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President William N. LaForge provided a major announcement earlier this month as Delta State family came together to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Emeritus Kent Wyatt.
"Today I have the pleasure to announce that thanks in large part to Kent Wyatt, along with Ned Mitchell and the leadership of the Delta State University Foundation — and the tremendous efforts of so many alumni and friends — we have just exceeded our $40 million campaign goal for the Campaign for Delta State," said LaForge.
This major fundraising achievement was made possible by Wyatt's leadership. Several years ago, the institution and the Delta State University Foundation organized the university-wide comprehensive fund raising effort chaired by Wyatt and Mitchell, his longtime friend.
The campaign will officially come to a close at the end of this month, and those wishing to make contributions are still able to do so before June 30. This marks the largest single fundraising effort in the university's history.
According to
Delta State University Foundation Chief Development Officer Gary Bouse,
the campaign indicates strong support from the university family amidst
a difficult time in American economic history.
"We initiated the feasibility study for the Campaign for Delta State during one of the most challenging economic climates of the past decade," said Bouse. "We realized, however, that the faculty, staff and students deserved the support we could provide through a comprehensive fund raising effort. The significance of the Campaign for Delta State can be seen and felt throughout our campus, and we look forward to announcing our final total and celebrate at the end of the summer."
The campaign has resulted in the creation and enhancement of scores of scholarship funds, strengthened academic programs, supported new initiatives to benefit faculty, staff and students, and propelled community and regional partnerships.
Bouse added that the campaign has benefitted every academic unit on campus and provided a wealth of both on-campus and out-of-class experiences for Delta State students.
"I am very pleased with the progress and soon-to-be announced conclusion of this fundraising campaign that will have a significant impact on Delta State," said LaForge. "The transformational nature of this effort will touch untold numbers of students and programs on our campus.
"I am deeply grateful to all participating alumni, friends, businesses and foundations for the wonderful support they have demonstrated. These donors — and the dollars they have delivered — matter greatly to Delta State University."
Delta State University Alumni and Foundation Executive Director Keith Fulcher said, "The fact that over 25,000 gifts have been made to the campaign in support of Delta State University speaks volumes to the loyalty of our Delta State family."
The platform was originally scheduled to conclude in June of 2015, but members of the campaign's steering committee were able to achieve the efforts ahead of schedule.
Those interested in making final campaign contributions are asked to contact the Foundation office at 662-846-4709 or email@example.com.


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Dow Wins Six Prestigious 2018 R&D 100 Awards from R&D Magazine
What can we help you find?
We have a legacy of innovation, leadership and action in sustainability. As we look ahead, we are committed to going beyond our current capabilities and the reach of our products and solutions. We pursue game-changing collaboration opportunities to set a higher bar for social and environmental progress. We aim to advance the well-being of humanity by helping lead the transition to a sustainable planet and society.
Driven by our rapidly expanding global population, we ensure our unique chemical, physical and biological science capabilities work together to provide innovative products and solutions, where they are needed most.
By 2030, the UN estimates that 40% of the world's population will lack adequate housing. In a rapidly changing and urbanizing world, the provision of adequate and affordable housing remains a key priority.Read More
By 2030, the world's middle class will double in size. China alone will add one billion people to the middle class by 2030. The need for sustainable consumer goods will increase at a dramatic rate.Read More
By 2050, global energy use is projected to grow by two-thirds. Without curbing emissions, climate change will dramatically affect life on planet earth.Read More
By 2050, global demand for food could increase by 60%. We need to find solutions that consider the complex relationship between climate change, agriculture, food security, energy and water.Read More
2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. As a result, preventable diseases such as ebola, viruses and pneumonia continue to take lives.Read More
The world will need up to $67 trillion in infrastructure investments by the year 2030. As the population grows, more people will need utilities and clean water, more goods will have to be transported, and more waste will need to be disposed of.Read More
By 2050, global transport volume for passengers and goods will more than double. More people and more goods needing to move from points A to B will put tremendous strain on our transportation systems worldwide.Read More
1.8 billion people will live in water-scarce regions by 2025. The world's population is expected to reach 8.3 billion by 2030. In turn, the global demand for water will increase by 30 percent.Read More
Dow Wins Six Prestigious 2018 R&D 100 Awards from R&D Magazine
Six innovative technologies from Dow, the world's leading materials science company, were recognized with R&D 100 awards on November 16, 2018. Read More
Dow Launches Students' Chemical Laboratory at the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology
Today Dow officially opens a students' chemical laboratory at the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Read More
Dow Launches #PullingOurWeight Cleanup Campaign at More Than 50 Locations Worldwide
To date, Dow employees have removed more than 40,000 pounds of waste from waterways. Read More
Rich Helling Receives Rita Schenck Lifetime Achievement Award for Life Cycle Assessment Contributions
Dr. Richard Helling was awarded the Rita Schenck Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA). Read More
Dow Develops Leaders While Addressing World Challenges
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) sent 43 of its global leaders to Mumbai, India this week to address pressing local challenges related to sustainable housing, environmental cleanup, diversity and inclusion, circular economy, and education and career readiness as part of its sixth-annual Leadership in Action (LIA) program. Read More
Dow Unveils Its Blueprint for Sustainable Watershed Management
The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") today unveiled its Blueprint for Sustainable Watershed Management to a multi-stakeholder session of The CEO Water Mandate. Read More
Dow Launches Collaborative Blueprint for Unlocking Carbon Reductions
The collaborative blueprint is the foundation of the Dow-IOC Official Carbon Partnership announced in 2017 Read More
Abhishek Roy Invited to Join NASEM's New Voices in Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
Abhishek Roy, PhD, principal research scientist at The Dow Chemical Company, has been invited to join the inaugural cohort of New Voices in Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Read More
Award-winning EVOLV3D™ Universal Support Material from Dow Enables Sustainable 3D Printing Innovation
To address longstanding 3D printing design, prototyping and manufacturing challenges, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), a subsidiary of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), has developed EVOLV3D™ Universal Support Material (USM), which is now initially commercially available through Taulman 3D Printing Materials. Read More
Dow's Steven Swier to Receive 15th Annual SCI Gordon E. Moore Medal
Research Scientist to be honored by the Society of Chemical Industry
The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI), America Group, announced today that Dr. Steven Swier of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) will be awarded the 15th annual SCI Gordon E. Moore Medal. Read More
Dow Announces Construction Manager for Innovation Center
New Innovation Center – home to more than 200 jobs – is a focus of Dow's $121 million investment in the Great Lakes Bay Region
The Dow Chemical Company is pleased to announce the selection of Spence Brothers as the Construction Manager collaborating with Shaheen Development to deliver a world class Innovation Center for Dow, following a thorough and formal bidding process. Together they form a group with unmatched capabilities to exceed Dow expectations. The Great Lakes Bay Region is the home to both companies, and they have a strong commitment to working with local suppliers and subcontractors. Read More
On World Water Day, Dow Encourages Conversations Around Sustainable Water Strategies
World Water Day, on March 22, is a day to focus attention on the importance of water, and to inspire people to manage water more effectively in the future. As part of this effort, Dow is seeking to build on the conversation by sharing the story of its journey toward more sustainable water management. Read More
Dow Technology Recognized with 2018 JEC Innovation Award
The new carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) rear wall structure developed for the Audi A8 and powered by Dow has won the JEC Innovation Award in the Automotive Process Category. Read More
Dow and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment Sign Memorandum of Understanding
The Dow Chemical Company and the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today in Beijing. Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties will collaborate in the fields of environmental criteria and standards and ecological protection in terms of scientific research, policy counsel, technical service, and applications, in addition to training and coaching sessions. Read More
Dow Unveils New Product Line of High-Performance Materials for 3D Printing
The Dow Chemical Company, a subsidiary of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), will unveil its EVOLV3D™ platform for 3D printing from November 14-17 at FormNext 2017 in Frankfurt, Germany. Read More
Dow Global Leader Eunice Heath Named to Forty Women to Watch Over 40 List for Driving Diversity in STEM and Sustainability
Women make up less than 30 percent of the science and engineering workforce, and diverse cultural backgrounds in STEM are vastly under-represented. One woman driving increased diversity for Dow is global environment, health, safety and sustainability (EHS&S) director, Eunice Heath, whose efforts earned her a coveted spot on this year's Forty Women to Watch over 40 list. Read More
Dow Wins ICIS Best Process Innovation Award for Enhanced Olefins Process Fluidized Catalytic Dehydrogenation (FCDh) Technology
DowDuPont Materials Science, the business division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP) to be named Dow, was awarded the ICIS Best Process Innovation for its patented Fluidized Catalytic Dehydrogenation (FCDh) technology. Read More
Dow Provides Solutions and Education to Promote Healthy Living through Handwashing
More than one million people are killed by water, sanitation and hygiene-related disease each year. Read More
Three Dow Technologies Win 2017 Sustainability Awards from the Business Intelligence Group
Three breakthrough, sustainable innovations from DowDuPont Materials Science, the business division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP) to be named Dow, are winners in the Business Intelligence Group 2017 Sustainability Awards program. Read More
Dow Saudi Arabia Company and Saudi Food Bank sign MOU to Collaborate on Promoting Food Waste Reduction, Food Preservation and "Healthy Eating"
Dow Saudi Arabia Company, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and the Saudi Food Bank (Eta'am) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the promotion of food waste reduction, food preservation and "healthy eating" in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Read More
Dow's Mark Jones and Al Ribes Named 2017 American Chemical Society Fellows
Two scientists of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) have been named 2017 American Chemical Society (ACS) Fellows. Read More
Three Dow Innovations Named Finalists for 2017 ICIS Innovation Awards; Dr. Mei Li Finalist for Alpha Innovator of the Year
Three innovative technologies from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) are finalists for the 2017 ICIS Innovation Awards. Read More
Dow's Teresa Karjala Named SPE Fellow
Teresa Karjala, principal research scientist of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: Dow) for Packaging and Specialty Plastics, was elected a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Read More
Dow's Cory Valente Receives ACS 2017 Stanley C. Israel Award
Cory Valente, Ph.D., research and development and Strategic Recruiting and Research Assignments Program leader, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), was named the ACS Central Region's 2017 recipient of the Stanley C. Israel Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences. Read More
Dow Receives 11th U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Koehler Paper Group are the recipients of a 2017 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. Read More
Dow Commends EPA for Increasing Chemical Review Efficiency
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) issued the following statement recognizing the progress made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase the throughput of new chemical pre-manufacturing notices under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 5, the "New Chemicals Program," as updated by the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act (LCSA): Read More
Dow's David Zimmer Honored as Responsible Care® Employee of the Year
David Zimmer, the recently retired Performance Monomer Technology Center director for The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), has been awarded the American Chemistry Council's (ACC) Responsible Care® Employee of the Year award. Read More
Dow Highlights Progress in Redefining the Role of Business in Society in 2016 Sustainability Report
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) today released its 2016 Sustainability Report, laying a solid foundation with strong first-year results since announcing its 2025 Sustainability Goals. Read More
Dow Showcases Collaboration and Innovation at SB'17 Detroit
Company will highlight the value of collaboration and innovation in advancing sustainability and redefining the role of business in society
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), a lead sponsor of Sustainable Brands 2017 (SB'17) Detroit, will highlight the value of innovation and collaboration under the umbrella of "Redefining the Role of Business in Society." Read More
Dow Earns Two 2017 Edison Awards for Breakthrough Technologies
Two innovative products from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) recently received 2017 Edison Awards. The Edison Awards honor excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design, and innovation. Read More
2,000 Dow Volunteers and New Technology Set the Stage for 2017 Partnership with Habitat for Humanity
This year, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Habitat for Humanity enter their 35th year of partnership and will add new technologies to help make communities healthier and homes more sustainable for families in need of decent and affordable housing. Read More
Dow Recognized as Top 100 Global Innovator for Sixth Consecutive Year
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that it was recognized as a Top 100 Global Innovator by Clarivate Analytics for the sixth consecutive year. Formerly known as the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Innovators, the list annually recognizes the most innovative organizations in the world. Read More
Dow to Invest in New, Michigan-based Innovation Center, Supporting New R&D Jobs Aligned to U.S. Economic Growth
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that it will invest in a new, state-of-the-art innovation center in Midland, Michigan. The innovation center will support approximately 200 research and development jobs in Michigan, including 100 newly created jobs while repatriating 100 jobs from other Dow facilities throughout the globe to Midland. Read More
Dow Named to Forbes Inaugural "Just 100" List as One of America's Best Corporate Citizens
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) has been named to Forbes' inaugural "JUST 100: America's Best Corporate Citizens in 2016" list – recognizing the Company's strategic vision and actions to deliver long-term value to society as a whole while earning the right to operate. Read More
Dow's Energy Efficiency Innovations Support Advancement of Green Technology Development in China
Multiple technologies from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) have been recommended for use in projects supported by the U.S.-China Building Efficiency and Green Development Fund. Read More
Dow Wins Seven Prestigious 2016 R&D 100 Awards from R&D Magazine
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) received seven prestigious R&D 100 Awards from R&D Magazine for revolutionary technologies recently introduced to the market. Read More
Dow Joins Smart Cities Council to Help Global Cities Become More Sustainable
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that it will join the Smart Cities Council, an alliance of companies collaborating to deliver frameworks and solutions for smarter cities. Read More
Dow Chairman and CEO Liveris Honored by Appeal of Conscience Foundation
Andrew N. Liveris, chairman and chief executive officer of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), received the 2016 Appeal of Conscience Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation Monday evening at the Foundation's awards dinner in New York. Read More
Dow commits $2.8 million toward collaborative efforts to reduce marine debris
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that it has committed to spend $2.8 million over the next two years to drive solutions that address global marine debris and litter. Read More
Dow Works with Government, NGOs and Academic Partners to Meet Sustainability Challenges in the Philippines
Forty employees from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), representing 25 sites in 16 different countries departed for Cebu, Philippines on September 3 to join NGOs, social entrepreneurs, universities and government agencies to address pressing local challenges. Read More
Dow Named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the 16th Year
Today, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) was once again recognized as a sustainability leader in the chemical industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) – marking the 16th time Dow has been named to the prestigious global benchmark. Read More
Three Innovative Dow Technologies Short-listed for 2016 IChemE Global Awards
Two innovative products and one project of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) are finalists in the 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Global Awards. Read More
Dow Highlights Progress in Addressing Global Challenges in 2015 Sustainability Report
Report concludes strong results over the ten years of Dow's second decade of sustainability goals Read More
Dow, CH2M and Smithsonian Partner to Empower STEM Educators
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and CH2M are partnering with the Smithsonian Science Education Center to empower 34 teachers from five states to participate in the 2016 Dow-CH2M Smithsonian Teacher Scholar Program. Read More
Dow is First Company to Receive Trading License in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) recently became the first company to receive a trading license from the Government of Saudi Arabia, allowing 100 percent ownership in the country's trading sector, expanding Dow's long history of partnership and investment in the Kingdom. Read More
Dow Receives Its 10th Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) is the recipient of a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Instinct® nitrogen stabilizer. Read More
Dow Completes Strategic Ownership Restructuring of Dow Corning Corporation
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) today announced the successful completion of the transaction to restructure the ownership of Dow Corning. Read More
Dow Joins Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy 100
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) is the latest global company to join the Circular Economy 100 (CE100), the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's pre-competitive innovation program. Read More
Dow Increases Clean Energy Targets Aligned to 2025 Goals
Today, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) advances its vision to accelerate the development of cost-effective clean energy alternatives and reduce carbon emissions by increasing its clean energy target from 400 MW to 750 MW by 2025. Read More
Dow Announces Post-Close Leadership of Dow Corning Corporation
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Dow Corning Corporation today announced that Robert D. (Bob) Hansen, chairman, chief executive officer and president, has announced his intention to retire from Dow Corning Corporation upon the completion of Dow's ownership restructure transaction with Corning, Inc., which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016. Read More
Dow's Peter Trefonas, Ph.D., to Receive Prestigious Perkin Medal
The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI), America Group, announced today that Peter Trefonas, Ph.D., corporate fellow in Electronic Materials at The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), has won the 2016 SCI Perkin Medal. Read More
Dow open to collaborative approaches to meet global sustainability challenges
The chemical industry is facing several challenges in the volatile and globalised world in which it presently operates, and arguably nothing is as vital as ensuring a sustainable future for itself. Read More
Chemical Industry Can Be A Driver Of Sustainable Change
According to Neil Hawkins, Chief Sustainability Officer, Dow, the need for global sustainability represents an opportunity for the chemical industry. Read More
Redefining the Role of Business to Achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals
This month, as the UN launches its new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we must look to the private sector for leadership in achieving them. Read More
2014 Sustainability Highlights
2014 marked best-ever performance on many of Dow's 2015 Sustainability Goals. Explore this infographic to learn more about the great sustainability strides made by Dow in 2014. Read More
Dow Reports First Quarter Results 2016
On April 28, 2016, Dow reported its First Quarter earnings. Dow Delivers 14th Consecutive Quarter of Year-Over-Year Operating EPS, EBITDA and EBITDA Margin Expansion. Read More
With 100 Days to Rio 2016, Dow Solutions Are Helping Brazil Deliver A Successful Olympic Games and A Sustainable Legacy
As the countdown clock marks 100 days to the Opening Ceremony of the first Olympic Games in South America, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games and Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016 is helping Rio de Janeiro to deliver an unforgettable event. Read More
Dow and Russell Collaborate on Wearable Technology Featuring Intellifresh™-Powered Apparel
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Russell Brands, LLC are announcing a collaboration to provide advanced odor and freshness protection to apparel performance products using Dow's patented SILVADUR™ technology. Products treated with this technology will feature the Intellifresh™ brand Read More
Dow Honored at 2016 Edison Awards
Dow Building and Construction, a business group of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), was honored at the 2016 Edison Awards in the Energy and Sustainability category with a gold for their LIQUIDARMOR™ CM Flashing and Sealant. Read More
Three Dow Researchers Named Fellows of the Society of Plastics Engineers
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that researchers Bharat Chaudhary, Ph.D., Stéphane Costeux, Ph.D. and Mridula (Babli) Kapur, Ph.D. have been elected as fellows of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Read More
Creating Safer, More Sustainable Communities
Making sure that communities where we operate are safe is an integral part of our sustainability goals. Read More
Dow and Heritage Conservancy Collaborate to Preserve Croydon Woods in Bucks County
Heritage Conservancy and The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) are collaborating to preserve Croydon Woods, located between Bristol and Croydon, Pennsylvania. As part of this collaboration, Heritage Conservancy acquires the 80-acre parcel of the land from Rohm and Haas Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow, which was transferred for preservation purposes and will remain green space in perpetuity. Croydon Woods is one of the last remaining wooded wetland forests in the region and the transfer also received support from Bucks County and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Read More
Dow Solutions Sustainable Santa
This year, Dow launched its 2025 Sustainability Goals, which aim to help lead the transition to a more sustainable planet and society. In the spirit of the Goals and the holidays, we took on one of the most festive sustainability challenges of all: Santa Claus. Here, we show how Dow products and solutions could help make his suit, workshop, sleigh and snacks better for people and the planet. Read More
Our Human Element Heroes
Dow scientist-heroes like Dave Bank help solve complex challenges, enhance Dow's reputation, and fuel our growth. Read More
Science of Soap: 'Clean Tech' Innovation Prevents Infection, Saves Lives
Washing hands with soap is a proven way to prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases, especially among children. Read More
Sustainability External Advisory Council (SEAC)
SEAC is a group of outside experts who provide Dow with a unique perspective on sustainability issues. Read More
Sustainability- At The Core of All We Do
Our approach to "Sustainable Chemistry" minimizes our footrprint every step of the way, but also provides value to customers. Read More
Revolutionary Program to Convert Previously Non-Recycled Plastics into Energy Launches in the Omaha Area
Hefty Energy Bag - a unique program designed to convert previously non-recycled plastics into energy, recently launched in the Omaha area. Plastics collected through the program will be sorted at a local recycling facility and converted into energy used in cement production. Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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Police: Va. man shot wife, 3 kids in murder-suicide
A woman worried about her daughter's welfare breaks into her home in Culpeper, Va. What she finds: her daughter, three granddaughters and son-in-law all shot to death. WUSA-TV, Washington
CULPEPER, Va. — Investigators are searching for a motive in the deaths of five family members whose bodies a relative found late Sunday after she climbed through a window into their house.
The family appears to be victims of a murder-suicide, Detective Angela Deavers of the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office said Monday. Officers recovered a gun, and all three children and two adults likely died of gunshot wounds. Autopsies are pending.
An initial investigation revealed that Clarence Washington, 35, shot his 35-year-old wife, Shauna, and then killed their three daughters — Olivia, 4; Onya, 6; and Onesha, 13 — at their home just north of Culpeper, Deavers said. The town is about 60 miles southwest of the District of Columbia.
The couple had an ongoing argument that grew more heated Saturday, loud enough that neighbors heard the shouting, but no one called police. Law enforcement did not receive any calls from occupants of the home, deputies said.
The last time anyone saw the victims alive was around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday morning, family members did not show up as they usually did for church.
Later Sunday afternoon, relatives asked officers to make a welfare check on the family.
Deputies knocked on the door of the house that's set back from a busy road in a wooded area. No one answered, but all looked normal outside, authorities said. So officers did not try to go in the house.
Still, relatives in the area remained concerned, so Shauna Washington's mother went to her daughter's house with another relative at around 10 p.m. ET Sunday, entered through a window and found the bodies, authorities said.
Neighbors said they heard the woman scream when she found her daughter dead but did not hear any gunshots in the day before that.
"This is definitely a shock to the community, for sure," Culpeper Mayor Michael Olinger said. "Very seldom do we have a murder in Culpeper or any kind of activity such as this." The Washingtons' home, which they had rented for more than a year, is 2 miles outside of this town of about 17,000 residents.
Olinger said he did not know the victims.
Clarence Washington was a janitor at Sycamore Park Elementary School in Culpeper and may have had a second job. His wife also worked outside the home at one or more jobs, sheriff's officials said.
Reggie Massie lives two doors from where the bodies were found and said he and his family attended a Fourth of July party at the Washingtons' house where everything appeared normal.
Clarence Washington was a quiet guy, Massie said. And children in their cluster of homes, including his 7-year-old daughter and Onya, often play together.
"I never would have suspected this," he said. "Culpeper is the last place you'd imagine this. Everybody here is family."
Contributing: The Associated Press
Shauna Washington, 35, used this photo as her Facebook profile.


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Amiala Earhart was forced to sell her plane because her parents got a divorce. She went back to the east of Boston and she wants to be an engineer but the schools were were expensive and most degrees of engineering are only open to men. Amilia ends up teaching English to some little kids part time.within a year amilia is working full time with chinese and immigrants at Denison House.
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Bulletin, August/September 2008
Tagging: Emerging Trends
by Gene Smith
Gene Smith is the author of Tagging: People-Powered Metadata for the Social Web (2008, New Riders). At nForm User Experience he advises a variety of clients on their IA, design and social media strategies. He can be reached by email at gene.smith<at>
nform.ca. He also blogs at http://atomiq.org.
Last year there were a handful of popular blog posts about how tagging had gone stale. The initial rush of excitement over tagging, created by social bookmarking site Del.icio.us [1] and photo-sharing Flickr [2], had given way to a kind of malaise.
Tagging became popular in 2003 when, along with open APIs and user-generated content, the Web 2.0 phenomenon captured the attention of web designers, developers, information architects and entrepreneurs. Interest in tagging was stoked by pundits like Clay Shirky, David Weinberger and Tim OReilly. They celebrated its openness, its scalability and its responsiveness to the needs of real users.
But by 2007 a number of people noticed that tagging seemed to be stuck. In the blog post that started this conversation, Matt Mower wrote [3] the following:
I have been surprised, disappointed and excited that, despite the widespread adoption of tagging across many applications, the state of the art in tagging seems firmly wedged in 2003
Tagging in 2007 seems to have advanced no further than a means by which one or more users of a site (or application) can group content around a loose framework of concepts.
Just as this conversation was happening, I was in the middle of writing a book on tagging. I had made a point of reviewing the academic research as well as taking a detailed look at the tagging systems being built by entrepreneurs, Web 2.0 startups and established software companies.
And what I found could hardly be called stale.
There had been significant innovation in tagging over the past few years. But it wasnt happening at Flickr or Del.icio.us their tagging systems hadnt changed much since 2005.
Still, because they were so popular and because their data was used for much of the academic research on tagging, Flickr and Del.icio.us had come to represent all tagging systems. And while theyre still excellent examples of large-scale popular tagging systems, theyre no longer the beau ideal when it comes to tagging.
In this article Ill discuss four trends that point toward taggings future.
- More structure. Uncontrolled vocabularies are being replaced by tagging systems that understand the difference between Polish and polish.
- Automanual folksonomies. Some tagging systems combine algorithmic and manual approaches, closing the gap between what we might call traditional information structures and the emergent structure of Flickr and
- Leveraging communities. Some systems have their users help reduce the noise and eliminate meaningless duplication in their tags.
- User-generated innovation. Tags have developed into a cheap and easy way for people to innovate on top of a web application.
These trends arent discrete and standalone. Designers are combining them to create unique applications unlike simple, open systems weve known.
More Structure
In the first wave of folksonomies, people saw the flexibility and openness of tagging as an advantage. You might recall that what followed the popularity of tagging was a wave of criticism of more traditional information structures.
Taxonomies and controlled vocabularies were drubbed for being too restrictive, too slow to adapt and inefficient. Worse, they imposed a particular world view on their users. Clay Shirky, for example, noted that there are important differences between some apparently synonymous terms [4]:
Even closely related terms like movies, films, flicks and cinema cannot be trivially collapsed into a single word without loss of meaning and of social context. (Youd rather have a Drain-O® colonic than spend an evening with people who care about cinema.)
In other words, if you treat movies and cinema as synonyms youre ignoring what we might call their sociosemantic differences.
The great thing about tagging is that it allows even enables these kinds of differences. There is no right or wrong way to tag a bookmark or photo. In a tagging system the movie people dont need to meet the cinema people.
This isnt the first time these criticisms have surfaced. Cory Doctorow in his popular 2001 essay Metacrap said that taxonomies denuded the cognitive landscape[5]. Early tagging systems were pretty well aligned with these kinds of libertarian ideas. But in the last few years innovative tagging systems have emerged that introduce more structure without sacrificing many of the features, like openness or sociality, that make tagging valuable.
There are certainly dozens of consumer web applications that use some form of structured tagging. Three examples will demonstrate the diversity of innovation in this area:
- Zigtag [6] is a social bookmarking service that maps tags to concepts, letting you distinguish between apple the fruit and Apple the computer manufacturer when you tag. Zigtag built its database of concepts, which has millions of entries, by mining publicly available data sources.
- Wesabe [7], a personal finance planner, imports your banking records to help you understand how and where you spend your money. Tags are your primary tools for organizing your transactions in Wesabe. The service makes tagging your bank statements significantly less tedious through sticky tags, tags that are attached to a merchant for every future transaction you have with them.
- Buzzillions [8] is a product reviews site that integrates tags, facets and taxonomies in a seamless way. Normally product reviews are unstructured text, and theyre great for helping you decide if you should buy product. Buzzillions use tags instead of unstructured text for its reviews, which lets them use the reviews themselves as kind of filter-and-find navigation.
Most interesting of all, these arent experimental systems or tech demos. They are real products, suggesting that theres a market demand for structured tagging.
Leveraging Communities
Tagging isnt usually an explicitly collaborative activity. In most cases users dont discuss or negotiate which tag to apply to a web page or bookmark the way they might discuss the contents of a Wikipedia article.
But when we look at Del.icio.us, as an example, we can see the outlines of a community. There are shared interests expressed through the tag cloud Linux, JavaScript, design, Google, web2.0, travel.
And in at least one case LibraryThing [9] users are collaborating to help improve their tag collections. LibraryThing is a social cataloging application that lets you add and tag books from your personal library. It then helps you find other books you might like and people who have similar collections.
Tags are one of the primary ways LibraryThing users catalog the 25 million books they have added to the system. LibraryThings problem one shared by any system with a sufficiently large set of tags is that there are many tags that say essentially the same thing.
The situation isnt like Shirkys example of movies and cinema. Were talking about cases like WWII and World War 2, or science fiction and sf. That is, cases where the sociosemantic delta is zero.
So LibraryThing has added a clever community-driven controlled vocabulary for their tags. Users can make any two tags equivalent, and when theyre equivalent the more popular tag becomes the preferred term. LibraryThing also keeps a history of which tag equivalencies have been made. Any tag equivalency can be easily unmade by any LibraryThing member. Tag equivalencies are subject to community negotiation in much the same way as an article on Wikipedia.
LibraryThings founders guide this process through a simple philosophy only combine tags that are virtually identical in meaning. But even this allows for significant reduction in noise; for example dozens of variations on world war 2 have been collapsed into a single preferred tag wwii.
The community can also decide when two tags that are seemingly identical contain those important sociosemantic differences. Take humor and humour as an example. The American spelling is more often used with American authors and American-style of humor. The British spelling is more often associated with the dry, British-style humour. But there is some overlap Douglas Adamss books are tagged with both versions of humor.
Through this fairly simple approach, LibraryThing users eliminate meaningless duplication of tags and create a bottom-up community-driven controlled vocabulary.
Automanual Folksonomies
Other websites mix a little bit of top-down structure with their bottom-up tags, creating an automanual folksonomy. They work well in situations where some aspects of tagging are desirable open-ended and social while others are not like its unpredictability.
Consider Etsy [10], a marketplace for hand-made goods kind of like eBay for knitters, crafters and other folks who make one-of-a-kind items. Etsy uses an automanual approach to create part of its site navigation. Etsy asks sellers to choose from a set of pre-defined tags for each item they sell. They then provide suggestions for each additional tag. Sellers can pick from the suggested tags or enter their own.
Etsys pre-defined tags form the top-level category navigation on the website. The suggested tags are actually sub-categories for each of the main categories. While users are nudged toward these suggested tags, they can still enter their own tags. Through this approach, Etsy creates a fairly stable navigation system that remains responsive to the needs of users.
LibraryThing has also created an automanual system called TagMash. TagMash is a kind of search where you combine tags to create a list of matching books. TagMash has a simple weighting feature that lets you de-emphasize or negate a tag from your query. If you like books about World War II set in France, but only fiction, you can create a TagMash to find all the books with those tags. (You also get the benefit of the tag equivalencies that LibraryThing users have created.)
The folks at LibraryThing have also experimented with using TagMash to emulate the Library of Congress Subject Headings and the subject taxonomy used by bookstores like Amazon.
Mapping a TagMash to a taxonomy branch or subject heading creates an evergreen listing of books for a category as long as people keep adding tags to books. This is, in effect, a very cheap maintenance system for a classification system. It probably wont produce the same levels of accuracy and consistency as a professional cataloguer, but it leverages a community of interest to achieve similar results.
Peter Van Dijck, an information architect who has experimented with automanual techniques, said this about mixed bottom-up tagging with top-down structure:
I notice a hesitance toward hard-coded semantics and manual work people think these things wont scale. I learned to mix it up... a small amount semantics on top of minimal structure can work wonders. [Personal communication, August 10, 2007]
The success of LibraryThing and Etsy suggest that this could be a fruitful technique for information architects who want the benefits of tagging but cant cede control entirely to their users.
User-Generated Innovation
So far this article has focused on tags as part of an organizational system. And in fact this focus is typical of the discussions on tagging that have happened over the last few years.
But theres another side to tagging thats important to appreciate: tags are one easy way for people to hack, mash-up and innovate on top of a web service or application.
Lets consider Flickr as an example. Flickr lets you add any text string as a tag, and it creates an RSS feed for every tag entered in the system. So if you tag a photo as obstreperous, youll find an RSS feed for everything tagged obstreperous and your photo will be in that feed.
This is, in effect, a very simple read/write system for metadata. Even though its quite primitive, it lets users experiment with new features and services. Flickrs geotagging feature emerged from this kind of experimentation. One active Flickr user, Dan Catt, came up with a simple method for placing photos onto a Google map. He started with a marker tag geotagged. This created an RSS feed for every geotagged photo. Then he added two machine tags for the latitude and longitude coordinates. (Machine tags are special tags that take the form namespace:key=value and they can be used to encode just about any sort of metadata in a tag[11].) He was able to find all the geotagged photos using the RSS feed and then parse out the values of the machine tags to place them on a map.
Initially, people had to geotag their photos manually. They would enter the marker tag, look up the latitude and longitude coordinates of their photos and then enter that data as machine tags. But this was enough of a system that Flickrs emerging geotagging community could build basic tools to display the photos. Later, people created interfaces to make geotagging photos a lot easier.
Flickr eventually hired Dan Catt and now supports geotags natively. They developed a better interface for geotagging photos, as well as a machine tag search feature into their API.
What makes this story of tag-enabled innovation remarkable is that its not unique. Other systems that use the same architecture one where a data feed of tagged objects is available for every single tag have seen similar innovation. Connotea [12], a social bookmarking application for scientists, IBMs internal social bookmarking engine Dogear and Del.icio.us have all had applications, mash-ups and experiments built off their tags and feeds combination.
This is an interesting dimension of tagging thats usually subordinate to classification and information structure. But its important because it suggests taggings value is partly in how it allows people to interact with information both tags and the thing thats being tagged and to change their information environment to better fit their needs.
These four trends show that tagging continues to evolve. With the hype around tagging now muted, designers, developers and product managers are using tags to solve their problems, improve their products and help their customers.
For long-time information architects, these new approaches may seem unusual. They directly rely on user contributions, they leverage active communities, and they freely mix top-down structure with bottom-up innovation. They point to a future where information architects work at the edges, managing the emerging properties of folksonomies alongside the semantic relationships of taxonomies and controlled vocabularies.
But these trends are also great news for the discipline of information architecture. Three years ago some pundits suggested that folksonomies might replace IA altogether. Today were seeing tags, taxonomies and facets intermingling to create new and valuable information structures. Most importantly, were seeing tags being used to solve the classic problems of IA helping people find and use information, making meaning from the tangle of language and reducing the cognitive and economic costs of ambiguity.
Resources Mentioned in the Article
[1] Flickr [website]. http://flickr.com
[2] Del.icio.us [website]. http://del.icio.us
[3] Mower, M. (2007, August 23). To the trough of disillusionment we go! Retrieved July 2, 2008, from http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002618.html
[4] Shirky, C. (2004, August 25).Folksonomy. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from http://many.corante.com/archives/2004/08/25/folksonomy.php
[5] Doctorow, C. (2001). Metacrap: Putting the torch to the seven straw-men of the meta-utopia. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from www.well.com/~doctorow/metacrap.htm
[6] Zigzag [website]. http://zigzag.com
[7] Wesabe [website]. http://wesabe.com
[8] Buzzillions [website]. http://buzzillions.com
[9] LibraryThing [website]. http://librarything.com
[10] Etsy [website]. http://etsy.com
[11] For more about machine tags see www.flickr.com/groups/api/discuss/72157594497877875/
[12] Connotea [website]. www.connotea.org
Articles in this Issue
Information Architecture Introduction: Taxarcana and Other Boons for Business
Exploratory Search in Different Information Architectures
Tagging: Emerging Trends
The Information Architecture Behind Good Web Forms
How to Be a User Experience Team of One
Fulbright Senior Specialist Program - Library Science
The Student Scene: Informatics Student Activities at UCLA


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If current trends continue, the Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC) projects that as many as one in three U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050. Did you know that 27 percent of people with type 2 diabetes don't know they have it? The 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet reports these statistics:
· 25.8 million children and adults, or 8.3 percent of the population, have diabetes
· 7.0 million of these people are undiagnosed cases; 27 percent of those with diabetes don't know they have it
· Pre-diabetes affects 35 percent of adults aged 20 and older and half of Americans aged 65 and older
"These alarming numbers emphasize how important it is to prevent type 2 diabetes and help people who have already been diagnosed to better control the disease and prevent potential complications," said University of Illinois nutrition and wellness educator Marilyn Csernus.
Type 2 diabetes, previously known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases. Type 2 diabetes develops over time as the body gradually loses its ability to use and produce insulin effectively, she said.
"Most people have pre-diabetes for a number of years before they develop type 2 diabetes. In pre-diabetes, blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but they are not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis," she added.
Having pre-diabetes increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. But studies have shown that persons who lose weight and increase their physical activity can possibly prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, she noted.
"The good news is that research shows that people at a high risk for diabetes can decrease the disease's development by taking lifestyle measures to reduce weight and increase physical activity," she said.
Part of diabetes awareness is identifying and decreasing risk factors. These risk factors include being overweight, being 45 years old or older, having had gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant) or giving birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more, having a family history of diabetes, getting little physical activity; and being African-American, American Indian or a native of Alaska, Hispanic, Asian-American, or a Pacific Islander, she said.
"Not all risk factors can be controlled or reduced, but there are many lifestyle factors that can be modified. Some very important modifiable risk factors are choosing a healthier diet and increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight range," Csernus said.
Learn whether you are at a low, medium or high risk of developing type 2 diabetes by taking theType 2 Diabetes Risk Test on the American Diabetes Association website at http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/diabetes-risk-test/?loc=DropDownDB-RiskTest .
"If the test results indicate you are at medium to high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, see your health care provider and take steps to reduce these risk," she said. "Prevention, early diagnosis, and making healthy lifestyle changes are the keys to preventing diabetes or delaying development of its complications," she said.


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IMC needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 35 designs submitted by 15 freelance designers.
Great Legs Wine Consulting
Great Legs Wine Consulting/Katie Finn Is- Educational Entertaining Fun Enthusiastic Passionate Humorous Approachable
Here is what we do.....
Private tastings
Choose your theme... Or let us!
We can explore all things wine by specific region, country, or varietal. For the truly daring we can think outside the box and mix it all up!
Some popular themes are:
Rose "Not your Mama's White Zin"
Big Bad Daddy Cabs
White Hot Wines - An All White Tasting
Wine 101 - The Basics
Wine With Your Salsa - The Wines of Argentina
Pinot Here, Pinot There
Corporate parties
Need to impress some big shot clients? Tired of the same old martinis at happy hour? Host an evening to remember filled with sophisticated wines and intelligent conversations.
Speaking engagements
Katie is available to larger groups that want to hone their wine knowledge. Country Clubs, casual and formal wine groups, along with private organizations can benefit from Katie's fresh take on wine.
Restaurant education
Servers in need of a little wine 411?
Katie will teach your staff the finer points of bottle service, presentation, and the critical "upsell". What questions need to be asked to the host with the wine list, and above all else eliminate the dreaded wine snobbery!
Managers... need help organizing your list? Managing your limited space?
Restaurants, wait staff, managers, and hospitality/hotel personnel Country Club members wine-minded organizations (wine clubs) businesses looking for a unique team building experience.
We are looking for something fun, creative & unique. Not the usual wine things like grapes or common designs we see all the time. We want something interesting like perhaps a wine glass with the "legs" of the glass shaped into sexy legs in heels, just throwing that out there. Feel free to be creative, that is what we want!
Company Style is:
Attractive Logos they like are:
Skyy Vodka
Paris Hotel Las Vegas
W Hotel
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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I'm James Gardner, your host. Welcome to adverlicious, my personal collection of online advertising. I like digital marketing (a lot) and have archived thousands of online ads for research, discussion, and inspiration. Since 2006, I've archived over 7,500 ads from beloved brands like Nike, Disney, McDonald's, and Google. Enjoy your visit!


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Download VGA nVidia Game Ready Driver for Grand Theft Auto V
You can start downloading the VGA nVidia Game Ready Driver for Grand Theft Auto V ver. 350.12 for nVidia GeForce GTX 460 SE v2 Video card. To start download file, click green «download» button on page below. We advise you to use a variety of download managers like «FlashGet» or «Download Master». Also, you can go back to the list of drivers and choose a different driver for nVidia GeForce GTX 460 SE v2 Video card.
- Drivers
- Video cards
- nVidia
- GeForce GTX 460 SE v2
- This File
To start the download, select one of the servers and click "download"
Version, Date:
350.12, 13.04.2015
Operation Systems:
Windows 8.1 x32, Windows 8 x32, Windows 7 x32, Windows Vista x32
Just in time for the highly anticipated title Grand Theft Auto V, this new GeForce Game Ready driver ensures you'll have the best possible gaming experience. With support for GeForce SLI technology and one-click game setting optimizations within GeForce Experience, you'll have the best possible performance and image quality during gameplay. In addition, this driver is aligned with today's launch of the world's fastest gaming GPU; the GeForce GTX Titan X.
Other drivers:


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Tim McGraw settles swatting incident with female fan
Tim McGraw received a swarm of media attention for an incident involving a fan who got a little too close at his Atlanta concert recently. Thankfully, the matter has since been settled — outside of court.
McGraw was performing his hit "Truck Yeah" during the encore of the concert when he was groped by a fan in the audience. A video clip gave more incite into the incident, which showed the fan grabbing the singer's jeans and ripping them before he slapped her away.
It was a slap heard 'round the world. In a chat with ET Canada, McGraw shed a little light on his perspective, admitting he didn't feel good about his actions.
"Sometimes things can lose context and perspective. I reacted in an instinctive, defensive way from my perspective of what was going on," he said. "I think it was an unfortunate situation, I think all the way around. But it happened, it happened in a split second, it was pure instinctive reaction, I think you just got to move on. It is one of those things that happen, nobody feels good about it, but theres nothing that could be done about it. You are in that position, you are out there, you are vulnerable, things happen and sometimes you react. There's nothing to be said about it.
Then, it was reported that the fan was hiring a lawyer and wanted an apology from the superstar, and potentially some cash. Cops were said to have sided with McGraw in the whole mess, and it seems that the singer and Jesslyn Taylor — the fan in question — have made amends.
"The matter between Tim McGraw and Jesslyn Taylor stemming from an Atlanta concert has been mutually resolved the old-fashioned way — with a simple conversation" McGraw's team told Country Weekly.
Have Country Fans Really Gone Wild?
[youtube TtxQ01jMSTw]


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If current forecasts hold up, we should expect mostly sunny weather for a couple of main events this weekend: The Harvest Fest and the Gorge Fruit and Craft Fair.
The 31st annual Harvest Fest, sponsored by the Hood River Chamber of Commerce, will be held from Friday through Sunday at the Event Site on the waterfront. The Gorge Fruit and Craft Fair happens Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds in Odell.
At Harvest Fest, visitors can taste fresh, local produce, get a jump start on their holiday shopping, and fully experience an authentic autumn festival that has become a yearly tradition for visitors and locals alike.
"Visitors seldom leave Harvest Fest without boxes of Anjou pears, heirloom apples, pumpkins, berries, flowers, and a smorgasbord of prepared foods from pies to jams and smoked salmon to chocolate-covered nuts," said Ashley Huckaby, event coordinator for the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce.
"And vendors offer a wonderful array of arts and crafts, including glass, wood sculpture, ceramics, photography, fiber art, jewelry, and much more. Every year it's a little different, but every year it is truly a great event."
The event runs Friday from 1-7 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for veterans and seniors 65 and older, and free for kids 12 and under.
As is traditional, Friday at the festival from 1-7 p.m. will be Senior Day for those ages 65 and up. Admission for seniors on Friday will be $3, and special discounts will be available for seniors from food and art vendors.
The 2013 Harvest Fest is supported by presenting sponsor Pacific Power.
The Gorge Fruit and Craft Fair features arts and crafts, gourmet food products, fresh fruit and produce, baked goods, wine, jewelry, furniture, plants and flowers, soft goods, and much more — all grown or crafted in the Gorge. The Hood River County Fair Board organizes the event. Admission and parking are free.
The event will be held Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the park-like Hood River County Fairgrounds, 3020 Wy'east Road, in Odell.
Special activities include an autumn flower show and sale by the Odell Garden Club; a gallery-style art show and sale by the Hood River Art Club; wine tasting and food offerings including barbecue and traditionally prepared Indian salmon.
On Saturday, at the fairgrounds arena, a ranch sorting competition will take place from late morning into the early afternoon. Admission is free.
On Sunday afternoon the Gorge Strings will provide live music.
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What is virtopsy and what are its benefits?
[Dr. Fowler]: Virtopsy is obviously just 2 words which have been put together and it really is a virtual autopsy. What we're doing there is we're trying to get the same amount of information from a deceased human being without actually having to make an incision on the body and therefore leaving the body completely in tact. On a day to day basis the immediate benefits of bringing Virtopsy into the office would be the ability to take certain cases that we are forced to autopsy now, we would be able to scan them in six minutes, return them to the family and therefore not have to deal with those cases in the autopsy room. We would now be able to bring a much larger number through and use the emergency room or trauma room for internal triaging, run them through and screen out those that do need to go on to an autopsy definitively and those that definitively do not.
When one looks at the cost of the equipment necessary for doing a virtopsy you are looking well in excess of a million dollars for one of these high speed CT scanners and so one gasps when you look at that particular potential capital cost; however there are 2 things that one looks at on a daily basis when you have to consider that piece of equipment. One is that initial capital cost and the second is you're operating costs. Right now each pathologist is a very, very expensive staff person to employ and because of that, we limit the number autopsies that we do to maximize the cost benefit that we get out of a pathologist. In real dollar amount it is equivalent to the salary of about 6 or 7 forensic pathologists for 1 year so it would certainly pay for itself in 2 to 3 years fairly easily and therefore it's not difficult to rationalize that that capital expense is one that is going to be one very, very easy to deal with. So on the face of it, it's a problem, but I think when you really look at it from a practical perspective it's a necessity and quite frankly we're looking at that particular issue right now.


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Kylie's fans so lucky to see gig
Kylie Minogue has treated fans to an intimate gig in London, days after announcing a new tour.
The Australian singer performed to 300 fans and competition winners at the Bloomsbury Ballroom as part of an exclusive Priceless show with MasterCard.
"It's so nice to do an intimate performance with you all," she said on stage.
"My album came out this week. I'm nervous, excited and all kinds of emotions."
During the 45-minute-long set, Kylie - who wore a white Grecian-style dress before changing to a red and white PVC outfit with braces and bowtie - played never-before-heard tracks from her new album Kiss Me Once as well as songs from her acclaimed back catalogue including Can't Get You Out Of My Head, Slow and a "brand spanking new 2014 version of Love At First Sight".
The 45-year-old singer, who is also a judge on BBC singing show The Voice, took a "selfie" with one fan and signed a setlist for another before she closed the show with new single Into The Blue.
Kylie, who previously surprised a fan in his gym on MasterCard's Priceless campaign, is set to hit the road with an 11-date tour later this year from September.


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Ford Motor Company (F), the second largest U.S. automaker, is rebranding its Lincoln luxury division. Ford decided to return the brand to its roots, at least in name: Lincoln will now be referred to as the "Lincoln Motor Company," its original moniker when Henry Ford bought the company in 1922.
Related: Bailouts of Chrysler Were Good for Ford Too: Alan Mulally
Ford CEO Alan Mulally announced the changes to the Lincoln brand in New York City on Monday. The radically redesigned Lincoln MKZ mid-sized sedan is expected to start arriving at dealerships by the end of the month.
An ad blitz—in print, online and TV—follows, starting later this week and including, for the first time, a spot during the Super Bowl on Feb. 3. Not surprisingly Ford will be using Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the U.S., in some of its ads. He was the inspiration for the company's name when Henry Leland founded it.
Related: Mulally to Lead Ford Until at LEast 2014, Mark Fields Likely Next in Line
Lincoln is Ford's only luxury vehicle. Under Mulally, who took over as CEO in September 2006, the company downsized its luxury brand portfolio that included Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin. Lincoln was the top-selling luxury sedan in the U.S. in the 1990s but now trails Cadillac and accounts for just 3% of Ford auto sales today.
Ford has other challenges besides disappointing sales of its Lincoln brand. The company just announced it was recalling about 65,000 2013 Escape SUVs and almost 15,000 2013 Ford Fusions because of potential engine fire hazards. This is the fourth recall of the Escape this year and the third in the last two months.
"It is important that affected customers not ignore this recall and contact their dealer as soon as possible," according to a press release on the Ford Motor Co. site. The company says the recall is voluntary and no injuries have been reported. But it admits "there is no solution to the problem at present. "
Ford was the only U.S. automaker that did not take a government bailout. Not taking taxpayer money "generated a lot of goodwill with a lot of consumers, but at the end of the day people want to buy a car they feel good about and right now they're not feeling so good about Ford cars," says The Daily Ticker's Aaron Task.
Henry Blodget says he isn't worried. "Ford will get past this," he notes. "They're doing the right thing. Recall, fix them, back on the market. This will be old news in a few months."
Ford reported Monday that sales in North America last month rose 6.5% from a year ago to 177,673 vehicles. The company said it plans to build 750,000 vehicles in the first quarter—11% more than in 2011. In contrast, GM said November sales rose 3.4% and Chrysler sales were up 14%.
More from The Daily Ticker
71% of Investors Expect Their Portfolios to Be Up in 2012: Report
Microsoft Can't Catch a Break: Tablet Sales "Almost Nonexistent" According to NPD


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Low Fat Polish Farmers Cheese -12 oz
Polish Farmers cheese (typically referred to as white cheese) is one of the most unique tasting cheeses in the world. Polish farmer cheese is a special type of farmer's cheese that has been perfected over generations in Poland and is finally available in the USA. It has a special texture. At first glance you may think that it resembles common yellow cheese but after a closer look, it appears that this one is much more soft and juicy. The taste is in fact slightly tart, but that's the greatest charm of white cheese. Level of tart flavor depends of the preparation time (longer = more tart), since the milk is leavened and has a thicker quality. It's made from the milk of a cow and belongs to the fresh cheese group. Farmers cheese is commonly use as an appetizer, as well as a filler for pierogi, crapes and cheesecakes.
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|Heart Disease in the Great Dane
Cardiomyopathy and Congenital Disease.
A variety of heart diseases are reported in the Great Dane. Among them are dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)--a progressive, life-threatening disease unfortunately not uncommon in the Dane, and then a variety of congenital heart defects, to include: mitral valve defects, triscuspid valve dysplasia--both potentially fatal valvular defect, aortic and subaortic stenosis (SAS)--other potentially fatal defects of structure, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)--a common congenital defect in dogs that is usually correctable, and persistent right aortic arch (PRAA or VRA)--another congenital, correctable defect.
Congenital heart defects, as Patterson (JSAP; 1989: Hereditary congenital heart defects in dogs) noted "comprise probably the most common class of malformations found in dogs, occurring with a frequency approaching 1% in animals presented to veterinary clinics. The frequency is significantly higher among purebred dogs than in dogs of mixed breeding and specific anatomical malformations occur with highest frequency in certain breeds. Genetic studies of patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis, subaortic stenosis, ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot and persistent aortic arch have confirmed that these are specific heritable defects, the genes for which are concentrated in a number of different breeds. Each of these defects is inherited in a complex manner consistent with a polygenic basis."
The last two congenital defects listed above (PRAA & PDA) are reported sporadically in the dog, with PDA being the most common canine congenital heart defect. Both are the result of fetal structures which persist after birth, resulting in problems for the growing pup, so both are thought to be "timing gene" defects. Both are correctable by surgery as noted. PDA shows a female predominance in some breeds; in PRAA the persistent fetal structure essentially "strangles" the esophagus, causing constriction of the esophagus with regurgitation, aspiration pneumonia and dysphagia (poor eating ability), so can be confused with non-heart diseases such as megaesophagus. Congenital valve defects result in reduced heart efficiency, and if severe are typically fatal in the first year of life with the puppy likely demonstrating lethargy, poor appetite, even syncope (fainting) and sudden death. SAS is a narrowing of a major area of blood flow, and although mild cases may go undetected, a diagnosis of SAS often requires careful treatment & death may occur regardless. All these congenital heart conditions can be the cause of "unthrifty" puppies and/or sudden inexplicable death. All can have a "graded expression," meaning the defects of structure can be mild, moderate, or severe, resulting in more or less obvious symptoms of disease. All are considered to be inherited diseases. Generally all are associated with heart murmurs (of various sorts), and an expert auscultation (exam with a stethoscope by a cardiologist or internist) can often offer a preliminary diagnosis of congenital heart disease. The OFA Cardiac clearance exam and registry is a suitable screening method for congenital heart disease.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is in a different category. This is typically an adult-onset disease and is progressive in nature, so signs of disease are not obvious for months and even years. It is largely males that are affected in this breed, with average age of onset of clinical symptoms seen at 5 years (3-7 years range typical). In an earlier paper in the JAVMA (Meurs, et al, Mar2001) concerning DCM, Dr. Meurs outlined the clinical features of DCM and offered some comments on potential inheritance of the disease. Preliminary data has suggested that DCM in the Great Dane is typically inherited in an X-linked recessive fashion. What this pattern of inheritance means is explained in the paragraph below, but essentially implicates the healthy dams of DCM sons because they are carriers. Recent research has not confirmed this pattern, and breeder anecdote offers two scenarios: one which supports the notion of X-linkage, another that suggests a possible "dominant" inheritance associated with a sire-to-son pattern. It's difficult to say if this means the Great Dane is dealing with two seperate forms of DCM, or perhaps the pattern of inheritance is simply multifactoral (and so both parents are involved in the inheritance of DCM).
Cardiovascular diseases generally have their origin in the reduced effectiveness of the heart to function as a blood pump. This requires of course muscle. In DCM, the smooth muscle of the heart, the myocardium, fails to maintain it's contractility, and essentially gets "stretched out" so that the heart enlarges. DCM literally means enlarged heart muscle disease. The result is a heart that fails to function effectively, and a distinctive pattern of measurements can be found for DCM via echocardiology. The details of why and how exactly this occurs are currently unknown. However Dr. Meur's research on dystrophin points the way to one potential explanation. Dystrophin is a membrane-associated protein that helps regulate the integrity of the muscle cells; it fails to function properly in such diseases as muscular dystrophy, and when dystrophin is absent, the muscle cells die. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disorder in humans. In DMD typically there are frame-shift & in-frame mutations (i.e. via deletion) in the DNA. The result is a defective protein as the DNA made is a "nonsense" strand or has portions that don't code for a useful dystrophin protein.
Cardiomyopapthy comes in several forms: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is exceeding rare in dogs & typically not a primary disease (i.e. it results from other disease). DCM and ACM (arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy) are primary heart diseases that are heritable in nature and involve the heart muscle. For a precise discussion of DCM and it's relationship to ACM, another form of "cardio" that does occur in dogs and may occur in the Great Dane, see it here...
The Great Dane is at risk for both congenital and adult-onset heart disease. So it's important that our dogs, especially our breeding stock, be examined for signs of heart disease. Although it might be the case that a simple auscultation by an expert would be able to offer a preliminary diagnosis of many congential forms of heart disease, it's generally recommend that breeding stock receive echocardiograms routinely (at least every 2 years beginning at age 2) for breeding clearance. This exam ideally should include a full physical and a history, and be done by a competent cardiologist. This generally takes up to an hour; the dog is examined, then an ultrasound performed & taped (audio & visual) and the results interperlated. Radiographs (xrays) or other further tests may be deemed necessary, particularly if the initial cardiac testing is for suspected illness &/or any anomalies come up on the ultrasound/physical exams. A thorough exam screens for all gross heart diseases & anomalies. Regular screening exams on adult dogs are recommended for breeding stock in breeds like ours where adult-onset heart disease is found. So a one-time OFA Cardiac clearance is not an effective screening tool for such as DCM and SAS.
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Jill Russell, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph, is co-recipient of a $500,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) which will provide an opportunity for Mount undergraduate students to gain significant research experience. Russell, and her colleagues from Miami University and the City of Hope National Medical Center in California, received the grant to study changes in bird metabolism during migration.
Russell, is co-PI (principal investigator) on the study which Miami University will oversee. She will lead Mount students as they study lipid storage and use in migrating birds. Just prior to fall migration, birds in Ohio will triple or quadruple their body weight in the form of fat storage in order to have enough energy to make it to overwintering grounds in Central and South America. The metabolic adaptation in birds is key to their survival. If birds cannot gain enough fat from the local berries they eat prior to migration, they will not survive the long trek to their overwintering grounds in the fall or back to their breeding grounds in Ohio in the spring.
"Not only is this a tremendous opportunity for biologists to learn more about birds' metabolism, but also for undergraduate students to play a valuable, hands-on role that will greatly benefit their post-graduate success," Russell said. "Both the Mount and Miami are committed to a learning environment where students can gain valuable experience in lab and field work, while playing an instrumental role in the research."
The NSF grant will incorporate several broader impact projects that Russell and the other co-PIs facilitate. Russell is the director of the Birds of a Feather program, a collaboration between teachers at the Seven Hills Middle School, students, professors, and local nonprofit organizations that promotes inquiry-based science in the classroom. Along with her husband, David Russell, Ph.D., instructor of introductory and environmental biology at Miami University, Russell teleconferences with middle school students regularly from her bird banding stations at Hueston Woods State Park in Butler County, and the Clifford Bird Observatory at the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse at Mount St. Joseph, as a way of introducing the students to field research. She then visits the middle school and works collaboratively with the teachers and students in designing and conducting inquiry projects on the birds that visit the school's bird garden. The middle school students then visit the bird banding stations in the spring each year to learn more about birds, habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species. Russell is currently seeking a high school teacher who is interested in becoming part of the Birds of a Feather program and collaborating with her by engaging their students in part of the NSF grant. It is her goal to have high school students evaluate the lipid content available in the berries that the birds eat prior to migration.
"We're thrilled that the outreach of this project will extend beyond institutions of higher education, and will engage younger students in science," Russell said. "What an amazing opportunity to be able to say that scientists of all ages took part in these groundbreaking studies."
In addition to their work locally, Russell and her husband also conduct field research in Alaska where they study the growth and development of Boreal Owls.
The College of Mount St. Joseph is an undergraduate and graduate Catholic college that provides an interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional curriculum emphasizing values, service and social responsibility.


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Vice President Internal Audit
Deere & Company
Luann K. Rickert is Vice President, Internal Audit, a position she has held since July 2011. Rickert is responsible for the worldwide internal audit function for Deere & Company.
Rickert joined the company in 1979 as an auditor. Over the years, she held positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of finance, systems, operations, and factory management. Most recently, she was Global Director of Operator Stations for the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division in Bruchsal, Germany.
Rickert is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in industrial administration and accounting. She has an MBA from the University of Iowa with a concentration in finance.
She has been actively involved in volunteerism throughout her career, participating on numerous boards and with various charitable organizations. She is currently on the board of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend and is a member of the Women's Leadership Council for United Way of the Quad Cities Area.
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land—those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich, and build upon the land to meet the world's dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter, and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com.