookie was checking out the "adult" videos. His First Fang Bang looked gay.
And I'm excited to see Nathan Stark from Eureka in next week's episode!
Whatever happened to that white dog poop from the '70s?
Kenny, What was the comment of Daphne's that your refering to?
Loved it! True Blood is the best fucking show ever.
Anybody noticed that Jasons "rival" was reading a "ME" magazine - and the cover story was "Vamp Marriage to stay?"
Also I wanted to slap Mary-Ann for throwing the gift away :-/(
I'm thinking Maryann wants Tara to be the next Daphne.
I'm really over the Maryanne storyline. We only JUST learned anything at all about her that seems at all relevant to the story and even that was something we pretty much already figured to be the case. I'm ready for it to climax and end.
Obviously the sex scene was hotness
Barry was cute. I love these new characters this season. Apart from Maryanne but technically she was around last season so she doesn't count.
What a fucking awesome show.
so, originally, I thought Marianne was a Succubus, but I have refined my theory...
I know think she's either Circe or a Nymph like Circe
I read your wiki post Elvngaurdian, good call!
Gengar7s I would have to disagree. The town folk of BonTemps are more like the maenad. MaryAnn seems to be using their energies to conduct her rituals.
But whatever, she still throws a mean ass party! I wanna go too.
I just can't shake the thought of what happened to Ro Larin after she joined the Maquis!
Now that we know she tried to kill Soookie, I can't wait for a fight between her and Bill or Eric.
Thanks for the interview Kennylicious.
But in a different direction, How long before Jason and the preacher's wife break her marriage vows. Rev. Nolan is such a pussy.
Danm it to sound like some1 from the show y'all way ahead of little old me. I've only jst watch S1 Ep1! I gotta say its got potential although I found it very hard to believe that the girl murdered was the same age a Sookie!
"Flipping Dykes I though they were a myth like Weapons of Mass Destruction" Grace Adler.
AM I the only one who thinks Revered Nolan wants Jason as much if not more than his wife? I picked up on his attraction to Jason before I picked up on hers.
I've been reading a lot of the conversation on tonights episode here.
Warning though, they bring in stuff from the books. If you don't want to know how things happen in the book, read the forum carefully.
Not quite as action-packed as the last episode, but still very entertaining.
It looks like Bill's maker is now a cast regular. I noticed a new name in the opening credits. That should mix things up a bit. They should just make the actress who plays Daphne a regular too, since she's been in almost every episode this season...unless she dies soon.
I thought Daphne might have been the pig, so I guess that now leaves Eggs and Karl.
And Ed Quinn is looking good!
Whatever happened to that white dog poop from the '70s?
That handjob scene was one of the hottest things i have ever seen on TV. I got 80% erect.
So...That's Godric, huh? Okay, let's see how this plays out. I wonder what the dynamic between him and Eric is going to be. And that was Bill's maker, I thought as much. Good episode, all in all. Favorite line of the night, "Let me reward you, Jason." Fantastic!!!
Don't worry, he's coming back. All tease this episode was, potatoes are fine but I want meat. Thought Godrick was hot, but would have liked it better without the blood. But hey what can you expect. Enough with MaryAnn being the bitch, but we've seen the convex side of her powers. Man have I been in Tara's shoes before, has anybody else had a day at work like that?
OH.MY.GOD. I was wondering who that chick at the end was...that totally was Bill's Maker wasn't it!??! Holy shit...I love this show...hahahahaha
and what's up with Daphne....like ok she's a shape shifter like Sam...but why does she have the claw marks? Did Maryann attack her too? Or what? I'm confused by that part.
And I'm convinced that Daphne and Maryann are in cahoots with each other. I bet Maryann is trying to get back at Sam for whatever he stole from her, and Daphne is the perfect way to do that. Not sure about the claws though...maybe she was attacked like Sookie and brainwashed?
Whatever happened to that white dog poop from the '70s?
When I first heard about Godric I pictured a really old vampire. Even though vamps dont age, elder vampires tend to be in old bodies in media. I think it's cool and different that they made Godric young and hot.
I used to think the rev's wife and jason was kinda hot but now she's just annoying and skanky making all those faces.
Last nights ep was pretty good. Slower than I thought it would be, but it seems to be setting up for something real good.
I am curious what Sookie and Bill are going to be like once they get back to Bon Temps and see Maryann shacking up in her house. I wonder if Bill will figure her out or not.
That tub scene with Jason was so hot. You can tell she feels kind of neglected.
I was surprised how young they made Godric look, but good choice, that guy is hot. Nice getting to see Eric's past a little too. Gives you a little insight into Eric. I hope they keep that up. He is one of the more intriguing characters on the show.
It is going to be interesting to see Lorena back. I wonder how Bill will change now that his maker is back in his life. According to someone on the true blood wiki, in the book Bill and Lorena had a long and intimate relationship, despite her being his maker.
Now I am just wondering what will happen with Jason now. I bet he is going to help her get Godric out and back to safety. He will probably see Godric down there and flash back to Eddie in his basement. Not to mention, he won't want anything to happen to Sookie.
I wonder what Maryann is though. Someone mentioned she could be a maenad. What do you guys think?
^ Post #418 has an interview with the actress claiming Maryann is in fact a Maenad. It seems to be legit to me.
I hope Lorena puts a little space between Sookie and Bill. I'm sorry, I like them individually, but every time they're together it turns into a corny cheesy lovefest scene. They act so perfect and it just seems incredibly corny to me. I want Lorena to stir up some trouble.
I wouldn't be surprised if Daphne was working with Maryann. When she mentioned shapeshifting I immediately thought she was going to be the huge pig but I guess not. I wonder who the pig is. While I'm on the subject, can shapeshifters only transform into one thing or can they teach themself multiple forms?
Oh and I'm so glad we get to see more of Hoyt's character this season. How did I manage to overlook him last season? I mean, I knew who he was but I never really looked at him. I guess Rene distracted me... I kind of miss that psycho.
Something was brought up on the true blood forum.
The theory is that Eric called in Lorena to keep Bill back and let Sookie do her job. Makes sense seeing how Bill is being way over protective and getting in Eric's face a lot.
Good move on Eric's part.
Shape shifters can take on more than one form I believe. But it seems like they like to keep to one shape. I might be wrong though.
Hoyt is one of my fav characters. I love good boys, and he is just so infinitely sweet. I think he might become a vampire before the series ends somewhere down the road. That would be interesting to see. He does seem really interested in vampires as it is.
I like that thing he does with his eye brow, kind of like what the Rock used to do, but not so voluntary.
I DVR this show and generally fast forward through Sookie and Bill's scenes. Especially the sex. It's weird seeing Anna Paquin having sex because, she's a bit older than me, but I grew up with her. But also Sookie and Bill are so boring compared to all the other couples. And his "No Sookie!" crap is getting tired. Sookie is interesting when she's doing things without bill though.
I wonder if Jason and Sookie will cross paths at the fellowship of the sun church. Jason will probably blow her cover and get them both in deep shit. Then again, the preacher's wife might free them since she's so full of lust over Jason.
I wonder if Eric is bi. I would love to see him and Godrick get it on.
I also wonder if Sookie could develop her telepathy into suggestive mind control somehow. That would be cool if she could pseudo-glamour someone.
Hoyt is so adorably cute and his romance with Jessica is even cuter. I hope he stays a cutie pie with Jessica protecting him from other vamps similar to Bill and Sookie's relationship, except all cutsy and lovey dovey
So, I was (and possibly still am) convinced that Bill's Maker is the Queen of Louisianna... it just seemed like something ironic enough to happen
Here's Godric, actor Allan Hyde:
And I am absolutely loving this show!!!
I didn't recognize Bill's maker either until someone mentioned it here. At the end of the episode I was like "Who the hell was that?"
There's still one thing I can't figure out - like others have said, I think Maryann and Daphne are in on some plan to get back at Sam. But, the marks on her back implies Maryann attacked her as well. Hopefully that little old lady doctor who told Eric to "fuck off" was around
But I can't understand why Maryann would attack her, and how she survived...
I'm beautiful in my way - cause god makes no mistakes - I'm on the right track - baby I was born this way!
They really need to cut the cheasy shit wit Bill and Sookie already god damn. We get it He loves her and She loves his vampire cock.
Anyway yup Bill's maker is about to stir shit up and I knew the preacher's wife wanted Jason's dick from the jump but who can blame her.
The only normal people in this world are the people you really do not know
George Benard Shaw

subset: commoncrawl


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ROXBURY -- Lowell senior Patrick Coppinger in the boys' mile, and Dracut junior Karina Shepard in the girls' 1,000, are top seeds in their events for the 26th annual New England Interscholastic Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Track preview
Both finished second at the All-State Meet last Saturday. Coppinger broke Brian Gagnon's Lowell High school record while finishing behind Methuen's Mike O'Donnell in 4:18.87.
Shepard finished second in the 1,000 to Lowell's Bryanna Allison in 2:54.57.
Several top runners opted out of the New Englands to rest for the nationals the following weekend.
Lowell High's boys' 4x800 relay of Tyler Richards, Andrew Whitney, Johnny Abraham and Randy Nong, which won at the All-States in 7:57.9, is seeded first. All four are juniors.
Also seeded No. 1 is the Acton-Boxboro boys' 4x400 relay of Nick Usoff, Andrew Doelp, Tim Cox and Brian Sommers, which won the All-States in 3:25.13.
Lowell won the boys' team title at the All-State Meet.
No team scores will be kept at the New Englands.
Below are other local individuals among the top 10 seeds in their events, as well as local relays among the top five seeds.
Bishop Guertin
Senior Betsy Garnick is seeded second in girls' 55-meter hurdles (8.33) and 10th in the long jump (17-6 1/2 ). Senior Sarah Burke, is seeded fifth in the girls' 600 (1:35.70)
The girls' 4x400 relay of Molly McCabe, Burke, Garnick and Rachel Pelletier is seeded third (4:02.
On the boys' side, senior Griffin Gagnon is seeded ninth in the mile (4:26.42).
Senior Cory Cataldo is seeded 10th in boys' 55-meter hurdles (7.83)
On the girls' side, senior Maya Jarostchuk is seeded fifth in the 300 (40.45) and senior Christine Davis 10th in the 2-mile (11:19.28)
On the boys' side, senior Brian Sommers is seeded third in the 300 (35.15) and sixth in the long jump (22-2), and senior Tim Cox is fourth in the 1,000 (2:32.33).
A-B's 4x200 relay of William Tejeda, Andrew Doelp, Max Rasmussen and Nick Usoff is seeded second (1:31.86).
Seeded sixth for the boys are senior Ryan Fitzgerald in the 300 (35.6) and junior Johnny Abraham in the 2-mile (9:33.57).
Senior Mike Kalenoski is seeded eighth in the 1,000 (2:33.22). The boys' 4x200 relay of Nicolau Coury, Anthony Consolo, Jack Galvin and Fitzgerald is seeded fifth (1:32.87)
Austin Prep
Sophomore Joe Luongo is seeded third in the boys' 600 (1:21.96)
Senior Scott Arsenault is seeded third in the in boys' 1,000 (2:31.84). The 4x800 relay of Peter Garmon, Dan Trainor, Arsenault and Brendan Nichols is seeded third (8:04.0).
Junior Eli Jennings is seeded ninth in boys' shot put (52-5 1/4).


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Mean Betty: Suri Cruise, Pacifiers and Parenting
Will little Suri Cruise take her pacifier along when she starts dating?
-Mean Betty
Mean Betty understands the need to have something that makes you feel good. Why, if Mean Betty couldn't find her lucky cocktail shaker, her pool boy and her fave margarita glass, Mean would be blue for days. So, Mean Betty totally understands why Suri Cruise carries her pacifier wherever she goes. Aside from the fact that Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are her parents (shudder), poor Suri is possibly the littlest jet-setter. All those different time zones, all those stores to destroy, people to meet, dressing mom and dad … this can get very tiring! Instead of popping baby Prozac, Suri pops in her pacifier! Suck, suck, suck … peace!
Read Mean Betty Is Loving These Charlie Sheen Spoofs!
What do the models of perfect modern parenting, Tom and Katie, feel about their 5-year old still using a pacifier? Do they have the daily tussle that most folks have with their kids about what their child can and cannot do? Are they embarrassed to have photos of Suri with her pacifier splashed in tabloids and websites around the world? Um, kittens, have you read the interviews where Tom and Katie gush over how prescient their darling toddler is? How they slavishly follow their child's advice? So that would be a no. Kittens, wouldn't you like to be the child who actually rules the house? The power! The power!
A source close to the Cruises said recently "Suri just isn't told 'no' very often. Scientology encourages you to make your own decisions and learn lessons as you live your life. She'll know herself when it's time to throw the pacifier away, plain and simple."
We can see it now, Suri smiling around her pacifier in her middle school photo. Suri graduating to a gold pacifier when she becomes 16. Photos of Suri, a date and her pacifier splashed across the tabloids. Suri as the celebrity subject of an episode of My Strange Addiction. Suri wobbling through her 30s with a pacifier. Then, Suri and her pacifier enter Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab!
Kittens, kittens, kittens, maybe we should all follow the stellar parenting model that is Katie and Tom's – let the little tykes take over!
Mean Betty knows who is really and truly delighted about the relationship between Suri and her pacifier – the family dentist! When Suri gets older, she's going to need braces (not to mention therapy – but let's not mention it. It goes without saying…). Ca-ching! Ca-ching! Ca-ching!
Mean Betty


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Original URL: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/15/vodafone_confirms_htc_desire_legend/
Vodafone confirms HTC Android 2.1 duo
Legend and Desire coming to network
Posted in Personal Tech, 15th March 2010 09:00 GMT
Vodafone has flagged up the forthcoming release of HTC's Android-based smartphones Legend and Desire on its network next month.
Legend will come with Vodafone's 360 content and social networking portal pre-loaded. Like Desire, it has a 5Mp camera and an on-board GPS pick-up, but Legend's display is just 3.2in to the Desire's 3.7in screen. Desire also has a faster, 1GHz processor - a Qualcomm Snapdragon, to be precise.
Both handsets will run Android 2.1, aka Eclair.
Vodafone didn't say whether the handsets will be offered with pay monthly packages, as PAYG phones or both.
The network is still listing the much-anticipated Google Nexus One as "coming soon" - so no firm date for the smartphone's release yet, we're afraid.
Both Orange and 3 have already said they will offer the Desire next month. ®


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Might be interested in comming back, but i've been wondering.
Is it back to being all nice and quiet, without campaigns ending within 10 seconds?
Back to 1000 people at most being online?
What is the state the server is in now as far as those things are concerned, or other things as well?
With love,


text:
If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again. That's what the Navasota school district is doing with a bond package that failed in September. The New Look proposal is divided into three items, $18 million for a new elementary school, $5 million for maintenance, and $2 million for athletic facilities.
Lee Holt's grandchildren attend Navasota schools. She says it time for some improvements. She supports Navasota's three part, $25 million bond proposal and feels she's better informed this second time around.
"I think the school board did a good job of explaining it. I think there was a lot more information out about it," said Holt.
The school board says voters complained about not having enough information during the first bond election. So a committee called " Vote for Schools " was formed. The group printed informational brochures and passed them out at several town hall meetings.
"We tried to be a little more specific about each one of the proposals and we've tried to do a better job of going to individuals who had major questions," said Navasota ISD Superintendent, David Faltys.
But that still wasn't enough for some voters.
"We're against it. We voted against it last time and we'll vote against it this time too. I don't think my tax dollars should go to that," said bond opponent, Nell Mask.
Some long time residents of Navasota say the conditions of the schools are deteriorating and that changes and improvements are long over due.
"It needs a lot of improvements. We can do things for so long with the school we have, but we need to improve and make it better for the students," said Shirrley Arrington, a Navasota resident.
If some parts of the bond pass and others fail, school officials say they'll go right back to the drawing board. They believe it is important to address the needs of all Navasota schools right now.
The bond election will happen Saturday, December 11. Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.


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Lecture to Look at Future of Urban Growth
- 02-12-2013
- By University Communications
Despite the recent slowdown in U.S. population growth, the Census Bureau expects the U.S. population to exceed 400 million by 2050. Where will all these new people go? Where should they go? A new generation of GIS-based urban growth and visualization models can help urban and regional planners develop robust scenarios connecting present-day policies to future urban growth patterns and environmental conditions.
John Landis, Crossways Professor and department chair of City & Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, will explore the theory underlying these models and show how they can be used to forecast urban growth and its impacts in a lecture, Friday, Feb. 15 at 3:30 p.m. in Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building.
The talk, "How Should We Grow? Using GIS to Forecast Future Urban Growth Patterns and Their Impacts," is part of the Burack President's Distinguished Lecture Series and is sponsored by Transportation Research Center. A reception will follow.
Landis teaches courses in urban economics, GIS, property development, land use planning, green development, and statistics. He also directs the Master of Spatial Analytics Program and was previously on the faculties of UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech and the University of Rhode Island.
Information: (802) 656-3946.


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Teamlist Tuesday is here with #NRL Teamlists and officials for Round 12 confirmed.
Head to bit.ly/L...
24 hours ago
Sharks back rower Anthony Tupou, currently in some of the best form of his NRL career, has knocked back other offers to re-sign with the Sharks, while young outside back Ricky Leutele has also committed to the Cronulla club for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Tupou, who recently played his 200th NRL game and has previously represented NSW and Australia, is in his fifth season at the Sharks having debuted for the club at the start of 2009.
His signing, which is for two more years, comes as a major boost for a Sharks team currently travelling nicely inside the top eight on the 2013 NRL ladder.
As for Leutele, cruelly ruled out for the rest of the 2013 season with a severe ankle injury, as a player with immense promise his signing comes as another positive for the Sharks as they build a quality roster for the years ahead.
Coach Shane Flanagan expressed that Tupou's commitment for a further two years to be an endorsement of the direction the club is heading, while he was also pleased to have secured the signature of Leutele, in doing so bolstering the quality and depth of his NRL backline.
"The last couple of years, while he hasn't missed a lot of games Anthony had that radical surgery and has played injured a lot of the time. But finally his knee is good, he's fit and he can run again," Flanagan said. "As a result we're seeing the old Anthony Tupou, fit and strong and we're very happy he's signed on for another two years.
"With Ricky, it was disappointing about his injury this year but he was in first grade, playing well and showing us what he can do at the start of the year. It's a really important position and he is showing great potential," Flanagan added.
For Tupou, the decision was made a little more difficult due to offers from a number of other clubs, including a couple from overseas, but in the end he made the call to stay at the Sharks during what he sees as an exciting period for the club.
"It's awesome. It's pretty hard when you're coming off contract but I'm just happy now that I know I'm here for another two years and I think it's a really good opportunity for me," Tupou said.
"I feel like the club is getting better and better and I want to be a part of that and really add to that as well. It's really good for me and my family."
While somewhat out of sight, out of mind this year due to his long term ankle issue, Leutele was beginning to come into his own as an NRL player in 2013 until his unfortunate injury back in the Sharks round four match against the Warriors.
His rehabilitation and recovery is moving according to plan, however it is unlikely that he will be available to play again during the current season, with Leutele expected to be on deck for the start of pre-season training later this year.
The two key re-signings come hot on the heels of the recent decisions of halves partners Todd Carney and Jeff Robson to stay at the club after the end of the current season.
The Sharks will continue to be active in both re-signing players from the current roster as well as those from other clubs in the weeks and months ahead.


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Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has suggested he may need to seek an alternative method in order to motivate his young striker Connor Wickham.
Wickham was yesterday named in Stuart Pearce's England Under-21 squad for this summer's European Championships, but has found it hard to force himself into Di Canio's plans.
The former Ipswich striker has made only two appearances for the Black Cats since Di Canio's arrival and the Italian has pondered how to get the best out of his player.
The Northern Echo report Di Canio as saying: "Maybe, with this guy, I have to slap his face a little bit. I'm talking about motivating him in a genuine way because he has so much potential.
"But sometimes he come in (to training) and he seems to be looking around saying, 'Where am I?'. I want to say, 'You are on a football pitch, with the grass'."
Wickham was sent out on loan to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday by Di Canio's predecessor Martin O'Neill, despite the Wearside club struggling for goals all season.
With injury and illness limiting his availability, Di Canio has questioned Wickham's fashion sense, as well as his attitude.
He said: "He in an intelligent guy, but once he seemed to be complaining because it was wet. I told him this is typical for this area. Maybe if he doesn't go out in a small T-shirt when it is wet and cold, he won't be complaining.
"I have told him, 'no small T-shirts'. I don't want him to be missing a couple of games because he is a Playboy model. We are footballers, that is our job."
Sunderland finish their season with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur, with safety already assured following Wigan Athletic's loss to Arsenal last night (Tuesday).
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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British cycling champion Bradley Wiggins does not believe Lance Armstrong rode clean in the 2009 Tour de France – a counter claim to the American's insistence he never doped after 2005.
Wiggins, the reigning Tour de France champion, has spoken about the 2009 race when he watched Armstrong with disbelief and thought to himself: "You lying bastard".
Armstrong just beat Wiggins to a podium finish that year, behind Spanish winner Alberto Contador - who has previously been sanctioned for doping - and runner-up Andy Schleck.
Armstrong, now disqualified from the results that year, finished 5 minutes 24 seconds behind Contador. Schleck was 4 minutes 11 seconds behind the winning time and Wiggins was originally fourth, at 6 minutes 01 seconds, but has been upgraded to third since Armstrong's lifetime ban from the sport.
In Adelaide racing at the Tour Down Under this week, Schleck said he believed Armstrong's assertion he raced clean in his comeback and cited the fact he had managed to beat him in the 2009 Tour de France.
Wiggins has said previously that he would be furious if it was proved Armstrong had doped in the 2009 Tour, but at a team SKY training camp said he did not believe Armstrong's claims that he didn't take banned drugs after returning to the sport in 2009.
Referring to the moment in Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey where the ex-cyclist insisted he swore off banned drugs after retiring for the first time, Wiggins said: "That was the thing that upset me the most about 2009 and 2010. I thought you lying bastard. I can still remember going toe-to-toe with him, watching him and his body language. The man I saw [in the 2009 Tour, struggling] at the top of Verbier in 2009 to the man I saw on the top of Ventoux … wasn't the same bike rider.
"Watch the videos and see the way the guy was riding. I just don't believe anything that comes out of his mouth anymore."
It was on the penultimate stage of the 2009 Tour, including the legendary climb of Mont Ventoux, when Armstrong gained a crucial 22-seconds on Wiggins. On the earlier summit finish at Verbier Wiggins had gained 29 seconds on Armstrong.
Wiggins said he felt no sympathy for Armstrong and found his selective confession that was televised last week "difficult to watch''.
''Watching him cave in after lying so convincingly. It's heartbreaking for the sport, but then the anger kicks in.
"In the end I felt he deserved everything he gets. I felt no sympathy for him whatsoever."
Schleck, in contrast, said this week he believed Armstrong.
"He made his comeback and he was beaten in the first year by Alberto and me.
"So, in my eyes, I was clean. I know I was always a clean rider and I keep on riding clean. So why should he be behind me?" he said.
"I believe in his comeback that he was clean."


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At 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 9, dozens of firefighters and emergency medical technicians from several local fire departments were still at St. Demetrios Church on Hewlett Avenue in Merrick, though many had begun the work of returning fire hoses and first aid kits to emergency vehicles and preparing to roll out. Fire had destroyed the church's ornate interior.
By 9 a.m. on Aug. 11, St. Demetrios was prepared to hold mass for hundreds of Greek Orthodox faithful from throughout the Merrick-Bellmore community, though the Friday-night blaze had rendered the Byzantine-style church unusable. St. Demetrios members worked for more than 12 hours that Saturday to prepare a "temporary sanctuary," as St. Demetrios's priest, the Rev. Nikiforos Fakinos, termed it: a large canopy with metal trusses, a wooden altar and rows of folding chairs in the church's north parking lot.
"The beautiful people of the parish, our neighbors and friends, all came together," Fakinos said of the Aug. 11 mass, held less than 48 hours after the fire erupted. According to officials, its cause was a candle.
"The parishioners did not want to vacate the premises," Fakinos said. "We made the decision to build a temporary sanctuary. As long as weather permits, we will use it. Souls will be comforted, guidance and education will be offered."
Vasilios Zarboutis, a Merrick resident and a St. Demetrios congregant, said that he was inspired by the resilience of his religious community. "What we've personified here is that it's the people that make up the church rather than the bricks and cinder blocks," Zarboutis said.
He added that church members had worked from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 10 to set up the outdoor space for services.
Fakinos said he did not know how long it would take to repair St. Demetrios, but in the meantime, the church has pledged to continue all of its planned activities. "We have to make our church beautiful again," he said.


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Greg talks about being in Atlantic City, and why it should be considered a part of Pennsylvania and not New Jersey. He also talks about how much he dislikes the Jersey Shore, and what life is like for even the most successful comedians. Greg plays fan favorite game Overheard, gets to the Malebag, and tries out some new jokes he wrote just before the podcast. The main feature today is Greg's interview with close friend Neal Brennan live on stage in Atlantic City.
Fitzdog App — Click HERE to get the brand new and TOTALLY FREE Fitzdog App … the absolute best way to hear Greg's podcast on your mobile device (available for just about every mobile device, email us if you're having problems with installing it on yours).
LISTEN NOW — Click HERE to for a direct link to the mp3, or do yourself a favor and click HERE to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and get it automatically delivered from here on out (while you're on iTunes, do us a solid and leave a nice rating a comment please, eh?).


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Both of these autoimmune disorders, which cause blistering of the skin and mucous membranes, need intensive management by dermatologists in partnership with primary care physicians and other specialties, including ophthalmology and oral medicine, and disease management is often very challenging.
Previous studies of bullous pemphigoid have reported incidences between 0.2 and 3 per 100 000 person years; these are higher in older age groups, and some studies report associations with sex. In the United Kingdom, a regional study estimated an incidence of 1.4 per 100 000 person years. Wide variation in mortality is reported, with one year mortality varying between 6% in the United States and 41% in France.
In the few hospital based studies of the epidemiology of pemphigus vulgaris, the reported incidence varied between 0.076 and 1.6 per 100 000 person years. Several studies have suggested a higher incidence in women. No epidemiological data are available from the UK. Before oral corticosteroids were used, this disorder was fatal. Two hospital based studies report one year mortality of 4.8% and 54%, with no clear estimate of overall disease specific mortality.
The published studies are mainly small and hospital based; thus, although they have an excellent validity, they are unlikely to represent the full spectrum of disease. They are susceptible to selection bias, possibly leading to underestimation of incidence and overestimation of mortality. We carried out a large population based study in people with bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris to provide robust data on incidence and demographic data in theUKand to resolve the controversies about mortality from these diseases. This study gives a more general population view of the impact of these diseases.
The health improvement network is a computerised longitudinal general practice database with demographic data similar to the general population. The version we used contained data from 328 general practices that use "In Practice Vision" software. Several studies have confirmed that the health improvement network data are sufficiently accurate for use in epidemiological research. The quality of the data has been validated against the general practice research database, a data source for more than 250 peer reviewed publications, and well confirmed disease associations have been replicated.
Study population
Between 1996 and 2006, we identified all patients with a diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid or pemphigus vulgaris from the health improvement network database. In order to exclude prevalent cases, we imposed a lag period of three months after registration with their general practitioner. This method has been previously validated by Lewis and colleagues to differentiate between incident and prevalent cases of disorders that present acutely. We selected a control group of up to four controls per case, matched randomly by age, sex and general practice. Controls also had to be alive and
contributing data to the health improvement network database on the date of diagnosis of the matched case. We excluded people aged under 20 years from both cases and controls, as both disorders are rare in this age group and may represent different diseases. We assigned a date of "pseudodiagnosis" to controls, which was the date of diagnosis for the matched case.
We recorded incident diagnoses and dates of death. The follow-up period began on the date of first
diagnosis or the date of "pseudodiagnosis" for controls.
Statistical analysis
Incidence—We calculated incidences by age, categorised into 10 year age bands; sex; and calendar
period. We used multivariate regression to model incidence rate ratios, adjusting for changes in age, sex structure, and calendar period over time. We applied calculated incidences for both diseases to the UK population totals for the years 2001-5 to estimate the number of new cases a year.
Mortality—We identified all deaths in the two case populations and matched controls and used Kaplan-
Meier techniques to calculate one yearmortality and five year survival rates. We used Cox regression to compare themortality of cases and controls, adjusting for age, sex, and calendar period.Weused Nelson-Aalen plots to test the proportional hazards assumption.
Office for National Statistics data—We calculated expected numbers of incident cases and deaths for
both diseases by applying study rates to the Office for National Statistics population (2001-5) and comparing results with Office for National Statistics data.
Sample size and power calculations—The dataset for this study contained two million person years of data. Assuming a total of 1000 cases, this study would have 90% statistical power to detect a hazard ratio for death of 2.0 or greater in cases compared with controls, at the 5% level of significance.
Our cohort included 869 people with bullous pemphigoid contributing 1993 person years and 3453 matched controls contributing 9765 person years. The median age at first presentation for bullous pemphigoid was 80 (range 23-102) years , and 534 (61%) patients were women. One hundred and thirty eight people with pemphigus vulgaris contributed 380 person years, and 551 matched controls contributed 1763 person years. The median age at first presentation for pemphigus vulgaris was 71 (21-102) years , and 91 (66%) patients were women. The median length of follow-up for people with bullous pemphigoid was 1.6 (range 0-9) years, and that for pemphigus vulgaris was 2.0 (0-10.4) years. Losses to follow-up were similar in cases and controls in both diseases (by the end of year 2, bullous pemphigoid cases and controls 34% lost; pemphigus vulgaris cases 30% lost, controls 31% lost).
Bullous pemphigoid
The crude incidence of bullous pemphigoid was 4.28 (95% confidence interval 4.01 to 4.58) per 100 000 person years. Incidence increased with age and in later calendar periods (fig 4). The increased
incidence over calendar time persisted after adjustment for age group and sex (P for trend <0.0001). The estimated increase in the incidence of bullous pemphigoid per increase in calendar year was 17% (rate ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.14 to 1.20; P<0.0001) after adjustment for sex and age group, corresponding to a 4.8-fold increase in incidence over the 11 year period or a crude increase of 5.2-fold during the study.
As we found no association with Townsend scores and geographical regions, we excluded these from
multivariate regression.We found no evidence of effect modification to suggest that this trend was confined to a particular sex, age group, or region. Applying this data to the UK population between 2001 and 2005 gave an average of 2996 (95% confidence interval 2485 to 3602) new cases a year.
Two hundred and sixty four deaths occurred in the bullous pemphigoid cohort and 604 in the controls,
corresponding to an overall crude mortality of 131.99 (95% confidence interval 116.96 to 148.95) per 1000 person years for bullous pemphigoid and 61.86 (57.12 to 66.99) per 1000 person years for controls. The absolute excess mortality in the bullous pemphigoid cohort was 70 per 1000 person years. The one year mortality for bullous pemphigoid was 19% (95% confidence interval 16.2% to 21.8%). These data correspond to a hazard ratio of 2.11 (95% confidence interval 1.82 to 2.44). After adjustment for age, sex, and calendar period, this increased to 2.29 (1.98 to 2.65). We found no evidence of effect modification by calendar time, as the hazard ratios comparing disease cohorts with controls for each period were similar.
Pemphigus vulgaris
The crude incidence of pemphigus vulgaris was 0.68 (0.58 to 0.80) per 100 000 person years. Incidence was higher in women and in older age groups. We found evidence of an estimated 11% increase in incidence per calendar year (incidence rate ratio 1.11 (1.04 to 1.17) per year; P=0.001). We saw a slight reduction in incidence in the most recent period from 3.5 (1.9 to 6.2) in 2002-4 to 2.4 (1.2 to 4.5) in 2005-6. Applying these data to the UK population between 2001 and 2005 gave an average of 467 (297 to 643) new cases of pemphigus vulgaris a year.
Thirty six deaths occurred in the pemphigus vulgaris cohort and 58 deaths in controls, corresponding to an overall crude mortality of 94.64 (68.268 to 131.205) per 1000 person years for pemphigus vulgaris and 32.89 (25.43 to 42.55) per 1000 person years for controls. The absolute excess mortality in the
pemphigus vulgaris cohort was 62 per 1000 person years. The one year mortality for pemphigus vulgaris was 12% (8% to 19%), and the corresponding hazard ratio was 2.82 (1.86 to 4.27). We saw no deaths in cases aged less than 50 years, so we took the 50-59 year age group as the baseline group for multivariate analyses. After adjustment for sex, calendar period, and age group, the hazard ratio for death in cases increased markedly to 3.38 (2.21 to 5.17).
Comparison with Office for National Statistics Mortality Data
Applying the mortality data to the UK population data gave 1977 deaths in bullous pemphigoid cases and 221 deaths in pemphigus vulgaris cases (2001-5). These are much higher figures than the 190 and 36 deaths attributed to these diseases in the Office for National Statistics dataset.
We found a substantial increase in the incidence of both bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris between 1996 and 2005. This increasewasnot associated with any reduction in mortality over the calendar periods and is therefore unlikely to be explained by ascertainment bias leading to the diagnosis of less severe cases. Our study therefore suggests that almost 3000 new cases of bullous
pemphigoid and 500 of pemphigus vulgaris occur each year. Age and sex adjusted mortality was more than twice as high in people with bullous pemphigoid compared with the general population and three times as high in thosewith pemphigus vulgaris. These diseases are important causes of death; the Office for National Statistics dataset reports 190 deaths from bullous pemphigoid and 36 deaths from pemphigus vulgaris between 2001 and 2005. The reported mortality for bullous pemphigoid increased from 63 to 88 per 1000 person years between 2001 and 2005, and that for pemphigus vulgaris increased from 13 to 19 per 1000 person years. Applying themortalitydata fromour study to the Office for National Statistics population gives a much higher estimate of 2198 deaths between both diseases in the UK between 2001 and 2005, although we did not measure the underlying cause of death.
Strengths and weaknesses
This is a large, population based study, which allows robust estimation of incidence and mortality. This is less susceptible to selection bias than other study designs and allows prospective study of disease trends over time. The size of the dataset gives sufficient power to exclude chance as the basis for the findings. The use of routinely collected data means that we could not validate the diagnoses or assess severity of disease. These diagnoses are made in secondary care, usually with skin biopsies and immunofluorescent techniques to confirm the clinical diagnosis; they are therefore likely to be accurate. Both bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris are uncommonly seen in general practice, and general practitioners are highly unlikely to record these diagnoses without referring to secondary or tertiary care. The potentially catastrophic consequences of giving corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants to people with infective causes of blistering mean that appropriate investigations are very likely to be carried out in secondary or tertiary care to confirm the diagnosis. We were also able to confirm that 94% of our cases were being treated with either oral or potent topical corticosteroids or a relevant steroid sparing agent after diagnosis or had evidence of referral to hospital, which further supports the validity of the diagnoses. Previous studies of other conditions have confirmed the validity of diagnoses in both the general practice research database and the health improvement network. Limiting the dataset to practices considered "up to standard" will have improved the quality of data, as retrospective collection and coding of data is no longer a problem. Some of the cases included may be prevalent rather than incident cases, however. If this is the case, the results may be affected by survival bias and we may have underestimated the mortality associated with these diseases; so the true mortality may be even higher.
Comparison with other studies
The mean age of patients with bullous pemphigoid in our study is similar to other published data. However, with the exception of one regional study, all studies were hospital based; therefore, although theymayhave had excellent validity, they may be less representative of the disease in the population. The mean age of patients with pemphigus vulgaris in our study was much higher than previous reports. However, no data on the epidemiology of pemphigus vulgaris in western Europe have been published and all of the studies are from hospital centres in the form of either cross sectional surveys or case series; these studies are unlikely to give reliable population based statistics.
The incidence of bullous pemphigoid in our study is similar to that described by Garcia-Doval and colleagues3; the incidence of pemphigus vulgaris is within the range of the previous papers, and the sex distribution is also similar.91012 The increasing trend in incidence of bullous pemphigoid has not been previously shown, but no study has looked at incidence of bullous pemphigoid prospectively over time. A possible explanation is increased ascertainment, but if this is the case the increasing trend has not levelled off. The number of consultant dermatologists in the UK increased by 39% between 1998 and 2006. This may have contributed to increased ascertainment but is unlikely to explain completely the increased incidence because of the acute, severe presentations of these disorders.
One year mortality from bullous pemphigoid is lower (19%) than previously described in studies from Europe (25-41%) but is intermediate between those described in the United States (11%) and Europe. Non-inclusion of patients in nursing homes is not a likely explanation for this as almost all patients in nursing homes are under the care of general practitioners. Despite recent published literature showing the similar efficacy of potent topical steroids and oral corticosteroids for bullous pemphigoid, oral corticosteroids remain in widespread use and may therefore contribute to high mortality.19 One year mortality for pemphigus vulgaris is higher than that described in a recent study of younger cases in Turkey (4.8%) but lower than that described in a study from the United States by Ryan and colleagues in 1971 (54%; mean age of cases not given). The designs used in both of these studies are highly susceptible to selection bias, and drawing any robust conclusions from the findings is difficult.
Interpretation and implications
Ourstudy shows that rates of bullous pemphigoid seem to be increasing over time. Rates of pemphigus vulgaris are increasing to a lesser degree despite the facts that both disorders are more common with increasing age and that the multivariate analysis was adjusted for age. Possible explanations include ascertainment bias, misclassification, and a true increase in incidence. If the last of these is true, further investigation is warranted into the reasons for this, as it may provide further insight into the causes of the disorders. The lack of a socioeconomic gradient and major geographical variation argues against the environment playing an important role in causing the diseases.
Our study has shown high mortality associated with these diseases; rates were twice that in the general population in patients with bullous pemphigoid and three times as high as in the general population in those with pemphigus vulgaris. With the increasing age of our population, the morbidity and mortality from these diseases will increase. Previous measures have underestimated the burden of these diseases, in terms of both incidence and risk of death.
Source: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/337/jul09_1/a180?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=pemphigus&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT


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Recently while doing my errands, I came across this (the photo above) and I was shocked to the bone. "What is this?!! Nooooo, it can't be! Is it? YES it is!". Never have I imagined, not in a million years, to see snake skin metallic Fendi's Spy bag ungracefully sitting on the shelf of a tacky little store inside Shamiya's Co-Op, next to nasty & ugly replicas of Coach bags. And of course it is a faux Spy too. Unfortunately, the store was closed, or I would have asked about the price and checked the bag out.
When I see faux designer bags I feel cheated on coz, Ain't nothing like the real thing baby. My rule of thumb is, if you can't afford to buy a designer bag, then please don't buy the mirror bag. There's nothing wrong with buying & carrying a good qaulity handbag off the high-street.


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OK, let's make it perfectly clear I've never been all that great a fan of horror movies or the old "slash and scream" type of shows, such as Halloween and the Texas Chainsaw Masssacre. I do admit, Ive watched some of the old Alfred Hitchcock thrillers such as "Psycho" that some consider tame in terms of scare factor.
But back to the slash and splash movies - Those are just not my personal favorites , but I understand that there are those who absolutely enjoy have the living bejeebers scared out of them by a movie.
After all, movies are supposed to entertain, right?
But, anymore, I can't watch television at night without being bombarded with news accounts of Zombie Fest or Zombie Night at the Multiplex, or even the latest hot trend in Zombies - the TV series, "The Walking Dead." That's a series where humans struggle to escape from a pack of zombies hungry for flesh.
OK, not my cup of tea, I'll find a rerun of Duck Dynasty and enjoy myself, Jack!
Anyhow, I ran across an article the other day that tried to explain our society's current fascination with Zombies, or to be more politically correct, the undead.
To me, it's all goofy. But, to Professor Sarah LAuro at Clemsen University, the fascination with zombies could be tied to society's dissatisfaction with the way our society is going.
To be more specific, Lauro says all this isn't a random or harmful fad, but its more of a historical trend mirroring certain cultural dissatisfaction and economic upheaval.
Professor Lauro started her studies of zombies as she was working on her Doctorate at the University of California at Davis. She studied various zombie movies, TV shows and of course, the typical video games, but focused more on the new fad of "Zombie Walks" where large groups of people gather, dressing up in tattered clothes, made up to look dead, staggering around and moaning like the undead.
These Zombie Mobs, or Zombie Fests, as you will, started back in Canada in 2003, specifically in Toronto. The fad grew in the U.S. in 2005, fueled by public unhappiness over the war in Iraq. At that time, participants claimed it was their way of showing the Bush administration that the public wasn't being listened to.
A few years later, the release of movies depicting life after an apocalypse such as "Dawn of the Dead" and "28 Days Later" would re-spark interest in zombies, so much so that zombie walks have expanded to 20 countries across the globe. But of course, the United States still is the biggest and best at it, with over 4,000 undead massing at Asbury Park, New Jersey, to moan and stagger in 2010 to earn a Guinness World Record for Largest Zombie Walk.
Oh Boy!
Through her studies, Professor Lauro says that the interest in zombie walks is tied directly to the times when people are experiencing economic crisis situations, they feel like the entire culture of people have lost their power. By playing dead and acting like a zombie, it provides people with an outlet for their discouragement and frustration.
But event that sometimes isn't enough. People still truly feel like they're dead, the professor says.
While the idea seems like a reach to me, I can sort of understand the professor's theory. Over the past few years, our society has suffered through massive economic upheaval, as evidenced by the financial meltdowns and automobile industry's collapse and subsequent government bailouts. Sure, those loans have been paid back, but when you add in the continuing gridlock in our nation's political process over the past couple of years and the current fiscal fiascos of our government, it becomes very easy to seed how people could feel like no one in government listens to the people anymore.
So, it might not be all that out of the realm to soon see a tribe of zombies on a street near you.


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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Sunday 3 Jun 2018, 7.30pm
Royal Festival Hall, London
Symphony Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste ... en cinq parties (Fantastic Symphony: An Episode in the Life of an Artist, in Five Parts) Op. 14 is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830.
Listening Guide: Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique
The Philharmonia Orchestra's Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Esa-Pekka Salonen, introduces Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, narrative programme music for the modern orchestra.
To hear more about this piece, why not download our iPad app, 'The Orchestra'? Visit http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/app for more information.
It is an important piece of the early Romantic period, and is popular with concert audiences worldwide. The first performance was at the Paris Conservatoire in December 1830. The work was repeatedly revived between 1831 and 1845 and subsequently became a favourite in Paris.
Source: Wikipedia
Sunday 3 Jun 2018, 7.30pm
Royal Festival Hall, London
Wednesday 10 Apr 2019, 7.45pm
The Anvil, Basingstoke
Thursday 11 Apr 2019, 7.30pm
Royal Festival Hall, London
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Barbara Walters officially announced her planned summer 2014 retirement on Monday's edition of "The View" in New York.
"I'm always accused of making people cry, so let me take a breath," she added. "I have been on television continuously for over 50 years, but in the summer of 2014 -- a year from now -- I plan to retire from appearing on television at all. It has been an absolutely joyful, rewarding, challenging, fascinating and occasionally bumpy ride and I wouldn't change a thing. I am perfectly healthy. This is my decision. I have been thinking about it for a long time and this is what I want to do. ... There will be special occasions. I will come back. I'm not walking off into the sunset, but I don't want to appear on another program. I don't want to climb a mountain. I want instead to sit on a sunny field and admire the very gifted women -- and OK, some men too -- who will be taking my place."
ABC News confirmed Sunday Walters will give up her anchor chair and reporting duties for ABC News, but will remain co-executive producer of her daytime chat show "The View."
Walters, whose announcement had been expected for months, recently returned to "The View" after a weeks-long absence while she recovered from a concussion and a bout with chicken pox.
She began her career in 1961 at NBC's "Today Show" and in 1976 became the first woman to anchor an evening news program when she joined ABC's "Evening News." She became a co-host of "20/20" three years later.
Walters is known for her interviews with world leaders such as Fidel Castro, Manachem Begin, Anwar Sadat, Vladimir Putin and every U.S. president and first lady from the Nixons on, ABC noted.
"There's only one Barbara Walters," ABC News President Ben Sherwood said. "And we look forward to making her final year on television as remarkable, path-breaking and news-making as Barbara herself. Barbara will always have a home at ABC News and we look forward to a year befitting her brilliant career, filled with exclusive interviews, great adventures and indelible memories."


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We would like to thank all those individuals who have requested and returned the recall petitions. As a result of everyone's efforts we have already collected close to 700 signatures.
To those individuals who said they could not sign the recall petition because they have family members employed at the city, thank you for being honest. We certainly don't want anyone to lose their jobs.
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Study of GTx-024 on Muscle Wasting (Cachexia) Cancer.
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00467844
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : May 1, 2007
Results First Posted : February 21, 2013
Last Update Posted : July 11, 2014
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Drug: GTx-024 Drug: Placebo
|Phase 2
Cancer cachexia is characterized by a hypermetabolic state that leads to catabolism that is responsible for reductions in lean mass.These catabolic changes are accompanied by an increase in total energy expenditure, but a decrease in voluntary energy expenditure that ultimately results clinically in cachexia and its symptoms of lethargy, fatigue, weakness and general malaise (Kotler DP. Cachexia. Ann Intern Med. 2000; 133:622-634).
The prevalence of cachexia increases from 50 percent at presentation to more than 80 percent before death from malignancy. In over 20 percent of cancer patients, cachexia is the cause of death (Bruera E. Anorexia, cachexia and nutrition. Br Med J 1997;315:1219-1222). Cancer cachexia leads to shorter survival, decreased response rates and increased toxicity to chemotherapy, weakness, and an overall decreased quality of life (DeWys et al. Prognostic effect of weight loss prior to chemotherapy in cancer patients. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Am J Med. 1980 Oct;69(4):491-7). The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of GTx-024 on total body lean mass. Secondary endpoints include but are not limited to assessment of GTx-024 on muscle function, total body weight and total body fat mass.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|159 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
|Primary Purpose:
|Supportive Care
|Official Title:
|Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Dose-Finding Study of the Effect of GTx-024 on Muscle Wasting (Cachexia) in Patients With Cancer
|Study Start Date :
|May 2007
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|September 2008
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|September 2008
U.S. FDA Resources
Experimental: 1
1 mg GTx-024
Drug: GTx-024
1 mg GTx 024
Experimental: 2
3 mg GTx-024
Drug: GTx-024
3 mg GTx-024
Placebo Comparator: 3
Drug: Placebo
Matching Placebo
- The Efficacy of GTx-024 on Total Body Lean Mass. [ Time Frame: Baseline to Four Months ]Change in total body lean mass as measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)from baseline to 4 months.
- To Assess the Efficacy of GTx-024 on Muscle Function (Performance) as Measured by Stair Climb. [ Time Frame: Four Months ]Change in stair climb power from baseline to 4 months. Stair climb power is defined power (watts)=[9.8 m/sec**2]*[weight (kg)]*[height of 12 steps(meters)]/ [time (seconds) up the 12 steps].
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
To be eligible for participation in this study, subjects must meet all of the following criteria:
- have been diagnosed with Stage 2, 3 or 4 non-small cell lung cancer or Stage 2, 3 or 4 colorectal cancer or non-hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia or Stage 3 or 4 breast cancer.
- be prior to initiation of or between cycles of chemotherapy.
have experienced greater than or equal to 2% weight loss from the highest patient reported weight in the 6 months prior to screening for Protocol G200502 (Wt = body weight)
% weight loss = (Wt at screening - highest Wt in last 6 months) / highest Wt in last 6 months x 100%
- If surgery is part of the cancer treatment, screening for this study should be conducted at least 2 weeks (14 days) after surgery.
- have a life expectancy of >6 months
- FEMALES - be clinically confirmed as postmenopausal
- MALES - over 45 years of age
- ECOG score ≤1
Exclusion Criteria:
Subjects with any of the following will NOT be eligible for enrollment in this study:
- history of active/uncontrolled congestive heart failure, chronic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, or HIV infection
- Cardiovascular: No uncontrolled hypertension
- Positive screen for Hepatitis B consisting of HBsAg (Hepatitis B Surface Antigen), anti-HCV (Hepatitis C Antibody), hepatitis A antibody IgM, or HIV
- Currently taking testosterone, OXANDRIN® (oxandrolone), testosterone-like agents (such as DHEA, androstenedione, and other androgenic compounds, including herbals), or antiandrogens (Please note that previous therapy with testosterone and testosterone-like agents is acceptable with a 30 day wash-out. However, if the previous testosterone therapy was a long-term depot, within the past 6 months, the site should call the medical monitor for this study to determine appropriate washout period.)
- Currently taking megestrol acetate (MEGACE®), dronabinol (MARINOL®), or any prescription medication intended to increase appetite or treat unintentional weight loss
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00467844
Hide Study Locations
|United States, Alaska
|Alaska Cancer Research and Education Center
|Anchorage, Alaska, United States, 99508
|United States, Arkansas
|Highlands Oncology Group
|Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States, 72703
|United States, California
|Compassionate Cancer Care
|Corona, California, United States, 92882
|Compassionate Cancer Care Medical Group
|Fountain Valley, California, United States, 92708
|Pacific Coast Hematology/Oncology Medical Group, Inc.
|Fountain Valley, California, United States, 92708
|Desert Hematology Oncology Medical Group
|Rancho Mirage, California, United States, 92270
|Compassionate Cancer Care
|Riverside, California, United States, 92501
|United States, Colorado
|Penrose Cancer Center
|Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, 80907
|Dorcy Cancer Center
|Pueblo, Colorado, United States, 81004
|United States, Connecticut
|Hartford Hospital Cancer Clinical Research Office
|Hartford, Connecticut, United States, 06102
|Medical Oncology & Hematology, PC
|Waterbury, Connecticut, United States, 06708
|United States, Florida
|Gainesville Hematology Oncology Associates
|Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32605
|Horizon Institute for Clinical Research
|Hollywood, Florida, United States, 33021
|Hematology Oncology Associates
|Lake Worth, Florida, United States, 33461
|The Radiation Oncology Group
|Lake Worth, Florida, United States, 33461
|Watson Clinic LLP, Center for Cancer Care & Research
|Lakeland, Florida, United States, 33805
|Osler Medical
|Melbourne, Florida, United States, 32901
|Innovative Medical Research of South Florida, Inc.
|Miami, Florida, United States, 33179
|Florida Medical Clinic, PA
|Zephyrhills, Florida, United States, 33542
|United States, Georgia
|Augusta Oncology Associates
|Augusta, Georgia, United States, 30901
|Dublin Hematology and Oncology
|Dublin, Georgia, United States, 31021
|United States, Kansas
|Cancer Center of Kansas
|Wichita, Kansas, United States, 67214
|United States, Kentucky
|Kentuckiana Cancer Institute
|Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40202
|United States, Maryland
|Johns Hopkins University Clinical Trial Unit
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
|Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders
|Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20817
|The Center for Clinical Research WA County Hospital
|Hagerstown, Maryland, United States, 21740
|United States, Michigan
|Newland Medical Center
|Southfield, Michigan, United States, 48075
|United States, Mississippi
|The West Clinic
|Corinth, Mississippi, United States, 38834
|West Clinic
|Corinth, Mississippi, United States, 38834
|The West Clinic
|Southaven, Mississippi, United States, 38671
|West Clinic
|Southaven, Mississippi, United States, 38671
|Hematology & Oncology Associates at Bridgeport
|Tupelo, Mississippi, United States, 38801
|United States, Missouri
|Heartland Hematology-Oncology Associates
|Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 64118
|United States, Montana
|Donald H. Berdeaux, MD, FACP, PC
|Great Falls, Montana, United States, 59405
|Great Falls Clinic, LLP - Clinic Cancer Care
|Great Falls, Montana, United States, 59405
|United States, Nebraska
|Creighton University Hematology/Oncology Clinic
|Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68131
|United States, North Carolina
|Cancer Care of Western North Carolina
|Ashville, North Carolina, United States, 28801
|Four Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care
|Flat Rock, North Carolina, United States, 28731
|Hanover Medical Specialists
|Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, 28401
|United States, Ohio
|Gabrail Cancer Center
|Canton, Ohio, United States, 44718
|Signal Point Clinical Research Center, LLC
|Middletown, Ohio, United States, 45042
|Hematology Oncology Consultants
|Worthington, Ohio, United States, 43235
|United States, Pennsylvania
|Consultants in Medical Oncology and Hematology
|Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, United States, 19026
|Urological Associates of Lancaster
|Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, 17604
|Berks Hematology-Oncology Associates
|West Reading, Pennsylvania, United States, 19611
|United States, South Carolina
|Charleston Hematology Oncology Associates
|Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29403
|United States, Tennessee
|West Clinic
|Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38104
|West Clinic
|Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38120
|United States, Texas
|Dallas Oncology Consultants
|Dallas, Texas, United States, 75237
|United States, Washington
|Providence Everett Medical Center, Cancer Research Department
|Everett, Washington, United States, 98201
|Canada, Alberta
|University of Alberta Cross Cancer Institute
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 1Z2
|Canada, Ontario
|Princess Margaret Hospital
|Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2M9
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00467844 History of Changes
|Obsolete Identifiers:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|May 1, 2007 Key Record Dates
|Results First Posted:
|February 21, 2013
|Last Update Posted:
|July 11, 2014
|Last Verified:
|June 2014
Keywords provided by GTx:
Muscle Wasting
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Colorectal Cancer
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Stage 3 or 4 Breast Cancer
Chronis Lymphocytic Leukemia
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Wasting Syndrome
Muscular Atrophy
Weight Loss
Body Weight Changes
Body Weight
Signs and Symptoms
Metabolic Diseases
Nutrition Disorders
Neuromuscular Manifestations
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Pathological Conditions, Anatomical


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Clayton Rokosz
Clayton is an A+ PeaceBuilder en every way. He is kind to his friends, he works quietly and he isa tototal PeaceBuilder package from head to toe.
Mark Kirkpatrick
Mark is such a fabulous participator. He is so involved and engaged in whatever we are doing. He is always ready to share what he knows about a topic. You can county on him to always raise his hand.
Sadie Foehring
Sadie always comes to school readto to learn She is a good friend that is eager to help anyone in need. She has a sweet disposition that fills our room with sunshine.
Emilee Merkel
Emilee is an A+ PeaceBuilder each and every day. She is polite and respectful, sweet, kind and caring. She is an eager beaver participator and has a positive attitude. She is a friend to everyone.


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Palm Computing: Donna Dubinsky, Jeff Hawkins, Ed Colligan
Achievements: The Palm Computing "triple-threat" introduced the revolutionary handheld computing system known as the PalmPilot in 1996. Shipping more than 1 million units in the first 18 months, the PalmPilot was one of the first PDAs and forever changed the landscape of how professionals manage their information and contacts. The threesome left Palm in 1998, following the 3Com buyout the year before, and started Handspring Inc. -- whose Visor handhelds were said to have picked up where the PalmPilot left off. The company later developed the first Treo smartphones.
Today: In 2000, 3Com spun off Palm which acquired Handspring in 2003. In 2005 Hawkins and Dubinsky founded Numenta with the goal of creating a theory, and an implementing computer algorithm, about how the brain works -- after Hawkins published a book on the subject in 2004. In 2009 Ed Colligan stepped down as Palm CEO and now invests in small business ventures. In 2010, HP bought Palm for $1.2 billion.


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The AFL-CIO and the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce reached a deal late Friday that would allow tens of thousands of low-skill workers into the country to fill jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels. Yet despite the unusual agreement between the two powerful lobbying groups, lawmakers from both parties conceded that the negotiations were not finished.
"With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who brokered the labor-business deal.
But it hasn't taken the form of a bill, and the eight senators searching for a compromise haven't met about the potential breakthrough.
"There are a few details yet. But conceptually, we have an agreement between business and labor, between ourselves that has to be drafted," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Yet just before lawmakers began appearing on Sunday shows, Sen. Marco Rubio warned he was not ready to lend his name -- and political clout -- to such a deal without hashing out the details.
"Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature," said Rubio, a Florida Republican who is among the lawmakers working on legislation.
Rubio, a Cuban-American who is weighing a presidential bid in 2016, is a leading figure inside his party. Lawmakers will be closely watching any deal for his approval, and his skepticism about the process did little to encourage optimism.
Rubio, who is the group's emissary to conservatives, called the agreement "a starting point" but said 92 senators from 43 states haven't yet been involved in the process.
The detente between the nation's leading labor federation and the powerful business lobbying group still needs senators' approval, including a nod from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose previous efforts came up short.
"I think we're on track. ... But as Sen. Rubio correctly says, we have said we will not come to final agreement till we look at all of the legislative language, and he's correctly pointing out that that language hasn't been fully drafted," Schumer said.
Schumer negotiated the deal between AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue during a late-Friday phone call. Under the compromise, the government would create a new "W" visa for low-skill workers who would earn wages paid to Americans or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities; it would vary from city to city.


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Feature Articles
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iPhone Price Plans - The Breakdown
Update - As of 8th December 2009, SingTel has announced its revised rates for its iPhone plans. Our analysis has been updated to reflect SingTel's updated iFlexi plans. StarHub has also matched SingTel's $30 data cap offer, followed by M1 which increased its data bundle to 12GB and introducing the $30 data cap.
iPhone Price Plans - The Breakdown
A few weeks ago, both StarHub and M1 have made official announcements that the iPhone will be available to both carriers by the end of 2009. A quick check on the pre-order site on Sunday revealed that registration has been closed for both companies, indicating the imminent arrival of the price plans.
Surely, Starhub launched its price plans on Monday morning, revealing new price plans that goes hand-in-hand with their iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Shortly after, M1 also revealed its iPhone price plans and by 8th December 2009, SingTel announced its price plan revision.
With all three telcos' price plans set in stone, it's time to analyze the offerings from each of them. We start by checking out the pricing of the iPhone, seeing as that is what consumers are getting all excited about in the first place.
|M1 iPhone Value
|Starhub 3G Smartsurf 100
|SingTel iFlexi Lite
|Monthly subscription
|Outgoing talktime
|100 mins
|100 mins
|100 mins
|Bundled SMS
|Bundled Data
|iPhone 3GS 32GB Price
|iPhone 3GS 16GB Price
|iPhone 3G 8GB Price
|$398 or $0 with Take 3
|M1 iPhone Unlimited
|Starhub 3G Smartsurf Unlimited
|SingTel iFlexi Premium
|Monthly subscription
|Outgoing talktime
|2000 mins
|2000 mins
|Bundled SMS
|Bundled Data
|iPhone 3GS 32GB Price
|iPhone 3G 8GB Price
For the purpose of this article, we'll be looking at the most basic and high-end plans as a comparison. For the full comparison, check out our round-up of the iPhone price plans for a quick gauge.
The following information was correct as of 7th December 2009
With similar offerings of talk time and bundled SMS amongst StarHub and SingTel, the former is pricing the iPhone slightly cheaper at $10, $20 and $30 as you go up the price plan ladder. On the extreme end, the StarHub SmartSurf Unlimited gives you 2000 minutes of talk time and SMS, which is approximately 33% more than what you get on SingTel for a free iPhone 3G or 3GS.
M1's offering, which was announced later in the day, trounced the other two telcos' offerings with an even lower price point for its monthly subscription and iPhone pricing. As you can see from the comparison for its entry-level plans, M1's iPhone Value plan comes in at the most affordable $36, with the iPhone 3GS priced at $658. Looking at the highest-end plan, both M1 and StarHub gained the upper hand with an unlimited data bundle against SingTel's 3GB limit. Furthermore, M1 comes with unlimited outgoing talk time and SMS, making it the clear winner amongst the three telcos for now.
The following information has been updated as of 8th December 2009
As of now, SingTel has countered and matched both StarHub and M1's offer. For its bundled data, SingTel has increased it to 12GB, and introduces the lowest data cap rate at $30. Unfortunately, the telco has not budged and isn't introducing unlimited data usage for its highest level plan, unlike M1 and StarHub's offer.
On the highest iFlexi Premium plan, SingTel has matched up to StarHub's offer of 2000 minutes of talktime and SMS.
Furthermore, SingTel has also matched the prices of its iPhone to M1's offering, and for its iPhone 3G 8GB on the lowest end plan, it'll be $10 cheaper than M1's offer of $398 for the iPhone.
To quantify it in numbers, let's take a look at the total cost of the iPhone 3GS 32GB, should you opt for the cheapest plan over the next 24 months:-
- M1 - ($36 x 24) + $658 = $1522
- StarHub - ($38 x 24) + $668 = $1580
- SingTel - ($39 x 24) + $658 = $1594
Without a doubt, on a 24 months outlook, M1's iPhone offering would still be the cheapest of the lot, followed by StarHub and then SingTel. But if you're a heavy outgoing caller, there are considerations to take note of, and you might do better with the mid-range plans that costs no more than $60 on all three telcos.
Note that these calculations are based on the fact that you won't be exceeding the data limit. With SingTel announcing its revised bundled data and data cap, there is a paradigm shift in the data costing, which we'll analyse in the next page.
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DIXON – The Dixon Area Christian Ministerial Association will have a community Thanksgiving eve worship at 7 p.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church, 110 E. Third St.
Dixon and Sauk Valley area residents are welcome.
There also will be a community choir singing during the service. Choir practice will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the church and is open to anyone who is interested.
The service will be followed by a time of fellowship with pie and coffee.
Offerings will be taken to benefit the Community Food Pantry in Dixon.
For more information, call the Rev. David Spaulding at 815-284-7741 or the Rev. Marilyn Nolan at 815-288-1505.


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BELLEVILLE (AP) — Three men are charged with armed robbery in connection with the robbery of congregants of an East St. Louis church during Sunday services.
Charged Friday were 17-year-old Howard Dotson Jr., 19-year-old Rufus Thomas Jr. and 20-year-old Kenneth Walton IV, all of East St. Louis.
St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly says the men are charged in the Jan. 27 armed robbery at Ira Grove Freewill Baptist Church.
The Belleville News-Democrat reports (http://bit.ly/WJwBrE) men entered the church where about 75 people were worshipping. One of them held a gun to the minister's head and ordered the congregation to the floor. Kelly said 12 victims had cash, wallets, rings and cellphones stolen.
Each suspect faces 12 counts of armed robbery, and are being held in lieu of $2 million bail.


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All of the recent attention given to Nashville as a top city for job growth seems to be causing a ripple that is prodding decision makers.
There was the news that the Music City Center had hit the symbolic mark of 1 million hotel rooms booked. Planning for a major bus rapid transit system is moving forward.
And the Tennessee Department of Transportation, which had already accepted Metro planners' assessment that a portion of Donelson Pike near Nashville International Airport would need to be altered, decided to expedite a relocation of an 0.8-mile stretch of the road, with a price tag of $70 million.
This is no small amount of change, which suggests that officials see a pressing need: The airport is booming.
Currently, the airport serves about 4.8 million passengers a year. But within just 17 years, that number is projected to be 8.6 million. That estimate comes from the Metro Nashville Airport Authority, certainly not impartial on the subject. But even if the growth were only half that, strategic planning for the area around the airport is already behind.
Donelson Pike — which curves its way through an area needed for more parking, possibly mass transit and better access to the terminal — is uncomfortably close to a runway.
Proposed is a move to the east for the stretch of road from Interstate 40 south; although that means the interstate ramp also must be moved or reconfigured. Other access points along that stretch would be altered, but planners say that would ease airport access and overall traffic congestion.
Some neighborhood residents are not happy about the plan, but it is hard to imagine what could be gained by waiting until 2026 or so, when the project was slated to begin.
Nashville International is a part of the city, not built an hour away, like Denver's Stapleton airport. …
With the pike crowding the airport runway and exacerbating the highway congestion, the real question should be: Why would anyone want to delay the project?
— Tennessean, Nashville


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Tuesday, April 1, 2008
5.2 3 0 0 4 5
M.C. threw too many pitches--114. And walked 4 guys. That means a short night. But 5 Ks and ZERO RUNS ALLOWED ain't bad. Of course we lose. Winning means scoring runs. We have an organizational policy directly opposed to that. We only hire fellows who make lots of outs. It is cheaper that way. Guys who get on base make the game go longer. Now, you can only eat so many goddamn hot dogs or suck down so many lattés. At a certain point your basic fan just pulls the plug on the $8.00/beer scam and hunkers down in case there's a foul ball to scramble for. So, if they are done paying, get 'em the hell out. That's where the "anti-safe" policy of hiring out-makers pays off. Games end faster, cusotdians and vendors and ushers all go home earlier, the lights go off sooner, all brilliant money-saving moves. And the best part? Fans wake up from the three-tequilas-past-the-puke-point ballgame they just consumed feeling better about it from an increased night's rest. Yeah. More hours in the sack, less time spent thinking about the damn Giants. Those suits in marketing are hella smart, aren't they?
8 comments:
- JC Parsons said...
Hey dude, I know it is early in the year but still...
Brian Wilson is our CLOSER (which means we won't see much of him) and as I am sure you know, in classic baseball strategy (the only kind Bochy uses)you DO NOT use your closer in a tie game on the road. (You use an ancient nobody!) If you use the closer, then you have to use a scrub to get the save. You may not agree with it, but that is always how Bochy will play it.
How can Matt reduce that pitch count? You can't blame him for trying to be perfect, not with the group behind him.
- Wed Apr 02, 06:38:00 AM PDT
- Chris said...
Hooray for Cain.
Boo for the Giants.
Cain looked pretty good for his first start. I can't say that I like him throwing as many pitches as he did. It was very Dusty-esque.
- Wed Apr 02, 07:53:00 AM PDT
- M.C. O'Connor said...
Hi Chris, thanks for dropping in, "Bay City" is a great blog, I read your stuff regularly.
Go Giants!
- Wed Apr 02, 09:27:00 AM PDT
- M.C. O'Connor said...
True about Wilson and Boch, JCP. I guess I'd like to see BW get some work, we have an off-day Thursday. (I'd rather take a shot in the 9th with my best guy, since the odds of winning in extras on the road are probably low anyway, one shot left with the top of the lineup with this bunch.)
- Wed Apr 02, 09:33:00 AM PDT
- Brother Bob said...
A crappy start from Zito was a given. At least he settled down after the first. Cain was fine, although we know he can be better. We shouldn't be quibbling about pitch counts at this point. Six shutout innings is a beautiful thing.
Roberts has led off both games with singles. Rowand hasn't done too badly; but no big deal either. Velez came up big in his only chance so far.
I changed the channel last night atfer Cain left the game so most of my observations are basedon perusing this morning's box score. Apparently Hennessey sucked big-time.
- Wed Apr 02, 10:02:00 AM PDT
- Chris said...
Thanks MC,
This was the first blog I checked today after MC's start last night.
- Wed Apr 02, 10:45:00 AM PDT
- JC Parsons said...
Hi Chris! I am a fellow contributor here on RMC, along with M. C. O'Connor. I also want to THANK YOU for checking us out and including our site in your list of friends.
I always check out BCB, great work. I especially loved all that hard work concerning pitch data. I really learned alot. Keep it up! We crazy Giants bloggers need to stick together...especially this year.
- Wed Apr 02, 12:30:00 PM PDT
- Chris said...
Thanks a lot JC,
I enjoy your guys' blog as well. Keep up the good work. It's always good to read new Giants blogs.
- Wed Apr 02, 05:55:00 PM PDT