text:
My guy likes it when I swallow and then keep sucking til he cums again....and sometimes again!
My guy likes it when I swallow and then keep sucking til he cums again....and sometimes again!
The end to hand job/blow job is that reward of cum you and your buddy worked for. Take an enjoy the male protein you produced.
I was 16 when I started to eat my own cum; I literally trained myself to swallow so as to not puke when swallowing others. Yeah, it's a huge turn on for guys, and I wanted to be able to provide that turn-on. Lol ... now I no longer go through box after box of tissues, and even my dirty socks are just a bit cleaner :P
Even though my swallowing is a given, my 4th BF would always hold my head when he came ... as if I was going to pull away. Ha ha, I agree with most people on here, getting to swallow a load is just a reward for a "job" well done!
I've sucked a lot of cocks in my day and most of them would nut in my mouth but I would always spit. On the rare occasion, a blast of cum would hit the back of my throat and slide on down. Nothing I could do to stop it. I always wanted to swallow but just couldn't bring myself to do it. Earlier this year I hooked up with a guy who told me the only way he would let me suck him is if I swallowed. He calls himself str8 but says he'll let a guy suck him if the guy swallows.
He eventually wore me down and I agreed to swallow his cum. I went to his house and I didn't just suck him. He fucked my mouth. He grabbed my head and literally fucked my mouth. His cock would go deep in my throat. It was unusual to not have control and was rather difficult to keep up with his fast strokes in and out of my mouth. Slowly, I got into his pace and worked with him. When he got ready to cum, he just grabbed my head and forced his cock deep in my throat and let his cum fly. Most of it slid right down and I barely even got to taste it.
Something happened to me that night and I started swallowing a few select guys that I would occasionally suck. I still don't care for the taste of it but there's something extremely erotic to me now about swallowing a guy's load. I've swallowed 3 or 4 guys since then and I totally get off on it.
I have swallowed my best bud's load while sucking him. Seems like the natural thing to do. He was very appreciative that I gave him a complete blowjob too.
Just love the feeling of a cock spurting in my mouth and on my lips, tongue, wherever. Swallowing comes naturally.
Long Island Dude. 22 Years Young & Physically Fit.
I like to suck off young str8 guys, and it turns me on to be an older gay man who is submissive to a young straight guy. When I suck their cock, it turns me on to feel that it is my duty as a gay cocksucker to please my man and show my appreciation by swallowing every drop that he produces.
How about this. Could it be that you know you are providing him the utlimate pleasure.
I've only swallowed one guy's cum in my life and that's my current boyfriend. I love the pleasure it gives him.
Seems alot of cum experts here.
What are the taste difference between chunky cum and watery cum ?
Everyone's already said all my answers but anyway. Because I like to submit. Because the guy cumming usually loves it. Because I like the taste and feel of it going down my throat. Because it makes me feel like a right slut.
First time I sucked cock, I swallowed and have ever since
I see swallowing a hot load of cum as my reward for a job well done


text:
Hello registered just to ask this question,
does culligan have good products??
thinking about buying there RO and water softener,
this W/S, with the optional Aqua-sensor probe
and this R.O syetem.
any thoughts?????
Printable View
Hello registered just to ask this question,
does culligan have good products??
thinking about buying there RO and water softener,
this W/S, with the optional Aqua-sensor probe
and this R.O syetem.
any thoughts?????
That company has been in business for many years. There products are listed on (www.nsf.org) and have a large share of the water treatment market.
There are other companies that also have excellent products.
I would suggest looking at other companies like Hague, Rainsoft and Kinetico, to name a few. Do your homework and compare. Sometimes spending more initially can save you tons later on. Sometimes going cheap can be very expensive!
You will need to ask yourself: do you want the highest quality, average, or economical (cheap) systems to serve your household needs? In many cases, you get what you pay for.
I prefer ROs that have self-cleaning membranes and hydraulically operated tanks. As for softeners, there are many advantages to twin-tank systems.
Hope this helped.
Thanks for your reply..:)
i don't mind spending $$ on a good unit, i just don't know how there
units stack up to others for the same $$ or less.
both these units together would cost me over $2,000
i think thats a little over priced but if there good units
i'd pay it..:confused:
Hi Daman,
This is just a personal opinion from having dealt with Culligan and having talked to people who own Culligan systems. Culligan is very expensive and difficult to deal with. They will only want you to buy Culligan parts, which can be anywhere from $30 to $100 more expensive per item than Culligan Compatible parts. Service can be sometimes hard to find if you need it and I've heard from people you also have to pay for that. Basically with Culligan you are paying for the name brand because they are so well known and have been around for a long time. As to the quality of there systems I could not tell you because I do not own one and we do not sell them.
My advice to you when looking into an RO system for purchase is to make sure it's NSF certified. Ask or research how much replacement filters and parts are going to be and how often you have to change them. Hope this helps. Good Luck!
Hi Roxanne,thanks for your reply,:)
can you tell me what NSF certified is??
i asked the sales man when he gave me the demo, and he said replacement
filters are $13-$20(every year)and the RO filter is $122(every 5+ years)
thanks again....
NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation. Basically the NSF establishes standards and testing protocal for drinking water treatment devices. They act as a third party to ensure that the products that manufacturers sell actually do what they say.
As for the prices you state above, those don't sound too expensive to me, except the membrane (most membranes we sell are between $30-$80).
Good luck!
NSF (www.nfs.org) and the Water Quality Association (www.wqa.org) are two internationally recognized, non-profit organizations that test and rate water treatment equipment.
Be careful with these ratings. There are two types:Systemic and Componential
System certification means the whole system (as the customer would buy) was hooked up and put through a rigorous testing procedure and either passes or doesn't. This assures the customer that it works according to specific protocols through the complete unit out of the box.
A component certification simply means that, perhaps, one of the filter elements or the pressure tank alone, has passed testing and is then placed in some generic unit and can still display on the box the NSF seal with a "component" limitation. These systems in no way assure the owner that that water produced carries the same standards as a system certified unit.
Kinetico ROs are some of the best available as they carry system certification and offer some features and beneifts that no other company can offer. They are not cheap but their warranty is one of the most comprehensive and longest in the industry.
They can produce as much as twice the water (up to 35 gallons per day) using the same membrane, offers longer membrane life (full-warranty up to 7 years); constant, full pressure dispensing (without electric pump); with more retention volume from a hydraullically operated tank; with metered and monitored filter-life. That's their regular RO.
Their Purefecta model unit offers the only RO available anywhere that is an NSF certified virus, bacteria and protozoa barrier for up to 2000 gallons. That is very impressive.
Kinetico's low-end RO is comparable to Culligan's top of the line. Just basic in-out integrated filters, with a pnuematically operated tank, no membrane rinse system. Their price is about the same as their competitors'.
Give them a look anyway.
Thank you two for the info!!!
culligan is very expensive. I got a Ro and a softner for less then $1000. Most softners are all the same, there is no special stuff that one softner does over the next. I have had my softner and ro for over a year with no problems.
Your statement that one softener does nothing else that any others don't do is pretty naive. But as long as you're happy, that's what's important.
Perhaps you really didn't understand what it is softeners do, can't do and how some do things that others don't.
Good luck,
Andy Christensen, CWS
I echo Roxanne. I have an AC-30 RO and Mark 100 softner. Paid $2K 6 years ago. I would not buy the same again. It's all numbers, filtering levles, water hardness, etc. Start googling and happy shopping

subset: commoncrawl


text:
(Wyo.)-Wyoming Cloud-Seed Project Proceeds Despite Drought
By: Jeremy Anderson Posted at: 01/04/2013 11:29 AM CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Drought conditions have posed a challenge but have not stopped Wyoming's ambitious cloud-seeding research project.
The state has invested about $13 million since 2005 in the project, which seeks to determine whether dispersing certain substances in the atmosphere can increase snowfall and the amount of snowpack in several of the state's mountain ranges.
Nearly all of Wyoming is experiencing drought conditions.
But Barry Lawrence of the Wyoming Water Development Office says the research project is still on schedule and there are no plans to extend the study. The project is scheduled to be completed in March 2014.
A related University of Wyoming research project that is monitoring the cloud seeding wasn't able to get enough data last winter because of the dry conditions and was extended into this winter.


text:
Across five generations of different faiths and hardships, one family of local women is serving each other in the selfless ways that define motherhood. And daughterhood and sisterhood. Or perhaps, really, just human-hood.
On this Mother's Day, women in the Schultz-Gassman family, ages 4 to 93, stress that their bonds remain strong due to a commitment to serving one another and never judging the others' decisions — or mistakes.
The five generations all have lived in the same house at one time or another and have navigated financial independence and child rearing together in a day when families often are strewn geographically.
It hasn't been easy or seamless.
But through death, divorce and other challenges, they have remained faithful to what could be considered an old-fashioned ideal.
"It is love, and it's family," says Loressa Gassman of Summerville, who at 25 is the youngest mother among them. "No matter what the circumstances, you're ready for it together."
At the family's matriarchal helm sits Yetta Gassman, a 93-year-old Jewish woman born on a farm, where a woman's role was to raise children, raise chickens, clean and can food.
Instead, Yetta graduated from college magna cum laude in 1941, back when few women did so. She and her physician husband, Harvey, raised six children.
But when one of her sons married — and left — his Christian wife and three young children, Yetta and Harvey stepped in.
One did not leave family, be it by blood or marital vows.
They supported their daughter-in-law, Mary Ann, financially, emotionally and by sharing their time to help with the children.
Yetta couldn't know that 40 years later, in another season of life, her generosity would be repaid.
Today, she rests comfortably near a hospital bed in the sunny living room of the West Ashley house she shares with Mary Ann and granddaughter Sarah. When a slight cough emerges, Mary Ann slips out to retrieve her mother-in-law a drink of water. Nobody asks her to do so.
Not long ago, it appeared Yetta's twilight days had set in, thanks to depression, diabetes and Parkinson's.
Instead, her health revived since she moved in with Sarah and Mary Ann. She offers testament to what love and care can do for a person.
"She has this new lease on life," Sarah says.
When Mary Ann's husband left them, she began cleaning houses and trading skills — sewing for piano lessons — working seven days a week at times to support her young kids.
Yetta and her husband helped how they could.
"They were always there, always encouraging me," Mary Ann recalls.
A decade later, Mary Ann remarried and had two more children. When her husband fell ill, she became a certified nursing assistant to pay the bills and care for him. Her older children, including the second-to-oldest, Sarah, pitched in.
"Her whole life was about working and taking care of everyone else," Sarah said. "She has an incredible work ethic. She taught us that you don't let circumstances get in the way."
As the kids grew, they moved out and on. Then Mary Ann's husband died.
One Sunday in 2011, Mary Ann went to church as usual. When she returned, firefighters doused the embers and ash of her Tennessee home, along with all of its contents and memories.
"Losing your house is like a death in the family," Mary Ann recalls.
Devastated, she couldn't afford to rebuild. Where would she go?
Years earlier, Sarah had moved to Charleston. Until recently, she'd been busy helping raise two young granddaughters at home. But her daughter, Loressa, had just moved out with the girls.
Sarah's house was suddenly quiet and empty. She asked her mother to come live with her.
Mary Ann, a faithful Christian, figured God had timed it perfectly.
Sarah had married and divorced young. She came to Charleston in 1994, a single mom with a first-grade daughter, to start occupational therapy school.
She got her degree and took a job in home health, working hard while raising her daughter, Loressa, on her own.
Then during her junior year in high school, Loressa shared life-changing news.
She was pregnant. And she wanted to have the baby.
Sarah never doubted her daughter.
"I remember feeling so sad for her," Sarah said. "But she never questioned it. She did it all with grace."
Like the women before her, Sarah would be there to support her daughter — and her unborn grandchild.
Loressa started her senior year when Jaida was born.
She would leave for school at West Ashley High. Then, her mom would drop off the baby at day care. Loressa would hurry over during lunch to breast-feed.
"It really was like co-parenting," Sarah said. "It was like starting over for me."
Loressa earned an associate degree in accounting. She also began dating a man in Florida. During a visit, she became pregnant again.
Today, daughter Jaida is 7, and Juliana is 4. Juliana's father, Ron Rivage, moved to town and lives with them.
Next, Loressa plans to finish her bachelor's degree as her mom did when she was little.
"She always was self-sufficient, and I want to be as well," Loressa said. "She's been my rock. She never made me feel like a failure no matter what my bad decisions were."
In 2010, Loressa bought her own house and moved out. Her daughters needed a clearer idea of where mom stopped and grandma began.
"It was time," Sarah concedes.
Yet it was tough for her.
Sarah kept busy, helping Loressa with the girls and managing PHC Home Health and PHC Rehab. She became president of the state's occupational therapist association and active with the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
Then Sarah got a call from her mother. Mary Ann's house had burned down.
Ever heard of the sandwich generation? They are folks caring for children and aging parents at the same time.
"When people refer to the sandwich, I'm a double-decker," Sarah laughs.
At 43, Sarah is at the epicenter of her family's five generations, each living in a different season of life.
That's because in 2012, less than a year after Mary Ann moved in, a widowed Yetta faced going into a nursing facility. The older woman became depressed.
Mary Ann and Sarah intervened. Yetta should come live with them.
Why not? Loressa and her girls had moved out. Sarah is an occupational therapist working in home care, just what Yetta needed. And Mary Ann, a certified nursing assistant, was home during the day and could help care for her mother-in-law.
In a modern version of the biblical Naomi and Ruth story, Mary Ann became Yetta's part-time caregiver. And her full-time friend.
"Family is family, no matter what," Mary Ann says. "There's always something breaking down, always some challenge. But you have to be an example. Live me a sermon, don't preach me one."
Today, Mary Ann takes Yetta to the Jewish Community Center for chair exercise classes. Sarah, who attends Seacoast Church and sings in the choir, takes Yetta to her synagogue, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim.
"They are all very spiritual and godly people," says Marcy Gross, one of Yetta's daughters who visited recently. "They are divided religiously but are very united spiritually."
Often, they all hang out together at home. Or the five generations go to G-rated movies or plays. The little girls have sleepovers with their grandma, great-grandma and great-great-grandma.
As Jaida put it, "I'm lucky to have that many grandmas."
Grandma Gassman, Grandma Nana, Mimi, Mommy ...
"There's just a lot of love and acceptance," Sarah said. "It's important for my generation to model the value of putting family relationships first — our own and others. Everything else will be there tomorrow."
Reach Jennifer Hawes at 937-5563, follow her on Twitter at @JenBerryHawes or subscribe to her at facebook.com/jennifer.b.hawes.


text:
MK Orthopaedics is pleased to welcome to our practice,
Dr. Rebecca Kuo, M.D., J.D. a specialist in surgical and non-surgical treatments of the spine.
• She received her BA at Dartmouth College.
• She completed her residency at Rush University in Chicago.
• She completed her spinal surgery fellowship at the University of Texas in Houston.
Dr. Kuo treats the entire spine from scoliosis to spinal stenosis in children and adults. Whether it be neck pain, back pain or chronic pain to acute nerve pain, Dr. Kuo has been trained to utilize a wide array of surgical procedures including minimally invasive techniques to speed recovery time for her patients.
Once the last of the holiday treasures has been opened, you may find you are feeling more than the Christmas spirit. It is all too easy to overdo things during the holidays – from carrying those heavy packages filled with joy, the baking of sheet after sheet of luscious cookies, the 20 pound Christmas turkey, and of course the snow can lead to the pressure, the intake of so much tasty food that you cannot simply pass by and the result can often be some aches and pains.
Here are a few tips for starting your year off with a healthier back and neck.
• Stay active: Continue your normal exercise routine or ease into it if you have taken a break.
• During gatherings and parties take a break from the table to chat or walk around.
• Eat smaller portions and take longer breaks between meals.
• Be careful on the ice and snow: shovel with care and remember to lift with your legs and core, not your back!
• Ask for help if that toy is just too high or the gift is just a bit too heavy.
• Spread out your workload so you are not over extended. It is a time for family to be together, right?
If you do get injured then here are some tips for getting yourself back on your feet.
• Allow yourself a little rest but not too much. A couple of days limiting your activity should suffice to let the spasms subside.
• Anti-inflammatory medication and ice to your back or neck could be helpful too.
• Stretching those tight muscles to help them relax will not just make you more limber, but can also calm the pain.
As always, if pain persists, call your doctor for an evaluation or advice.
Wishing everyone a happy and
healthy 2014!


text:
Today, Virginia's Gateway Region opened The Gateway Center for Enterprise in Colonials Heights, Va., with the first of many third Thursday networking events.
Today's event was geared towards new entrepreneurs, with a speaker panel that provided information on how to start and grow a small business. Future third Thursday topics include how to access capital and leadership skills for innovators.
The focus of The Gateway Center is to support local entrepreneurs through a variety of programs, including training, networking events, one-on-one counseling, mentorship programs, and access to the office, library and resource center of Virginia's Gateway Region.
The Gateway Center was made possible through partnerships with The Center for Women's Enterprise at REDC Community Capital Group and the Crater Small Business Development Center at Longwood University.
The center is housed within the main office of Virginia's Gateway Region, a regional economic development group that supports the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg, and the counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry and Sussex.
Located in Central Virginia, the Gateway Region offers companies easy access to U.S. and international markets through Virginia's premier transportation network. Advanced manufacturing, global logistics and food processing companies have been drawn to the area's skilled workforce and access to top education and research institutions.
The Gateway Center is another example of the innovative environment Virginia offers to entrepreneurs. To learn more about starting a business in the Commonwealth, click here.
Virginia's Gateway Region houses The Gateway Center for Enterprise in Colonial Heights, Va.
Return to blog homepage
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), a state authority created by the Virginia General Assembly to better serve those seeking a prime business location and increased trade opportunities, provides confidential site selection and international trade services. VEDP's mission: To enhance the quality of life and raise the standard of living for all Virginians, in collaboration with Virginia communities, through aggressive business recruitment, expansion assistance, and trade development, thereby expanding the tax base and creating higher-income employment opportunities.
© Copyright 2018


text: I have yet to bone out a bull, I have only killed 6 and half of those were close enough to a road they came out whole. The ones I packed out were in quarters, similar to Guys method (saw over axe). The caping was informational for me, I usually just leave the cape on the skull and let the taxi do it. Most of the time I am within a days travel from the taxi. That info could be useful for me someday. Thanks for posting them up!


text:
Meet the Men of Running Warehouse. They are mavericks. Bold. Confident. Saving the world one adrenaline-junkie at a time. Sure, they could head out the door for a run in a basic short and singlet, but why? They're not here to maintain the status quo. They're raising the bar, bringing the heat and dressing for the jobs they want.
Guys, if you're still reading, you know you want a few of these gems for your running arsenal. Embrace it. We're not here to judge.
Ladies, help the men in your life break out of their ho-hum running apparel rut with some of these performance focused pieces of flair.
Captain America
Your feet pound the pavement. People cheer as you pass. You are a superhero. Why not look the part too? Now you can – and show off your patriotism in the process. This performance forward combination will make you feel super as you tear up the roads and the trails.
Here are the items Daniel's rockin' in the photo at right:
Note: As cool as it is, the cape isn't something we stock here at Running Warehouse. Check your local cape retailer for a better selection.
Duck Hunter
When you're out on a run, some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you. The same thing is probably true for ducks. Or maybe not. But just roll with us on this one, OK? Give yourself some extra ammo in the fight and stay in the hunt on race day with this outfit to help you stalk the competition.
Here are the items Matt's rockin' in the photo at right:
Back to the 80's
Acid washed jeans may still hold a special place in your heart (OK, now we might judge a little), but you can rock your 80s love with less chafing in these running options. Here are the items Fran's rockin' in the photo at right:
Note: See the flair pins on the Xinglet? Yeah, we don't sell those. But you should really personalize the outfit with your own pieces of flair. Remember, 15 is only the minimum. But some people choose to wear more, and we encourage that.


text:
Original URL: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/12/21st_century_apps_event/
Building 21st century applications
Reg readers reveal all
Posted in Business, 12th November 2008 11:20 GMT
Reg Tech Panel Delivering IT services has always been about striking a balance between what needs to be built from scratch and what can be bought off the shelf.
While we know there's still plenty of custom software development going on (take that, packaged application vendors), we also know that the majority of projects involve integrating home-grown software with bought-in capabilities.
As for the latter, these are themselves becoming commoditised and standardised, as we've seen only too clearly with technologies such as workflow, content management, business intelligence and the like.
Against this background, it can be tough to make decisions about how the IT architecture should look, and how applications should be built. It is increasingly expected that certain capabilities should be provided as part of a technology stack or application platform, which can be used across applications – but what capabilities should be included? Where are the benefits of adopting a platform-oriented approach, and what new challenges are thrown up? Does the use of an application platform make things more or less straightforward for IT to deliver new services?
As is customary, rather than try to think up empty platitudes, glib statements and other such motherhood, we've been distilling the view from the coal face, via the illustrious Reg readership. So, if you're interested in learning what we have found out (and indeed, participating in the debate) tune into our Webcast. ®


text:
Hi everyone,
This is my first post! I got a problem...I have a 1982 GL2WD 5speed station wagon-earlier this week it started to make a ticking sound;now it's turned into a very loud sputter. It seems to be coming from the drivers side-I'm thinking exhaust system but I'm not an expert(just learning the ins and outs of engines)...any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, my lurker friend!
|Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, an unparalleled Subaru community full of the greatest Subaru gurus and modders on the planet! We offer technical information and discussion about all things Subaru, the best and most popular all wheel drive vehicles ever created.
We offer all this information for free to everyone, even lurkers like you! All we ask in return is that you sign up and give back some of what you get out - without our awesome registered users none of this would be possible! Plus, you get way more great stuff as a member! Lurk to lose, participate to WIN*!
* The joy of participation and being generally awesome constitutes winning
** Not an actual guarantee, but seriously, you probably won't regret it!
Serving the Subaru Community since May 18th, 1998!
Guest Message by DevFuse
Sputtering 82 GL
Started by kdiva , Aug 07 2004 05:20 PM
2 replies to this topic
Posted 07 August 2004 - 05:20 PM
Posted 07 August 2004 - 08:17 PM
Looks like you are in my area..... hard to say what your noise could be, but it definately could be exhaust. If you brought it by some time I'm sure I could diagnose it pretty easily. Drop me a PM if your interested. RitchieRich here on the board has a shop in Portland too.... if you want to just pay someone to fix it.
Posted 08 August 2004 - 07:59 PM
I fixed it!!! Loose bolts from exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe-thanks for all the good advice
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
The Detroit Lions introduced Jim Caldwell as their new head coach on Wednesday. Thursday, Caldwell began his day on the job assembling his coaching staff.
First to join his staff is former Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach Teryl Austin as his new defensive coordinator. The team and Austin agreed to terms on a new contract today.
Austin has spent 10 of the last 11 seasons as a defensive backs coach in the NFL, including stints with the Seattle Seahawks (2003-05), Arizona Cardinals (2007-09) and most recently with the Ravens (2011-13). All three of those teams played in a Super Bowl while he was on staff. The Ravens won it last year.
Austin has had a strong record coaching the defensive backs in Baltimore. The Ravens finished 12th against the pass last season. They were 17th in 2012 and fourth in 2011.
Last season, Austin's starting cornerbacks in Baltimore, Lardarius Webb (second) and Jimmy Smith (14th), both finished in the Top-15 in the NFL in pass defenses with 22 and 16, respectively.
He mentored three Cardinals defensive backs to the Pro Bowl as Arizona's defensive backs coach (2007-09) including cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, safety Antrel Rolle and safety Adrian Wilson. His Cardinals secondary also led the league in interception-touchdowns (six) in 2007.
He also spent four seasons coaching defensive backs at Michigan and will continue to run the 4-3 defense.
Caldwell said Wednesday he's looking for assistant coaches with strong character who are teachers first.
"We're looking for energetic, smart, tough, men who are great instructors," Caldwell told Detroitlions.com. "Also challenge the guys around them to do the same as well. That's the big thing, discipline and great instructors are key."
He and Austin worked together at Penn State when Austin was a graduate assistant, again at Wake Forest and the last two seasons with the Ravens.
The signing of Austin seems to be good news for a Lions secondary that hasn't been ranked higher than 14th in pass defense in any of the previous five seasons, despite consistently having one of the top defensive lines in the NFL.
Austin does have some coordinator experience as he spent the 2010 season as the University of Florida's defensive coordinator.
He replaces Gunther Cunningham, who had a year left on his contract.


text:
888 Poker has begun talking with Facebook, the social media giant, to bring "real money" online poker to jurisdictions where such activity is permitted, a la Great Britain, according to a report on eGaming Review.
Facebook earlier in the month launched its first "real money" online gaming venture in the form of what looked like a kid's bingo site. Bingo & Slots Friendzy, developed by Gamesys, is only available to those living within the United Kingdom at this time.


text:
- About IDCE
- Admissions
- Programs
- Faculty
- Research
- Students
- Alumni
- Careers
- Forms
Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P)
Helaine Alon (ES&P/M.A. '11) is an environmental health research assistant with GISDE Professor Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger and ES&P Professor Tim Downs on the National Children's Study (NCS), a national effort that is looking at environmental and genetic determinants of health. Alon has been reviewing studies that use GIS to map environmental determinants of health. She was interested in being part of this study because she has worked on environmental projects focusing on factors influencing children's health in Israel and is hoping to continue with environmental health research after school. As part of her role as a research assistant, she attended a conference called "Toxic Environmental Threats to Children's Development: What We Know and What We Can Do." Dr. Philip Landrigan, one of the architects of the NCS and a leading environmental health professional, was the keynote speaker.
Kristin Brubaker (ES&P/M.A. '10) worked with the Institute for Environmental Solutions (IES) based out of Denver, Colorado this past summer. With IES she designed and implemented a program to educate community members about contaminants of emerging concern in the Golden, Colorado water supply. Behavior change was targeted through the use of community-based social marketing.
Yanfang Cun (ES&P/M.A. '10) interned for Rare Conservation while collecting research for her final M.A. project about the role sense of pride plays in social marketing conservation campaigns. At the same time, she worked as a consultant/mentor for Rare China Program Pride campaign managers, updating her previous campaign materials on www.rareplanet.org, a website managed by Rare for organizing global campaigns and also providing the public, especially the conservationists, a venue to share information and experiences.
Kelsey Herrington (ES&P/M.A. '10) is conducting research on meat consumption sustainability with Geography Professor Jody Emel. During this research, Herrington created a local produce distribution system for the Artichoke Food Coop. She worked with a local farm to distribute a "CSA" share program. Recently, she received IDCE Student Association conference travel funding to attend an annual conference of the Westin A. Price foundation.
Danielle Lauber (ES&P/M.A. '10) interned last summer with the Finca Project in Costa Rica on a forest carbon strategy proposal. This nonprofit organization works towards the advancement of environmental education and tropical reforestation in the southern region of the country. To expand the organization's mission, Lauber and her co-interns investigated the implementation of a forest carbon offset project on the voluntary carbon market and whether such a project may contribute towards sustainable development in the local agricultural community.
Christopher Noonan (ES&P/M.A. '10) worked at the new Institute for Energy Innovation and Sustainability. The experience provided him the opportunity to share the knowledge he has gained while studying at Clark by supporting clean energy companies and promoting clean technology innovation at local colleges and universities. Noonan was involved in the multitude of environmental initiatives in the city. Recently the Institute partnered with Clark to develop "climate profiles" of all the projects and also partnered with WPI to develop a five-year plan for the Institute.
Ashley E. Trull (ES&P/B.A. '09 M.A. '10) participated in a community group, Home Energy Efficiency Team, during a organized free energy barn-raising party to learn how to make buildings snug and cut energy use. Trull was so impressed she applied for grants to bring the concept to Worcester. This year she led a team of volunteers at the first energy barn-raising in Worcester held at the Brooks House on Arthur Street, a branch of Dismas House, as part of a cooperative learning program called Summer of Solutions. A second event followed at Genesis Club on Lincoln Street in October.
Elizabeth Bullock (IDSC/B.A. '07/ES&P/M.A. '09) was the outdoor education director at the Clara Barton Summer camp. Bullock designed and implemented lesson plans for children aged 6-16 at the camp where four classes were taught daily. Various themes were explored with the children such as sustainable gardening and composting, waste management, water and nitrogen cycling, hiking trail maintenance, and orienteering.
Desiree Hoskins (ES&P/M.A. '09) interned at the U.S. Mission in Geneva. She attended meetings with and without section officers, took notes, and produced summaries of the meetings' deliberations as tasked. She also undertook one or two research projects on topics of interest in the ESA sphere of work. In addition, she participated in mission events, such as official receptions and visiting delegations.
Asha Singh (ES&P/M.A. '09) interned with UNEP-GRID (USGS, Sioux Falls, SD) where she was positioned as a visiting scientist and was working with one of the senior scientists on his ongoing project "Mangrove Forest mapping of the world." As part of this internship, she downloaded satellite data and processed the data to prepare the final mangrove forest coverage map.
Greg Sixt (ES&P/M.A. '09) interned with the Critical Language Scholarship in Izmir, Turkey last summer, participating in the beginner Turkish program funded by the U.S. Dept. of State. Explains Sixt, "The federal government supports selected students to spend two months abroad in an intensive language program in a designated country in the hopes that they will use the language in their professional lives and thus act as sort of career ambassadors, improving ties between the U.S. and other countries." Additionally, this fall he interned with the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas in Aleppo, Syria.
Hallie Westermann (GES/B.A. '08/ES&P/M.A. '09) was a volunteer teacher at the Citizen School where she taught an apprenticeship on recycling and sustainability. She planned a curriculum that included field trips to further the apprentices' knowledge of what they can do to become more sustainable and protect the environment.
Jo-Anne Crystoff (ES&P/M.A. '08) interned last summer at the Cadmus Group in Watertown, Mass. Her responsibilities included compiling dossiers for the containment candidate list, researching ecosystem service functions for wetlands at Great Salt Lake, and conducting risk assessment for a leading underground storage tank. She received the Geller Student Research Award for her contributing work on the adverse human affects at a PCB contaminated housing complex in Southbridge, Mass.
Meghan Gunyuzlu (ES&P/M.A. '08) is currently working as an intern at Industrial Economics, an environmental consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass.
Stephanie L. Oleksyk (ES&P/B.A./M.A. '08) is currently an intern at Corporate Environmental Advisors of West Boylston, writing a release abatement measure plan (RAM) for a former liquid waste dump in Leicester, Mass. This paper will be submitted to the Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection before a voluntary clean-up of the site.
Danielle Adams (ES&P/M.A. '08) and Camila Calvache (ES&P/M.A. '08) worked as research assistants for the Neighborhood STRENGTH Environmental Justice Project, a project which is a partnership of four local organizations. Adams and Calvache have worked with the citizens action group Toxics Watch to help residents in Worcester's Main South and Piedmont neighborhoods test their homes for indoor pollutants. Although in the final year of the Neighborhood STRENGTH Environmental Justice Project, the collaboration hopes to be able to continue sampling residents' homes through a sustainable continuation of the project.
Jeffrey Apigian (ES&P/M.A. '08) will be working with WaterAid Nepal and the Nepal Water Conservation Foundation to assess the effects of the Maoist Insurgency on water resources in hill regions, and explore the potential for sustainable water management activities in the post-conflict period.
Aaron Bouchane (ES&P/M.A. '07) interned at the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust.
Stephanie Parent (ES&P/M.A. '07) participated in the New Zealand Mud Snail Internship with the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission. She conducted a literature review on the impacts and control methods of this small, non-native, invasive, freshwater snail and provided recommendations for control.
Mukesh Kumar Gupta (ES&P/M.A. '07) completed an internship with a West Virginia-based NGO called Future Generations. He was assigned to carry out a study of the potential and implications of integration of the carbon market with Van Panchayat (Forest Management Committees) in Uttaranchal, India.
Laurie Kennison (ES&P/M.A. '07) interned at Industrial Economics, Inc. in Cambridge, providing support to the Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Performance Track program.
Jia Liu (ES&P/M.A. '07), from Hunan Province in China, worked as a summer intern for The Climate Group. During her internship she conducted a research study on China's low carbon development. The objective of this study was to identify Chinese companies and cities that are promoting the low carbon economy. This study further provided insights into various policies and environmental issues laying foundation for The Climate Group's future engagement with Chinese organizations. At The Climate Group, Jia also contributed research to "Carbon Down, Profits Up," an international report that addresses issues of climate change.
Natalie Howlett (ES&P/M.A. '06) interned at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative this past summer. MTC is the state's renewable energy trust. With MTC, Howlett worked on creating consumer demand for clean energy which involved helping design promotional materials, creating newsletters, attending events, doing research on what other state funds were doing, and helping to create plans for how to increase overall demand.
Catherine Cox (ES&P/M.A. '05) and Stephen Metts (CDP/M.A. '05) worked for the City of Worcester as technical service interns on a brownfield inventory project. Their primary responsibilities were database creation and management, and analysis of spatial information related to brownfields with the use of GIS software. They presented their findings to the City Manager, the Mayor, and the City of Worcester Brownfields Roundtable Consortium.
David Greene (ES&P/MA '05) studied the efforts of TepozEco in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. The organization works to promote water recycling with urine-separating dry toilets, greywater filters, and rainwater catchment in urban households, as well as to research the logistics of urine reuse as fertilizer.
Patrick Keeler (ES&P/M.A. '05) interned at the Poughkeepsie Farm Project [PFP] in New York as a summer farming and education intern. He worked with teens in weekly education modules modeled on the Boston Food Project's curriculum. Programs included running the PFP downtown farmer's market, marketing, and daily farm activities.
Ann Langlais (ES&P/M.A. '05) interned with the Sustainable Watersheds Office of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management in Providence. She worked as a research specialist on a guidebook for a restoration effort in several of Rhode Island's south coast salt ponds. She also surveyed vegetative buffers around salt ponds in two Rhode Island counties.
Corinn Mauldin (ES&P/M.A. '05) worked as an agricultural and livestock manager at the Drumlin Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She educated visitors about organic farming, explored markets for organic produce, worked with livestock, and built partnerships with farmers' organizations and extension services.
Kamweti G. Mutu (ES&P/M.A. '05) interned with the African Conservation Centre [ACC] in Nairobi, Kenya. He researched the effectiveness of community-based conservation [CBC] initiatives, as a complementary conservation approach for Kenya's protected area system. He also identified ways to improve CBC performance. Kamweti also interned with the Blackstone Watershed Coalition, a volunteer water quality monitoring program based at the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester. He created GIS-based maps of water quality sampling points in the Blackstone watershed and did spatial analysis based on land use/land cover and sub-basins.
Seema Parakh (ES&P/M.A. '05) interned at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City for the UN Cartographic Section, Department of Peace Keeping Operations. She worked on a worldwide GIS dataset of international boundaries. This dataset was the result of long-term cartographic information and data compilation from multiple sources.
Marissa Staples (ES&P/B.A./M.A. '05) interned as a project assistant with the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance in Saco, Maine. She assisted with a number of projects, including the Scallop Enhancement project, in which she researched the cause of declining scallop populations in the Gulf of Maine and other areas.
Carissa Williams (ES&P/B.A./M.A. '04) interned with the Regional Environmental Council in Worcester, a small non-profit organization that works on issues such as community gardens, Earth Day celebrations, and raising awareness on toxics in the home. She is responsible for organizing the Earth Day clean-ups in Worcester, which involves coordinating with volunteers and sponsors.
Sara Anne Lowell (ES&P/M.A. '04) interned as a hydrologist at the office of the Regional Water Resources Division Office for the US Geological Survey in Providence, RI. She worked on a Water Use Study for the East Bay and South Coastal Basins of Rhode Island to determine where the water is pumped from, distributed to, and disposed.
Stella Capoccia (ES&P/M.A. '04) was the New England Outreach Coordinator for the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). Apart from fundraising, she conducted education programs, networked with personnel from area zoos, museums, and universities. Her primary responsibilities included organizing the New England portion of Dr. Laurie Marker's fall tour (Director and co-founder of the organization).
Michael Marshall (ES&P/M.A. '04) was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to work on "Nutrient Transport Modeling" in the Ecological Modeling and Spatial Analysis Lab at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD. He ran and interpreted a topographic-based watershed model whose inputs included precipitation, evapotranspiration, and temperature. He also determined a relationship between nitrate discharge and saturation deficit for various catchment's basins in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Kamweti Mutu (ES&P/M.A. '04) interned with the Blackstone Watershed Coalition, a volunteer water quality monitoring program of Massachusetts Audubon Society's Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester His tasks included the creation of GIS-based maps of all water quality sampling points in the Blackstone watershed for presentation, and eventual spatial analysis based on land use/land cover and sub-basins, using data gathered by volunteers and himself.
Shreela Chakrabarti (ES&P/M.A. '04) was an ECO Associate with the Environmental Justice Program at ECO.org. With the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), she worked on the Boston Community Partnership Program to increase participation by less privileged communities in the management and utilization of national parks in Massachusetts.
Sarah Rosenberg (ES&P/M.A. '04) interned with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in the Division of Water Management. She worked on the Westfield and Farmington Watershed in Massachusetts. Her duties involved drafting reports and composing data to be used in environmental assessment reports. She collected water samples from rivers, streams, and brooks to test the water's dissolved oxygen, turbidity and ph at the hydrolab.
Emily Harvey (ES&P/M.A. '04) collected funds for 125 children's books for the school library village of Capitan Sosa in northern Paraguay and to send four village youth environmental leadership camp. She delivered the books to Capitan Sosa, where she served as a teacher in the Peace Corps. She also interned at the Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Watershed Management in Worcester. She worked with the scientists who sample macroinvertebrates, water quality and flow in lakes and streams as well as designed a database in Access.
Amy Mosher (CDP/M.A. '04) interned for Greater Worcester Community Foundation (GWCF) doing research to help the foundation improve its environmental grant making. For the Water and Land Stewardship (WLS) Fund Committee, she designed and implemented a phone survey to assess the needs, challenges and achievements of approximately fifty environmentally related community organizations throughout Worcester County. She also began a database and literature review for the foundation and reported preliminary findings and recommendations to the WLS committee.
Nathan Oetting (IDSC/M.A. '04) interned with the US Army Corps of Engineers in East Brimfield, MA. His responsibility was to identify sites within Corps-owned land most suitable for wildlife habitat and to develop a management plan specific for these areas. With the Ruffed Grouse Society, he developed a medium- and long-term natural resource management/habitat restoration plans that the Corps can follow. Using GPS and GIS technologies, he was able to update the Corps database with information.


text:
Then = Now + 1by Nikki Downes-Martin
Nikki Downes-Martin started work as a programmer over 30 years ago, but soon developed an interest in analyzing and designing business processes.
My degree from Swarthmore College in 1962 was in Engineering Sciences. Ten years later, a divorced single parent with four boys and a very brief work history at Bell Labs, I needed a job. My engineering education seemed out-of-date and programmers were in short supply. One Fortran IV manual—but no hands-on experience—later, I had a job with Raytheon Missile Systems Division. My starting salary in 1973 was $10,000 per year.
After one year at Raytheon writing code to process Sam missile flight path data and one and a half years at Honeywell writing re-entrant disk driver code (and too much documentation) for the 716 minicomputer, I went to Digital Equipment Corporation, where I would work—primarily on manufacturing systems—for the next 17 years.
I learned all my programming skills on the fly: Fortran IV (using punched cards), assembler (using a line editor), Basic (what a treat an interpreted language was), COBOL (briefly), OPS 5 and LISP (in the AI era), and C and C++. Lack of formal training notwithstanding, I had a reputation for writing clean code with good documentation and white space.
I remember with pleasure some of the technical puzzles I encountered, including:
- Writing a bootstrap to toggle into the first 20 locations of the 716 memory. It loaded the first block of the full operating system bootstrap into a fixed location in memory and then jumped to that location.
- Writing programs in Basic with a 32k memory limitation. Structuring programs to manage memory usage by opening and closing files as they were needed in the execution of the program. Occasionally, splitting the program into two halves and trying to minimize the number of times when the logic took you from one half to the other.
- Writing and maintaining a home grown database with hash algorithms to find indexed records and linked chains of associated records.
- Learning an entirely new mindset to program in OPS 5 and LISP.
Most of my work at Digital Equipment Corporation involved manufacturing systems: materials planning, order scheduling, bills of material, configuration management. In the mid-'80s, I presented a paper at the 1987 ASME Winter Annual Meeting describing a first step in automating the transition from engineering bills of material to manufacturing bills as engineering changes orders are applied.
But my most satisfying job ever was as the sole support of a small scheduling/materials planning group in manufacturing. I did it all—from defining business requirements to 1:00 a.m. calls from operations when there was a problem with overnight program runs. I understood what my users needed; in fact, I had a broader view of the process than the folks in the trenches and a more detailed view than the management team. I had never been more certain that I was doing was exactly what was needed or more certain that my work was appreciated.
Once I left Digital, I worked freelance doing IDEF0 process modeling in a variety of industries such as, cabinet manufacturing, oil pipeline, maintenance management, vendor managed inventory replenishment, online internet service. My most exciting assignment was four months spent in South Africa with Dan Thornhill (IDEF0 modeler and mentor extraordinaire), modeling the national electrical distribution system, just before the first post-apartheid elections in 1992.
Throughout my 30 year career, I worked in predominantly male groups. With the exception of being at Raytheon, most of my peers were younger than me. I always felt comfortable and accepted as one of the guys among the programmers, but I also felt a need to be an exemplary representative of my gender. Having grown up with brothers in a family that teased one another, I was comfortable with the kind of humor I encountered among them; I didn't mind being laughed at when I did something foolish. There were issues about acceptance, though, when I first began to support users in a manufacturing plant. So I was pleased when those guys began to tease me; it was acceptance.
With one exception, I did not experience any sexual harassment—mildly risqué humor and the occasional pass, but nothing that felt excessive. My own sense of humor has a risqué side, but I found I had to censor that. Men my own age and older tended to interpret such humor as an invitation to much cruder remarks even though they took for granted I wouldn't object to less crude, but still risqué humor, they regularly used in the presence of women. I have always assumed that they were all editing themselves to a greater or lesser degree in front of women.
My status as a divorcée has sometimes lent itself to misinterpretation. When I worked in the Artificial Group at Digital (under my maiden name), my oldest son – just out of college – was in the same overall group. I walked up to him in the cafeteria one lunchtime, while he was talking to a small group of colleagues I didn't know. Putting my hand on his arm, I said, "Am I going to see you tonight?" "Yes," he said, offhandedly. When I got to the cafeteria door, I had second thoughts and went back. To the group, I said, "You do know he's my son, don't you?" There were definite signs of relief that they were not suddenly privy to an office affair. Although I did have personal friendships with a few of my male colleagues, once or twice that did not sit well with their respective wives, so I tended to avoid becoming friends with married guys. While I socialized with a few of my colleagues over the years, my only two lasting friendships are with women. It may say something about the difficulty of making friends across the gender boundary at the office, but it probably says more about my own tendency to have just a few close friends.
In 1970s, Hackman and Oldham studied job design and identified five factors that contribute to a satisfying job: skill variety, task identity (i.e., the completion of an identifiable piece of work), impact on others, autonomy (of both schedule and procedures), and feedback from the job itself. Programming was the perfect career for me: it was intellectually challenging; often solitary; and I got satisfaction out of creating a good design and writing clear, maintainable code. In most of my career, I got to implement a solution from conception to roll-out; and the programs gave me instant feedback about whether or not my code worked.
I am mostly retired now, but the programming lingers on. When my mother went into assisted living, I built an Access database of her possessions and used it to disperse them to her children and grandchildren. I have written a program to translate the export file from my genealogy application into a form that can be imported into Access for my brother. And, just last week, my husband and I laid out the logic for an Excel application to load a two dimensional array with all the possible combinations of the elements of a list (of unknown length) of lists (of unknown and varied lengths). Programming had always been task based rather than recreational to me, but, nowadays, I'll take any excuse to break out my keyboard.
Return to Women in Technology.


text:
Funny Horse Blooper [01:57]
Funny Horse Blooper. Uploaded by klarmurphy on Feb 16, 2010. Oldenburg mare has no patience during feeding time, thinks she owns the barn, and has us always laughing! ** Please know that all music is playing in the barn, as she acts out her tantrum! :) We will be posting her "series of funny horse events"! Enjoy!
Strawberry Shortcake - Horse of a Different Color (FULL EPISODE) [21:56]
In this episode of Strawberry Shortcake, Honey Pie Pony is feeling left out of all the kids' play. She's the only one with four legs. Check out other Code Ly...
"Wild Horse Wild Dog" is written by Susanna K. Wallumrød and released on the album Wild Dog in 2012. Jeremy Gara plays drums, Emmett Kelly plays guitar and s...
Chris Paul's H-O-R-S-E Shot - Spurs @ Clippers 2012 NBA Playoffs [00:52]
Chris Paul's H-O-R-S-E Shot - Spurs @ Clippers 2012 NBA Playoffs.
Beach Volleyball Women's Prel. - Pool D - Spain V Netherlands Replay -- London 2012 Olympic Games [55:33]
Beach Volleyball Women's Preliminary - Pool D - Matches - Spain Netherlands Full Replay from the Horse Guards Parade at the London 2012 Olympic Games. -- 29 ...


text:
The lights are on
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham features a star studded voice cast that includes well known voices such as Adam West, Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham and more. Come on in and see them in action.
Not only will you be able to play as Superboy and 1960s Batman, but TT Game's newest Lego titles features some very popular vocal talent. Check them out in their native habitate below. Also don't miss the San Diego Comic Con trailer.
Email the author Ben Reeves, or follow on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Game Informer.
No one has commented on this article.


text:
You've made the decision to have your knee or hip replaced and been told that you will need inpatient rehabilitation to get back on your feet. You probably have a lot of questions. What should you expect? How much therapy will you receive? Will your pain be managed? What will you be able to do when you get home?
Does walking up a flight of stairs cause pain in your knee? Do you feel stiffness and pain even while doing simple, everyday tasks or pain in your knee while sleeping? Is your lifestyle hampered by pain, causing you to not do some of the things you love because your knee can't handle it?
It might be time for knee replacement surgery.


text:
Once again, problems have developed in the Killebrew bedroom, this time concerning nocturnal noises — or maybe I should say alleged noises.
Once again, problems have developed in the Killebrew bedroom, this time concerning nocturnal noises — or maybe I should say alleged noises.
Five and a half years ago I wrote about the battle of the blankets in which my wife was hogging all the covers. This time, she claims I'm the culprit, waking her during the night with my snoring. I'm skeptical about her allegations and am awaiting solid evidence.
When one spouse takes more than his or her share of the blankets, the other has proof. The shivering partner can show how the blankets have shifted far to one side or even droop to the floor. Goose bumps may be another sign.
Snoring involves what I would call circumstantial evidence. One person wakes the other or says the next morning that the partner was snoring. Yet it all involves that person's word. Most of us trust and usually believe our spouses, but some concrete evidence makes it easier to admit fault.
For example, one of my wife's nighttime quirks involves raising her arm, scratching slowly a time or two, and then scratching it quickly before turning over. She's always asleep when she does this. I have often wondered why she does that, but she doubts the veracity of my claims. Perhaps I need to record her doing it one night, although the light from the camcorder might wake her.
I also don't want to give her any ideas about making an audio recording of my alleged snoring. I could always claim she found a clip of someone snoring on the Internet, and it's not really me.
One night this week she even left the bed and headed to the sofa in the den. I do have a valid reason I might have snored that night. My younger son caught a cold last week, which he promptly passed to the rest of the family. Thankfully, it was a short-lived one, with a day of sore throat and a couple of days of congestion, but I didn't sleep well Tuesday night, and perhaps I did snore a bit that night.
My wife says she tries gentle ways to prod me out of my snoring. She first will poke and prod, attempting to reposition me without waking me up. If that doesn't work, then she will wake me and tell me I'm snoring. I usually deny it and grumpily roll over. A friend pinches her husband's nose; I don't think I'd take too kindly to that approach.
I've told her there's an easy solution that doesn't involve her heading to a different room: foam ear plugs. I've used them for years, first when my children were young and would wake up earlier than I wanted to on weekends, and then when I was traveling and staying in a hotel. Now I use them almost every morning, since my wife wakes up early to exercise.
So far, she's resisted that idea. She doesn't like foam plugs in her ears or a sleep mask over her face, another device I regularly use. I realize I may look funny, but it does allow for a few more precious minutes or even hours of sleep.
The most shocking threat I've heard is separate beds. I recall as a young boy the two twin beds in my grandparents' bedroom. I'm not sure the reason they didn't sleep in one bed, but perhaps it had to do with snoring. But depending on the volume, even separate beds in the same room may not provide a remedy.
All of us notice changes in our bodies as we age. My teeth seem to be breaking down on me. Perhaps snoring — if indeed I am doing it — is another sign of growing older. My wife definitely hopes it's a short-term situation and not a permanent change.
A good night's sleep serves as an important start to the next day. No one wants to wake up feeling tired. That's one reason we look forward to weekends, when we can turn off the alarm clock and receive an extra hour or two of precious sleep. Just ask any teenager or new parent about the importance of sleep or the effects of not receiving enough shuteye.
For now, barring some credible evidence, I'm sticking to my story that the noises my wife claims she's hearing are imagined. We survived the blanket crisis — I sometimes still wake up cold, but not as often — and we'll make it through this one, too.
Chad Killebrew is executive editor of The Dispatch. He can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 215, or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
The lights are on
OMG! Level 15! - Level 15
In the layout of desks here at Game Informer, I am about one underhand softball toss by a small child's distance from Adam's desk. He likes to shout when he plays games much to my entertainment, and today he is reviewing VVVVVV for the Nintendo 3DS. If you're unfamiliar with VVVVVV (which I believe is pronounced VVVVVV), it is a brutal gravity flipping platformer. Adam has been vocal about just how brutal the game is, and I have been keeping track. Here's the round-up after about 45 minutes of VVVVVV by Adam Biessener.
19 counts of "F***!"1 count of "a** mobile!"3 counts of "sh**!"1 count of an angry "Ahhh!"4 counts of "Jesus Christ!"4 counts of "God d***it!"1 count of a very perturbed "what?!"3 counts of an incredibly annoyed "come on!"1 count of "oh god!"1 echoing "Nooooo!"2 counts of exasperated "hmmmm"
Adam has taken a break from VVVVVV, but I will be sure to update the stats once he returns to the game.
Email the author Kyle Hilliard, or follow on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Game Informer.


text:
We have a remote desktop software program called Mikogo which is used for online meetings and remote support.
Our dev team has been hard at work preparing a native Linux client for Mikogo and we're about to start a beta stage. We don't have many Linux visitors to our website (obviously because we haven't had a Linux client before) so I'm here looking for some people to help us during the beta stage.
I contacted the guys at Linux Format and was informed that I could ask everyone here in Announcements. So I hope we can find some keen Linux fans for our beta stage.
Further info is available on our website, including a sign up form so we can send you an email with the details of the Linux beta testing: http://www.mikogo.com/2011/04/21/mikogo ... a-testers/
Note: we haven't started our Linux beta stage yet, but will soon when we have enough beta testers and when our dev team is ready which should be very soon.
Really appreciate your help and looking forward to seeing Mikogo available as a native Linux client!


text:
Eating on Easter
This morning, I took a quiz How Much Do You Know About Passover Foods? [2] at Serious Eats [3]. I thought I'd score miserably, considering my experience with Passover foods is limited to drinking from specially marked bottles of Coca Cola [4] and celebrating Seder meals with my friend Jeremy's family when I was in high school. (In fact, I learned almost everything I know about Jewish customs and practices, especially those surrounding food, by eating over at Jeremy's house.)
I got 50% correct, a score that would have sent me in to tears at 16 if it had been on a grammar test. But, considering it's been more than 10 years since I shared in a Jewish Seder, I think I did OK.
It got me thinking about Easter food customs. Pre-cooked hams and butter lambs adorn grocery store endcaps and sale flyers. Children's easter baskets brim with Cadbury eggs, robins' eggs, and pastel shaded M&Ms. And of course, there are Peeps, those strangely colored confections that I think should be made into sweetly colored Easter decorations [5] rather than be consumed as food. And I remember vividly, if not fondly, taking egg salad sandwiches for lunch the week after Easter tinted with blue and green thanks to some dye that had somehow seeped through the eggshells and onto the hardboiled eggs.
What disappoints me about American Easter food is how 1950s pre-fab it all seems (or, at least what I imagine 1950s pre-fab to be). In one day, we go from eating simple soup and bread suppers and fasting from meat, candy, or whatever other vices we've decided to omit from our diets for 7 weeks to gorging ourselves on highly-processed, chemical-laden, mass-produced junk. It hardly sounds like a meaningful celebration of the Resurrection to me.
Forgive me if I sound like I'm down on Easter traditions. The thing is, I very much value tradition and absolutely appreciate that brightly colored jelly beans from the candy aisle are meaningful to a lot of people. I always preferred the jelly beans inside plastic easter eggs to the foil-wrapped chocolate eggs that my mother would hide around the house for my sister and me to find (sometimes months later).
My concern is that we ought not undermine all the work we do during Lent. As we prepare for our joyful feasts this weekend, perhaps we should pause for prayer and reflection before hitting the supermarket sales. Those of us who've chosen to stick to a vegetarian diet for the past 40 days might consider what goes into the raising of a pig who ends up a pre-cooked and cured ham piled high in a refrigerated bin at the grocery store. If you've given up chocolate, why not pass on buying several bags of cheaply-priced chocolate eggs and pay what you would have spent for a bar or two of chocolate you know has been fairly-traded [6] . You'll end up with less candy, for sure, but it will be something to be savored and enjoyed rather than mindlessly consumed in mass quantities. And for eggs, consider something local or free-range for your celebration.
Frankly, I can't think of a better way to celebrate the Resurrection, the promise of eternal life, than by purchasing and consuming that which is sustainable and life-giving to farmers, to the earth, to the animals, and to us.


text:
First of all I believe this is a very tough issue, so thanks in advance to everyone who will try to help. I have a MySQL database that handles a quizzes high scores. Database has name of the quiz, score and name of the player. At the end of every quiz I would like to recommend the player other quizzes, based on what other players played. This is something similar to what Amazon does with books and videos. My aim, I think, should be to have a DISTINCT list of all players who played a particular quiz and then get a DISTINCT list of all quizzes played by those players. That way I could tell which quizzes played the players who played a particular quiz. I could then suggest the player who played that particular quiz what other quizzes he may like, based on general interests. The last list should also have a COUNT, so that I can tell the 3-4 most played quizzes without listing them all.
1) Is there a way to do this using a PHP file?
2) Is this the best way to suggest a player what other players who played the same quiz he played like?
Thanks again in advance for any help.


text:
Following his performance Saturday night, Tarec Saffiedine will forever be known as the final Strikeforce welterweight champion.
The "Sponge" lifted the belt from UFC veteran Nate Marquardt in the titular main event of Strikeforce "Marquardt vs. Saffiedine" at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, snatching a unanimous decision to become the first Belgian to win a world title under the Zuffa umbrella.
"I have no words. It's been a long time, and I've been working so hard in my country and training in the U.S," Saffiedine told Showtime Sports after his win. "Hard work pays off, I guess. It's a dream come true."
Though the triumph marks the highlight of Saffiedine's career to date, the 26-year-old revealed the victory to be bittersweet due to the win coming at Strikeforce's final event.
"I guess [the belt] is mine now, but unfortunately, Strikeforce is gone, and I'm really sad about that," said Saffiedine. "It's a great night for me, but it's a sad night at the same time."
Saffiedine wore Marquardt down over their 25 minutes of combat, continually punishing the former King of Pancrase's quadriceps with chopping leg kicks, causing Marquardt's thigh to swell and discolor.
"I think [I knew I had control] when he started to feel my leg kicks," said Saffiedine. "I could see that he was hurt. He couldn't move as much as he wanted to, and I saw that I had the fight."
Despite entering the cage as the smaller man, Saffiedine also held his own with Marquardt in the clinch, continually stifling the favorite's takedown attempts before finally scoring with a slam of his own to seal the judges' verdict in the fifth round.
"When you train with Dan Henderson -- it's hard to feel like somebody is stronger than that guy. Dan has helped me so much, and it's kind of hard [for someone else] to put that same type of pressure [on me in the cage]," said Saffiedine. "I've been working so hard on my wrestling, and Nate is such a great wrestler and well-rounded fighter. It felt amazing."


text:
Sailing is the art of controlling a boat with large foils, while using the wind as a natural propeller. Mastery of the skill requires experience, which can begin young through the junior sailing program. For the second year, the Captiva Island Yacht Club has organized and sponsored a sailing camp for the younger generation.
"Kids learn how to sail a boat single-handed," said Chris Heidrick, the sailing committee chairman and veteran sailor. "There is also education on powerboat safety by U.S. Sailing and how to kayak independently."
During the nine-day program, each student is given three-and-a-half hours of sailing instruction, 30 minutes for lunch followed by three hours of powerboat safety coupled with kayaking instruction. Each child is assigned a kayak and sailboat an Optimist Pram, Sunfish or Laser - depending on the student's skill level.
Article Photos
Junior sailors learn the skill of sailing during the second year program held at the Captiva Island Yacht Club. Taught by instructors from the Edison Sailing Center in Fort Myers, students learned how to sail and kayak independently while being educated on powerboat safety.
First-time sailor Skyler Spooner of Dallas, Texas enjoyed learning a move called hiking, which prevents capsizing by shifting weight on the boat. Additionally, students were taught knots, among the most important things a sailor should know; and they learned tacking or turning into the wind and to jibe, changing the wind from one side of the boat to the other.
"I learned more about going faster," said second-year sailing student Tara Kane, who also earned her powerboat license. "Everyone should join the program. It is worth it."
Edison Sailing Center in Fort Myers provided instructors for the program and all course material, while Tween Waters Inn allowed use of its boat ramps. The only qualification for participation is successful completion of a swim test a 50-yard swim, tread water, put on a personal floatation device in the water and swim back 50 yards wearing the PFD.
"The key is learning responsibility and team work," Heidrick said of the program. "It also provides a level of independence."
For the final day of this year's sessions, parents and family members of the 15 students were invited to observe their new sailing and marine skills at the yacht club. Last year, 14 students between the ages of 8 and 15 had a great time while parents were thrilled with the program.
"It is a good small class with good instructors," noted Skyler's grandmother, Jane Henshaw, who is a longtime CIYC member. She also encouraged her other granddaughters, Taylor and Emily Denouden of Kansas, to participate in the junior sailing program.


text:
Want to remind yourself or a friend about this program? Fill out this simple form and klru will email you a reminder on the day that it will air.
Dj George / Curious George Paints The Desert
series: Curious George
air date: 1/11/13 2:30 PM
DJ George - It's George's lucky day when the Man with the Yellow Hat wins tickets to a Bonnie Smooth concert over the radio. But at the radio station, George's luck turns when he accidentally locks himself into the DJ booth just as Bonnie Smooth herself is scheduled to call in for an interview. Can a DJ teach a monkey how to operate a radio station through a sound proof window in time for the big call? Curious George Paints the Desert - While visiting the Quints during their desert vacation, George is thrilled when his new Native American friend makes a colorful sand painting of the happy monkey. But a jackrabbit runs through the painting, ruining the work of art and making George not so happy. George decides to make his own painting to replace the ruined one, but when he doesn't have the correct color of sand, he turns to food to help dye it the right color.
WARNING: Email reminders for this program have already been sent out. Your reminder may not reach the intended address in time for this program's airing.
Back to TV Schedule


text:
The lights are on
You're a sneaky person. You've snaked your way through terrorist infested islands and helped save the world from nuclear annihilation countless times. Don't just sneak around these message boards. It's time to be heard.
I gotta say vamp hands down cause they just did an amazing job with him in making him this immortal like, blood hungry, sexual beast.
Especially in Guns of the Patriots, the fight scene with him and Raiden was just spot on. His movements were exactly what you'd expect from a character like him, very elegant swift and smooth movements but very non-human like.
I just can't say enough how well done he is
He's close to the top on my list, too.
1 Peter 3:15 (NASB): "But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
Solid Snake.
I don't know why, but I really like Solidus Snake. Him and Big Boss are my favorites.
Hah, I guess we could tell. I know a lot of people are going to, of course, say Solid Snake, but I always liked Big Boss the most. He seemed to have so many more inner conflicts and doubts. I especially like how he pretty much started everything in the franchise too. He's the reason for Solid Snake for being, after all. Like Solidus too.


text:
- Home
- Download File
Download File
Invalid File.
Invalid File.
We use cookies to offer an improved online experience and offer you content and services adapted to your interests. By using our website or clicking "OK", you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy. If you do not wish to allow cookies please disable them in your browser settings.


text:
Park Ridge Health is the first hospital in the community to provide around-the-clock monitoring of intensive care unit patients through telemedicine, delivering an extra layer of care that enhances patient safety.
Park Ridge Health is the first hospital in the community to provide around-the-clock monitoring of intensive care unit patients through telemedicine, delivering an extra layer of care that enhances patient safety.
Independent studies demonstrate that this 24/7 monitoring significantly improves patient outcomes and patient safety in the ICU. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, implementation of a tele-ICU program was associated with reduced adjusted odds of mortality and reduced hospital length of stay, as well as improvements in best practice adherence and lower rates of preventable complications.
To implement its program, Park Ridge Health has partnered with Advanced ICU Care, the nation's largest provider of tele-ICU services.
The Advanced ICU Care team of intensivists and critical care nurses add to the care provided by the Park Ridge Health team, continuously monitoring patients' vital signs, medications, labs and clinical status. Proactive data management tools identify issues before they become urgent, prompting immediate intervention when necessary. Two-way video access in each patient's room enables face-to-face consultations between the bedside and Advanced ICU Care team during periods of evaluation or when called on by the caregiver.
Southern Eye Associates has added Dr. Craig A. O'Dell as an optometrist.
O'Dell earned his biology degree and Doctorate of Optometry at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has completed a residency in ocular disease at the Chillicothe VAMC and Chalmers P Wylie VAACC. O'Dell has provided eye care to Apache Native Americans in Whiteriver, Ariz., as well as to veterans in Huntington, W.Va.
O'Dell is a member of both the American Optometric Association and the S.C. Optometric Association. He began seeing patients July 10.
Two certified registered nurse anesthetists have joined AllCare Clinical Associates PA.
Erica Forst graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and received a Master of Science in nurse anesthesia from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Prior to beginning her training, Forst was employed by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston as a registered nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Paula M. Grey graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in bursing and received a Master of Science in nurse anesthesia from Western Carolina University. Before attending, Grey was employed by Mission Hospital as a registered nurse in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit.
For more information, visit www.allcareclinical.com.
CarePartners, a member of Mission Health, has received a $220,000 grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. CarePartners is seeking approval to become a PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) provider and the funding is intended for therapy and social work services within the PACE program. PACE is a community-based health and social services program. Its primary purpose is to help elders, who might otherwise need to move into a nursing home, remain living in the community.
The PACE center, when approved, will be at 286 Overlook Road, Asheville, and is anticipated to open in the fall.
A free health class will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Fletcher Valley Market, 1151 Naples Road, Hendersonville.
The topic will be "Beat the Stress," presented by Lee Willard. Call 209-6920 for more information.
Izzy Shurte with Asheville Yoga Center is offering a slow and mindful yoga flow class from 1-2 p.m. Saturday and July 26 at 211 S. Liberty St., Asheville, to benefit T.H.E. Center for Disordered Eating. The drop-in class is $15 that will go to support the Healthy Bodies Prevention Program in the fall at the YWCA of Asheville. This after-school program provides boys and girls in grades three through five with tools to resist unhealthy body image pressures and build confidence at a time when youth are most vulnerable. For more information, call 254-0380.
The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday at 203 Second Ave. E., Hendersonville. For more information, call Debby Bolser at 693-5605.
Mission Health's series of five diabetes self-care courses continues from 9-11:15 a.m. Friday at Mission Education Center, One Hospital Drive (third floor), Room 3303, Asheville.
The course will offer support, educational foundation and resources to help individuals with diabetes manage their disease on a daily basis.
For more information on the course, insurance/ payment, or to enroll, call 828-213-4700.
• Between Friends at Pardee will meet from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at Pardee Signature Care Center, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd, Hendersonville. This group is open to any person diagnosed with cancer who has been treated or is undergoing cancer treatment. Lori Hart, physical therapist at Pardee Rehab & Wellness Center, will speak on the STAR rehabilitation program for cancer patients. Call Leann Noakes, Cancer Nurse Navigator, at 698-7317 to RSVP.
• DaVita Kidney Center will hold "Learn More about Your Kidney Disease," a new course on chronic kidney disease and how kidneys function, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday at Pardee Signature Care Center, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd, Hendersonville. Classes are held the fourth Tuesday of every month. To register, call the DaVita Kidney Center at 255-2839 and ask for Sandra or Dana.
• Western North Carolina Ostomy Support Group will meet from 6-8 p.m. Monday at Pardee Signature Care Center, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd, Hendersonville. This is a support group of ostomates, caregivers, health care professionals and interested persons whose purpose is to provide information and peer support to those who have had, or those who are contemplating having, intestinal or urinary diversion surgery. Call 561-818-9160 for more information.
• Park Ridge Health's Baby Place will host a class on childbirth from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at Park Ridge Health, 100 Hospital Drive, Hendersonville.
Topics include dealing with pregnancy discomforts, labor process and labor support techniques, breast-feeding, newborn care and a tour of The Baby Place.
Cost is $65 per couple. A light breakfast will be provided. Scholarships are available for those in need of financial assistance.
Call 855-PRH-LIFE (774-5433) to register.
• Park Ridge Health's Baby Place will offer a free tour from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday at Park Ridge Health, 100 Hospital Drive, Hendersonville.
Call 855-PRH-LIFE (774-5433) to register.
• Asheville Survivorship Workshop Class will meet from 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday in the conference room of Asheville Hematology/Oncology, 20 Medical Park Drive, Asheville.
The workshop will provide survivorship education and psychosocial support to cancer survivors who have completed treatment within the past year. Open to cancer survivors regardless of where you received treatment. Call 681-2917 or email Lauren Woodard, LCSW, OSW-C, at firstname.lastname@example.com to register.
• Hendersonville Oncology Educational Group will meet from 1:30-2:30 p.m. today in the Burchard/OB Conference Room of Park Ridge Health, 100 Hospital Drive, Hendersonville.
Offered by Park Ridge Health Oncology Center, June's session will focus on "Chemobrain." Anyone in the community undergoing the stresses of cancer treatment, caregivers and family are welcome. For information or registration, contact Lauren Woodard, oncology licensed social worker, at 681-2917.


text:
I have set responsive layout. How to set in the correct way body element like:
<body id="myhome">
body#myhome {
padding-top: 90px;
to work in all dimensions?
I'm using twitter.github.io/bootstrap/
I'm not sure but 1024x768 works without top area (padding) which is correct but all other lower dimension will add padding and showing design in the wrong way.
Is it possible that bootstrap works detects Homepage and is not working in the local based testing?
Need help.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
Beach Assembly of God to host program
Beach Assembly of God, 6730 Ocean Hwy. W. in Ocean Isle Beach, will host a special service featuring Building HOPE Prison Ministries at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 1.
Love gifts will be received for Building HOPE founders Gary and Donna Phelps.
For more information, call 579-9701.
All day Mah Jongg tournament planned
The Sisterhood of Temple Emanu-EL will host an all-day summer Mah Jongg tournament on Thursday, June 12, at Temple Emanu-EL Rosen Center, 65th Ave. and Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Brunswick Beacon, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning Brunswick Beacon and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
|ZIP Code:


text:
Penn State President Rodney Erickson addressed the Board of Trustees today (March 7) at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Before I begin my regular update, let's take a moment to recognize the passing of Dr. Joab Thomas, Penn State's 15th president. He passed away peacefully on Monday at Hospice of West Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He was 81.
It was a privilege and honor to work with Joab. He cared deeply about the people at Penn State -- particularly our students -- and he was single-minded in his pursuit of educational excellence.
During his tenure as president, Joab led efforts to strengthen undergraduate education; he initiated the largest building program in the University's history; and his focus on fiscal responsibility resulted in more efficient resource allocation, as well as enhanced philanthropy and corporate partnerships.
In addition, Joab oversaw Penn State's entry into the Big Ten athletic conference and the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the academic consortium of the conference.
Beyond these achievements, Joab will always be remembered for his kindness, his personal notes to faculty, students and staff, and the great care with which he undertook his responsibilities as president.
Let's share a moment of silence to honor Dr. Joab Thomas.
Now I'd like to acknowledge Hal Paz and the many faculty members, staff and students, who have worked so hard to make our meetings here productive and informative. Penn State Hershey is a wonderful asset for this region, and is critical in advancing Penn State's mission of teaching, research and service. Please join me in thanking everyone at Penn State Hershey for a job well done.
Thank you!
As Keith noted, I recently participated in the House and Senate Appropriation Budget Hearings in Harrisburg. Although the legislators were supportive of Penn State and the other state-related institutions, if the governor's budget proposal stands as recommended, it will require Penn State to make difficult choices. But we are aiming to keep to a minimum any tuition increase we bring to you for approval in July. We're sensitive to the fact that working families are struggling to meet the higher education needs of their children, and we're committed to keeping Penn State affordable and accessible.
Led by Mike DiRaimo and his staff in Governmental Affairs, we are working diligently every day to make a compelling case for more funding with members of the General Assembly and the Administration.
As I do at each meeting, I'll provide a brief admissions update. Our applications for admission continue to outpace last year's numbers. Baccalaureate applications are up by almost 9,000 compared to last year at this time, an increase of 19 percent at University Park and 8 percent at the Commonwealth campuses. Out-of-state applications are up 26 percent, Pennsylvania applications are up 8 percent, and international applications rose again this year by 18 percent. Minority applications exceed those received last year to date by 16 percent.
The quality of the applicant pool is noticeably higher, too, with average SAT scores about 20 points higher. With nearly 6,700 acceptances so far, the 2014 undergraduate class is taking shape.
The Graduate School is also showing strong growth. Graduate applications are up 5 percent compared to this time last year, and Law and Medical School applications are higher by 13 and 18 percent, respectively. Notably, applications to the College of Medicine topped 8,800 earlier this week; these prospective students will be competing for 145 spaces in this fall's entering class.
Penn State's reputation continues to climb in national and international rankings. This week we learned that Penn State now ranks 39th among universities worldwide in the fourth annual Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings. This ranking is based on the world's largest survey of its kind, and engages more than 300,000 academics and researchers, who are asked to identify institutions they consider to be the best in terms of research and teaching.
Although students choose colleges for many reasons -- rankings, cost, location, or majors -- the No. 1 reason students choose a college is academic reputation. In fact, 64 percent of the students surveyed in a study of American Freshman Norms by UCLA researchers cited academic reputation as very important in influencing their final college selection.
The faculty is the main driver of academic reputation, and Penn State is fortunate to have faculty members who rank among the top tier in their disciplines.
Take Dr. Susan Russell for example. Susan was just named the Penn State Laureate for 2014-15. An associate professor of theater, Susan has a distinguished background as an actor, musician, playwright, stage director, teacher, speaker, author and community advocate.
In 2007, she created Cultural Conversations, which is a new visual, theater and dance festival devoted to promoting and fostering new works that circle themes of global and local diversity. She has worked with the State College Area School District to explore issues that affect middle- and high-school students. She has also pioneered cross-disciplinary creativity in the recent Penn State MOOC (massive open online course) titled Creativity, Innovation and Change. With over 120,000 registered students, this was one of the most popular courses ever offered through Coursera.
Speaking of MOOC's, Penn State's five MOOC's have yielded total registrations of 373,000, of which 232,000 students accessed the course materials. Over 8 percent of those starting the courses completed them; that's a relatively high percentage among our peers.
Although there is still no identifiable business model for the MOOC experiment, the learning, the research, the reach and connections, and the impact on the participating MOOC faculty's resident instruction has exceeded our expectations. And we believe our participation in these MOOC's will positively benefit Penn State's visibility in the online marketplace that is served by our award-winning World Campus.
In other research news, this year three Penn State Liberal Arts faculty members were awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships to continue their writing projects. The recipients are Hester Blum, associate professor of English; Debra Hawhee, professor of English and communication arts and sciences; and Janina Safran, associate professor of history.
Although I've heard scientists say, "It's not magic, it's science," sometimes it really does seem like magic. For example, a Penn State team of chemists and engineers have successfully placed tiny synthetic motors inside live human cells, and then propelled them with ultrasonic waves and steered them magnetically. While it's not quite the "Fantastic Voyage" or "The Magic School Bus," this research could lead to new treatments for cancer and other diseases, as well as intercellular surgery and drug delivery.
Another story that made news in Forbes, Time Magazine, Science World Report and other publications involves a new technique developed by Penn State scientists that can detect water vapor on distant planets. As you may know from "Star Trek," evidence of water provides important clues to the atmosphere as well as how planets form and evolve. Whether life exists on other planets is still science fiction, but this new research is helping discover new worlds.
When discussing the transformative research under way on our campuses, it's important to note how critical it is that we have modern, top-notch facilities. We are working toward that goal, and although we often focus on our large-scale building projects, I want to recognize the care and detail that goes into the smaller projects as well.
One such building is the Pell Laboratory for Advanced Biological Studies at Penn State. This state-of-the-art lab recently received an Honor Award from the New England Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. This is the highest award given to a project designed by New England architects. The Pell Lab was recognized for its innovative plan, well organized research spaces, and design as a Select-Agent facility, which allows it to take on advanced research projects.
A hallmark of a Penn State education is the ability of our students to work with faculty on original research as undergraduates. Recently, Business Insider featured the accomplishments of 18 incredibly impressive Penn State students. While this group only scratches the surface of the many wonderful students working on our campuses, it does offer a nice range of the work under way.
For example, Megan Draper, a Penn State Brandywine student, traveled to Borneo to work with the Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project. This organization is striving to safeguard several of the most significant areas of tropical rain forest, using research and conservation solutions to achieve their goals.
Noor Nahavandi, a business student, is a serial entrepreneur. He started a Web design and online marketing company when he was a freshman, and has added Nittany Consulting Group to his business portfolio. Noor won the 2013 Smeal Case Competition, and his goal is to build companies that have a positive impact on the world.
Then there's Marcy Herr, an education major, who has been focused on children's rights and education. Marcy will receive the 2014 Penn State Undergraduate Student Leadership and Service Award, which is given to only one undergraduate student a year. Upon graduation, Marcy will join the Teach for America program.
Penn State students are not only in the news, they report it too in award-winning fashion. For the second year in a row, "Centre County Report," a weekly TV newscast produced by College of Communications students, earned the top awards in the Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts. Johanna Rojas was named best anchor.
Turning to Intercollegiate Athletics. The Penn State Lady Lions claimed their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season championship with a win over Michigan last Saturday. It was the first time that the Lady Lions have won three consecutive regular-season conference championships. The Lady Lions also earned the top seed in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament.
The Penn State Women's Track & Field team captured the Big Ten Indoor Championship, beating Michigan in the last event of the day -- the 4x400 relay. The women will head to the NCAA Indoor Championships next weekend.
Our wrestling team is the 2014 Big Ten regular season co-champion, and this weekend our wrestlers are making a run at the fourth–straight Big Ten title. They're also in contention for another national title in two weeks, so stay tuned. Several other spring sports teams are also ranked among the top teams nationally.
While I often recount the team accomplishments of our student-athletes, I wish to share a compelling story of a different kind.
When the mother of a Penn State lacrosse player needed a bone marrow transplant, the men's hockey team volunteered to get tested in the national "Be a Match" program to see if a match could be found.
Assistant captain David Glen wasn't a match for his friend's mother, but he was a match for a stranger undergoing cancer treatments. Although the procedure and recovery take 7-10 days and can result in deep bone pain, fatigue and headaches, David readily volunteered for the blood stem cell donation. Although he missed part of the hockey season, he's back on the ice with his team. He commented that it was well worth the sacrifice to give someone a second chance. He said, "I'm just excited to have had the opportunity and be able to help someone out."
We're counting down to the official closing celebration of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, a weekend-long event that will begin on Friday, April 11, and continue through the Blue-White game and a spectacular Saturday evening at Eisenhower Auditorium.
Our development team has planned an exciting range of activities for our most generous donors and volunteers, from a photo safari highlighting the importance of philanthropy across the University to tours of the Children's Garden of the Arboretum at Penn State, the Steve Jones Student Broadcasting Complex and other facilities made possible through private gifts.
The Eisenhower Auditorium event will showcase the campaign's impact and offer stories, songs and a few surprises, and it will culminate in an announcement you won't want to miss. I hope that you will be able to join us for this historic celebration so that our students and our campaign leaders can express their thanks in person for all of your support.
Finally, a few words about THON 2014 and a new record -- $13.3 million for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. Although much of the attention is focused on THON weekend, the effort is year-round, and it goes well beyond University Park.
More than 100 schools and 20,000 students participate in the Mini-THON program, and to date they have raised more than $10 million For the Kids. Penn State's Commonwealth campuses and the World Campus also contribute generously and fully participate. This is a wonderful example of how Penn State is one university, geographically dispersed, and all working together for the kids.
THON has always received excellent press coverage throughout the region, and this year, Penn State broke onto the national television news scene. Penn State students appeared on "Good Morning America" and "ABC World News." I'll end with a short clip.
That concludes my remarks. Now I'll be happy to take your questions.