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Sarah, let's start from the beginning. Can you tell our readers how you got HIV?
When I was born, my mother had a pretty bad C-section [cesarean section]. As a result, she had to get a blood transfusion, and the blood transfusion was tainted. So she was unknowingly infected and gave it to me through breast milk. [Click here to read more about mother-to-child transmission of HIV.]
She was nursing you, and she passed it on to you without knowing that she was positive.
That is correct. She also unknowingly gave it to my father. They didn't know until a few years later that she was infected.
About Sarah
"I can't say that I've fully processed my HIV diagnosis because it has affected me in different ways at different stages of my life," says Sarah, who has been living with HIV her entire life. Growing up in the 1980s in a small, conservative, religious community, Sarah faced all the burdens of being an HIV-positive kid in an ignorant world. Sarah talks candidly about how HIV took away part of her childhood, forcing her to "face stuff that is hard for grownups to deal with." Now a grown, married woman herself, Sarah hopes to one day reach out to HIV-positive children. "I would have loved to have been able to see someone who went through it as a child and could still do pretty much normal things as they got older," she says. Sarah is currently pursuing a master's degree in counseling.
How did they eventually find out that they were HIV positive? And how did you discover that you were positive?
My father was trying to donate blood at a church blood drive event. He got a paper back saying that he was unable to give blood; this was probably 1986. So he got tested, and couldn't figure out what would be wrong because both of my parents hadn't been very promiscuous at all or ever done drugs or anything that was risk-related for HIV.
He figured out then that he was HIV positive. Then my mother got tested also, and I think they received a letter from the hospital saying that they might have been infected. Although it had been 1984 when my mother received the transfusion and they should have been testing the blood, I don't think they were testing every single person quite yet.
So this was a couple of years after your mom was infected through this blood transfusion? There was a couple of years when your family had no idea that they had been infected.
You say that the hospital sent them a letter. When did he receive this letter? Was it years afterward the transfusion took place?
Since my dad was tested when he was giving blood two years later, I'm thinking that it was probably two or three, maybe even four years later that they got the letter saying, "We might have had an oopsie."
That's crazy. Why do you think there was such a long delay?
I actually can't talk about the place too much, but I can say that I don't know that they were on top of things.
Did your parents decide to test you as well when they tested positive?
They actually waited a while. When I was probably eight or nine years old I had some major problems with my tonsils which were, I guess, fairly abnormal. So my mom decided to have me tested then, against the will of my father.
Do you know why your parents waited so long to have you tested for HIV?
I think my mother wanted to have me tested earlier, because she always felt that there might be something wrong with me also, but I think my dad wanted to put it off as long as possible. My dad didn't want to deal with it. I wasn't ever terribly sick, so they just waited until then.
Do you know why your father wanted to put it off? Do you think he just wanted to believe that you were well?
He's very open about [HIV now]. What he's not so open about is how he felt then. It was a very scary kind of epidemic [back] then. Even now people aren't that [understanding about HIV], but in the '80s it was a lot worse. People would say you couldn't go in the swimming pool if you had HIV. People had to move and stuff like that. I think my father's decision to put off testing me was more of a protective denial -- he didn't want to deal with it type of thing.
So you got tested when you were nine or 10?
Yes. Ten.
When you went in and got tested, did you understand what was going on?
Actually, I thought I was going into the doctor for a checkup and I had to get blood work done. I didn't really know anything about what was going on until a couple of months later. My dad didn't want to tell me then either, because he wanted me to have a normal life.
I was actually home-schooled for a portion of that year, because when they found out I was HIV positive the private school that I went to didn't have any policy [about HIV-positive students]. My parents wanted to talk to them and get a policy made before I went back. My dad didn't want to tell anybody, so my mom wasn't supposed to tell me. But one day when we were doing our schooling she kind of broke down and decided to tell me.
How did you react? Did you understand what she was talking about? You were really young.
Yes. I was nine or 10, and I knew that there was something wrong with my mom because she had had problems. She had shingles. She was really sick for a couple of years when I was six up until I was eight. She was always pretty sick, so I had an idea that there was something wrong with her. But I had no clue that there could be something wrong with me. I kind of freaked out. I was scared that I might die or something. I didn't know a whole lot about the disease.
But you had heard of HIV?
Not really. I think I had heard something, maybe here or there on TV, but I hadn't heard a whole lot about it.
Did she tell you at that time that your dad also had it?
You know, I can't recall. I think she just said, "You and your dad, you're OK, but we have this disease." It was, I don't know, traumatizing. [Laughs.] I disassociated a lot throughout my childhood.
What happened after that?
You know, to be honest, I don't think I processed a whole lot of things for the majority of my life from then on because a lot of traumatic things happened after that. Just to get through [I told myself], "OK, this is happening. I'm just going to get through this." Now I'm kind of paying for that emotionally. It's like, "Oh, wow. I really suppressed a lot of feelings."'
Are you just starting to process this as an adult?
Yes. Stuff is coming up now that I remember. [I think,] "Oh, wow. That was traumatic and I didn't even really react to that." It's starting to come out now for me.
Do you have a support structure to deal with these topics as they come up now that you're older?
Not really. I think I'm starting to. My family has helped me as much as possible, and I have friends also that have helped support me. My father hasn't been encouraging at all but my mother was always been supportive of what I wanted to do in life. Obviously, my husband is my big support team for me. Other than that, not really.
Backing up a bit: When your mother told you that you were HIV positive, how did you tell other people?
I actually wasn't allowed to tell other people at first. My dad, for whatever reason, didn't want us to tell anybody for a while. But then, after a year or a couple months, I was able to tell my one friend. She had foster sisters and brothers and stuff like that, so she knew what it was. She thought, "Crap, you're my friend. There's something wrong with you," but she was never weird about it. She didn't ever hesitate to be near me or with me.
That's great. She was just a little kid, right?
Yes, she was my age. She was just little.
Did her family know?
After the time when we weren't really allowed to tell people, my dad decided that he would go around and pretty much tell everybody through [public] speaking, despite me wanting to be able to tell people myself. That was his way of coping and trying to help other people I guess [understand HIV].
Basically, after a while, everybody knew we were HIV positive because my dad pretty much told everybody there through chapels or whatever, because [I was going to] a Christian school. I did get to tell more people as I got older, but in elementary and middle school I didn't really have to tell anyone. They already knew [because of my dad's outspokenness].
What caused this big shift in your dad, from wanting to keep HIV under wraps to talking to everybody about it?
I think after a while he sort of wanted to use it as a ministry maybe, a way to help other people or to make people aware [of HIV]. I think we were realizing, as we told family and different people about our HIV status, that people didn't really know very much about it. Maybe it was more like an awareness type of thing. He came across very preachy though.
It sounds like it took him a few years to get to that point. When did he first start talking about it?
I think in the early '90s he started talking about it more. I think in the '80s he was afraid that he would have to move and leave.
Was he worried about experiencing discrimination?
Yes. Back in the '80s it was considered a disease that was in the homosexual community. My parents are pretty conservative religious people, so for them to have the disease was ten times worse. I think that had something to do with it, too.
Why do you think they thought it was worse? How did they feel about HIV?
Not sounding bad, but it was more [associated] with homosexuals, so they were afraid that people would think they did something "bad" when they were younger or that maybe my dad was a homosexual, when he was actually straight and married. In their religion, that would be something that would be enough to reject them and have them move.
How did their church ultimately react when they came out about it?
I remember my dad speaking at the church where we were at at the time. Some people were kind of stand-offish and not sure about it. Some people were encouraging. I didn't really react that much, and it kind of irritated me because everyone was feeling sorry for me when I just wanted them to treat me like a normal person and be my friend.
But, they didn't kick him out or anything like that and they [didn't have] to leave. Now, I'm sure he had a different perspective. From my perspective it was fairly good, but it wasn't open arms either.
How do you feel about the church now? Do you feel like you get support there?
"I went to a Christian high school and got slammed pretty bad there for having HIV, so I've been a little more hesitant to get back into any type of organized religion."
We go to a different church now. I go occasionally, and I feel like I should go more. But I went to a Christian high school and got slammed pretty bad there for having HIV, so I've been a little more hesitant to get back into any type of organized religion.
I still have my faith and values and such, but I'm still a little hesitant to go there because I have not really received much support from churches. But then, on the other hand, they didn't reject me like I was at the Christian school. I just haven't received much support from the Christian community.
Can you tell me what happened with the schools you were in? Earlier you mentioned that you had to be home schooled for a while. How did the schools you went to handle your HIV status?
At first it wasn't a huge deal for me, but in middle school a lot of people were pretty ignorant. They didn't know a whole lot about it. They made fun of me -- because everybody thought it was just among homosexuals [who could have HIV] for some reason -- [saying] I had to be a lesbian because I had HIV, which didn't even make sense.
One principal was very adamant about talking about how homosexuality was wrong. I don't know why that was his focus at all, but he would talk about that and HIV a lot in a negative way. That affected me. Preachers were coming in and comparing AIDS to leprosy -- just completely uneducated and making me feel pretty unaccepted.
My friend and I -- the same friend I had when I was little -- we shared a lollipop or something. Our principal freaked out and made my friend feel horrible even though she couldn't get HIV from doing that. Just stupid stuff like that went on all through high school. I'm skipping ahead, but dating in the high school was horrific.
Was it possible? Were you able to talk to the guy you were dating about what was going on with you?
|Sarah with her husband
Like I said, my dad had told a lot of people or spoke before. So people pretty much knew already. The guys that I dated, I could talk to them about it. Nobody, in high school anyway, was like, "Oh, I don't want to date you because of it." It was all their parents. They were very uncomfortable with their kids dating me because of that the HIV, even though, for religious reasons and other reasons, physically I didn't do much with the kids at all, so there was no way for them to get it. They were just very uncomfortable and very ignorant and mean about it. They would say things like" she doesn't have a future" or "she should find one of her own kind." Those statements were from a preacher, so I guess you can kind of see why I get a little sheepish about church.
Was this true throughout your whole school experience? Were there any bright spots with dating?
I would say, as much as it hurt, one of the good parts was that the people who were my age, even though eventually because of their parents we broke up or stopped talking, it wasn't like the guys ran away from me right from the start. They tried to [date me], but then one way or the other with their parents or this and that, it just didn't work out.
Do you think this had anything to do with the particular kinds of schools you went to? Do you think it would have been different at a non-religious school?
I would hope to think that in a non-religious school there would be a little more acceptance because there tends to be a little bit more acceptance in secular education. Not necessarily that it's better or worse, but I would tend to think that there would be people there who would be ignorant also because you're always going to have people who don't know about things.
Was there good sex education in your high school?
[Laughs.] We didn't have sex-ed in high school. It was strictly abstinence. It wasn't really talked about at all, which I think ... Well, I think it's more of a political thing now then it needs to be, but anyways ...
Do you think that lack of sex-ed might have had an impact on your fellow students and their parents?
I don't know, it's definitely possible. I tend to come from the standpoint of, yes, we should be educated, but people should also strive to make good life choices.
You mentioned that your father gave some testimony. Did he ever come and talk to your school about HIV? And did that make anything better?
Yes, he did. He came and he would say, "You can't get it through this. And you can't get it through that." So yes, actually, now that you mention it, he did try help educate people, but then again, that was only the kids. The parents weren't there for that.
What effect do you think all this has had on you? Did it get any better when you went to college? Do you feel more supported now? What do you think having this childhood with all this contention has done to you?
I think it has affected me in a major way emotionally -- good and bad. I'm a very strong person now because of it, more educated and more life-experienced than a lot of 23-year-olds because of it. On the other side, it has affected me pretty harshly in some areas. So, good and bad. I am starting to feel more supported now as I am able to branch out into different kinds of communities. I think I am kind of a rare breed.
You said that your mother was ill throughout your childhood. What was that like? How did that affect you and your father?
When I was younger I was a homebody, pretty much, because I was worried a lot of the time because I didn't know what was wrong with her. I was worried a lot of the time that she was going to die. She was always pretty strong. She always seemed to bounce back, but there were a few times when we were pretty worried about her.
How did your father react to all this? So how did he support you?
When we were younger they fought a lot. I think they fought a lot because they didn't know what to do about things. Also, she wanted to tell certain people and he didn't think they should tell them. He was also gone a lot on business trips and stuff like that. He tried to be supportive in his own way I guess. However, he wasn't positive and never thought anyone would make it too far.
Did it get better as you got older?
I would say it's a little better now. He still doesn't have much hope for the future, unfortunately. He has his own issues, we'll put it that way.
How is your mother now? Does she have opportunistic infections?
Yes. She had shingles when we were younger. My brother actually died in 1995, not from anything HIV related, but after that we thought we were going to lose her next because she was pretty skinny. I'm not sure of the illness she was having, but we thought she was going to die then, too. Of course, I wasn't very open about anything then. I actually didn't talk for a while. But she bounced back. I couldn't even tell you all the medications or all the guinea pig things that she has tried over the last 23 years. She's pretty much tried all the stuff you can try, but now she is doing well. She was off medication for a little bit, and now the regimen she's on seems to be working very well. Her numbers are good, so everything now seems to be going pretty well for her.
Great. Do you know if has medication resistance? Is that part of the problem?
Yes, she has had some resistance to the beginning [medications]. Viracept [nelfinavir] and things like that weren't working for her anymore.
You said you didn't talk for a while. Do you mean you weren't talking about HIV?
No, I mean I didn't talk. [Laughs.] After my brother died, I didn't talk for a few months to anyone.
Can you tell me more about that?
My brother died when I was 11. It was a freak kind of thing. He got meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis. It took like 30 hours, and he was dead. Having just found out about the rest of my family when I was 9 or 10 and then this happening, I think I just shut down. I was angry, and I just didn't feel the need to talk anymore, so I just didn't talk for a couple months
Wow. How did your family process your brother's death? You started talking again. Did they draw you out?
Actually, my sister decided that my parents should get me a puppy for my birthday when I was turning 12 as a therapy kind of thing because I wasn't talking much. That helped draw me out more. That's actually why I am interested in pet therapy now. My mom always tried to talk to me.
Actually, I didn't go back to my regular school, so I think that affected it some, too. It wasn't planned out that way. It just kind of happened. After that year I went back to my Christian school where I had more friends. I think that helped, too. I eventually started talking and getting through things better. I am not sure if my dad has processed it much. Not that he should get over it, but he is still pretty stuck on it.
How old is your sister? Is she older or younger?
My sister is six years older than I am, so she's 29.
Do you have any other siblings?
No, I just have my brother and my older sister.
Your brother who passed away?
So your older sister is HIV negative?
Do you know how that's been for her, being the only person in the family who is negative?
I know that some people have told her to just to move on with her life, have her own family and not worry about her other family because she's not going to have them -- which hasn't been true. She actually found out about everything before me because she was older and she had seen stuff on TV that kind of matched up with what my mom was doing, like getting her blood taken. So she kind of figured it out on her own.
It was obviously a major thing for her because it was half of her family. I can't say all of the ways that it affected her. She tends to be more quiet about it too. But she'll talk to you about it if you ask her about it.
You mentioned earlier that your father hasn't taken any HIV medications.
How has he managed so long without medication? He's been positive for over 20 years. That's kind of a miracle.
Yes. I think that through his faith and probably some type of unique genes he has managed to stay alive all these years without it. He hasn't done any clinical trials -- he probably should -- to figure out if he has a specific gene that's been helping him. [To read more about long term non progressors, click here.]
Do you know if his viral load is undetectable?
I don't believe it is anymore. I don't think it's very high. I think it might be at 1,000 or something. It's not very high.
Do you know about his CD4 count?
I think it's been between 300 and 500 pretty much the whole time. I think it was higher in the first couple of years and has gotten a little lower, but it hasn't really gone below 200 or 300. It's been right in there -- 300, 400, 500.
Does your family all go to the same doctor?
We've gone to several doctors, but, yes, we all go to the same specialist.
And the HIV specialist hasn't recommended that your father start HIV medications yet?
No, it seems like also in me too, our bodies have gotten to a certain point where the disease sort of stabilizes. The specialist doesn't really understand why or know why, but we seem to be able to stabilize the disease in our body. It hasn't gone any further than that, so he hasn't really seen a need [for him to take HIV meds] yet.
Great. How has your extended family dealt with your family's HIV status?
My mom's mom was pretty good about it. She was accepting. It was scary, but she was pretty accepting. My cousins on my dad's side have been some of my best friends through everything. They've been pretty supportive. As far as the rest of my mom's side -- she has a couple of brothers and sisters -- no one's been really not supportive, but they've been a little stand-offish for whatever reason.
Do you think your extended family is uncomfortable with HIV?
I think most are OK. They are all OK with the whole situation.
How have your feelings about HIV changed over time?
I think I'm a little more accepting of it now -- as accepting as you can be. I think I'm starting to dealing with it more now and trying to deal with it in positive way and not just be angry about it.
How do you do that? Who do you go to for support?
Family and friends. Doing interviews like this. Then I was thinking about writing a book. Different things like that. Actually, I would like to be more involved with children. I know that I would have loved to have been able to see someone who went through it as a child and could still do pretty much normal things as they got older.
You talked about working with other youth and talking to HIV-positive children. What would you say to someone who just found out that they're positive, let's say another young person?
I would say not to lose hope. Pretty much no matter what people say, you are going to find people who are going to put you down. I think you should keep a positive attitude. HIV is not so fatal that you're going to die in a couple of years. It's more manageable now, more of a chronic thing. It's not the end of your life, and you shouldn't stop anything that you want to do.
How long do you think it takes to process an HIV diagnosis?
"I can't say that I've fully processed my HIV diagnosis because it has affected me in different ways at different stages of my life."
I don't know that I could put a number on how long it takes to process it. It really depends on what time in life you get it, how old you are. For myself, personally, I can't say that I've fully processed my HIV diagnosis because it has affected me in different ways at different stages of my life. If I want to have kids, it's going to affect me. I think you process it in different ways throughout the whole trial.
You think it's an ongoing process.
Backing up just a little bit, can you tell me a little bit about your town? Is the town you're in now the same town you grew up in?
Pretty much. It's a neighbor to the town where I grew up. They're right next to each other.
What is that area like? Are people in the community pretty educated about HIV? What was it like growing up in your area and being HIV positive?
It's fairly country. Most people are not educated at all. It's kind of Dutchy [as in Pennsylvania Dutch]-- just everyday life, kind of. It's nice in one instance and then when it comes to people who are different or have different experiences, people are a little bit more reserved about that. Not so much now, but growing up people were less educated.
You think that things have improved in terms of awareness of the epidemic?
Oh, yes. Yes.
You said that you work for your father now. What is that like? What does the company do?
They do a lot of things. They do marketing and consulting and production type stuff like surveys and research, all sorts of stuff.
Can you tell me about your husband?
|Sarah with her dog Ally
Yes. He is ... wonderful! [Laughs.] I started dating him two years ago, almost two years ago. I dated someone before him for two weeks or three weeks, and when I told him about my HIV status, he basically ran away from me. So I was a little bit cynical and wasn't really looking for anybody [when I met my husband], and that seems to be when you meet that someone. [Laughs.] But anyways, I met him where I teach swim lessons. We were meeting for a couple of weeks, going on dates here and there, and he wanted me to be his girlfriend. I said, "I don't think I'm ready for the girlfriend thing yet, and there's stuff about me that I don't really want to talk about right now."
So he was like, "What? OK."
My thing is: I like to tell people [my HIV status] before I get too involved. People have different preferences, but I like to tell people [early]. That way I can find out a lot about them when I do that, and I can also give them a choice.
I was really nervous about telling him because [I was thinking], "I just can't handle any more rejection right now. I'm just going to fall over here." [Laughs.] "But, no," I thought, "I need to tell him. It's the right thing to do."
So I sat him down and I was talking to him. I almost started crying. He asked, "What's wrong?"
I said, "I've had this HIV since I was born and yadda, yadda."
He said, "That's it?"
I said, "What do you mean, 'That's it?' This is like a big deal!" [Laughs.]
"Well, I thought you were going to tell me that you have kids or you are dying or something."
I'm like, "No!"
So anyways, he said, "I'm going to process this," but he was very educated, and he knew how you could get it and all that stuff. He was pretty much fine with it.
We were older (he's two years older than I am), so I was kind of worried about the parent thing just from past experience, but [I figured] we were older. He didn't tell his parents for a while. He said, "I don't need to. It doesn't matter. They aren't going to have to deal with it. I'll tell them in a little bit." I left it to his discretion.
When we got pretty serious, he decided he would tell his parents. They were sad, but they weren't like, "Don't date her!" They really liked me. They said, "We're really sad for her. But we really like her, and it doesn't affect anything." So it was really great. It was an awesome thing for me. I love him to death, and he's been awesome about it. I worry about things, but we protect ourselves and we've been good. Everything's been really great with us.
That's awesome. Do you guys want to have kids?
He does. And I do sometimes. [Laughs.] Sometimes I don't. I can just borrow my sister's kids. I think eventually, probably in five, 10 years, we'll think about it more. Right now, we just got married this summer, so it's not a priority. We think about it, and he says, "If it's going to be a big deal, we can probably try to adopt." We don't have to have any, so it's up in the air.
Well, congratulations.
Thank you.
You mentioned earlier that your health has been like your father's, kind of stabilized. How has your health been generally? You were sick when you were little. How has your health been since then?
I have been on medication before, actually, when I was in my early teenage years. And then when I was 19 or 20 I decided that I didn't want to take them anymore. I didn't go to a specialist for a while, for about a year, I think. Then I went back, and I went to a different specialist. We went to a specialist in Baltimore and all these different places. Then we finally found one closer to where we lived.
My numbers still were fairly good. [I had a CD4 count of] 300 and an almost undetectable viral load and I had been off meds for a year or two.
[The first doctor I saw] wanted to put me on all these medications, kill me with medications -- that's what I thought it was like, anyway. I didn't want to do that, so I went to the same doctor my parents go to now. He said, "Just come every couple of months and we'll monitor you. I don't think there's a need [for medications right now], especially since your body is kind of stabilizing it."
It's been pretty good. My T cells have gotten a little bit lower, but it seems like they are staying at one spot and that my viral load is staying at one spot, which isn't very high either. He's pretty good about medications and whether I should be on them or not.
[Editor's note: Since the interview, Sarah restarted treatment and is currently taking Isentress (raltegravir),Truvada (tenofovir/FTC), Norvir (ritonavir) and Prezista (darunavir). Her last CD4 count was 360, and her viral load is almost undetectable.]
Why do you want to stay off of medications?
Some of the side effects are pretty crappy. They are better now than they used to be, a whole lot better then they used to be. [The HIV medications] help, but they also put toxins in your body. I think it's just better to stay off them as long as your doctor feels it is allowable. If you absolutely have to, then go on them. Also, in terms of resistance, too, I just think it's better not to wait until you are dying or anything, but to wait until you really need to go on them, so that you have more chance to avoid resistance to medications.
What medications were you on when you were younger? Do you remember?
Let me think. I was on Kaletra [lopinavir/ritonavir], Viracept [nelfinavir], Viramune [nevirapine], and I think that was it. I think I was on a regimen when I was 12 that was huge, 30 pills, but I do not remember all the names of them.
But it sounds like you haven't really been sick.
No, not really. I had a little bit of shingles, but nothing like what my mom had. They went away really quickly. I had my tonsillitis, but most of the stuff was generally fairly normal. I was never really very sick.
That's great. Do you personally have a health regimen that helps you stay well? Do you work out? Do you eat anything special?
Yes. I work out. I try to do at least 30 minutes a day of exercise, walking my dog or running or going to the gym. I also try to regularly take vitamins and try to eat healthier.
How do you stay on top of the latest information about HIV? Do you get magazines? Do you go on the internet? Do you go to a support group? How do you stay connected to the HIV world?
I get links to the POZ site. Also, I was researching different sites, and that's how I came across The Body. That's pretty much how I stay in contact with the HIV community.
How do you personally choose when to disclose to somebody? We talked a little bit about dating, how you told dates, but how long do you usually wait to tell someone? How can you tell if it's somebody you want to talk to about HIV?
It's funny. It would be lovely if there were a set parameter for that. [Laughs.] Most of my friends know. There are some that I'm not sure if they know or not. I actually did get to tell one person in high school, one of my best friends in high school. She had come over to my house, and I thought, I should probably tell her because my dad actually wrote a book and had stuff there with it, so I didn't want it to be a surprise. So after I was friends with her for a couple of months, I had a little discussion with her about everything. She was just kind of like, "Oh, yeah, my one friend such-and-such has that. Oh, yeah, OK." [Laughing.] It's kind of funny. It's either one way or the other. [Some people say,] "Oh, yeah. No big deal." Like, what?
The stories you've shared about disclosing, a lot of them have been pretty positive. Your husband's reaction was amazing and wonderful. Have you ever had a bad experience?
Yes. This one guy, we went on a couple of dates, and I decided I should tell him. He said, "OK. That's fine." I explained it to him and then I left. He called me, "I need to talk to you. I can't do this."
I'm like, "OK. Why?"
He said, "I just can't do this." Then he left. And that was all.
How did you react? Did you get to respond to him at all?
I was kind of mad. I said, "Your loss. See you later." [Laughs.] That was about it.
Is that really how you felt: There are more fish in the sea?
Not at first. I was pretty upset at first because it was another person who doesn't want to be my friend. He actually did want to be my friend, but my friends [have to] accept me. So at first I didn't react very well. I was pretty upset.
My dad then decided that he would help me out with this whole dating thing. It's kind of funny, actually. He went on one of the positive dating sites -- I forget which one -- and decided he would make a profile for me and then tell me about it, so that I would find somebody.
Oh, my.
So I was like, "Great, dad." Some of the stuff he put in my profile ... I don't think I would have put all that. But, anyway, I did actually meet one person through the site who was HIV positive. He was newly infected. We sort of talked for a while, but we were at completely different stages because I had it my whole life and he was starting the process of figuring out, "What do I do?"
He was kind of in denial. We were friends, but we lost contact. I would pressure him to go to the doctor. He would push it off. I told him you can't do that. So we lost contact, but it was nice to meet someone my age that had HIV also.
It sounds like your husband has been really, really supportive. How does he support you, and how does he deal with your HIV status?
If he can, he'll go to the doctor with me. He supports me, because I'm just starting to deal with things now. He's just very supportive and tries to help me and talk to me as much as possible.
Do you ever think it would be easier to have a partner who was positive?
Yes and no. It might be easier in the sense that you don't have to worry about protecting them, but at the same level I still don't know if they have a lot of research about [whether HIV partners who] have different strains of HIV can give each other different strains. [Click here to learn more about HIV superinfection.]
I think they recommend that you still use protection.
Right. [Being with a positive partner is] different, but it's not that different. Marrying someone who is HIV positive also would make it harder to have kids. There are pros and cons to both. Obviously, I married someone who is negative. That just happened to be easier for me.
Shifting gears just a little bit, I know you've talked a little bit about youth and HIV-positive children. What are your fears and your hopes for people your age as they face the risks of HIV?
|Sarah's dogs, Riley and Ally
I would say that I have two major fears for them. That is, I think it will be better for kids now, being infected and just living a normal life. [I hope that] people will not be self destructive. By that I mean going out and harming themselves or harming others. I think that sometimes when certain people get HIV it's out of a risky lifestyle. I think sometimes [being diagnosed with HIV] even pushes them into a riskier lifestyle because they think, "Oh, well. I have this, so it doesn't matter what I do." I would say that my hope is that people would make the right choices towards them to treat them properly, and also for HIV-positive people to make the right choices, not to harm themselves or anyone or to think that they can't have a life.
What advice would you give to another young person who is positive if you met them at church or at work?
I would just say they should make sure they go to the doctor when they need to and that if they need to be on medication that they're faithful with that. [I'd tell them] to keep doing whatever they want to do. If they need help, they can talk to me or whoever.
What issues do you think children who are diagnosed at birth or as children face issues that are different from people who are diagnosed as adults?
I think that for children it's really hard to understand. It doesn't really take away your innocence, but it takes away part of your childhood because you have to grow up pretty fast. You know what I mean? You have to face stuff that is hard for grownups to deal with.
I guess it depends sometimes on how you get it. Some people, I think, know they are at risk for it, and when they get diagnosed it's still pretty horrible, but it's not a huge surprise. I think that while it's not easy for anyone to understand it, it's easier for them to understand as an adult.
"A kid hasn't really lived yet, so it's pretty traumatizing to find out you're HIV positive. As an adult you've had some life ... when you're a kid you have to worry if you are going to have much of a life at all."
A kid hasn't really lived yet, so it's pretty traumatizing to find out you're HIV positive. As an adult you've had some life, now you just have to worry about whether you are going to make it to the rest of it. When you're a kid you have to worry if you are going to have much of a life at all.
How do you think your life would have been different if you hadn't gotten HIV?
I think in some ways, because of the community I was brought up in, it wouldn't have been good because I wouldn't have been as a accepting of people, if you get what I mean. Not that everyone in the community or the religion that I prefer is horrible or anything, but sometimes I think they can tend to be a little less accepting of people. They think things are a certain way and that's how they should be. I don't know if I would be as accepting of people as I am if I didn't have HIV.
On one hand, I think I would be a little bit less emotionally disturbed. Not that I'm mentally ill or anything. That's the only word I can think of ...
Maybe a little less fragile?
Yes. I wouldn't have as many emotional problems as I do, but on the same level, I don't know if I would be as strong either.
If you don't mind my asking, what emotional problems do you have?
Well, I think I'm pretty stable. If you asked people, they would say, "Sarah's good. She's fine." But I think that for most of my life I've been emotionally numb and have not dealt with things. That's how I dealt with things, and that's how I got through my life. So now it's harder for me to just get through things. It's all coming out now, the way I felt and the way I feel. So I'm a little bit more emotional, and by that I mean I show my emotions more. I get upset or whatever.
Do you think that getting older and moving out on your own has given you the opportunity to reprocess these things that happened to you as a child?
Yes, definitely. You can have a certain view of things, but then when you get out on your own, and you really think about things you kind of understand things a little differently.
If you were granted one wish, what would it be?
In this instance I would say -- I guess this is kind of two [wishes], but, oh well -- that they would find a cure or a vaccine. The possibility of my husband getting infected is very low, but just so that wouldn't even be a possibility. That would be really awesome.
Sarah, is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
I don't want come off like everything was really negative, but there were a lot of hardships. I just want to encourage people living with HIV to deal with things but to keep aspiring to fulfill their dreams. That's about it.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.


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Williams Sonoma Ultimate Decorating Tool
Neat, efficient and simple to use, our icing tool makes it easy to create beautifully decorated cakes, cupcakes and cookies. The ergonomic squeeze handle presses icing evenly through the tube for superb control, and it keeps the warmth of your hands away from the contents. The set includes a filling injector plus six small and three large tips for making a wide range of designs; they're a breeze to interchange thanks to the removable couplers.
- Squeeze-grip handle ensures smooth, controlled dispensing of buttercream, royal icing or whipped cream.
- Smooth compression pushes contents evenly towards tip for great control.
- Clear barrel keeps the icing level in view.
- Removable couplers allow easy interchange of tips.
- Includes six small and three large stainless-steel tips for a range of icing designs, plus an injector tip for fillings.
Dimensions & More Info
- 2 1/2" diam., 11" long.
- Made in China.
Use & Care
- Tips are dishwasher safe, contained in the silverware basket.
- Hand-wash barrel.
Shipping Information
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3–5 business days. UPS is unable to deliver to P.O. boxes.
Shipping Rates
The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping destination. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Next Day Delivery
For an additional charge of $26 per address, we can expedite delivery to most destinations. This service is not available for some oversize items, items shipped directly from the supplier (including perishable and custom-manufactured items), out-of-stock items and items to be shipped outside the contiguous 48 states.
Orders received by 9:00 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday will arrive the next business day; orders placed Friday through Sunday will arrive on the following Tuesday.
Return Policy
At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners and knife storage), please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, custom upholstery, food, items shipped direct from the vendor or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. Final sale items ending in .97 or .99 cannot be returned.
Made to Order and Final Sale Furniture items are non-returnable and cannot be cancelled once the order is placed.
For returns of items purchased from your Williams Sonoma Gift Registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later. View Full Returns Policy.
Williams Sonoma Ultimate Decorating Tool
|Delivery Surcharge
|Williams Sonoma Ultimate Decorating Tool

subset: commoncrawl


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Grinnell College
1103 Park Street
Grinnell, IA 50112
United States
Mark Peltz
Daniel and Patricia Jipp Finkelman Dean of Careers, Life, and Service
Mark oversees all facets of the Center for Careers, Life, and Service, including strategic planning, program development, budget management, and leading an incredibly talented team. As a member of President Kington's Senior Staff, Mark consults with the President and other institutional leaders about methods and innovations to strengthen each student's sense of self, sense of direction, and overall readiness for life after college.
A native Iowan, Mark hails from Ankeny, a city just north of Des Moines. He joined the Grinnell College community on April Fool's Day in 2011 (no joke). Before coming to Grinnell, he served as Associate Director of Graduate Business Career Services in the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida, and as Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Career Center at Luther College. A first-generation college graduate, Mark holds degrees from the University of Northern Iowa (BA), Miami University in Ohio (MS), and Iowa State University (PhD).
Mark's outside interests are plentiful: spending time with his wife and two sons; coaching, playing, and watching baseball; building with LEGOs; traveling; debating education policy; running; reading; and listening to an array of music (from baroque to classical to 90s grunge).
Education and Degrees
B.A., University of Northern Iowa M.S., Miami University Ph.D., Iowa State University
In the News
How to Do a Better Job of Preparing Students for Life After College
The Chronicle of Higher Education / September 10, 2017


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|Linux Display Driver - x86
Version: 173.14.12
Release Highlights
If you have any questions or problems, please check the NVIDIA Linux discussion forum. If you don't find an answer to your question there, you can send email (in English) to email@example.com.
When emailing email@example.com, please attach an nvidia-bug-report.log, which is generated by running "nvidia-bug-report.sh".


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I remember struggling in an intro chemistry class. I was totally lost and knew I needed help. I decided that a study group was the solution, so guess what I did? I asked the smartest guy in the room if he wanted to form a group with me. He…
During my senior year of college, I worked 25-hours a week in our financial aid office, planned my wedding (which happened to be the day before my graduation), served as an officer in my sorority and was president of an on-campus club. This was the beginning of my family nickname: the overscheduler! However, I learned a…
Starting college and living on your own for the first time can help you realize rather quickly that these items you think you "need" may not be necessities after all. Five dollar coffees may be relatively easy to cut out of your daily budget, but there are larger items that can cause ripple effects on your finances.
We recently talked about how your credit (or lack thereof) can affect your eligibility for student loans. But there's another important way student loans and credit are tied to one another. Once your student loans go into repayment, the way you handle those payments can have an impact on your credit score - for better or for worse. Continue reading...
The news these days is filled with stories about the student loan burden: students graduating with back-breaking debt, whether or not it's even worth going to college, and how much student loan debt is ok to have. These are all important topics that college students should pay attention to.
What's not so good are the myths that are circulated among students and graduates. This article will clear up some misconceptions you may have heard about student loans.
College graduation got you thinking about repaying student loans? Check out these three steps you need to know to start the repayment process off right!
Some newly minted college graduates struggle to find work. Others accept jobs for which they feel overqualified. Student debt, meanwhile, has topped $1 trillion.
It's enough to create a wave of questions about whether a college education is still worth it.
A new set of income statistics answers those questions quite clearly: Yes, college is worth it, and it's not even close. For all the struggles that many young college graduates face, a four-year degree has probably never been more valuable.
You've all heard this saying before: Graduation is bittersweet. You're happy that you're finally graduating and about to start a new chapter in your life, yet you're sad to be leaving your friends, favorite teachers, your family and even your dog (if you have one). So here's a new way to characterize the time around your high school graduation:
Credit Union Student Choice, the foremost provider of higher education financing solutions to America's credit unions, has announced a new partnership with iGrad, an award-winning source of financial literacy tools and resources. Together, the organizations will work to empower students and their families to make effective personal finance, student loan and career decisions.
NPR's Planet Money outlines some of the most (and least) lucrative fields of study for college students. Engineers top the list while many liberal arts majors fall short. Read more about the in the NPR article by clicking below.
A better deal from your local not-for-profit cooperative
More than 1,500 approved schools across the country
Answers to your most common questions
Financial resources to help you succeed in college and beyond


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Tinkle-down economics
The tinkle-down effect, also known as tinkle-down economics, is a central part of the wider theory of supply-side economics as applied by Ronald Reagan. This effect provides the standard explanation as to how it is that the more money people give to these followers, the better off everybody is. The theory also works in reverse, the more money you take away from followers of supply-side economics, the more quickly civilization will crumble leaving all of humankind without electricity, government, water, and air. All the land will become infertile and all of the crops will wither. Humans will begin to devolve back into apes, or at least revert back to the Stone Age within five years. So as you can see, if you just give me my money back it'll all be ok and nobody will have to get hurt.
The basic premise of the tinkle-down effect is that money given to rich people eventually tinkles down to the middle-class and to the lower classes, because people who are richer than God spend amazing quantities of money on stupid things, which, generally speaking, involve getting people who aren't rich to humiliate themselves in exchange for money. This entertainment value of this cannot be overstated, as absurdly rich people rarely get bored. Other examples of tinkle-down economics exist, but seeing as the only two categories of people who could be reading this are "the rich" and "those who want to be rich" we aren't going to tell you, because you either already know, or we don't want you to.
For relatively braindead people, the standard way to get rich is the old-fashioned way, namely inheritance. The observation that these people find amusement in especially uncreative forms of lower-class humiliation, often involving urination, lead to the term tinkle-down effect. Thus the term "tinkle-down" literally means that the poor have the honor of taking what the rich consider to be less than worthless. Obviously, the poor and middle-class don't enjoy being thought of as "piss takers," good thing nobody cares what they think.
While the general concept that everyone benefits by giving rich people money to spend on stupid things is at least as old as supply-side Jesus, the origin of the specific term tinkle-down effect is believed to trace to a speech by Ronald Reagan.
In any case it is most closely tied to Reaganomics, and was initially used to justify such things as tax cuts for the wealthy as well as government-funded Olympic swimming pools filled with Jello for every member of Congress. Later it was used to justify buying lots and lots of missiles, then buying a real working Death Star just for kicks, and then ultimately it was invoked to justify giving almost all the money to Reagan so that he could tinkle down on everything himself.
In recent history tinkle-down economics have been used by George W. Bush to try and stimulate the down-turning economy. As you no doubt know, tinkle-down economics did exactly what the United States needed. Instantly the housing market boomed as people began to buy up second, and even third, homes. Unfortunately, due to some irresponsible banking practices by a number of banks, and an extremely large number of poor people, the housing market took a very slight, almost negligible, down-turn. This extremely minor dip caused a lot of the so called "experts" to freak out and tell everyone else to stop investing in housing. Before the rich could put their vast amounts of money to work fixing this problem President Obama began to tax the living shit out of them, leaving them helpless to help those less fortunate than them.
All the more reason to be rich then right?[edit]
Actually, even though it seems like being rich would be the solution to all of your problems really your problems would be just beginning.
The first main problem with being rich is that you never know what to do with all your money. No matter what you do you always have made more money in the time it took you to spend it. Did you just book first class tickets to India? Well by the time you get there you've already made enough money to pay for it. What's that? Your plane lands on top of the Taj Mahal? Well that's great but in the time it takes to get a plane out of the Taj Mahal you've made enough money for that too.
The second in this long list of problems that are faced by rich people is the requirement to save the poor people from themselves. Of all these problems this should be the one most familiar to you. You know, you poor and middle-class are always begging the rich for their money and we feel obliged to give it to you out of the goodness of our hearts.
The last of the problems of being rich that will be mentioned is the fact that the poor, yes those money-grubbers that were just mentioned, some of them become rich too! It's completely unthinkable! Some of them become rich in those made-for-Hollywood-rags-to-riches-stories-that-were-old-when-they-first-began stories. However, some make it on luck alone through the lottery of all things! Unbelievable.


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Australian Unity is a member-owned financial services and healthcare company that was first formed in 1840 in Melbourne as the Manchester Unity International Order of Oddfellows in Victoria. In 1993, the company merged with Australian Natives' Association and became Australian Unity.
The organisation is based in Melbourne, employs over 2000 staff and has over 300,000 members. Australian Unity provides a number of public services including health and dental insurance, assisted living and aged care services. They also offer financial products and services, issued through Big Sky Financial, such as banking and home loans, as well as investments, insurance and financial planning advice.
Australian Unity has won numerous awards for its financial and personal services.
Australian Unity home loan calculator
Interested in an Australian Unity home loan? RateCity has a suite of calculators that can show you what your repayments would be and how Australian Unity compares to its competitors. Simply plug in your borrowing amount below.


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smgibbon needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 48 designs submitted by 26 freelance designers.
A logo is needed for the Web Site that is used by musicians to promote their live music events.
Get Out To Live Music
Desired Color Scheme:
Desired Style:
Accepted File Formats:
Hi Res and copy in jpg and pdf
Get Out To Live Music is a business that is being established to help musicians better connect with their fan base. It is similar to MySpace. However, it is specifically for musicians and their fans to join.
The logo should be bold and will replace much of what is already at the top of the target web site.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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What is this crap?? Did the Monza quick race and:
1) The steering is terrible, waaaay too sensitive to wheel to wheel racing or little adjustments down a straight. Clear step back from previous games.
2) The brakes are lame. They don´t have enough stopping power at high speed, they don´t lock up at low speed. Just press a button and wait for it to slow down enough.
3) With TC off, you need to be a moron to get any sort of wheelspinning. The ammount of steerig lock applied is irrelevant to the ammount of throttle you can use.
4) You can cheat the tracks like a monkey. Riding the big red curbs in Monza chicanes not only don´t send you airborne, they don´t upset the car and are the fastest way around.
5) AI is terrible. Just keep it full throttle through Curva Grande and you pass people on lap 1.
6) When you slide, which is really hard, they introduced a lame wheel scratching sound ala Gran Turismo!!! In a F1 game!!
It looks great, handles like a pig. Won´t buy straight away.
You can adjust that by increasing the linearity. Should also point out that the demo doesn't have full setting for AI/penalties.


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There's a fine line between frugal and cheap. Frugal people understand that paying more doesn't necessarily mean better value. People labeled as cheap wouldn't pay a premium price regardless of the value. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is often labeled as frugal. Your neighbor, whose claim to fame is the fact that of all of his or her belongings were purchased at garage sales, is probably cheap. Here's how to save money, but avoid being labeled cheap.
Frugal People Know When to Pay Up
Cheap people only look at the price. They believe that the only way to achieve value is to pay less, but they fail to take into account other factors. Frugal people know that, sometimes, it's best to pay up. A quality mattress may cost more, but the added support and ergonomics may help somebody with back pain. Paying the extra money for a pair of timeless jeans from a premium store may result in longer life and fewer signs of wear.
Cheap people may not be as skilled at managing their money as frugal people are. Let's assume that a cheap person and a frugal person head into an appliance store to purchase a dryer. The cheap person would look for the lowest priced model; the frugal person would evaluate the energy efficiency and compare gas versus electric. He or she may research the model and read customer reviews. Before buying, frugal shoppers will look for rebates and sales at other stores. The better use of the money may be a higher-priced model, but cheap people may not see a need to research when the lowest price, the basic model is in front of them.
Cheap People Think Everything Is Overpriced
You've been with this person. This is the individual who complains to everybody about the cost of everything. If you go to a restaurant, such people don't understand why a burger is $10. If you take them to a baseball game, they complain about the price of the ticket. Even the candy bar at the gas station is too much.
Frugal people may be thinking the same thing, but they understand that voicing it makes them sound cheap. Instead, frugal people don't purchase the candy bar.
Frugal People Put People Above Savings
Have you ever gone out with somebody who uses coupons to save on the price of a dinner? That's frugal, and most people wouldn't see that as cheap. But how about the person who uses the coupon and then tips based on the amount after the coupon instead of the original price? Frugal people love to save a buck, but they won't take money away from others to do it.
Cheap People Don't Buy Necessities
Have you ever met someone who won't go to the doctor because it costs too much? How about parents who don't plan to help their child with college expenses because of the price? Those may be extreme examples, but cheap people may not even pay for the basics of life where frugal people look to get the best price they can.
Frugal People See the Higher Purpose
Frugal people love to save a buck, but that doesn't mean that they aren't generous with their money. They believe in giving to worthy causes. They will, however, exhaustively research charities to find ones that don't have high administrative costs. Or they might forgo organized charity and give only to family and friends with a real need. Warren Buffett believes that giving kids too much money does more harm than good. Because of that, he has promised most of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation instead of to his children.
Cheap people may have a different mindset. They see their money as theirs, and they may hold it for the rest of their life. Their children may speak of them as somebody who would rarely give a gift or helped when help was needed. This may lead to a strained relationship with that parent. Money appears to mean more than the relationship with others.
The Bottom Line
We admit, there is no scientific way to distinguish between cheap and frugal people. There are cheap people we love and frugal people we dislike, but perhaps the best distinction comes from understanding value. Just because something is less expensive doesn't necessarily make it cheaper once other costs are included.


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Supima® Cotton Hemstitched Adjustable Bedskirt
An elegant way to anchor a bedding ensemble and build a beautiful bed. * Pure long-staple Supima cotton * 300 thread count * This product is tested for harmful substances and meets Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX® * Easy, three-panel tuck-and-adjust design * It's the perfect coordinate to our Hemstitched Supima Percale Bedding * Imported
Price: $89.00 - $149.00
EILEEN FISHER Farmhouse Bedskirt
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Price: $139.00 - $159.00
Wrinkle-Resistant Embroidered Sateen Bedskirt
As elegant as it is easy, in wrinkle-resistant cotton with a subtle satiny sheen that adds a crisp finishing touch to any bed, with any bedding. Embellished with exquisite embroidered detailing. * Smooth right out of the dryer, reducing the need for ironing * Premium 400 thread count long-staple cotton * Double-lined for additional structure * Inset ladder-stitch embroidered trim at the hem * Thre....
Price: $38.00


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Equities hit by us interest rate speculation again
Business, Published on 05/09/2016
» Recap: Higher prospects for a US interest rate increase this year roiled global stock markets last week before the release of tepid job data on Friday weakened the case for any change. The Thai bourse faced selling pressure on Friday as investors cashed out for fear that capital inflows to Thailand would reverse, as has been seen in some other markets in Southeast Asia.
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Baby Boy and Girl Swimwear
Make a splash this summer by putting your baby in some of the cutest swimwear around. A swimsuit is a crucial element of summer, after all. If you plan on heading out for a day at the beach, taking a dip at your local lake or lounging around poolside in your own backyard, your whole family will need to put on the appropriate apparel. Get it all here in one place, and at a great price, too!
Find Their Favorite Characters
Whether you're searching for a flower-print one piece in baby girl swimwear or a rockin' pair of swim trunks for your little man, we've got you covered. Let your kids spend the entire summer with their favorite Disney friends such as Jake and the Neverland Pirates, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Spiderman. Or, take a dive while wearing suits that feature exciting sea creatures such as sharks, fish, whales and more. With so many fun designs, bright colors and friendly characters, there's a perfect swimsuit for everyone!
Stay Safe in the Summer Heat
As any parent knows, summer is a big season for safety, and little girl's clothes and baby boy swimwear options are no exception. If you're looking for more coverage when having fun in the sun, opt for any of our rash guard T-shirts. Not only do they feature the coolest designs that your kids will love, these options also offer SPF protection and more skin coverage, so mom and dad are happy, too! You can't forget about the head gear. Any of the floppy bucket hats will look adorable on your kids while protecting their faces from the sun's rays. Keep the smiles going all summer long with this great selection of swimwear options!


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I am very much against letting children watch television, and if my nine months old niece was more eloquent, she would describe a TV set as a box with flickering colors that shuts down as soon as you move your head towards it.
I also like the artist Hanoch Piven very much, and so it is with mixed feelings I announce that his new TV show for kids will air twice daily in Israel starting today (6:55am and 5:45pm) on the Hop channel. In each 5 minutes episode Piven will create colorful portraits from found objects.
Here is the opening sequence as posted by Piven on his blog:


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London Group Brings Tourists to Ohio for Election
Tourism with a theme isn't new. But former BBC and New York Times reporter Nicholas Wood felt there was something missing in the tourism industry.
WOOD: "It struck me – if you can have art tours, history tours, why can't you have serious political tours? So we give people, ordinary people the same opportunity you and I have had."
So Wood launched Political Tours, designed specifically for the political junkies. The company is bringing a small group to Ohio and Washington to look into the 2012 presidential election.
WOOD: "We are seeing farmers just a bit north of Columbus. We're going up to Cleveland; we're seeing a get-out-the-vote drive. We're going to a black church, talking to local community members there. We're going to a UAW local near the Ford plant, talk about the auto bailout and issues that matter to them. Later we'll be going to Dayton – we'll be talking to pollsters, how do pollsters actually work."
And then it's off to a few days in DC to meet a poll analyst and visit a major newspaper – then on election day they'll follow more get out the vote efforts and watch exit polls and election returns at a national TV studio. The Ohio leg of the trip is led by veteran reporter Bill Hershey, recently retired from the Dayton Daily News.
HERSHEY: "I've covered every presidential campaign in Ohio since 1980, and I was getting some kind of withdrawal syndrome because I wasn't actively doing it. And Nick called me up a couple of months ago and explained what he was doing and I thought, well, this is kind of like I covered a campaign, and I said, what the heck."
Wood's traveling team is just four members – a few dropped out because of bad weather and an injury. Wood says the American political system is interesting and shocking for him to see in action, and wonders if his tour group will think so too.
WOOD: "Well, there's the money that's spent on it. I've got to say the debate in some ways seems incredibly simplistic, and you have to make quite an effort to inform yourself about the issues. The advertising is obviously very pejorative. I find the debate on most TV stations is quite superficial as well, so there's not a lot of opportunity to actually get down to some really in-depth understanding of what's going on."
Wood's London-based Political Tours is also doing trips to examine the European financial crisis, post-apartheid South Africa and post-war Kosovo. The company is also going to North Korea next spring, and had planned a December trip to Libya – that's been cancelled because of security concerns.


text: Instead of just being smaller than a regular tea spoon, this stupid creation promises to be an easy way to reduce your calorie intake by half—with a design that looks like the utensil has been literally sliced in half. It's kitchen clutter at its worst, and even as a sight gag it's really not that amusing. Does the sheer ridiculousness anger up your blood too? If so, sound off below. [Mustard]


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Easy Clinic Management by Office Automation!
Dr. Maulik July 24th, 2010
If you think that managing the health care center is quite a difficult task, you are absolutely right there! Managing the medical center requires multiple skills that include arranging the patients' schedules without any time overlapping, calling them and informing them about their visits (also regimen, dietary suggestions etc) and top of all, answering the patients' calls without getting frustrated.
As the luck would have it, there are many software tools that help in managing the medical center effectively. Nevertheless, choosing the best one is the key to success. Typical online patient appointment scheduling system would have several features that you require in a day-to-day health center management. The system not only helps in management and generating revenues but surprisingly some of the features save the clinic from financial loss. Let us learn how this tool is helpful in automating medical office…
Online Doctor Appointment Scheduler
ODAS works as medical virtual receptionist wherein it fixes the appointments as sought by the patients. Simply put, the patients can directly log into the system and book their appointments. A two-way Google Sync feature would directly send the data to web that is accessible using iPhone like hand-held devices. You, being the health care provider, can manage and reschedule the patients' appointments according to you plan.
Patient Reminder
Reminding patients could be a challenging task, especially when the number of patients is significant. The human medical desk receptionist may forget to have a follow up and inform the patients about their due visits, body tests or any important information to be conveyed. ODAS can also work as patient reminder system that can do things for sure!
Medical Answering System
During some events, where great flow of patients is expected (such as free medical camp), answering the phone calls throughout the day becomes difficult task for human medical receptionist. Online patient appointment system can do this job in quite a better way. It can answer any number of calls (no matter one or more patients calling at a time) without getting tired!
You can take clinic management as duck takes to water since medical answering cum online patient appointment system comes with multiple features such as multiple languages (setting different languages to communicate foreign patients) and prepaid appointment (that saves revenue loss because of no-show cause patients) etc.


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In the face of shrinking defense dollars, U.S. Army planners want the war-weary service to prepare for its next ground invasion.
Training and Doctrine Command officials recently released the U.S. Army Capstone Concept (ACC) document, a blueprint designed to help leaders ensure the Army can deal with the threats it will likely face in the future.
With operations in Afghanistan winding down next year, service leaders are grappling with how to stay relevant at a time when the entire U.S. military is facing massive spending cuts and force reductions.
Rather than slow down to a peace-time pace, the Army needs to transition from a sustained-combat-rotation posture to one that stresses rapid-deployment ground operations, according to the ACC.
"Army forces must be capable of forced entry, rapid transition from deployment to employment, and adequate response to any contingency, either alone or until additional forces and capabilities arrive," the document recommends.
"Army formations require the lethality to win an extended close fight and defeat aggression. They must also be sufficiently robust and protected to endure the effects of multiple, protracted engagements."
Such a focus is necessary, planners maintain, pointing to the Army's plans to scale back its permanent basing in Europe and station most of its forces in the United States.
The Army plans to maintain some forward presence with regionally-aligned forces to build security-cooperation agreements with foreign forces. In addition to building an enhanced understanding of specific regions, "aligning forces regionally allows the Army to balance its units economically and equitably," ACC officials wrote.
Senior leaders announced last year that the Army will focus on the Pacific and the Middle East since both regions harbor significant threats to U.S. interests.
Asia is home to "seven of the world's ten largest armies. Not all of these armies are hostile, but many are investing in effective conventional capabilities including armor, air defense, and robotics. While the possibility of a renewed Korean War is remote, there is a distinct potential for the implosion of the communist North Korean regime, an outcome that could result in the loss of control of nuclear weapons and fissile material," according to the ACC.
The Pentagon will continue its mission in the Middle East to defeat al-Qaeda, but planners also maintain that the recent Arab Spring uprisings "demonstrate a rapidly changing political dynamic that may present growing security challenges to the U.S. and greater opportunities to adversaries."
The capstone document predicts that America's future adversaries "will invest in advanced anti-tank systems, improvised explosive devices, and anti-materiel weapons to defeat current and projected U.S. capabilities on the ground," according to the ACC.
"Less capable adversaries will also use a variety of improvised weapons and will likely employ technologies such as global positioning system jammers, homemade radio-frequency weapons, and rudimentary robotics systems to attack the U.S. reliance on technology," Army officials wrote.
Potential foes will also make use of cyber attacks, weapons of mass destruction and "more capable unmanned aerial platforms that employ global positioning system jammers," according to the ACC.
Army planners are concerned about the enemy's future use of "anti-access and area denial capabilities to counter the U.S. ability to project military force into an operational area. … Adversary commanders will position forces and capabilities to support rapid precision attack against air and sea ports of debarkation and interrupt the flow of logistics or follow-on forces," the capstone document states.
To counter such tactics, a future U.S.-based Army must expand its use of prepositioned stocks of combat equipment at strategic locations around the world, planners said.
"The Army must maintain a rapidly deployable and capable global response force, provide deployable joint and coalition-capable headquarters, and conduct entry operations, including forcible entry, to defeat anti-access and area denial strategies," according the ACC.
"Army forces must be responsive and powerful enough to impact the joint fight early, and possess the mobility and firepower to enable joint force commanders to develop the situation in close contact with the enemy," the ACC wrote.
At the same time, Army leaders must deal with the realities of the unstable economy and the willingness of lawmakers to cut defense spending.
Shrinking the active Army will force the Army "to refine its accessions processes to attract, select, and place people in ways that match talents and skills to the tasks of any given specialty, while retaining the best of the combat-hardened veterans," the ACC states.
The path laid out in the Army Capstone Concept is not without risks. Rapid-deployment, forced-entry operations depend on the Air Force's fleet of aircraft.
"The greatest risk to the Army's ability to project into a [joint operating area] is the capacity of strategic lift," the ACC states. "If the joint force is unable to maintain the capacity to support theater contingency plans and steady state demands, then this delays the arrival of land forces, yielding initiative to the enemy."


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Kristen Stewart Charms At Crepusculo
Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Cam Gigandet capture the spotlight at the Crepusculo photocall in Madrid, Spain on Monday.
Kristen, 18, and Cam, 26, are in Madrid promoting their upcoming feature film, Twilight, which hits theaters on November 18th. The devilish movie, based on the bestseller book series by Stephanie Meyer, has had two television spots so far and the international trailer was just released. Check it out below!
35+ pictures of Kristen and Cam charming at Crepusculo in Madrid…
Twilight International Trailer


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flute studio recital
Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 7:30pm
Unless otherwise indicated, there is no late seating or admission to events. Please contact the event organizer if you are unable to arrive on time.
For disability accommodations, please contact the department presenting the event. Disability access information is available online at Parking Services, and further resources can be found on Western's Disability Resources website.
Please log in to request changes to this event.


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About 60 percent of government employees earn between $65 and $100 per month.
Representatives of both companies have been tight-lipped so far on the proposed dam's construction.
In their letter, SRP lawmakers said more than 29,000 people from four different provinces had signed a petition.
The market was opened in 1937, it has 3,000 shops, ranging from stationary and electronics, to rice, meat and trinkets for tourists.
Cambodia has been influenced largely by the French and the Chinese in its modern history, with China's influence growing today.
Trade between the two countries reached $716 million in the first three months of the year, up 35 percent from 2010.
Cambodia has about 530 garment factories, employing more than 370,000 workers.
The city has so far not responded to a May 9 request for a meeting, despite numerous protests by the residents.
JCIC was created last year to help train and provide business opportunities for business leaders aged 18 to 40 .
According to the FAO, the retail cost of wheat and rice in Asia declined slightly last month, the first drop in nine months.
Sam Rainsy told reporters Sunday he planned a larger demonstration soon.
The proposed March comes as workers face increasing pressure from food and fuel prices, while salaries remain low.
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|take out the pieces and put them back in the container
|Level 8 - Demanding
|Jean Claude Constantin
|Packing Puzzles, Jean Claude Constantin, Cube Puzzle
|5 in x 5 in x 0.9 in / 12.8 cm x 12.8 cm x 2.2 cm
Product Description
A very colorful packing puzzle. Remove the pieces from the frame, then pack them all back in. It is also possible to interlock the pieces to create other shapes, including three-dimensional shapes.
Made in painted wood by Jean-Claude Constantin. Jean-Claude Constantin lives in Germany, where he designs and manufactures many different wood and metal puzzles, as well as magic tricks.
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text:
Offer group educational, social, or physical activities that promote social interactions, regular attendance, and community involvement among older adults
Policies & Programs
Policies and programs that can improve health
filtered by "Health Care"
119 results
Activity programs for older adults
Advocacy for victims of intimate partner violence
Work to empower victims of intimate partner violence, help them with safety plans, and link them with community services (e.g., legal, housing, financial advice, emergency shelter, etc.)
Alcohol brief interventions
Provide information and increase motivation to change or prevent problematic alcohol consumption in a short session; also called alcohol screening & brief intervention
Allied dental professional scope of practice
Expand the role of allied dental professionals (e.g., hygienists, therapists, etc.) via changes to statute, dentist supervision requirements, etc.
Behavioral health primary care integration
Revise health care processes and provider roles to integrate mental health and substance abuse treatment into primary care; continue to refer patients with severe conditions to specialty care
Behavioral interventions to prevent HIV and other STIs
Use individual, group, and community-level interventions to provide education, support, and training that can affect social norms about HIV and other STIs
Breastfeeding promotion programs
Provide education, information, counseling, and support for breastfeeding to women throughout pre- and post-natal care
Car seat distribution & education programs
Provide parents with car seats free of charge, via loan or low cost rental, often with education about proper installation and use
Car seat incentive & education programs
Educate parents and caregivers about proper use of car seats and reward parents and/or children for correct use
Case-managed care for community-dwelling frail elders
Use a case management model for frail elderly patients living independently, coordinating aspects of long-term care (LTC) such as status assessment, monitoring, advocacy, care planning, etc.


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — "Modern Family" actor Ty Burrell says he sees gay marriage in the United States is a "tide that can't be turned."
Burrell headlined a fundraiser Thursday evening in Salt Lake City to help cover legal costs for couples fighting Utah's ban on same-sex marriage, lending his celebrity to help a group backed by sitcom co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
"It's really a tide of people understanding that love is love, and that there's no going back," Burrell said in the downtown clothing store he partly owns. He drifted among chambray shirts and chandeliers to take pictures with plaintiffs and mingle with attendees. About 100 people came to the event.
Ferguson, who plays one half of the ABC hit's gay couple, founded Tie The Knot with his real-life husband, Justin Mikita, in 2012.
At the event, they sold a bow tie designed by Burrell, featuring vintage road maps of his native Oregon for $25. Bartenders mixed Moscow mules, a signature cocktail at Burrell's Salt Lake City speakeasy-style bar called Bar X.
Ferguson said he and Mikita are "not the type of guys that are going to be out with the bullhorns going, 'equality now.' We do it through humor, we do it through fashion."
Moudi Sbeity and Derek Kitchen, one of the couples bringing the lawsuit, knew of Tie the Knot and pitched the fundraiser idea to Burrell.
"You would be surprised at how many people are eager to put what they can on the table and support us here, so it's really great," Kitchen said.
In December, Burrell served as the official witness to an unplanned lesbian wedding at his bar when same-sex marriage was briefly legal in Utah.
"It was such an exciting few days," he said.
Thursday's event comes as gay marriage advocates wait for a federal appeals court in Denver to decide whether Utah's same-sex marriage ban is constitutional. A federal judge overturned it in December.
Utah has become a focal point for the gay marriage movement since then, followed by a string of similar rulings by judges in other states. The latest came in Wisconsin, marking the 15th consecutive ruling supporting gay marriage since a landmark Supreme Court ruling last summer.
In Utah, Burrell told The Associated Press, "I think a lot of people need some time to breathe and think about" gay marriage. He characterized the state's dominant Mormon community as "loving" and "level-headed."
"Even if they don't agree with something, hate isn't really a part of the way in which they behave. They're a very tolerant group," he said.
When Ferguson's character, Mitch, married his gay partner on "Modern Family," many saw it as yet another sign of widening acceptance for gay marriage in the U.S.
"That was a huge moment for all of us," Ferguson said, referring to the cast. "Nobody aspires to be a domestic partner. You aspire to be a wife or a husband. You aspire to marriage."
Born and raised in Oregon, Burrell lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, a Utah native, when he is not in Los Angeles filming "Modern Family" or working on other projects.
He has said he feels much like a "Salt Laker."
Laurie Wood and Kody Partridge, who wed in Utah in December and also brought the lawsuit, said they're glad they get to be involved in bringing marriage equality to Utah.
"We said, this is our state, this is our home, this is where we want to be wed," Partridge said. "Six months has been wonderful."
'Modern Family' dad headlines gay-marriage event
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — "Modern Family" actor Ty Burrell says he sees gay marriage in the United States is a "tide that can't be turned."


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Page 1
|1 of 1
This page
17 -NOQt 0OOK-Most of the more than 20,000 books published in the United States and Canada each year are lost in the crowd, and never come to the attention of many people who would be glad to know about them. On this page the editors of H&S Reports present a few recent titles among many that they believe may be of particular interest or practical use to members of the Haskins & Sells family at work, at home or on vacation. No official endorsement is intended. The reader remains his own judge of a book. The American Challenge, by J. J. Ser-van- Schreiber. Atheneum, 1968, 278 pages, $6.95. This is the highly readable and provocative book that has electrified Europe since its publication there last year. In France, alone, a half million copies were sold in three months. The author, a French publisher-editor-politician, describes what he calls the "state of collapse" of Europe in terms designed to wake the continent up to the economic invasion from across the Atlantic. He sees the challenge less in terms of sales and investment than in the dynamism of American society and especially the art of organization, which releases energy through investment in human beings. Now in English translation, this book is likely to be widely talked about from coast to coast by bankers, educators, housewives and businessmen, including officials of H&S clients. The Forging of Our Continent, by Charlton Ogburn, Jr. American Heritage Publishing Co., in association with the Smithsonian Institution, 1968, 160 pages, $4.95. The contrasting features of the North American landscape as viewed from jet plane or car window cause a traveler to wonder at the powerful forces of nature that shaped our continent. Here, in a beautifully illustrated and scientifically detailed book, is its geologic history. Mr. Ogburn writes for the layman, with the accuracy of a scientist who thoroughly understands his subject, and as a poet in love with the beauty of America. He tells about the geologists whose observations and reasoning have enabled them to read the history of our land in the markings left by molten lava, glacier ice, pounding ocean wave and trickling stream. The author includes a guide to the principal geologic features of the national parks and monuments, as well as a glossary of geologic terms. Your Children's Teeth, by Theodore Berland and Dr. Alfred Seyler, Meredith Press, 1968, 237 pages, $6.95. A dentist and a professional science writer collaborate to point out to parents the hows, whys and whens of dental care for their children, from conception to adulthood. In emphasizing preventive dentistry, the authors stress that dental health depends a great deal on parents' attention to such details as diet, brushing and regular visits to the dentist. Especially valuable is the section on the expensive question of teeth-straightening, which helps those who pay for it learn its importance. How to Avoid the 10 Biggest Home- Buying Traps, by A. M. Watkins. Meredith Press, 1968, 138 pages, $3.95. This book of guidance addressed to everyone in the market for a house is written by the same expert who contributed the article "Should This House Be Our Home?" to the Spring 1968 issue of H&S Reports. Mr. Watkins explains that the most common mistakes made by homebuyers fit into a pattern of traps that the forewarned can avoid. They include, among others, over-payment for the house you buy, defects in construction, poor design, and unsuita-bility to the buyer's needs. Many of these traps are hidden from the layman's eyes, but Watkins' practical tips can help a buyer discover them. So can the photographs, which show the contrast between good, mediocre, and downright horrible in housing. When the stake is $20,000 or more, it is worthwhile to read a book like this. Computers and Automation, by John A. Brown. Arco Publishing Company, 1968, 245 pages, $5.00. What are computers? How do they work? What is computer language? Programming? Data processing? Automation? An increasing number of people in business, government and the professions realize they must learn the answers to such questions, but don't know how to begin. The families of H&S accountants must wonder about the world of the computer that absorbs their husbands and fathers. Mr. Brown offers here a step-by-step guide for nonexperts who would like to know something about computers and their application, without going into the details of their construction. He includes a useful glossary of computer terms, test questions after each chapter to keep the reader on his mental toes, and a short computer career guide for students. The Money Managers, by the Investment Company Institute. McGraw- Hill, 1967, 147 pages, $4.95. Paperback $1.95. More than four million Americans of all classes, accountants among them, now invest in mutual funds. How many of that number really know much about how the funds work? In non-technical language this authoritative, concise, yet comprehensive introduction to the mutual fund industry explains what mutual funds are, what services they offer, and how they differ from one another. Risks are outlined as plainly as the possible rewards. The mutual funds, the reader is told, are run by conscientious, skilled "money managers," whose expertise the amateur investor cannot hope to match. The book includes a chapter on the federal and state legal safeguards that protect mutual fund stockholders, and a detailed bibliography. •
Object Description
Editors' book-shelf
Books -- Reviews
H&S Reports, Vol. 05, (1968 autumn), p. 17
|Originally published by: Haskins & Sells
|Copyright and permission to republish held by: Deloitte
|PDF page image with corrected OCR scanned at 400 dpi
|Deloitte Digital Collection
|Digital Publisher
|University of Mississippi Library. Accounting Collection
|Date-Digitally Created


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eastpak treasure hunt – 5 grand anyone?
*electronic beeping sound* News just in Eastpak have come up with the insane idea of hiding £5000 cash in an Eastpak backpack over Carnival weekend somewhere in London, nutters. During September all treasure hunters registered for free via the website – insidertrail.eastpak.com will receive challenges over the course of 3 weeks that give them a chance to see parts of London they never knew and more importantly find that big bag of cash. Registration opened yesterday and there are a limited number of places so go run free and let fortune find that bag of money x


text:
Currently Seeking Serious
BOD Members with
Excellent Credentials
Peace Foundations is a not-for-profit charitable organization being developed to provide realistic programs and services to victims of Domestic Violence.
Peace Foundations nationwide facilities and revolutionary services will enable victims of DV to overcome the barriers that they face when attempting to leave an abuser so that they can survive and thrive. These women (sometimes men) and children, and are suffering from undeserved cruelty. They desire to be freed from their oppressors and they deserve freedom. They long for peace, hope, love and joy. They need our help and support. We feel it is our duty as Americans and as Christians to help these oppressed victims emerge free and safe from their brutal oppressors.
If you were a prisoner of war you would hope and pray that someone would rescue you. As Americans, we feel a responsibility to do everything in our power to release our military personnel from unjustified imprisonment. Americans should also feel a responsibility to do everything in our power to release righteous citizens from unjustified tyranny. Peace Foundations intends to liberate these victims. We are prepared to do all of the hard work, and whatever it takes to make it a reality, but we need your help too.
Angelic Partners for Peace are people who are part of the solution. Your generous in kind donations will not only serve to meet the needs of these victims (which will Glorify our Lord) but, your generosity will also be recognized with prominent displays of your name, your organizations name and your logo on Peace Foundations website, brochures, and facilities. We are delighted and honored to have your participation and support.
God blesses those who work for Peace, for they will be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9
Contact us at
Key Words: peace, Christian cause, philanthropy, philanthropic, worthy Cause, charity, non-profit organization, abuse, abused, abuser, victims, domestic violence, DV, donations, generous, generosity, women, children, imprisonment, tyranny, tyrannical, help, assistance, board of directors
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