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Telephony API
A version of this page is also available for
The Telephony API implementation is a subset of the Microsoft Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) version 2.0 and some parts of TAPI version 2.1. TAPI provides an application programming interface (API) that simplifies and abstracts the details of making telephony connections between two or more devices. TAPI abstracts call-control functionality to allow different, and seemingly incompatible, communication protocols to expose a common interface to applications through its support of telephony service providers (TSPs).
For Windows Mobile devices, attempting to make cellular connections directly through TAPI is not supported Cellular connections should be made through Connection Manager.
In This Section
- TAPI Application Development
Provides an overview of the architecture of TAPI 2.0. Provides a detailed description of line devices and phone devices. Shows how to use the TAPI application programming interface to establish a modem connection. Provides a comprehensive overview of the Telephony Services Provider Interface (TSPI) support in Windows Embedded CE.
- TAPI Registry Settings
Provides a list of the configurable registry settings for TAPI.
- TAPI Security
Provides security-related information for TAPI.
- TAPI Migration
Provides information about issues to consider when migrating to a newer version of Windows Mobile.
- TAPI Reference
Provides information on programming elements available for TAPI.
- TSPI Reference
Provides information on programming elements available for TSPI.
- Unimodem Registry Settings
Provides a list of the configurable registry settings for Unimodem.
- Unimodem OS Design Development
Describes how OEMs can add and integrate Unimodem into their OS designs.
- Editing the Device Configuration
Provides information about editing the device configuration using the lineDevSpecific function extensions.
Related Sections
- CellCore
Describes CellCore which provides a basic set of wireless connection oriented services.
- Connection Manager
Describes how to enable customization of dialing sequences.
- Phone
Provides information on the phone APIs.


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This masks makes an amazing decoration or a unique gift!
Beautiful MINIATURE Jolly Cappello Anna Venetian Mask. Mask is painted white and gold with black paint designs and gold glitter accents. The mask has a black velvet like hat and jewels above the eyes.
Hand made and hand decorated MINIATURE Venetian "Jolly Cappello Anna" mask from Venice, Italy. Traditional Venetian Jolly mask is painted white and gold with black paint designs, gold glitter accents and jewels above the eyes. The hat is made with a black velvet like material. The hat has unique decorations with black and gold macrame trim, a black feather with 2 black flowers. Her face has a black collar trimmed with macrame and tines with bells. The mask measures 18 inches high by 14 inches wide. All of our masks come with a tag guaranteeing authenticity from Venice, Italy. This mask makes an amazing wall decoration and a unique gift! Collect several colors and styles for a truly spectacular wall decoration!

subset: commoncrawl


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Ray's Emergency Air is a full service air conditioning and heating or HVAC service company. We install the top brands of air conditioning and heating systems. We service the Dallas Fort-Worth metroplex. Our service technicians are highly trained and motivated to give you the best customer service available. We work with you every step of the way to ensure that the installation of your new air conditioning, furnace, air purification or heating system is done to your satisfaction. How well an HVAC system operates and how long it lasts depends mainly on how it was installed.
Keeping you cool in the summer, and warm in the winter is what we do.
Call us today and experience the Ray's Emergency Air difference.
We're available 24/7 365 days a week. Request for an appointment to be set up and we will get back with you to confirm.


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A very contemporary architectural form utilizing metal framing in a dark brushed nickel finish with clear glass shelving. The cantilevered middle shelf appears to be suspended in air adding a unique perspective and creating a left and right opportunity.
Made in the USA.
Ships in approximately 10-12 weeks.
Call 403.246.6240
We're here to help, and ready to work with you in our store, or visit you at your home --whether you are looking to re-design your entire space or simply need help in finding the last of the finishing touches. Let's get started!
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Join our community of exclusive subscriber only offers, the latest trends and curated selections of furniture to help style your home.


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Book – What would the world be like if there really were mermaids? No, really, what would that be like? That's the question Kit Whitfield sets out to answer in her spectacular novel In Great Waters, an alternate history of the world where the royalty of Europe are all descended from the deepsmen, tribes of not-quite-human folk who live in the sea and who first rose to land in Venice in a time of political strife. Now – in something very like sixteenth-century England – a half-human, half-deepsman boy has been abandoned by the deepsman tribe that tried to raise him. He represents an opportunity – the chance to overthrow the incompetent, inbred crown prince before he has a chance to ruin the kingdom. The boy himself, however, may have some different plans.
This is a tremendously inventive story, not fantastical at all except for the existence of the deepsmen – if it were set in the future, you'd call it science fiction. The book explores the implications of its premise, but it never loses sight of the characters at the heart of the story: abandoned, bastard Henry and Princess Anne, both trapped by others' expectations and fighting to define themselves on their own terms.


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Statutory Information
This page offers links to the statutory Information contained on this website as described on the gov.uk 'What maintained schools must publish online' advice to schools. For each section, click on the appropriate sentence to go to section described.
Reportable information for the Orchard Learning Trust can be found here: https://www.orchardlearningtrust.co.uk/page/?title=Reportable+Information&pid=35
The opening page of 'Our Office' records the members of staff for the who deal with queries from parents and other members of the public.
The local authority decides our admissions; Our prospectus advises that parents should contact the local authority, gives phone numbers and email addresses, and offers support to parents who wish it. This can be found at 'Our Office; School Prospectus; F Admissions.
A pdf of our last report can be found at 'Governance; Ofsted Reports', as can a link to the Ofsted website.
Key Stage 2 (end of primary school) Results, including:
- average progress scores in reading, writing and maths,
- average 'scaled scores' in reading and maths,
- percentage of pupils who achieved the expected standard or above in reading, writing and maths,
- percentage of pupils who achieved a high level of attainment in reading, writing and maths,
can be found at 'Governance; School Data'.
The link to the school and college performance tables service. Can also be found at the bottom of the page at 'Governance; School Data'.
- the content of your school curriculum in each academic year for every subject,
- the names of any phonics or reading schemes you're using in key stage 1,
- how parents or other members of the public can find out more about the curriculum your school is following,
within our 'Teaching and Learning' Section. 'Our Curriculum' contains the content of the curriculum and links to further information, whilst the is a separate section entitled 'Phonics'.
We publish details of our school's behaviour policy within our policies umbrellas, at 'Governance; 'Policies and Documents'; Safeguarding Umbrella (Children).
We publish details of your school's complaints procedure at 'Governance; Governance related Policies Umbrella'
Annual reports and accounts
Details of these can also be found by following the link to the Orchard Learning Trust above.
We publish our pupil premium strategy, including:
- the school's pupil premium grant allocation amount
- a summary of the main barriers to educational achievement faced by eligible pupils at the school
- how we spend the pupil premium to address those barriers and the reasons for that approach
- how we measure the impact of the pupil premium
- the date of the next review of the school's pupil premium strategy
at 'Governance; Pupil Premium Strategy'
Previous academic years are also kept at the bottom of the page.
- how you spent the pupil premium allocation
- the impact of the expenditure on eligible and other pupils
PE and Sport Premium for Primary Schools
- how much funding we received
- a full breakdown of how we spent the funding or will spend the funding
- the effect of the premium on pupils' PE and sport participation and attainment
- how we make sure these improvements are sustainable
at 'Governance; PE and Sport Funding'.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Information
We publish our SEN information report on our school's policy for pupils with SEN at 'Governance; SEND'.
Our accessibility plan can be found at 'Governance; Policies and Documents; Governance related Policies'
Governors' Information and Duties
- details of the structure and responsibilities of the governing body and its committees
- information about each governor's:
at 'Governance; Our Governance', under the more details sentence.
Charging and Remissions Policies
Wet publish our school's charging and 'remissions' policies at 'Governance; Policies and Documents; Governance related Policies'
Our values and Ethos are described at 'Teaching and Learning; Our Values and Ethos'
We advertise that we offer parents paper copies of any of the information on our school's website at 'Our Office' and do not charge for the service.


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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- From joint fire dispatching to shared accounting departments, Northeast Ohio governments have dreamed up more than 240 ideas to share services and save money, a Kent State University study has found.
The university's Center for Public Administration and Public Policy has compiled a list of 105 ideas to share with local leaders and inspire them to think creatively. A separate list of ideas being implemented is coming soon
The goal: to get more local governments to pool resources.
"There's a lot of discussion happening in this area right now," said John Hoornbeek, the center's director. "For the most part, it's productive discussion that could give rise to positive changes if local governments can find ways to make some of these ideas work."
The ideas are culled from 16 Northeast Ohio counties, home to 868 separate government entities that spend $20 billion annually to run themselves, according to The Fund for the Economic Future, which worked with Kent on the list.
Cuyahoga County leads the pack with 37 ideas, according to the study. That makes sense, since Cuyahoga has the most local governments, with 104.
Nearly 40 percent of the ideas were proposed in 2009, with less than 10 percent in each of the years 2002-2008, the study says. That also makes sense, since government budgets have become increasingly strapped over the last few years.
State cuts to the Local Government Fund make it even more imperative to share, said Irv Sugerman, an attorney who serves as the law director for Coventry and Copley townships in Summit County and the village of Lodi in Medina.
"We're just not going to be able to afford to provide a level of services to our residents that we were in the past without some real creative ways of working together," Sugerman said. "The work they're doing over there will hopefully spark some more dialogue and interest in these types of collaborations."
Cuyahoga County's new government is also pushing regionalism, one of the tenets of the new county charter.
But before local mayors sign on to the concept, they want two things, said Ed Jerse, the county's first-ever regional collaboration director. They want proof that collaboration will save money, and they want a how-to manual to do it.
So the Kent list will be helpful, Jerse said.
"Those kinds of stories, if they're documented, can be very helpful in encouraging people to look at collaboration," he said.
The examples also can help communities move from small ideas -- such as South Euclid and University Heights sharing a dog warden -- to bigger ones, such as merging police and fire departments, or even the cities themselves.
"I think a lot of mayors take a Missouri 'Show me' approach to regionalism," he said. "Show me it works, and I'll explore it.
A how-to manual would have helped Tallmadge, a Summit County city saving more than $800,000 a year by outsourcing its building, income tax and dispatch services and using cloud computing to eliminate the need for in-house computer hardware.
"For us, we were pioneering," said administrative Director Tom Pascarella. "If there was this inventory that says here are the communities who have actually done it, I could call those people... I think it would have made our efforts quicker."


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I'm going to attempt to minimize any comments about William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford Upon Avon and upon his death in 1616 (aged 52) was interned here in Holy Trinity Church.
I recall visiting the house where he was born during our visit in 1991. I remember the guide telling us the only original part of the house were probably the flagstones on the kitchen floor!
Not surprisingly, Stratford's primary source of income is tourism related with approximately 4.5 million visitors annually. The emphasis on Shakespeare has somewhat overshadowed the towns historical importance as a transport hub (Roman Road, then canal and subsequently rail & road). Wool from the adjacent Cotswolds was processed here before being transported to other destinations.
Today was an opportunity to wander around and look at the more interesting architecture.
Holy Trinity Church
Apparently someone famous is interned up the far end which is why there was a crowd of tourists queuing to pay for a look.
If you were wealthy or sufficiently important, you attempted to get yourself interned as close to the altar as possible in the hope of a good place in heaven. It must have been a good source of church revenue.
This is probably a close replication of the genuine Tudor building colours. The black and white version apparently came into vogue during the Victoria era.
Apparently this is the Guildhall
The Mercure Hotel
I don't know what this one is… but I like it!
This one claims to be the oldest pub in town having continually served ale since 1594.
The entrance arch and cobblestones looked interesting but then I read it was Tudor World, a commercial attraction in Sheep Street. Back to wondering just how original it was! Sheep Street has its name because it was the route through the town for all the sheep taken to be slaughtered down by the river. It's now the town restaurant belt.


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Unilever has threatened to pull ads from Facebook, Google, and other online platforms if the tech giants don't do a better job of controlling the spread of what the company calls "toxic" online content.
In a speech delivered Monday at the annual Interactive Advertising Bureau conference in California, Keith Weed, chief marketing officer at Unilever, called on technology companies to step up their efforts to improve transparency and consumer trust.
"We need to redefine what is responsible business in the digital age because for all of the good the tech companies are doing, there's some unintended consequences that now need addressing," Weed said.
Some of those unintended consequences include facilitating the spread of fake news and illegal content, he noted.
Rebuilding trust
Unilever -- which makes Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Dove soap, and more than 1,000 other brands worldwide -- is one of the biggest online advertisers, and digital advertising on platforms like Facebook and Google accounts for a significant portion of its ad spend.
But the company says it does not want to advertise on platforms that are rife with abusive, divisive, and unethical material. Unilever says consumer trust in social media platforms is waning due to the perceived lack of effort on the part of tech giants to keep out this "toxic" content.
In his speech, Weed argues that some online platforms are "sometimes little better than a swamp," though he stopped short of mentioning any specific companies.
"2018 is either the year of tech-lash, where the world turns on the tech giants — and we have seen some of this already— or the year of trust. The year where we collectively rebuild trust back in our systems and our society," he said.
Improving the industry
The company says it has already offered solutions to tech companies and wants to work with them to improve the industry.
"Unilever will not invest in platforms or environments that do not protect our children or which create division in society, and promote anger or hate," Weed said. "We will prioritize investing only in responsible platforms that are committed to creating a positive impact in society."
In a statement on Monday, one Facebook spokeswoman said that the platform "fully supports Unilever's commitments and [we] are working closely with them."
"Keith has always pushed us and the industry to be better," Google said in its own statement. "There is nothing we take more seriously than the trust and safety of our users, customers and partners, and we will continue to work to earn that trust every day."
Earlier this year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook is flawed and vowed to make "fixing Facebook" his personal goal for 2018. Several changes -- including showing users more local news and less commercial content on their News Feeds -- have already been rolled out to users.
Google has announced that a new task force will be dedicated to policing extremist content on YouTube in 2018.
Keep an eye on your inbox, the lastest consumer news is on it's way!


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We are justly famous for our rich and distinctive "European" sound - a characteristic largely attributable to the quality of the wood used in our soundboards. We use "Strunz" Bavarian Spruce soundboards which comes from sustainable managed forests and is widely regarded as the best tone wood available. The stability of the crown (curvature) of the soundboard is also important - to maintain this we use individually shaped spruce ribs. Our skilled technicians carefully "tone" each of the premium felt hammer heads as part of the final preparation process.
Kemble touch is superbly responsive, being both smooth and even - the result of using our precision engineered action and its fine adjustment by our craftsmen. In addition, whereas some manufacturers compromise on their key material, our keys are made from spruce, a wood renowned for its stability in different climatic conditions.
Our own designers have been schooled in the long and rich tradition of British furniture design, and have created a rather special range of elegant designs. In addition, we have commissioned Conran and Partners, a premier British design firm, to create exciting new styles for us.
Kemble pianos are meticulously finished in satin or high gloss polyester. We are also famous for the quality of our hand selected wood veneers. The beauty of our cabinets speaks for itself.
The use of substantial spruce back grids throughout the range, combined with our vacuum process cast iron frame and Delignit tuning plank ensures that Kemble backs comfortably support over 20 tons of tension and provide excellent tuning stability.
The combination of high-quality components, great design, skilled and dedicated craftsman plus modern technology, means a Kemble piano represents unbeatable value for money.
Each piano goes through an exhaustive checking process with every note being tested at least 250 times. Our commitment to quality ensures that a Kemble will give you a lifetime of pleasure. Our pianos are played in many of the world's most famous music institutes including the Musikhochschule at Karlsruhe and the new Paris Opera House. Nick Gingell of the Royal Albert Hall, London wrote of our piano "the durability and high quality of the instrument are testimony to the workmanship and skill of Kemble Pianos."


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47.00 68.00
The WILLOW CROP is contemporary and stylish with a performance edge. Perfect for hi-impact workouts this modern sports bra offers full coverage and firm support. Crafted from our hi-density compression fabric with 4-way stretch and moisture wicking properties. Features include a T-back design, signature monochrome detail, removable padding and power-mesh detail.


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|TINEWS === Archive
|Subscribe TINEWS Archive
An information service from the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries
Contact: Office of Travel and Tourism Industries
January 19, 2006
Promote Yourself to Brazil-- Meet Brazil's Finest Travel Representatives!
Make sure your destination/business is capturing your share of this significant market – Participate in the Visit USA Workshop in Brazil, March 2006 where you can meet face to face with Brazil's leading travel organizations and representatives.
The number of Brazilian visitors between January and June 2005 increased by 23 percent over 2004, more than double the growth in year-end 2004. To enter this lucrative market, the Visit USA Workshop offers you a direct and cost effective way to promote your destination and services in Săo Paulo on March 14 and in Rio de Janeiro on March 15, to over 500 of Brazil's top travel and tourism buyers, right in the heart of Brazil's economy.
If you are interested in participating in the Visit USA Workshops in Sao Paulo and/or Rio de Janeiro, please contact:
U.S. Suppliers participation fees:
Registration and payment must be made to USCS from January 19 thru February 21, 2006.
Sponsorship package - US$ 1,500 - Sao Paulo
In addition to Seminars & Workshops, sponsorship packages include:
A list of special individual sponsorship opportunities will be sent in January.
Event Location
Rio de Janeiro - venue tba in January
Hotel Rates
Each participant /company will be allowed to send a maximum of four (4) boxes of material for each city through the APO system. General information on VISIT USA WORKSHOP in Brazil, including rules for APO shipment will be sent after we receive your Pre-Registration Form.
Commercial Service Brazil Website:
The Travel Industry Association of America's Expo and SeeAmerica Media Day pages:
More Research: The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries invites you to visit our web site and explore our resources available on Brazil:
Brazil Market Profile-
Subscribe Now! To subscribe to TInews, visit our web site at: http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/tinews/subscribe.html
**If you wish to unsubscribe, send E-mail to email@example.com, with "SIGNOFF TIANNOUNCE" in the body of the message.Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 7025, Washington, D.C. 20230 (202) 482-0140, fax: (202) 482-2887 e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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An absolutely-out-of-this-world safari experience, perfect for honeymooners and ideal for exclusive groups in the game rich Sabi Sand Game Reserve...Romantic African Wilderness Safari
This luxury tented safari camp is small and intimate, in a placid river-side setting, provides for an ideal romantic escape. Combined with authentic safari activities and awesome cuisine. ...
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This is truly the African family safari of a lifetime focusing on Elephant interaction and fun adventure activities. This is a self-drive package, so you can see the wildlife of Kruger National Park at your leisure.Exclusive Family Lodge Safari in South Africa
Enjoy an authentic african safari experience in luxury and privacy at this Kruger Park Camp. There is also a variety of exciting family safari activities available that teach children about the bush...Family Safari in Africa
The ideal base for the perfect South Africa safari for families. Children can go on guided nature walks around the camp with experienced rangers...Luxury Family Safari in South Africa
During this African safari you can take in stunning sunsets, breathtaking vistas and spot the wildlife running free. There are also lovely activities for children on this African safari...
Enquiries / Questions


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With permission, here is a recent email I received from the editors of the Hibernian Law Journal. You can contact the journal via email.
Established in 1999, the Hibernian Law Journal is a legal journal co-ordinated by trainee and qualified solicitors. Its multidisciplinary focus facilitates detailed argument and discussion on a wide range of topics such as e-commerce, environmental law, the European Convention on Human Rights, intellectual property, public private partnerships, criminal law, child law and financial services law. All legal topics of domestic, European and international law are considered provided that they are relevant in an Irish context.
The Editorial Committee is now accepting submissions for the 2013 edition. The Hibernian Law Journal offers an excellent opportunity for legal scholars to have their work published in an academic forum.
The following guidelines apply to submissions:
- Length should be between approximately 5,000 and 15,000 words.
- The article must not have been published elsewhere, although the article may be a thesis which is bound and catalogued in a university library.
- The topic should be thoroughly researched and footnoted.
- Articles may be on any legal topic of interest to the author.
- Articles are due by 31 October 2012 (although exceptions may be made in individual circumstances).


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Published at Tuesday, March 05th, 2019 - 10:58:15 AM. Bedroom. By Conradine Berger.
People do everything they can to make their homes look their best. But many can't afford hiring an interior designer for that and try to manage the home design by themselves. And the first rule is to pick a predominant color for every room and to try to stick to it and buy all the furniture, the carpet and decorations in that particular color. If you do not do that and buy randomly colored things in your house, you will have a very colorful chaos that does not look so appealing.
Black is not a very common color to be found in most interior decors, especially when it comes to wall colors and especially in bedrooms. But, even so, black can be a very beautiful and bold accent color. There are lots of ways in which you can use black in the décor and still have an airy and bright bedroom.If you insist on painting all your bedroom's walls black, then you should paint the ceiling white.
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Any content, trademark's, or other material that might be found on the Dowdydoodles Inc. website that is not Dowdydoodles Inc.'s property remains the copyright of its respective owner/s. In no way does Dowdydoodles Inc. claim ownership or responsibility for such items, and you should seek legal consent for any use of such materials from its owner.


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Mathematics has turned into an unusually lucrative profession for Maxim Kontsevich. First, Dr. Kontsevich, 49, who works at the Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies outside Paris, won the 2012 Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences, an honor accompanied by a $1 million award. Then a couple of months later, he was among nine people who received a new physics prize — and $3 million each — from Yuri Milner, a Russian who dropped out of graduate studies in physics and became a successful investor in Internet companies like Facebook.
A few weeks ago, Dr. Kontsevich heard from Mr. Milner again. Mr. Milner told him he was one of five inaugural winners of the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics, financed by Mr. Milner and Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook; that prize also comes with $3 million. Mr. Milner officially announced the winners on Monday.
"I was a bit embarrassed, I have to say," Dr. Kontsevich said of his good fortune.
Mr. Milner recalled: "I think he was laughing. He's a well-deserving individual. He really sits in the middle between physics and mathematics. And what he's rewarded for now is pure mathematics as opposed to physics. His work here is really very different from what he got his other prize for."
The citation notes a wide swath of mathematical fields where Dr. Kontsevich repeatedly bumped into unexpected connections. For example, about 15 years ago, he collaborated on what looks like a simple procedure called interval exchange transformations, which is essentially like taking a piece of rope, cutting it into pieces and shuffling them together in a different order. The mathematics of cutting and reshuffling turns out to be complex, and recently reappeared in a new area of abstract algebra used in some theoretical physics models — "which was a really great surprise," Dr. Kontsevich said.
The Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics is the latest effort in Mr. Milner's crusade to make science lucrative and cool in a society that much more often celebrates athletes, entertainers, politicians and business tycoons.
"It is really out of balance," he said. "This is really to emphasize the importance of fundamental science in our world today."
A year after establishing the physics prize, Mr. Milner orchestrated a similar prize for life sciences, attracting sponsorship from the families of Mr. Zuckerberg; Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google; and Jack Ma, the founder of the Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba.
The other winners of the math prize are Simon Donaldson, 56, of Stony Brook University on Long Island and Imperial College London; Jacob Lurie, 36, of Harvard; Terence Tao, 38, of the University of California, Los Angeles; and Richard Taylor, 52, of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.
The accomplishments of Dr. Donaldson include using a mathematical theory originally developed for particle physics to study and classify possible shapes of four-dimensional space. Dr. Lurie was cited for cutting-edge advances in esoteric fields like "higher category theory" and "derived algebraic geometry."
Dr. Tao has worked on fundamental problems involving prime numbers and has examined the equations of fluid flow, seeing if there might be solutions with black hole-like singularities where the fluid velocity turns infinite. Dr. Taylor, who first became known for helping fill a gap in the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, has mapped out unexpected connections between algebra and symmetries in geometry.
Three of the five — Dr. Donaldson, Dr. Kontsevich and Dr. Tao — are recipients of the Fields Medal, probably the best known among mathematics awards. Dr. Tao has also received a MacArthur "genius" grant of half a million dollars.
Dr. Tao said Mr. Milner came to his office at U.C.L.A. in January. Mr. Milner had already announced that he would establish the math prizes, and Dr. Tao thought Mr. Milner wanted advice on whom they should go to. Instead, Mr. Milner told him one prize was going to him.
Dr. Tao tried to talk Mr. Milner out of it, and suggested that more prizes of smaller amounts might be more effective in supporting mathematics. "The size of the award, I think it's ridiculous," he said. "I didn't feel I was the most qualified for this prize."
But Dr. Tao added: "It's his money. He can do whatever he wants with it."
Dr. Tao said he might use some of the prize money to help set up open-access mathematics journals, which would be available free to anyone, or for large-scale collaborative online efforts to solve important problems.
The other winners said they also intended to use some of the money to help support other mathematicians — except for Dr. Donaldson, who was the last to be contacted, not long ago. "I haven't gotten as far as thinking about that," he said.
Mr. Milner said that going forward, eight Breakthrough Prizes will be awarded each year: one in mathematics, one in physics and six in the life sciences, for a total payout of $24 million. Past winners serve as committee members to choose future recipients.
Anyone can make a nomination for next year's awards at breakthroughprize.org. The deadline is June 30.


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How Much Weight Will Carbon Bike Forks Save?
In the sport of cycling, carbon has sky-rocked in fame. Hoards of professional cyclists and weekend warriors alike enjoy the lightweight, zippy feel of carbon. Most manufacturers produce lines of carbon frames along with a whole slew of carbon accessories for the carbon-crazed gram-shavers. If you're looking for a valuable way to upgrade your bike, reduce road vibration and cut some weight, swapping out a steel or aluminum fork for a carbon fork could be worth your while.
Types of Carbon Forks
First, it's important to note that not all "carbon" forks are purely carbon. Manufacturers often combine aluminum and carbon to produce carbon/aluminum forks. These forks typically have carbon fork blades bonded to aluminum crowns or steerers. While they are cheaper, aluminum/carbon combination forks are about 40 percent heavier than pure carbon forks. The process of bonding carbon to aluminum also makes combination forks less sturdy. If you're going to upgrade to carbon, it's best to spend a little more money to get a pure carbon fork.
Weighing In
On average, a pure carbon fork weights about one-third the weight of a steel fork and about one-half the weight of an aluminum fork. In terms of actual weight, switching from a steel fork to a carbon fork could shave off nearly 1 pound of weight. James C. Martin, PhD., assistant professor at the University of Utah, created a chart to quantify performance in accordance with changes in bicycle weight. The 1-pound weight reduction from upgrading to a carbon fork could save a 160-pound rider about six seconds over a 5 kilometer ride up a 7-degree grade. For the average rider, this is insignificant. However, for a professional cyclist, it's enormous.
Another Pro and Con of Carbon
Besides shaving weight, carbon forks can improve ride comfort by dulling road vibration. In fact, if a full-carbon bicycle is out of your price range, simply upgrading the fork of a steel or aluminum bike can reduce the shock that your arms, neck and shoulders have to absorb during rides. The other side of the coin features a significant drawback to carbon forks: their fragility. Carbon fiber does not hold up well in accidents, and if a fork has been compromised, it will be trashed. If a carbon fork were to give out on a rider during a ride, the consequences could be tragic -- since a large percentage of a cyclist's weight rests on the handlebars, which are supported by the fork, a shattered fork could lead to a crash and potentially serious injuries. Carbon may also not have the life of other fork materials, especially for heavier riders.
Other Ways to Reduce Weight
Whether or not your decide to upgrade your fork, there are other ways to reduce weight. The first -- and often most overlooked -- way to shave grams is for the rider to lose weight. If a cyclist is 25 pounds overweight, he'd probably see much greater performance gains from losing that excess body fat than from swapping out bike parts. Upgrading to lighter wheelsets and components can also cut a fair amount of weight. Other upgrades, like carbon bottle cages, may produce a weight reduction so insignificant that it's not worth the cost, unless you're a pro cyclist with a huge sponsorship.
- Henry Smith/iStock/Getty Images


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Senior captain Kaitlyn Martin aims to lead the Skyhawks to a second-straight NE-10 Championship this week.
Defending NE-10 Tournament Champions host sixth-seeded Bentley at 2 p.m.
EASTON, Mass. (April 22, 2014) – Third-seeded Stonehill College, ranked ninth in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Regional rankings, opens defense of its 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship when it hosts sixth-seeded Bentley University for first round action of the 2014 NE-10 Tournament at Charles Watt Tennis Courts on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Stonehill (16-6, 10-2 NE-10), which earned its fourth Northeast-10 Tournament championship last season, is making its 15th Conference tournament appearance this week - a total matched only by fourth-seeded Saint Michael's College (11-7, 9-3 NE-10) in NE-10 history. The Skyhawks, who have reached the championship match each of the last five seasons, have appeared in the final eight times under the current tournament bracket format, also winning the title in 2009 to go with last year's crown. Stonehill won two championships under the old flighted points system in 1991 and '92 before the league switched to its present format in 1999. Indoor backup for tomorrow's match in the event of inclement weather would be the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex on the Stonehill campus and admission to all NE-10 Tennis Tournament matches is free of charge.
Five of Stonehill's six student-athletes in its singles lineup have earned All-Northeast-10 honors this season, led by the bottom half of the order which all were named to the first team. The Skyhawks have used 14 different doubles pairings over the course of the season, but feature two singles players who are unbeaten in NE-10 play this spring and a third with just one league loss.
Senior captain Kaitlyn Martin (Mattapoisett, Mass./Medway) leads Stonehill's three first team All-NE-10 performers this season with a combined 38-16 record in singles and doubles play. She has posted a 20-6 singles record, including 12-0 in NE-10 matches, having gone 11-3 at No. 5 singles this year. Martin is 18-10 in doubles play, including 8-4 in NE-10 play, with a 6-6 mark with her current partner, sophomore Bailey Paradiso (Birmingham, Mich./Marian), including 4-4 in NE-10 matches. Martin is a three-time All-Northeast-10 performer and enters the postseason with a career combined record of 132-43 (.754), including 69-9 (.885) in NE-10 play, over her four seasons.
Sophomore Bailey Paradiso will line up at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles on Wednesday.
Paradiso, a third team All-NE-10 performer at No. 2 singles this season, owns a combined 31-18 in singles and doubles play this season, posting a 14-9 singles record, including 9-3 in league play, to go with her 6-6 doubles record with Martin.
Sophomore Analise Kump (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) and freshman Lorraine Smith (Littleton, Colo./D'Evelyn) round out Stonehill's first team All-Conference performers at No. 4 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Kump is a combined 35-15 in singles and doubles play this season, posting a 20-7 singles record (11-1 NE-10) while going 4-1 at No. 3 doubles with Smith since the two were paired, including 4-0 in NE-10 play. Smith is a combined 23-6 in her first collegiate season, posting a 15-5 singles record (11-0 NE-10) to go with her doubles mark with Kump.
Junior Meryl Lawrence (North Scituate, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy), a three-time All-NE-10 performer with her second straight third team award at No. 3 singles, rounds out the five who have collected All-Conference honors for Stonehill this season. She is a combined 31-18 in singles and doubles play this season, posting a 16-10 singles mark (9-3 NE-10) to go with a 2-1 record with sophomore Kirsti Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School) at No. 2 doubles. Toegemann, the 20th-ranked singles player in the East Region by the ITA, rounds out the Skyhawks lineup at No. 1 singles.
Bentley (8-10, 7-5 NE-10) is making its 14th NE-10 Tournament appearance this week and seeks its first tournament championship. The Falcons have reached the NE-10 Championship match three times, including 2009 when they were defeated by Stonehill 5-1. Bentley has made four straight first round exits since that 2009 championship appearance, including a 5-0 setback at Adelphi University in 2013.
Sophomore Analise Kump joins Martin as a first team All-Conference performer for Stonehill this season.
Sophomore Brittani Hetyei (Vernon, N.J./Vernon) and freshman Susan Stowe (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) lead Bentley as All-Northeast-10 performers this season. Hetyei earned third team honors at No. 4 singles and has posted an 8-6 record overall, including 6-3 in NE-10 play, this season. Stowe also earned third team honors for the Falcons at No. 5 singles and is 9-4 in her first collegiate season, including 5-1 in league action.
Sophomore Ludmila Yamus (Deer Park, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills) has posted a 9-9 record for Bentley at No. 1 singles, including 7-4 in NE-10 play, while classmate Catherine Gianino (Burlington, Mass./Burlington) competes at No. 2 singles and has posted a 7-5 mark against NE-10 opposition.
Wednesday marks the first postseason meeting between these two programs since the 2009 NE-10 Championship match. Stonehill posted an 8-1 victory over Bentley in the regular season encounter between these two teams back on March 25 in Ames Sports Complex. Paradiso led the way for Stonehill with wins at No. 1 singles and doubles. She teamed up with Martin for an 8-2 doubles win over Yamus and freshman Rachel Petrini (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) to lead a sweep of the three doubles matches for the Skyhawks. Paradiso added a 6-3, 6-1 win over Yamus that clinched the team win. Martin was also a double-winner for Stonehill, adding a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles against Hetyei. Stowe earned Bentley's lone point with an 8-4 pro-set win against junior Olivia Schneider (Rochester, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy) at No. 6 singles.
The winner of Wednesday's first round clash will advance to Friday's NE-10 semifinal round to face second-seeded Adelphi University (12-5, 11-1 NE-10), which earned a first round bye along with top-seeded and NE-10 regular season champions Merrimack College (13-4, 12-0 NE-10), at 2 p.m. The NE-10 Championship match is scheduled for Sunday, April 27, at 1 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.
2014 Northeast-10 Conference
Women's Tennis Tournament
First Round
Wednesday, April 23
#6 Bentley (8-10, 7-5 NE-10) at #3 Stonehill (16-6, 10-2 NE-10), 2 p.m.
#5 Southern New Hampshire (12-7, 8-4 NE-10) at #4 Saint Michael's (11-7, 9-3 NE-10), 3 p.m.
Friday, April 25
Bentley/Stonehill winner at #2 Adelphi (12-5, 11-1 NE-10), 2 p.m.
Southern N.H./St. Michael's winner at #1 Merrimack (13-4, 12-0 NE-10), 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 27
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, 1 p.m.


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- Fill out and sign the Consortium Agreement
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Questions about GroWNC or about joining the Consortium should be directed to Linda Giltz via email at firstname.lastname@example.com or via phone at 828-251-6622.
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- Jordan
Officially called as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, this vibrant nation is situated on the East Bank of River Jordan in the Middle East, offering breathtaking and mysterious sights. Crusader castles ruined Roman cities, desert fortress, powerful biblical sites and above all, Jordan with its breathtaking natural beauty and amazing archeological magnificence, entices visitors from all over the World. Some of the most striking features of this diverse country are Jordanian hospitality, ancient simplicity of Wadi Rum to the timeless grandeur of the Dead Sea and the country's capital city, Amman.
In Jordan visitors will be embraced with numerous activities and high quality accommodations, which will surely rejuvenate and inspire the travelers. Tourism is one of the major sectors in the country's economy, providing tourists to explore and experience numerous top prehistoric and modern tourist destinations. The worldwide famous Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO site, Mount Nebo, Jordan River, Madaba and countless ancient churches, mosques and renowned cultural and religious sites and traditions are some of Jordan's popular attractions worth visiting.
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Reliability: Our coal operation
The Cerrejón mining complex is an open-pit coal mining operation. Cerrejón thermal coal is a mainly unwashed, crushed product derived from a blend of seams from coal deposits that lie in an area spanning 69,000 hectares. Cerrejón mining activities take place in areas totalling under 13,309 hectares, approximately 0.62% of all the land in La Guajira. The remaining land within the concession is used by local communities or for rehabilitation, or is designated environmental buffer zones to the operation.
Our standard product is 11,000 Btu/lb, GAR.
We work closely with the Cerrejón operations team to react swiftly to customers' needs and changing schedules. This fully integrated operation enables the uninterrupted and secure delivery of Cerrejón coal globally.


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One of the most intense heat waves in recent years loosened its grip on Minnesota on Wednesday, but not without costing farmers thousands of cattle, turkeys and hogs.
The five-day siege of heat brought record dew points, heat indexes and overnight temperatures to the Twin Cities and elsewhere across Minnesota.
The stress on farm animals caused a die-off worse than some growers have seen in nearly 30 years, said Byron Hogberg, Farm Services Administration director in Renville County in southwestern Minnesota. The greatest number of losses may be in turkeys.
"There's a lot of dollars out there that have been lost," said Hogberg, adding that carcass processors in the area have run out of capacity to take more dead animals.
The losses are badly timed for cattle producers, given that prices are currently $1,000 to $2,000 per cow, 25 percent to 30 percent higher than a year ago.
The highest temperature of the heat wave in the Twin Cities was recorded Monday, when the official reading hit 98 degrees; it reached 96 on Wednesday. The "feels- awful" measurements -- a dew point of 82 Tuesday and heat indexes approaching 120 -- masked the fact that not one daytime high temperature record was broken, and in the Twin Cities the temperature never reached 100. The high humidity actually served to suppress soaring temperatures, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Franks said.
But it was miserable nonetheless.
"Demoralizing and overwhelming" was how Wendell Roy of Minneapolis described the heat wave while waiting in 95-degree sun for a light-rail train at the Metrodome station on Wednesday.
Relief in the form of a cold front finally flowed across the Dakotas toward Minnesota late Wednesday.
Twin Cities commuters will encounter a 7 a.m. temperature of 70, and the dew point is expected to drop to a relatively crisp 59 by 3 p.m. -- the first time the dew point will have been below 60 since 10 a.m. July 14. The high Thursday is expected to be 87, about four degrees above normal.
"Pretty near perfect," Roy said of the forecast, noting his plans to go camping this weekend.
The last smear of heat Wednesday prompted 12 people to visit Hennepin County Medical Center for heat-related problems, more than on any day during the heat wave. Four were admitted for further treatment, most likely because of chronic conditions made worse by the heat, according to hospital officials.
But only five people made heat-related calls to 311, the city of Minneapolis' all-purpose information line, compared with 20 Tuesday, said Pam Blixt, preparedness manager for the city's Health Department.
The city had urged residents to visit the air-conditioned libraries, along with parks, museums and malls, as a way to get out of the heat for a while. At the Central Library, children in shorts, sundresses and bulbous headphones pecked away at computers or browsed among books and movies.
Lisa Kamish, of Minneapolis, monitored her 3-year-old twins, Ava and Alexander, as they played "Sesame Street" video games at kid-size tables.
She said she and her kids go to the library on cold winter days, so it seemed the right choice on a day that probably was too hot even for the water park.
"When it's five or six days like this, it's hard to find stuff to do," she said. "The library is a good resource for children in heat, and I don't think a lot of people are aware of the good children's center here."
The city also provided portable drinking fountains on Nicollet Mall so people watching the Aquatennial's Torchlight Parade on Wednesday night's could fend off dehydration. But a scheduled 5-kilometer foot race was postponed and will be rescheduled, spokeswoman KJ Leinberger said.
As of dinnertime Wednesday, about 750 Xcel Energy customers were without power in the seven-county metro area, Xcel Energy spokesman Tom Hoen said. They were scattered all over the region, and as many as 80 work crews were attempting to replace fuses and repair failed cables as quickly as possible. Hoen noted, however, that the workers also were dealing with the heat and humidity (and full working gear). "It's not conducive to working quickly," he said.
On the farm, losses have been worse than might be expected, particularly to turkeys, given that the heat wave has been so sustained and temperatures have remained so high at night, said Steve Olson, executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. Olson said he has heard of one grower in southwestern Minnesota who lost 45,000 birds, which are worth $10 to $25 a piece.
Cattle and hog farmers have been sprinkling their animals heavily in recent days to reduce heat stress, spokesmen for those grower groups said.
Across South Dakota, up to 1,500 head of cattle died from the heat.
Staff writer Maria Baca contributed to this report. email@example.com • 612-673-7646 email@example.com • 612-673-7003


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The decision by Zimbabwe's longtime opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Friday to go into government with President Robert Mugabe Zanu-PF, ending the party's nearly five-month campaign for a more equitable power-sharing deal, was welcomed by the European Union late Sunday but the EU warned that it would judged on what actions it takes.
"I welcome the agreement reached by the Zimbabwean parties, in particular to establish the government of national unity," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in a statement, adding that "the government of national unity will be judged by its actions."
"I call on all parties to comply in good faith with the agreement reached. Only in the context of an equitable political solution, the plight of the Zimbabwean people can be alleviated," he said.
The MDC's national council ratified the move to implement a September power-sharing accord signed by Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, despite previous misgivings within the party about the skewed nature of the deal.
Despite welcoming the deal, the
EU refused to comment on calls from the African Union (AU) and continental giant South Africa called for the United States and Europe to lift sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's regime.
The European Union welcomed a deal made last week under which Zimbabwe's opposition will join a government with President Robert Mugabe, and it said the priority now lay in alleviating the suffering of Zimbabweans.
The Czech Republic, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said it hoped the political solution would lead to the "immediate end to political violence and intimidation and the immediate release of all political prisoners".
The Union was ready to support Zimbabwe in its recovery once the government showed signs of a return to respect for human rights, the rule of law, and economic stability, it said in a statement.
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is set to become prime minister due to the deal, which should end a political stalemate that has exacerbated an economic and humanitarian crisis in the southern African country.
EU crackdown on Zimbabwean assets set to continue
EU foreign ministers last week tightened sanctions on Zimbabwe, freezing the assets of companies based in British tax havens for the first time and adding 26 more names of people close to the Mugabe regime or their families to a travel-ban list, bringing the number to 203.
The number of companies whose assets in Europe must be frozen was increased sharply from four to 40 and for the first time European-based firms are included.
According to EU sources, all 18 of the European company names added are based on British territory, including tax havens Jersey, the Isle of Man and the British Virgin Islands.
A spokesman for the EU's Czech presidency said Sunday that any lifting of sanctions could only be decided by the ministers and recalled that their next meeting in Brussels is set for February 23.
The AU's executive council adopted a resolution ahead of the three-day African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa Sunday, calling for "the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe to help ease the humanitarian situation in the country."
AU calls on action to help Zimbabwe recover
African Union head Jean Ping, when asked about sanctions levied by the United States and European Union, said: "I think that everybody today should help Zimbabwe to rebuild its economy, because an agreement has been reached."
Since disputed elections in March 2008, Zimbabwe's shattered economy has nosedived further. It has the world's highest inflation rate — 231 million percent — and is struggling with a cholera epidemic that has claimed some 3,000 lives.
Ping said: "Imagine that you don't help Zimbabwe, who will be blamed? Everybody is expecting that today, because Tsvangirai is going to lead the economy and everything, that the economy should recover. So if you don't do that, who will be blamed by the population?"
US, UK skeptical of unity agreement
Commenting on the deal reached between Zanu PF and the MDC, US State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood said: "I've seen the reports about this agreement, but as you can understand, we are a bit skeptical. These types of things have been announced before. The key is always implementation."
An equally tempered reaction emerged from London, where British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he looked forward to seeing details of a deal that would hold Zimbabwean lawmakers accountable.
"The new government will be judged on its actions, above all by the people of Zimbabwe," he said.


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ARC 2018 Delegate Pass
Asian Retread Conference (ARC) is a biennial event focusing on tyre retreading industry. First of its kind in the region, ARC is organised by Asian Business Media (ABM), publishers of Tyre Asia, the popular international magazine on global tyre industry, and Epic Fresh, Malaysia, in association with Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau (TRIB), USA. ARC offers an excellent platform for the retread industry to share ideas and experience and to get the best out of its great business networking opportunities.
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Dick Armey's decision to part ways with Tea Party's FreedomWorks created quite the buzz on Wednesday.
Departing with an $8 million parachute, Armey claimed that he was leaving due to an internal split over the group's future. "My differences with FreedomWorks are a matter of principle," he told the Associated Press.
Now, days later, more details are emerging about reasons that led to his departure.
"We had serious differences of opinion about the process of how you do business, and I wanted to move on," Armey told The Daily Caller in the most recent report.
"There's unethical behavior going on at the top and there are a bunch of people leaving," an anonymous source told The Daily Caller.
Could this be the 'principle' Armey was talking about?
According to The Daily Caller report, multiple sources lay the blame on the shoulders of FreedomWorks CEO and president Matt Kibbe, who came out with a new book new book, "Hostile Takeover: Resisting Centralized Government's Stranglehold on America," in June of this year.
It seems that the feeling among the FreedomWorks staff is that the organization has become a promotional vehicle for Kibbe.
Kibbe insists that that is not the case and denies that other members of the organization were leaving because of "this dispute over the direction of FreedomWorks."
And for now, Kibbe and Armey are sticking to the same story regarding Armey's decision to leave.
"[The book] had virtually nothing to do with it," Kibbe told The Daily Caller. "I think there were just two very different visions about where FreedomWorks was headed."


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I've been rather quiet on the blogging front lately, but not for lack of activity! For one, I'm the full owner of the technical posts that go up on Microsoft's dev blogs for Windows, http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/buildingapps/, which merged together the Windows and Windows Phone dev blogs back in early April. Call me the developmental editor for just about anything posted under the "Windows Apps Team" byline.
But no excuse for personal blogging! These last few weeks I haven't wanted to add anything to my blog here because I've been migrating my site from godaddy.com (where the hosting cost went up and it's hard to find discounts now) to Microsoft Azure, where my Windows Store account gives me $150/month credit! (I believe you all are enjoying that too.) The trick was to migrate and merge my old ASP.NET site content with my WordPress blog content, which also meant redirecting the blog from a /blog subfolder to the root while getting the .aspx pages to redirect properly, especially Pages.aspx, which did a database lookup for articles and such that are now WordPress pages.
If you see some bad links or broken images in any posts here, let me know (kraig(at)kraigbrockschmidt.com). I'm doing a scrub but might miss something.
One issue that I ran into was rather interesting. With WordPress I wanted to switch from default permalinks using /?p=<post ID> URIs to "pretty name" URIs with dates and such (better for SEO). At the same time I wanted to make sure that /blog/<name> got redirected to just <name> give that I pulled WordPress into the site root.
Should have been easy with an Azure virtual directory, yes? At first, that seemed to work just fine–I added an entry on the Azure web site Configure page for /blog to go to sitewwwroot. I tested it, and it was good.
But when I changed the WordPress permalinks, I started getting either HTTP 404 errors or HTTP 500 errors when using /blog. What gives?
It boiled down to the fact that WordPress was interpreting /blog as part of a pretty name and therefore trying to do a post or page lookup, and not finding one would generate a 404. The 500 errors showed up when I had some Rewrite rules in web.config (that WordPress included for pretty permalinks), which seemed to generate confusion between the permalink system and Azure's virtual directory checking.
In the end, the solution was to insert a special redirect rule in web.config for "blog" specifically, so it'd get processed first and bypass the permalink system entirely. Here's what my web.config looks like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <configuration> <system.web> <customErrors mode="Off"/> </system.web> <system.webServer> <staticContent> <remove fileExtension=".svg"/> <mimeMap fileExtension=".svg" mimeType="image/svg+xml"/> </staticContent> <rewrite> <rules> <rule stopProcessing="true" name="Blog Rule"> <match url="blog"/> <action url="index.php" redirectType="Permanent" type="Redirect"/> </rule> <rule name="wordpress" patternSyntax="Wildcard"> <match url="*"/> <conditions> <add negate="true" matchType="IsFile" input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}"/> <add negate="true" matchType="IsDirectory" input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}"/> </conditions> <action url="index.php" type="Rewrite"/> </rule> </rules> </rewrite> </system.webServer> </configuration>
Hopefully this helps others who run into the same thing every now and then!


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NEW YORK – Although there has been a decrease in the risk of in-hospital death for patients who receive intensive care in the United States, a new analysis of Medicare data by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center researchers and colleagues indicates that elderly patients who are hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) and survive to be discharged from the hospital have a high rate of death in the following three years.
In particular, patients who receive mechanical ventilation have a substantially increased rate of death compared with both hospital and general population controls in the first several months after hospital discharge, according to a study in the March 3, 2010, issue of JAMA.
"Patients older than 65 years now make up more than half of all ICU admissions," says Hannah Wunsch, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and an anesthesiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. "Information is needed to understand the patterns of mortality, morbidity, and health care resource use in the months and years that follow critical illness to allow for better targeting of follow-up care."
Dr. Wunsch and colleagues examined the 3-year outcomes and health care resource use of ICU survivors, and identified subgroups of patients and periods in which patients are at highest risk of death, using a 5 percent sample of Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 years. A random half of all patients were selected who received intensive care and survived to hospital discharge in 2003 with 3-year follow-up through 2006. From the other half of the sample, 2 matched control groups were generated: hospitalized patients who survived to discharge (hospital controls) and the general population (general controls), individually matched on age, sex, race, and whether they had surgery (for hospital controls).
"What's unique about this study is our ability to really compare ICU survivors with control groups to gain an understanding of the impact of critical illness. The traditional approach has been to look at cohorts of ICU patients alone, which doesn't allow you to really say anything about how they are doing," Dr. Wunsch said. "The fact that we could match ICU survivors to people in the general Medicare population and follow them for three years allowed us to really quantify the differences in risk for these elderly patients."
In the data analyzed for the study, 35,308 ICU patients survived to hospital discharge. The ICU survivors had 3-year mortality (39.5 percent) that was a little higher than hospital controls (34.5 percent) and much higher than general controls (14.9 percent). The ICU survivors who did not receive mechanical ventilation had minimal increased risk compared with hospital controls (3-year mortality, 38.3 percent vs. 34.6 percent).
"However, mortality for those who received mechanical ventilation was substantially higher than for the corresponding hospital controls (3-year mortality: 57.6 percent vs. 32.8 percent, respectively). This difference was primarily due to mortality during the first 2 quarters following hospital discharge (6-month mortality: 30.1 percent for ICU survivors vs. 9.6 percent for hospital controls)," the authors write.
Many ICU survivors were discharged to skilled care facilities (33.0), as were hospital controls (26.4 percent). The need for further skilled care also was associated with high 6-month mortality (24.1 percent for ICU survivors and hospital controls discharged to a skilled care facility vs. 7.5 percent for ICU survivors and hospital controls discharged home).
"These findings highlight the need for a much more detailed understanding of the long-term care needs of these patients," the authors conclude.
"The magnitude of the post-discharge use of skilled care facilities for both ICU survivors and hospital controls and the high long-term mortality for all of these patients call into question what is happening after discharge," says Dr. Wunsch. "It is possible that discharge to skilled care facilities is merely a marker for higher severity of illness with appropriate delivery of care, or these patients could have been discharged prematurely from acute care hospitals, and needed a higher level of care than they received. Finally, it is possible that some of these patients could have had better outcomes if discharged home, but were not able to be sent there due to lack of sufficient support from family or friends to act as caregivers. There are well over a million elderly ICU survivors each year in the US, and clearly much more research is needed to understand how we can deliver the best care for these people after critical illness."
Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The Medical Center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,353 beds. The Hospital has more than 1 million inpatient and outpatient visits in a year, including more than 220,000 visits to its emergency departments — more than any other area hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. For more information, visit www.nyp.org.
Alex Lyda
(212) 305-0820
Bryan Dotson
(212) 305-5587


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2011-2013 Archives
AMSG Awarded VA Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Office of Acquisitions Education, Training and Organizational Development Support Contract
Heading 3
October 25, 2013
AMSG as the Prime Contractor, will assess the current state of the VBA organization, conduct gap analysis, provide reports, develop training presentations, and provide customized training and coaching.
Heading 3
AMSG Awarded Department of Veterans Affairs Learning University (VALU) Training Requirements (TR) Contract
September 30, 2013
AMSG was awarded a $3.1 million firm fixed price contract to provide Assessment and Feasibility Support to the VALU TR Division to assist with Curriculum Management, SharePoint Support & a Business Case Analysis (BCA).
Heading 3
AMSG Awarded Subcontract by American Systems, to help provide a state-of the-art solution to the Department of Veteran Affairs for Voice Access Modernization (VAM)
August 28, 2013
Heading 3
AMSG was awarded a subcontract by American Systems, to help provide a state-of-the-art solution to the Department of Veteran Affairs for Voice Access Modernization (VAM) Enterprise Interactive Voice Response (IVR). This solution will greatly enhance The Department of Veterans Affairs ability to provide a higher level of customer service, helping veterans get answers on the status of their benefits at the touch of a button. This innovative IVR solution will allow veterans to interact with VA systems via a telephone keypad or by speech recognition, after which they can service their own inquiries by controlling the IVR discussion. IVR is a technology that allows a computer to interact with humans through the use of voice and tones input via keypad or phone. This innovative solution will deliver the benefits of IVR and contact center technology that will ensure low risk deployment, scalability, and redundancy, virtually eliminating downtime across the VA IVR enterprise.
AMSG Awarded Subcontract by Synthesis LLC to provide Facilitation Support Services to the VA Office of Informatics and Analytics (OIA)
August 28, 2013
AMSG was awarded a subcontract by SyntheSys LLC to provide Facilitation Support Services and full life-cycle Meeting and Requirements Services to the VA OIA in support of SyntheSys LLC's Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with the VA. The SyntheSys LLC team including AMSG and Ernst & Young (EY), provides solutions for consensus building needs associated with eliciting functional IT requirements as well as other OIA needs associated with managing group dynamics around meetings, decisions, and documents where group consensus is important and serves as the "translator" in VHA between the business/clinical and IT domains.
AMSG Awarded Subcontract by Synthesis LLC to provide Program Management Office (PMO) services in support of SyntheSys LLC's contract with the VA called Interagency Surgery Quality Workflow Management (iSQWM).
August 12, 2013
AMSG was awarded a contract with SyntheSys LLC to provide PMO services in support of SyntheSys LLC's contract with the VA called Interagency Surgery Quality Workflow Management (iSQWM). As part of the SynthsySys LLC team, that includes AMSG and Price Waterhouse Coopers LLP (PWC), AMSG's role is to provide Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) support using Microsoft Project, facilitate the set-up of a Microsoft SharePoint environment and provide Travel and Administrative support as well.
AMSG Provides Proposal Management Services to Small Business.
May 31, 2013
AMSG provides proposal management support to Watermark Risk Management International LLC, and Chenega Total Asset Protection, LLC, for an eight (8) week period providing management of a "must win" re-compete to include: preparing proposal management plans; managing assignments; collecting and organizing proposal content; creating outlines, templates, compliance matrices, and schedules; and organizing and managing color team reviews. Responsibilities also include desktop publishing and reviewing proposal drafts and final versions for responsiveness to RFP, thoroughness, accuracy, quality and effective design and layout.
AMSG Awarded Follow-on Subcontract by CASK to support the Marine Corps Systems Command with the Total Force Structure management System (TFSMS).
May 13, 2013
AMSG Awarded Subcontract by Harris CapRock to provide support to VA Hospitals Nationwide.
May 10, 2013
AMSG was awarded a contract with Harris CapRock to assist in implementing state-of-the-art satellite technology at Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Hospitals and Clinics nationwide supporting the VA's Next Generation Satellite Communications (NGSC) contract. As part of the Harris CapRock team, AMSG's role is to provide Program Management Office (PMO), Quality Assurance (QA) and Systems Engineering support.
AMSG Awarded DHS follow-on Prime Contract for IV&V Support
March 27, 2013
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awards follow-on Prime contract to AMSG for continued support of Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services to the technology infrastructure and construction of the new DHS headquarters campus by providing Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services to the technology infrastructure.
AMSG awarded Harris Corporation's "Supplier Achievement Award" recognizing its outstanding support of the VA WiFi project.
January 28, 2013
The VA Office of Information & Technology (OIT), is upgrading its Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) capabilities to provide industry standard wireless for all clinical and administrative spaces across the enterprise. Wireless networking at VA facilities is intended to provide more flexible capabilities for accessing data. In support of this effort, Advanced Management Strategies Group, (AMSG) is providing an efficient, affordable and effective Scheduling, Logistics and Supply Management (SL&SM) capability that provides the right people, processes and technologies, logistics and supply information to manage the entire logistics process from identification of initial item need, to arrival on-site for installation. Further, the AMSG solution provides a state-of-the-art distribution facility for the order tracking, receipt, inventory, kitting, shipment and quality assurance of all equipment associated with the nationwide Wi-Fi installation effort. Also, AMSG provides the expertise needed to develop, update and monitor the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) on a weekly basis.
AMSG Awarded Follow-on Subcontract by URS Corporation to provide Safety and FMS Configuration Management Support to the Defense Department's Joint Mine Resistant Ambush Protective (MRAP) Program Office in Quantico, VA.
October 1, 2012
AMSG Awarded Subcontract by Harris to Support the Implementation of WiFi Capability at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide to provide Supply Chain, Logistics Management, and Schedule Management Support at AMSG Distribution facility in Eagan MN.
June 30, 2012
AMSG Awarded Follow-on Subcontract by Lockheed Martin to support the Marine Corps Systems Command with the Total Force Structure management System (TFSMS).
May 13, 2012
AMSG Awarded Subcontract by Smartronix Corporation to implement a Knowledge Management solution leveraging Microsoft SharePoint for the U.S. Army at PEO EIS.
February 20, 2012
AMSG Awarded Subcontract by URS to provide System Safety, Hazards Analysis and Configuration Management support to the Defense Department's Joint MRAP Program Office in Quantico, VA.
July 13, 2011
AMSG Awarded GSA MOBIS Schedule.
June 10, 2011
AMSG Awarded Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC) contract to develop a Capabilities Based Assessment (CBA).
March 29, 2011
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I have published my last 2 stories on Stay Creative project. I shall continue writing every day, but won't be sharing them, at least not for now. To read more click here.
The last story
The Cunning Visitor
I could tell by the circling rooster at the top of our cottage that the wind was picking up. I was running a bit late today so it was quite dark when I put the chickens back into the coop. In the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something; ...to continue (story 05.04.)
Infidelity Undercover
I have never fully trusted my boyfriend. Why did I started to date him in the first place was something I could not answer; it just happened. Recently things got worse. I could feel my inner sensor announcing some kind of danger. I knew I had to do something about it and the best I could come up with was to hire a detective. But all that would not satisfy me. I decided to become a spy myself. I bought a wig, a completely new wardrobe and make up to help me create my alter ego. I've made sure that all was safely hidden in the cellar. The plan was...to continue (story 30.03.)
March 2018


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Smart home trends are driving more digital technology into the devices around us. Our appliances, environment- tal controls, security systems, door locks are all using computing and connectivity to bring more capability and control to our fingertips. Since homeowners aren't ex- perts in technology and security, these technologies must be more reliable, secure and easy to use than traditional IT systems have so far been able to achieve.
- Appliances
- Door Locks
- Thermostat
- Security System
- Home Electronics
Further Reading
- I Haunted A Complete Stranger's House Via The Internet –Forbes, 2013
- Hackers break into homes — electronically –CNN, 2013
- Hotel Lock Hack Still Being Used In Burglaries –Forbes, 2013
- Home Automation devices contain multiple vulnerabilities –Mike Davis, US-CERT, 2014
- Home Invasion 2.0 –Crowley, Bryan & Savage, Black Hat USA, 2013
- Hacking Home Automation Systems –Fouladi & Ghanoun, Black Hat USA, 2013
For more information on this domain contact home -at- iamthecavalry.org


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Born: 24 October 1959 (60 years old)
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Finding Inner peace (Video)
Finding Inner peace (Video) A Selection of Quotes about Finding Inner peace "Nobody can hurt me without my permission." ~ Mahatma Gandhi "Top 15 Things Money Can't Buy Time. Happiness. Inner Peace. Integrity. Love. Character. Manners. Health. Respect. Morals. Trust. Patience. Class. Common sense. Dignity." ~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart "The best fighter is never angry." ~ Lao Tzu "Nothing can disturb your peace of mind unless you allow it to.">>>


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That's right – I'm back with more from the land of the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game from Goodman Games. And this time, we're going to focus on two areas that sometimes become totally out of whack in other games. I know we went overboard in both areas with the Moebius Adventures RPG once upon a time and we were not (and still aren't) alone on that front.
What are they? Skills and items. So let's start with "Chapter Two: Skills"…
In Moebius Adventures we had nearly 100 skills split across a ton of areas, with easily 100 (probably 2x that) more in the wings for the modern world. It was crazy. D&D 4E has fewer than 20. 3.5e had more than 30. Palladium Fantasy seems to have around 150 skills… So it's easy to get out of whack. Personally I think of the games I've played lately, FATE has the best idea by having some suggestions, but largely leaving it up to the player to decide what abilities a character might have.
That's where DCC RPG comes in. There are trained skills – "A character's 0-level occupation determines the basic skills he can use. If the player can logically role-play the connection between his occupation and a skill in a way that the character's background supports the skill in question, then his character can make what is called a trained skill check." There are untrained skills – "If your character's background does not support a skill use, your character is not familiar with the activity. In this case, he makes what is called an untrained skill check." There are skills in-between – "If there is ambiguity – for example, your character may have used the skill somewhat but not regularly – the character may make an untrained check with a +2 bonus." And there are common-sense skills – "Finally, if the skill is something that any adult could have a reasonable chance of attempting, then any character can make a trained skill check."
And that's it. No muss. No fuss. There will be some debate between the GM and the player about which skills might come into play, but they're not listing every skill known to man. We're not arguing over whether a particular skill means one thing or another based on what is written in the book. We're role-playing finding and using the right skill, then resolving whether it was successful or not.
How do you resolve it? Easy. If it's considered trained, roll 1d20. If not, roll 1d10. Apply modifiers. Compare the result against a difficulty challenge (DC). If the roll beats the DC, it was successful. If not, it failed. DCs go from 5 ("child's play") to 20 ("hero's work").
If someone or something is resisting the action, there's an opposed skill check for the skills they're trying to use to oppose one another. The highest roll wins.
And here's my favorite part of the skill check section. "When Not To Make a Skill Check." The first paragraph says it all – "Skill checks are designed for use when a system of abstract rules is necessary to adjudicate a situation. Only make a skill check when practical descriptions by the players will not suffice." If failure has significant consequences (i.e. damage or death), roll a check.
In two pages, DCC RPG sums up 98% of the rules for skills without the need for lengthy skill lists or descriptions.
There is a brief list of "Skill Checks for Common Activities" that describes some of the things dungeoneers will need to do – like balancing, listening, sneaking, and so on. If it's not a specific knowledge-based skill, then it's associated with a particular ability score. For instance, balancing and sneaking would be Agility, listening is Luck, and searching and spotting are Intelligence. Some could be either – for example climbing could require Strength to climb a sheer cliff or Agility to climb a tree. But again – "use common sense" seems to be the thought here.
Now by leaving it this open-ended, I suspect DCC runs into the same issue I've seen in FATE-based games where some folks aren't used to thinking about their characters in these terms. Sometimes if it's not written down explicitly, people get confused. But this is good, old-fashioned gaming here folks. Role-play your reasons, negotiate with your GM, and run with it. 🙂
As a player (or GM) using the system, I can see myself writing down a skill on my sheet after I used it, just so I knew what I'd used before. And over time I could see the list getting quite long in some cases. But the list would be specific to the context of that character, not general to the system, so it becomes a much more organic process than simply picking skills from a list.
Now lets move on to "Chapter 3: Equipment"… Here's another area where D&D and other games have gone insane for years…
Starting 0-level characters have 5d12 coppers. Higher levels start with slightly more coin (gold pieces) to get the various tools of the trade. But you're not going to see a 0-level farmer character charging into battle wearing plate mail and swinging a longsword… He simply can't afford it.
Beyond that there are three things to keep in mind…
The "check penalty" that comes into play when characters try to wear heavy armor and use fine-motor skills or skills that require dexterity. It's tough to leap chasms, scale walls, trace runes, etc. when being weighed down by armor. So every suit of armor comes with a check penalty. Wearing scale mail? Subtract 4 from your die roll. Full plate? Subtract 8. Sure, you get to absorb a bit more damage, but it comes at a cost.
Encumbrance. Oh how I've hated that word as a player. "What do you mean I can't carry around a million gold pieces on my person?" Here's another place where common sense comes into play. It's simple – "A character who carries too much weight is slowed down. Use common sense. Players must explain how they are carrying their equipment: which hand holds which weapon, which sack or backpack contains which objects, and so on. A character carrying a substantial ratio of his body weight is slowed to
half speed. A character cannot carry more equipment than half his body weight." Works for me.
Lastly, there's a "Fumble die." When you fumble (i.e. roll a 1 on a combat roll), your armor type determines the die you use to determine what the results of that fumble might be. These go from d4 (for unarmored or padded armor) up to d16 (for full plate). And based on a quick scan of the fumble tables, you're better off with lower numbers. Higher numbers often bring bad consequences!
That's it for the "rules" associated with equipment in DCC. After that you get tables for weapons (battleaxe to warhammer), ammunition (arrows, sling stones, etc.), armor (padded to full plate and shield), basic equipment (backpack to waterskin), and the cost of mounts and any related gear (barding to stabling, donkeys, horses, and ponies).
Four pages. That's all. I'm sure there will be plenty of room to expand with more items for specific settings, but this is perfect. Everything you need to get started.
So that's DCC RPG's skills and equipment chapters. As you can see, we're not talking a lot of pages and it's extremely open-ended, which should (hopefully) lead to more role-playing of skill resolution and equipment buying.
Now if you don't mind, my 0-level urchin is going to go back to ogling some poor passerby's sword and coin purse…
(This is part III of the ongoing review of DCC RPG. Check here for part I and part II. I'm slowly working my way through this 400+ page tome and enjoying every minute of it so far.)Download from RPGNow


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Volunteer in Vietnam with Projects Abroad
Next Step: Click here to choose a project in Vietnam
Volunteering in Vietnam is a chance to spend time in a fascinating, friendly and rapidly changing country. Projects are available for anyone interested in volunteering in the developing world; whether you are on a gap year, a summer placement, or a career break.
Volunteers can work on a variety of projects, including Physiotherapy projects and Care projects with children with disabilities. We also offer volunteer opportunities for teaching English in both primary and secondary schools.
Where we are Based in Vietnam
Projects Abroad Vietnam is based in Hanoi, in the north of Vietnam. Hanoi is one of Southeast Asia's liveliest cities. It is the capital and the second largest city in Vietnam.
Volunteers will stay with a local host family or in a Projects Abroad rented volunteer house based on the location of their placement.
General Information on Hanoi
Hanoi may seem chaotic when you first arrive, but as a volunteer living and working in the city you'll discover the gracious Vietnamese people, explore the charming old town and find hidden temples beyond the throngs of motorbikes and urban bustle.
Hanoi is the cultural highlight of Vietnam, with over 600 pagodas and temples to visit. The city continues to change rapidly as the current economic boom adds more high-rise steel and glass hotels to the French colonial architecture, traditional markets and ramshackle shops.
Although Vietnam's economy has grown rapidly in the last few years, there are still many development issues that need attention.
Travel and Tourism in Vietnam
As a volunteer you'll usually work from Monday to Friday, so will have plenty of time to explore Hanoi at the weekends. To escape city life you could head to Ba Vi National Park, where there is excellent trekking, wildlife viewing and over 1200 steps to reach the mountain summit for panoramic views over the city. Or relax and try the local sea food at Halong Bay beach, the closest beach to Hanoi.
Vietnam is well worth exploring further after your placement, hike in mountainous Sapa, stare in awe at Halong Bay's soaring limestone islets or shop for a new tailor-made wardrobe of clothes in fashion capital Hoi An. If this all sounds a bit active head south and enjoy some laid back beach vibes on the island of Phu Quoc.
Many volunteers choose to travel on through South-East Asia to Thailand, Cambodia or Laos, which can be done cheaply, if not always quickly, by bus and train. There are also now many low-cost budget airlines, which allow you to explore the region further, even without months of extra travel time.
Projects available in Vietnam
Live and work as a Business project volunteer in the village of Mai Chau with Projects Abroad and assist with the marketing and production of traditional hand-made products.
Volunteer in day cares and rehabilitation centres in Hanoi, providing educational support and care to disabled children. You will also help to support the work of local staff.
Based in bustling Hanoi, you will work directly with Projects Abroad s partner organisations to help tackle issues like drug addiction, prostitution, mental health, disabled people s rights and HIV/AIDS problems.
Gain experience in the fields of radio and online journalism as an intern in Hanoi. You will work at a foreign language public broadcaster, getting involved in a range of different tasks.
Learn about medical practice in Vietnam and gain valuable work experience by observing local staff and assisting where necessary. You can choose from a range of different departments.
Work in a city hospital and learn about many new medical conditions to gain a greater understanding of healthcare in Vietnam.
Gain valuable experience working in a rehabilitation centre.
Work as a nurse in a fast paced environment and gain experience in various departments, including paediatrics and orthopaedics.
Work alongside qualified doctors in various departments of a hospital and rehabilitation centres and help treat patients who require medical attention.
Learn from qualified dentists in Hanoi, assisting them where necessary and gaining valuable insight into this profession.
Volunteering on this project means you will be faced with an exciting but challenging experience. You will be assisting local staff in caring for both children and adults.
Many medical institutions in Vietnam lack the staff and the resources needed to provide sufficient care to patients. Physiotherapy volunteers are needed to work alongside local staff.
Volunteers who join this project will be based in an institution where their existing knowledge and skills will be best put to use. You will work in a rehabilitation centre for disabled children.
Volunteering on a sports project near Hanoi is an ideal way to share your passion for sports with the local children. Football and basketball are the main sports taught in Vietnam.
Volunteer in Vietnam and teach conversational English in Hanoi. We work with a number of different establishments, ranging from kindergartens through to upper secondary schools.
Working as a volunteer teacher, you will spend time helping to improve the spoken and written French language abilities of primary and secondary school students in Hanoi.
Take part in an intensive standalone Vietnamese language course or sign up for language tuition alongside your regular placement.
High School Specials for 15 to 18 year olds available in Vietnam
Projects for professionals available in Vietnam
On this volunteer psychology project you will be working with children who have been diagnosed with Autism. You will be based in either a school or care centre providing parents with advice and support.
As an experienced social worker you have the opportunity to help many people in Vietnam who are in need of support and guidance in social services.
Use your knowledge and training to help the local staff and assess the physical, mental and social challenges facing the children in Vietnam.


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Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 40 minutes; Cool: 20 minutes. Take 10 minutes to put together this simple cake, and let it bake while you eat dinner.
How to Make It
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at low speed 30 seconds or until moistened. Scrape sides of bowl; beat at medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Pour batter into a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.
Combine powdered sugar, almond extract, and water in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour glaze over top of cake; sprinkle with almonds.
Cooking Light Superfast Suppers