text:
WASHINGTON — BP's plan to protect workers fighting the massive oil
spill in the Gulf, which the Coast Guard approved on May 25, exposes
them to higher levels of toxic chemicals than generally accepted
practices permit.
Moreover, BP isn't required to give workers respirators, to evacuate
them from danger zones, or to take other precautions until conditions
are more dangerous. The looser standards are due in part to federal
regulations that don't specify safety thresholds for volatile organic
compounds, or VOCs — the principal toxins that threaten the health of
spill response workers, experts said.
BP's plan also fails to address the use of more than 1 million gallons of dispersants so far in the cleanup.
plan is not workable and offers a false sense of security," said Eileen
Senn, a former state and federal health and safety official for more
than 40 years. "It gives the impression that you can write a procedure
to dodge chemical bullets that are coming at you constantly."
Critics are questioning the quality of the company's plan as a growing number of oil spill workers are becoming sick.
illnesses have sparked a debate about whether the Obama administration
should be pushing BP to take more stringent precautions or even wrest
control of the company's health and safety response.
More than
24,400 people are working on the response to the spill. Of the 50
workers who have reported becoming ill in Louisiana, most of their
symptoms cleared up quickly, but a majority of the workers think the
dispersants were to blame.
"Overall, BP's plan is not
responsive to the health complaints we're hearing about," said Franklin
Mirer, a toxicologist and Hunter College professor.
The Coast
Guard didn't respond to repeated requests for comment. As a result,
it's unclear what role the Coast Guard had in independently evaluating
BP's plan or in assessing the adequacy of the safety standards.
Wednesday, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration's
point man on the oil spill, said he had "a lot of concerns about worker
safety" given the hot weather and concerns about VOCs.
He said
firefighting vessels have been dispatched to the area to spray a "water
blanket" on the oil to prevent chemical vapors from rising.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration and BP are monitoring the
air offshore and so far haven't found levels of toxic chemicals that
exceed federal standards.
The BP plan, known as the Offshore Air
Monitoring Plan for Source Control, allows workers to stay in an area
when vapors are at a level that's four times higher than accepted
practice to prevent an explosion.
The Marine Spill Response
Corp., an oil and gas industry organization, recommended lower levels
in the mid-1990s, according to a document posted on OSHA's website.
Even the accepted level "is a very high exposure from a health point of
view," Mirer said. "At that point, workers should be leaving the site,"
he said, rather than just monitoring the situation as the plan requires.
Ray Viator, a BP spokesman, called the company's plan "aggressive" in
its monitoring of toxins in the air and protecting workers. The plan,
he said, applies to workers who are burning off the oil, applying the
dispersant, drilling the relief wells and performing other operations
near the source of spill. The company installed charcoal ventilation
systems in the crew quarters and made sure respirators are on hand in
the boats directly in the spill area although so far the equipment
haven't been used.
"It's a complex plan for a complex
situation," he said. "It's being managed by professionals who have
reviewed the plan and who are making sure it's being implemented
correctly. It involves graduated responses and we're prepared to
accelerate it if the situation arises. So far, it hasn't arisen."
Mirer, the toxicologist, said he was surprised by the levels the plan
permits and wondered whether it reflected what workers could be exposed
to as the cleanup continues.
"The question is: Do they
anticipate or have any evidence that a concentration like this exists,
or are they just writing this down?" Mirer asked.
Experts also
said that the plan permits levels of VOCs in living quarters that are
too high and don't take into account that the fact many workers are
working more than eight hours a day and therefore could be exposed to
potentially higher cumulative levels of toxins.
Overall, the
plan is too complex and requires various responses that seem difficult
to carry out, said several experts who reviewed the plan at McClatchy's
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"This protocol seems to be written in a way that allows
them to continue to work when conditions are such that, in any other
setting, you'd pull your workers or you'd put them in better
protection," said Mark Catlin, a worker safety advocate and expert who
worked on the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill in Alaska.
Not all experts were as critical although they all had similar concerns about the permitted levels of explosive vapors.
Lippy, a worker health and safety consultant who helped monitor worker
exposure at the World Trade Center site, where a number of rescue
workers suffered permanent lung damage after the 9/11 attacks, said the
plan was adequate and praised BP for calling for more stringent testing
of respirators.
"There are some strengths to the plan," he said. "They've covered most of the bases."
Officials with OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also saw the plan, according to BP.
earlier this week, David Michaels, the head of OSHA, acknowledged that
his agency's reach applied only as far as three miles off shore, which
meant that most of the fishermen helping with the near-shore cleanup
are covered by the agency's jurisdiction. Not so for workers close to
the source of the spill, he said.
Administration officials have
said that they're concerned about possible respiratory effects,
especially given there are few studies on the illnesses that oil spill
workers experience.
Health officials are worried about requiring
respirators prematurely because of the heat conditions that many
workers are exposed to. Already, many workers have succumbed to
heat-related illnesses, and respirators could make symptoms worse.
Nonetheless, staff researchers for NIOSH wear respirators when monitoring the air on vessels.
an interview with McClatchy, Dr. John Howard, who heads NIOSH, called
it a "precaution" but added, "We don't have a lot of data here."
His agency is still investigating the cause of the illness of seven workers who were hospitalized.
preliminary investigation by BP determined that seven workers might not
have been properly instructed on the use of a cleaning concentrate. Yet
the day after BP reached this conclusion, BP's chief executive, Tony
Hayward, claimed that the illnesses might be unrelated to the spill and
instead could be symptoms of food poisoning.
"We're trying to do
our own independent thing here and be able to corroborate," Howard said
in an interview. "BP, like many corporations, sometimes does have some
credibility issues."
Howard and Michaels faced questions about
respirators and other precautions being used during the oil spill at
this week's meeting of a health and safety advisory committee.
Pouget, an assistant Fire-EMS chief for the city of Alexandria, Va.,
questioned whether OSHA has allowed for "reduced" training standards of
cleanup workers. OSHA has allowed BP to train most workers in handling
hazardous materials for four or eight hours — fewer hours than required
in other disaster incidents.
"I can't help but think this is like a large hazardous materials incident," she said.
"Absolutely, respiratory protections and air monitoring would be the number one priority."
many cases, she noted, depending on the location of the emergency
worker, she would order her workers to wear hazardous material suits.
Michaels responded that the standards had been "modified", not lowered, based on experience with previous disasters.


text:
Abington police report a 29-year-old woman was found shot dead outside her home and have taken her 29-year-old husband into custody.
A man shot and killed his wife at their Abington home, police said.
Barbara Tassinari, 29, was dead when police arrived at the house shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday to investigate several reports of gunfire. Her husband, John Tassinari, also 29, was arrested at the house at 55 Pilgrim St.
Police said the couple fought inside and outside the house. It appeared this morning that the woman was shot in the driveway of the home.
Abington Police Chief David Majenski said that John Tassinari was issued a license to carry a firearm in 2004. Barbara Tassinari was shot in the head with a handgun, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office.
Police said the couple had no history of trouble. The woman has two children but they were not at the house Tuesday night.
John Tassinari will be arraigned today in Brockton District Court on one count of murder.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Post new price checks here. Thanks! It is ok if a price check thread becomes a sale, purchase or trade thread.
On eBay: Breyer Crystal Horses Unbridled,...
This forum is for any sales or auctions where partial or full proceedes will go to a charity or organization in need of donations.
Pick-ups, proxy showing, prepping, painting, repairing, etc., services needed or offered.


text:
Two familiar faces were recently chosen to coach and lead the CJ cheerleaders this upcoming school year.
Jessica Smith '08 and Danielle Byrd said they were both excited about the opportunity to give back to the CJ community through the cheerleading program. Smith cheered during the football and basketball seasons all four years she attended CJ and Byrd is the parent of a CJ student.
"I am most excited to give back to my high school," Smith said about being back at CJ.
"I love this school as a parent, so this is a great opportunity for me to give back to this school which has given so much to my child," said Byrd.
The coaches will work together for both the football and basketball seasons. Byrd will be the head coach during the football season and Smith will assist. Their roles will reverse for the basketball season.
"I like the fact that the coaches will be working together consistently throughout the seasons," interim Athletic Director Jason Unger expressed about the new coaching format.
Cheerleading try-outs for the 2015-2016 school year took place at the end of June, but both coaches encouraged students interested in the program to start thinking ahead for the following year.
"A lot of new girls came out this year," Byrd said. "It's a great bonding opportunity and positive role model experience for girls."
Smith agreed, "if you are thinking about being a cheerleader, do it!"


text:
TORONTO – The Western Catholic Reporter has won four first place awards in the annual competition among Canada's Christian newspapers and magazines put on by the Canadian Church Press.
The WCR also won a second place award for in-depth coverage of a news event for its 15-page supplement on the opening of the new St. Joseph Seminary and Newman Theological College.
The supplement, titled A New Day Dawns, appeared in the Jan. 24, 2011 issue of the WCR and took many long hours of work from the newspaper's editorial and advertising staff.
Reporters Ramon Gonzalez and Chris Miller, and editors Glen Argan and Lasha Morningstar all contributed stories and photos to the supplement.
A New Day Dawns examined many facets of the seminary and college including their new library, the beautiful new seminary chapel, the commitment of faculty and students, and the institutions' histories.
The judge for that category, Mark Bourrie, a writer, historian and lecturer at Carleton University, called the supplement "a very thoughtful and celebratory examination of the opening of St. Joseph Seminary and issues surrounding the education of a new generation of priests."
Over all, the WCR won awards in seven of the eight categories in which it submitted entries.
WCR editor Glen Argan won the first prize for newspaper editorial writing for his "Alta. Government's Moral Blindness Jeopardizes our Future," a questioning of the provincial government's lack of moral reflection on the implications of rapid development of the Athabasca oilsands.
The judge, Stephen Heckbert, said the editorial is "An excellent example of how asking the question that seems obvious can produce outstanding results."
The editorial is "a very strong, very coherent view on the need for careful thought about resource development," wrote Heckbert, coordinator of the public relations program at Algonquin College.
Lasha Morningstar, the WCR news editor, won first prize for her monthly column, We Are One.
The judge, journalist Carmi Levy, said Morningstar "writes with a realistic sense of grittiness that is at once hard to watch but also impossible to look away from.
"The world is an imperfect place, and she manages to force us to look right at it, then wonder how we can – and should relate to it."
Argan also won the first prize for newspaper feature layout and design for his packaging of Gonzalez's article and photos on the Inner City Pastoral Ministry.
The judge, Gordon Preece, editorial art director of the Winnipeg Free Press, said the two-page spread published in the July 23 WCR was "simple but very effective."
Argan and Morningstar also won first prize for the layout and design of an entire issue of a newspaper for the Jan. 24, 2011 edition, which included the supplement on the seminary and college.
Preece of The Free Press, also the judge in this category, said the WCR is "overall an excellent product – easy to read and navigate through and worthy of a first place finish."
The WCR also won second prize for general excellence among regional newspapers. First prize went to The Christian Week of Winnipeg.
The judge, Toronto Star columnist Carol Goar, called the WCR "a fine regional newspaper that clearly connects with its readers."
"The Reporter has a clear mission and devotes the resources and energy required to fulfill it. Its reporters make the effort to attend events in person and talk to participants, bringing a human face to issues and events."
Preece also gave third place to the WCR for the design of its June 20 front page which featured a large photo of Pope Benedict talking with Rabbit Riccardo Di Segni and the headline, "Christians, Jews continue striving to better relations."


text:
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Error 404. Muse not found.
*laughing* Mine is playing hide and go seek with the little leprchauns who have taken refuge in my back yard!
*abandons his muse to it's naughty swirl of void.. to dive into Colerie's back yard to play with her muse and mess with the leprechauns*
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text:
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text: John Greiner has been teaching Computer Science at Rice University since 1997. While focusing on introductory computer science, he has also taught many algorithms, theory, and systems courses. He is active in curricular development and policy as well as outreach to high school students. John earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. from Rice University.


text:
Bryan Colangelo is taking a lot of slack from the Raptors fan base for selecting 7-foot Lithuanian centre Jonas Valanciunas with the 5th overall selection the 2011 NBA Draft. Frankly, most of the arguments I have heard as to why the pick might have been subpar are well, subpar. I applaud the pick of Valanciunas at the number five spot and think Colangelo did well to think of the next 4-5 years of the Raptors franchise and not just make a pick that would have appeased the masses.
I hear Brandon Knight's name a lot as a guy we just had to take and while I see some definite strong points to his offensive arsenal I really do not see the playmaking point guard the Raptors desperately need. Seven other teams had the opportunity to take him and they all passed and his draft stock dropped like a rock on draft night leading me to believe that the people who get paid to know things we never will know something we don't.
For Bryan Colangelo this draft was a no-win situation so I think he made the best of it for the franchise's future. He was chastised for not taking a player who could instantly step in and make an impact but last I checked this draft was relatively weak outside the top two in terms of NBA-ready talent and Lebron James wasn't available at the Raptors pick. A lot of analysts have said that Valanciunas could be the best player of the draft when all is said and done.
Point guard is one of the hardest positions to come into and make a huge impact in your rookie season. This is the floor general, the quarter back, the leader and face of the team in some respects if you lack a point forward. If we look at last year's NBA draft and first overall selection PG John Wall was very highly touted and thought to be an instant impact at the NBA level.
Wall, while solid was not overwhelmingly successful as was expected of him as he averaged a respectable 16 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 turnovers. He shot a reasonable but unspectacular 40% from the field and 29% from 3-point land.
Raptors point guard Jerryd Bayless as a starter (in 14 games) averaged 18 points, 7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 3 turnovers. Bayless shot 46% from the field and 33% from 3-point land. Are Raptors fans saying that Bayless was an "impact" player? He essentially posted identical numbers to John Wall albeit in a smaller sample size as a starter but I think you see my point.
I think the Raptors are still in good hands and no I am not drinking the Bryan Colangelo kool-aid but I like the moves he has made recently. Dwayne Casey was the best candidate for head coach on paper and we got him. Chris Bosh could have walked to Miami for nothing but BC was able to get our own first rounder back in the sign and trade and he took the highest rated C and European in the draft at #5 overall.
All of the reports on Valanciunas that I have read are very positive and it sounds like he has a high motor, very strong rebounding instincts (some say best in the NBA draft), solid work ethic and some toughness. If you take a longer view of this selection you can't deny that this is probably what is best for the team going forward.
The Raptors are going nowhere next season and the upcoming NBA draft in 2012 is supposed to be one of the best drafts in recent years so one more year in the lottery wouldn't hurt anyone. It sure beats trading for Stephen Jackson, blowing our money on Samuel Dalembert and bringing back Allen Iverson as most short sighted fans sometimes suggest. Believe in the rebuild and believe that the man who deftly scooped Demar DeRozan and Ed Davis still knows what he is doing.
I know it's not cool to say these days but I still believe in Bryan Colangelo and I am still excited about the direction of the Raptors.


text:
Shared family activities may boost preschoolers' emotional health
(HealthDay)—Taking part in family activities on a regular basis benefits the social and emotional health of young children, a new study finds.
And the more of these shared family routines, the better.
"Social-emotional health" is defined as being able to understand emotions, express empathy, have self-control and form good relationships with other children and adults.
Researchers looked at parent-provided data about 8,550 preschool kids in the United States to assess how often the children did things with their families, such as eating dinner, singing, reading books, playing and telling stories.
Fifty-seven percent of children participated in three or more regular family activities and more than 16 percent of the children had high social-emotional health.
The researchers also found that children who took part in five regular family activities were more than twice as likely to have high social-emotional health. Moreover, for each additional activity that parents and children do together, the child is nearly 50 percent more likely to have high social-emotional health.
The study was published in the February/March issue of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
"High social-emotional health has been associated with greater academic performance and improved behavior in the school environment," study leader Dr. Elisa Muniz, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, said in a news release from the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) in New York City.
"Our findings suggest that parents with preschool-aged children who regularly practice family routines together have greater social-emotional health and so we encourage families to sing, read, play and eat together on a regular basis," said Muniz, who led the research while a fellow at the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, affiliated with CHAM.
Participating in regular family activities can give children a sense of security and belonging, the researchers explained.
Explore further
Copyright © 2014 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


text:
Posts: 16528
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
[04] Filbert & Rahaulyr
Elf and Hobbit. Hobbit and Elf; Filbert and Rahaulyr to name them.
This unlikely pair of sell-swords have been making a piece-meal living hunting swamp-rats for their pelts, but pickings have been mighty slim this season.
When they spotted a company of armed men entering one of the local ziggurats, they decided to investigate...
| Filbert and Rahaulyr are now inside the Ziggurat, have seen the body of Vergas and the Leeches and crossed the broad plaza, and are now in the wide passage way following behind the company. They have just observed the armed group pass through the rotating stone door ahead of them.
What now? |
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]


text:
Alcoholism and anxiety go hand in hand. The extent of this comorbidity is clear from the numbers: as many as 45% of patients with alcohol disorders meet diagnostic criteria for a cooccurring anxiety disorder. And alcoholic patients with a comorbid anxiety disorder—particularly panic disorder or social phobia—are three to seven times more likely to relapse than those without concurrent anxiety (Kushner MG et al, Alcoholism: Clin Exp Res 2005;29:1432– 1443).
It's not clear why anxiety and alcoholism so commonly co-occur, but there are at least three potential, and not mutually exclusive, explanations for this phenomenon. First, anxiety may lead to alcohol abuse. According to this theory, patients use alcohol as a way to "self-medicate" their anxiety (Morris EP et al, Clin Psychol Rev 2005;25:734–760). Second, and conversely, excessive alcohol use may generate an anxiety disorder, via a "kindling" effect of repeated withdrawal cycles or disruptions to the stress-response system. Finally, there may be no clear primary disorder, but rather a common underlying vulnerability to both anxiety and to alcohol abuse (Kushner MG et al, Current Psych 2007;6(8):55–64). This may be psychological, like high anxiety sensitivity, or biological, like GABA receptor dysfunction or a gene polymorphism.
In most cases, it's not important to determine which disorder came first. In my experience, in fact, this chicken-and-egg problem is irrelevant, because by the time most patients present for treatment, they're stuck in a mutually reinforcing cycle of anxiety, self-medication with alcohol, and increased distress when they attempt to stop or curtail their alcohol use. As a result, it's best to address both disorders in treatment.
Precisely how to do this, however, is open to debate. Historically, substance use treatment and psychiatric treatment have remained distinct. One common approach has been—and remains—to treat the conditions sequentially, usually with an initial focus on alcohol use, to determine whether anxiety symptoms remit with consistent sobriety. While this makes sense intuitively—particularly when the anxiety may be at least partially substance-induced—these efforts often fail because of the vicious cycle of sobriety leading to more anxiety and subsequent alcohol relapse.
Another strategy is parallel treatment, in which the anxiety is managed psychiatrically (with medications or therapy directed specifically at the anxious symptoms) while a specialist in addiction simultaneously treats the alcohol disorder. Many chemical dependency (CD) treatment centers take this approach, and it's also the basis of the oft-used strategy of referring patients to AA or CD treatment while you, the psychiatrist, treat the anxiety disorder as you would with any other patient. However, effective treatment requires close coordination and communication among providers, and patients can be frustrated by the division in treatment strategies, especially when they get contradictory messages. For instance, some exposure-based treatment methods for anxiety require the patient to confront situations which they are simultaneously taught to avoid because of their high relapse risk.
A third alternative is an integrated approach. While such a strategy is most frequently recommended by experts and has theoretical appeal, there are few standardized, integrated treatment strategies and the data on outcome is both sparse and unimpressive (see for example, Tiet QQ and Mausbach B, Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2007;31(4):513–536). This may speak to the lack of trained professionals who can recognize and treat both addiction and anxiety disorders, but also, in my experience, to wide variability in patients' histories, motivations, and circumstances.
Psychotherapy for Anxiety and Alcoholism
This article originally appeared in The Carlat Psychiatry Report -- an unbiased monthly covering all things psychiatry.
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Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is well suited for the combined treatment of alcoholism and anxiety, as it can help patients to recognize environmental triggers and identify maladaptive coping strategies and practice new ones, just as CBT for anxiety teaches patients to challenge their own self-destructive thoughts and behaviors. I have actually found that 12-step and other group work teaches patients to identify distorted thoughts and beliefs, and to learn from others' successes and failures.
The "Relapse Prevention" (RP) model (Marlatt GA and Gordon JR, Eds. Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors. New York: Guilford Press, 1985) is a widely used chemical dependency technique based on CBT. The model identifies three general stimuli that precede relapse: negative emotional states, social pressure, and interpersonal conflict. Each of these can heighten anxiety (eg, social pressure can aggravate social phobia and negative emotions can worsen generalized anxiety disorder). Often, patients with worsening anxiety use avoidant coping strategies, specifically relying on alcohol to relieve the anxiety as a form of "negative reinforcement"—that is, it reinforces the value of drinking by taking away the unpleasant anxiety. The RP model can be adapted for the management of anxiety in the context of substance abuse, but it has not yet been empirically tested for comorbid conditions.
Other psychotherapeutic approaches have been developed for specific anxiety disorders, such as "Seeking Safety" for concurrent PTSD and substance abuse (Najavits LM et al, J Subst Abuse Treatment 1996;13(1):13–22). However, in a three-month trial of 107 women with PTSD and substance abuse (not limited to alcohol), Seeking Safety was found to be no more effective than outpatient cognitive therapy alone (Hien DA et al, Am J Psychiatry 2004;161(8):1426–1432). On the other hand, a two-week pilot trial of CBT-based integrated treatment for panic disorder and alcohol abuse in 48 patients showed benefit over alcoholism treatment alone (Kushner MG et al, J Mental Health 2006;15(6):697–707).
Psychopharmacology for Anxiety and Alcoholism
Despite the approval of medications for anxiety and for alcohol dependence, drug trials typically exclude subjects with concurrent disorders. (See the article by Dr. Frenz in this issue for a review of medications for alcoholism.) There are only a handful of published studies focusing specifically on the treatment of comorbid alcoholism and anxiety (reviewed in Smith JP and Book SW, Psychiatr Times 2008;25(10):19–23), and results are rather lackluster.
In one study of paroxetine (Paxil), 42 subjects with alcoholism and social anxiety were treated with paroxetine or placebo for 16 weeks. Patients taking paroxetine reported less anxiety but alcohol intake was about the same. However, they relied less on alcohol to engage in social situations (Thomas SE et al, Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2008;32(1):77–84). Another study on the use of sertraline (Zoloft) for comorbid alcoholism and PTSD randomized 94 patients to 150 mg sertraline or placebo for 12 weeks. Both groups drank less at the end of the trial, although a subgroup analysis showed that sertraline was more effective in reducing alcohol intake in patients with less severe alcohol dependence at baseline (Brady KT et al, Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2005;29(3):395–401). But a similar 12-week trial comparing sertraline with placebo for PTSD and alcoholism found no significant differences at all (Labbate LA et al, Compr Psychiatr 2004;45:304– 310).
At least three studies have examined buspirone (BuSpar) for management of alcohol dependence and anxiety symptoms. Two RCTs comparing 15 mg/day buspirone with placebo showed trends toward reduced anxiety and alcohol intake (Kranzler H et al, Arch Gen Psych 1994;51:720–731; Tollefson G et al, J Clin Psychopharm 1992;12:19–26) but these were not statistically significant. A third, using a higher buspirone dose (60 mg/day), showed no effect relative to placebo (Malcolm R et al, Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1992;16(6):1007–1013).
Using benzodiazepines to treat anxiety in alcohol-abusing patients is controversial. Most treatment guidelines recommend avoiding benzodiazepines in patients with alcohol dependence. Psychiatrists and internists frequently use benzodiazepines to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but their use is time-limited (usually less than seven days) and usually in a highly supervised setting. Patients with known anxiety disorders sometimes require a longer taper (Edwards G et al, The Treatment of Drinking Problems, 4th ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003). Continuous use of benzodiazepines should be undertaken with caution, as they may have a high abuse potential in alcoholics; in fact, alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan) have a mood-enhancing effect in alcoholics that is not observed in non-alcoholics (Ciraulo AD and Nace EP, Am J Addict 2000;9:276–284).
On the other hand, there is evidence to suggest that a history of alcohol dependence may not necessarily result in greater abuse of benzodiazepines, particularly in those with less severe dependence (Lingford-Hughes A et al, Adv Psychiatr Treat 2002;8(2):107–116). In my practice, I find benzodiazepines to be effective if used judiciously and with very close follow-up. Two red flags that make me suspect my patient is becoming addicted are: (1) requests for escalating doses and (2) overreliance on medications at the expense of other strategies that have proven effective for that patient—for example, a reluctance to engage in therapy or ongoing 12-step work.
The opiate blocker naltrexone (ReVia) is effective for preventing alcohol relapse, presumably because the euphoric effects of both alcohol and benzodiazepines may be mediated by the endogenous opiate system. While naltrexone is not approved for benzodiazepine addiction, one study found that it prevented the euphoric (but not the anxiolytic) effects of benzodiazepines when the two drugs were used together (Richardson DK et al, Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2005;81(3);657–663).
Controlled studies of all sorts of comorbid anxiety/alcohol treatments—whether separate or integrated, psychotherapy or medication—have been disappointing, most likely due to the wide variability among patients who present for treatment. Like most experts in the field, I have found that the most effective approach is an individualized one.
Engaging the patient in treatment is more than half the battle, so when possible, I start with the condition that the patient identifies as most problematic (which may or may not be the substance abuse), while using therapies such as motivational interviewing to encourage him or her to address other problems.
TCPR's VERDICT: Comorbid alcoholism and anxiety is an often debilitating condition. A strategic combination of medications and therapy, determined by the patient's progress and not by a formula or manual, seems to be the best way to tackle this common and difficult problem.


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The good thing about Troll priests
Everyone – EVERYONE – disses the troll priest. Their racials and priest racials are ridiculed – the source of endless jokes.
I, on my main, envy one of their racials. No, I envy two of them.
Lesser of the two, and only when I'm Shadow, I envy shadowguard. Oh, I've seen the ridicule. It's obvious they've not paid attention in class. It's very similar to a shaman's lightning shield – three charges that interrupt damage and toss damage back at the attacker. What a lot of players miss is… it's modified by shadow modifiers. All those talent modifiers to damage add "ouch" to this spell. It's an instant cast. It causes no threat. There's no targeting requirements, and no cooldown. It does eat mana – without talents real close to 1:1 dpm – but that's bearable.
But the one I truly envy is beserker. When things get desperate, the troll can get that spell off just a tiny bit faster. If things are going absolutely right… a Greater Heal in 1.75 seconds. *blink* Really? Well, if things are going absolutely wrong it's only 2.25 seconds. But anyone who doesn't think a quarter-second matters when casting OMG CHAINs hasn't been priesting long.
Beserker gives 10 to 30% (not rating) spell haste. Now its downside is – 10 seconds of up time with a 3 minute cooldown. But for that 10 seconds… wow.
An interjection for the troll priests. The formula appears to be such that you get the 30% at 40% health or less, and the 30 to 10 curve is linear with your health — roughly 3% of health per 1% of haste. So at 75% health it's about 15% spell haste.
OK, I generally avoid racial talents – not least because people argue over 'best', 'worst', and even whether they matter. But it leads in to the big subject – spell haste.
While you're working on your other stat increasers, don't forget to keep an eye out for spell haste. I've shown you how it can matter – and even 1 or 2 percent can make a difference. For the most part you don't have to look hard — almost all of it comes from Black Temple drops (or recipes that drop there). But there are a few – a VERY few – other sources. Before I list them, though, another bout of numbers.
Right now, it takes a bit over 20 spell haste rating to get 1% of speed. In the upcoming patch that's being buffed – just under 16% rating will give you the percent. (melee/range rating is getting nerfed from ~12 to that same ~16. They're striving for equitability. now if they'd drop more TOYS for the lower ranks…)
Ok, let's look at the list.
Drums of Battle. Something a leathercrafter (who is exalted with Sha'tar) can make, it gives 80 haste rating for 30 seconds. The bad news? 2 minute cooldown. If you've got a leathercrafter who can make these, help'em out. You may not be able to give them the knothide leather, but there's also a primal fire and a primal earth involved in making it. Still… around 4% haste, 5% after the patch. It's a small gain, but it can make a difference.
Juju Flurry. 30 haste rating for 20 seconds, once every 60 seconds. EVERYBODY can make this (potentially) — it's a level thing. Remember the witch doctor in Everlook? She has you collect the shards from near the giants so she can make you this token that you stick in your bag. When you've got it, then grinding on Winterspring mobs will also have them dropping Ekos. And you turn in Ekos to make Jujus. 3 frostsaber eko will give you 3 Juju flurry. A surprisingly fast an easy substance to collect.
Before I go, I'll mention that there are other jujus. Two that come to mind are the +15 frost and fire resistance. The Eko for those drop from the chillwind (chimera) and Shardtooth (bears), respectively – which you grind on if you're like TJ and trying to get the Frostsaber mount. The resists are for 10 minutes.
Yes, I envy the trolls and their ability to get MORE HEALZ NOW when the time comes. We can come near – though they use it all as well.
"Aku'zral, struck down by the madness of the battle, showed why He was the head priest. A swift signal brought the wardrums flurry, and with a cry to His God and a swift drink of juju, he began to cast Great Heals as though they were nothing – mere flashes of lightning." Aku'zral casts Greater Heals every 1.6 seconds. Beat that. /sniff [grin]
5 Responses to "The good thing about Troll priests"
Too late. Looks like the cat's out of the bag. PTR's been adjusted today.
Troll Berserk: The spell haste on this ability was incorrectly too high and has been corrected.
From what I've understand, I think the change is due to the spell haste rating change. Drysc mentioned that there should not be any difference between live and PTR.
Yay for Troll Priests! My groups even love the overlooked Hex racial when fighting groups of healing mobs. The Damage reduction may be minor, but when three casters and healing each other, that little thorn in their side helps a Lot on elite fights.


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March of Dimes selling its national headquarters
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Amid ballooning pension costs and investment losses, the March of Dimes has put its national headquarters and home for the past three decades on the market, the nonprofit said Friday.
The 79-year-old charity, founded by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, has faced annual expenses exceeding revenues by millions of dollars every year from 2012 to 2016, according to March of Dimes' Forms 990 filed with the IRS. In 2016, the nonprofit reported a negative fund balance — or assets less liabilities — of nearly $13 million.
"After careful evaluation of our office in White Plains, the March of Dimes building at 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue has been placed for sale on the real estate market," Michele Kling, director of media relations, said in an emailed statement. She expected the headquarters to remain near White Plains.
But she would not reveal the asking price for the 113,000-square-foot office building on 11 acres. The property had not been publicly listed online late Friday afternoon.
► July:Man behind ALS Ice Bucket Challenge hospitalized
► June:Yankees' charity under scrutiny for neglecting neighbors
The charitable organization was successful in its first goal, to fight polio, when two vaccines came into widespread use and switched in the early 1960s to preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
As of 2016, March of Dimes had about 1,500 employees nationwide, according to its financial report, though it was unclear Friday how many of them are based here. The size of organization may be shrinking: At least one regional office in Ardmore, Okla., recently shut down because of budget cuts, according to KXII-TV, Sherman, Texas.
The dominance of other popular charitable events, such as the ALS Association's Ice Bucket Challenge and the American Cancer Association's Relay for Life, may have affected the bottom line for the March of Dimes, which has raised money through walks called March for Babies.
► March:Charitable restaurants and chefs give back
► February:Pilot flies dogs to a town that can adopt them
Todd Dezen, a spokesman for March of Dimes, said the group is addressing the issue.
"As the March of Dimes approaches our 80th anniversary, we're taking action to transform into a modern and sustainable organization that will be around for at least the next 80 years to support pregnant women, families, and babies across the country," he wrote in an email statement.
The challenges facing March of Dimes aren't unique, said Alisa Kesten, executive director for Volunteer NY, a Tarrytown-based nonprofit.
► December:How to donate credit card points, miles or cash back to charity
► December:Average American's charitable donations: How do you compare?
"Nonprofits need to be very nimble and always look for new friends, new sources of revenue especially because government resources can't be depended on as they were in the past, whether you're talking about local, state or federal," she said.
If successful, the sale of the Mamaroneck Avenue property would help the nonprofit with a cash flow, even though it may be a short-term solution.
"It will be very interesting to see what happens to this property," said Howard Greenberg, president of Howard Properties and a commercial real estate expert in White Plains. "It's on an office corridor. But given the reality of the office market, there may be more interest in redeveloping for another use."
► 2014:How to get the biggest bang for your charity buck
► 2013:Dissension and fiscal woes beset the Girl Scouts
Kling, the March of Dimes spokeswoman, said many of the nonprofit's employees "have embraced a virtual working model."
"A virtual office reduces staff commute time and increases flexibility, and improvements in technology mean we can maintain effective communications through video conferencing, social media, and many online tools," she said.
The charity's current name, March of Dimes, stems from a radio appeal from comedian Eddie Cantor, who encouraged people to donate for the organization, saying, "nearly everyone can send in a dime or several dimes. However, it takes only 10 dimes to make a dollar and if a million people send only one dime, the total will be $100,000."
Follow Akiko Matsuda on Twitter: @LohudAkiko


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NL DIVISION SERIES: ROCKIES v PHILLIES
October 4, 2007
Charlie Manuel
Brett Myers
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Game Two
Q. Brett, how would you characterize this season? It seems like a lot going on, change in role, do you look at it as a great year or somewhere in between?
BRETT MYERS: Well, I think it's been a pretty good year. I just switched roles and I think I adapted well, working out there with J.C. and Flash. They really kind of helped me adapt to the role.
You know, it's been fun for me to get to go out there and pitch every day.
Q. Mr. Manuel, could you please tell us about the changes in your lineup today and the thinking behind it?
CHARLIE MANUEL: There's only one change but weather in right field, took Victorino out. I've been doing it all year long, that's basically how we play, you look at Victorino, his speed, top of the lineup, the way we use him, good defense, good arm of course. Hitting, actually the numbers, if you look at them, Victorino is hitting .291 against righties, second half of the season -- I mean lefties, and second half of the season his average has really came up.
Werth was hitting .375 or something like that and there's about 40 at-bats' difference; home runs are the same. Victorino has got more doubles; he's got one triple. You're talking, why did I do it; got Werth in the six-hole and he's a little bit more patient hitter; and moved Pat Burrell up in the third hole, and that separates our two left-handed hitters. Howard and Utley, to me, gives us better balance, takes some of the speed out and maybe a little bit defense out.
But at the same time, Jayson Werth is a more patient hitter, walks quite a bit and he's got power and in our ballpark; he's probably more apt to hit a home run or extra-base hit. Putting all that together, with the ball of our lineup, that's our plan today.
Q. All year long when you absolutely need a win your team got it; do you expect the same today?
CHARLIE MANUEL: That's been our slogan all year long. If some team beats us, we come back the next day with the idea that we're going to win the game and concentrate as hard as possible and we concentrate day-to-day. Yesterday we come out with the idea that believe me we're going to win the game today. That's been kind of what we've gone by all year long; and we've gotten beat 13-0 and we've gotten beat 15-5 or something like that and we'll always -- seem like we always rebound and we're capable of hanging the same kind of loss on you the following day.
We got beat yesterday, and I think today will be a great day to just follow that trend and look for us to come out and play a good game.
Q. Was there anything you said to your hitters yesterday after yesterday's game, was it just a case of, okay, let's kind of go back to square one and all that?
CHARLIE MANUEL: I think basically, the things that we talked to them about was individually and I think you've got to give Francis some credit because he did pitch a good game and we hit him twice this year and he made some adjustments and he was prepared and he had better command and he used all of his pitches.
We were, you know, it's one of those days where we didn't hit. Actually we did not hit the ball hardly at all. We got two home runs and outside of that, we only hit two or three other balls hard. And when we do that, it's like the chance that we're going to lose are very good and we got hit better than that today. And how we're going to attack this guy today, we've got to be patient and make him throw the ball over the plate; he's young, throws hard and we like hard throwers. Only trouble is -- it's good when we know him, seems like we are more disciplined that way. And we have to be disciplined on that guy today because he's got a good breaking ball, changeup. His command definitely can be his problem, and we've got to make him throw the ball over the plate.
Q. The fans in the parking lot, the consensus is they are panicking but it's panic with a "P." How would you level the measure of urgency in the clubhouse?
BRETT MYERS: I don't think it's real big. No reason to panic right now. We are down one game, but I think the time to worry about that is when we're down 2-0. If we tie it up today, we're back to even, so I don't think anybody is too worried about it. We know we have a task at hand today to go out there and win a big ballgame. We've been doing it all year. You know we are just going to go out and have some fun and try to win this one.
Q. Do you have any reaction to that mysterious liquid apparently that Manny Corpas put on his jersey? There was a report that he spilled something on it and kept going to that spot on his jersey yesterday when he was pitching. Have you heard anything about that or have any reaction to that?
CHARLIE MANUEL: I don't have too much to say about that really. Makes no sense for me to comment on that.
Q. Can you talk about playing in Colorado, the stadium, the altitude; anything you can tell me about playing in Colorado since you have to play two games out there?
BRETT MYERS: You know, I don't think it's too much different from playing in this park. I mean, they say they are both hitter's parks, but you know if you keep the ball down in any park, you're going to be successful.
You know, I don't think that it's going to be a huge difference from playing here or playing there. We played there in the past, so you know, if we just make good pitches as a staff, then I think everything will be fine for us. You know, the key to pitching is keeping the ball down and hitting your spots.
CHARLIE MANUEL: Ball carries good in Colorado. It's a bigger park. Of course, deeper alleys, but the ball carries good, the infield, it's big and spread out. Although it's slow, the grass part of it is slow and slows the ball down, I think defensively, balls fall in front of you a lot of times and you definitely have to have a good defensive outfield. I think that helps.
Outside that, I think as far as the hitting goes, they say the fact that they -- what do you call it, what do you call it, the humidor, they say that helps the ball. I don't know, I used to take BP at Colorado Springs, like to take it in Coors Field; I'm getting old now, but I'd still like to hit there and see. (Laughter.)
I know the ball care he's there, and actually games are real interesting and they are exciting because usually you do score a lot of runs. But it's not a whole lot of difference.
Q. Kind of piggybacking off the question that fans react one way to one loss, and they observe from the outside and you live and breathe this all the time. Is it a lot different in a way, you're human, too, so you can do the math; but is it really a lot less critical that they will make up one loss to be --
CHARLIE MANUEL: I think of course when you're playing five games, that you don't want to go two down. One more, you're eliminated.
But at the same time, I look at it as you don't panic. You stay your course on what got you here, and you play the game out and you never know. Just because that you've got to win two or three in a row, I mean, you still keep your head up and you still stay patient and you still stay relaxed and you still do everything that you've been doing and things will work out for you. You know, what the hell; don't worry about it, just keep playing as good as you possibly can play. You know, it will take care of itself.
Q. Brett, you pitched here in late afternoon had the shadows would be an issue. How have you used it to your advantage?
BRETT MYERS: Well, I don't know. I mean, I'm not up at the plate knowing how bad the shadows are but the hitter will come up to me and tell me in certain situations, it's hard to see a breaking ball or it's hard to judge the velocity on a fastball.
So they have kind of let me know a little bit, but I've got to get out there and pitch the same way what's got us here and the same way that's got me here. I'm not going to change anything different just because there are shadows. I've just got to go out and make pitches and if you don't make pitches, anybody can hit them.
Q. This is for Brett and Charlie. Brett can answer for the pitchers and Charlie I guess for the hitters. We were talking about what it's like to play in Colorado with the stadium and the dimensions of the stadium. But how about the altitude, do you notice anything when you're pitching out there; do you get more tired, is there a physical factor in that?
BRETT MYERS: I don't think so. I mean, we're pretty well-conditioned athletes. The starting pitchers run at least 30 minutes after they start. So, you know, relievers usually have one inning, so I haven't relieved there but I've started there in the past. I've just noticed that the only thing you cannot try to over throw your pitches or breaking stuff or it is going to be flat.
I think if you just go out there and stay within yourself and make your pitches, in that particular ballpark, you're going to be fine. So if you try to do anything more than you're capable of doing, you're going to find yourself in some trouble?
CHARLIE MANUEL: The only thing, like I said, I managed there in AAA baseball about four years, and a lot of times when you get real tired or something, might be a little bit tougher to breathe or something. But I think as far as a complete game, games being played, things like that is correct I don't think it's much difference.
I think that what I'm talking about is when you go out there conditioning-wise, run about so many sprints or something like that, you know, I don't think it's a whole lot difference. I think it's about the same.
BRETT MYERS: I think one other key is to really hydrate when you're there because you will get dry mouth or cotton mouth, so make it a lot of point to hydrate and drink a lot of water so that you're able to compete.
Q. As a hitting coach, look at Chase Utley right now, do you see anything in his approach or mechanics that are a bit off?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Yesterday the only thing that I see, and every now and then, it looks like at times he kind of gets caught in between and he might not be ready. But at the same time, this is a guy that works on his hitting every day and knows a lot about his hitting and this is a guy, ever since I came into this organization -- he's also a guy, I don't have to say a whole lot to him about his hitting; and I know Milt doesn't either because this guy, he knows a lot about his hitting and he works on it. But at the same time, if there's anything, like he needs to get ready a little bit and he needs to load up maybe a little bit sooner.
But outside of that, Ut had a bad day yesterday and I look for him to bounce back today. I tell you something, this guy, he's one of the greatest hitters -- he's one of the greater hitters in the game. He had a bad day. Just goes to show you, anybody can have a bad day.
Q. Last night, speaking about your hitters in general, the hitters that did not have a particularly good night, they said they might have been a little uptight or trying too hard. You're around these guys every day; what is their demeanor today and how concerned are you that that carries over after Game 1?
CHARLIE MANUEL: I said that they could have been a little bit uptight. Let me tell you something as a hitter, went out there today, a couple guys hit the ball right there on the nose, you hit a couple balls good early, that will take care of all that. That solves everything. I mean, right there, that's exactly what it takes. I mean, if you see somebody on our team today, if one of our first three or four hitters, if they hit a ball hard, it might not be a hit or something. But things like that, those are definitely things that get you going.
I think we're going to hit some balls hard today.
Q. Obviously you don't want to go gown 0-2, but if you do, do you have alternative plans for a Game 3 starter that might go to Jamie Moyer or anything like that?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Right now we've got Jamie Moyer listeded as our number three starter. I like his experience. I like everything about Jamie. He's also been one of those guys, it seems like when we call him to pitch a big game for us, with who he is, he handles that real good.
You know, like right now, that's exactly how we're going and you know, we're not planning going down 0-2, but if that happens, we'll be ready for it and we'll play just like I just got through telling you guys.
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text:
- Walecka model (1)
- in-medium properties (1)
- vector mesons (1)
- In-medium vector meson properties and low mass dilepton production from hot hadronic matter. (2002)
- The in-medium properties of the vector mesons are known to be modified significantly in hot and dense hadronic matter due to vacuum polarisation e ects from the baryon sector in the Walecka model. The vector meson mass drops significantly in the medium due to the e ects of the Dirac sea. In the variational approach adopted in the present paper, these e ects are taken into account through a realignment of the ground state with baryon condensates. Such a realignment of the ground state becomes equivalent to summing of the baryonic tadpole diagrams in the relativistic Hartree approximation (RHA). The approximation scheme adopted here goes beyond RHA to include quantum e ects from the scalar meson and is nonperturbative and self consistent. It includes multiloop e ects, thus corresponding to a di erent approximation as compared to the one loop approximation of including scalar field quantum corrections. In the present work, we study the properties of the vector mesons in the hot and dense matter as modified due to such quantum correction e ects from the baryon as well as scalar meson sectors. These medium modifications of the properties of the vector mesons are reflected, through the shifting and broadening of the respective peaks, in the low mass dilepton spectra. There is broadening of the peaks due to corrections from scalar meson quantum e ects as compared to the relativistic Hartree approximation. It is seen to be rather prominent for the ! meson in the invariant mass plot. PACS number: 21.65.+f,12.40.Yx
- Structure of the vacuum in nuclear matter: a nonperturbative approach (1997)
- We compute the vacuum polarization correction to the binding energy of nuclear matter in the Walecka model using a nonperturbative approach. We first study such a contribution as arising from a ground-state structure with baryon-antibaryon condensates. This yields the same results as obtained through the relativistic Hartree approximation of summing tadpole diagrams for the baryon propagator. Such a vacuum is then generalized to include quantum effects from meson fields through scalar-meson condensates which amounts to summing over a class of multiloop diagrams. The method is applied to study properties of nuclear matter and leads to a softer equation of state giving a lower value of the incompressibility than would be reached without quantum effects. The density-dependent effective sigma mass is also calculated including such vacuum polarization effects.


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Rio+20 Side-Event on Green and Climate Resilient Learning Links Global Policy Recommendations with National and Local Action
16 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Among the key recommendations of the 2012 report of Secretary General's High Level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP) is the importance to scale up education and skills development to advance a transition to sustainable development and a green society. Organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and UN CC:Learn in partnership with the GSP Secretariat, the side event entitled "Learning and Skills Strategies to Advance a Green and Climate Resilient Transition", took place on 16 June 2012 in the margins of the UN Conferen ce on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or "Rio+20"), 20-22 June 2012. The event brought together more than 70 representatives from Governments, civil society and international organizations and was sponsored through the UN CC:Learn project funded by the Government of Switzerland.
In his welcome remarks Mr. Achim Halpaap, Associate Director and Head, Environment Unit at UNITAR referred to the growing recognition of individual capacity development in international fora and recognized the partnership with the GSP Secretariat and UN CC:Learn Partners in organizing the side-event. Ms. Veerle Vandeweerd, Director, Environment and Energy Group, UN Development Programme (UNDP), moderator of the session emphasized that the topic of the event goes to the heart of what is required to advance a green transition. "Moving to green societies is about learning and about engaging people - not only through general education, but also through formal informal and vocational education and concrete action on the ground," Ms. Vandeweerd said.
The event featured presentations by four distinguished panelists. Ms. Hajiya Amina Az-Zubair, Former Advisor to the President of Nigeria on MDGs, and Member of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Global Sustainability introduced the key messages of the report of the Global Sustainability Panel concerning human resources, learning and skills development and shared her experience from Nigeria.
Mr. Kees van der Ree, Coordinator, Green Jobs Global Programme, International Labour Organization (ILO) focusedon the international dimension of the green learning and skills challenges and introduced key points from ILO research and field activities on this topic. Dr. Victor Viñas, Director of the Climate Change Office of the Minister of Environment, speaking on behalf of Mr. Omar Ramirez Tejada, Secretary of State and Executive Vice President, National Council for Climate Change, Dominican Republic presented the experience of the Dominican Republic in developing a National Strategy to Strengthen Human Resources, Learning and Skills to Advance Green, Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development. Mr. Kartikeya V. Sarabhai, Founder and Director, Centre for Environment Education, India provided insights from his experience in India to mainstream education and skills development for sustainable development in the education sector. Following the panel presentations, Mr. Ben Cashore, Professor, Environmental Governance & Political Science, Yale University, provided some thought-provoking reflections as a discussant.
The panel statements and interactive discussion raised important issues and identified several opportunities for action at the national and international levels to foster a strategic approach to learning and skills development, including the following:
- Learning and skills development need to be included not only in national development strategies, but also into investment plans and national budgets to make sure sufficient financial resources are available for implementation.
- Effective education and training for sustainable development requires multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder and coordination, as well as the engagement of national learning systems.
- There is a need to scale-up knowledge-sharing on training and capacity development to promote green and climate resilient jobs.
- Skills shortages already pose a major barrier in transitioning to green economies. Addressing this challenge requires reform and innovation in higher education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and continuing training, as well as active labor market policies.
- Green jobs, in the sense of environmentally friendly and socially responsible jobs, are not only for a minority of highly-skilled workers, but also concern remote areas and disadvantaged groups.
- A green transition does not only require technical skills, but also forward-looking and critical thinking to identify pathways for future change.
About UN CC:Learn
UN CC:Learn is a One UN Initiative which supports Member States in designing and implementing results-based and sustainable learning to address climate change through collaboration involving UN agencies and international development partners. The 2011-2013 Pilot Phase covers five country pilot projects including Benin, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Malawi and Uganda. UN CC:Learn is included in the 'One UN Climate Change Action Framework' of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) through the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP). To date, 32 multilateral organizations are collaborating in UN CC:Learn.
For more information please contact the UN CC:Learn Secretariat at: email@example.com.
- Veerle Vandeweerd: Event Objectives
- Hajiya Amina Az-Zubair: Human Resources, Learning and Skills Development in GSP Report and Experience from Nigeria
- Kees van der Ree: Developing Skills for Green Jobs
- Víctor Viñas: UN CC:Learn Project in the Dominican Republic
- Kartikeya V. Sarabhai: Mainstreaming Sustainability in the Education Sector in India


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CAMBRIDGE — In 1961, the Harvard ethnographic filmmaker and photographer Robert Gardner did field work in the western half of New Guinea. Now 87, he went on to have a legendary career.
To honor his achievements, the university's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology established the Robert Gardner fellowship in photography. Its fourth recipient, Stephen Dupont, traveled to the island (in his case, the eastern half) 50 years after Gardner did. "Stephen Dupont: New Guinea Portraits and Diaries" is the product of that journey, as well as previous visits. It runs at the Peabody through Sept. 2.
Dupont is Australian. Only a hundred miles separate Australia and New Guinea at the nearest point between them. Yet Sydney, where Dupont lives, is 1,700 miles from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, the island's eastern half (the west belongs to Indonesia). That sense of simultaneous proximity and distance — a difficult but highly useful balance for a photographer to maintain — informs the exhibition.
Inevitably, Dupont is an outsider; yet he's an engaged outsider, full of a calm, clear-eyed curiosity. The result is that these photographs never feel clinical or reductive. There's not just a sense of place in his work but also something that matters even more: a sense of the people who populate that place. Indicative of his approach is how he takes portraits. Dupont poses his subjects in front of a white or black cloth backdrop. That's common enough practice. It's a way to make sure the subject stands out and there's nothing distracting in the picture. What's not common is that Dupont usually makes sure at least some of the background is visible — so we get both the person and at least some idea of the setting.
Those persons range from highland tribesmen with painted faces and in traditional costume to "raskols," or urban gang members. A man wearing a KFC baseball cap is as likely to turn up in a photograph here as someone in a tribal mask. "There's so much change taking place right now all over Papua New Guinea," Dupont writes. "The amount of money flowing into the communities there is unheard of; it's a total boom." Every large settlement, he adds, "feels like a border town. They all seem to have this frontier feeling — transit places, people coming and going."
Dupont shoots in both color and black and white. He lets the subject matter determine which. In a photograph of a man and his young son, there's a parrot perched on the man's head. The image, which is in black and white, is startling. In color, the bird's plumage would make it shocking. A photograph of a man drumming at a Sing-Sing, or tribal competition, is in color. The yellow of his drum makes the way his body is painted half white and half black all the more striking. He also lets the subject determine the format: 35mm, panoramic, digital, Polaroid. Technique, per se, doesn't interest Dupont as much as documenting these people and places does.
There are about 124 photographs in the show. Sixty-six are hung. The rest are in display cases. None are framed or matted. That sense of informality (and immediacy) is one reason why such a large show in such a small space — a single room and alcove — can feel so alive without seeming hectic or overstuffed. There is a hectic feeling, in a good way, in the alcove. Its three walls are covered with blown-up images from Dupont's 2011 field diaries: writings, contact sheets, Polaroids, drawings, news clippings. They show us Dupont's imaginative process at work. A kind of self-portrait, they make the portraits that much more vivid.
Mark Feeney can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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I have heard that FamilySearch will have a new service available at the upcoming Family History Expos event in Georgia. They will have a station with a scanner and software available for attendees at the Conference to scan their own documents including books. This is a trial service and could be incorporated into future conferences if it works in Georgia. Knowing the limitations of software and hardware, I hope this happens. We have been talking about offering a similar service at the Mesa Regional Family History Center for some time now, but have yet to get the project off the ground. I do see a need to offer people the experience of digitizing documents and books for their individual use. From a practical standpoint it offers no more challenges than having a copy machine available for public use. I hope this scanning program by FamilySearch gets off the ground, so to speak, in Georgia and maybe it will show up at future conferences.
I didn't hear the details, but I wonder if the FamilySearch scanning will be the machines they showed at RootsTech last February. Here is a Genealogy Gems Podcast about the scanning:
I hope the genealogical community recognizes the extremely valuable service provided by the Family History Expos. Although there are several major genealogical conferences throughout the year, Family History Expos has been in the forefront of bringing high quality professionally staged conferences to a variety of venues throughout the United States. I have participated in the Expos in the past, mainly here in Mesa, Arizona, but I am now looking forward to more involvement. Right now, I am scheduled to present in Yuma, Arizona on January 17, 2012, then in Mesa, Arizona on January 20, 21, 2012 then again in St. George, Utah on February 24, 25, 2012. I will also be attending all of those events as a blogger and reporting on the proceedings.
If you have never attended a conference or are a regular attender, you will benefit from the Family History Expos' mix of basic to advanced presentations. Hope to see you at a future Expo!


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DANBURY, Conn. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – January 31, 2017 – Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc. ("QuintilesIMS") (NYSE:Q) will announce its fourth-quarter and full-year 2016 financial results and issue 2017 guidance before the market opens on Tuesday, February 14, 2017. The QuintilesIMS management team will host a conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on that date. The earnings release and accompanying financial information will be posted on the QuintilesIMS Investor Relations website at http://ir.quintilesims.com.
Interested parties are invited to listen to the live event and view the presentation slides via webcast on the QuintilesIMS Investor Relations website at http://ir.quintilesims.com. The discussion also will be available by dialing +1-800-616-7436 in the U.S. and Canada, or +1-303-223-4394 for international callers.
A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event on February 14. To access the webcast recording, visit http://ir.quintilesims.com.
About QuintilesIMS
QuintilesIMS (NYSE:Q) is a leading integrated information and technology-enabled healthcare service provider worldwide, dedicated to helping its clients improve their clinical, scientific and commercial results. Formed through the merger of Quintiles Transnational and IMS Health, QuintilesIMS's approximately 50,000 employees conduct operations in more than 100 countries. Companies seeking to improve real-world patient outcomes through treatment innovations, care provision and access can leverage QuintilesIMS's broad range of healthcare information, technology and service solutions to drive new insights and approaches. QuintilesIMS provides solutions that span clinical to commercial, bringing customers a unique opportunity to realize the full potential of innovations and advanced healthcare outcomes.
As a global leader in protecting individual patient privacy, QuintilesIMS uses healthcare data to deliver critical, real-world disease and treatment insights. Through a wide variety of privacy-enhancing technologies and safeguards, QuintilesIMS protects individual privacy while managing information to drive healthcare forward. These insights and execution capabilities help biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, government agencies, payers and other healthcare stakeholders in the development and approval of new therapies, and to identify unmet treatment needs and understand the safety, effectiveness and value of pharmaceutical products in improving overall health outcomes. To learn more, visit www.QuintilesIMS.com.
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Samsung World Championship Bounces Again To Torrey Pines
SAN DIEGO- Torrey Pines Golf Course will host an LPGA Tour event for the first time in 27 years under an agreement to hold the Samsung World Championship on the South Course in September.
The Samsung World Championship, to be held Sept. 17-20, features a 20-player field that includes the four major champions and top players from the money list. Paula Creamer won last year at Half Moon Bay in San Francisco.
It will be the second pro tournament this year at Torrey Pines, which has hosted the Buick Invitational since 1968. The public golf course along the Pacific bluffs gained more notoriety last year when Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open in a playoff.
The course will be nearly 1,000 yards shorter for the Samsung World Championship, which will be just over 6,700 yards. The LPGA Tour last went to Torrey Pines for the 1983 Inamori Classic.
The event had been played in Palm Desert before moving to San Francisco last year.


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We survived hurricane Irene without a hitch. It was the first time our area had been threatened since Max was born and truth be told I was very anxious. We prepared as good as we knew how and hunkered down. I am so thankful that we had no real damage, nor did we lose electricity. We were truly blessed.
What was left of my garden fared nearly as well, the peppers are still standing and promising to give me a few more before calling it quits for the season. I had grown basil between my tomato plants and when the tomatoes were finished and removed, the basil took over. It was waist high and resembled a shrubbery rather than an herb. It did not weather the high winds quite as well as the rest of us. Upon going out and assessing the damage I found the basil laying on its side. I had meant to harvest it for some time so now was as good as any.
Preserving herbs is very easy and very rewarding during those winter months when everything outside is brown and dry. The more hardy herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano) do well tied into bunches and hung to dry. Once all the moisture is gone seal them in an airtight container and they will keep for up to a year. The more delicate herbs (basil, mint, tarragon) do best frozen. You can place whole or chopped leaves in a ice cube tray, cover with a little water and freeze. Once frozen pop out of the tray and place in freezer bag, thaw as you need.
My favorite way to preserve Basil is homemade pesto. I love being able to add that summertime freshness to meals in the dead of winter.
All the measurements are approximate. This recipe should really be adapted to you personal taste. Remember, I was working with an ungodly amount of basil, so you may have to adjust the portions according to however much you have.
Homemade Pesto
8 cups washed basil leaves, stems removed. (makes about 2 cups chopped basil)
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
4 medium cloves Garlic
salt to taste
Pulse basil and olive oil in food processor until coarsely chopped.
Add Pine nuts, Parmesan, Garlic, and Salt.
Process until desired consistency. If it seems dry, add more oil.
At this point TASTE, TASTE, TASTE. Make needed adjustments, I always end up adding more salt and cheese.
Spoon into ice cube tray and freeze. When frozen, remove and place in freezer safe bag.
Now you have homemade pesto in convenient portions that will be approximately 1 oz. each. Ready to used to season chicken, accompany pasta, or spruce up sauces.
I bet you're wondering what I did with all the left over basil (yes, there was left over basil). Turns out it makes a very fragrant, if not colorful centerpiece!


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YellowToast (#253213)
|Show Name:
|Now with more...?
|Prize Multi:
|Mentally about 5
|Show Times:
| Saturdays 6-8PM EST
What time is that for me?
Check the schedule for any changes/pick-up shows
Listen Here
YellowToast here, hallo. It is safe to say this wiki is full of inaccuracies, I blame you.
If you have never listened to a Toast show, expect a variety of music and lots and lots of talking, the record is half and half but this is rarely the case. Although it is almost guaranteed not to make sense.
Toast has currently taken to making himself jingles throughout his show, because why the heck not?
Yellow Toast is not Ravengyre and is therefore way better than Ravengyre. Like what you are, silly person.
Yellow Toast got his chance to be a DJ after submitting a sound check entry containing a concerned rant about the fact the neighbours upstairs had workmen in and he was concerned that the ceiling to his room would collapse and the neighbour's bath would drop down onto his bed while broadcasting and he'd be asked to provide a towel for his naked unattractive neighbour. This apparently passed for good radio, and he was hired.
Yellow Toast broadcasts from his little bedroom in a flat in Essex, England – or outside London where all English people live for some of his American listeners, and they know who they are… Yellow Toast went live on the afternoon of 6th September 2011.
= He has demonstrated on video that he cannot hold his breath for more than 10 seconds due to an uncontrolled desire to talk. This often leads to Toast commenting for 10 seconds on something said in chat, only ending 10 minutes later on a different subject, on a tangent that even the greatest minds would not be able to follow.
It is not unusual for Toast to do impressions during his show; he's often heard reading aloud what people have messaged him in their supposed voice. By all accounts, most people from the subcontinent of India sound like Elvis, all Scottish people sound like Mrs. Doubtfire and the average American is a red-necked Texan. Or maybe a cowboy. Or a cowboy from Texas with a cough. His fellow DJ Opai is in fact the DJing name of Neil from The Young Ones.
As a listener you will periodically get some sort of generalized abuse aimed at you. It is not unusual for Yellow Toast to tell his listeners he hates them, or thinks they are "bar stewards" and after a few seconds of silence, admit he actually loves them all. Awwwww, bless. Some of the abuse is justified however, especially during some of his contests where some individuals, and you can ask Mr Knee about these individuals, deliberately winds him up (more about this later) with some of the guesses and answers. It should be noted that any 'abuse' aimed at individuals is often part of inside jokes and not personal.
Click on the schedule link on the left and look it up yourself you lazy gits. Since the schedules periodically change, it is unlikely Toast will be playing attention enough to his wiki entry to update it.
Musics played?
It is difficult to classify what sort of music Yellow Toast plays, although it can maybe be said he rarely plays anything too modern or commercial. Don't be surprised to hear someone like Dusty Springfield, followed by some late 80s / early 90s techno followed by Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer. It is correct to say he will play pretty much any track that people send in – including songs from such musical giants as Mr T and Dale Winton. It is likely Toast's methodology of track selection is looking through his music collection, thinking "Hmmm, I haven't played that for a while and I think I used to like that song" and then adding it to the playlist. Requests can be sent to email@example.com. Don't be surprised to hear Yellow Toast to start playing with his ukulele during times that his computer refuses to play music. In such times, expect cover versions of the likes of Soft Cell's Tainted Love.
Yellow Toast previously ran two distinct contests – The Bump Contest and the "What the fuck was I looping?" contest. It should be noted that the cited prize fund for any competition is not the amount you will get in meat. The package you receive may well be a combination of meat and donated items whose sale value is approximately the top prize. Should you wish to get rid of any junk, feel free to send it to Yellow Toast's prize multi – JTJbot (#499472)
The Bump Contest simply requires listeners to send in a bump stating the listener is listing to Yellow Toast on Radio Kol. During the week, usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday, he will play the entries during the show and then judge whose is the best. The winner will win approx 5 million meat. It is approx since the prize will be a combination of meat and 'junk' that people have donated to his prize multi JTJbot that is judged to be worth the balance. Quite often though, Toast cannot decide whose is the best and so several people normally end up with a split of it.
The 'What the F#¤% is that noise' contest (or any variation on that name – Yellow Toast has confused himself on this several times) is a guessing game where Yellow Toast will pick up a random object in his bedroom, slap it against his leg or desk and record the sound. He'll then stick it through a looping machine he has attached to his PC and the listeners are invited to guess what noise is being looped. Previous answers include a banana skin, a jar containing Chocolate Spread and a CD. Toast will provide some clues during the show such as "It is made of wood". Some people will at this point ask if it is a piece of wood which will prompt the DJ to call out "No it isn't a piece of wood you stupid, stupid people". Since Yellow Toast believes the answer to be damned obvious, frustration can be steadily heard creeping into his voice when confirming all the wrong answers. With about 15-20 minutes to go, Yellow Toast will allow people to ask questions which'll hopefully enable people to get the answer – or close enough.
NB: If Toast asks "What is the loopy sound on the radio?" then answering with "Oh, the loopy thing is Yellow Toast" will lead to Toast staring at you in a stare of unoriginality rage. And you shall know about the stare despite Yellow Toast being on the radio and not TV.
Periodically, Toast will open additional random competitions, usually when he requires ideas for things, or is just bone idle to do things himself. For example, for one competition, he asked people to submit bio entries that he can use on this very wiki page on a simple copy and paste basis. People who entered this wiki creation contest include (in alphabetical order): AJHunter, Granite Grizz, IdkmybffHannah, MkFreak, Mr. Knee (The bastard) and We Can Fight This.
* On the radio show on the 2nd November 2011, Yellow Toast said he'd honour AromiaFlyce and Lykos by mentioning them on his wiki. Yellow Toast hopes you feel suitably honoured. And indeed, Lykos was so honoured that he created an account on the Radiowiki just to state how honoured he was.
Other Interesting Facts.
NB: All the following facts are true, even the stuff made up.
* Yellow Toast is a bit of a pervert about everything.
* Yellow Toast is an anthropomorphic ukulele robot.
* He's powered by a potato battery, and uses an Arduino.
* He does all his own stunts, such as going 71mph in a 70mph zone, swimming 25 minutes after eating, and driving a little bit too close to the right lane. He is in the planning phases of one that he refers to as "Being a white man and jumping," but no details have been released as to the nature of this stunt.
* Yellow Toast's broadband is currently a taut piece of string that is tied to a USB plug attached to the back of his laptop and is stretched outside his window and tied to the main phone line outside. Yellow Toast plans to soon upgrade to a carrier pigeon system which involves the pigeons carrying the internet packages directly to the ISP provider. He hopes this'll stop the 64k stream dying whenever someone on the other side of the world flushes the toilet.
* Yellow Toast is the only person that dislikes his own show. (Note: it is believed that "person" should be replaced with the word "DJ" - hence he is the only DJ who hates his own show. Listeners to his show refuse to believe that someone somewhere has no taste and doesn't like his show)
* Yellow Toast is a porous yellow square thing like Spongebob Squarepants - but unlike spongebob, he does not live in a pineapple under the sea, nor does he (to our knowledge) have a pet snail called Gary.
* Yellow Toast sounds suspiciously like Weebl when he sings. However, unlike Weebl, he is not a northerner and hasn't participated in any yellow pages adverts (to date).
* Yellow Toast was once disqualified from being classifed as human, but due to a technicality where a piece of paperwork wasn't submitted in time, Yellow Toast was allowed back into the human race on appeal.
* Yellow Toast has a large 10 inch fully erect penis. No one is sure where he got it, but it has been indentified as formerly belonging to a gorilla and stuffed to display its full glory. Yellow Toast keeps it in his hat draw.
Thanks for reading my bio... Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... Arrrrrrrrrrrrg... My hand appears to have a life of its own. It won't stop waving! Someone help! My arm is getting tired. Help meeeeeeee...


text:
Ametrine and Citrine Teardrop Pendant
ZJC Jewelry is moving to Etsy.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send along an email to:
email@example.com (THANK YOU!)
Ametrine and Citrine Teardrop Pendant
This is a genuine gemstone ametrine with citrine accents pendant. It measures 2 1/4" long. This beautiful pendant comes on an 18" silver plated brass chain.
It's ready for gift giving in a pink organza pouch. A lavender gift box can be purchased separately in my shop as an upgrade.
All wires were hand-twisted by me, just using simple tools, made lovingly in my studio in Wisconsin.


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The death of 21-year-old UBC student Elisa Lam, whose body was found wedged in a water tank atop a downtown Los Angeles hotel in February, has been ruled an accidental drowning by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
Lieut. Fred Corral said in a telephone interview on Thursday that bipolar disorder was considered another significant condition in Lam's death.
An autopsy performed in February didn't provide definitive answers about whether Lam was killed or if she fell victim to a bizarre accident. She was last seen Jan. 31.
A maintenance worker at the Cecil Hotel investigating residents' complaints of low water pressure discovered the University of B.C. student's body.
Lam, believed to be travelling alone, arrived in L.A. on Jan. 26 and went missing five days later.
She was last seen by staff at the Cecil.
On Feb. 16, Los Angeles police released surveillance video of Lam acting strangely in the hotel's elevator.
In the video, Lam can be seen pressing all the buttons in the elevator.
She also steps in and out of the lift and peeks out the doors.
LAPD officer Christopher No said at the time that police didn't know what Lam was doing in the elevator, adding he could not speculate on whether drugs or alcohol were involved.


text:
WAMPSVILLE - A near-unanimous decision Tuesday by the Madison County Board of Supervisors will move forward the outsourcing of the ADAPT program. All but Smithfield Supervisor Rick Bargabos voted in favor for privatizing the outpatient substance abuse and mental illness evaluation and treatment program. The program, which is not mandated by the state, has run at a deficit in recent years by as much as $89,174 and as little as $10,906. The move to privatize follows a trend the county created last year with the outsourcing of its home health care and long-term home health care agency. A task force was formed early this year to oversee the process of selecting a suitable agency to take over the program. Of the 50 agencies that were contacted, four responded with interest in the proposition. The task force narrowed the selection to one: Family Counseling Services of Cortland County. The board accepted their proposal at Tuesday's meeting. Several supervisors offered insight into their decision prior to being polled for their vote. Bargabos, the lone supervisor against the change, pointed to the county's Community Service Board's near-unanimous vote against privatization. While the board doesn't have governing authority, it's job is to make recommendations to the supervisors. Bargabos criticized county officials leading the charge to privatize, calling the urgency to relinquish the program a "self-imposed crisis." The quick action, in the wake of the Community Service Board's decision will give the panel members "the impression that it's being shoved down their throats," he said. He felt the decision was being made hastily and called for action to be slowed until the board and supervisors can reach a consensus. Brookfield Supervisor John Salka, chairman of the Social and Mental Health Services Committee, disagreed, saying the county's options were "researched extensively" and well thought out. He was confident that the private agency will do a sufficient job. Lebanon Supervisor Jim Goldstein said he was "on the fence" about the prospect of privatization but said the change could help cover gaps in care. He and Hamilton Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz expressed interest in seeing the final agreement between the county and Family Counseling Services once a contract is negotiated. Shwartz said she was "reluctantly" voting yes but emphasized the need for the county to maintain the ability to oversee the program and ensure proper care. She too said the change was moving too fast and agreed that the Community Service Board's opinion is important. By supervisors' meeting in November, Administrative Assistant Mark Scimone said a contract should be negotiated and ready for the board's approval. The ADAPT program, which at full capacity employs 11, will likely lay off two people with its outsourcing, Mental Health Director Jim Yonai said. Many positions will eliminated as a result of retirements and several employees will be retained in other mental health department programs. It's unclear how much money will be saved. Board of Supervisors Chairman John Becker warned as the budget season approaches that the county will struggle through another difficult year. "Government cannot be everything to everybody," he said. The county "can't fund everything" and needs to "slim down" he said. "We're heading toward a fiscal cliff." He issued a "word of warning" about next year's budget. Cazenovia Supervisor Ralph Monforte encouraged residents to spend locally. He emphasized the impact buying local has on sales tax revenue and asked residents to "recognize the value of those purchases." By spending elsewhere, they're taking their money away from their own community, he said. If every resident spent one more dollar a day in Madison County every day for a year, $500,000 additional would be raised in sales tax revenue, he said. It's not feasible for the county both have low taxes and fund programs and benefits, he said. In an effort to inform taxpayers of the financial burdens the county must work through, the board is entertaining a local law that would allow officials to start a campaign to provide residents with detailed information on what their tax dollars are used for. It would highlight how much of each resident's property tax bill is spent on Medicaid, welfare and other mandates, along with an illustration of how much those mandates use up the county budget. Information on how to contact state and federal representatives will also be included in what's dispersed to residents. At Tuesday's meeting the board tabled the resolution over the name of the local law and will reintroduce it at its next meeting. Here's the scheduled for Annual Session: Nov. 13 o 10:30 a.m. -- present budget to Finance, Ways and Means Committee, payment of vouchers. Nov. 27 o Final day for budget review and modifications o 9:30 a.m. -- Public hearing on Madison County Sewer District budget o 9:40 a.m. -- Public hearing on Cowaselon Creek Watershed District budget o 9:50 a.m. -- Public hearing on county budget o 7 p.m. -- Public hearing on county budget Dec. 7 o 10:30 a.m. -- adopt budget, re-levy school and village taxes, payment of vouchers Dec. 27 o 10:30 a.m. -- final payment of vouchers, authorization of tax warrants
Madison County Board of Supervisors will begin negotiations to outsource ADAPT program
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