text:
Why It's Time to Be Optimistic About the U.S.
The housing market is on the mend, and the corporate sector is flush with cash are just two reasons why the future for equities looks bright. TAMRO partner Timothy Holland joins Markets Hub. Photo: AP.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... it will recall about the real ... economy all the timing who will skeptical here are the markets of some of us only the clothes maybe ... ah but they all are some hopeful signs if you can look about them ... Tim Holland portfolio manager Cameron ... will like it adhered to ... depreciate the measure ... so you guys you manage two billion dollars in overall there was only enable our clients to buy Skippy of CNN that the economy there you see some hopeful signs death ... of run through some of which are there three or four things that have underpinned ... the move up the last couple years ... and we think this through for things its own cliques begins with a turn in housing ... which had been based on our recent sometime in the back half of two thousand eleven really going last year ... to monetary policy not to shareholders that the ECB the Bank of Japan right ... significantly delevers consumer base in the data we've seen the man of disposable income that goes to debt service ... is at a decades low and that's partly because when the Fed is done in terms of pushing rates ... lower and then you've got now slow but steady ... job creation and you put those four things together ... you know we think and trees don't grow to the sky but things are much better to know where you're going out too much much better than they were two or three years ago ... so the first two percent write about how to use come back to the new talk about the Fed again apologies ... I how much is the second one driving the first year I think I don't know if you can separate the two women clearly lower borrowing costs much lower mortgage rates have ... spurred affordability ... and I don't discount that but that's what the Fed's job is read the full employment and inflation ... and then to ALM ... a big part of what's happened is a supply demand we don't we too many houses the first half of the last decade ... and was the building that he and seventy thousand houses a year just fall down because mean to neglect the household formation population growth ... and new home construction one from about one point four million anyone to believe in two thousand and five in our back ... north of four hundred ... thousand ... so a lot of it was as good ole fashioned supply and demand getting back in balance and I they won the reasons whether cover has been so tepid ... and so disappointing is ... typically real estate leads us ... because the Fed reduces borrowing costs ... that increases affordability new home construction takes off what's different this time around is real estate lenders that mean you had to work through tremendous excess before he sorta bottomed and what was a big and when I think is now a significant ... tail wind and any touches all parts of the consumer economy and ... if he thought about ... another two to related with his ... housing market the consumer to get him consumer debt was very high percentage of it is ... pretty ... too high ... indeed it does come down and ... does that free up money and capital with low rates for people to buy yes and and I think in a relative to history the consumer that number is still high it's much reduced from two thousand and seven words or peeked out ... but a big ... big tackle what is driven and I'm sort of free cash phone spend in the consumer level is the cost of that that ... some people consider rail about what the Fed is doing the manipulating the economy ... on balance a bit of our two percent as it was a six percent ... that differentials inability or parking in so as disposable ... income that goes the dad comes down they can go ... to buying things like washers and dryers in cars in ... a new a new house so lower interest costs have had a ... big deposit impact ... he's come a couple stocks and as we ... share it since we think the US is a pretty good shape and in the consumer is a pretty good shape we've oriented Beau Casson Tem a small cap fund in the into maneuvers for the Khalifa in a more domestic PC industry's financials ... consumer discretionary ... terms of financials would likely surveying Core Small Cap Bancomer Kalispell Montana real estate market are firmly come back while cap allies ... in the hasn't ever diversified equity funds we like AIG it's a bit different stocks of domestic but it's a fantastic ... restructuring and then back on the housing front toll Brothers which also in the into a diversified equity fund what's great about Toll Brothers is its own way and had the ... builder and so is asset price inflation happens as was the place a new one on homebuilders and either ... have a wattle and ... Croat Capital violin ... because an inflation environment that wind is worth more begets more expensive and told ... little E has tens of thousands of lives owned one notch and so they're pretty well positioned if things

subset: commoncrawl


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The Yreka Miners cross country team had a strong day of running on Friday.
Hosting the Yreka Elks Invitational at Lower Greenhorn Park against elite competition from Oregon and the Northern Section, the Miners had a first place finish in the varsity boys event.
The squad had a total of four runners finish in the top 10. This included junior Matt Jochim placing first with a time of 16:56.36. Clayton Bunn was 3rd, David Neill was 5th and Jacob Hill was 9th. The Miners boys squad is considered one of the top teams in the state in Division 4. They are currently ranked second in the state in D-4 in the CIF-State cross country team rankings.
Jochim said he has worked extremely hard this off-season to improve on his sophomore year and was very pleased to take first at home after finishing second at a meet in Redding last week.
"It feels great," he said
While happy with how he did, he was especially pleased with the team's first place finish and the way everyone ran well as a unit.
The Miner varsity girls team also had a strong performance and took 3rd overall, The junior varsity boys and girls teams both earned 2nd place finishes.
For the Lady Miners varsity team, sophomore Arianna Brooks was 7th and Corrina Lange finished in 11th.
Head coach Pam Borg was ecstatic with the way her team performed on Friday.
"It was just great to see the way our kids competed," Borg said. And, she added, it was nice to get back two varsity boys runners in Cody Griffith and Brenden Berry, who were out last week due to injury.
Borg commended Jochim for his 1st place finish. She said a key factor for him is how strong he is going up hills and how he is still able to run at a good clip. Borg added that Matt has improved a lot from last season and is "excited to see where he goes from here."
Borg is also quite pleased with the improvements the varsity girls team has made this season and believes this could be one of the strongest varsity girls teams in a number of years.
Besides the high school races, the invitational also featured elementary and middle school races.
Complete results can be found at http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=76836#660.
Yreka Elks Invitational Cross Country Meet: Big day for YHS Miner runners
The Yreka Miners cross country team had a strong day of running on Friday.


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When I think of Syrah, my first thoughts are of the Northern Rhône, then Australia and finally the United States. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this fine example of Syrah from Israel. If you're looking for something different that will expand your horizons and is sure to please, this wine is for you.
The Clos de Gat Syrah paired beautifully with Spanish-Style Lamb Stew with Roasted Red Peppers. The Mediterranean flavors of this lamb stew, with its red peppers, Kalamata olives and capers went along perfectly with the Clos de Gat. Its juicy and spicy personality stood tall next to the stew's earthy, bold flavors. Use a cup of your Syrah pairing for the wine addition in this recipe and you'll have a match made in heaven.
2008 Clos de Gat Har'El Syrah Judean Hills – The nose showed vibrant raspberry with dark chocolate, clove and a hint of undergrowth. A slight acetone note added depth on the nose. On the palate, I found mixed berries, pepper, cocoa powder and sweet spice on a balanced and juicy frame. The finish was long yet fresh with spicy red fruits.
Pairing Syrah from Around the World
5 expressions of Syrah and dishes to pair with them
When I think of Syrah, my first thoughts are of the Northern Rhône, then Australia and finally the United States. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this fine example of Syrah from Israel. If you're looking for something different that will expand your horizons and is sure to please, this wine is for you.
Mentioned in this article
I always find it interesting that you never seem to include Washington state in these Comparisons especially when talking about Rhône style Syraz and Rhone Rangers?
Respectfully Dennis
I agree, especially when I think of recent offerings from K Vintners.
I can assure you that it's not a conspiracy. I think the better question is, Who is representing WA state Syrahs in the New York market? When I decided to write this piece, I went on a shopping spree through a number of Wine Stores in NYC. In each case, i asked for a recommendation. I tasted about twenty different bottles and landed with this set of five. My only goal was to not repeat a region. However, out of those twenty bottles, not one was a Washington state Syrah.
I can assure you that it's not a conspiracy. I think the better question is, Who is representing WA state Syrahs in the New York market? When I decided to write this piece, I went on a shopping spree through a number of Wine Stores in NYC. In each case, i asked for a recommendation. I tasted about twenty different bottles and landed with this set of five. My only goal was to not repeat a region. However, out of those twenty bottles, not one was a Washington state Syrah.
It is a pity that there still remains the perception that all Australia does with Shiraz is make hugely flavoursome, alcoholic wine that will not cellar. Anyone who tasted a Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier (Canberra District) or a Mt Langhi Ghiran or a Craiglee (both Victorian) knows this is rubbish. These are top drawer, restrained Nothern Rhone/Cote Rotie styles which will hold their own world-wide in any Syrah/Shiraz taste-off. Spicy, peppery styles (with a hint of apricot with the Clonakilla) which demand at least 10 years in the cellar before you look at them.
I'll heartily agree with the comments about Australian shiraz as being far more complex and wideranging than the stereotype of a fuzzy, gagworthy fruit bomb. That being said, you only had five bottles to pair with five dishes, and were trying to cover the world!
I do like the concept of your piece, Eric, and hope you do more. This is personally more interesting to me than a lot of the fluffier pieces that are too common in the Snooth articles repertoire, even though Greg has been making efforts to provide more original content. Would be great if you could do a followup and look at some blends with lower syrah percentages than these, such as some from Minervois or California or Walla Walla or elsewhere in Oz or.... I'm sure you could find a number of examples in NYC. And perhaps the more you write them up, the more customers in NYC will ask their merchants to carry new labels.
Keep up the good work! Going to do any pinot noir or riesling or... matches?
I was more responding to the assertion in the article here that "These are big, rich aggressive wines and in my opinion you either love them or you hate them".
As I said in my previous post this type of writing perpetuates the myth about Australian Shiraz being one dimensional. Maybe we keep all the good stuff over here and ther's not enough left over to export apart from some quality exporters like Penfolds and Two Hands. The wineries mentioned in the previous post are only small boutique operators - but readily available in Australia.
Thanks dmcker, I'm happy to say that this will be a regular monthly addition to smooth that I'm writing. I certainly have no problem revisiting Syrah, but I would need to run the idea up to the "powers that be".
I understand Bobby Boy, and you are right. I was honestly trying to make broad generalizations. On the same topic, just think of how many Northern Rhone wines are now seeing aggressive oak treatment that's covering much of their earthy character. And even the example I used from California, is not necessarily what I would expect out of many of the higher end bottles.
Food matchings seemed odd to me - Chicken Marsala with Craem and pancetta - AND Crozes Hermitage? Surely white meat and dairy better suited to an oaked chardonnay? Crozes H needs cream like fishes need bicycles. surely a partner like game, duck, boiled beef and carrots, beef and mushrooms....Maybe simply roasted tenderloin of pork or a nice oven joint, but I crave Alsace whites with them. Chicken or rabbit in a tomatoey mushroom sauce would work - because the cream would be absent.
Have not had the six hours to show its character problem with PJ Aine's 2007 Crozes H before, you have been very unlucky there, pouring into a decanter helps things along with the young reds
The beautiful match with shiraz is always and everywhere LAMB, from a simple roast to a peppery curry. Old rule being the simpler/younger the wine the more complicated the food, and vice versa, eg with your grange hermitage make it Roast lamb and mashed potatoes, after a call to the Bank!
I went by the bottle in front of me, with the idea that someone would be buying that bottle to open and pour with dinner. The performance of the wine is what I used to decide what I'd pair with it. I tried not to fall into any ruts and literally tasted the bottle with food in mind, before even writing a tasting note. Give the pairing a shot, you might be pleasantly surprised.
How did the combination work in practice?
I was not clear by your answer if it really did work, or should work. I ask because I thought Crozes Hermitage would be excellent with fillet steak for example, but the charring from the barbecue actually overwhelmed it slightly and left me wishing I'd chosen a bigger rhone wine like Gigondas.
The practice of matching food and wine throws up many surprises and peoples experiences can be really useful. Eg chilled white port - surprisingly for me- handles most cheeseboards. This direction of thread on snooth is very welcome. I know the Australians have a blue chip award that actually ranks wines by their food friendliness in a number of food matches.
You find Gigondas big, William? While for grenache it can have power, I find more richness and depth in a Northern Rhone syrah, by far (though there will be differences between a Cote Rotie and an Hermitage, and even within Cornas or Crozes Hermitage or St. Joseph depending on who's producing the wine). Haven't had any in the last few years since my tastes went elsewhere a while back, but even if Parker's influence has taken over there, too, I still can't think of it as big in any truly qualitative way.
Yes, more powerful than the Crozes Hermitage in alcohol by volume and in terms of ability to cope with the steak. For elegance I would tend to agree with you, and would drink Hermitage and Cote rotie more often if richer in wealth. But I do find the commune is really under-rated, and can drink well in relative youth. A modern example we were thrilled by was the relatively light 13.5 degree Gigondas Domaine du Cayron, 2007.
It really depends on which Crozes we're talking about. Though if all you're discussing is alcohol percentage and fruit glop we may be at cross purposes here.
I've found Penedes garnachas bigger feeling than Gigondas, but I'm not just talking about extraction and the like. The Gigondas I used to like to drink, back when I did, had a refinement that kept them from that, even if almost none of them were deeply interesting. Personally I don't really think of alcoholic heat or fruit bombardment when I use 'power', at least in a positive way.
The one thing Gigondas did provide was good value, I felt back then. My impression is that prices are going up there, too, though I haven't looked closely in quite a while. It would be interesting to do a price comparison between the best Gigondas, and some good St. Josephs and Cornas and Crozes, with Penedes thrown in as a ringer, too.
And I've never had much trouble drinking any wellmade syrah with a steak, or roast beef for that matter....
By 'good' northern Rhone wines in those areas, I meant also lesser known, under-the-radar types, since generally the price level is higher than Gigondas. With good reason for that, historically speaking.
Also meant to say earlier that I'm with you on the game (depending on which bird or animal we're actually talking about) and lamb matches. I think Eric was reaching for something different than just the traditional, to match with a lighter syrah. Or so I guessed, anyway. Certainly a northern Rhone wouldn't be the first wine that popped to mind when I heard that menu, but I'd need to taste that specific bottle, and anyway I'm at least willing to give it a shot...
Can you toss out the names of three or four Gigondas you think are top notch? Won't know which I can source over here in Tokyo, and I'm will to give the area another try, I guess.
dmcker-san.....konichi wa!
Les Pallieres
Domaine de font Sane
Domaine Raspail-ay
E Guigal
Domaine du Cayron
I happily gamble on those with vignerons independents logos or, oppositely, the well known names like Guigal, Perrin, Paul Jaboulet Aine,if confronted with unknown quantities.
Also I have an excellent C de Pape at home and just cannot remember growers name right now. Ffurther south the good Bandols from pure Mourvedre like Domaine de Terrebrune. Our tastes do evolve as you say. Most steak shiraz combos are fine, it was only the charring that time.
Williamsimpson, like I said, I go with the bottle and in this case the palate was easily able to cut through the cream sauce. I wish I could guarantee that every bottle I bought could be the best representation of the region but I simply don't have that high of a budget. I'm a big fan of Chicken and Pork loin Marsala and it needs that texture and cut on the palate from the wine. If this was a big rich Syrah, it probably wouldn't have worked so well. This bottle actually kept getting better overnight and performed even better the next day but I try not to let tasting notes go over the course of a day, since most people don't give wine that much time to come around.
Now that at last it is clear that the wine and food were tried together, this recommendation is now elevated to very interesting, as it is not an obvious one, and shows Crozes Hermitages versatility as a food partner here with lighter meat - in contrast to the popular stereotype of syrah/shiraz wines.
I will be looking up Chicken Marsala and Pancetta recipes when we next have C.H in the house
Well done Eric. Thanks for your patience
Wonder, Eric, if it's possible to do more than five matches in one article, especially if you're trying to cover a whole world's worth of a certain varietal (I'm assuming your articles are tied to the GTIs)?
Absolutely, but it all has to do with time frames and budgets. I had thought of looking into other regions as well but time was getting short and all bottles from this article were sourced.
it's amazing..


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Lee Ford ready for her shot
LONDON — Lee Ford was only a child when she first shot a bow and arrow. Over the next 20 years, Ford found herself involved in other activities, from speed skating to belly dancing and fire breathing to practicing WingTsun Kungfu — but archery was not part of the picture. In 2008, three years after an injury that paralyzed her left leg, a friend took Ford to shoot arrows as a way to get her out of the house. It was love at first shot.
Today she will make her Paralympic Games debut.
Ford realized very early on in her reintroduction to archery that she had a chance to make the Paralympic team. "I had been invited to the ParaWorld Championship prep camp," she said. "Not only was I amazed and delighted to find others that had injuries like mine and saw how wonderfully they dealt with that, I found that with some serious training, I could really make my dream a reality."
With the support of her daughter, Ford began to train, shooting as often as she could while managing her full-time job as a paralegal and office manager at a law firm.
Still, some of the challenges Ford faces on a daily basis require a strong mental resolve, both in and out of her sport. She has degenerative disc disease, as well as arthritis and Crohn's Disease, all of which makes it difficult to get out of bed some days. "I do it because that is the only way I'll get to shoot arrows that day," Ford said.
Ford now prepares to compete in London with serious training and a Parapan American gold medal under her belt. She won her spot on the Paralympic team just four months after she had spine fusion surgery, and began training five hours a day, six days a week. This approach has helped Ford earn a top-20 ranking in the U.S. in archery among able-bodied women.
Though her training includes cardio and resistance training, Ford has learned that success in archery comes down to a certain level of patience and finesse. "Everything in archery comes down to form, and blank bale coalesces your form so that you can make every shot the same. You become a machine," she said. "I think this helped me as I didn't worry about scores every day, I worked on how my archery felt to me."
Another key to success is a lesson Ford learned from her coach, Jim White, who taught her that relationships determine results. "What you do, how you act, how you treat every single person that is around you determines how well you can succeed in life, whether in sport, school, work, your home life," said Ford, who says this ideal has been life changing for her. She credits her friends and family, including her husband and her daughter, with helping to make her journey possible.
The 2012 Paralympic Games will be Ford's chance to represent the U.S. as an athlete, but she got her first taste of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in 1996 in Atlanta. A Georgia native, Ford worked as a volunteer transportation supervisor, and then an assistant manager during the Olympic and Paralympic Games at the stadium.
"I was completely blown away by the Paralympians," she said. "I never thought I would have the inner strength to be able to compete if something had happened to me. The light shining from those athletes was so bright and I was totally inspired in my life to be the best I could be at whatever I was doing, or at least work hard and do the best I could do."
Now Ford will do her part to inspire others as the only woman on the U.S. Paralympic Archery team. Representing Team USA is a dream come true, and she knows no matter what the outcome is in London, she is happy with what she has accomplished and is proud to be an ambassador of her sport and her country.
"I know for a fact that archery has made me a better person," Ford said. "When I combine my accomplishments with the person I have become in the last four years, I know that have attained something magical and that is going to be with me the rest of my life."


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An alternative archive of 32508 e-prints in Science and Mathematics serving the whole scientific community
ViXra.org is an e-print archive set up as an alternative to the popular arXiv.org service owned by Cornell University.
It has been founded by scientists who find they are unable to submit their articles to arXiv.org because of
Cornell University's policy of endorsements and moderation designed to filter out e-prints that they consider
inappropriate. ViXra.org has no association with arXiv.org or Cornell.
ViXra is an open repository for new scientific articles. It does not endorse e-prints accepted on its website, neither
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After more than four months of investigation, 20 people have been arrested in connection with this summer's rioting after a major pro surf contest in Huntington Beach, police said.
The rioting started after a fight broke out July 28 across from the beach where thousands of spectators had gathered for the popular nine-day U.S. Open of Surfing.
The crowd toppled portable toilets, threw items from rooftops and smashed car windows along the popular downtown strip lined with restaurants, bars and surf and skate shops.
Police fired pepper balls and rubber projectiles to break up the melee. Some 250 officers responded to the disturbance.
One person was treated for injuries at a hospital after apparently being hit by a flying bottle and one of the rubber projectiles, police said.
Since then, detectives have collected what they said were "vast amounts of evidence" with the help of tips from the community to identify those responsible.
"To date, we have been able to arrest everyone involved that we have be able to identity," the Huntington Beach Police Department said on its Facebook page.
Authorities have made felony and misdemeanor arrests for possession of stolen property, vandalism, inciting a riot, participating in a riot, assault on a peace officer, vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon and arson.
Others were being investigated for drunken conduct and failure to disperse.
More Southern California Stories:


text:
Cobalt Blue Pashy-Mina
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text:
An insulin syringe has three parts: a needle, a barrel, and
a plunger.
Insulin syringes are made in several sizes.
1/4 mL or 0.25
1/3 mL or 0.33
1/2 mL or 0.50
1 mL
Use the smallest syringe size you can for the dose of
insulin you need. The measuring lines on the barrel of small syringes are
farther apart and easier to see. When you choose the size of syringe, consider
the number of units you need to give and how well you can see the markings on
the barrel.
Last Revised:
July 19, 2011
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
A crack in a tooth may appear as a tiny hairline fracture, usually
running from the top to the bottom of the tooth. Sometimes these cracks are
invisible to the naked eye and often do not show up on X-rays. It may be hard
to tell which tooth hurts or whether the pain is coming from a top or bottom
Suspect a crack if:
A cracked tooth may be caused by a mouth injury or loss of tooth
structure from a large area of decay (cavity) or filling. Chewing on hard
objects—such as nuts, hard candy, or foreign objects in food—or temperature
extremes, such as when you eat hot foods and then chew on ice cubes, can also
cause a cracked tooth. Other causes of a cracked tooth include teeth grinding
or uneven chewing pressures.
Deep cracks can cause inflammation, infection, or death of the tooth.
Prompt dental care may prevent these problems.
Last Revised:
July 20, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine & David Messenger, MD
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
Army pushes VA to process disability claims faster
The Department of Veterans Affairs is under growing pressure to reduce a mountain of pending veteran disability claims, and a new voice has been added to the chorus — the U.S. Army.
The Army has spent tens of millions of dollars and doubled staffing for a joint program with the VA aimed at cutting the Army's backlog of soldiers waiting to leave the service because of being wounded, ill or injured.
The number of ailing soldiers waiting to leave the service has grown from 18,000 in 2011 to more than 27,000, largely because the VA is not bringing more manpower to the task, Army officers told USA TODAY.
"The ideal situation would be if they could add some capacity. That means adding some people to do (disability) ratings," says Brig. Gen. Lewis Boone, director of the Army's disability evaluation system.
The VA says its resources are taxed to the limit trying to reduce its own caseload of 900,000 pending disability claims from veterans of all past and present wars. It cannot spare more rating evaluation specialists for the Army program, VA official Danny Pummill says.
"We're providing the maximum effort that we can in both areas," says Pummill, who coordinates VA efforts with the Pentagon.
The backlog of 27,000 soldiers waiting to leave the Army for medical reasons is no part of the VA's 900,000 pending disability claims from veterans.
The Army backlog of soldiers waiting to leave the service because of health issues is not included in the VA's 900,000 pending disability claims from veterans.
The Pentagon and VA agreed in 2011 to fashion a "seamless" process for servicemembers to separate from the military because of wounds, illness or injury. The idea was to conduct VA disability ratings for these troops before leaving the service so that within 30 days of becoming civilians, they would begin receiving VA disability checks.
The Army faced the most daunting task. After years of multiple combat deployments and physical wear and tear, far more soldiers faced medical separations than sailors, Marines and Airmen combined.
It was taking an average of 400 days for soldiers to go through medical examinations, evaluation boards, VA rating and out-processing before finally receiving disability checks as civilians.
Since 2011, there have been improvements, the Army says. Data show that some processes controlled by the Army are moving more quickly than expected.
But the flow of cases is stalling in the VA portion of the assembly line. Army data show 6,500 soldiers were waiting to receive VA disability ratings in February, 80% more than what the program was designed to handle at that stage.
The slow-down occurred even after the VA had increased the number of rating specialists handling Army cases from 119 in October to 135 in January, according to VA statistics.
"Right now, there is a bulge of cases sitting right there awaiting (VA) ratings," says Army Col. Daniel Cassidy, a disability evaluation program director.
As a result, the process was still taking 400 days on average, data show.
In recent weeks, the VA has come under intense criticism for failing to reduce its own 900,000 pending cases, where almost 70%, or 600,000 cases have been waiting longer than four months.
One group, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, has called on President Obama to form a commission to end the backlog. The chair of the House VA committee, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., asked that the VA's benefits chief resign.
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has promised that his transformation plan will end the VA backlog by 2015. Pummill says the "surge" of cases in the Army medical separation process should ease within a few months.
"How you handle this surge without impacting on all the other veterans at the same time, it's a balancing act," Pummill says. "I think we got it right."
Army officials says that unless the VA more quickly conducts disability ratings for ailing soldiers, the backlog could persist well into next year.
It impacts the Army's defense role, officers say, particularly as the service becomes smaller in the years ahead. The 27,000 soldiers awaiting medical separations cannot go to war but cannot be replaced until gone.
"It impacts readiness," Cassidy says.


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Wall St. Republicans' dark secret
NEW YORK — The biggest parlor game on Wall Street and in corporate boardrooms these days is guessing whether former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will run for president and save the GOP's old establishment base from its rising populist wing.
The second most popular game is guessing what happens if Jeb says no.
Story Continued Below
Two dozen interviews about the 2016 race with unaligned GOP donors, financial executives and their Washington lobbyists turned up a consistent — and unusual — consolation candidate if Bush demurs, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn't recover politically and no other establishment favorite gets nominated: Hillary Clinton.
Most donors and Wall Street titans have not lined up with any candidate yet, waiting for the field to take shape after the midterms. But if Bush doesn't run, the list of Republican saviors could be short. Some donors fear Christie will never overcome the Bridgegate scandal. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin so far seems more inclined to stay in the House than to run for president. And to varying degrees, other candidates — such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Govs. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio — are either unknown or untrusted.
( PHOTOS: Who's talking about Hillary Clinton 2016?)
The darkest secret in the big money world of the Republican coastal elite is that the most palatable alternative to a nominee such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas or Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky would be Clinton, a familiar face on Wall Street following her tenure as a New York senator with relatively moderate views on taxation and financial regulation.
"If it turns out to be Jeb versus Hillary we would love that and either outcome would be fine," one top Republican-leaning Wall Street lawyer said over lunch in midtown Manhattan last week. "We could live with either one. Jeb versus Joe Biden would also be fine. It's Rand Paul or Ted Cruz versus someone like Elizabeth Warren that would be everybody's worst nightmare."
Most top GOP fundraisers and donors on Wall Street won't say this kind of thing on the record for fear of heavy blowback from party officials, as well as supporters of Cruz and Rand Paul. Few want to acknowledge publicly that the Democratic front-runner fills them with less dread than some Republican 2016 hopefuls. And, to be sure, none of the Republican-leaning financial executives are so far suggesting they'd openly back her.
( Also on POLITICO: Jeb Bush: I'm 'thinking about' 2016)
But the private consensus is similar to what Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said to POLITICO late last year when he praised both Christie — before the bridge scandal — and Clinton. "I very much was supportive of Hillary Clinton the last go-round," he said. "I held fundraisers for her."
People close to Blankfein say the same calculus applies to a Jeb Bush-Hillary Clinton race as it would to a Christie-Clinton contest. "Those would be two very good choices and we'd be perfectly happy with them," a person close to Blankfein said. Blankfein is a self-described Democrat, but his comments about Christie and Clinton reflect the ambidextrous political approach that many Republicans and Democrats on Wall Street take.
There are, of course, other GOP candidates who could emerge as favorites of the financial industry after making their case over the next few months.
Rubio, even with his rocky start on immigration, has impressed many on Wall Street, including the Blackstone Group's Steve Schwarzman, during his forays to the city.
( Also on POLITICO: Warren hopes Clinton runs in 2016)
Both Walker and Ryan will be in New York on May 13, Walker for an Republican National Committee fundraiser and Ryan for a reelection event hosted by a wide range of major donors, including hedge fund magnates Cliff Asness and Paul Singer and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. Walker also will be holding meetings in New York this week as the "Wall Street primary" continues. Kasich, a former Lehman Brothers managing director, is viewed as a candidate who might fit the consensus, center-right mold favored by Wall Street. But multiple GOP operatives and donors said they see few signs Kasich, who is in the midst of a reelection fight, is currently organizing for a run.
Instead, the donors, financial executives and Washington representatives offered a consistent refrain: If we can't nominate someone like Bush or Christie from the pro-business wing of the party, and if the GOP nominee is from the far right, then we will hold our noses and tolerate Clinton.
"Most people in the industry find her approachable and have a track record with her," one Republican financial services executive said. "They wouldn't align with her on every policy, but they won't view her as hostile to the sector. If it turns out to be Hillary walking away with it, there would not be any panic."
( Also on POLITICO: GOP preps as Christie stumbles)
Clinton, after all, was New York's senator for eight years, where the financial district was a key constituency. She had many Wall Street rainmakers as advisers and friends. Her family has continued to work that network to try to stock the Clinton Foundation with a $250 million endowment before a presidential run. And she's been out on the financial services speaking circuit, giving talks to Goldman Sachs and fireside-style chats with the heads of the Carlyle Group and the investment firm KKR.
Clinton warmed some hearts on Wall Street during a paid, closed-press speech to Goldman Sachs executives and other big donors last year when she said of the financial crisis, in essence: We all got into this mess together, and we're all going to have to work together to get out of it. That line, as the people on hand interpreted her speech, reflects the feelings of many financiers. They know they played a role in the 2008 financial collapse but argue that many other factors did as well, including federal housing policy and irresponsible borrowers lying on mortgage documents. Wall Street sees in Clinton someone who would not look to score easy political points at its expense.


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You are here
Who Doesn't Love Turtles?
Many states with coastal regions play a major role in the lives of sea turtles, and Georgia is no exception. Turtles in general (not just sea turtles) are a major animal in Georgia's wildlife. Georgia's state reptile is a Gopher Tortoise, in fact. However, especially around this time of year, sea turtles can be spotted nesting on our Georgia beaches at night. The first Loggerhead turtle nest of the season was spotted just a few weeks ago.
Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nest the most on the Georgia coast, typically from early May to late August. They are cyclic nesters, meaning they nest every 2-3 years (so those that nest this year may not nest again until 2016 or 2017).
Sea turtles, in general, are pretty fascinating creatures. Check out these cool facts:
- Sea turtles nest and hatch at night. Some people say they nest more during high tide (full and new moons) so they don't have to crawl as much on the beach (an extremely strenuous effort).
- Turtles are born without a sex. Their gender is determined during the incubation period (as many other reptiles). They are the opposite of alligators, so warmer temperatures produce females and cooler temperatures produce males.
- Males never return back to land (except for the Green Sea Turtle in Hawaii).
- Turtles do not have gills — they need air to breathe. When they're resting, they can stay underwater for hours.
- Sea turtles can't ever leave their shells or retract into their shells.
Safety Tips
If you're planning on going to a Georgia beach, such as Jekyll Island, keep in mind these quick tips to ensure the safety and health for our sea turtle mamas and their babies:
- Don't be alarmed if you see a sea turtle crying. Male and female sea turtles do this in order to get rid of the excess salt in their eyes.
- Do NOT disturb turtle moms while they're looking for a place to nest. If a turtle feels threatened or can't find a proper nesting environment, they can do a "false crawl." This is where they return back to the ocean without laying eggs. If this happens many times, she will let the eggs go into the ocean or she will reabsorb them.
- Do NOT touch the baby turtles or try to help them get to the ocean. No matter how tender and harmless your intentions, helping the babies find the water will actually do them more harm than good. They have homing senses that allow them to return to the same region where they were born, so if you move them, it could mess up their sense of direction when they're ready to return.
- Bright artificial light hurts the nesting females and their hatchlings. For the mamas, if they see bright lights as they're trying to nest, they might do a false crawl. For the hatchlings, they use light cues and shadows to find the ocean so artificial lights can throw them off.
Rather than exploring on your own, try joining a Turtle Walk with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island (part of the Jekyll Island Authority). They do nightly walks from June 1 to July 31, so be sure to call and reserve your spot soon! You can follow an expert to not only learn more about turtles, but that way you know you're being safe and following the proper procedures to ensure the turtles' safety too.
Photo Courtesy of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center
About the Author
Bethany McDaniel is the Editorial Director for GeorgiaGov. She graduated from Berry College in Rome, Ga., with degrees in Visual Communication and History.
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Fundraiser calendar for July 22
"BACK TO SCHOOL WITH PRIDE": The Little Red Schoolhouse Project and Mixx96.1 will collect school supplies (new or clean), gently used coats, new socks and underwear, and donations of cash at the corner of State and Washington streets from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Aug. 15 to help provide low-income students with back to school clothes and supplies. Go to www.redschool.org for more information. Donations also can be mailed to Little Red Schoolhouse, P.O. Box 6302, Olympia, WA 98507.
CONCERN FOR ANIMALS needs dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, bird and chicken food; cat litter; beds, blankets and towels in good condition; pet toys; dog houses, carriers and crates; leashes and collars; and gift cards to any outlet that sells pet food and supplies. To arrange to drop off supplies, call 360-456-8176 or visit Score Used Sports Store, Fluffy and Floyds, Les Schwab-Lacey, Ricks Automotive, Anytime Fitness-Lacey, Olympia Veterinary Cancer Center or The Dog House in Tenino. For more information or to make a cash donation, visit concernforanimals.org.
THURSTON COUNTY FOOD BANK needs clean, untorn paper grocery sacks and dozen-egg cartons. Drop off donations between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays at 220 Thurston Ave. NE, Olympia. Call 352-8597 for details.


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In my opinion, the best telescope design for smaller apertures is the refractor. In the 3- to 5-inch range, these are typically small and light, easy to store and transport. They are simple to mount, make great wide-field instruments, and are relatively rugged. Their practically nonexistent cool-down times combine with their wide fields of view to make them fantastic grab-and-go telescopes. Perfectly suited for a peek at the summer Milky Way or some in-depth lunar and planetary investigations, a refractor can do it all.
For many years, the standard in refracting technology was the achromatic doublet. Such a telescope has a two-element front lens that features high-quality color correction.
That said, bright objects like the Moon and Jupiter tend to show varying amounts of false color through such doublets. The types of glass used in the lens — typically flint and crown — don't bring all colors of light to the same focus. Manufacturers partially compensate for this problem by building in a long focal ratio. This means a long optical tube, which trades portability for optical quality.
The one drawback of the modern apochromatic refractor is cost. These special types of glass don't come cheap. Luckily, recent changes in the world economy have made them more affordable than ever. Into this market comes the affordably priced Levenhuk Ra R110 ED Doublet OTA.
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Star Wars fans may not be the only ones to camp in line and celebrate when the empire strikes back. If the rumors prove true (and the evidence is growing), Apple will have another summer blockbuster of it's own. Hints of a new iPhone coming this summer are becoming more frequent. Die-hard fans may want to prep their tents.
Boy Genius reported a top AT&T exec leaked word of a new model coming mid-June with improved data rates, U-verse integration and a more "seamless experience unmatched by any device." In addition, hackers discovered references to several new models coded into the new OS 3 beta Apple previewed last week.
Also found was code allowing video recording, multiple GPU's, faster internet speeds and a new display type. A similar report last month said Apple contracted with LG to manufacture a higher contrast OLED display which is rumored to fit iPhone specs.
Prior to MacExpo earlier this year, Apple executive Phil Schiller noted that Apple "marches to certain annual product cycles:" the holiday season around November, the educational buying season around late summer, and the iPhone cycle in June.
The iPhone 2 was released last June and became a cell phone sensation. Will we see a new one this June? Judging by Apples profits, it's a good bet. As one blogger put it, "Duh."
We'll keep you posted.


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Dear readers,
I'm writing to solicit your advice. We would like to change the name of Net Art News and I'd like your input on a new name.
As Lauren mentioned in a recent note to you, Rhizome is currently redesigning our site. This is an exciting moment in which we are thinking about all the recent developments in our field and how Rhizome can reflect, support, and foster them.
On the editorial side, my goal with Net Art News has been to broaden our scope and reach, getting more international in our coverage and also covering not only internet art but also software art, performance, sound art, data visualization, technology-enabled social sculpture, locative media, video, and the myriad other branches of new media practice.
While we are by no means giving up on net art, the title Net Art News no longer reflects the breadth of the publication. The first and simplest title that comes to mind is 'Media Art News,' but of course this is potentially dry. I'm also not necessarily looking to split hairs over the phrases 'media art' and 'new media art.' The title needs to be rather short, self-descriptive, and hopefully also inviting.
What are your suggestions? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. If you'd like to refamiliarize yourself with Net Art News, you can look up previous pieces, by month, here:
With thanks,
Originally posted on Rhizome.org Raw by Marisa Olson


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Federal and industry luminaries gathered at a Maryland truck weigh station Monday to observe the latest in wireless bypass technology.
Maryland implemented the Drivewyze system last September and has found that it helps focus its enforcement efforts, said Captain Norman Dofflemyer, commander of the Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division.
With the system, officers can wave through trucks and drivers that are safe and concentrate on those that need to be inspected, Dofflemyer said.
And small intrastate carriers can get quicker treatment and avoid repeat inspections, he said.
"Our only wish is that more trucks were equipped with the bypass system," he said.
On hand for the demo were Anne Ferro, chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Victor Mendez, chief of the Federal Highway Administration.
Also, Bill Graves, president and CEO of American Trucking Association, Stephen Keppler, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, and Thomas Kern, executive vice president of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.
They watched a demonstration of the wireless Drivewyze service, in which several trucks and a bus were screened against federal databases and weighed in motion as they approached the station.
When the checks came up clean, the vehicles were given the all-clear to drive past.
The service is provided wirelessly through a variety of onboard or mobile communications devices that function as Commercial Mobile Radio Service transponders.
With the system's GPS "geo-fence" trigger, subscribers get an automatic check a couple of miles before they reach the facility.
The check can include a variety of data points, such as carrier information, vehicle identification, inspection history and the driver hours of service status as well as weight compliance.
The check is handled automatically at the weigh station through a secure cloud-based interface that IBM and Drivewyze offer state agencies at no charge.
"If the carrier or the driver has a solid safety record, and is not overweight, we can wave them through," Dofflemyer said.
"If we see a borderline case, or poor CSA score, we may inspect driver information and logbooks, plus do a vehicle inspection."
He added that access to the system, and the data itself, is controlled by the state agency.
Drivewyze president Brian Heath described the service as a "technology ecosystem" that offers the trucking industry an alternative to the PrePass clearance system.
While PrePass requires carriers to be vetted before they can subscribe, Drivewyze is open to all, Heath said.
It is up to the state agencies to decide what range of services they may provide Drivewyze subscribers, based on their safety data, including CSA scores, he said.
"The idea is to offer this capability to all," Heath said.
The monthly per-driver subscription cost ranges from $12.99 for multi-state access to $7.99 for single-state access, said Tanya Roberts, vice president of marketing for Drivewyze.
"We now have 16 states participating and are working on getting more," she said.
She also said that owner-operators as well as fleets are interested in the service.
That makes sense to Christian Schenk, senior vice president of XRS Corp., one of the Drivewyze partners on hand at the event.
"The technology levels the playing field," he said. "Owner-operators can enjoy the benefits of bypass as easily as fleets can."
Other technology partners at the event were PeopleNet and Zonar.


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Bob Newhart, 83, often turns down requests to guest star on sitcoms, so kudos to CBS's The Big Bang Theory for landing him on its May 2 episode. Exec producer Chuck Lorre asked him what it would take to do one of his shows and, Newhart says, "I specified Big Bang because of the writing and the live audience."
He plays Professor Proton, the former host of a kiddie science show. "Sheldon and Leonard watched it religiously, and it influenced them to go into science," Newhart says. "When they find out he's doing appearances, they book an appointment." Tailored to Newhart's dry wit, the professor is incredulous of the adoration but plays along for the payday. And he may be back. The last scene "sets it up for me to return a couple more times next season."


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Effect of Double Dose of Alpha 1-antitrypsin Augmentation Therapy on Lung Inflammation.
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01669421
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : August 21, 2012
Results First Posted : May 8, 2019
Last Update Posted : May 8, 2019
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The current treatment of individuals with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) who develop lung disease (COPD) is the administration of intravenous purified alpha-1 antitrypsin (augmentation therapy) at a fixed dose of 60 mg/kg per week. This dose aims at increasing the deficient AAT serum levels just above a predetermined "safety threshold" of 11 uM. However, normal levels of AAT are between 25-50 uM.
AAT has shown not only to inhibit lung proteases such as neutrophil elastase, but also to modulate inflammation. Given that many subjects with AATD who receive augmentation therapy still have significant lung disease and inflammation, this study will evaluate whether doubling the dose to 120 mg/kg/week has an effect in decreasing lung inflammation.
Only the dosing of 60 mg/kg /week has received FDA approval. FDA has granted an IND number to this study to test the higher dose of 120 mg/kg/week.
The study will evaluate systemic (serum) and pulmonary (bronchoscopy samples)markers of inflammation in 3 phases: standard dose (4 weeks), double dose (4 weeks) and standard dose (4 weeks).
|Condition or disease
|Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
|Drug: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human)
|Phase 2
This is a pilot study to test the effect of double dose augmentation therapy with Zemaira (CSL Behring) on lung inflammation, compared with standard doses of 60 mg/kg/week.
Our hypothesis is that some patients with AATD receiving augmentation therapy at the standard dose of 60 mg/kg/week continue to have a significant lung inflammation that may lead to detrimental clinical consequences. This inflammation can be further reduced with higher AAT dosing.
The study will enroll 20 subjects with AATD and COPD already receiving augmentation therapy with any brand at standard doses for at least a month. For inclusion and exclusion criteria see below.
The study will take place over approximately 12 weeks: a month receiving Zemaira at standard dose (60 mg/kg/week), a month at double dose (120 mg/kg/week) and a month at standard dose (60 mg/kg/week). The infusions at standard doses will be done at home and infusions with higher doses will be provided at the study site.
the study involves scheduled blood draws for clinical labs and serum for research samples. At the end of each phase a bronchoscopy will be performed (3 in total) to obtain research samples (lung lavage, brushings and endobronchial biopsies).
The first bronchoscopy after receiving 4 weeks of standard augmentation therapy will assess the "residual" inflammation that may be present despite augmentation therapy. The second bronchoscopy after double dose augmentation therapy phase will be to assess changes (decreases) in inflammatory markers. The third bronchoscopy after resuming standard dosing is to assess if inflammation returned to baseline levels (required for proof of concept).
There will be approximately 9 visits to the study clinic. This study does not include placebo (no active drug) treatment. Besides blood draws and bronchoscopy, the study will include questionnaires and lung function testing.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|10 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Single Group Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Effect of a Higher Dose of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Augmentation Therapy on Lung Inflammation in Subjects With Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.
|Study Start Date :
|July 2012
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|May 2016
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|May 2016
Experimental: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human) standard dose baseline
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human) 60 mg per kg per week for 4 weeks. Study week 4
Drug: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human)
Comparison of Zemaira (Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Human) 120 mg/kg/weekly for four weeks versus 2 phases with same drug administered at standard doses of 60 mg/kg/weekly for four weeks each
Other Names:
Experimental: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human) Double dose
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human) 120 mg/kg per week for 4 weeks. Study week 8
Drug: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human)
Comparison of Zemaira (Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Human) 120 mg/kg/weekly for four weeks versus 2 phases with same drug administered at standard doses of 60 mg/kg/weekly for four weeks each
Other Names:
Experimental: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human) standard dose
4 weeks on A1PI at 60 mg/kg per week after the other 2 phases. Collected@ study week 12
Drug: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (human)
Comparison of Zemaira (Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Human) 120 mg/kg/weekly for four weeks versus 2 phases with same drug administered at standard doses of 60 mg/kg/weekly for four weeks each
Other Names:
- Changes in Inflammatory Biomarkers in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid [ Time Frame: Between baseline (week 4), double dose A1PI (week 8) and again standard dose (week 12) ]
Assess the variations in the levels of several cytokines and inflammatory biomarkers in BAL after changing A1PI dosing.
Measures were done using the bead technology.
- Change in Inflammatory Biomarkers in Serum Samples [ Time Frame: Between baseline (week 4), double dose A1PI (week 8) and again standard dose (week 12) ]Assess the variations in the levels of cytokines and inflammatory biomarkers using the bead technology.
- Number of Adverse Events Reported [ Time Frame: From Week 1 to week 12 ]
- Elastin Degradation in BAL [ Time Frame: Week 4 vs Week 8 vs Week 12 ]Desmosine/isodesmosine measured using mass spectometry.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Males or Females aged between 18 and 75 years.
- Diagnosis of AATD, based on documentation of "at-risk" genotypes such as Pi ZZ, SZ or Znull OR documentation of a pre-therapy AAT level < 11 µM.
- Evidence of COPD (emphysema or airflow obstruction) with FEV1 < 80%
- Receiving standard dose of augmentation therapy (with any commercial formulation) for at least 1 month at the dose of 60 mg/kg/week.
At least ONE of the following criteria of disease severity:
- 2 or more acute exacerbations or 1 hospitalization due to respiratory symptoms in the past 12 months. Definition of exacerbations: the use of antibiotics and a course of steroids to treat a flare of pulmonary symptoms, regardless if the subject required emergency room care or hospital admission. The diagnosis of the acute exacerbation will be obtained by direct history obtained from the patient and confirmed by the PI. Attempts should be made to have documentation from the patient's treating physicians, although not required for study entry.
- St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score ≥ 60.
- Chronic bronchitis: daily or almost daily sputum expectoration at least 3 months of the year for at least 2 consecutive years. The diagnosis of chronic bronchitis will be obtained by direct history obtained from the patient and confirmed by the PI. Attempts should be made to have documentation from the patient's treating physicians, although not required for study entry.
- Documented FEV1 decline of at least ≥ 60 ml/year for 2 consecutive years while receiving augmentation therapy
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients unsuitable to have a bronchoscopy due to poor clinical condition as judged by the PI. In general we will exclude subjects with hypoxemia, coagulopathy or FEV1 below 40% predicted.
Note: Subjects with FEV1 values below 40% predicted may be included and reassessed after optimization of therapy. Final determination to include the patient if deemed suitable for the procedure will be determined by the PI before first planned bronchoscopy (regardless of FEV1 value).
- Patients participating in other clinical trials.
- Use of chronic antibiotics or oral steroids
- Continues to smoke
- Inability to sign informed consent
- Pregnancy or willing to become pregnant
- Known IgA deficiency (we will include only patients already receiving augmentation therapy so it will be unlikely to encounter this exclusion criteria)
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01669421
|United States, Florida
|Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Human Reseach, U of Miami
|Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
|Principal Investigator:
|Michael A Campos, MD
|University of Miami
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|Michael Campos, MD, Associate Professor, University of Miami
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01669421 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|August 21, 2012 Key Record Dates
|Results First Posted:
|May 8, 2019
|Last Update Posted:
|May 8, 2019
|Last Verified:
|April 2019
Alpha 1
Alpha 1-Antitrypsin Deficiency
Alpha 1-Antitrypsin
Protein C Inhibitor
Trypsin Inhibitors
Serine Proteinase Inhibitors
Protease Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Pathologic Processes
Liver Diseases
Digestive System Diseases
Lung Diseases
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
Subcutaneous Emphysema
Respiratory Tract Infections
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action


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Britain's Royal Baby: Bookies Bet on Ginger Girl
If the U.K.'s gambling public are on the money, then the Duchess of Cambridge will give birth to a baby girl with ginger hair. WSJ's Dipti Kapadia reports.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... all eyes are on ... the new piece I just write what can we expect from the Duchess of Cambridge ... well in theory that they knew we board ... in the alternate on the seventeenth of July typical values on them ... to do a bit to seven am eight pounds ... to get out The Elias ... and she's going to have ginger to ... say that this Carney will affect the suggests gonna happen ... the most anticipated GT around the globe has turned into quite the sport in the UK swelled to about eight or gambling on the Royal family is a popular pastime ... as a collective wits of the of this magnitude in the UK we go about fifteen different than ... that the law kicks of a new book ... The without doubt the busiest in the one that we think will be to get even busier is that on God's grace it ... is all about the name ... you name it there so we'll be back on for ... for all the ATS the merchant the hospital ... is too posh to push for an actual for her will she have Asus Ariane ... which magazine look at the exclusive first picture the oil and ... those that won a longer time and ... where will the new oil Corty University ... Oval will be the name of the first call for the boys ... but don't expect these acts to break the bank for bookies ... in almost a must for something fun still cited in the intake to live with Aki we should take around a hundred and fifty thousand across all the different lawyer at ... all it's ... once the babies pulled ... back home compact and the house me for leaving the Superbowl it was taken to stay in town ... if we break even ... across the market will be pretty happy ... until then we'll have cake expectations ... for the Wall Street


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Felon arrested in Granby for evading multiple charges
GRANBY —The Granby Police Department successfully carried out a planned take-down and arrest of a wanted felon, who was residing in Grand County.
Arrested in front of City Market in Granby on Aug. 14, Paul Timothy Hanson, 34, had seven felony warrants out of California and was deemed a fugitive of justice.
"Presumably, our community is a little safer," said Granby Police Chief Bill Housley.
The felon was wanted on charges of failure to appear in court on two burglary charges, insufficient funds, also referred to as fraud, and possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.
"It appears he was up here trying to avoid detection," Housley said
Wayne Schafer, a police officer with the Granby Police Department, was the officer who developed the intelligence that spurred the operation and arrest.
The officers of the Granby Police organized a plan for the take-down, led by Sgt. Jim Kraker, and included every officer from the Granby Police Department.
Once the take-down started, officers in civilian clothes blocked the suspect's vehicle where it was parked in front of the Subway using unmarked cars and rushed the vehicle, identifying themselves as police officers and instructing the man to get on the ground. A K9 unit was also used in the take-down, as were uniformed officers in police cruisers.
Officers wore plain clothes and utilized unmarked cars to allow them to get close to the subject before completing the take-down, Housley said.
"No excessive force was used in the apprehension of the suspect," Housley said.
Granby Police conducted the take-down with assistance from a few officers from the Fraser and Winter Park Police Department.
The felon will now appear in court in Grand County on a fugitive of justice charge before he is extradited back to California to face the seven felony charges for which he is wanted.
Reid Tulley can be reached at 970-887-3334
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


text: This weeklong intensive is designed to provide course participants with a solid foundation in permaculture design and practical techniques to begin experimenting on their own, in their own climate. About one third of the course is lecture, group discussions, and other class activities. Another third is hands-on practical work that demonstrates effective techniques for alternative living. And the last third is dedicated to field visits and trips around the lake to connect with local farmers, explore the area, and truly see the permaculture principles in action. The price includes three meals a day, plus snacks, coffee/tea, and dessert, as well as shared lodging, all at the swanky Bambu Guest House. $575.00


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The speech-language pathology community has been abuzz for months about the pending release of the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders because of expected changes to autism spectrum disorder and other communication disorders involving SLPs.
And indeed, the fifth edition, issued by the American Psychiatric Association last month, significantly changes ASD and several other SLP-relevant categories—and also unveils the new social (pragmatic) communication disorder.
As most SLPs well know, DSM is the standard classification of mental disorders used in clinical and community settings in the United States and other countries. The new edition is available first in print, with an electronic version to be offered later this year. See highlights of the changes to DSM-5 on the American Psychiatric Association's website.
Here are some of the major changes in the category of Neurodevelopmental Disorders that are relevant to the work of speech-language pathologists:
Intellectual disability (Intellectual developmental disorder)
- Replaces the term "mental retardation" with "Intellectual disability (Intellectual developmental disorder)."
- Relies more on adaptive functioning rather than on specific IQ scores.
Communication Disorders
Changed from expressive and mixed receptive-expressive language disorders to include:
- language disorder
- speech sound disorder
- childhood-onset fluency disorder
- social(pragmatic) communication disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Eliminates pervasive developmental disorder and its subcategories (autistic disorder, Rett's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger's disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified). Instead, children meeting the criteria will be given a diagnosis of "autism spectrum disorder" with varying degrees of severity.
- Omits criterion related to the development of spoken language.
Specific Learning Disorder
- Combines diagnoses of reading disorder, disorder of written expression, mathematics disorders, and learning disorder not otherwise specified.
- Recognizes the need to use a variety of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools and strategies and does not require use of a standardized measure.
- Does not include oral language.
- No reference to modalities of language.
Changes in the section on Neurocognitive Disorders pertinent to the speech-language pathology field include the following:
- Dementia is considered a major neurocognitive disorder.
- A less severe cognitive impairment is considered a mild neurocognitive disorder.
We were fortunate to have SLPs involved in developing some of the diagnostic criteria in DSM-5. Amy Wetherby was a member of the DSM-5 neurodevelopmental workgroup and chaired a subgroup on communication disorders. Mabel Rice, Nickola Nelson and I worked on this group. ASHA responded during the three public comment periods.
Now that the new edition is out, ASHA has assembled a DSM-5 response team coordinated by me and composed of Janet McCarty, Andrea (Dee Dee) Moxley, Froma Roth and Monica Sampson. We are developing resources to guide members and consumers on the changes, including at least three articles in upcoming issues of The ASHA Leader. The articles will include:
- A comparative analysis of what ASHA recommended and what DSM-5 includes, with clinical implications for SLPs.
- Coding implications for reimbursement.
- Case studies to demonstrate how the changes will affect people with speech, language, communication and cognitive disorders.
ASHA also will communicate with consumers about what the DSM-5 might mean to them through podcasts, media interviews and other dissemination vehicles. A critical message we want to convey is that SLPs will continue to provide needed services, which are based on assessment of communication strengths and needs, and not on specific DSM-5 diagnostic labels.
ASHA would like to know how you think the changes in DSM-5 will affect your clinical practice. We also are seeking case studies that demonstrate impacts of the changes for a future Leader article. Please contact Diane Paul at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Diane Paul, PhD, CCC-SLP, is ASHA's director of clinical issues in speech-language pathology.


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Grades K-2
Did You Get the Message?
Advertising is the primary tool used by businesses to tell consumers about the goods and services they sell in the marketplace. Businesses also use advertising to try to convince consumers to buy what they are selling. Advertisements do this by pointing out how consumers will benefit if they buy a product. These benefits are called incentives. In this lesson, these two basic functions of advertising are introduced. Various techniques used to achieve these objectives are also explained. During the assessment activity, students view television commercials directed at them. They identify the various advertising techniques used to grab their attention and convince them to buy.
Ask the students what types of programs they like to watch on television. Point out that most of the programs they watch have breaks for product advertisements. Discuss:
- What kinds of products are shown during these breaks? [Various goods and services will be identified.]
- What do these products have in common? [ They are things that young people want to have or buy.]
- Why do you think these products are advertised? [Advertisers want viewers—young persons in this case—to know about the products and buy them]
Businesses that advertise know you have money to spend, and they want you to use your dollars on the goods and services that they are selling.
Learning Objectives
- Identify advertising techniques used in television commercials that target them.
- Learn how advertisers use incentives in their efforts to influence consumer behavior.
- Analyze the influence of advertising on themselves and their purchases.
- Identify the impact of advertising on changes in demand (taste and preferences).
Resource List
Messy Marvin promoting Hershey Chocolate Syrup: This page provides a commercial that students can use to understand advertising techniques.
Television Advertisement Techniques: This site helps students to better understand some attention-grabbing techniques used by advertising companies.
Assessment Activity: Instruct the students to complete a Television Advertisement Log. You may want to print this document in advance for distribution to your students.
Television Advertisement Log
Adland.com: This site provides an archive of popular commercials from recent history.
Don't Buy It: Advertising Tricks: This PBS.org page is a site that allows students to create their own flash video advertisements.
Don't buy it! Hot or Snot: This site highlights products advertisers have tried to convince consumers to buy. It separates the successful products from the flops.
- EconEdLink Lessons: These two lessons should be considered to use as follow-up lessons to "Did You Get the Message?"
Have the students read the lesson text which uses two television commercials to introduce some of the basic techniques used by advertisers.
Students view the https://www.clipland.com/v/4902 ad. They are then asked what the advertisers are trying to accomplish via this advertisement. The answer rollover to the right of each question provides immediate feedback as to whether their answers are correct or incorrect.
What Grabs You?
The students are told that the creator of the Messy Marvin advertisement hoped a funny story would get them to pay attention to the Hershey's Syrup ad. Humor is just one of many techniques advertisers use to try to grab people's attention. Some ads feature a movie star, athlete or cartoon character. Popular music, sound effects and bright colors are other common features. Words like "new," "amazing" or "free" may also be effective.
The students are directed to watch the https://www.clipland.com/v/4902 ad again. This time they are instructed to listen very carefully for all the adjectives used to describe Hershey's Syrup.
The students are also asked whether the image of Marvin drinking a big glass of chocolate milk makes them think about having a glass of their own.
To learn about some other attention-grabbing strategies, the students are told to watch this Pepsi advertisement They are asked these questions:
What's the Message?
It is explained that advertisers want to do more than just grab attention. They want to persuade consumers to make a purchase. One way they do this is by pointing out how we will benefit if we buy what they are selling. In other words, they want to help consumers identify the incentives for buying.
The students are asked to think back to the two ads they have just examined.
Incentives can be monetary or non-monetary. All of the incentives above are non-monetary. An advertisement that announces a lower price on one of the products would be an example of a monetary incentive.
Who Is the Messenger?
The students are told that sometimes the messenger is as important as the message in an advertisement. Advertisers often select messengers that they think people would like to be like or that they trust.
Famous people: Students have already discovered in the Pepsi ad that some advertisers use famous people to grab consumers' attention. Advertisers also think that consumers will want to buy a product because it is associated with or recommended by a famous person. Winning athletes are often used to promote sports clothing and equipment. A movie star might be shown driving a new car. Popular musicians are common in soft drink commercials.
Experts: Students have probably seen an ad where a dentist or an actor playing a dentist advises people about which toothpaste to use. Other commercials claim most doctors prefer one medicine to other medicines. Advertisers think consumers are more likely to trust a message delivered by an expert.
Ordinary people: The students are asked if they have ever seen an ad in which ordinary people tell why they liked a movie as they were leaving the theater, or an ad featuring a mom who tells how clean a laundry detergent got her family's dirty clothes. Advertisers know that some people are more likely to believe a message when "regular" people are the messengers.
The students are directed to think back to the Pepsi ad. They are asked these questions:
Have your students complete their TV Advertisement Logs. Then ask these questions:
- Which of your ads featured a famous person? Experts? Ordinary People?
- What monetary incentives were used to try to convince you to buy or use the goods and services advertised?
- What nonmonetary incentives were used?
- Would any of these messengers influence your decision to buy? Why or why not?
- Why do you think famous people agree to be in advertisements? [While some may really like and use the product and want others to know about it, the primary reason they do ads is that they are paid to do them.]
- Which of these reasons are monetary incentives? [The pay.]
- Which of these reasons are non-monetary incentives? [Wanting others to know they like or use the product and want others to use it.]
Extension Activity
Have your students :
- Go to Don't Buy It: Advertising Tips and create a print ad for Burp Cola, using elements that would grab their attention and make the drink seem appealing. The students many apply many of the techniques used in television commercials, minus the sound and motion. They should select a snappy slogan, an image that makes people feel good about the product and themselves, a word that grabs attention and ad copy that makes the product seem fun and exciting. At the end of the activity the students must decide where they will locate their ad—on a billboard, in a teen magazine or on a bus.
- Prepare a television or print advertisement promoting one of their favorite books, using some of the strategies they have learned in this lesson. If you elect to have the students do a print ad, have them do the first extension activity for additional guidance. You may also want to specify the location of the print ad, since this choice affects content. Compared to ads in magazines, ads on billboards and vehicles must be brief or they will be missed.
- Separate product successes from product failures at Don't Buy It! Hot or Snot . Each product is an example of items that advertisers have tried to convince people to buy. Some were huge sellers (Menudo, Pet Rock, Scooters, Simon Game) while others were big flops (New Coke, ET Video Game).
- Not all economists agree on the impact of advertising. Some economists credit advertising with increasing consumer demand and helping the economy grow. As businesses get more sales, they are often able to reduce their per-unit production costs. Consumers benefit if businesses pass on these savings as lower prices. Other economists, however, believe that advertising is wasteful. They argue that the cost of advertising adds to the cost of goods and that most advertising simply encourages consumers to buy one brand rather than another. Which side of this argument do you think the ads in this lesson support?
[Teacher note: Consider using the EconEdLink Lessons Be an Ad Detective and Believe It or Not as follow-up lessons.]
Direct the students to view ten television commercials targeting young persons. On the Television Advertisement Log, they are prompted to identify the business sponsoring each ad, the product being advertised, how the ad tries to grab the viewers'attention, the ad's message and messenger.
[NOTE: If you prefer to do so, pre-record ten ads and show them to the entire class. Some television ads are also available for viewing via the Internet at https://adland.tv/commercials .]
Assessment is based on student analysis of the ads using the television advertising logs. Responses to class discussion questions may be evaluated as well.
Related Resources
Content Partner
Grades 9-12
Consumer Choice and Decision Making Video Series and Quiz
Content Partner
Grades 9-12
Intro to Mint
Grades K-2


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Buzzy® for Blood Samples
Buzzy® for Blood Glucose
Buzzy® for First Aid
Buzzy® for Insulin Injections
UK & Ireland sales only -
Click here for sales outside the UK
What is Buzzy®?
Buzzy® uses natural pain relief by confusing your body's own nerves and distracting attention away from
the poke, thereby dulling or eliminating sharp pain. In the same way that rubbing a bumped elbow helps
stop the hurt, or cool running water soothes a burn, Buzzy® bypasses sharp pain.
Buzzy Helps Needle Pain!
Buzzy® is of course just as suitable for adults as it is for children and you can get Buzzy® in a plain black design as well as the familiar happy buzzing bee.
There are lots of additional distraction tools to go with Buzzy® and replacements and spares too, all availble in the shop. Please take time to investigate
Buzzy® further, and while there is lots of information here, please feel free to
contact us
for any help or queries you may have about Buzzy®.
Privacy Policy
Buzzy® Can Be Used For:-
- From the age of 2 months, children will need a series of
routine Vaccinations
, for more information visit the
NHS website
Travel Immunisations
- For children and adults who need extra immunisations when
travelling abroad
, more information can be found on the
NHS website
Type 1 Diabetes
- For Insulin injections, Blood Glucose tests and Cannula changes when using an
Insulin pump
. A child needing four Insulin injections each
Developed by a pediatritian, Buzzy® is a reusable device for minor aches and pains, stings, splinters or injections at home. Just press on the skin to rapidly
reduce sharp pains. Buzzy also comes in a
handy travel bag
allowing you to take it with you to your doctors surgery or hospital appointments. Buzzy is CE
day would have approximately 1,456 injections in just one year.
Juvenile Arthritis, Polyarticular, Idiopathic, Oglio
- For Humira, Methotrexate and Etanercept injections. For more information
Arthritis Research UK
Growth Hormone Deficiency
- For children who need daily injections of synthetic human growth hormone (somatropin). For more information visit
- For PEG injections following Chemotherapy treatment. For more information
Macmillan Cancer Support.
Child Growth Foundation
- For injections and the sensitive parts of dental cleaning at your dentist, see our
FAQ section
for more information.
Who Has Buzzy
- Hospitals, Doctors Surgeries, Clinics and home users. For more information see
Who Has Buzzy?


text:
ROYERSFORD - Police arrested a man on charges related to a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl at a local park.
Brandon Dellaquila, 21, of Royersford, was arrested on April 4 from a Feb. 27 incident.
According to police reports, Dellaquila, being 21 years of age, identified himself as a 17-year-old on social media. He contacted the victim, via Facebook, and encouraged her to share explicit photographs of herself.
Police said Dellaquila convinced the victim to meet him at Victory Park, 250 2nd Avenue, Royersford Borough, on Feb. 27, 2013, at 3:30 p.m., where he made inappropriate sexual advances toward the victim.
Dellaquila was charged with multiple counts with the possession of child pornography, corruption of a minor, criminal use of communication facility, unlawful contact with a minor and indecent assault with a person less than 16 years of age.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 24 at district court 38-1-19 before Judge Gadzicki. Dellaquila was released on unsecured bail with no contact with the victim.


text:
Aug. 1, 2001
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Season and individual game tickets for Santa Clara University's nationally recognized men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball teams are on sale through the Department of Athletics and Recreation's official athletic website (www.SantaClaraBroncos.com) and the athletic ticket office at 408/554-4660.
In conjunction with its exclusive Internet partner, Student Advantage's FANSonly Network, the athletic department has developed an online ticket application that provides fans with the ability to purchase season tickets, family plans, individual games or an all-sports pass via the official athletic website at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com.
As various season and individual game ticket packages become available, they will be offered through the web and at the athletic ticket office throughout the 2001-2002 seasons. The athletic ticket office is open between the hours of 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. A men's and women's soccer season ticket package that includes all 20 home matches is available for the adult price of $60 each, while a family plan provides a family of five admission to each game for the low price of $100. Youth (12 and under) and senior (over 65-years-old) season tickets are also available for $30. Single games are priced at $7 for adults, $5 for youths and seniors and $2 for non-Ruff Riders SCU students as well as members of Bronco Kidz. Single match team passes are also available for $35.
Volleyball season ticket packages, which includes 14 home matches as well as the four-team Santa Clara Invitational, is available for the adult price of $50. Youth and senior season tickets are $30, while the five-person Family Plan is available for $75. Individual match tickets are priced at $5 for adults, $3 for youths and seniors and $2 for non-Ruff Riders SCU students. Members of Bronco Kidz are admitted into volleyball games free of charge. Single match team passes are available for $25.
Santa Clara faculty and staff and one guest are provided free admission with a valid university ACCESS card. Groups of 25 or more are also eligible for a discount. Contact the Bronco Sports Marketing office at 408/554-4690 for team and group ticket information.
SCU students are eligible to join the Ruff Riders, the school's largest campus organization, and receive admission to every Bronco sporting event as well as preferred seating for $40. Memberships to both organizations are available online at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com or by calling Bronco Sports Marketing.


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Top astronomers warn the world could end within 90 years
Two leading astronomers will put forward their stark predictions for mankind at the finale of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
The end of the world is nigh. That's what top astronomers will claim during a debate to end the 2011 Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, believes civilisation has only a 50 per cent chance of surviving to 2100 without suffering a man-made catastrophe.
And the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Professor John Brown, has an equally bleak outlook, fearing a random event from outer space is the most likely cause of our demise.
They will take to the stage to put forward their stark predictions in the discussion "Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Threats to Earth".
Despite having widely differing views, these two titans of astronomy between them offer global warming, over-population, terrorism, an asteroid falling to earth and a solar blast as potential reasons to panic.
Prof Brown told the Scotsman: "The threats Lord Rees and myself will be talking about are dangerous in different ways.
"Asteroids fall to earth on average 10-100 million years apart. It's been 65 million years since the last one, so one could happen next week to 60 million years from now.
"The probability in our lifetime is very small, making it low risk, high consequence.
"There's more risk of a solar blast than an giant asteroid falling, but it would not have such high consequences."
Lord Rees said: "We can't rule out by mid-century a global political realignment heading to a stand-off between new superpowers, that could be handled less well or less luckily than the Cuban missile crisis was.
"Moreover, al-Qaeda-style terrorists might some day acquire a nuclear weapon.
"If they did, they would willingly detonate it in a city, killing tens of thousands of along with themselves, and millions would acclaim them as heroes."
Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Threats to Earth, 23 April, 10am-5pm, Edinburgh University Student Union. Free.


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PC850 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
2 winners were selected from 31 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
Please read the more extensive briefing
Romneya Grup
Desired Color Scheme:
Open for suggestions
Accepted File Formats:
Company name: ROMNEYA Grup SRL (FYI, this means to ROMNEYA Group Inc. in English)
Activities: software development and management consultancy
Background information on the company name: I selected ROMNEYA because it sounds like "Romania". Under Romanian law applying for a company name with 'Romania" in it (i.e. Unilever Romania) can take up to six months and is pretty costly.
The ROMNEYA is actually a flower that can be found in the US.
More information:
* http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/587.htm
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilija_poppy
The requirements for the design:
1) The company is active in Romania, so the design *can* include the nation's colors (red, yellow, blue) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania
2) The Romneya (the flower) is white and yellow. Can we include these?
3) He/she can include a flower like design, but we don't want people to think that we grow flowers ;-)
4) The main activity of the company is management & IT services
5) The design has to be optimized for web display
6) In the future we might want to use the same design but change part of the name for other companies: i.e. ROMNEYA Telecom SRL, so the design can be rectangular: logo with larger type Romneya, below Romneya Grup SRL
7) Alternative ideas for logos have 'people' in them. IT and PM is a people's business after all.
This contest was originally listed in multiple categories:
- Logo Design
- Web Page Design (Coded)
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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hi, ive been creating a web crawler. it works just great, gets urls and image links, but im having a
typical thread problem. you can have up to four crawlers running at once within my app, but what is happening is it runs fine for a bit, then slows down, and slows down even more till the point where its not letting me click the stop button. i already know that its memory management and the thread scheduler, which i thought i took care of that, but i obviously did not. on a AMD Athlon 64-fx 62 2.8ghz dual core processor, all four threads take up about 90% of process usage. i have a class Updater, which gathers a string from all running crawlers, to post to the crawlers individual JTextArea. then i realized that those strings are just getting bigger and bigger, so i entered some code to fix that:programs still buggy. its something to do with the thread management system on the JVM, which i thought i took care of with making each crawler sleep at a specified interval. nah, still happening. everytime i hit stop, the updater throws an exception. itll still write the text files and what not, but still throws exceptions. and it could also be that im not closing everything out like im supposed to, which ive gone over the code thousands of times. heres my Updater class:String j = log; log = new String() return j;
So, anyone? Buhler?(thanks for helping... lol)import javax.swing.JTextArea; import java.util.ArrayList; public class Updater implements Runnable { Crawler[] crawlers; boolean stop; Thread t; JTextArea[] outputs; CrawlManager cm; ArrayList posted; public Updater(Crawler[] crawlers,JTextArea[] outputs,CrawlManager cm) { this.crawlers = crawlers; stop = false; this.outputs = outputs; posted = new ArrayList(); this.cm = cm; } public void start() { t = new Thread(this); t.start(); } public void stop() { stop = true; if(t!=null) { t = null; } for(int x = 0;x<outputs.length;x++) { outputs[x].setText(null); outputs[x].append("Stopped!"); } } public void run() { while(stop==false) { for(int x = 0;x<crawlers.length;x++) { ArrayList urls = crawlers[x].searched; for(int f = 0;f<urls.size();f++) { String a = (String)urls.get(f); if(posted.contains(a)==false) { outputs[4].append(a); posted.add(a); } } } for(int x = 0;x<crawlers.length;x++) { String text = crawlers[x].getStatus(); outputs[x].append(text); try { crawlers[x].sleep(100); } catch(Exception ex) { } } } } }


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So I'm about this close (fingers pinched together) to giving up on Kroger entirely. And I can't believe I just said that. I can't really put my finger on it. They just aren't having the rocking sales that they used to. I can't remember their last sale for ground beef…ages ago it seems. I've long since run out of my stockpile and end up buying it when I can squeeze it into the budget, or whenever I see it marked down. I quit buying apple juice a long time ago…because the cost nearly doubled. (And my kids don't really need it anyways.)
It's not their fault really. I know there are many, many, many factors in play with these kinds of things.
But it's forcing me to rethink they way I grocery shop.
We upped our grocery budget last week…but I think if I'm a little bit more creative…and willing to drive to another store in town…I might be able to get the budget back down.
Shopping exclusively at Kroger used to work for us…but that might not be the case anymore. (I should add that Kroger is the only grocery store within 10-15 minutes drive from our house…and it's almost in our backyard, so it's hyper convenient. And I can't wait for the new Earth Fare to open up…will only be about 5 minutes drive!)
Thoughts…do you shop at multiple grocery stores? Are you now hunting sales at different stores to keep up with the rising food costs?
We had family over for dinner on Sunday, so I had to run back into the store…spent a little less than $20 for a bunch of burgers (that were marked down!), buns and watermelon. So that left me with about $60 to spend for the week.
Just an average trip. I did snag a large package of stew meat, marked down to $9.92. I divided it up into 3 plastic baggies, added some seasoning (minced onion, garlic and onion seasoning and some olive oil, salt and pepper) then put it all in the freezer.
The only coupons I used were for the milk. I needed a week off from " couponing." So I took one.
Total spent at Kroger: $60.92 + $19ish
Total for the month: $82.84 + $79.92 = $162.76…right on track for the month!
My grocery store's ad scan and my "Shopping FAQ!"
Thanks to Andrea at Savings Lifestyle and Marcy at Stretching a Buck for posting the best deals and coupon matchups at my stores each week! Find the coupon match-ups for your grocery store at The Frugal Map!


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Thanks to K.L. Caley from new2writing for hosting #MayDay prompts. Today's prompt is about books.
A Passion for Narrative, to tell a tale,
One taking place during Ragtime, to no avail —
A Tale of Two Cities, who didn't get a long well,
The Prince ruled both with Machiavellin swell,
He didn't see how easily Things Fall Apart,
Neither was he there in the America When the Eagle Screamed depart,
He thought of Sons and Lovers, a life snuffed out,
Measure for Measure time left in the dust despite his shouts,
He'd never been a good man, taking care of Midnight's Children,
He believed all people were Dog Soldiers, cannon fodder broken,
He didn't know the baggage, The Things They [people] Carried,
The Prince cared only for war and power, sometimes Faking It, days varied.
Difficulties being commander when you're too fat to be master,
Bought his cook a book Cook Yourself Thin Faster.
She had A Scarlet Letter and was surprised by the book, to have the dictator eat better.
The cook dreamt of tales told, of The Aeneid, Virgil's words enticed her,
She swore this would be The Last Summer, she cooked The Prince his meals,
Inside her a voice screamed, Have A Little Faith; she believed that voice real,
Reading in her spare time a biography of Steve Jobs, unsure if he was a modern prince or a genius, or both.
The cook hadn't decided yet, but she didn't like Job's attitude, it made her him loath,
She preferred stories about wonderful creatures imagined such as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,
Where good conquered all with a Lion's roar, and reading away she silently strode.
Can You Keep A Secret? She's leaving tonight, leaving The Prince to fend,
In this modern world, searching for a place where her broken heart stitched with a letter 'A' mends.
The Prince sits alone in his castle, soldiers having deserted the pen,
In the modern age, a war fought with words, reminds him of his life's Renaissance,
So he penned The Thirteenth Tale, the papacy rejected,
The number thirteen being evil, and so The Prince remained lost and dejected.
©Mandibelle16. (2016) All Rights Reserved.