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Partitions by sume
I came across an article on the Pact website written by Elizabeth Bartholet. In it she says:
The research does indicate some interesting differences in transracially-adopted people's attitudes about race and race relations, which critics of transracial adoption cite as evidence that supports their position. But this evidence is positively heart-warming for those who believe that Blacks and Whites should learn to live compatibly in one world, with respect and concern for each other and with appreciation of their racial and cultural differences as well as their common humanity. The studies reveal that Blacks adopted by Whites appear more positive than Blacks raised by Blacks about relationships with Whites, more comfortable in those relationships, and more interested in a racially integrated lifestyle. They think race is not the most important factor in defining who they are or who their friends should be.
The Editor's Commentary makes some good points concerning Bartholet's ignorance of the realities of transracial adoptees and people of color. Part of me laughs at her myopic interpretation of the study she mentions while another, less eloquent part screams, "Duh!" Of course "Blacks adopted by Whites appear more positive than Blacks raised by Blacks about relationships with Whites, more comfortable in those relationships, and more interested in a racially integrated lifestyle." It's not like they have much of a choice. Being raised by white people forces the adoptee of color to be open and tolerant towards white people because "White" becomes the dominant race in their lives.
Whether transracial adoption promotes "respect and concern for each other and with appreciation of their racial and cultural differences as well as their common humanity" is questionable. It might force an adoptee to be tolerant, but it doesn't necessarily carry over into the larger community. In fact, quite the opposite can happen, or even worse, cause an adoptee to be alienated or rejected from that community. Did Bartholet ever stop to wonder how comfortable those adopted "Blacks" would feel in relationships with other "Blacks"?
Are TRAs suppose to act as Trojan horses sent out to win over the rest of the community? Are we suppose to scream out, "Look! My white adoptive parents saved me (from you), and I turned out great! White people rock!" It seems in her zeal to create this racially tolerant world of hers, Bartholet forgets something. Most transracial adoptees don't grow up with an appreciation for their birth ethnicities, they grow up with an appreciation for that of their adoptive parents.
Bartholet appears to be pushing that unrealistic "bridge" ideal which dehumanizes and forces the adoptee into the role of go-between. TRAs do not exist to serve her or anyone's goal of creating a colorblind society and shouldn't be used as pawns toward that end. How is it that she tells her adopted sons that their racial differences "makes no difference" to her and yet on the same page speak favorably about society's "appreciation of their racial and cultural differences"? She puts the onus on "Black" adoptees by concentrating on their "relationships with Whites". All together now, boys and girls! PRIVILEGE. Did she stop to think about how "Black" adoptees might be perceived and treated by "Whites" in our racialized society?
I didn't think that race was important either until I took a closer look at my dating history. Throughout my teen years, my boyfriends had always been white. While environment is the obvious thing to examine, I wanted to try and paint a more complete picture of how my surroundings contributed to my developing psyche. The mental wall that existed between myself and other people of color was as incorporeal as air. It was that intangibility that gave it strength. The only way to bring it down was to reverse engineer it and then deconstruct it brick by brick.
For the most part, I'd been isolated from other Asians, but that didn't explain my homogeneous dating history. There were plenty of African American and Latino guys from which to choose. Why had I only seriously considered white guys as possible dating partners? Was that a reflection of my attitudes towards men of color? Had I simply internalized the whiteness of my family as the default or was there something more to it?
My small town while legally integrated remained socially segregated. Everyone went to the same school but whites and people of color lived almost completely separate lives outside of activities that forced them together. The town itself was mostly divided by a set of railroad tracks between white and the "others". There was a significant number of people from the white population who lived on the mostly non-white side of town, but almost all of the African American population was confined to a small area on the outskirts. From what I remember, Latin Americans, consisting of mostly Mexican Americans, divided themselves between rural areas and "the other side of the tracks."
Human memory, however, is flawed, so perhaps it only seemed that way in my small world. My young life revolved around my family which consisted of and centered on a predominantly white sphere. My family, the congregation at the church we attended, the birthday and slumber parties I went to and my circle of friends all consisted of white Americans. Interaction with my town's non-white population was restricted to school and sporting events. Even then, it was very limited.
My mother never specifically told me I could only have romantic relationships with white males. She didn't have to, because the racial boundaries were already set into place. Unlike my adoptive father's side of the family, few members on my mother's side of the family were overtly racist. As a matter of fact, blatant racism was frowned upon. However, my existence in an all-white family and the rules of acceptable social interaction enforced a definite dividing line that placed me on the opposite side of other people of color. Attempts to cross over would have been met with strong disapproval from family members and friends and might have forced me to choose between the two sides.
Still, my parents have never been shy to remind me of my stubborn, rebellious nature and how it manifested itself during my early childhood and adolescence. Even though I would like to think of myself as being a goody-good (and in many ways, I actually was), I notice a history of defiance. Whether that was just normal teenage rebellion or something more is beside the point. It doesn't make sense that acceptable social norms alone would have been enough to keep me where I supposedly belonged. Even though I rebelled, I didn't go beyond the limits of acceptable social interaction between races.
In addition to the social aspects, I wonder how much racial imprinting contributed to my preferences. My family was all I knew for the first few years of my life. They were the familiar and trusted while people of color were the strangers – the Other. My perception of them would have been mostly filtered and shaped by my family, friends and the media. I think that would also prove true when it came to standards of beauty.
I can remember wishing as a child that I had blond hair and blue eyes or eyes that at least weren't "slanted". It makes sense that if I internalized Caucasian standards of beauty when it came to myself, that it would carry over to apply to the opposite sex. Combined with everything else, men of color were almost completely relegated to a forbidden and/or undesired status. However, none of that stopped me from trying to peek over the wall especially when it came to anything that even remotely resembled "Asian".
I needed to see that there were others out there like me whether it was in the theater, on television, in books, department stores or the Chinese restaurant in the next town. I can remember going to the local furniture store and making a bee-line to the "Japanese" section to stare at the large silk screen on display. I envied the fake, silk kimono my best friend's mother owned. My intense craving for all the Western, pre-packaged Orientalism I could find points to feelings of deprivation. I was like a starving person digging through the garbage for something to eat.
There's also my reaction to Vien to consider. He'd been adopted by another family in my hometown and arrived from Vietnam when I was around 10 years old. I'd sustained a crush on him until the age of 12 or 13. I've yet to figure that one out. Years later, we tried to talk about it, but couldn't come to an agreement. I told him I'd had a crush on him, and we mused over why we never ended up dating. I can count on one hand the times we had any personal interaction.
Around 14 or 15, I moved to Bellevue, Nebraska which was much more diverse, but that did nothing to alter my choice of dating partners. I had even met and befriended Asian boys my age, but it had never occurred to me to date them. I'm sure stereotypical media portrayals of Asian men didn't help. They did anything but make Asian males desirable. Even though I did find them attractive, I still question what the exact source of that attraction was.
Maybe the point is moot anyway, because desire alone didn't translate into a realistic expectation. Me dating real Asian males with real Asian families? How was I suppose to pull that one off? I didn't know the first thing about being Asian. Either way, I felt like a big fake. Moving to a more diverse environment only emphasized the fact that I felt more comfortable being around white people than I did around other Asians.
I suppose even that is of little importance because by that time I was living with my adoptive father. He made it clear that white was not only "right", but the only option.
Despite all of that, I still believe that race shouldn't be a factor in who one loves nor do I believe my case is the norm. However, the potential is there. The sad reality is that sometimes race does matter especially when it involves the sin of omission. When my parents omitted my ethnicity in favor of their own, they drew the first dividing lines between me and other people of color. To remain trapped behind those boundaries, all I had to do was remain oblivious to my own blindness.


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Grammy Winners Little Big Town Talk About the Risks of 'Pontoon'
One could see the look of pure jubilation on the faces of the four Little Big Town members as they accepted their Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance on Sunday night (Feb. 10). "This is such a long time coming for us, we're so thrilled," Phillip Sweet -- the admittedly emotional one in the group -- said, gushing into the microphone. 'Pontoon' is the band's biggest hit to date. It may also be their biggest risk, which is saying something for group that has never met vanilla.
In fact, every song on 'Tornado' feels like a risk, and most pay off handsomely. Throughout the years Little Big Town have invited more and more songwriters to help them pen the songs for their albums. Their 2012 release features an all-star lineup of writers (led by Natalie Hemby) in addition to those they wrote themselves. The more voices they include, the more defined and focused their sound has become. It's a paradox.
"I think that was just a natural thing," Sweet told Taste of Country. "We decided to write with some different people on this record and we made some really great new relationships and got pitched amazing songs. And for us, the songs that moved us the most are the ones that made the record -- whether we wrote them or not."
Karen Fairchild says the band was focusing their creative energy on their live show instead of new music, but once the got in the studio, they made a pact that would lead them to the Grammy Awards. One thing is clear about this country foursome: After over a decade making music, the most exciting moments are still to come.
ToC: Did you know 'Pontoon' was a hit when you recorded it?
Jimi Westbrook: We felt like it was. From the time we first heard that song, we felt there was something unique and special about it. Of course I don't think we had any idea it would strike a chord as big as it did. But yeah, that was the first song we dove into on this record and when we tracked that and listened back, we felt like it sounded like a hit.
Were you nervous about having something you loved be rejected?
Karen Fairchild: Maybe a little bit. But we did it with great purpose because we knew that safe wasn't gonna get us anywhere. It wasn't creatively satisfying to be safe. And safe does nothing for the band. It's better to just really move the needle in a big way, and if they love it, they're gonna go crazy over it. And if they don't then you move on to something different. You loved it and you tried it, and at this point in our career, after making so many records and being together for so long … we had the discussion, like 'No playing it safe on this record, roll the dice and roll 'em big, and if it pays off it's gonna be amazing -- and if doesn't, so what? We'll move to the next song and see what happens.'
I'm proud of us that we did it because it was gutsy and some people thought we were crazy.
Did you think you played it too safe on previous albums?
JW: I always felt like we always lived in that land of pushing the envelope a little bit. We've always been a little bit left of center. I think people have kind of viewed us that way. So I think that's a little bit of where we live.
PS: Now I feel like it's something that we just wanna make music that moves us and if that's left of center … we try not to worry about that too much.
KF: The other thing is just more about being bold in choices of songs -- and confident. Not in a cocky way, just in a confident, bold way. We get a collective gut feeling as a band, and when we do we like to just go with it and play it out and see what happens.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Start Screen in the Windows 8 Release Preview
Reviewers of early versions of Windows 8 were stunned to see that Microsoft did something unthinkable: It removed the Start button from the desktop. The Start button, the program launching pad used by a generation of computer users, had vanished. How could people cope with such a fundamental change?
But dropping the Start button wasn't really the biggest change in Windows 8. Actually, the most drastic transformation happened with the Start menu itself. In the Windows 8 Release Preview, the Start menu consumes the entire screen. Much more than a menu, the Start screen could be called its own operating system. You can run Windows 8 without ever leaving the Start screen.
Windows 8's new Start screen shows a colorful grid of square and rectangular tiles. Each tile represents an app, a mini program, much like the ones found on smart phones or the iPad. Touch or click a tile, and the app fills the screen.
Microsoft refers to many Start screen tiles as live tiles. Live tiles let you see your information without opening the app. As information flows into your computer, the tiles constantly update, showing the latest information on the tile itself. A glance at the Start screen lists your next appointment, for example, the current weather conditions, the first few words of your latest e-mail, and more.
Oddly enough for a program named "Windows," the Start screen no longer uses windows. Instead, apps fill the entire screen, much as they do on a smart phone. You won't find menu bars along an app's edge or anywhere else, for that matter. Every app's controls lie hidden from sight, letting you focus on the app itself. Open a website in the Internet Explorer app, for example, and the web page fills the entire screen. The same goes for any other app.
Perhaps the most striking things about Windows 8's bundled apps is how Microsoft integrated them with non-Microsoft products, a refreshing change from a company known for using Windows as its own advertising vehicle. For example, the Start screen's People app lets enter your username and passwords from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, and other social media accounts.
Once you've entered your account information, the People app syncs with every account, grabbing your friends' names, photos, contact information, and status updates. Click on your friends' names in the People app, and you see all the information they've shared, including their latest status updates.
Other apps constantly update with information you've posted online, too. Open Windows 8's Pictures app, for example, and you see the photos stored on your own computer, as well as those you've uploaded to Facebook or Flickr.
Windows 8's Start screen and apps mark a big change from the text-based Start menu of yesteryear. For some people, the Start screen's new ecosystem will be all they need.
Note: At the time of this writing, Microsoft hadn't yet completed Windows 8. Some of these details could change when Microsoft releases Windows 8 later this year.


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Nutrition Facts
Ingredients and Preparation
- Combine meat, bread crumbs, egg, grill seasoning, shallot, and 2 tablespoons barbeque sauce in a mixing bowl.
- Divide mixture in half and form into two patties. Cook patties in a skillet or grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
- Place patties on buns, and garnish each with ½ tablespoon barbeque sauce, a lettuce leaf, and slices of tomato and red onion.


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Compiled by Kate Bennett, KF16, Peru'
Want a fresh look at Kiva clients on-the-ground? This week fellows share stories and mixed-media that bring us directly into the cities, homes and pulperías of borrowers. From the marketplace in Bolivia, to the streets of Guayaquil, to the dumps of Kenya, we learn about the challenges of working in developing countries and the strategies loan officers and Fellows can use to mitigate them. Not to mention we can see the work of Kiva fellows and Kiva Field Partners in Cambodia, Honduras and Bolivia in living color. What's even better than reading a post by a Kiva Fellow? Seeing what we see in the field for yourself!
Making Room for Charity: Gift Giving to the Poorest Clients at CREDIT
Country: Cambodia / Fellow: Dave Weber, KF16
Dave gives us a rare on-the-ground glimpse (and video!) of Kiva Field Partner CREDIT World Relief's unique Vulnerable Services Unit (VSU) gifts program, which works to support CREDIT's highest-needs clients with critical household and other items.
What's Easier Than Getting Robbed in Guayaquil?
Country: Ecuador / Fellow: Emmanuel M. von Arx, KF16
Guayaquil, Ecuador is not a city known for safety. But though Emmanuel, Banco D-Miro loan officers, and even (and often) Kiva clients have been victims of crime in Guayaquil, Emmanuel reminds us that there are still those in the city trying to grow. So what's easier than getting robbed in Guayaquil? Lending to a client in Guayaquil, and laying a foundation for a less dangerous and less vulnerable future.
Video Blog: ODEF's First Kiva Borrower
Country: Honduras / Fellow: Sandra Pina, KF16
If you're a new lender, you might not be familiar with the Kiva borrower profile posting process. But even if you're an old lender, you're definitely not familar with ODEF Financiera, S.A.'s borrower profile posting process. Sandra's video blog brings us along as Kiva's newest Honduran Field Partner posts its very first loan on Kiva.
Going Green? Overcoming Cultural Barriers to Promote Green Loans (Part 1)
Country: Kenya / Fellow: Claire Markham, KF16
Sustainable environmental management is not often high on the list of Kiva clients' priorities. Nor is it much of a concern in many of the places around the world where Kiva works. But why? In Part 1 of her discussion of overcoming cultural barriers to promote green loans, Claire explains the obstacles standing in the way of green loans.
Loans Available Here ->
Country: Bolivia / Fellow: Mariela Cedeño, KF16
Microfinance institutions provide entrepreneurs with the tools to start their own micro-enterprises. The trick, however, is expanding access to those that most need it, and letting these clients know it's available. Mariela describes the strategies that Kiva Field Partner CIDRE employs to reach out to its clients, and shares a video from on-the-ground outreach in the marketplace!
* * *
Kiva-style Microfinance, Reggaeton + a Journey though the Commercial Jungle
Loan Use, Agriculture Loans + Stuff Kiva Fellows Like
Starting Capital, Development Levels + Adventurous Borrower Visits
Going Pilot to Active, Meeting Borrowers + Technology and Social Performance
Costs of Kiva, Donkey Shares + the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns
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Plus more on-the-ground videos from the past week:
CREDIT Microfinance Institution VSU Program Gift Giving: Takeo Province, Cambodia from David Weber on Vimeo.


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One part of the event marks can be fixed and rigidly attached to the UTS: e.g.: Getting up, Lunch, Work, Dinner, End of Work and Evening. Another part of the event marks can be dynamic, they can be loaded into the watch via one-way wireless interface (only reception) from the "Planning Center". The user can filter the download by adjusting his watch through a computer or some other way.
Transport services can distribute event marks on the transport schedule via the "Planning Center". National Time Service will distribute marks for precise time synchronization. Airlines can distribute marks on flight arrival and departure. Supermarkets, banks, stadiums, theaters may distribute marks on the schedule of their work, the preferred visit time. In this way the queue service will be accomplished more effectively.
The example indicates that this technology could have serious social implications for society regarding security and rational behavior.
Maybe someone would want to give up minutes as the measuring unit of time. Because of religious reasons or because of the nature of activities different units of time may be preferable. For example a student can measure time in academic hours/classes (1 class = 45 minutes), the bus driver - in tours (1 tour = 90 minutes) etc. The proposed idea is easy to implement. Nearest constructive analog to the suggested idea is Microsoft SPOT Wrist Watch. But the goals and priorities are different.
Linus Pauling


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The Overstory (Paperback)
April 2018 Indie Next List
"The Overstory, which contains an energy like that of the trees that link its intertwining stories, is nothing short of stunning. Such links between the human and non-human are mostly hidden to us, but only because we tend not to look very closely (or prefer not to see). Powers' most beautiful sentences are also the most devastating, which hints at the novel's hope that death - whether of a person or a plant - is never quite the end that it seems. Until, that is, we look, or prefer, finally, to see. As we are instructed near the novel's end, 'What you make from a tree should be at least as miraculous as what you cut down.' Plainly put: The Overstory is perhaps as close to such a miracle as we currently deserve."
— Brad Johnson, East Bay Booksellers, Oakland, CA
Summer 2019 Reading Group Indie Next List
"I can't stop thinking about this book! A sprawling, literary eco-epic, The Overstory is the kind of novel that changes people. It's a riveting call to arms and a bitter indictment of our wasteful culture. More than that, it's an incredibly human story with a huge cast of richly imagined characters that you'll never forget. With writing that is dense but accessible, Powers is a master at intersecting science, art, and spirituality without sacrificing plot. I pity the next customer who comes into our store looking for 'a book about trees' because Powers has given me a lot to talk about."
— Logan Farmer, Old Firehouse Books, Fort Collins, CO
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
New York Times Bestseller
A New York Times Notable Book and a Washington Post, Time, Oprah Magazine, Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018
"The best novel ever written about trees, and really just one of the best novels, period." --Ann Patchett.


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|Home > Individuals & Groups
|The sources included in this section of the EISIL database reflect fundamental human rights principles of international law, particularly those relating to individual freedoms and protection of individuals at risk of persecution as members of groups. Here, a group may be defined by any of several shared characteristics among its members, including their social and political standing, their participation in international sporting activities, and their linguistic or religious identities, among others. For sources pertaining specifically to the rights of women and children, see the International Human Rights section of EISIL, under the subcategories Women's Human Rights and Rights of the Child.


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Throwback Summer Jam 09: T-Pain Played Himself While Jay-Z Performs DOA?
Jay-Z - D.O.A. - Death of Autotune LIVE @ SUMMER JAM IN NYC
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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Each Friday afternoon we'll explore science. This program often includes a scientific demonstration followed by hands-on science for everyone. Past topics include: SPF, Elephant Toothpaste, Dry Ice Bubbles, Fizzy Rockets, Sheep Eye Dissection and MANY more!
Come find out what we're discovering this week!
*Programs are free with admission to the Museum


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Big Fork Theatre is taking over Friday nights in Paddington
2018 & 2017 Anywhere Theatre Festival Winner
Shake up your end of the week plans with Big ForkFridays – your fresh comedy hit every Friday night in Paddington.
It's comedy like you've never seen before as Big Fork Theatre brings together all of their regular shows in an anarchic, no-holds-barred, rotating tap of comedy, inspired by the improv theatres of the U.S.A. The hugely popular improvised comedy show Cool Story Bro will be a regular feature – where special guest storytellers tell real life stories, inspiring our talented cast of improvisers who turn these stories into hilarious scenes.
Drinks and refreshments available for purchase - cash and card accepted.
When: 31 May 7:30PM - Doors open 7PM
Where: Paddington Substation - 150 Enoggera Tce, Paddington 4064 Qld
Tickets: $7/10 - Buy online now! Some tickets available on the door.
5 stars 'Big Fork Theatre are a gift to Brisbane comedy. Any show they are involved in is not to be missed' - Anywhere Festival


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Seven Trust Industry Co., Ltd, founded in the year 2008, is a hi-tech enterprise which specializes in the R&D, sales, and service of WPC materials. Introducing international core technology, and with the improvement in the recipe of raw materials and production technology, it has formed a product structure system of multi-variety serious of product.
We offer all kinds of good quality wpc flooring wholesale,We are a professional supplier of wpc flooring. Inheriting the the natural wood's features-- beautiful and comfortable, Seven Trust WPC Hollow Flooring Decking has many sizes and colors as available options. The length and wood texture can all be customized as different clients require.
WPC decking is a kind of new eco-friendly landscaping material which is produced under high temperature and pressure from the mixture of HDPE and wood fiber. Choose deck is very important, not only beautiful but also good quality.
WPC decking is a kind of new eco-friendly landscaping material which is produced under high temperature and pressure from the mixture of HDPE and wood fiber. We offer Hollow WPC decking, Solid WPC decking, DIY WPC decking.
The WPC wall Panel is made of high strength, water resistant, and strong weather resistance composite materials, which is easy and convenient to install, safe and qualified in application, beautiful in the landscaping and is the new landscape materials in modern city house building.
PVC fencing, is relatively low maintenance with regular cleaning. No harsh chemicals are needed to remove the scuff marks from the fencing and you don't have to hire a cleaning service.
The WPC outdoor furniture basically solved the problem that wood easily gets rot and deformed after exposing to moist and water environment, it can be used in environment where traditional wooden products can not be applied. And WPC outdoor furniture is quick and easy-to-install with no visible fasteners that can pop-up causing safety hazards.
As the leader in WPC industry, Seven Trust is selling its WPC products to over 100 countries and areas in the world, such as America, Britain, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, India, Germany, Spain, Finland, Australia etc., winning good praise from the clients.
Our products use advanced technology and machine production, strict quality testing, access to a variety of certificate guarantee.
Our customer service 24 hours online, you can solve your urgent need to solve the problem, there will be no delay in the case of reply.
We are agents around the world, are our loyal customer development, in the industry we won a good reputation.


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A star of the TV series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' is getting her own taste of law and order -- in real life.
Manhattan prosecutors say Tamara Tunie was swindled of more than $1 million by her business manager.
According to court papers, Joseph Cilibrasi and his accounting firm started stealing from Tunie in 2002, listing himself as her husband to secure a credit card tied to her account.
He is also accused of writing checks to himself.
The 50-year-old Manhattan man pleaded not guilty earlier this week and is held on $100,000 bail.
He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Cilibrasi's attorney says Tunie was "fully aware'' of the transactions and he'll fight the charges.


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I'm trying to get ssh working with an http proxy via corkscrew.
Here is the error:
[echox@archbox:~] % ssh somehost.tld
zsh: No such file or directory
ssh_exchange_identification: Connection closed by remote host
Here is the content of ~/.ssh/config
Host *
ProxyCommand /usr/bin/corkscrew http-proxy.some.proxy.tld 8080 %h %p
I would bet the ProxyCommand is not found, but
/usr/bin/corkscrew is working, its also in my PATH.
corkscrew without path is also not working.
[echox@archbox:~] % corkscrew http-proxy.some.proxy.tld 8080 some.ssh.host.tld 22 works fine invoked directly.
Any idea?


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For your convenience we offer online appointment scheduling for many of our doctors and care providers
With thousands of doctors*, find the right provider close to where you live, work or play
We accept most major health insurance plans in the Kansas City area
Advanced Search
Browse by name, specialty and more. Choose "More Search Options" to filter by specialty and/or gender. Or call (816) 276-6405 to get connected to a physician. *HCA Midwest Health is Kansas City's largest network and recognized leader in healthcare.
Provider Search
Midwest Physicians
Expand your search for a doctor or specialist to include the greater Kansas City area by searching Midwest Physicians, which is part of HCA Midwest Health and a network of experienced, multi-specialty physicians.


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Management System
We at SCHURTER consider the quality of our products and services as the key factor of the company's lasting success. The excellent process management and improvement is designed and certified according to management systems ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO IATF 16949, ISO 45001.
The fact that SCHURTER constantly strives to achieve the highest safety, simplicity of operation and sustainable business practices is also evident at management level. Some 23 years ago, SCHURTER AG's quality management was one of the first in Switzerland to be ISO 9001 certified. Over the years, this was followed by ISO 14001 certification for environment management and OHSAS 18001 for industrial safety and health protection at SCHURTER AG, which has been verified in annual audits ever since.
|SCHURTER AG Luzern
|SCHURTER AG Mendrisio EMC Competence Centre
|SCHURTER AG Mendrisio EMS Competence Centre
|SCHURTER Input Systems AG
|SCHURTER spol. s.r.o.
|SCHURTER Electronic Components s.r.l.
|SCHURTER (SK) s.r.o.
|SCHURTER Electronics (India) Pvt.Ltd.
|Chi Lick SCHURTER
|SCHURTER Electronic Components (SEC)
|SCHURTER GmbH
|SCHURTER Electronics B.V. Hardenberg
|SCHURTER Electronics Limited
|SCHURTER Inc.
|AKI ELECTRONIC, spol. s.r.o.
SCHURTER's Certificates for standards can be downloaded here.
Business Excellence
SCHURTER has been actively engaged with Total Quality Management (TQM) since 1991. TQM is based on a comprehensive management and quality model – the EFQM MODEL. Business Excellence is the philosophy behind this model.
For all SCHURTER stakeholders - customers, employees, society, financial investors, suppliers and partners - it is our aim to attain enduring and excellent results together with added values.
"We use the methods of Six Sigma to improve our processes systematically and to achieve sustainable results. We identify the needs of our customers, measure process key indicators, analyse results, and take focused corrective action."
EFQM for Busines Excellence
Supplementing the EFQM model is Six Sigma (6 σ), a management tool for process improvements, and an integral part of quality management at SCHURTER since 2009. Core elements of Six Sigma are the description, measurement, analysis, improvement and monitoring of processes using statistical means. Fault rates, which have always been measured and evaluated annually in all areas of the enterprise, have been steadily reduced thanks to a wide variety of measures.
One of the reasons the trend towards full automation is so important is because the market makes increasingly stringent demands on products, in particular in relation to components in the safety field such as fuses and fuse holders. It would be very difficult to achieve the ppm values required by the market with manual labour or semi-automated processes. For this reason, the trend towards full automation is unavoidable for manufacturers, if they want to remain competitive.
SCHURTER is competitive and therefore copares itself with the best. The award show here the company's competitiveness.
Conformity to Component Standards and National Approvals
Safety is our business. Therefore, we let accredited testing institutions testing our products according to national and international standards or other generally recognized rules of technology. Their certification/approval-marks confirm the observance of the safety requirements which electric appliances must fulfil.
Quality and Approvals
SCHURTER guarantees the consistently high quality and absolute reliability of its products. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities as well as our up-to-date know-how make sure we can fulfi l our motto: "Clean and Safe Supply of Power – Ease of Use." Our products carry all the country-specifi c certifi cation labels such as VDE, ENEC, UL, CCC, etc.
SCHURTER general product information contains detailed information on product approvals, code requirements, usage instructions and detailed test conditions.


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Elizabeth Ware Packard (1816-97)
In the late 1800s Elizabeth Ware Packard successfully fought for the rights of asylum patients and women. She was born in Massachusetts in 1816 to a religious family, and became a teacher aged 16. Packard experienced severe headaches and trances and expressed eccentric views about Christianity. She was briefly committed to a Massachusetts asylum with 'brain fever' in 1835. The asylum physician pronounced her cured and she married a minister soon after.
But Packard continued publicly expressing radical religious views, and her husband was worried about the effect this had on his career and reputation. The family moved several times, then he committed her to an Illinois asylum in 1860 with the help of a physician friend. After three years Packard finally convinced hospital trustees of her sanity and was released. Her husband subsequently imprisoned her at home by locking the doors and nailing the windows shut. A long court battle ended in divorce. Packard's husband returned to Massachusetts with custody of their six children; Packard herself was left penniless.
Packard described her unjust imprisonment in a popular memoir. Its sales saw her regain financial independence, and she used the publicity she gained to campaign successfully for changes to the ways individuals were committed to asylums. The reforms, called Packard Laws, increased the number of people involved in the commitment process. Individuals could no longer be forcibly confined on the testimony of a few. Packard was concerned with cases like her own, where biased testimony from husbands or other men had unjustly committed women to asylums, often for many years. She also successfully campaigned for divorced women to retain financial support and custody of their children.
Related Themes and Topics
Related links
Techniques and Technologies:
M Samuels Himelhoch and Arthur H. Schaffer, 'Elizabeth Packard: Nineteenth-Century Crusader for the Rights of Mental Patients', Journal of American Studies, 13/3 (1979), pp 343-75
E Ware Packard, Modern Persecution; Or, Insane Asylums Unveiled (Hartford, CT: Case, Lockwood, and Brainard, 1875)
B Sapinsley, The Private War of Mrs. Packard (New York: Paragon House, 1991)
M Wood, The Writing on the Wall: Women's Autobiography and the Asylum (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994)


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United Press International White House reporter Albert Merriman Smith was in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, riding in a press car behind President Kennedy's convertible. As gunshots rang out, he lunged for the radio car phone. Dictating his first-hand account to the UPI office, he uttered the words, '"Three shots were fired at the president's motorcade today in downtown Dallas." This headline inspired the title of one of several exhibits across the country commemorating the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination.
"Three Shots Were Fired," one of two shows at Washington, D.C's Newseum, examines the media's role in covering the tragedy and the four days that followed. Of the 100 pieces on display are dozens of front-page newspapers reporting the president's death, Abraham Zapruder's camera and five rarely seen artifacts collected from Lee Harvey Oswald on the day of his arrest, including the jacket he wore, his wallet and a card with the address of the Soviet embassy.
"After the shooting the networks went to 24/7 commercial-free coverage for four days," said curator Carrie Christoffersen. "We don't see that again until 9/11."
Intimate photos of the Kennedy family by personal photographer Jacques Lowe reveal happier times in the second Newseum show, "Creating Camelot." Beginning with JFK's 1958 U.S. Senate reelection campaign, the 28-year-old German-born Lowe was recommended by patriarch Joe Kennedy, who understood the importance of image in furthering his son's political career.
Given exclusive access, Lowe was the only photographer in the house the night of the 1960 presidential election. He captured the elusive shot of press secretary Pierre Salinger and journalist Merriman Smith standing outside Jacqueline Kennedy's sister's house in London when the president returned from a two-day summit with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna in 1961. Lowe, who died in May 2001, took more than 40,000 images of the young Kennedy family. Unable to insure the negatives, Lowe stored them in a fireproof bank vault at J.P. Morgan Chase in the World Trade Center. All were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. The contact sheets, kept at his studio, were all that remained.
Two years ago the visual resources staff at the Newseum began the arduous process of restoring and reproducing the images from the sheets that were scratched, creased, torn and faded.
"Not only did we have to reconstruct the pieces of the images that had holes, staples and stains, we had to restore the original colors," said Indira Williams Babic, who oversaw the production.
Seventy of the 200 images grace the museum walls with the rest viewable at a digital kiosk.
In New York, the International Center of Photography is presenting an in-depth look at the contributions of citizen journalists with "JFK November 22, 1963: A Bystander's View of History."
"Most of the people who got photos of the actual shooting were just bystanders," noted chief curator Brian Wallis. "I was interested in who these people were and what happened when their personal photographs were elevated to news photography and public pronouncements about this event."
Original stills from Zapruder's film, personal snapshots, souvenirs and the backyard picture of Lee Harvey Oswald holding a rifle are a few of the items drawn from its collection that are on display.
Wallis cites Mary Moorman's Polaroid as one of the most famous amateur photos from that day because it shows the grassy knoll. "That was used as template for a lot of theories about various figures people saw hiding in the bushes," he said of the image that's almost completely white and faded. "It's just this Shroud of Turin-like artifact at this point."
Beyond gallery shows, a few photo-centric books offer a glimpse of the formative years of the Kennedy clan and various landmark sites in Dallas.
"John F. Kennedy Sites in Dallas-Fort Worth" by Mark Doty and John H. Slate (Arcadia Publishing, $21.99) shows how the president's politicking trip to Texas was planned as a two-day, five-city tour. The majority of the sites associated with that day still stand. Two hundred vintage black-and-white photos from the Dallas Municipal Archives show buildings and neighborhoods Kennedy visited, such as Fort Worth's Hotel Texas, as well as Lee Harvey Oswald's grave and the Texas Theatre, where he was arrested.
"Rose Kennedy's Family Album," with a foreword by Caroline Kennedy (Grand Central Publishing, $45), provides a visual history of the dynastic brood with 300 images from matriarch Rose Kennedy's private collection taken between 1878 to 1946. Photos of beach vacations, birthday parties and first communions captured the carefree younger generation long before they entered the political arena.


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Acer XK Chipper-Left-37°
As configured:
The Acer XK Chipper combines the loft of an 8-iron with the weight and lie of a putter. The ultrawide contoured sole glides across either the rough or the close cropped apron surrounding the green.
The Acer XK Chipper combines the loft of an 8-iron with the weight and lie of a putter. The ultrawide contoured sole glides across either the rough or the close cropped apron surrounding the green. Gooseneck, over-the-hosel design increases the effective face area and eliminates the possibility of shanking the ball like with an iron.
|Hosel ID
|Standard Clublength
|Club Type
|Player Type
|Men, Women
|Mid, High, Beginners
|Weight (g)
|331 g
|331 g
|Head Shafting Depth
|over hosel post
Free shipping for orders more then 175 € (excl. shipping cost). We normally ship your order with Schenker, UPS or as a letter, delivery time is 2-4 days. You will also receive a tracking number from us so you can track your package online.
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We offer custom fitted golf clubs at no extra cost, you also have a large selection of golf grips and golf shafts to choose from. Enter you personel data in the custom fit guide and it will recommend you how long golf clubs you should have, grip size and which type of shaft you should use. 20-30% of all golfers play with golf clubs that are not adapted to their needs. After placing your order with us, we will build your golf clubs with the settings you have choosen. Of course you don't need to make any adjustments to the settings if you have played with standard golf clubs and are pleased with that, then just click on the buy button and your clubs will soon be shipped to you.
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Writer Director Producer
I am a freelance writer, producer, director, and storyteller.
I believe in the power of storytelling. It is my intention to use the various media available to tell stories that inspire wonder... stories that wake us up, connect us to our humanity, and remind us who we really are.


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Book-style Case
The Black and Orange Buckuva iPad Mini case gives your tablet the timeless look and feel of a leather-bound book, while offering lightweight but robust protection. This well-read iPad mini case grips the contours of your tablet to shield its vulnerable areas, especially those pesky corners, while its colour contrast lining gently protects the screen..
The Materials
The soft faux-leather finish not only looks sophisticated, it also provides a non-slip surface for extra grip and stability – gone are the days of your iPad accidentally slipping out of your hands. Its rigid inner tray doubles as a built-in viewing stand, so if you're reading a book, watching a film or getting comfortable while browsing, you're sure to find an angle that suits you.
Size 175 (w) x 243 (h) x 10 (d)
Weight 295


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Maine education chief visits tribal school to observe technology in classrooms
PRINCETON, Maine (AP) � Maine's top education official is visiting schools in eastern and central Maine as part of his cross-state tour to observe innovative school programs in person.
Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen is visiting the Indian Township School in Princeton on Thursday to see how students use touch-screen iPad computers in their classrooms. He'll also observe students take part in a class teaching them about their heritage.
Bowen continues his tour on Friday with a visit to Caravel Middle School in Carmel.
The visits are part of Bowen's Promising Practices tour that will take him to all nine superintendent regions before the end of the school year.
Upcoming tours will take him to Skowhegan, Biddeford and Belfast in the next two weeks.


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When you think of a prize-winning scientist, do you picture a young genius bursting with creativity and new ideas, or an older, more seasoned researcher that has been slaving away at the bench for decades? It turns out both images are pretty accurate. According to a recent paper in PNAS, the average age at which scientists complete Nobel Prize-winning work has varied greatly over the history of the prize, depending on the era and the scientific field.
Curious about the relationship between age, creativity, and scientific achievement, a group of researchers analyzed data regarding the Nobel Prizes won in physics, chemistry, and medicine between 1900 and 2008. They determined how old each winner was when they completed their prize-winning research, creating a dataset of 525 Nobel Prize winners (182 in physics, 153 in chemistry, and 190 in medicine).
When data from all the fields was combined, there was a definite pattern across the years: winners doing work in the very early years of the Nobel Prize were far younger, on average, than those doing work in the most recent years. Before 1905, 60 percent of physicists, 69 percent of chemists, and 63 percent of scientists in the medical field had finished their prize-winning work by the age of 40. By 2000, only 19 percent of physicists and nearly no chemists had completed their great work by this age. Medical scientists were the only researchers for whom this statistic was similar over the two time periods.
The field of physics had one of the more interesting patterns over time. The number of physicists who achieved greatness at a young age rises sharply between 1905 to 1934, at which time 78 percent of winners did their prize-winning work before they were 40 years old. After 1934, this number drops again quickly.
This rise in the incidence of young achievement in physics occurred at the same time that the field of quantum mechanics was developing. The authors of the paper suggest that unusually young physicists were able to excel during this time for two reasons: first, there was almost no existing knowledge of the field, and second, most of the work was theoretical or abstract. To be a great physicist at the time, one didn't have to spend time boning up on background information or carrying out detailed experiments.
The authors further examined the relationship between type of work and age of achievement, and found that theorists accomplish Nobel-quality work more than four years earlier than experimental scientists, on average. Another interesting correlation exists between a Nobel winner's age at the time of his prize-winning work and the age at which they complete their education. For every three extra years a scientist spends completing their highest degree (a doctorate for 98 percent of the winners), the age at which they complete their prize-winning work increases by a year.
Obviously, these patterns are subject to many fluctuations and variables, but they are an interesting way to look at the link between achievement and age in different scientific realms and across decades. Each field has a unique pattern over time that tells a story about the progression of the field and the scientists who contributed to it.
PNAS, 2011. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1102895108 (About DOIs).


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I have been feeling so uncreative lately and totally uninspired in the cute-food arena. Blah! To be honest, I recently began scrapbooking again (after a 6+ year hiatus) and I am looooving it and it's pretty much all I'm
First up, my Paigey Pie's lunch:
- peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fruit leather decoration (cut with mini cookie cutters)
- love knots (or pretzels, whatever)
- strawberries cut into crude hearts
- applesauce
The applesauce is a really cute trick I picked up from Lunches Fit for a Kid: Pour in your applesauce, nestle a cookie cutter into it, scoop out the applesauce from inside the cookie cutter, then fill with colored applesauce.
In my case I used a straw and sucked up the applesauce from the middle (because I'm ever so classy). My food coloring squeezer had a clog and then spurted way too much coloring, I would have prefered a pinker hue over this Dexter-ized shade of crimson.
Astrid at Lunches Fit for a Kid also made some really pretty swirly bread for Vday. Make sure to check it out!
Next up, Tyler's lunch:
Pretty much the same dealio as the first one, just different fruit leather shape atop the sandwich and I fumbled a strawberry into the applesauce which messed up the top side of it.
Paige and Tyler were thrilled to see the strawberries. It's been awhile since we've had any.
I hope you all have a lovely day!


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How to Crowdsource in Your Online Community
Online community managers have access to a great resource in their communities. Have you ever gotten on Twitter to ask for answers to a question or used a forum to help brainstorm ideas? If so, you were crowdsourcing — taking advantage of collaborative brainstorming.
There are different types of crowdsourcing. For example, sometimes businesses will ask a community for design ideas or help creating a catchphrase. Sometimes it's actually for a high-profile job, and the crowdsourcing is more like an audition. In this case, you're likely going to be crowdsourcing for feedback, ideas, and content.
Crowdsourcing can be another way to solicit feedback for your brand, but it can also be a way to gather some creative ideas that your team can run with:
Get your community's opinion on logo designs and have them vote on their favorites.
Invite members to taste test new ideas and vote on which ones will launch.
Have a tagline contest.
Ask your community what new products and services they'd most like to see.
Find out issues facing your community regarding your specific topic or niche.
Ask for productivity tips, synonyms or other types of advice.
Ask what your community most wants to learn from your content.
Ask what sort of discussion topics they enjoy least and what you've done to death.
Use your community to help choose new designs for product packaging and websites.
You can also encourage crowdsourcing among community members so they can brainstorm ideas and collaborate on projects. Harness the power of your community and you may be very pleasantly surprised.


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On Wednesday Helen, in her 36th run in the BBQ Stakes, set yet another pb.
This was just three days after her great silver medal in the Vets half marathon! where she ran a 9 minute pb for the distance, breaking 98 minutes.
The moral of the story is: train for longer distances; and race shorter. Particularly if longer distances suit you!
I am so looking forward to see how our fittest and improvingest athletes go on the track this year.
One tends to improve in fitness more in winter, when distances increase, than in summer, when one tends to focus on trying to run faster.
Perhaps this is wrong; should we let summer distances drop away as much as we do?
For 800m runners one must reduce distance in summer; but for 3000m runners and up?
Specially considering that we are not highly tuned elite athletes by any means. We have yet untapped abilities that more distance running would reveal.
The Sphinx: You tell me.
Helen now fitter and faster and stronger.


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ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) A house in a Maryland suburb of the nation's capital was leveled before dawn Friday by a thunderous explosion heard for miles around, shattering windows and causing other damage to several nearby homes, authorities said.
The explosion rocked the sleepy Washington, D.C., bedroom community of Rockville about 1 a.m. and scattered debris widely, an official said.
Authorities said they had no reports of any injuries but neighbors said a man lived in the home and investigators did not know his status or if the house was occupied at the time of the blast.
A Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman described the home damage as "catastrophic" and added the cause of the blast has not yet been determined.
"It's just a pile of debris; it's just a pile of bricks. There's not anything left of the house," said the agency's chief spokesman, Pete Piringer, speaking with The Associated Press from the scene. "I've heard there were calls from miles away, people calling."
He said the explosion in the community just north of the nation's capital left a "large debris field" with windows broken in several houses all around.
Piringer said the blast scattered debris widely in a neighborhood of Rockville, a community north of the nation's capital. About 75 firefighters rushed to the scene and put out a fire in the rubble in about 20 minutes, he added.
"The status of the occupant is unknown," he said, adding authorities had no further information. But he said investigators would be exhaustively checking the rubble after daybreak.
Piringer also said there were no reports of any gas leaks before the blast. He added that gas and power company workers have since gone to turn off utilities at the home and nearby as a safety precaution.
He added that several neighbors were displaced because of the damage.


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JGE 1990 - Volume 38
JanuaryUsing Melting Ice to Teach Radiometric Dating
Donald Underkofler Wise, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Full text (Acrobat (PDF) 1.8MB Feb28 06)
Radiometric dating is extremely diffcult to teach in an interesting, practical way to elementary geology classes. A teaching exercise can use the measurable transition of ice to water as a substitute for radioactive decay. The students are challenged to a Sherlock Holmes mystery in which they construct their own decay curves of melting ice to determine time zero. In the process, the analogies to radiometric dating and some elementary thermodynamics are explained. The fact that students can do their own dating to derive a reasonably accurate time of origin is a great aid in helping convince them of the validity of geologic dating. Keywords: ice, dating, geologic time, thermodynamics.
URL for this article: http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/1990.html#v48p39


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America's Cup organizers – facing financial risks and tight construction deadlines – have eliminated the heart of a proposed real estate deal with the city involving prime waterfront property. But both sides vowed Monday that the prestigious regatta will take place as planned in San Francisco.
"We expect to have these races continue," Mayor Ed Lee said in announcing the surprise change. "We expect to draw in a large number of people from all over the Bay Area, if not nationally and internationally, to see this race."
The America's Cup Event Authority, the regatta's sponsoring organization led by billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, whose team won the last America's Cup, is abandoning plans to overhaul Piers 30-32 just south of the Bay Bridge to house the race teams.
The announcement came one day before the Board of Supervisors was expected to vote on the final agreement to host the races and days after a lawsuit was filed challenging the environmental review of the event.
Eliminating the redevelopment of Piers 30-32 means the cash-strapped Port of San Francisco lost an opportunity to refurbish the dilapidated property with the aid of private investors. America's Cup teams now will be based at Pier 80, at the eastern foot of Cesar Chavez Street near the border of the Dogpatch and Bayview neighborhoods. Ellison's team is already at Pier 80 preparing for the races.
Shifting the home base for the teams south will alter the experience for the America's Cup racers and spectators.
No longer will the hive of activity be consolidated in a walkable area that stretches from Piers 30-32 to Piers 27-29 – the designated America's Cup village just south of Lombard Street, where the races will start.
Taking Piers 30-32 out of the plans also means losing scores if not hundreds of construction jobs.
The full economic impact of the decision has not been determined, city officials said. However, Lee said he still expects the Bay Area to benefit from an estimated $1 billion that will be spent by the America's Cup teams and spectators who visit the city, creating jobs and increased tax revenue.
The regatta has been billed as one of the largest sporting events in the world, trailing in popularity only soccer's World Cup and the Olympics.
A 'sobering' time frame
Stephen Barclay, the America's Cup Event Authority's main negotiator, said there wasn't one reason that drove the change.
"I think it was basically sitting down and looking at all the circumstances that have brought us to this position, and then making a reasoned decision with the city," he said.
"I think it's the right decision given the risks associated with everything else – financially, the time frames, which can't be underestimated," Barclay added.
Exhibition races are scheduled to start in August, with the trophy races set for next year. So far four teams have signed up to compete.
Barclay said he met with contractors on Friday to discuss what it would take to refurbish Piers 30-32 in time for the races. A year's worth of work would need to be crammed into nine months, he was told. "Let me tell you, there was a sobering discussion," Barclay said.
He called the mayor's chief of staff Sunday to deliver the news. Ellison and Lee spoke Monday.
In exchange for spending at least $55 million – and as much as an estimated $111 million – to stabilize Piers 30-32, the Event Authority would have received development rights to the Port of San Francisco property under the proposed agreement. In addition, the race sponsor also would have been be given title to Seawall Lot 330 across the Embarcadero for future development.
In all, the cost to upgrade the piers, dredge the bay there and make other improvements in preparation of the races had an estimated cost of $111 million. Eventually, the Event Authority would be reimbursed for the upgrades by the city through a variety of financing mechanisms.
The proposed agreement drew scrutiny of some members of the Board of Supervisors who questioned giving Ellison's group prime waterfront property. While approval was probable, the vote was expected to be close.
"It simplifies it dramatically for everyone and takes away a lot of uncertainty and risks on both sides," Board of Supervisors President David Chiu said of Monday's announcement.
Like several other supervisors, he had concerns over the escalating costs to shore up Piers 30-32, a single, conjoined pier that is falling apart, and exactly what the city would have to give up to reimburse the privately run Event Authority.
Altering the deal
With Piers 30-32 now out of the equation, a scaled-down agreement will be drawn up that, if all goes according to plan, will be considered by the Board of Supervisors in a few weeks.
The Event Authority is still expected to make $10 million to $15 million in infrastructure improvements along the city's waterfront, said Jennifer Matz, director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, who has helped broker the arrangement.
"Now what we're going to be talking about is balancing a much smaller dollar amount but with the same premise, which is to repay the Event Authority for the qualified costs," she said.
The new agreement could still include development rights to Seawall Lot 330, which is near the Embarcadero and Bryant Street. But Matz said those rights are worth an estimated $25 million, and the city needs to make sure it gets a fair return.
And critics of the initial deal, including former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who filed a lawsuit Thursday to halt preparations for the event, aren't keen on including that property in the America's Cup deal.
Peskin called the removal of Piers 30-32 "a step in the right direction." Whether he proceeds with litigation, he said, depends on the next incarnation of the America's Cup agreement between the Event Authority and the city.
Matz said a revised plan should be ready in about a week.
Rachel Gordon is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. firstname.lastname@example.com
This article appeared on page A – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle


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RANGER offers the most powerful utility rec side-by-side lineup in the industry so you can tow, haul, and ride your way through any job on your property. Class leading payload and towing capacities are built into every RANGER, from 2-seat options all the way to the 6-seat CREW! R19RMA50B4This item may not be available immediately in dealer stock. Some items may need to be ordered. See terms for details. 4373
*Price: $9,499.00 *Does not include dealer fees. See TERMS for details. MAP/Sale Price available only on certain units. Does not necessarily include special financing.


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K-12 News NetworkPromote Your Page Too
See our Early Childhood Education Group for recommendations against Race to the Top guidelines by members of the Defending the Early Years coalition.
New recommendations to the states on Learning Disability diagnoses from the National Center for Learning Disability in our Parents of Disabled Children Group.
Arts Education -- we all know it's good for kids. Why do we treat it like an "extra"?
Authentic Parent Engagement -- examples from PEPs, the Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center.
Project Based Learning, what is it? A quick video exploration and more resources.
Go to the Best Practices Group for more.


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Certified Service Technician
Job DetailsJob ID 2019-127339 Date posted 10/18/2019 Job Location Winter Park, Florida Company Name AutoNation Toyota Winter Park Job Type Regular Full-Time
Position Overview
The Certified Technician performs vehicle repair and maintenance as assigned in accordance with dealer and factory standards and builds Customer loyalty by developing trust and ensuring confidence in AutoNation as a care-giver for their vehicle safety and reliability.
Who Would I Interact With?
This position interacts daily with Customers, Service Advisors, other Technicians, Parts Associates, Cashiers, Sales Associates and Managers, just to name a few.
What are the day-to-day responsibilities?
- Performing vehicle repair and/or maintenance work as outlined on repair order with efficiency and accuracy, in accordance with dealership and factory standards to drive Customer loyalty.
- Communicating with Parts Department and Service Advisors regularly to effectively manage production and Customer communication.
- Diagnosing the cause of any malfunction and perform repair, if authorized by the Customer.
- Conducting multi-point inspections to make appropriate recommendations to ensure safety and reliability of Customer vehicles.
- Documenting work performed on each vehicle on the repair order.
- Maintaining an inventory of normal Technician's tools not normally inventoried by the Service department as "special tools."
- Keeping abreast of factory technical bulletins and participating in factory-sponsored training classes as appropriate.
- Providing an exceptional customer experience to drive loyalty
How will I know if I am successful?
The performance of a Certified Technician is measured by achieving:
- Targeted production
- Targeted sales
- Targeted Customer Satisfaction Index
What are the requirements for this job
- High School diploma or equivalent
- 2+ years experience as an automotive technician
- Automotive technical training (varies based on store needs)
- Attention to detail
- Organization and follow-up skills
- Valid in-state driver's license and have and maintain an acceptable, safe driving record
What are the opportunities for career growth?
Our Associates have many choices for career growth and development after success in a Service Technician role. Opportunities may include:
- Master-Certified Technician
- Service Advisor
- Service Management
AutoNation is an equal opportunity employer and a drug-free workplace.
Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
Company Paid Cancer Insurance
Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts
Company Paid Maternity Leave
Employee Vehicle Purchase Program
401(k) Match
Vendor Discounts for Products and Services
Company Paid Employee Assistance Program
Company Paid Life Insurance
You don't just fix vehicles. You ensure the safety of thousands of drivers in your community. So why not do your best work for America's largest automotive retailer? In 300 store locations from coast to coast, AutoNation Service Technicians work on 36 vehicle brands — from Ford to Chevrolet and Toyota to Mercedes Benz. No matter your specialty, you'll have advancement opportunities at every level of your career. Join us and find your personal road to satisfaction and success.
"We build pathways to help you accelerate as fast as you can and want to go or take as long as you need. I've been with the company for 16 years. I started with AutoNation as a foreman at a very small store and now I manage more than half the stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and have personally trained up four Service Directors."- Service Technician


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Kalyn's Kitchen Picks: Agave Nectar
The sweet taste in agave nectar comes from natural fructose, the same sweetener found in fruit, not to be confused with high fructose corn syrup which has chemically produced fructose. In recent years concerns have arisen concerning chemically produced agave nectar. I still believe the brand mentioned in this post is safe for most people, particuarly in the small amounts in which I use it. You may want to read Agave Myth Buster and Is Agave Nectar Safe, both of which speak specifically to this brand. Also food expert Ellie Krieger says moderate amounts of agave nectar are not harmful.
South Beach Suggestions:
Recipes where I've Used Agave Nectar:
Greek Yogurt with Agave Nectar and Pecans
Sweet and Sour Broccoli Salad
Sugar-Free Coleslaw with Agave Nectar
Greek Yogurt Dessert with Hazelnut Agave Nectar and Shaved Dark Chocolate
Agave-Sweetened 100% Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Roasted Carrots with Agave-Balsamic Glaze
Low-Sugar Double Blueberry Yogurt Parfait
More About Agave Nectar on the Web
The Awesome Agave from Shake off the Sugar
I write about Agave at Blogher (and recipe links)
About Agave from Friends of Animals
Agave Nectar from Wikipedia
More Bloggers Cooking with Agave Nectar:
(Recipes from other blogs may or may not be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)
Oil and Agave Dressing for Salad from A Veggie Venture
Cranberry Orange Muffins from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Vegan Coconut Bars from Karina's Kitchen
Grilled Chicken and Pepper Tamales from Eddybles
Kiwi Gelato from Coconut and Lime
Three ways to use agave nectar from Nika's Culinaria
Gluten-Free, Sugar Free Hamantaschen by Gluten Free Bay
Agave Sweetened Ice Cream from David Lebovitz


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We are in the process of redesigning our site at And To Be Loved. I was hoping to get a little feedback about the new main page (below). Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions? A few things to keep in mind - this is an LGBT comedy series and we are going for bright and vibrant; also the new title is just a place holder until we design a new banner, and then the top banner ad will then be moved above the title.
You can view the existing site here: http://www.andtobeloved.com/archive/cha ... e-142-jpg/


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Calendar | Community
| Family & Friends in the Armed Forces
| Milestones
Community Action |
Humane Society | YMCA
Atlanta Public Library Rededication
Exercises to be Held May 26, 2014
Send a link to a friend
[May 15, 2014]
ATLANTA - When the Atlanta Public
Library holds "Rededication Exercises" designed to celebrate
completion of its recent and extensive restoration project, it will
follow a program similar to the "Dedicatory Exercises" held in 1908
when the Atlanta Public Library building was first opened.
The Rededication Exercises will be held on the library's lawn on
Monday, May 26th from 1:00-1:30pm as part of the community's
Memorial Day activities. Following the exercises, the public is
invited to tour the rededicated Atlanta Public Library and enjoy
light refreshments.
The Rededication Exercies will include an Invocation by Rev. Skeet
Stribling of the Atlanta Christian Church, a Welcome by Atlanta
Library Board President, Mr. Randy Brooks, musical selections by Mr.
Dan Stribling, an Historical Address by Library Program Director,
Mrs. Rachel Neisler, Comments by Atlanta Mayor, Mr. Fred Finchum, an
Address by Mr. Randy Brooks, and a Benediction by Rev. Stribling.
The 1908 Dedicatory Exercises included music by the Atlanta
Philharmonic Orchestra, Invocation by Rev. R. A. Hartrick, an
Introductory Address by Atlanta Public Library Board Chairman, J. L.
Bevan, an Historical Address by Rev. E. J. Thomas, an Address by
Judge J. T. Hoblit, a vocal solo by Mrs. Adelyn Slaughter, and a
Benediction by Rev. R. V. Callaway.
The recent renovation work done at the Atlanta Public Library has
focused on returning the building to its circa 1908 appearance and
condition. Work has included roof repairs, window replacements,
interior painting, the refinishing of most of the building's
woodwork and floors, a new extension of the original circulation
desk, restoration of the reading room fireplace, new
period-appropriate lighting, and refurbishment of the Seward H.
Fields Memorial Library bookcase. In addition, the basement has been
renovated into an attractive and functional Children's Library.
[to top of second column]
The Atlanta Public Library and Museum is open Monday:
10am-12:30pm, Tuesday: 10am-8:00pm, Wednesday: 10am-4:30pm,
Thursday: 10am-8pm, Friday: 10am-4:30pm, and Saturday:
9am-3:00pm. The Atlanta Public Library offers many services,
including laminating, copies, computer and internet access,
eBooks, a large number of children, adult, and senior programs,
and a large selection of adult and juvenal fiction and
non-fiction. The Atlanta Museum is open Mondays & Fridays
9am-4:00pm and Tuesday, Wednesday & every other Thursday
9am-12:30pm. The Atlanta Museum tells the story of Atlanta
through a number of permanent and rotating exhibits. It also has
provides a large number of genealogy resources and local history
[Text received; BILL THOMAS]
For more information about the
Atlanta Public Library and/or the Atlanta Museum contact Carol
Begolka, Library Director, Cathy Maciariello, Library Program
Director, or Rachel Neisler, Library Program Director at
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Bravi Bellissimi: Thrills and trills at SFO's Scottish play
From The Santa Fe Reporter, July 16 2013
"Matching La donna in florid ease, Lawrence Brownlee as Uberto sails through the stratospheric tessitura like a bird on wing, his fluid ornamentation never in question."
I nearly had to see a barber last Sunday morning to plaster down my perpendicular locks after a hair-raising premiere of Rossini's La donna del lago at the Santa Fe Opera the night before. Purists insist that opera is about three things only: voices, voices and more voices. The current production qualifies. I've been a pretty regular customer at the SFO since '57 and can say that in terms of vocal heroism in general and spectacular bel canto singing in particular, this show has no rival. Period.
Rossini's no stranger to the SFO, the buffa repertory especially. But La donna completes a SFO trifecta of the composer's serious operas written for Naples' Teatro di San Carlo between 1819 and 1820, all rarely performed, all crazily difficult, and all filled with tradition-busting avant-garde-isms. Many-tenored Ermione appeared in 2000, Maometto II created a sensation last summer, and now it's La donna's turn to startle the coiffure.
The opera's source, Sir Walter Scott's 1810 narrative poem "The Lady of the Lake," captured the Romantic imagination, inspiring the celtic-kilty Highland Revival and sparking a much-caricatured Edinburgh visit by George IV in voluminous kilt and pink tights. Elena, the opera's heroine, has the misfortune to be courted by three suitors: 1) the king, Giacomo V, tenor, in disguise as Uberto, Cavaliere di Snowdon (!); 2) Rodrigo di Dhu, tenor, chieftain of the Highland clans rebelling against the king; and 3) Malcom Groene, mezzo, a lesser rebel and Elena's true-love.
Complicating matters further, Elena's rebellion-friendly father, Duglas d'Angus, insists that she marry the uncouth but charismatic Rodrigo. As is routine among romantic libretti, the heroine must choose between love and duty in a series of taxing, tuneful arias and ensembles. These days the mezzo Joyce DiDonato, a 1995 apprentice at SFO, simply owns the role of Elena. From recent appearances in Geneva, Paris, La Scala, Covent Garden and now at the Crosby Theatre, she's La prima donna del lago assoluta del mondo.
Probably the major consideration for making bel canto singing sound bellissimo isn't just hitting the notes or negotiating the ferocious fioratura. It has to sound oh-so-natural, embodying the art of concealing art. DiDonato's smoothly legato entrance aria, the barcarolle "Oh mattutini albori!" seems as easy as birdsong. That perilous final aria, "Tanti affetti," flows trippingly from the throat, with DiDonato tossing off effortless trills and filigree passagework and flowery embellishment as if they were nature's woodnotes wild.
Matching La donna in florid ease, Lawrence Brownlee as Uberto sails through the stratospheric tessitura like a bird on wing, his fluid ornamentation never in question. René Barbera sings an authoritative Rodrigo, another high-flying tenor-busting role, with aplomb. That ridiculously difficult Elena/Uberto/Rodrigo trio, "Qual pena," leaves us breathless with admiration. In the trouser role of Malcom, Marianna Pizzolato exudes supreme confidence throughout her impeccable phrasing and clean coloratura.
The magnificent chorus under the direction of Susanne Sheston plays a heroic role, morphing from their opening shepherd/shepherdess mode to become king's huntsmen and lady-friends of Elena, then to embody ferocious Highlands clansmen, and finally to personify the graceful courtiers of Giacomo V. What skill and versatility! What speedy costume changes!
Conductor Stephen Lord's account of the score, a model of balance and bright intensity, remains at the service of the singers throughout. Kudos to the busy stage band, to the suave woodwind choir and to the restrained, accurate brass section.
Paul Curran has called La donna "a bugger of a piece to do," which is putting it mildly. Take for example the Act One finale: clansmen galore, damsels in danger, principals emoting front and center, off-stage band, and three distinct choruses including blue-painted bards writhing in holy ecstasy. A few bizarre indulgences aside, he pulls it off. Kevin Knight's functional set and costumes and Duane Schuler's lighting prove merely serviceable until the gorgeously sung grand finale, a surprising and delightsome coup de théâtre better entitled La Clemenza di Giacomo.
Read more: http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-7561-bravi-bellissimi.html


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Today is the 5th day of "El verano de español", and my attempts at speaking only Spanish to mis niños.
Yesterday while running errands, I stopped and got the boys some french fries for a snack on our way to the library – And since I've now lost my chance at winning "Mother of the Year" for buying my kids fast food, I might as well tell you that while I was driving I was also listening to Reggaeton, (but I'm pretty sure the kids still don't understand the lyrics.)
From the backseat my 8 year old says, "¿Quieres papitas, Mami?" … It was like re-living his first words as a little baby all over again! … Don't get me wrong, he does speak a little Spanish here and there, but it usually has to be prompted, is Spanglish or grammatically incorrect, and this was, perfect. (And yes, mi amor, Mami would love some french fries.)
My 11 year old has learned the words "antes" and "después" ("before" and "after"). Apparently I use these words a lot when I'm bossing them around/mothering them. (For example: Before you can do this, you have to do this. After you do that, you need to do this.)
I've learned a lot about my mothering by the words they're picking up more quickly due to repeated use. Other words/phrases they've learned: tal vez, quizás, ahorrita no, vamos a ver, no sé. (Maybe, perhaps, not right now, we'll see, I don't know.)
Since I repeat myself so often, some of the phrases are starting to slip off my tongue easier – sometimes slipping into Spanish is too easy, in fact. At the library, I ran into the mother of one of my children's (Anglo) friends. "Hey! How are you?" she said.
My response? … "Bien, ¿y tú?"


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The purpose of our study was to investigate whether bacterial colonization of the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine reservoirs occurred, and if so, if it was related to the development of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).
Prospective cohort study.
London Health Sciences Center (LHSC).
Regular CPAP users with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Patient demographics were recorded and they were asked to fill out the chronic sinusitis survey (CSS) form. Patients then had their CPAP machines swabbed. An ANOVA was used to determine if the presence of microbacterial colonization was related to CSS scores. In total, 72 patients were included in the study. There was no significant difference in any of the scores between the group with positive cultures and the group without positive cultures.
Having a positive culture in the CPAP reservoir does not seem to lead to an increased symptomatology of CRS: although the reservoirs often become colonized, there seems to be no clinical impact.
Chin CJ; George C; Lannigan R; Rotenberg BW. Association of CPAP bacterial colonization with chronic rhino-sinusitis. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(8):747-750.
Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) refers to inflammation of the nasal mucosa and the mucosa of the paranasal sinuses. Presenting symptoms of CRS can include facial pain, headache, rhinorrhea, hyposmia, and dental pain.1 Chronic rhinosinusitis is highly prevalent with an estimated 1 in 7 people affected in North America.2,3 The annual cost to the American health care system is estimated at $5.8 billion US.4 CRS significantly affects patients' quality of life, as shown by a study by Macdonald et al. in which patients with CRS self-rated their health consistently worse than patients with allergies and back pain, and statistically equivalent to patients suffering from cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.3
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is another highly prevalent disorder, with an estimated 3% of women and 9% of men variably affected.5 Symptoms can include daytime fatigue, irritability, and personality changes.5 It has also been associated with cardiopulmonary changes such as systemic hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure, as well as motor vehicle accidents.6 The mainstay of treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which delivers a stream of air to the patient's airway continually to splint open the airway and prevent collapse.5,7
In 2007, a study by Aydin et al. demonstrated that reusable nasal steroid spray bottles used in treatment of CRS can be positive for bacterial colonization, and that this may be associated with recalcitrant cases.8 More recently, in a study by Lee et al., 50% of their samples' nasal irrigation bottles had positive microbacterial cultures.9 While many viruses and bacteria have the potential to cause a simple episode of acute rhinosinusitis, there are some organisms that have been known to have devastating effects when the nasal cavity is exposed to them. Naegleria fowleri is a freshwater amoeba that can lead to a rare, but nearly always fatal type of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).10 In 2011, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals issued a warning about proper sterilization of water used in nasal irrigations following the death of 2 people linked to PAM who developed PAM secondary to improperly sterilized tap water in their nasal rinses.11 These cases, therefore, highlight the importance of sinonasal infections.
Current knowledge/Study Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea is commonly treated with continuous positive airway pressure, but it is unknown whether this increases the risk of developing chronic rhinosinusitis. The goal of our study was to determine if colonization of CPAP machines occurred, and if so, if it was related to chronic rhinosinusitis.
Study Impact: Although CPAP reservoir colonization is common, there was no association found between colonization and CRS. This study supports the literature that although CPAP machines and irrigation bottles are frequently colonized with bacteria, there does not seem to be any clinical sequela as a result.
While nasal irrigations and their bacterial contamination has been analyzed in the CRS literature before, to our knowledge, there are no studies that look at whether contamination and colonization of CPAP machines occurs as frequently, and whether this has significant health ramifications. Since the basis of the nasal CPAP machine involves blowing humidified air into the patient's nose, it stands to reason that if bacteria were to colonize the CPAP machine, bacterial seeding of the nasal mucosa could occur as a result of the CPAP usage. The goal of our study was to investigate whether bacterial colonization of the CPAP reservoirs occurred, and if so, if it was related to CRS.
The Western University research ethics board approved this study. Patients were recruited from both a tertiary care Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery practice as well as a Respirology practice with a focus on Sleep Medicine. Inclusion criteria were that of any patient who was a regular CPAP user for obstructive sleep apnea purposes. Patients with a known history of CRS, known nasal allergies, used nasal sprays/rinses regularly, were smokers, or who had any prior nasal surgery, were excluded from the study. After informed consent, patient demographics were recorded and they were asked to fill out the chronic sinusitis survey (CSS) form.12 The CSS is a validated tool that has good test-retest reliability and is frequently used as a screen to assess patients' quality of life as related to potential CRS. Specifically, the CSS consists of 2 parts. The first part asks the patient to rate the severity of their symptoms (divided into left and right side), while the second part asks about duration of symptoms, as well as duration of medical therapy they have received recently. Patients then had their CPAP machines swabbed in 3 locations: the mask, the tubing of the machine, and the reservoir.
Patients had their average score on the CSS form calculated for both the symptoms and duration parts of the survey. Once this was completed, the microbacterial cultures were checked, to see whether there was evidence of bacterial or fungal growth. Positive cultures (of any bacteria or fungi) were assigned a value of 1, while those swabs that failed to grow anything were assigned a value of 0. In this way, the patients were separated into 2 groups, and an ANOVA test was used to compare the groups (with p set at 0.05 a priori) to analyze whether the presence of bacteria was related to the CSS scores. Data analysis was completed using PASW Statistics 18.
Eighty patients were recruited into the study (8 from the Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery clinic and 72 from the Respirology clinic). Of those patients, 8 were excluded because they had incompletely completed surveys or because their microbacterial cultures were never reported, leaving 72 patients for the final study population. AHI ranged from 51.5+/ -25, with a minimum of 5 and maximum of 104. Overall CPAP compliance in the study population was 85.8% ± 17.1% (∼3.3 ± 0.7 h per night), with no difference between groups. Demographic details are found in Table 1. A breakdown of the various microbacterial organisms that were grown can be seen in Table 2.
Patient demographics
(more ...)
Microbacterial organisms found in the reservoirs, masks, and tubing systems
While we initially planned to analyze the 3 sub-sites of the CPAP system (mask, tubing, reservoir), we found that the reservoir generated by far the widest variety of microorganisms when compared to the mask and tubing. In fact, in the mask, over 90% of the cultures were coagulase-negative staphylococci, which is not surprising given the contact the mask makes with the skin. We therefore focused our analysis exclusively on the reservoirs.
The patients were divided into 2 groups—those who had positive cultures in their reservoir and those who did not. In total, 35 patients had positive cultures (48.6%). The average scores for the various parts of the CSS can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. There was no significant difference for any of the scores between the group with positive cultures and the group without positive cultures
Mean scores of part 1 of the CSS divided by culture status
Mean durations of part 2 of the CSS divided by culture status
Next, the average scores for Part 1 (symptoms) of the CSS were calculated. In this part of the survey, patients were asked to rank how bad their symptoms were (pain, congestion, and rhinorrhea) on the left side and right side of their face. The scoring system sets 0 as "No Symptoms" and 4 as "Severe." All symptoms had overall average scores ≤ 1.0, which indicates mild symptoms.
Then the average scores for Part 2 (duration) of the CSS were determined. This part of the survey asks patients in the past 8 weeks, how often they have had symptoms (headache, rhinorrhea, or congestion) or taken medications (antibiotics, nasal sprays, or pills [decongestants or antihistamines]). The average scores for symptoms all fell between 1 and 2 (indicating symptoms present just 1-2 weeks of the previous 8 weeks), and for medications the average was < 1.
In our study, we hypothesized that those patients who had positive microbacterial cultures in their CPAP reservoir would have symptomatology of CRS more frequently than those who did not, as a result of the humidified air "seeding" the nasal cavity and sinuses with the microbes present in the reservoir. However, the study results did not support this hypothesis— CRS symptoms were mild in all patients (whether CPAP culture positive or negative), and despite demonstration of some unusual flora in the CPAP reservoir, there did not appear to be an association between CPAP microbiology and CRS symptoms. Having a positive culture in the CPAP reservoir does not seem to lead to an increased symptomatology of CRS. This could be interpreted that although the reservoirs often become colonized, there seems to be no clinical impact.
Our findings were similar to the findings of a previous study,9 in that the patients with a positive culture in their irrigation bottle did not have an increased chance of developing symptomatic CRS. While it is generally advised that the reservoirs should only be used with sterile water, a review of the literature did not demonstrate any evidence to support this recommendation at this time. Furthermore, in a 2012 Cochrane Review, Fernandez et al. found that there was no difference in infection rates of acute wounds when tap water was used as compared to sterile water.13 It would seem then that further investigation regarding whether water from a nonsterile source (for example, tap water) has detrimental effects is warranted.
A wide variety of microorganisms were cultured in this study. This ranged from yeast to Enterococci to Pseudomonas and Gramnegative rods. While certain pathogens, like the previously mentioned Naegleria fowleri, can have devastating clinical effects, in our study the patients with positive cultures did not seem to have any adverse clinical effects.
Likely, the reason that our patients did not develop clinically significant disease is multifactorial and can in part probably be related to our study design and its limitations. First, although the reservoir was cultured positive, this did not necessarily translate to these same microorganisms making their way through the CPAP tubing to reach the patients sinuses. Perhaps the degree of inoculation was not sufficient to cause any serious health effects. As well, just one swab was taken for each patient's reservoir. It is possible that through sampling error, those patients who had a "negative culture" actually had other areas of the reservoir that were in fact positive. More comprehensive swabbing of the reservoirs could potentially address this issue. Another reason why the microorganisms may not have caused adverse events is that of biofilms. Perhaps the bacteria in the reservoir had created biofilms that not only ensured their survival in the reservoir, but also prevented the bacteria from being distributed throughout the CPAP system. Lastly, the compliance rate of CPAP can be variable,14 and although in our study there was no difference in compliance between groups, it could be that a larger population might show a difference in that regard.
In summary, in our study population, there was no association seen between floral colonization of CPAP machine and symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis.
This was not an industy supported study. The authors have indicated no financial conflicts of interest.
This study was funded by a UWO Academic Development Fund Grant.
Ah-See KW, Evans AS, authors. Sinusitis and its management. BMJ. 2007;334:358–61. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Rosenfeld RM, Andes D, Bhattacharyya N, et al., authors. Clinical practice guideline: Adult sinusitis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007;137:S1–31. [PubMed]
Macdonald KI, McNally JD, Massoud E, authors. The health and resource utilization of Canadians with chronic rhinosinusitis. Laryngoscope. 2009;119:184–9. [PubMed]
Anand VK, author. Epidemiology and economic impact of rhinosinusitis. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol Suppl. 2004;193:3–5. [PubMed]
Strollo PJ Jr, Rogers RM, authors. Obstructive sleep apnea. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:99–104. [PubMed]
Golbin JM, Somers VK, Caples SM, authors. Obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary hypertension. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2008;5:200–6. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Basner RC, author. Continuous positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnea. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:1751–8. [PubMed]
Aydin E, Hizal E, Akkuzu B, et al., authors. Risk of contamination of nasal sprays in otolaryngologic practice. BMC Ear Nose Throat Disord. 2007;7:2. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Lee JM, Nayak JV, Doghramji LL, et al., authors. Assessing the risk of irrigation bottle and fluid contamination after endoscopic sinus surgery. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2010;24:197–9. [PubMed]
Lopez C, Budge P, Chen J, et al., authors. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis: a case report and literature review. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2012;28:272–6. [PubMed]
State of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. North Louisiana woman dies from rare ameba infection. DHH warns residents about improper neti pot use. Accessed July 7, 2012. http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/2332.
Glikrich RE, Metson R, authors. Techniques for outcomes research in chronic sinusitis. Laryngoscope. 1995;105:387–90. [PubMed]
Fernandez R, Griffiths R, authors. Water for wound cleansing. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;2:CD003861. [PubMed]
Smith I, Lasserson TJ, authors. Pressure modification for improving usage of continuous positive airway pressure machines in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;4:CD003531. [PubMed]


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F. Scott Fitzgerald. Mark Twain. Snooki.
That's right: To the list of published authors, we will very soon get to add the name of everyone's favorite handbag-hued, trash-talking, disorderly conducter, "Jersey Shore" reality star Snooki (aka Nicole Polizzi).
Publisher Simon and Schuster said today the reality starlet's first novel, with the working title "A Shore Thing," will be out in early 2011. The book is going to "revolve around a girl looking for love on the boardwalk (one full of big hair, dark tans, and fights galore)," according to a Simon and Schuster statement.
For her part, the young novelist said: "I'm pumped to announce to my fans a project that I've been working on for some time. This book will have you falling in love at the shore. It's 'A Shore Thing!'"
Which is pretty much what Papa Hemingway tweeted upon the release of his first novel, "The Torrents of Spring."
But really, Snooki's literary debut should not come as too much of a shock, as she has apparently spent time around books. "I'll go to frickin' Barnes & Nobles, get a coffee and just sit down and read," she told Us Magazine. "No one would ever think that. We have different sides to us and people don't see that."
As Dorothy Parker might've put it: True dat.
Selected Reading: Us Magazine, TheSuperficial.com, MTV.com.


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Glenveagh, Co. Donegal, Ireland
Some 16,540 hectares of mountains, lakes, glens and woods, with a herd of red deer. A Scottish style castle is surrounded by one of the finest gardens in Ireland, which contrast with the rugged surroundings. The Visitor Centre houses exhibitions and audio
Read more about Glenveagh National Park and Castle | View Map of Area