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Comparison of laparoscopic vs. open surgery for rectal cancer
- Authors:
- Zihai Ding
- Zheng Wang
- Shijie Huang
- Shizhen Zhong
- Jianhua Lin
- Published online on: December 15, 2016 https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2016.1112
- Pages: 170-176
Copyright: © Ding et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.
Rectal cancer is the second and the third most common type of cancer in developed countries and worldwide, respectively, with a male: Female incidence ratio of (2–3):1 (1). Thus, a safe and feasible treatment for rectal cancer is urgently required. In 1900, laparoscopy was first used for right hemicolectomy, which was the origin of laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer (2,3). It was then used by Jacobs in 1991 (4), which pioneered the era of laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery. At present, laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer is developing rapidly in China, and is acknowledged by several doctors and patients. However, it has not yet been widely approved or included in international treatment guidelines. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the curative effect of this type of surgery for rectal cancer in order to promote its wider application worldwide.
Patients and methods
Patient selection
A total of 64 cases of rectal cancer patients were randomly divided into the laparoscopic surgery group (LS, n=31) and the open surgery group (OS, n=33). A comparison was made between the two groups according to the clinical data. The patient selection criteria were as follows: All the patients consented to participate in this study, they were all pathologically diagnosed preoperatively via colonofiberscopic biopsy, without evidence of distant metastases to the lung, abdominal cavity, liver or pelvic cavity prior to and during the operation. In addition, the patients were suitable candidates for radical cancer resection. Open or laparoscopic surgery was selected according to the wishes of the patients. The inclusion criteria for the study were as follows: All the patients were diagnosed with rectal cancer, the standard Karnofsky score was >70 prior to surgery, there was a definitive pathological diagnosis and complete clinical data. The exclusion criteria were patients with concomitant tumors that significantly affected survival. Patients with pT4 and pN2 were not included in the study, as such patients were only treated with open surgery in our hospital at that time.
None of the two groups received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The surgeries were performed according to the total mesorectal excision (TME) principle. The extent of tumor resection of these two groups was determined with the aim to achieve negative circumferential and distal margins. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) regarding age, gender, body mass index, localization and topography of the tumor, pathological stage, type of surgery, status of the circumferential and distal margins, quality of mesorectal excision, pT and pN stage of the tumor. The comparison is summarized in Table I. In both groups, a proportion of the patients received anterior resection (Dixon), whereas the remaining patients received abdominoperineal resection (Miles). Thus, as shown in Tables II and III, the comparisons between these two operations were separately performed. Furthermore, patients undergoing the open Dixon procedure received more postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy compared with those undergoing the laparoscopic Dixon procedure (P=0.019).
Table III.
Comparison of general clinical data between the LS and OS groups with the Miles operation.
Patient records/information were anonymized and de-identified prior to analysis. Our research was performed in accordance with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Guangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.
Surgical procedures
The surgical operating principles of the LS and OS groups were the same, following strict rules for achieving a tumor-free status. In both groups, patients underwent the Miles or Dixon operation. The Dixon operation was selected if the tumor was located ≤5 cm from the anus, whereas the Miles operation was selected if the tumor was located ≥5 cm from the anus.
Perioperative and postoperative management protocols
On the day prior to the operation, the auxiliary examinations and preparation were completed and there were no obvious surgical contraindications. The blood pressure and blood sugar levels were effectively controlled. The patients were administered a full liquid diet, intravenous nutrition and oral antibiotics and underwent an enema, skin preparation and preoperative fasting for 12 h. On the day of the operation, a nasogastric tube was inserted and intravenous prophylactic antibiotics were administered 30 min prior to the operation. On the day after the operation, the patients underwent gastrointestinal decompression, indwelling catheterization and electrocardiographic monitoring. The fluid draining from the peritoneal cavity via the drainage tube was carefully observed. After the operation, the patients received routine intravenous antibiotics and intravenous nutrition. Early ambulation was encouraged. The patients were fasted and received gastrointestinal decompression until they passed gas, then were given a full liquid diet for 3 days, a semi-liquid diet for another 3 days and a normal diet thereafter. If the patients had been eating well without any feeling of abdominal discomfort, the peritoneal drainage tube was removed and the intravenous liquid was gradually reduced. The sutures were removed ~1 week after the operation. Chemotherapy was considered 1 month after the operation on the basis of the pathological stage. Chemotherapy in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery was initiated earlier compared with patients undergoing open surgery due to the shorter recovery time following laparoscopy. The chemotherapeutic regimen was generally FOLFOX or FOLFIRI. Two patients with pathological stage I and 32 patients with pathological stage ≥II disease received adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery. In addition, patients with residual lesions were treated with postoperative radiotherapy.
Observation index and follow-up
Indices such as operation time, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes retrieved, time to oral intake of food, duration of postoperative hyperthermia and hospitalization time were recorded. The patients were observed for postoperative complications, including pulmonary infection, formation of fistulas and intestinal adhesions.
Clinical physical examination, measurement of carcinoembryonic antigen levels, computed tomography and colonoscopy were used for follow-up. The patients were followed up yearly after the operation. Thorough follow-up protocols were applied to assess local recurrence, pulmonary metastasis and multiple metastases. Survival status was constantly assessed and the 3-year tumor-free survival rate was calculated.
Statistical analysis
All obtained data were analyzed with the SPSS 19.0 statistical software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. The Student's t-test was used for continuous variables and the Chi-square test for categorical variables. In addition, the Kaplan-Meir method was used for survival comparison. P<0.05 indicated a statistically significant difference.
Comparison between the LS and OS groups in patients undergoing the Dixon procedure
For patients undergoing the Dixon procedure, the LS group had a longer operation time compared with the OS group (271.2±56.2 vs. 216.0±62.7 min, respectively; P=0.036), and a shorter time to oral intake (3.0±0.9 vs. 4.7±1.0 days, respectively; P=0.000). There was no significant difference between the LS and OS groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss (107.1±69.4 vs. 166.4±81.6 ml, respectively; P=0.096), number of lymph nodes retrieved (7±4 vs. 6±6, respectively; P=0.604), duration of postoperative hyperthermia (2.6±0.5 vs. 2.6±1.6 days, respectively; P=0.930) and hospitalization time (19.8±3.8 vs. 25.8±5.2 days, respectively; P=0.067). In addition, there was no significant difference between the LS and OS groups with the Dixon operation regarding 3-year tumor-free survival rate (35.0 vs. 38.1%, respectively; P=0.837), as indicated in Table IV.
Table IV.
Comparison of therapeutic effect between the LS group and OS groups with the Dixon operation.
Comparison between the LS and OS groups in patients undergoing the Miles procedure
For patients undergoing the Miles procedure, there was no significant difference between the LS and OS groups in terms of operation time (310.5±93.2 vs. 284.2±77.2 min, respectively; P=0.551), intraoperative blood loss (211.1±74.0 vs. 280.0±164.3 ml, respectively; P=0.416), number of lymph nodes retrieved (5±7 vs. 8±4, respectively; P=0.429), time to oral intake (3.1±0.4 vs. 3.7±1.0, respectively; P=0.203), duration of postoperative hyperthermia (2.4±1.2 vs. 3.2±1.0 days, respectively; P=0.210) and hospitalization time (26.6±7.8 vs. 31.5±10.0 days, respectively; P=0.314). Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the LS and OS groups regarding 3-year tumor-free survival rate (36.4 vs. 33.3%, respectively; P=0.879), as indicated in Table V.
The operation was successfully performed in all the patients, without damage to the adjacent organs and supplying blood vessels. Only 1 case of laparoscopic Dixon operation was converted to the open Dixon procedure due to bleeding. There was no circumferential margin positivity in any of the patients. All cases of preoperative anemia were corrected prior to surgery. There was 1 patient with a distal surgical margin at a distance of only 1 cm from the lesion (pathological TNM stage III, pathological Dukes' stage C), who was treated postoperatively with the FOLFOX chemotherapeutic regimen; the patient survived for 4 years. Apart from patients undergoing the Miles operation, no patient received a diverting loop ostomy. Intestinal decompression measures were commonly applied; a plastic thread tube with negative pressure was used intraoperatively to suction the intestinal contents when necessary. Every effort was made to secure the bowel anastomosis during the first phase of the operation. Therefore, unless there was severe inflammation or edema in the bowel wall caused by obstruction, a diverting loop stoma was seldom adopted. In addition, there was 1 case of postoperative pulmonary infection among LS group patients undergoing the Miles operation, 2 cases of postoperative pulmonary infection in the OS group (1 Dixon and 1 Miles operation) and 2 cases of postoperative intestinal adhesion in the OS group (1 Dixon and 1 Miles operation). Only 1 patient undergoing the laparoscopic Miles operation developed the postoperative complication of chronic perineal fistula; the patient recovered following fistulectomy. No other patients developed fistula. There was 1 case of local recurrence (descending colon cancer) 1.5 years later in the LS group with the Dixon operation, and 1 case of local recurrence (cancer of the hepatic flexure) 1 year later in the OS group with the Dixon operation. There were 2 cases of lung metastasis in the LS group with the Miles operation (1 at 6 years and 1 at 5 years after the operation), and 2 cases of lung metastasis in the OS group (1 within the first year after the Dixon operation, and 1 in the second year after the Miles operation). Furthermore, there was 1 case of multiple metastases (lung, liver and urethra) in the LS group >3 years after the Miles operation, and 1 case of multiple metastases (bladder and lung) in the OS group >1 year after the Dixon operation.
In the 3 years after the operation, 1 case was lost to follow-up from the LS group and 2 cases from the OS group. The 95% confidence interval of the LS and OS groups with the Dixon operation were 78–116 and 109–184 months, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding postoperative chemotherapy (P>0.05). The survival curves of the OS and LS groups with the Dixon operation are shown in Fig. 1. Similarly, the 95% confidence interval of the LS and OS group with Miles operation were 39–100 and 7.4–48 months, respectively. There was no significant difference in postoperative chemotherapy between these two groups (P>0.05). The survival curves of the OS and LS groups with the Miles operation are shown in Fig. 2.
Figure 1.
Survival curves of the LS and OS groups with the Dixon operation. LS, laparoscopic surgery; OS, open surgery.
Figure 2.
Survival curves of the LS and OS groups with the Miles operation. LS, laparoscopic surgery; OS, open surgery.
Rectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer worldwide, with a yearly increasing incidence. Surgical resection is the preferred curative approach to cancer treatment. Laparoscopic surgery is a rapidly advancing, minimally invasive operative procedure. Laparoscopic colon surgery was first reported in 1991 (5), after which time it has been increasingly performed worldwide for the treatment of colorectal cancer. In 1993, laparoscopic colectomy was introduced in China, and it has become a proficient and widely used method over the past 10 years. Laparoscopic colectomy has been generally acknowledged as an effective therapy (6). However, laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer had not been recommended outside a clinical trial (7), and remains controversial due to the limited availability of long-term data on survival and recurrence (8). As a therapy for malignant tumors, the operative safety and long-term effects of laparoscopic surgery are under constant scrutiny.
In this study, the operation time with the laparoscopic Dixon operation was longer compared with that with open surgery. The difference was statistically significant, as laparoscopic surgery was more complicated and the operators did not have adequate technical proficiency. Laparoscopic radical resection of rectal carcinoma is an operation with distinct anatomical characteristics and it is crucial to determine the accurate anatomical plane and distinguish anatomic landmarks during laparoscopy. Operative laparoscopy mainly consists of three steps, namely vessel separation, lymph node dissection and ensuring a tumor-free resection margin. In this study, there was no significant difference between laparoscopic and open surgery with the Miles operation for rectal cancer treatment. Although technically challenging, laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery may provide a more magnified view of the pelvic cavity compared with open surgery, which may facilitate the resection of the mesorectum with a higher accuracy and greater ease (9). The duration of postoperative hyperthermia reflects the degree of trauma. In this study, there was no significant difference in the duration of postoperative hyperthermia between laparoscopic and open surgery, although the operation time of laparoscopic surgery was longer compared with that of open surgery, possibly due to the minimal invasiveness of the laparoscopic procedure. Furthermore, compared with open surgery, the laparoscopic method is associated with smaller incisions, less tissue damage, less postoperative discomfort, shorter time to ambulation and a lower incidence of postoperative complications. The visual field under a laparoscope is broader, which is helpful for intraoperative exploration, particularly in patients with tumors of the lower rectum. In addition, the laparoscope may be inserted into the pelvis minor and provide a better view of the surgical field, which may be helpful in distinguishing and preserving key structures, such as the pelvic nerve plexus, so as to avoid postoperative urinary retention and sexual dysfunction. Moreover, the cavitation effect produced by the ultrasonic knife on the tissue plane may enable faster and more accurate dissection of the rectum, so that the pelvic nerve plexus is protected and the risk of damage to the sacral venous plexus is reduced. With accumulation of technical experience and an increasing number of skilled operators, the operation time for laparoscopic rectal cancer resection may be further shortened.
Dural et al (8) reported that patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer had similar incidence rates of complications, circumferential resection margin involvement, and long-term outcomes compared with those undergoing open surgery. However, laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer had the advantage of minimal invasiveness. These conclusions were in agreement with ours. Although laparoscopic surgery may require more advanced technical skills, the same long-term oncological results were obtained with this technique compared with open surgery (8). In this study, the postoperative complications with laparoscopic surgery, such as pulmonary infection and intestinal adhesions, were similar to those of open surgery. The time to oral intake of the LS group was shorter compared with that of the OS group, which meant faster gastrointestinal recovery following laparoscopic surgery. Patients in the LS group had a shorter hospital stay, which reduced the cost of medical treatment and the burden of the patients. In the literature, laparoscopy was found to be cost-effective for rectal cancer surgery, improving health care expenditure as well as patients' outcomes. For selected patients, laparoscopic rectal cancer resection may shorten the hospitalization time, operating time and resource utilization (10). In addition, oncologic clearance of the resection margins and the number of lymph nodes removed were similar between the laparoscopic and open surgery groups (9,11–14). This was consistent with our results. Distal margins remain the most widely debated pathological parameter for total mesorectal excision surgery. Initially, a 5-cm distal margin was considered to be necessary. However, this criterion was refuted in the 1980s when the distal tumor spread was found to be <5 cm (15). Recently, several studies suggested that <1 cm or even a merely negative margin may be acceptable (16,17). The extent of tumor removal and metastatic lymph node dissection are key to rectal cancer surgery and are associated with the quality of life, recurrence rate and survival rate postoperatively.
Two recent meta-analyses demonstrated that a clear benefit was conferred by the construction of a stoma, with significantly low leakage and reoperation rates (18,19). Although a stoma was not constructed in our patients, there was only 1 case of chronic perineal fistula in a male patient with a stage III tumor undergoing the laparoscopic Miles operation. The patient recovered following fistulectomy. The inherent drawbacks of laparoscopic rectal resection, such as the narrow space in which to insert the stapling device, inadequate traction and the oblique cutting angle, may require multiple applications of the linear stapler. A recent study reported that an unduly long transection line with multiple staples may result in anastomotic leakage (20,21). In this study, one-stage anastomosis of the colon and rectum was feasible in the majority of the patients, which requires full preoperative upper intestinal preparation (emptying), sufficient broad anastomosis with good blood supply and without tension, and distal intestinal patency. During the Dixon operation, prior to inserting the stapling apparatus, the anus was stretched to 4–6 fingers. A drainage tube was inserted into the pelvic cavity. All those measures were effective in preventing anastomotic fistula formation. Furthermore, Park et al reported that male gender, low anastomosis, preoperative chemoradiation, advanced tumor stage, perioperative bleeding and multiple firings of the linear stapler increased the risk of anastomotic leakage following laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer. A diverting stoma may be mandatory in patients with ≥2 of the abovementioned risk factors (22).
In recent years, accumulating evidence from single- and multicenter randomized trials indicated that laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer was associated with earlier postoperative recovery, lower morbidity and better short-term quality of life compared with open surgery (23). Thus, it was concluded that laparoscopic surgery was associated with a greater short-term benefit compared with open surgery. However, this approach was not widely accepted, partly due to its technical difficulties and certain doubts regarding its long-term oncological outcomes. Recent randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer is similar to open surgery in terms of oncological outcome, and several advantages of laparoscopic surgery have been reported regarding short-term outcomes. However, controversy persists regarding the appropriateness of laparoscopic surgery for patients with rectal carcinoma due to concerns regarding the safety of the procedure and the uncertainty of the long-term outcome (24). The first randomized study describing long-term oncological outcomes was reported by Braga et al (14), who observed that there was no difference between the two approaches in terms of 5-year overall and disease-free survivals. Laurent et al (25) reported that laparoscopic surgery was an independent predictor of better overall survival, but not cancer-specific survival, for rectal cancer. The authors concluded that the type of surgery did not affect cancer outcome. Yamamoto et al reported that laparoscopic surgery may be used for safe and radical resection of clinical stage 0/I rectal cancer, without increasing the short-term surgical and oncological risks (26). The study of Lacy et al (27) demonstrated that, compared with open surgery, laparoscopic surgery may confer a survival benefit in patients with rectal cancer of Duke's stage C. These may be attributed to the reduced contact of the tumor with the abdominal organs during extraction, minimizing the risk of spread, vision amplification with the laparoscopic camera, vascular ligation of higher precision, and more thorough regional lymph node dissection. In our study, the postoperative survival rate of laparoscopic surgery was similar with that of open surgery, indicating that laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer is safe and feasible.
In this study, although there was a difference in postoperative chemotherapy between patients in the LS and the OS groups undergoing the Dixon operation, there was no significant difference in long-term outcome between the two surgeries. The effect of chemotherapy on long-term survival will be addressed in another study. In this study, there were significant differences between laparoscopic and open surgery for rectal cancer in terms of short-term results, such as operation time and hospitalization. However, there was no significant difference regarding long-time survival rate. In addition, the minimal invasiveness and safety of laparoscopic surgery are acknowledged by an increasing number of doctors and patients. It is considered that, with the continuous advances in technology, accumulation of clinical experience and improving team collaboration, laparoscopic surgery will be more widely applied by more medical centers specializing on rectal cancer treatment. We consider laparoscopic surgery to be a safe and feasible option for rectal cancer treatment.
We would like to thank our colleagues H.J.S., L.S.J. and Z.J. for their assistance and collaboration.
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Veteran actress Helen turned 80 on November 21 and the Khan family has thrown a grand birthday bash for Helen. It was attended by close family members and friends. Helen's colleagues and veteran actresses Waheeda Rehman and Asha Parikh were also part of the celebration. The party took place at So ... read more
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subset: commoncrawl


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This soap has a plastic scorpion in it. This great to give someone who loves scorpions. It weighs approximately .8 oz.
This soap is made with clear glycerin soap and scented with black magic, unless requested otherwise.
This soap contains small objects that could be a choke hazard. Not recommended for children under 5 years old.


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Yes, this stuff is good for the environment, but mostly we just like the way it looks.
Find some welcome shade under this 9-foot UV-protective umbrella on an FSC-certified wood pole. crateandbarrel.com
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Ever seen that t-shirt? In big letters, it says "Viral marketing doesn't work". The rest of the shirt says "tell everyone you know". You know, just like direct mail doesn't work and Google AdWords doesn't work.
Neither do electrical circuits, if you don't know how to design them. Skills required to use these tools aren't second nature, or instinct. They require study.
Want to learn about direct mail that works? Start by reading Dick Benson's book (available at Boardroom books). Want to learn about AdWords? Start with Perry Marshall's book and email series. Want to learn about viral marketing? Read Seth Godin's books, among others.
Viral marketing sells pork. It sells cars. It sells marketing and business consulting work. It sells coffee. It sells a ton of things.
Viral marketing sells pork?
Yeah. Remember a spider named Charlotte? Her viral marketing message was… "Some Pig".
E.B. White knew about viral marketing way back when. His character used it when she weaved those words into a spider web in the barn where a little pig named Wilbur lived.
Viral marketing does work, if you know how to use it. Seth didn't invent it, he just fine tuned it and uses it very effectively. There's no reason why you can't do the same. Just takes a little effort, whether it's direct mail, viral, AdWords or some other skill.
Update: Another example of viral "marketing",
the recent Virginia snow day episode.


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As our Designated Paralegal, Sylvie contributes nearly three decades of civil litigation experience – with half that time in a family law environment – to Connect's family law offering. Since completing her formal legal training at Capilano College (now University) in 1989, she has worked in law firms both large and small. At Connect, Sylvie's responsibilities include preparing the full spectrum of court materials and bringing order to the production of the financial and other documents on behalf of our clients.
Sylvie's thorough understanding of litigation rules and procedure, relentless organizational skills, keen attention to detail, and positive, drama-free approach to problem-solving make her an indispensable member of our legal team. Whether she is working with our clients or opposing counsel, she consistently exudes a cheerful calm under pressure.
Away from the office, Sylvie is a voracious reader and traveller. She is also married and the mother of two adult children (and stepmother to three more), she is a long-time resident of the Lower Mainland but hails originally from Chemainus on Vancouver Island.


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So in the past three years, give or take, I've moved twice, lost a sister, gained a fiance and a cat and doubled my teaching load (moved from a 4 period day to a 7 period day). That said, I barely read blogs anymore.
Are people paying so much attention to facebook that blogs are the frontier again (or even worse, are they MySpace!?)? It seems that teacher facebook scandals are bigger than anything the blogs were experiencing when last I was around. It leads me to wonder if there's greater civility over here in the land of the full paragraph. In fact, as I remember it, this was the very thing I had planned to write about when I left: I won't get on facebook because I'm a full paragraph gal. Prose=civility! Status updates are for looky loos!
Then we had a snow storm and I got on facebook.
Turns out that talking with old "from real life" friends on the internet was much of what I needed to pull me out of a funk--a funk that I later realized was the confusion of living with a sister whose frontal lobe was greatly compromised. I think I'm discovering that there's a place for all of this, it's just a matter of what news goes where.
And I'm not sure what news goes here now. I am thinking big thoughts about my job--What is all this testing going to do to us? Are the big changes happening in the biz going to kill public ed or is it just another change? I'm thinking about being married. I'm thinking about being forty (because that happened too) and if I have any business thinking of kids (Advice to you my reader? Don't ask). Does all of that belong here and is anyone listening? Remains to be seen, I suppose.
Thanks, Amerloc, for the happy welcome back. Again, we'll see what happens.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Blog Van Winkle (Rip Van Blogle? Rip Blog Winkle?)
Posted by educat at 12/11/2011 08:01:00 AM
3 comments:
- "Ms. Cornelius" said...
- Amanda Shankle-Knowlton said...
I don't think I knew your sis was showing signs of this prior to what led her to go to the ER. Blergh.
- educat said...
Wanna play amateur shrink? I had no idea they were symptoms. Just lots of strange and hurtful behavior. I just had to decide that we'd still be sisters (honestly, I considered backing out of the wedding) and bite my lip and smile. I think that's why I took her death as well as I did, I had mourned losing her months before I knew she was ill.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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I have more information about the counterexample
to the Hirsch conjecture. A version of the paper is circulating. It should be available May 24 to the public if all goes well. It looks like there are more vertices then previously thought $2^{46}$ rather than a billion. Also there is an estimate of computation time of $2^{30}$ thousand year periods. My source for this is the following post.
Hirsch Conjecture 3
I have more information about the counterexample


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Center plans holiday open house
The Garden and Arts Center will host a holiday open house from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at 4215 University Ave.
The free event, which will be in conjunction with the First Friday Art Trail, features refreshments, a group of arts and craft vendors selling holiday gifts for less than $50, and a children's area with a holiday craft to work on.
The goal of the Garden and Arts Center is to offer an array of classes and events for all ages, ranging from basic painting, drawing and photography, to specialized classes such as stained glass and mosaics. Information is available by phone at 767-3724, email email@example.com, and the website www.lubbockgac.org.


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The Copac national, academic, and special library catalogue now includes links to documents in Google Book Search. Where a record contains an ISBN a link appears on the right of the Full record display and will take one of three forms:
- Google Full View: this link takes you to an online copy of the book.
- Google Preview: this allows you to see a limited number of pages from the book.
- Google Book Search: most links will be in this form. These links don't offer a view of the book itself, but in some cases there will be options such as links to web sites mentioning the book, links to other works that reference the book etc.
Find out more about how the linking is done from:
Inside Google Book Search: Preview books anywhere with the new Google Book Search API


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Nancy Werkmeister, a former assistant principal at North High School involved with the problem-ridden credit recovery program, is now working at Montbello High School. Denver Public Schools spokesman Mike Vaughn says Werkmeister "has a part-time contract to help with scheduling to make sure students are matched with the right classes, so that they're getting all the credits they need to graduate."
At North, Werkmeister called several of the shots when it came to the school's credit recovery program. According to former staffers and e-mails provided to Westword, it was her decision to allow students to access websites such as www.answers.com, which staffers say they were using to cheat in online credit recovery courses.
An e-mail she wrote also implied that students would be allowed to skip the online coursework and go straight to the final exam. She wrote: "We have given the students the opportunity to demonstrate success in a failed class by allowing them to take the final exam from Apex," which is the credit recovery system North was using. "This needs to go through Nancy first," she added, referring to herself.
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After Westword wrote about reported issues with North's program, DPS asked the state Department of Education to investigate allegations of cheating. The investigation found that most of the allegations were true and blamed the problems on poor adult oversight. "The adults responsible for the problems associated with the North credit recovery program have been dealt with," the investigation report noted.
Vaughn says DPS is not concerned about Werkmeister working at Montbello, which also has a credit recovery program. "Ms. Werkmeister has extensive experience in this area (scheduling), and the high school office feels that she is providing important support to Montbello and its students," he wrote in an e-mail to Westword.
North's former principal, Ed Salem, also moved to a different job in the district. Originally, he was supposed to leave North to take the principal position at Abraham Lincoln High School. But last May, he backed out; in a letter, district officials said he "decided not to accept the role of principal in order to be able to spend more time with his family." Then, in July, Westword reported that Salem had accepted a job as a teacher at the Denver Center for 21st Century Learning, DPS's newest "multiple pathways" school.
More from our Education archive: "Denver Public Schools's graduation rate climbs while dropout rate stays the same."


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First Tesla in Trinidad
So it's a normal Thursday night and I'm in bed with my phone. Boom. I see a post that the first Tesla to reach Trinidad has happened. I go crazy. This is major. So I began trying to get as much info as possible. The vehicle is for show and was brought in by Smart Energy Limited. Kudos to them. Here are some preliminary photos courtesy of them. I hope to get some more in the future. The Tesla is expected to be on display at Movietowne next week Saturday from 10am to 10pm (to be confirmed). Stay tuned to their facebook page to confirm this. This is major and I am super excited. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Update 1 : A question was posed about whether the car can be registered seeing that the engine does not carry a CC measurement. I was told that it can and got some additional information.
- They will be bringing in more
- It will have a warranty period
- Soon all taxes will be removed, no MVT so CC doesn't apply
- Planned : A few garages for maintenance
- Planned : Charging stations (Solar powered ones also)
- They will lobby for incentives
- They will promote a carbon free transportation system and legislation to factor in self driving cars
Update 3 : Yo Pro is also having an event. This an other events are listed on their website under the Events tab where you can also sign up for emailed updates. These projects will be branded as Smart Energy Initiatives.
|Charging Port


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Tony Faure, the head of ninemsn has quit as chief executive claiming he is "not the right person" to take the business forward.
This is in addition to Chris Noone resigning as head of mobile. And it follows recent departures of commercial director Jason Scott, marketing director Tony Thomas who quit in March, and Jane O'Connell, the head of content and network innovation who quit in December and is now working for ninemsn partner Microsoft in Singapore. Scott has also turned up at MSN's Asia Pacific operation.
It's not a good look.
Wonder how much is attributable to the private equity influence?


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!! History Commons Alert, Exciting News
We are planning some big changes! Please follow us to stay updated and be part of our community.
Project: US MilitaryOpen-Content project managed by matt, Derek, mtuck
add event | references
The US Army Chemical Warfare Service, working with a Harvard University team of researchers led by Dr. Louis Fieser, develop napalm (naphthenic palmitic acids), a flammable, gasoline-based incendiary weapon. Early napalm is made by mixing the aluminum soap powder of naphthene and palmitate (naphthenic and palmitic acids) with gasoline. [New England Chemists Journal, n.d. ; Limqueco and Weiss, 1971; Remes, 2000] A later formula, referred to as "Napalm-B," uses 46 percent polystyrene, 33 percent gasoline and 21 percent benzene. The US uses the weapon in all of its major conflicts. The incendiary weapon produces a fiery explosion that sometimes hits temperatures of more than 5,000 degrees. It sucks oxygen out of the air and can kill people who are not burned to death by asphyxiation. [San Francisco Chronicle, 4/1/2001; Sydney Morning Herald, 8/8/2003]
Entity Tags: Paul Harkins
Category Tags: Incendiary Weapons
During the Vietnam war, the US uses a total of 373,000 tons of napalm. [St. Petersburg Times, 12/3/2000; Boston Globe, 5/1/2001] One ton of napalm alone is enough to burn a football field in seconds. [BBC, 4/24/2001] The use of napalm in Vietnam is widespread and is a favorite weapon of the US military command. General Paul Harkins says it "really puts the fear of God into the Vietcong—and that is what counts." [Hilsman, 1967] Pilots are given authority to use the weapon without prior authorization if the original target is inaccessible. [Herring, 1986, pp. 10] Entire villages are destroyed by napalm bombs. [Deans, n.d.]
Timeline Tags: US-Vietnam (1947-2001)
Category Tags: Other WMDs, Incendiary Weapons, Key Events
Dow Chemical, and other companies like United Aircraft Corp. (which produced it for a shorter period of time), produce napalm for the US Army. [Business Week, 2/10/1969; San Francisco Chronicle, 4/1/2001]
Entity Tags: United Aircraft Corp, Dow Chemical
In Geneva, Protocol III (Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons) of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons is adopted on October 10, 1980, making it illegal to use incendiary weapons on civilian populations and restricting the use of these weapons against military targets that are located within a concentration of civilians. Such weapons are considered "to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects." 51 countries initially sign the document and on December 2, 1983, its provisions are entered into force. By the end of 2004, 104 countries sign and 97 ratify the protocol. [Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Protocol III, 10/10/1980; United Nations, 11/19/2004] The US is not a party to this protocol and continues to use incendiary weapons in all its major conflicts. It is the only country to do so. [Independent, 8/10/2003]
Category Tags: Incendiary Weapons, Key Events
Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois produces 500 Mark-77 firebombs for the US Marines. [Sydney Morning Herald, 8/9/2003] Mark-77 firebombs are a more advanced and perfected design (see 1963-1973) of the napalm bombs that were used during Vietnam (see August 2003).
Entity Tags: Rock Island Arsenal
The United States admits to using Mark 77 firebombs, an incendiary weapon that has virtually the same effect as napalm (see 1942), in Iraq. The weapon is so similar in fact that troops commonly refer to it as napalm. [CNN, 3/21/2003; Sydney Morning Herald, 3/22/2003] In August 2003, Marine Colonel Mark Daly will confirm that Mark 77 bombs were dropped by Marine jets around the Kuwait-Iraq border at the start of the war. A senior Pentagon official confirms that the bombs have "similar destructive characteristics" to napalm. Early reports of "napalm" being used in an attack on Iraqi troops at Safwan Hill, near the Kuwait border, by an Australian journalist were denied by US officials, who claimed that the military destroyed its last batch of napalm in April 2001. However, only the Vietnam-era Napalm-B was actually destroyed. [Sunday Mirror, 8/10/2003] According to Marine Colonel Randolph Alles, "The generals love napalm—it has a big psychological effect." [San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/5/2003] A Pentagon official says: "It is like this: you've got an enemy that's hard to get at. And it will save your own lives to use it." The Mark 77 is loaded with 44 pounds of gelling compound and 63 gallons of jet fuel. The use of incendiary weapons on civilian populations is banned by Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (see October 10, 1980-December 2, 1983), which also restricts the use of these weapons against military targets that are located within a concentration of civilians. The UN's ban, passed in 1980, has never been signed by the US. [Sunday Mirror, 8/10/2003]
Entity Tags: Mark Daly, Randolph Alles, United Nations, US Department of Defense
Timeline Tags: Iraq under US Occupation
The US Air Force website emphatically denies the use of napalm in Iraq (see March 22, 2003), posting a "disinformation alert" on its website. "The claims that we are using napalm in Iraq are patently false," the alert claims. It also says that the United States' stock of napalm bombs was destroyed in 2001 and that the Sydney Morning Herald has said it will be pulling its story (see March 22, 2003), which it never does. [US Department of Defense, 3/22/2003]
CNN and the Sydney Morning Herald report that the US used napalm to destroy an Iraqi intelligence gathering operation on top of Safwan Hill in southern Iraq. A source tells reporter Lindsay Murdoch that US Navy aircraft dropped 40,000 pounds of explosives and napalm (see 1942). However, a US Navy spokesman in Washington, Lieutenant Commander Danny Hernandez, denies that napalm was used in the attack. Hernandez claims that it is not even in the military's arsenal. [CNN, 3/21/2003; Sydney Morning Herald, 3/22/2003] It is later learned (see August 2003) that the actual weapons were Mark 77 Firebombs, an incendiary weapon that has virtually the same effect as napalm.
Entity Tags: Danny Hernandez
The US says it is using Mark-77 firebombs in Iraq. Mark-77s are incendiary weapons that have a "remarkably similar" effect to that of napalm. The main difference between the two weapons is that Mark-77 firebombs use kerosene-based jet fuel whereas napalm used gasoline. The newer firebombs are also said to be more difficult to extinguish but to have less of an impact on the environment. [San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/5/2003; Agence France-Presse, 8/8/2003] But critics say the difference is minute. Technically, the name, "napalm," refers to the combination of naphthalene and palmitate which was used only in the very earliest versions of such bombs (see 1942). Later firebombs, such as the napalm used in Vietnam, was made from polystyrene instead. Yet these bombs continued to be referred to as napalm, or "Napalm-B." Therefore critics say that by substituting jet fuel for gasoline, the military had just developed a more advanced napalm bomb. John Pike, director of the military studies group GlobalSecurity.Org, explains: "You can call it something other than napalm but it is still napalm. It has been reformulated in the sense that they now use a different petroleum distillate, but that is it." [Sydney Morning Herald, 8/8/2003; Sydney Morning Herald, 8/9/2003; Independent, 8/10/2003]
Entity Tags: John Pike
Darrin Mortenson, a reporter for a local San Diego newspaper who is embedded with an artillery unit during Operation Vigilant Resolve in Fallujah, reports that white phosphorus is being used against human targets. Mortenson describes how mortar team leader Corporal Nicholas Bogert, after receiving a fire mission over the radio, "directed his men to fire round after round of high explosives and white phosphorus charges into the city Friday and Saturday [April 9 and 10], never knowing what the targets were or what damage the resulting explosions caused." The shells were fired "into a cluster of buildings where insurgents have been spotted all week," the reporter writes, adding that "[e]very day since they started firing rounds into the city, other Marines have stopped by the mortar pit to take a turn dropping mortars into the tube and firing at some unseen target."
[North County Times, 4/10/2004] In a November 2004 email to the Independent, the reporter writes: "During the fight I was describing in my article, WP mortar rounds were used to create a fire in a palm grove and a cluster of concrete buildings that were used as cover by Iraqi snipers and teams that fired heavy machine guns at US choppers."
[Independent, 11/15/2005]
Entity Tags: Nicholas Bogert
Category Tags: Incendiary Weapons, Combat Actions and Events
US forces use white phosphorus (WP) gas munitions as incendiary weapons against human targets during their seige of Fallujah, Iraq (see November 8, 2004). [Inter Press Service, 11/26/2003; Daily Telegraph, 11/9/2004; San Francisco Chronicle, 11/10/2004; Rainews24 (Italy), 11/2005] White phosphorus—also known as Willy Pete or Whiskey Pete—is used by the military for signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes. White phosphorus munitions, upon explosion, distribute particles over a wide swath of area. They burn spontaneously in the air and will continue to burn until all white phosphorus particles have disappeared. The smoke easily penetrates clothing and protective gear and can burn a person's flesh to the bone. [Democracy Now!, 11/8/2005; GlobalSecurity (.org), 11/9/2005] According to Jeff Englehart, a US soldier involved in the seige of Fallujah, "Phosphorus burns bodies, in fact it melts the flesh all the way down to the bone.… Phosphorus explodes and forms a cloud. Anyone within a radius of 150 meters is done for." [Independent, 11/8/2004] Iraqi Witnesses Allege Use of Incendiary Weapons - "Poisonous gases have been used in Fallujah," 35-year-old trader from Fallujah Abu Hammad tells reporter Dahr Jamail. "They used everything—tanks, artillery, infantry, poison gas. Fallujah has been bombed to the ground." Another resident, Abu Sabah, from the Julan area, explains: "They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud. Then small pieces fall from the air with long tails of smoke behind them." He says the pieces then explode into large fires that burn the skin even when water is applied. "People suffered so much from these," he adds. [Inter Press Service, 11/26/2003] Corroborating their accounts, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that some "Insurgents reported being attacked with a substance that melted their skin, a reaction consistent with white phosphorous burns." Kamal Hadeethi, a physician at a regional hospital, tells the newspaper, "The corpses of the mujahedeen which we received were burned, and some corpses were melted." [San Francisco Chronicle, 11/10/2004] Alternate Explanation - Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, in November 2005, will deny that US troops used white phosphorus gas against people in Fallujah. "I know of no cases where people were deliberately targeted by the use of white phosphorus," he tells Democracy Now. "White phosphorus is used for obscuration, which white phosphorus produces a heavy thick smoke to shield us or them from view so that they cannot see what we are doing. It is used to destroy equipment, to destroy buildings. That is what white phosphorus shells are used for." He insists that the pictures showing melted corpses with clothing still intact is not proof of white phosphorus attacks. "That can happen from numerous ways and not just from white phosphorus attacks. That can happen from massive explosions. If you look at the car bombs that the terrorists use today, you have the same effects from car bombs from suicide vests. I have personally witnessed these things here in Baghdad." [Democracy Now!, 11/8/2005] Pentagon Confirms Use of White Phosphorus against 'Enemy Combatants' - The Pentagon, however, does not deny that the weapon was used against human targets. On November 14, 2005, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Barry Venables says that white phosphorus was used to "fire at the enemy." He adds: "It burns.… It's an incendiary weapon. That is what it does." [Independent, 11/15/2005] "It was used as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants." [BBC, 11/16/2005] Against US Army Policy - In 1980, the Convention on Conventional Weapons banned the use of incendiary devices, like white phosphorous, in heavily populated areas. The United States was one of the few countries that refused to sign the agreement (see October 10, 1980-December 2, 1983). Even so, an instruction manual used by the US Army Command and General Staff School (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas states that "it is against the law of land warfare to employ WP against personnel targets." [Independent, 11/19/2005] First-Hand Accounts - There are a number of first-hand accounts of the battle, as well as video footage and photographs, suggesting the use of white phosphorus against human targets. Jeff Englehart, who is in a tactical attack center about 200 meters from where a lot of the explosions that are happening [Democracy Now!, 11/8/2005] , later recalls: "I heard the order to pay attention because they were going to use white phosphorus on Fallujah. In military jargon it's known as Willy Pete.… I saw the burned bodies of women and children." [Rainews24 (Italy), 11/2005] Photographs provided by the Studies Centre of Human Rights in Fallujah [Rainews24 (Italy), 11/2005] include numerous high-quality, color close-ups of bodies of Fallujah residents, some still in their beds, whose clothes remain largely intact but whose skin has been dissolved or caramelized by the shells. [Independent, 11/8/2004] A documentary, titled Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre, broadcast on Italian news channel RAI a year after the assault shows helicopters launching white phosphorus munitions directly into the city. [Rainews24 (Italy), 11/2005] According to the RAI film, the US has attempted to destroy filmed evidence of the alleged use of white phosphorus on civilians in Falluja. [Rainews24 (Italy), 11/2005; BBC, 11/8/2005] A March 2005 US Army report written by three US artillery men who participated in the siege will confirm that white phosphorus was used against human targets during the siege. "WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE [High Explosive weapons]. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out." [Field Artillery, 3/2005 ; Independent, 11/15/2005]
Entity Tags: Steve Boylan, Abu Sabah, Abu Hammad, United States
Category Tags: Key Events, Incendiary Weapons, Combat Actions and Events
General Topic Areas
Key Events
Specific cases and issues
Treatment of US Troops
Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Astronomers estimate that there are 200 to 400 billion stars in our galactic neighbourhood, the Milky Way. I guess that someone tried to count them in this fully-zoomable, ultra-high-definition 800,000-image mosaic and got tired around 296,351,284,702.
The 800,000-image mosaic was assembled by NASA last year from Spitzer Space Telescope photographs. But looking at a 37m image is hard unless you are in front of a printed copy. That's why someone has put them all together into a fully-zoomable panorama that you can enjoy here. [Thanks Joe!]


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Promax Colostrum Tank 2500L
Made entirely from UV-stabilised, food-grade polyethylene. Promax Colostrum Tanks are translucent making it easy to monitor quantities.
Stirring and inspection are simple with the easy-access inspection lid.
- 2500L Capacity
- Translucent polyethylene tanks designed specifically for the diary industry
- 50mm outlet for easy access
- 450mm diameter offset inspection lid
- 2 tie down / lifting points for easy maneuverability.
$949.99 (incl. GST)
|Promax Colostrum Tank 2500L
Promax Corrugated tanks are so tough you can bury them up to 1 metre in the ground - and they still retain their 20 year warranty!
Often a project can have height restrictions but also the need for a large amount of water storage - the Promax Corrugated big tanks are a perfect solution to this problem.
5,500 gallons
Installation costs vary from project to project - it depends on your exact situation!
We recommend you speak to your plumber or drainlayer to get a quote for installation.
The lead time from order to delivery is approximately 5 - 10 working days.
This can vary on time of year and where your property is located.
If you require your tank urgently or have specific delivery requirements talk to our customer services team - they will be able to help ensure you get your tank when you require it.
Our products are available to be purchased through most rural and plumbing merchants, because the size of the range they normally order on request however some do hold a standard range in stock.
Our customer services team will be able to help point you to a local stockist - call us on 0800 77 66 29.
If it is your primary source of water, most district councils require you to have a minimum of 25,000 ltrs.
Click here to learn how to purchase Promax product online.


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BY Ysabell On Jun 01, 2018 Template
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Whether we like it or not Bloggers are taking over the fashion world one follower at a time.
With blogging becoming widely accepted as legitimate media and a source of inspiration sparking a new world that truly screams the spirit of this generation.
Montreal and Sensation Mode have been beyond supportive in our growth and it was at the Festival Mode & Design that bloggers took control of the stage with 5 Bloggers 5 Looks.
The second day for nudabite and I was very exciting and close to home for me as I watched five awesome local bloggers, at Place Ville-Marie, each create five looks that showcase looks true to their respective blogs and style to show festival goers that bloggers do it way better!
Dentelle&Fleurs, Fashionista 514, Je suis L'Aristocrate, Blogue Mode de Rue and Ton petit look rocked the stage to birth one of the most creative and enriching shows of the festival (blogger bias?).
Ton Petit Look
Dentelle Fleurs
Je Suis L'Aristocrate
Lolitta for Mode De la Rue
Robyn for Fashionista514
Video courtesy of Nudabite.com
Follow all of the bloggers on twitter:


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GLS1O/GLE1O/GLE2O Learning Strategies 1: Skills or Success, Grade 9 (Open)
This course focuses on learning strategies to help students become better, more independent learners. Students will learn how to develop and apply literacy and numeracy skills, personal-management skills, and interpersonal and teamwork skills to improve their learning and achievement in school, the workplace, and the community.The course helps students build confidence and motivation to pursue opportunities for success in secondary school and beyond.
Prerequisite: For GLS1O – None; For GLE1O and GLE2O – Recommendation of principal
GLC2O Career Studies, Grade 10 (Open)
This course teaches students how to develop and achieve personal goals for future learning, work, and community involvement. Students will assess their interests, skills, and characteristics and investigate current economic and workplace trends, work opportunities, and ways to search for work.The course explores postsecondary learning and career options, prepares students for managing work and life transitions, and helps students focus on their goals through the development of a career plan. Please note: This is a half credit (.5) course.
Prerequisite: None
GPP3O Leadership and Peer Support, Grade 11 (Open)
This course prepares students to act in leadership and peer support roles.They will design and implement a plan for contributing to their school and/or community; develop skills in communication, interpersonal relations, teamwork, and conflict management; and apply those skills in leadership and/or peer support roles – for example, as a student council member or a peer tutor. Students will examine group dynamics and learn the value of diversity within groups and communities.
Prerequisite: None


text:
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Chinese authorities said Friday General Motors and its partner SAIC would recall 1.46 million vehicles with faulty fuel pump brackets.
Industry analysts said the recall was significant because of the sheer number of Buick and Chevrolet cars involved, but GM's reputation in the country was relatively safe, as there were no casualties associated with the problem, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The issue may impact sales. GM and SAIC in the first 11 months of 2013 sold 2.89 million vehicles in the country, second to Volkswagen, which has sold 2.96 million.
About 30 percent of GM's sales were in China January through November, making it a critical market for the company, which represents the world's largest automobile market with more than 16 million sold through November.
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said 16.2 million vehicles were sold in China through November.
The fuel pump brackets will be replaced for free, a service that normally costs about $80, the Journal said.
The recall involves 1.2 million Buick Excelles produced from 2006 to 2011 and 243,297 Chevrolet New Sails produced from 2009 to 2011.
China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine also announced a recall of more than 80,000 Kuga kugasport-utility vehicles produced by Ford and its partner, Chongqing Changan Automobile Co.
The Ford recall was due to substandard steering knuckles, the Journal said.


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Our first show for the 2017 season, ArtFest Fort Myers was a success! From the two day travel to the perfect weather and arriving home safely. Thank you to those of you who came out to support the arts.
It all started with a VIP Program that pampers their loyal base of dedicated art buyers allowing them to relax for a moment between purchases. Reserved parking and exclusive VIP Party on Friday Night and the VIP treatment continued all weekend.
With 17 years of consistent management, this has grown to a reputable fine art festival. Bringing the best-of-the-best art to all, through the two-day, free to the public, community event, ArtFest targets over 85,000+ art patrons. The downtown riverfront park and yacht basin make the perfect backdrop. Patrons view art with ease, as the artist booths create a circular flow down the center of the wide boulevard. Congratulations to Tom for the Award of Merit!
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Lucrative small businesses can rapidly go out of business if they lack cash. Likewise, unprofitable unprof small companies can be survived for a very long time if they have a decent money balance. To puts it simply, money is the life blood of American small companies.
Small Business Loans in Sunland, California
Naturally, when times are difficult, failure to obtain capital to pay everyday operating costs frequently becomes a source of concern, stress and anxiety and interruption for small company owners.
In these cases, numerous small business owners think about looking for short term funding.
Small Business Loans in Sunland, California
Regrettably, most of huge city and small town conventional lenders have rigid and stringent criteria that their clients need to satisfy.
Because of this, there is 4 specific functions that are required by those seeking company funding.
Easy credit approval:
Services have a separate credit rating from the business owner. Even if business owner has a high credit history, business may not have an established credit rating (especially if newly developed). Therefore, prospective loan providers have to offer services with that take the business owner's personal credit into consideration and that accepts applicants with less than perfect credit.
Quick Financing Time:
Typically, when an organisation is seeking out a loan, they have operating costs that they need to have the ability to pay within the next 7-14 days (such as payroll and suppliers). As such, loans that take weeks to be approved and finances just aren't ideal to the majority of companies needs
No Red Tape:
Numerous standard loan providers requires months of bank declarations and years of tax returns to be able to process a loan application. While this might not be a big deal to a reputable service, it's not really valuable for a new service that has been in business for 6 months to a year
Small Company Friendly:
Usually, brick and mortar lending institutions only service companies doing 20k or more in regular monthly revenue. This disqualifies smaller sized companies doing 10k-15k in month-to-month profits.
Because of the strict aforementioned credentials criteria enforced by conventional loan providers, increasingly more entrepreneur are turning to the myriad of online loaning solutions now available to small business owners in Sunland, California
GoTorro Small Business Loans supplies rapid funding in as little as 48 hours, of amounts ranging from $10,000 – $500,000 to borrowers that satisfy the following fundamental qualification requirements:
500+ FICO Score
6+ Months in Business
10k+ Monthly Revenue
No security, No bank statements, No Financials, No Tax Returns, and no credit references are needed.
Click here to instantly find out how much financing your small business qualifies for


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|Photos from: ldnfashion & ibtimes.
Haute Couture:The ultimate in luxury one-off pieces from luxury brands.
Nobody does runway shows better than Karl Lagerfield and he didn't disappoint at Haute Couture Paris FW.
He led the audience through a fake airport terminal and onto a jumbo jet where his guests were greeted with first class seats!
It was show-stopper and I can't wait to see what Chanel brings at FW in February.


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The Center for the New Energy Economy is a group of energy policy experts led by Colorado's 41st Governor, Bill Ritter Jr.
Founded in 2011, the purpose of the Center for the New Energy Economy is to educate, convene, and inspire decision-makers to create policies that facilitate America's equitable transition to a clean energy economy.
At the Center for the New Energy Economy:
We publish energy policy research
We maintain publicly available tools and resources
We host meetings that facilitate dialogue between stakeholders
We connect stakeholders to suitable energy experts
We believe innovation and investment in grid modernization, energy storage, renewable energy, and advanced transportation systems will lead to thriving clean energy markets, which reduce pollution and improve human health.
We believe an equitable transition to the new energy economy will provide greater opportunities for all.
We believe diversity and inclusivity in decision-making fosters innovation and creativity, leading to better long-term solutions.
We believe the new energy economy relies on collaborative, bi-partisan governance with transparent rules and processes.
Powering Forward: What Everyone Should Know About America's Energy Revolution
A historic energy revolution is underway in the United States. Wind, sunlight, and other sustainable resources are now the fastest growing sources of energy in the U.S. and worldwide. American families are installing power plants on their roofs and entire communities are switching to 100 percent renewable energy. The urgent need to prevent climate change is causing people around the planet to question their reliance on carbon-intensive oil, coal, and natural gas. Author Bill Ritter, Jr., the 41st governor of Colorado and one of America's key thought leaders on this topic, discusses the forces behind the energy revolution, the new ways we must think about energy, and the future of fossil and renewable fuels. It is an essential read for any who want to understand one of history's biggest challenges to peace, prosperity, and security in the United States. Written in partnership with the Center for a New Energy Economy.


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Context of the intervention
The company oversees public transportation and they have to manage many offices. The two departments in charge of their property management, outsource their missions to other companies. MLA intervened on optimizing estate management and redistributing responsibilities between the different actors.
What did MLA do ?
By conducting several interviews with managers and employees from different services, MLA was able to build a more detailed vision of the offices' current operational activities:
- Missions of each service and its teams,
- The overall organisation,
- Management structure,
- Strengths and weaknesses,
- Already identified improvements.
At the end, 62 recommendations were identified and evaluated depending on their feasibility.
Beyond this enlightening diagnosis, the client wanted to deal with these recommendations in depth. Several workshops and additional interviews with employees were conducted to design a target organization.
These assignments helped the company to :
- Clarify competencies between departments and reestablish confidence ;
- Design a new organization based on a result-oriended action plan, some of those actions being very innovative ;
- Optimize methods and operations into every office.


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Greetings! Normally on Monday mornings you can expect to visit here and see your weekly fix of movie news here in the regular weekly segment entitled "Movie News Monday!"
Well, today we are mixing it up! No official "Movie News Monday" post today (although, be sure to follow me on Twitter and/or on Facebook for continual movie news updates everyday). Instead, today we take a look at the final countdown of 2012 in theaters! Are you looking forward to the movies in the final quarter? Did most of 2012 disappoint you? Let's take a gander at what to expect from the rest of the year in cinema.
Ah, 2012! Remember in 2011 when the year 2012 was being heralded as "The Year of Movies?" There definitely have been some fantastic films this year, but there have also been the fair share of disappointments as well. The year that would be one of the greatest in cinema placed high expectations on the likes of movies such as:
- The Grey, Safe House, Act of Valor, John Carter, Mirror Mirror, Wrath of the Titans, The Raven.
- Lockout, Dark Shadows, Rock of Ages, Snow White & The Huntsman, Prometheus, Savages,
- Total Recall, Bourne Legacy, The Expendables 2, Haywire, The Cold Light of Day, Premium Rush
…just to name a FEW.
What happened to those movies? While all those listed above weren't necessarily horrid (most were), they all definitely qualify for the "fell short of expectations" category! 2012 was staged to be such an impressive year for theatrical releases and instead it delivered a lot of duds. Don't get me wrong, there were some amazing movies so far in 2012, but would it surprise you to learn that Ice Age: Continental Drift is the 3rd highest grossing film of 2012 worldwide to date?! (After The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises). SMH
Why are movies like The Hunger Games or The Amazing Spider-Man or Brave (even Madagascar 3 beat Pixar's Brave!) or Men in Black 3 earning less than one of the worst animated movies of the year? My expectations continued to be dashed upon the rocks of despair!
This is not to discredit the good amount of amazingness (yes, I just used the made-up word "amazingness.") that we DID have in theaters! Who can forget the BIGGEST movie of the year: Marvel's THE AVENGERS (which, coincidentally releases on Blu-ray tomorrow in stores!)?
Other releases also gave us some great experiences in theaters such as The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hunger Games, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (you KNOW I'm only kidding with that one), 21 Jump Street, The Cabin in the Woods, etc. Yet, it seems that 2012 was plagued with more disappointment than deliverance of "amazingness."
Thankfully, 2012 is not yet over. The final quarter brings what is often referred to as the "Oscar Bait" to the screen. The next three months represent the second biggest movie season of the year and with it come some pretty impressive titles (excluding The Great Gatsbywhose release date has been since removed from the quarter 4 lineup and will now be releasing in May of 2013).
Below is a list of a few movies worth keeping an eye out for in the next jam-packed three months of cinematic offerings for your consideration. My top 5 picks for each month (along with my Top Pick for that month) will be listed first, followed by the remaining monthly titles that launch in that respective month. Let's hope October-December pays us back for some of the large disappointments of the past nine months (especially January and September…the box office numbers this month have been bad, but so have the movies themselves).
Here is your 2012 Final Countdown!
- Director: Tim Burton.
- Vocal Talent: Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau
- Release Date: October 5, 2012
- Story: A young boy, grieving the loss of his canine companion, finds a way to revive him!
- Director: Olivier Megaton.
- Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace
- Release Date: October 5, 2012
- Story: ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills must once again defend himself and his family as revenge-seeking thugs threaten his wife and daughter.
- Director: Ben Affleck.
- Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
- Release Date: October 12, 2012
- Story: Based on true events, a US Government operation to extract American hostages from behind dangerous enemy lines under the ruse of location filming for a fake movie.
- Director: Lee Daniels
- Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, Zac Efron
- Release Date: October 17, 2012
- Story: A reporter investigates the possible wrongful conviction of a death row inmate in his Florida hometown.
- Director: The Wachowskis; Tom Tykwer.
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant
- Release Date: October 26, 2012
- Story: A beautiful tale of multiple lives whose paths cross and whose actions effect each other throughout time.
*Additional October titles include: Pitch Perfect, V/H/S, The House I Live In, The Oranges, Butter, Sinister, Smashed, Here Comes The Boom, Seven Psychopaths, War of the Buttons, Middle of Nowhere, Alex Cross, Paranormal Activity 4, The Sessions, Chasing Mavericks, Silent Hill Revelation 3D, and Fun Size.
- Director: Rich Moore.
- Vocal Talent: John C. Reilly, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman
- Release Date: November 2, 2012
- Story: Video game personality battles with an identity crisis and seeks to forge a new path.
- Director: RZA.
- Starring: Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, RZA, Jamie Chung
- Release Date: November 2, 2012
- Story: Tarantino presents 7 clans battling for power and gold in a most violent way.
- Director: Sam Mendes.
- Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes
- Release Date: November 9, 2012
- Story: Agent 007 returns and helps M as demons from her past resurface and threaten more than just her.
- Director: Steven Spielberg.
- Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones
- Release Date: November 16, 2012
- Story: A Spielberg-passion. Bio pic of the 16th President of the U.S. (sans vampires)
- Director: Ang Lee
- Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain
- Release Date: November 21, 2012
- Story: A shipwrecked boy named Pi finds himself in the mixed company of various animals all trying to survive.
- Director: Peter Ramsey.
- Vocal Talent: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Chris Pine
- Release Date: November 21, 2012
- Story: Icons of lore and legend rise to protect the children of earth against an evil that threatens them through their dreams.
*Additional November titles include: Flight, A Late Quartet, This Must Be the Place, The ABCs of Death, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -Part 2, Anna Karenina, Silver Linings Playbook, Hitchcock, Rust and Bone, and Killing Them Softly.
T's Top Pick: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Director: Peter Jackson.
- Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett
- Release Date: December 14, 2012
- Story: Hobbit Bilbo Baggins embarks on a perilous and unexpected adventure with Gandalf and company.
- Director: Kathryn Bigelow.
- Starring: Chris Pratt, jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton
- Release Date: December 19, 2012
- Story: Chronicle of the Navy SEAL hunt for Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks.
- Director: Juan Antonio Bayona.
- Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland
- Release Date: December 21, 2012
- Story: A family's frightening ordeal of separation and search after a torrentous tsunami.
- Director: Quentin Tarantino.
- Starring: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson
- Release Date: December 25, 2012
- Story: An idealist bounty hunter and a slave join forces to track down transgressors.
- Director: Tom Hooper.
- Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter
- Release Date: December 25, 2012
- Story: Musical set in 19th century. French prisoner Jean Valjean hopes for redemption.
*Additional December titles include: Hyde Park on Hudson, Playing for Keeps, This is 40, Jack Reacher, Monsters Inc 3D, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, On the Road, Not Fade Away, Amour, The Guilt Trip, Parental Guidance, and Promised Land.
Well, those are MY picks for the next 3 months. Tell me, which ones are you most looking forward to? (Leave a comment)
Thanks for reading! Happy Watching!
–T, The Focused Filmographer
(btw, $5 says you will probably have the song "Final Countdown" in your head all day today! 😀 You're welcome!)
*up next: Time to Vote Tuesday


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Two routers are overkill for your situation. I would recommend getting a 16 port switch similar to the Linksys model. If you cannot do that, then you will likely need a cross-over cable to connect the two routers together. The switch is really the easiest solution since you likely already have a router at your network edge and for this small network, additional routers would be unnecessary.
Register Hereor login if you are already a member


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Your search outcomes include properties from MLS boards that don't allow commingling of properties with different MLS boards. As a licensed dealer and member of the Nationwide Affiliation of Realtors we are able to refer your listing as a Realtor® Referral to a Dealer in your space with directions to list your property on the Multiple Itemizing Service and listed in , who will record your home free (at no direct cost to you), thus saving you about one-half vs the excessive commissions concerned in doing a traditional MLS listing with a licensed real estate broker your self.
The problem is that most software packages for brokers don't permit them to cross share data between other firm companies (separate brokerages), so MLS in the United Kingdom is in its infancy and a cross knowledge platform now exists through INEA (The Independent Community of Property Brokers) 14 who're working with 2/3 of the main software providers which means that eventually one agent can select different agents to send and receive MLS shared listings.
As the market turned into a buyer's market and potential earnings decreased, the emphasis on saving cash was even better and flat charge MLS listings grew to become an even more important part to promoting one's residence with out forking over enormous itemizing commissions.
A change in the status of a list should be made on the system, or by way of Georgia MLS for withdrawn listings, no later than 24 hours (excepting weekends, holidays and postal holidays) after the change is agreed to by the broker and seller, and the proper documentation is signed.
So from the Nineties the place agents displayed their listings in different agents workplace windows and on their display walls in cross branding, lastly the hole has been crossed the place as we speak brokers personal websites can show both their own and other agents data and actually provide clients with the 'instruct me and you get these different MLS brokers too'.


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Using RDP support to acquire new equipment for a small town's public kitchen.
Projects & Practice
A community centre used support from the rural development programme to enhance its services and premises in order not to exclude people with Dementia.
A Technical Assistance project about empowering local and regional actors to work more effectively with rural communities in order to revitalise these areas.
Incorporating locally available biomass into the soil, as a mean to increase its content in organic matter in the long term.
The project made an Ekso Bionics Exoskeleton available to patients in rural areas. This enables community rehabilitation of patients recovering from spinal injuries, strokes and brain injuries.
Helping a new type of rural enterprise that can support a transition towards a green, diversified rural economy. Coillte Sláintiúil provides services to protect, rejuvenate and replace native woodlands.
A company making pork products used RDP support to purchase new equipment that allowed it to increase production capacity and end product quality.
Ensuring the preservation and restoration of species and habitats in Saxony, by offering free advice and relevant qualifications to land users.
An initiative to sensitise companies in the Northern Eifel region to the problem of management succession at an early stage.
A modern hen farm producing eggs for human consumption, set up a new unit to process non commercial eggs and therefore increase its competitiveness.


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How To Tell A Potential Partner About Your Past
A dilemma we all grapple with, to one degree or another, is telling a potential partner about our past. And we all enter relationships with a past.
That history can include cancer, an STD, a gambling habit, sexual or physical abuse, an alcoholic parent, less common sexual preferences ... the list goes on.
We yearn to be accepted and loved, and we're told we need to be open and authentic in our relationships for that to happen. But we also fear rejection. Our darker side often carries a degree of shame, which can make us feel tainted and unworthy of being loved, being touched, being chosen. So, how can we reveal our secrets, and when?
This depends on how you feel about who you are, and how comfortable you are with the secret. First of all, think about the difference between explaining something from a place of victimization vs. from a place of heroism. If you emphasize how you overcame a situation, how you grew from it, how it became a resource in your life, then you turn shame into strength.
Also, keep in mind that information may affect the other person in different ways. For example, telling a potential sexual partner that you have an STD casts a different spell than if you tell him or her about your alcoholic father.
There's no gold standard for when to discuss challenging issues of your past. If you disclose too soon, you're likely to be judged because your date may not want to deal with the complications that your history carries. But if you wait too long to disclose, you risk your date feeling that you're not being honest, that you've withheld important information.
Here are some ideas to consider:
1. Use your intuition and consider the other person.
How mature is he or she? How will he or she take news that takes away the easy ride of the romantic story?
2. Talk about the process itself.
Ask your date, "How do you decide when and what you share?" "Have you ever said anything you regretted?" "Did you wish, at times, you had been more forthcoming?"
This will lead you into the conversation about the conversation. It's a way of entering into the arena and navigating openness and privacy. You're touching the walls, seeing where they're hollow, and finding entry points where it's more inviting.
You'll sense very quickly if this secret frightens your date, or instead, if their curiosity is heightened. Be patient: they may be silent and unsettled at first, pull away initially, but become less reticent later. Don't immediately react or regret opening your mouth.
Accept that some people will find this grounds for not wanting to continue. That's a blessing in disguise. If they tell you that they are not interested upfront, you don't have to spend time wondering and living in doubt.
And while you contemplate when and what to say, remember that they are probably doing the same, for they too may have secrets to reveal. When we are invested in our own dark side, we don't always realize that others have a dark side, as well.


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Meet Our Crew
Christie Galon is the Chief Executive Officer and majority shareholder of SCG Enterprises Inc. She began this bookkeeping and payroll service company in the Columbia Gorge region in March 2008, specializing in QuickBooks. Christie is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and now provides training and consultation services in QuickBooks and bookkeeping practices.
Christie has always had a passion for bookkeeping, starting in high school. And for more than 40 years has enjoyed working in this field, and learning about the unique needs of different types of clients. Christie has plans for the continued growth and expansion of SCG Enterprises Inc, including the opening of their newest branch office in Eugene in the Summer of 2016.
During her off hours, Christie enjoys amateur photography, baking, reading, and playing with her grandchildren. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends. Christie has always said, "Serving others is my passion." And she is grateful SCG Enterprises Inc. is able to help the business community grow and prosper with help from the firm's outstanding staff.
Shauna Leonard is the lead Associate at our new Eugene Office, moving to the area in July 2016. She has been with SCG Enterprises Inc. since May 2013, when she moved to Hood River with her family to help with the expansion and growth of the firm owned by her parents, Christie & Steve Galon. Shauna has her two-year degree in Accounting and is a Certified Online QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Shauna has always had a great deal of strength in numbers and organization, and loves being able to put her talents to use in helping other small business in their success.
When Shauna is not working what she enjoys most is being a wife and the mother of 3 children. The family loves to travel and explore the Oregon scenery. Shauna also enjoys working on anything crafty or DIY.
Shauna is very much enjoying the move to Eugene, and is looking forward to continuing the growth of SCG Enterprises Inc. throughout Eugene and Lane County area.
Bernard joined the SCG Enterprises Inc. team in April 2016. He has been using QuickBooks since 2000, and has a 2-year degree in Management and Accounting from CGCC. Bernard is well versed in all aspects of bookkeeping for small to medium size companies: AP, AR, Payroll, Tax Quarterlies and Annuals, etc. He has also been the full charge bookkeeper of several firms in the Gorge. Bernard is also an Excel specialist, and can create any custom spreadsheets for our clients.
Bernard's background includes service in the French Navy as a Sound Analyst for 7 years. He then moved on to the Fashion Industry which sent him overseas. Bernard met his wife, Lu Ann, in Los Angeles while visiting business franchises for his work. The new couple moved to America in 1993, where they worked in the retail business. In 1996, they moved to Hood River and owned several small businesses in the local area. And Bernard is worked for the Columbia Gorge Hotel for several years. On his days off, Bear likes to play tennis, hike, and read books.
Steve is a founding co-owner and shareholder of SCG Enterprises Inc. Steve is now retired, but still helps out by delivering mail, making bank deposits, and being on hand to help wherever needed. He looks forward to the growth of this company, and is always talking to local business owners about our services while handing out business cards. Steve enjoys fishing for bass, creating copper artwork, and working in his garden. If you see Steve in the store or just around the town, make sure to say "Hi!"


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Allergies Home > Alrex Side Effects
Abnormal or blurred vision, dry eyes, and swollen eyelids are some of the most common side effects reported with Alrex. In most cases, the drug's side effects are mild and do not require medical attention. However, certain side effects are potentially serious and should be reported to your healthcare provider immediately, including an unexplained rash or any signs of an eye infection.
As with any medicine, Alrex® (loteprednol etabonate) can cause side effects. However, not everyone who takes the medication will have problems. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Alrex. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Alrex side effects with you.)
Alrex has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials in which the side effects of a group of people taking the drug are documented and compared to another group taking a placebo eye drop (that did not contain any active ingredient). As a result, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group taking the placebo.
In these studies, the most common Alrex side effects, occurring in 5 to 15 percent of people, included (but were not limited to):
- Abnormal vision or blurred vision
- Eye burning when instilling the drops
- Swelling of the lining of the eyes and eyelids
- Eye discharge
- Dry eyes
- An overflow of tears
- Feeling like something is stuck in the eye
- Itching
- Redness
- Eye sensitivity to the sun.
It should be noted that many of these side effects are also symptoms of eye allergies, and it is possible that these problems are not related to Alrex at all.