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Scott Pruett's run for the record book will start from the front of the field.
Pruett earned the pole Thursday for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the prestigious, twice-around-the-clock endurance event that kicks off the racing season.
Pruett covered the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway in 1 minute, 40.553 seconds. He averaged 127.455 mph in the Daytona Prototype class, a tad faster than Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon.
"For us coming here for the first race, having [both cars] on the front row looks pretty good so far,'' Pruett said.
Dane Cameron of Team Sahlen was third.
Nick Tendy claimed the top spot in the Grand Touring class. Shane Lewis headed the GX class, which is making its debut at Daytona.
The star-studded field drivers from 22 countries. Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar drivers are well represented.
The field includes defending race winner AJ Allmendinger, defending IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Nelson Piquet Jr., Christian Fittipaldi, Justin Wilson, Paul Tracy, Tony Kanaan and Rubens Barrichello.
NASCAR drivers Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and Marcos Ambrose also are in the field.
But all eyes, as usual at this event, are on Pruett and his Ganassi teammates.
Pruett, a four-time race winner, is looking to tie Hurley Haywood's record of five victories.
"It's interesting, but it's truly not at all [on my mind],'' Pruett said.
Pruett is again the lead drive for one of Ganassi's all-star entries. He's teamed in the No. 01 BMW/Riley entry with Memo Rojas, Montoya and IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball. Pruett and Rojas are the three-time defending series champs.
Dixon, four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, McMurray and sports-car driver Joey Hand are in Ganassi's No. 02 car. None of them race full time in the Grand-Am Series.
"When you get on board the 01, it's certainly a different mentality than the 02 car,'' Pruett said. "The 01 is a seasoned car. We look for every point out of every race to try to go after a championship. With the 02 car, sometimes it's just for one race, the 24 or what we saw last year with a couple races. There are different attitudes, and with that I think, comes respect with the 01 car that you've got to run fast, you've got to run smart.''
Both Ganassi teams will be looking to rebound from disappointing races at Daytona. The cars finished fourth and sixth after dealing with mechanical issues in 2012.
Allmendinger took the checkered flag a year ago for Michael Shank Racing. He qualified sixth Thursday, two spots ahead of teammate Michael Valiante.
"It's all good,'' Shank said. "The cars are ready, we're good for the race and I'm pretty happy so far. ... We have a good start to the weekend. It's where we qualified last year when we won the race, so we're good.''
Grand-Am officials made a few tweaks in hopes of leveling the field. Those included a little more horsepower for the BMW engines, which help Pruett get that record-tying trip to Victory Lane.
But he knows it won't be easy - not against such a competitive and talented field.
"Short of contact, we can run these cars hard,'' Pruett said. "We've shown over the last three years, when they drop the green flag, we can run a very aggressive, sprint pace. The only thing we need to be careful of is not getting caught up in traffic of somebody else's mistake, and we do. Over the years, the car's been developed enough with the gear box, the brakes, the engines and so on, where they're meant to go thousands of miles.
"I think it's going to be an epic race. Coming down to the checkered flag, it's truly going to be epic.''


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National luxury home builder Toll Brothers and Middle Smithfield Township have a tentative deal — after nearly three years of secret negotiations — to resolve township claims that Toll built an illegal development.
National luxury home builder Toll Brothers and Middle Smithfield Township have a tentative deal — after nearly three years of secret negotiations — to resolve township claims that Toll built an illegal development.
The dispute affects the legal ownership status for about 400 home and condominium buyers on the north side of Tom X Road, adjacent to an older home section known as Country Club of the Poconos.
Toll insists that "Toll Brothers at Country Club of the Poconos" is just a new phase for Country Club, also known as Big Ridge.
But the township claims Toll created a separate development there — not part of Big Ridge — without obtaining township authorization. Township officials say Toll and Big Ridge Developers — which sold portions of the northside to Toll — violated local zoning, the original township approvals for Big Ridge, and the state Municipalities Planning Code.
"We expect to have an agreement in place by the 29th of December," said Middle Smithfield Supervisor Chairman Scott Schaller.
That morning, township consulting attorney Josele Cleary will explain details of the settlement during a meeting of the supervisors.
Toll is expected to submit new development plans for construction phases already built — and in many cases, occupied by buyers — north of Tom X Road. The new plans will delineate and separate lots, roads and utilities for the Toll development from elements that are owned by the southside developer, or owned in common by buyers on both sides of Tom X.
"The agreement won't be signed until the reviews come in and the plans come in for correction," Schaller said.
The township believes the agreement will satisfy its demand that Toll and Big Ridge Developers, the current southside developer of record, re-establish both sides of Tom X as a single community. Yet, Toll buyers will continue to have a separate declaration — a document outlining dues, responsibilities and amenities for buyers — from those who bought on the southside.
"There was no way we could reverse what they had been doing because those houses had been built and deeded," Schaller said. "The mistake was made many moons ago ... but once they sold 400 homes, there wasn't anything we could do to reverse it."
Property required previously to be set aside as designated "open space" will be apportioned to the respective property owners associations on the north and south sides. This includes an 18-hole golf course, which will be restricted to golf, open space or passive recreational use by residents such as hiking.
Schaller said Toll Brothers also has agreed to reimburse the township for an estimated $60,000 spent by Middle Smithfield to research the Toll development and pursue the agreement.
Schaller said Toll and Big Ridge Developers recently submitted "as built" drawings to the township showing locations of water and sewer lines on both sides of Tom X, meeting another township demand. The original Country Club of the Poconos developer was required under previous township approvals to submit the after-installation utility drawings, but the original developer contends no such drawings were ever made.
Schaller said the submitted "as built" drawings have been reviewed and approved by the Middle Smithfield Township Municipal Authority, which operates a sewer treatment plant that processes waste from Big Ridge and other locations.
Municipal Authority officials have had continuing problems tracking the source and cause of sewage flow problems near the entrance to Big Ridge.
Sewer officials have said they don't know who is the legal owner of the internal Big Ridge sewer lines, though the authority signed agreements in the early 1990s with subsidiaries of the Rank Organization — which owned both Big Ridge and the sewer plant at the time — to buy the plant and to extend service to Big Ridge.
There are several land ownership and taxation issues concerning the way both sides of Big Ridge were developed and whether buyers were actually conveyed legal title to the houses they bought. There is no public record showing that the original developers conducted a comprehensive land survey of the various tracts comprising the current developments and amalgamated them together, to firmly establish a legal description for locating lots.
Some southside buyers contend they were misled into believing they were buying single-family houses and individual lots that are actually located on a single land parcel kept by the developer. A former developer denies the charge.
Township officials said Middle Smithfield has no direct role in or responsibility for the land ownership disputes, that it is up to buyers and the developers to sort those out.
Following a series of 2006 Pocono Record stories on the land disputes, supervisors began examining the legality of the Toll-side development. In December 2006, the township announced it would no longer approve plans for future construction phases on the Toll side. Construction continued where Toll previously submitted plans to the township.
The township also has withheld refunds of Toll bonds posted to guarantee completion of roads and utilities for earlier phases. Middle Smithfield will release about $450,000 of the Toll bonds once the settlement is executed.

subset: commoncrawl


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Obama names delegation to Olympic closing ceremony
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tennis star Billie Jean King, who couldn't attend the opening of the Sochi Olympics because of her mother's illness, will be a member of President Barack Obama's official delegation to the games' closing ceremony.
The White House says the group will also include the American Olympic gold medalist speed skaters Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden.
The delegation will attend athletic competitions, meet U.S. athletes and attend the closing ceremony. The White House said Friday the delegation will be headed by Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and will also include Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia.
King, selected to help lead the U.S. delegation to the Games, was unable to attend the Feb. 7 opening because of the illness of her mother, who died that day.


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Relay Softball Tournament Cancelled
The Wetzel Chronicle Relay For Life Softball Tournament is postponed until August. Any teams wanting to register please contact the newspaper's sports department at 304-455-3300.
Youth Volleyball Camp Noted
John Marshall High School will hold its second annual Youth Volleyball Camp June 25-28 from 8 a.m.-noon at the Moundsville Middle School Gymnasium. The camp is for girls entering grades four through eight from any school.
Cost is $30, that will include a camp T-shirt. Multiple campers from a household will be discounted to $15 for each additional camper. Registration deadline is June 8. To register, call 304-280-3984 or 304-780-8375.
John Flowers To Appear
'Love the Game' Basketball Camp, featuring former West Virginia University forward John Flowers, will be held at Magnolia High School June 19 from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. for students (boys and girls) entering third through eighth grade.
The cost of $30 for a single player or $25 each for two or more, includes pizza for lunch and a Love The Game t-shirt. Late or walk-on registration after June 10 is $40 per individual.
In addition, Flowers will be available for an autograph session following the camp at 4 p.m. For more information, call the New Martinsville Parks and Recreation Department at 304-455-9130.
Free Sports Physicals Offered
As a thank you to everyone for supporting EZ CARE over the years, we are giving back to the students and parents with a day of free sports physicals for the 2012-13 school year.
Free sports physicals for Magnolia athletes in grades 6-12 will be given on June 11 and July 2 EZCare Walk-In Medical Center, 260 Russell Ave., New Martinsville, in front of Wal-Mart, from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., with no appointment needed.
On other days, physicals will be available for $20 Monday-Saturday at EZ CARE.
Kicking Camp Detailed
Former Marshall University kicker Tyler Warner will be holding a Specialists Camp July 20-21 at Stadium Field on the campus of Parkersburg High School.
The camp is for all kickers, punters, and long snappers in middle and high school.
Emphasis will be placed on improving techniques, strength, and knowledge of how to become a better specialist.
Video sessions will be provided for each specialist. Former NFL Long Snapper Mike Bartrum is scheduled to attend. The cost is $150 per camper or $125 if more than one player from your school attends.
For more information, contact Tyler Warner at 304-481-3708.


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Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Ryman, Neil Young, Will and Me
Here's the best. Will and I were lying on the couch at 6:30 p.m. when we looked at each other and wondered, "Exactly why aren't we going to see the show?" A ticket price of $127.50, maybe? Hmmm. Could that be the reason? I told Will that if he could get two for the price of one, I'd take him. "I'll find them, Mom. I swear," he says. So we jumped in the car, flew down to the Ryman, and ended up on the main floor - great seats - for half price!! It's amazing how well the scalpers will deal a few minutes after the opening act starts!
For those of you who don't know, I'm a rock and roll lover. Well, freak may be more like it. And naturally, so is my son. The beautiful part about last night is that Will loves Neil Young because of me!! I used to dream about the day I could take my kids to concerts. Now, he even knows more about the legendary rock star than I do.
The concert was, well there isn't really a good enough word that hasn't already been used to describe Neil's shows. But for clarification sake I'll just say the concert was everything we hoped it would be. Neil carried the show solo but had all of his different instruments set around the stage. Both his acoustic and electric guitars were in the middle, his grand piano on stage right. His pump organ was in the rear of the stage and his upright piano was off to stage left. And of course, his harmonica was usually in the holder around his neck. He spent the evening rotating around each instrument sharing the depth of his talent with the audience. Mr. Young didn't say much, but if you've been following his career at all you know that's his way - quintessentially Neil.
Each time he sang an old song my son jabbed me in the arm and I got to watch a huge smile spread across his face.
That was heaven for me. So was getting to spend an entire evening sitting next to my twenty-year-old son.
4 comments:
Awww, that's so sweet! I have no idea who Neil Young is, please don't throw tomatos at me, because who knows I might actually know this person but I don't usually know unless someone sings me one of their songs... I'm a very complicated gal. But either way, its cool you two got to hang out and make a memory. When I worked at the Wild Adventures theme park in Ga, the Temptations came to perform and my goodness I about flipped. I love them, thankfully it had been my night off so I got to enjoy the show with my parents.
- June 6, 2010 at 2:13 AM
- Lisa Patton said...
Jessica, don't worry about not knowing who Neil Young is. I'm old. But he's older! He was with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. But they were big in the 70s. No worries. Just glad you posted. You're right. The best part was hanging out with Will!!
- June 6, 2010 at 10:31 AM
Yep, I'm back to stalking ya'lls blog again. I was absent for a while but, now, I am here. lol.
Oh and I just checked up Neil Young on the handy dandy thing called the Internet I somehow forgot was a useful research tool, lol. I know him... well not personally but his songs. Yeah, my daddy was a hippie and he and my Uncle Bruce listen to him. I had to see the face and hear a song. :)
- June 7, 2010 at 1:05 AM
- Maureen Lipinski said...
So much fun! I saw Neil Young in concert when I was in high school. It was the neatest mix of old/young attendees!
- June 7, 2010 at 4:44 PM


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Press Release: Free Social Media workshops announced UPDATED
Posted on November 30, 2011 by Andy
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New York: Andy Murray entered the U.S. Open determined to enjoy every moment but there were times in his second-round triumph over Leonardo Mayer on Friday when all the old frustrations, aggravations and self-admonishment returned.
The defending champion dropped a set but still lodged a 7-5 6-1 3-6 6-1 victory over the Argentine slugger, finishing strongly in a typically electrifying atmosphere at a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Britain`s number three seed has become such a drawcard at Flushing Meadows that the queue for his clash stretched hundreds of metres back to Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Mayer`s aggression paid dividends in the third set before Murray knuckled down in a blistering fourth set to close out the win in two hours and 41 minutes.
"I was a bit frustrated at points in the match because I was doing quite a lot of the running," Murray said.
"I wasn`t getting much depth on my returns. I served a low percentage today. You don`t feel like you`re dictating the match. It can be frustrating, but I finished the match well.
"I played well when I needed to. That`s a good sign. I want to keep improving as the tournament goes on. You don`t want to play your best right at the beginning."
Murray`s first serve was poor. He landed a mere 57 per cent of his first deliveries but his renowned fitness and defensive capabilities kept Mayer at bay in an arena that descended into organised chaos at times.
Spectators were late to their seats and called out between points on a court that has been home to numerous close struggles for Murray in recent years.
"It`s a court I haven`t played my best tennis on, that`s for sure," he said. "I`ve had some tough matches there in the past, and today was the same.
"But I`m happy to play on any court. It doesn`t really make a huge, huge difference. We got a great crowd out there.
"It was a really good atmosphere from pretty much the first point through to the last. Whether or not I play well on that court, it`s always a really good atmosphere."
Frenetic crowd activity is a hallmark of the U.S. Open and Murray said he would never complain about the noise of the fans because he revelled in the different atmospheres at the four major championships.
"At this tournament, on all of the big courts, it`s very different to Wimbledon, for example," he said.
"It`s something you need to enjoy about the tournament. It`s quite loud. There`s always noise during the points. There`s a constant kind of murmur you hear whereas at Wimbledon, it`s pretty much silence.
"It`s a different atmosphere, and one that I enjoyed when I came here the first time as a kid, playing the juniors.
"You just have to get used to it each time you come back. All of the slams have very, very different atmospheres."
Impatient while waiting until late in the evening to play his first round match on Wednesday, Murray said scheduling problems were now the least of his concerns.
His next match will be against another Mayer, Germany`s unconventional Florian. They have met twice, on European clay, and Murray has prevailed on both occasions.
"It was quite a wait to play the first match," Murray said. "By the time I got on (court) Wednesday night, I literally wanted to play. I wasn`t thinking about anything else. Maybe in that way, it helped me a little bit.
"But I`m in the tournament now. I play every other day. I`ll stick to the same routines pretty much until the end of the tournament."


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Two years ago Stephen Sachs began working on a play about the philosophy and practice of flamenco. He figured he had all the material he needed, having spent years in close proximity to flamenco dancers as the co-artistic director of the Fountain Theatre, home of the long-running performance series "Forever Flamenco!" But after further research, he realized that the Spanish art form intertwined deeply with certain existential preoccupations that also inhabited his writer's mind.
"The older I get, the more aware I have become of the loss of loved ones, the time in front of me and how I'm spending it. You start to wrestle more with these things," observes the 53-year-old playwright and director.
PHOTOS: Arts and culture in pictures by The Times
Sachs wound up writing "Heart Song," a uniquely theatrical hybrid that premieres May 25 at the Fountain and pays tribute to flamenco through the lens of one Jewish woman's midlife crisis. Directed by Los Angeles theater veteran Shirley Jo Finney and choreographed by the flamenco artist Maria Bermudez, it stars Pamela Dunlap as Rochelle, a fiftysomething New York City denizen who struggles over her mother's recent death and gets dragged to a flamenco class for nonprofessional dancers by her Japanese American masseuse Tina (Tamlyn Tomita).
Convinced that "Jews don't do flamenco," Rochelle receives encouragement from fellow class-taker Daloris (Juanita Jennings), an African American cancer survivor, and reluctantly encounters Katarina de la Fuente, the fierce, Gypsy flamenco teacher played by Bermudez. (Denise Blasor will take over the role after June 15.) Katarina teaches her students how to stomp their feet, flick their wrists and fully express themselves so they can experience the heightened spiritual state known as duende. She also waxes poetic about flamenco's origins, the shared history of persecution between Gypsies and Jews and the cante jondo, the "deep song" born from suffering and oppression.
Eventually, Katarina's teachings infiltrate Rochelle's psyche so that she can grieve and confront the truth of her mother's legacy.
"What interested me in this whole subject was how art, like religion or any spiritual faith, has the power to transform and heal," says Sachs, who recently lost his mother and still "wrestles with that loss. I wanted to explore how flamenco can give voice to what is beyond the spoken word, to that deep inner well of sorrow and pain and also joy."
Sachs' treatment of flamenco, filled with historical and literary references, also feels distinctly educational. This should come as no surprise when considering that the Fountain's co-artistic director Deborah Lawlor has produced the city's preeminent flamenco series for some 20 years. "Heart Song," however, takes the Fountain's outreach efforts one step further with its potential to simultaneously attract the theater's two main audiences: traditional playgoers and flamenco fans.
"I don't think any production has yet explained flamenco as well as 'Heart Song' does," says Lawlor, who served as the play's dramaturgical consultant and will be honored on June 15 in a "Forever Flamenco!" gala performance at the Ford Theatres in Hollywood. "The play really shows the range of flamenco and its tragic dimensions, which you don't find in other dance forms."
Bermudez, who lives in southern Spain and travels all over the world to perform flamenco, agrees that the Fountain's production "is very unique. In Spain, there have been mountings of flamenco story ballets, but no one has created a drama about flamenco in this way with actors," she says.
FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Spring arts preview
As the show's choreographer, Bermudez faced the challenge of crafting movement that everyone in the eight-member cast could perform while accurately reflecting flamenco's essence. For her, casting definitely proved critical.
"One of the mistakes I've seen with dance-theater is to have the dancers act or have the actors dance. This is totally detrimental to both genres," says the 51-year-old flamenco artist. "So I said, 'Let's get actors with movement experience and I will create a choreography for them that's accessible, so they can be these middle-aged people who are there to connect with something interior rather than with an exterior aesthetic."
At a recent rehearsal, Bermudez's choreography seemed to function almost as another character in the play, especially during the scene in which Rochelle first visits the flamenco class. As Katarina, Bermudez conducts a class warm-up, instructing her students to lift their arms, "touch the stars" and twirl their wrists, a motion that becomes an effective unison phrase.
Both as choreographer and performer, Bermudez has the task of conveying the flamenco class as a sacred space where women of all backgrounds can unleash their demons as a means of liberating their spirits. "For me, flamenco is about this universal cry, whether you are Jewish or African American, it is the same," she says in a phone conversation after the rehearsal. "Pain has no color or creed."
The notion of flamenco's universal accessibility has always resonated with Finney, who collaborated with Bermudez a decade ago on developing a still unproduced, flamenco-based play called "Cry," which sought parallels between flamenco and the blues. "What I love about 'Heart Song' is that it shows how interconnected we all are. Often women's plays are very ethnic-specific, but in this piece, you see these different tribes and how they become a collective," she says.
For Finney and her cast, the process of practicing flamenco combined with excavating the life and death themes in Sachs' script has made for an intensely emotional experience. "In the cast we have cancer survivors, we have people who just lost their mothers," observes Finney. "We rehearse some of these scenes and I have to say, 'OK ladies, we got our cry. Now we have to stop and work on the script.' Mothers and daughters, survivors and life, these have been our discussions."
Dunlap, for example, can fully relate to Rochelle's reckoning with her mother's death. "The relationship with her mother was barren and the relationship I had with my mother was difficult," says the actress, who can also be seen on "Mad Men" as Betty Draper's formidable mother-in-law. "It is not infrequent for a play to strike a personal chord with its actors, but in this play … we are blown away by material which touches our personal lives."
Ultimately, Sachs hopes his play and its many layers of meaning will find a "crossover audience. It would be wonderful if all our audiences came together for a shared experience," he says. "Hopefully, it will open people's eyes to what flamenco really is and maybe they will want to take a class themselves."
PHOTOS: Hollywood stars on stage CHEAT SHEET: Spring arts preview 2014 PHOTOS: Arts and culture in pictures
PHOTOS: Hollywood stars on stage
CHEAT SHEET: Spring arts preview 2014
PHOTOS: Arts and culture in pictures


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On Trend: Triangle Prints in Kids' Decor & Accessories
Geometric prints are one of the biggest design trends this year and, no surprise, babies and kids are getting in on the action. They may look dated in a few years, but right now triangles are fresh, bright and modern. Here are ten products pushing this pattern trend:
1. Removable Adhesive Wall Triangles ($20-$40, MUR)
2. Hand Painted Wood Block Magnets ($24, Cuppa Color)
3. Custom Triangle Quilt ($220, Ivie Baby)
4. Assembly Home Rotating Triangle Rug ($79, also in grey, Urban Outfitters)
5. Terrific Triangles Personalized Nursery Print ($18, Giraffe N Stuff)
6. Crocheted Teething Toy Rattle ($13 each, B Boutique Beauties)
7. Reversible Stroller/Pram Liner ($59, Chuck & Taz)
8. Magical Thinking Triangle Chain Curtain ($24-$34/panel, also in grey, Urban Outfitters)
9. Knitted Triangle Pattern Baby Blanket ($85, Yarning Made)
10. Simple Geometry Rug ($249-$649, Land of Nod)


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Today, between 8 and 9 a.m. Team Scheuring (www.scheuring-speedsports.com/index.htm) will be pulling into the Klim Technical Riding Gear (www.klim.com) parking lot with its tractor trailer, crew and snowmobiles.
The primary purpose of the visit is to test and tune the race sleds at an elevation similar to that of Sandy, UT, where the team will be racing this weekend.
The team will be on hand to give interviews and sign autographs as well as meet and greet fans. The team will be racing across the field in an effort to get man and machine in prime condition to compete this weekend in the Prianha-X Western Nationals at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy (http://www.isocracing.com/RioTintoStadium.aspx).
Thursday's event should last into the early afternoon.
Team Scheuring is sponsored in part by Klim, which is headquartered in Rigby, ID. Klim supplies all of the riding gear the team uses to compete.
Scheuring is unique in that it is the first truly independent racing team in the sport of snocross. Key sponsors include Ski-Doo, Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants, The U.S. Air Force, Makita Industrial Tools, ROCKSTAR Energy Drink, Klim and Jeff Foster Trucking.
Team Scheuring races the ISOC (International Series of Champions) national snocross series. Team Scheuring is one of the top five teams always fighting for the podium and Robbie Malinowski is one of the best snocross racers in the series in any class.
Team Scheuring recently signed Willie Elam, an Idaho native.
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Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
- Antioxidants
- Bixa orellana (Annatto)
- Flaxseed
- Flaxseed Oil
- Green Tea
- Maca
- Oat Straw
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Zinc
If you're a man and you live long enough, you will almost certainly develop benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Ninety percent of all men show signs of such prostatic enlargement by the age of 80. Symptoms include difficulty in starting urination, a diminished force of urinary stream, a sensation of fullness in the bladder after urination, and the need to urinate many times at night. Ultimately, the obstruction can become so severe that urination is impossible.
The most common treatment for BPH is surgery that removes most of the prostate gland. Medications such as Cardura, Flomax, Hytrin, and Proscar can relieve symptoms of BPH. In addition, Proscar has been shown to shrink the prostate and reduce the need for surgery. However, all of these medications can cause significant side effects.
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Men who suspect they may suffer from BPH should make sure to see a physician to rule out prostate cancer. After this has been done, many natural options are available that have good scientific backing. Indeed, there are few other conditions for which so many natural therapies have good supporting evidence for efficacy. However, there is one potential advantage for standard medications: some have been shown sufficiently effective at slowing the progression of BPH to help men avoid surgery, while this has not been shown to be true of any natural options. 60
Saw Palmetto
The best-documented herbal treatment for BPH is the oil of the berry of the saw palmetto tree. This herb is so well accepted in Europe that synthetic pharmaceuticals are considered alternative therapy for BPH. Saw palmetto offers two potential advantages over conventional drug treatment. The most obvious is that it usually causes no side effects. Another advantage is that saw palmetto does not change prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Lab tests that measure PSA are used to screen for prostate cancer. The widely used drug Proscar can artificially lower PSA levels, which may have the unintended effect of masking prostate cancer.
Despite its popularity, the scientific evidence that saw palmetto is effective for prostate enlargement is inconsistent at best.
At least 10 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies involving a total of about 900 participants have compared the benefits of saw palmetto against placebo over a period of 1 to 12 months. 2-8,58,61-62 In all but 3 of these studies, the herb significantly improved urinary flow rate and most other measures of prostate disease. However, in the most recent and perhaps best-designed of these studies, a 1-year trial of 225 men, saw palmetto failed to prove more effective than placebo. 63 Furthermore, a large review of 14 trials with 5,222 men found that saw palmetto did not improve urinary symptom scores or peak urine flow compared to placebo. Subjects taking saw palmetto reported more overall symptom improvement than those taking placebo, but this result is questionable due to a lack of consistency among the studies. 71 Adding to the unsupported evidence, a more recent well designed, placebo-controlled trial involving 369 men found that saw palmetto even at high doses (three times the standard dose) did not improve urinary flow rate compared to placebo. 72
A double-blind study followed 1,098 men who received either saw palmetto or the drug Proscar over a period of 6 months. 9 According to the results, the two treatments were about equally successful at reducing noticeable symptoms, and neither produced much in the way of side effects. However, Proscar lowered PSA levels, presenting a risk of masking prostate cancer. Saw palmetto did not cause this problem. On the other hand, careful measurements showed that Proscar caused men's prostates to shrink by 18%, while saw palmetto only caused a 6% decrease in size. Although prostate size does not correlate well with severity of symptoms, such a decrease in size might indicate a reduced likelihood of need for surgery. This is a potential advantage for the drug.
A 52-week, double-blind study of 811 men compared saw palmetto (Permixon) to a standard drug for BPH in another class: the alpha-blocker Tamsulosin. 10 Once again, both treatments proved equally effective. However, saw palmetto caused fewer side effects than the drug. In addition, saw palmetto was associated with some prostate shrinkage, while the drug had a slight prostate enlargement.
Although there are many theories about how saw palmetto works, none have been conclusively established. The best evidence suggests that the herb affects male hormones.
For important dosage and safety information, see the full Saw Palmetto article.
The pygeum tree is a tall evergreen native to central and southern Africa. Its bark has been used since ancient times for urinary problems.
At least 17 double-blind trials, ranging in length from 45 to 90 days, of pygeum for BPH have been performed, involving a total of almost 1,000 individuals. 18-22,57 Many of these studies were poorly reported and/or designed. Nonetheless, overall, the results do suggest that pygeum can reduce symptoms such as nighttime urination, urinary frequency, and residual urine volume.
The best of these trials was conducted at 8 sites in Europe and included 263 men between 50 to 85 years of age. 23 Participants received 50 mg of a pygeum extract or placebo twice daily. The results showed significant improvements in various measures of BPH severity.
We don't really know how pygeum works. Unlike the standard drug finasteride, it does not appear to work by affecting the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. 24 Rather, it is thought to reduce inflammation in the prostate and to inhibit prostate growth factors, substances implicated in inappropriate prostate enlargement. 25,26,27 We don't know whether pygeum can reduce the need for prostate surgery or whether it affects PSA levels.
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full Pygeum article.
Nettle Root
Anyone who lives in a locale where nettle grows wild will likely discover the powers of this dark green plant. Depending on the species, the fine hairs on its leaves and stem cause burning pain that lasts from hours to weeks. Both its leaves and roots can be used as medicine. The root is a popular European treatment for BPH. However, it has not been as well studied as saw palmetto or pygeum.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study performed in Iran, 558 people were given either placebo or nettle root for 6 months. 64 The results indicated that nettle root is significantly more effective than placebo on all major measures of BPH severity. Benefits were seen in three other double-blind studies as well, enrolling a total of more than 150 men. 32-34
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full Nettle article.
Numerous plants contain cholesterol-like compounds called sitosterols and their close relatives sitosterolins. A special mixture of these, called beta-sitosterol, is used for the treatment of BPH.
A review of the literature, published in 1999, found a total of four randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on beta-sitosterol for BPH, enrolling a total of 519 men. 37-40 All but one of these studies found significant benefits in both perceived symptoms and objective measurements, such as urine flow rate. The largest trial followed 200 men with BPH for a period of 6 months. 41 After the study was completed, many of the participants were followed for an additional year, during which the benefits continued. 42 Similar results were seen in a 6-month, double-blind trial of 177 individuals with BPH. 43
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full Beta-sitosterol article.
Grass Pollen
Grass pollen is also used to treat BPH. The grasses used for this preparation are 92% rye, 5% timothy, and 3% corn. Related grass pollen extracts are used for allergy shots. However, the grass pollen extracts described here are different in that they have their allergenic components removed. Grass pollen is also an entirely different product than bee pollen.
Two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies found that grass pollen extract can improve symptoms of prostate enlargement. 45,46 There have also been open studies that compared grass pollen to different treatments for BPH. 47,48
In the first double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 103 individuals with BPH were assigned to take either placebo or 2 capsules of a standardized grass pollen extract 3 times daily for a period of 12 weeks. 49 At the end of the study, 69% of the participants who had been taking the grass pollen had reduced the number of trips they had to make to the bathroom at night. In the placebo group, only 37% reported improvement in this symptom. The amount of urine remaining in the bladder following urination was reduced in the treatment group by 24 ml and by 4 ml for the placebo group. Both of these were statistically significant improvements for those taking grass pollen.
The second double-blind, placebo-controlled study lasted longer but enrolled fewer participants. 50 Fifty-seven men with prostate enlargement were enrolled in the study, with 31 taking 92 mg of the grass pollen extract daily for 6 months and the remaining 26 taking placebo. As with the previous study, statistically significant improvements in nighttime frequency of urination and emptying of the bladder were found with use of grass pollen extract. Additionally, 69% of the participants receiving treatment reported overall improvement, while only 29% of the group taking the placebo felt they had improved, another statistically significant difference.
An important finding in this study was that the prostates of the men taking grass pollen significantly decreased in size according to ultrasound measurements taken.
No one is certain how the grass pollen extract causes the beneficial results seen in the studies. One theory is that it inhibits the body's manufacturing of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which might relieve prostate congestion by reducing inflammation. 51
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full Grass Pollen Extract article.
Combination Treatment
A 48-week, double-blind trial of 543 men with early BPH compared combined saw palmetto and nettle root against Proscar and found equal benefits. 55 The same combination proved superior to placebo in a 24-week, double-blind study of 257 men. 65
In a 3-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 144 men with BPH, use of a combination product containing saw palmetto, grass pollen extract, beta-sitosterol, and vitamin E significantly reduced symptoms. 59
A 6-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 44 men given a saw palmetto herbal blend (containing, in addition, nettle root and pumpkin seed oil) found shrinkage in prostate tissue. 56 No significant improvement in symptoms was seen, but the authors pointed out that the study size was too small to statistically detect such improvements if they did occur. Another small study failed to find significant benefit with a combination of pygeum and nettle root. 66
In a small randomized trial of 57 men with BPH, a combination of Cucurbita pepo , Epilobium parviflorum , lycopene, Pygeum africanum , and Serenoa repens (ProstateEZE Max), improved prostate symptoms, and reduced daytime and nighttime urinary frequency when compared to placebo over a period of 3 months. 73
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
One study provides weak evidence that green tea extracts taken orally might reduce symptoms of BPH. 67
Pumpkin seeds are approved for use in BPH by Germany's Commission E. The mineral zinc is also commonly recommended in both Europe and the United States as a treatment for prostate disease, as are both whole flaxseed and flaxseed oil , along with the herbs maca ( Lepidium meyenii ) and oat straw ( Avena sativa ). However, there is no meaningful evidence to indicate that any of these proposed options are effective.
In large study investigating the influence of dietary patterns and supplement use on the risk of BPH, researchers followed 4,770 men, initially with normal-sized prostates, for 7 years. They found that antioxidants supplements did not significantly reduce BPH risk and that lycopene , zinc , and vitamin D supplementation had only a modest beneficial effect. 69
In a 12-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 136 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia of moderate severity, use of Bixa orellana (annatto) at a dose of 250 mg 3 times daily failed to improve symptoms. 68
In a preliminary, double-blind trial of 78 older men, flaxseed extract modestly improved the urinary symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement) after four months of treatment. 70
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO CAM Review Board
- Review Date: 12/2015 -
- Update Date: 12/15/2015 -


text:
HONG KONG PRINCESS31yo Chestnut Mare
D.O.B: 02-Nov-1987
by STARMUNDA from PRINCESS MERRILY
View Pedigree Report
|If you're having trouble viewing video form, click here
|Owner's Details
|Strongfield Pty Ltd
|Stewards Embargoes
|None on record
|Emergency Vaccination Record
|(Click here for more details)
|Last Gear Change*
|None on record.
|Racing Colours
Summary: 0-0:0:0 Prizemoney: $0
BOBS Bonus: 0 BOBS Double Up: 0 Other Bonus: 0
1st Up: 0:0-0-0 2nd Up: 0:0-0-0
Firm: 0:0-0-0 Good: 0:0-0-0 Soft: 0:0-0-0 Heavy: 0:0-0-0 Synthetic: 0:0-0-0
Sand/Dirt Fast: 0:0-0-0 Sand/Dirt Wet Fast: 0:0-0-0
© Racing New South Wales Limited (RNSW) (and other parties working with it). RNSW racing materials, including fields, form and results, is subject to copyright which is owned by RNSW.


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patrickschuur necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 82 diseños de 25 diseñadores freelance.
Soon to be opened open access workplace Maketropolis is in need of finger licking good logo design!
Currently Maketropolis is developing a open access workplace for the Eindhoven region, in the Netherlands in Europe. Eindhoven is Europe's self proclaimed 'design capital' and is trying to make Eindhoven in a designers hot spot. Therefore Eindhoven needs an open access workplace. Where designers can work on their products and prototypes by using a wide variety of machines and tools (lasercutting, 3D printing, drilling, milling, sawing, sewing, welding, soldering, painting, molding and much, much, more). Maketropolis main target users are designers, but Maketropolis will also be open to whoever is interested in working on building projects. Maketropolis will not just offer machines and space to work, but also will provide education on how to make stuff and how to work with the machines. Maketropolis will be open late every day of the week.
The Maketropolis concept is very similar to California's open access shop called TechShop (see it at http://www.techshop.ws). But there will be differences. The first big difference that we want to make with TechShop is in our corporate identity, we want it to be simple, beautiful, we want it to have potential to become an icon. The logo will serve as the first stepping stone for the rest to come. If you come up with THE logo, we are looking forward to work together in the future!
We at Maketropolis have toyed around with a logo design, but found it quite hard to come up with something that we found great enough. The logo really must radiate that Maketropolis is THE PLACE to go and MAKE your stuff. We have our own ideas about the logo, but we would like to see what others can come up with, just by having read the description about the concept above, and the name 'Maketropolis'. We will provide feedback and guidance in the comments and are very excited about seeing some great logo designs!
The logo must radiate:
- creativity- open-ness (everybody is welcome!)- professionalism- slick (design-ish; must be beautiful and appeal to designers)- color scheme is up for debate, keep it simple but don't be shy. corporate identity color will come back in the building and furniture- artwork must be submitted as vector
- caligraphy kind of fonts- tagline (we'll handle that in the future)
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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This recipe is very easy, and I have made it many times.
For W.S., Columbus
Makes 6 to 8 servings
This recipe is very easy, and I have made it many times.
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain well. Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt and pepper. Add cheddar and mix well. Stir in macaroni. Turn into prepared pan. Sprinkle with paprika and bake 45 minutes.
Sally Smetana, Ashland
PER SERVING (based on 8): 344 calories, 16 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 20 g fat (12 g saturated), 89 mg cholesterol, 565 mg sodium


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The Greater Tuna Visitors Center is your home for all things related to the hilarious world of Tuna, Texas!
Inside you can find out the history of our town, more about the citizens of our 'metropolis,' some videos of our great civic works, a little bit of news and where you might be able to see our denizens on tour.
You can even click on the logos to the right, where you can find out more information about our present and past civic productions.
There is always something going on in Tuna, so check back often.
Join TUNA on Facebook!


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The Uttar Pradesh Police has launched a phone helpline for women. The helpline, '1090', will be manned exclusively by women police personnel
Lucknow, Nov 15: The Uttar Pradesh Police Thursday launched the much-hyped Women's Power phone helpline '1090'.
The police band played to the applause of Samajwadi party workers, as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the helpline at his official residence here.
The helpline, which can be accessed from anywhere in the state, will be manned by women police personnel. The identity of the complainants would be kept secret.
In his address on the occasion, the chief minister lauded the state's police force and said this would be his gift to his 'sisters' in the state, who face harassment at the hands of eve-teasers (molesters) and crank callers.
The chief minister directed police officials to ensure that the motive behind the helpline was met, and that no technical snags affected its functioning.
The helpline will operate from the administrative block 2 of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Pariwartan Sthal, the sprawling park built by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati near Jiamau crossing on Lohia Path here.
This is the second instance of the Samajwadi party (SP) government using the Dalit memorials built by Mayawati for other purposes. This was in keeping with the promises made by the party in the run-up to the polls last year.
Some time back, a milk booth was opened in one such "monument".
Yadav said he was certain that the helpline for women would go a long way in creating a sense of greater security among women.
Navneet Sikera, the Lucknow deputy inspector general of police (DIG) who stewarded the project, said the helpline was largely aimed at counselling first-time offenders; if the offences continued, police would initiate legal measures against repeat offenders.
The helpline would deal with crank calls, obscene calls, SMSes and MMSes in the first phase, while all internet-related harassment, including posting of fake profiles on social networks would be dealt with in the second phase.
The third phase, Sikera said, would involve cases of harassment in public places.
A 'digital cage' has been built for the offenders; once helpline officials confirm that the offender was not paying heed to counselling, cops would act to ensure that the person is not able to get a character certificate, passport or driving licence.
"We will be linking the database of complaints and action taken to the Intelligence Department," director general of police (DGP) A.C. Sharma said.
The helpline would also be connected to Google maps so that the police can flag areas from where cases of eve teasing are reported, officials said. This, they added, was being done after inputs were received from the tech-savvy chief minister.


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The Golden Eagle Battalion has many other activities and organizations that Cadets can be a part of outside of normal training. These clubs are optional and range from organizations that offer additional tactical training to Marquette University intramural sports. Follow up on Cadet news.
Check out our youtube video done by the youtube sensation Spanish Odonnells called Walk It Out


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26 U.S. Code Part VI - TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CORPORATE INTERESTS AS STOCK OR INDEBTEDNESS
1969—Pub. L. 91–172, title IV, § 415(a), Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 613, added part heading and analysis of sections.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 22nd Aug 2013 20:51 UTC
Pokki, a Start menu replacement for Windows 8, will be installed on all Lenovo PCs.
We're excited to announce that the #1 PC maker in the world, Lenovo, will be shipping Pokki on new Windows 8 devices worldwide! In other words, you'll soon be able to buy a brand new Lenovo laptop or desktop with our full Pokki software suite integrated and ready to use out-of-the-box!
Windows 8 has loads of problems, but the lack of the Start menu is not one of them. The fact that Metro - and more importantly - its applications still suck, however, is.
Thread beginning with comment 570343
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To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
by stabbyjones on Thu 22nd Aug 2013 22:03 UTC
RE: malicious


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Please be patient and let it load!
New Tamagotchi v2 TV Commercial
Started by Admin , Oct 10 2005 06:31 PM
Posted 10 October 2005 - 06:31 PM ( #1 )
I just received the new v2 TV commercial (US) you should start seeing soon... What do you all think of it? Watch it and share your thoughts here.
- Minecraft Addict likes this


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No Adults Left At CNN
The adults have left CNN; the children are in charge.
How is it possible today not to understand the importance of, and indeed practice, the ethic of transparency? If we've learned nothing else in this technological revolution sweeping the news media it is this: an interactive media — the only kind left standing — demands transparency.
The argument is simple: In a media situation where anyone can report, publish, and be noticed, transparency (in purpose, methods, and ethos) becomes the new umbrella ethic, the new route to credibility — the willingness to be open about who you are, what you're doing, and why you're doing it. This is the opposite of the view from nowhere — the false notion that journalists can or should be "objective" in philosophical stance, that their news comes from some place apart from the pressures and intentions of the real world with no purpose other than to inform. (What journalists need to be are custodians of fact who operate with a discipline of verification — and be transparent about it.)
So we learn that the rebirth of the wretched Crossfire includes the abandonment of transparency — no obligation to report conflicts of interest to the viewer.
Well, to be fair, Crossfire ain't journalism. And, really, given the excesses, excuses, mistakes, and silliness pointed out regularly by Jon Stewart, can we really call CNN an outlet for journalism? Maybe a couple hours per day.
This show is a vampire. Jon Stewart only wounded it before. Who will drive a stake through its evil heart and kill it for good?


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RALEIGH � Highlights of Gov. Pat McCrory's $20.6 billion spending proposal released Wednesday for the 2013-14 fiscal year. For tax changes, figures are for the amount of revenue generated or lost. For spending changes, figures are for amount spent or saved compared to what was projected to maintain current services.
Taxes, reserves or salaries
� state's rainy day reserve account: $200 million.
� repair and renovation money for state buildings: $150 million.
� Medicaid risk reserve: $90 million.
� 1 percent pay raise for teachers and state employees: $135.7 million.
� state retirement system contribution: $36.1 million.
� State Health Plan contribution to cover 4.7 percent premium increase: $45 million.
� 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment for state pension system retirees: $35 million.
� repeal state estate tax: -$52 million.
� repeal transfer of portion of corporate income tax to public school capital fund: $75 million.
� collect or intercept money from trust funds and special accounts, including Golden LEAF foundation, repeal political party income tax check-off and public campaign financing funds: $142.5 million.
� dozens of capital projects, all paid for by outside funds.
� disaster relief reserve: $10 million.
� government efficiency and reform project: $2 million.
Public schools
� partial restoration of textbook spending reduction: $58.3 million.
� teach additional 6,600 public school children in the fall: $11.2 million.
� eliminate teacher assistant funding for 2nd, 3rd grade classes, increase teacher assistant-student ratio in kindergarten, 1st grade: -$117.1 million.
� ACT standardized tests for college students: $7.5 million.
� redirect N.C. Education Lottery receipts toward reading table purchases for students: $26 million from lottery funds.
UNC system
� reduce spending at campuses and at system headquarters, with specifics determined by administrators: -$110.7 million.
� implement operational and administrative efficiencies: -$10 million.
� academic programming efficiencies: -$15.8 million.
� increase out-of-state tuition by 12.3 percent at UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, N.C. A&T State University, UNC School of the Arts, UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Wilmington and by 6 percent at other campuses: -$54.1 million.
� carry out Strategic Directions Plan to increase percentage of state residents with bachelor's degree, focus on high-growth fields: $19.6 million.
Community colleges
� scale back enrollment funds to reflect actual number of students: -$20 million.
� increase tuition rates by $1 per credit for in-state residents and $4 per hour for out-of-state students: -$6.2 million.
� technical education equipment and infrastructure: $14 million.
� higher-cost degree programs: $16.8 million.
Health and Human Services
� expands North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten for at-risk 4-year-olds by 5,000 slots to 29,400: $9.1 million.
� teen tobacco prevention and cessation: $1.1 million.
� rework Medicaid formula to reflect additional eligible patients: $185 million.
� reduce hospital payments for Medicaid and N.C. Health Choice from 80 percent of cost to 70 percent: -$26.3 million.
� hire temporary staff and contractors when new Medicaid billing system begins July 1: $4.8 million.
� fully implement transfer or local management entities for mental health treatment to managed care organizations: -$15.2 million.
� buy furniture, equipment and other infrastructure for new Broughton Hospital set to open in December 2014: $23 million.
Justice and Public Safety
� end funding for Conference of District Attorneys: -$387,812.
� revive drug treatment courts: $3.4 million.
� move 210 Department of Justice attorneys and support staff that perform routine legal services for agencies and become employed by those agencies: -$7.5 million.
� expands DNA testing, toxicology testing for Triad and Western State Bureau of Investigation labs, hire 40 people: $4.8 million.
� increase enforcement of methamphetamine abuse laws: $365,130.
� close adult male prisons in Wayne, Bladen, Duplin, Robeson counties and Western Youth Institution in Morganton, eliminate 685 positions: -$20.3 million.
� hire 106 positions for probation and parole officers, other officers: $7.2 million.
� expand electronic monitoring of probationers: $3.7 million.
Natural and Economic Resources
� spending reductions in Department of Agriculture: -$2 million.
� Clean Water Management Trust Fund: $6.8 million.
� Job Maintenance and Capital Development business incentives funds: $6.7 million.
� develop new branding strategy for North Carolina economic recruitment, growth plan: $2.7 million.
� Johnson & Wales University: $500,000.
� reduce advertising budget for N.C. Education Lottery from 1 percent to 0.5 percent: -$7.4 million in lottery funds.
� Job Development and Investment business incentives grants: $32.6 million.
� additional Highway Fund maintenance reserve: $59.1 million.
� additional Highway Fund contract resurfacing: $81 million.
� Saturday service at 20 Division of Motor Vehicles offices: $1.4 million.
Others government agencies
� largely 1 to 3 percent spending reductions in various agencies.
� savings in Governor's Office: -$419,693.
� restore two positions in Office of the Lt. Governor: $144,534.
� provide $50,000 each to victims of now-defunct sterilization program, continue agency to locate survivors: $10.1 million.
� eliminate 12 positions while closing Aycock Birthplace, Polk Memorial, Vance Birthplace, House in the Horseshoe historic sites and Museum of History's Old Fort/Mountain Gateway site. Sites will be maintained and preserved: -$498,712.
� reduce N.C. Arts Council grants by 6 percent, state aid to public libraries by 4.8 percent: -$1 million.
� withdraw state support for Roanoke Island Commission: -$1.1 million.
� provide state matching funds to release federal Help America Vote Act election funds: $390,871.


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Jersey City IT services firm Datapipe has acquired Tel Aviv startup Newvem in a deal expected to expand cloud-based offerings capabilities for its customers.
Datapipe said the acquisition adds to its managed IT services with an innovative cloud optimization platform pioneered by Newvem.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Newvem specializes in cloud usage analytics, including the ability to monitor Amazon Web Services — the cloud computing business unit for the online retailer — on behalf of its clients.
Ed Lazynski, Datapipe senior voice president of cloud strategy and architecture, said the acquisition improves the company's services while gaining access to more customers.
"This gives us tools that our customers — whether it be CFOs or developers — need to govern their clouds in the most secure and efficient way," Lazynski said. "This rounds out our offerings."
Lazynski said the two companies have partnered on projects for about a year. He said the quality of Newvem's team of engineers and developers impressed Datapipe, culminating in the acquisition.
RELATED: Datapipe announces partnership with Irish company
About 20 Newvem employees will remain based in Tel Aviv, as part of Datapipe, which is expanding its global footprint. Datapipe said the acquisition also provides it with a creative and experienced team of cloud development and business professionals.
"Tel Aviv is a great place to have developers and engineers," Lazynski said.
Datapipe provides services and infrastructure for outsourced information technology and cloud computing. The company has about $150 million in annual revenue and employs about 210 in New Jersey. That includes Jersey City headquarters plus a data center in Somerset County. Datapipe employs about 400 worldwide.


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Has baby been checked carefully for a tongue tie? Crease that matches the crack sounds like a shallow latch issue. Did the LC show you the breast sandwich" technique? That can help you cram maximum breast into a tiny mouth.
Has baby been checked carefully for a tongue tie? Crease that matches the crack sounds like a shallow latch issue. Did the LC show you the breast sandwich" technique? That can help you cram maximum breast into a tiny mouth.
When a nurse at my oldest son's pediatrician's office told me to nurse my poorly latching, not gaining newborn every two hours, when it took 45 minutes just to get him latched, and another 45 to nurse him, plus 20 minutes pumping after every session because I was using a nipple shield, I did not know whether to strangle her or cry. (Crying won.)
So I know exactly how unwelcome such a suggestion is. But later I realized, the nurse was right. She was not right to tell me to nurse every two hours, but the fact is my baby was not nursing often enough overall.
So, please note, I did not suggest that you nurse baby every two hours. I know that that is a suggestion that denies reality. I suggested it might help to nurse overall more often IF your baby is not nursing about 12 times a day. That is why I talked about cluster nursing etc. There really is a difference between that and saying 'nurse every two hours.'
Going back to your op, you are having to pump and give a supplement –'triple feed' and it's exhausting. So what I forgot to say before is that if your baby can nurse a little more, maybe that will allow you to not have to pump and supplement so much, so more time at the breast might equal less time with this other stuff that is exhausting you.
This is just a suggestion, based on what is normal nursing frequency for a baby this age. No need to consider it if it is not a helpful idea for you.
If your baby is unable to extract milk efficiently, that is a latch and/or a sucking issue. It may be anatomical. It may not. This is the type of thing you want experienced hands on help with if that is possible(?) Certainly we can provide latch suggestions (like mommal did above-we can offer more) and suggestions for keeping baby nursing more vigorously (switching sides or breast compressions, 'pumping' feet and hands, stroking baby- I used to jiggle my baby's chin to get him revved up again.)
this could be a kneading thing (trying to increase flow) Does she relatch, go to other side- or what happens then?The other thing baby does is that, while still latched, she pulls her head back and stretches the nipple like a rubber band. I try to stop her, but she does it o quickly that most times I can't stop her from doing this. I'm wondering if she is trying to get more milk when she does this because this is often the time she ones off the breast but is still rooting.
Is it hurting (it sounds painful) Sometimes this kind of a pulling back thing us lessened by using a different nursing positition.
Babies also do this when the back of thier head is touched sometimes.
Ladies, thanks for all of the suggestions. We hit another road block this week because I got very sick, spent a day in hospital, and had to be put on antibiotics....which are too strong to keep nursing. So for the next week and a half I'm pumping and dumping to keep up my supply.
My nipples are enjoying the rest, which means that I definitely need help with our latch - I have an appointment to work with the LC as soon as the antibiotics are out of my system.
I will get baby checked for being tongue tied.
Thanks again for the help. It's been a very rough week but I'm not ready to give up yet. Hopefully this forced week break will renew our energy and we ll do better soon.
Yes, this really hurts. She will relatch, or go to the other side. I have a feeling it's her trying to get more, or faster milk. I work hard not to touch the back of her head as I know they have a reflex there.
So sorry to hear that you're sick, mama!
It's a good idea to contact Infant Risk (http://www.infantrisk.com/) about the antibiotics. It's common for moms to be told that they must pump and dump when the antibiotics are actually safe for nursing. Your case may be different, but you definitely want to check!
Since you're on strong antibiotics, it's a really good idea to take proactive steps to prevent thrush. Be really careful about your breast hygeine. Wash your towels, bras, shirts, pajamas, etc. on hot, and every day. Pump parts should also be carefully washed and perhaps sterilized...? Reduce simple sugars in your diet and take a daily probiotic. If you sense a yeast infection starting anywhere on your body, make sure you get it treated.
I had a very similar situation with my twins. At their 3 week appointment they were still below their birth weight, so the pediatrician had me start waking them every 90 minutes during the day and every 3 hours at night to eat. It was challenging. They had jaundice and were very sleepy. But it worked. After a few weeks they became very interesting in nursing and were able to gain weight. They would eat for hours in the beginning because they were so inefficient, but now at 15 weeks they only need to eat for about 15 minutes, so it has paid off. I'm really glad that we kept at it. And don't worry about supplementing. We supplemented during that time and they went on to be exclusively breastfed. So supplementing doesn't have to lead to weaning. If you have the chance and the energy once you recover from your illness, you might give this a try in addition to the other suggestions offered.


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Reviewed by Luke S (age 9)
My favorite part was how the animals had human characteristics. I liked the woodpecker because he was so convincing when he talked to the bat. I enjoyed the setting, the woods and barn, because the bat kept flying back and forth between them and that was very realistic. Even though the animals talk, and the bat writes poetry, the author used a realistic setting because bats really live in the barn.
This is a good book, if you like poems. The poems are very descriptive. The poems express the bat's feelings.


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AMD Athlon II X2 255, X3 440, X4 635, Phenom II X2 555, and X4 910e Review
With the new year started and the conclusion of CES 2010 a few weeks ago, AMD has released several new processors aimed at the mid-market and energy conscious computer enthusiasts to give our hardware sweet tooth a computer fix, while kicking off the new decade. AMD has always payed attention to the budget-minded computer enthusiast, releasing products that offer a great bang for the buck when it comes to components. Their processor lines, including the Athlon II and Phenom II, are for the most part very low in cost, however, they provide the power that us gamers and overclocking junkies need and crave. This time is no different. The processors that we will be taking a look at are updates to both of the CPU lines, and vary in clock speeds as well as core count. For the Athlon II line, AMD has the new dual core Athlon II X2 255, a triple core Athlon II X3 440, and a quad core Athlon II X4 635. For the Phenom II line, there is the new Phenom II X2 555 and the energy efficient quad core Phenom II X4 910e. The price ranges for these new processors one in the market are expected to be between $74 for the Athlon II dual core, up to $169 for the energy efficient Phenom II X4 910e.
Closer Look:
Since these are all socket AM3 processors, they still keep the same characteristics of the AM3 design which included backwards compatibility with AM2+ boards using DDR2 memory, as well as with AM3 boards using DDR3 memory. All of the processors also run with HyperTransport 3.0, for increased processor-to-system bandwidth and the quickest transfer speeds possible. For the Phenom II line below, there is the Phenom II X4 910e which is an energy efficient quad core offering a clock speed of 2.6GHz, an L2 cache of 2MB which breaks down to 512KB per core, and a shared L3 cache of 6MB. The other Phenom II is the Phenom II X2 555, which is a dual core processor featuring a clock speed of 3.2GHz, an L2 cache of 1MB which is 512KB per core, and a shared L3 of 6MB as well. To kick off the Athlon II side, there is the dual core Athlon II X2 255 which is clocked at 3.1GHz with an L2 cache of 2MB, translating to 1MB per core. Then there is the triple core version the Athlon II X3 440, which is clocked at 3.0GHz and has a total L2 cache of 1.5MB, also 512KB per core. Finally, rounding out the new processors is the quad core Athlon II X4 635 which is clocked just a bit lower then the other two at 2.9GHz, It has a total L2 cache of 2MB, which is 512KB per core. Together, all of them offer DDR3 and DDR2 support, as well as being backwards compatable with AM2+ motherboards, which makes upgrading your hardware less stressful since you can choose what and when to upgrade your components without having to drop down a lot of cash when keeping up with the latest processor releases, unlike Intel's plentiful CPU sockets.
Now that we have them all out and the basics discussed, let's plug these babies in and see where the performance is.


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January 13, 2013 13:09 ET
Membership of CUPE 4865 vote to accept deal that protects services and students
NORTH BAY, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 13, 2013) - Education support staff at the Conseil scolaire de district du Nord-Est de l'Ontario, members of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4865, have voted to ratify a two-year provincial agreement that will protect services and students while ensuring stability in schools.
The agreement addresses a number of issues of importance to CUPE members, including protecting services through better job security, better sick leave support, and protection of pension contributions.
"Our members understood what our bargaining committee faced at the provincial bargaining table in the shadow of Bill 115, says CUPE 4865 President Mike Richard.Their support helped greatly throughout this entire process, and we thank them for that support."
Richard thanked the provincial bargaining committee for their hard work, especially during the final week of negotiations which took place over the holiday season.
He concluded by adding "The fight is not over. Our local has concluded this round of bargaining for our members but our concerns around Bill 115's infringement on our democratic rights remain. Bill 115 created a crisis in our schools and we will continue to campaign until all provincial leaders commit that they will not attack our basic collective bargaining rights in the future."
CUPE CommunicationsMarjorie Savoie613-864-9924
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1. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5_durin_ Apr 28, 2011 11:25 AM (in response to Admiral Cook)
Native WMA support did not make it into CS 5.5 for either platform, although perhaps ironically wma/wmv files import just fine on Mac with the the Flip4Mac QuickTime plug-in. A feature to implement native support, at least on Windows, is in the feature database for Audition.
2. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Bobbutler7 Apr 28, 2011 6:04 PM (in response to Admiral Cook)
That's one of my disappointments with the Mac version. The older versions allowed you to save as mp3's, wav's, aiff's, wma's etc. Now you can only save as wav's, mp3's, aiff's.
3. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5stevelyles May 6, 2011 4:44 PM (in response to Admiral Cook)
I know this is an additional step...but import the .wma
into soundbooth CS5 (assuming you didnt uninstall it:) and save it as a .wav file then open it in Audition 5.5
4. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5rehrmn May 8, 2011 5:39 PM (in response to _durin_)
I downloaded the trial of CS 5.5 and not being able to import WMA is a big disappointment seeing as our business records in that format and seeing as WMA (Windows Media Audio) is the standard for Windows operating systems.
5. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Admiral Cook May 9, 2011 4:30 AM (in response to stevelyles)
I don't want to use Soundbooth. I never liked it, and never used it. And I don't want to install whole separate program just to read and convert WMA. It's not some new format that we need to wait to be implemented in popular programs. I wish you to give as back ability to read/write WMA in Audition.
6. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5SteveG(AudioMasters) May 9, 2011 9:14 AM (in response to Admiral Cook)
Admiral Cook wrote:
I don't want to use Soundbooth.
It's too late anyway now - it's been unceremoniously scrapped.
7. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Sam.Hull May 13, 2011 7:07 AM (in response to Admiral Cook)
This was a huge disappointment for our shop - we work daily with a library of thousands of archival WMAs made from reel-to-reel masters, processing them for web streaming, radio programming, etc. CoolEdit/Audition has been the tool of choice for over 15 years, and I loved all of the Audition upgrades until this one. I was really looking forward to multiple core support, etc. but every job requires a format conversion before I can get started. Very frustrating.
8. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Mitch Shuttleworth Jun 2, 2011 3:58 PM (in response to Admiral Cook)
How is it that cs5.5 does not support the cs3.ses file and that there's not even a convert function included. this means that all my cs3 projects are pretty much useless as i can not import them into cs5.
9. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Mitch Shuttleworth Jun 2, 2011 4:02 PM (in response to Admiral Cook)
if im not mistaken cs3 use to save all your audio files in your session as wma which is even less helpfull so cs5 doesnt support cs3 at all its like i way diffirent program.
10. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5MusicConductor Jun 2, 2011 10:26 PM (in response to Mitch Shuttleworth)
Mitch, you are quite mistaken about that. Audition 3 will save to whatever you last used, and there is no format default for sessions. In fact, unless you're using wma lossless, saving session audio as wma could be disastrous because it adds noises and distortions typical of lossy codecs. So stick with uncompressed wavs!
So far as opening AA3 sessions, you can do that by saving the session as .xml from AA3, then opening that in AA4/CS5.5. However, track effects are not ported.
As to that, and why all this is the way it is, you ought to grab a cold one, sit back and get comfy, and read through some of the major threads posted here recently. Those answers and far more are right here at your fingertips.
11. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5ryclark Jun 3, 2011 2:34 AM (in response to MusicConductor)
Or use the Ses2Sesx third party utility to move your .wav file saved .ses into CS 5.5.
12. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5dustinwilson80 Aug 11, 2011 1:51 PM (in response to Sam.Hull)
I too work with WMAs fairly often. I don't have soundbooth to work with either. But, as quick work-around, the Adobe Media Encoder works pretty well. It can convert from WMA to MP3.
Maybe to help you out, you could create a "Watch Folder" that housed all your WMA files and let Media Encoder convert them to MP3s.
Anyway, just thought I'd pass on my work-around.
13. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Bobbutler7 Aug 11, 2011 1:57 PM (in response to dustinwilson80)
Thanks Dustin!
Bob Butler
Reporter, KCBS Radio
Vice President Broadcast, National Association of Black Journalists
Vice President, AFTRA
14. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5MusicConductor Aug 16, 2011 3:39 PM (in response to Bobbutler7)
While it's not nice to rain on anyone's parade, I would NOT recommend following Dustin's advice, because of the lossiness and resultant poorer audio quality that the conversion will give you. Worse still would be if the WMA originals are also in lossy-compressed mode (but WMA does have a very cool lossless option), then after conversion to mp3 you'll have two different kinds of losses munging up your audio.
WMA in all its flavors is a great format and I look forward to its return in a future version of Audition.
15. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5dustinwilson80 Aug 17, 2011 6:27 AM (in response to MusicConductor)
I understand your warnings, and it is good advice. I should have mentioned Media Encoder also supports AAC.
While neither may be the first choice for audiophiles, I imagine that most will find some suitable settings with one of the formats. A 320 kbps MP3/AAC file sounds pretty good to me.
16. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Mitch Shuttleworth Aug 17, 2011 7:52 AM (in response to dustinwilson80)
What would be the most preferred format?
Kind regards,
Mitch Shuttleworth
(+27) 76 440 3220
Tel. (011) 795 1669
Fax (086) 568 6699
This email is confidential and intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above and may contain information that is privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email or telephone and destroy the original message
Copyright © 2010 Shuttleworth Productions.
17. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5ryclark Aug 17, 2011 9:34 AM (in response to Mitch Shuttleworth)
Preferred format is .wav files since this is Audition's internal format. Then transcode to compressed format after editing is completed. If possible keep the .wav files in case you ever need to revisit the edit.
18. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Mitch Shuttleworth Aug 17, 2011 9:15 PM (in response to ryclark)
Thanks Ryclark,
I think that's what I've been using never actually checked just opened audition and started recording.
And thank you everyone else for your input, it's always good to learn from someone else's mistakes before you make your own.
Kind regards,
Mitch Shuttleworth
(+27) 76 440 3220
Tel. (011) 795 1669
Fax (086) 568 6699
This email is confidential and intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above and may contain information that is privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email or telephone and destroy the original message
Copyright © 2010 Shuttleworth Productions.
19. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Glen Harness Aug 26, 2011 6:06 AM (in response to Admiral Cook)
Imagine my surprise when I realized that Soundbooth had been replaced by Audition. No big deal I thought. It's supposed to be a "better" program. So I tried to open a WMA file and nothing. I then tried to open one of my Soundbooth project files. Nothing.
I've been producing podcasts for the last two years with Soundbooth CS4 and CS5. My audio recorder records in WMA format. Now because I "upgrade" I can't use either file format?
This is riduculous.
I get that I can convert from WMA to WAV, but the whole reason I figured out how to use Soundbooth was that it supported WMA files when the podcast editing software I was using at the time didn't support it well (for some reason, if a project used a WMA file, the project could only be exported as a WMA file, not MP3).
I'd hoped to be able to uninstall CS5 to get the space back, but it looks like I at least need to keep Soundbooth around.
Is there some utility that will convert Soundbooth project files to Audition project files?
20. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5AMXkyle Feb 24, 2012 12:05 PM (in response to Admiral Cook)
I know this is an old post, but I found it so I know others will too. The best solution would be to follow the Adobe Media Encoder advice, but use WAV as the output. If you get an audio file in WMA, this is a very quick way of converting to a usable, lossless, uncompressed audio file for editing.
21. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Sam.Hull Feb 27, 2012 7:13 AM (in response to AMXkyle)
I appreciate the workaround suggestions, but for those of us with an existing library of multiple thousands of WMA masters taking up hundreds of gigabytes of space, this extra conversion step is a huge, deal-breaking PITA. Durin, the Adobe guy above, said that native WMA support for the Windows version of Audition is "in the feature database." Does that mean that support is going to be restored sometime soon for this widely used standard audio format, or are we stuck with using 3.0 forever? Our shop's investment in CS5.5 has been of no practical benefit whatsoever for the last year, and I know we are not the only ones in that boat.
22. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Mark Wheeler May 8, 2012 3:55 PM (in response to Sam.Hull)
We realize this has been long in coming, but WMA is now supported in CS6, along with several other new formats:
23. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5MusicConductor May 9, 2012 8:44 AM (in response to Mark Wheeler)
Nice catch, yes it certainly can read WMA quite nicely, although an 8-channel WMA file reads in as 5.1. Great to have this back.
In all fairness, WMA is an import-only format. The Windows Media Encoder can be used for the return trip back to WMA, or Audition 3 or earlier. Someday we'll get this back in directly, right?
Export audioformats are presently limited to: AIFF, APE (Monkey's Audio lossless compression), FLAC, OGG, mp2 (yay!!!), mp3, mov (audio-only), and wav, plus a whole raft of odd formats from the libsndfile interface.
24. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Sam.Hull Jun 22, 2012 7:54 AM (in response to Mark Wheeler)
Thank you - thank you - thank you! I have finally left 3.0 behind and am using CS6 Audition on a daily basis to process material out of our extensive WMA audio archives for radio and web broadcast production. Really love the performance gain from multi-processor support, improved navigation, and some enhanced features I am still figuring out.
Appreciative regards,
25. Re: Import WMA into CS5.5Stephennnnn Oct 19, 2014 9:15 AM (in response to Admiral Cook)
use Format factory, it will import/export audio, video, to different formats, and has a couple of other tricks it can do ;-)


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|View More Photos
Mr. Potato Head is the man of the moment on a recent morning inside the Scottish Rite Preschool Language Class, a new addition to the landscape of development and rehab service programs at All Children's Hospital.
"Ears ON," says speech-language pathologist Maria Sansone to a little girl named Baela, simultaneously placing the plastic ears on the iconic toy. In her high-pitched voice, Baela mimics the simple phrase with gusto.
Seconds later, fellow speech-language pathologist Jenn Ziemak repeats the exercise with another toddler, a curly-headed boy named Samuel. "Hands ON," she states while sticking Mr. Potato Head's hands into place. Samuel follows the lead and blurts the words out as best he can.
It is all part of a unique soundtrack for teaching young children with communicative disorders at All Children's.
Inside a second-floor room of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, you see what looks like a typical nursery school class - fully equipped with kid-friendly art supplies, building blocks, peg boards, a puppet theater and Barbie house, a pint-sized wooden kitchen and boxes of cars, trains and dolls.
But what you hear is another story altogether.
"What's our letter of the day?" Jenn asks the three students in attendance this day. "DOUBLE-u. Say it with me, DOUBLE-u."
Pointing to a picture of snow, Maria helps the class describe the color: "Wu-wu-WHITE."
"BUB-bles," the two teachers call out later as they blow bubbles that float amid the excited kids, who cheerily pronounce the hard consonant while trying to catch or pop the soapy spheres.
So it goes on another morning in a new program created by the All Children's Speech-Language Pathology Department - under the supervision of Speech and Hearing director Therese Montanari and taught by the talented and passionate tandem of Maria and Jenn.
The class, made possible by funding from the Scottish Rite Foundation of Florida, meets for 90 minutes one morning a week. Children can continue attending without a set timetable, allowing them to be discharged at an appropriate time. The goal is to work with patients ages 2-4 on improving language and social skills, which are often inextricably linked in a preschool environment. The initial Monday class of eight kids has been so successful after only a few months that a second class will be added in February.
"We sometimes will take a child a little before the 2-year-old level, so if they're 22 months, we'll take them," Therese explained. "They all have an expressive language delay, so their verbal skills are not where they need to be. And a lot of times, it's their first experience in a group setting - and their parents are very concerned about putting them into a classroom where they can't verbalize what's going on.
"What happens a lot of times is that these kids have tried to start in a regular preschool and they may bite other kids because they can't verbalize, 'No, my toy!' or ' No, my truck' as another 2- or 3-year-old would. And then the teacher has to do something about it because it's behavior you can't accept. So the child spends a lot of time in 'time out' or whatever because they don't have the expressive skills - and it becomes a downward spiral."
That's where the Scottish Rite Preschool Language Class comes in - as an early intervention in what could otherwise be a progressively negative educational spiral. The class works on myriad levels. Its broader objectives, beyond improving speech, sound and social growth, is to enhance concept development, help the youngsters learn through arts and crafts and music, build vocabulary, teach them to follow directions and get them prepared for a structured preschool environment.
To accomplish these goals, Maria and Jenn introduce the kids to a new theme each week - such as "Winter holidays" from this past December, with a focus on words starting with 'W.' Each session includes activities that target both "receptive" language (that which is heard) and "expressive" language (verbalizing thoughts and feelings to others).
The class on this particular day begins with the teachers reading a book called "I Like Winter" and discussing the winter season in circle time. The letter of the day takes center stage, with Maria and Jenn underscoring the sound that the letter makes, using it in different words and finger painting 'W' in the art center. And the parents play a crucial role as well. They receive a recap of the lessons from each class and the theme for the week or month.
"We let them know how they can continue to work with their child on these things during the week," Maria says. "We'll let the parents know how we focused on a particular theme that day and give them some ideas on how to follow up at home. Being really specific about what you're working on allows the parents to be more involved."
Tara Harrell, mother of 2-1/2-year-old student Delaynee, has seen some improvement with her daughter in only a few weeks of class. Delaynee has trouble putting two or three words together to form a sentence and tends to mumble. Concerned , Tara and her husband discussed the situation with their family pediatrician, who referred them to the program at All Children's.
"It's been a little hard dropping her off, because 'Laynee' has separation anxiety, but she does like it here," Tara says. "She makes pictures and she likes to take them to her daddy. She'll remember the letter of the day and then she'll say it all week long. She hasn't really been much of a talker, but she's slowly coming around. This is definitely helping her."
Separation anxiety is a common hurdle early, but the kids have been adjusting well. "When Laynee started here, there were tears throughout the entire class, but she's really come a long way in the last three weeks," says Maria. "Even when she did stop crying, she'd stay away from the group. But now she's completely in there."
Laynee initially had trouble with the concept of turn-taking and would get upset if she didn't get to go first every time. But through the games Maria and Jenn utilize and frequent interaction with other kids, her sharing skills have improved drastically and she's even trying to imitate putting several words together in a sentence.
"It's difficult without socialization and it's hard not to say what you want," says Jenn. "In another setting, they might get kicked out of school. This class gives them an opportunity to be around kids similar to their level, and they see we're working with all of them. They're not singled out like 'I'm the only one.' I really think socialization and learning about turn taking is essential."
That's what makes this preschool program different - and vital for the children who participate. The two therapists, assisted by language and speech aide Morgan Hughart, are able to give the children the intense, focused attention and teaching that that can make all the difference.
"You don't always know the cause - you deal more with the problem itself," Maria says. "But this preschool allows the children to deal with separation, and to replace negative or aggressive behaviors with something that's more socially acceptable before they enter school. And that's big. I don't know where their language skills will be when they enter school. But if we can get the social skills to something that's more appropriate, then they can go to school and be more successful at it."
The therapists bring a wealth of experience and dedication to the program. Maria, a Tampa native, had planned on a career in microbiology. But her best friend's sister was doing a hospital speech therapy internship working with children, Maria spent a day with her on the job and that was all it took to change directions. She switched majors and got her college degree in communicative disorders, and earned her master's at the University of South Florida. She then spent 16 years in New York City working as a bilingual group therapist before coming to work at All Children's last year.
"The progress you see in group therapy is really amazing, because the kids are motivated by their peers," she says. "It's really amazing to see how kids respond to other kids in this environment. For instance, I'll always put Baela last in turn-taking because she's more likely to imitate if she hears two other kids do it first."
Jenn, who also comes from Tampa, wanted to be a pediatrician at first and began college with a major in microbiology. But her sister had some experience with speech therapy and that influenced Jenn's career course. She earned her undergraduate degree in communicative disorders, got her master's from Florida State University and did her graduate internship at All Children's 13 years ago, leading directly to a staff job. "This is what I'm meant to do," she says.
The class might not be possible, however, without the support of Florida's Scottish Rite Foundation. Not all insurance covers the cost of group therapy and some parents don't have insurance at all. The organization's funding allows those families to benefit in the life-enhancing program.
"The Scottish Rite Foundation has done such a wonderful job," says Jenn. "The funding is there if the insurance isn't. If it wasn't for them, this wouldn't be happening."
The results of the first class have been so encouraging that there's talk of adding a bilingual class, and possibly expanding the program to All Children's regional Outpatient Care Centers . Maria and Jenn are getting the word out to the Early Steps (birth to 3) program at All Children's to make parents aware of the Scottish Rite preschool class.
As another lively class session comes to an end, Maria and Jenn assemble the children in a circle and sing a farewell song with each child's name - getting the kids to pronounce "BYE, BYE."
Laynee is the first to leave and the therapists use it as a teaching moment: "Laynee is going HOME."
And she, like her fellow classmates, will be taking along vital new skills to better cope in school and life.


text:
Linked by David Adams on Wed 10th Aug 2011 17:07 UTC, submitted by glarepate
The beleaguered handset maker Nokia is setting itself up for what it hopes will be a lean and mean relaunch in the U.S. later this year: it has finally admitted that it will not launch its newest N9 device--the first and possibly only one based on the MeeGo platform--and that it plans to end sales of its Symbian-based devices as well as low-end Series 40 handsets, as it prepares for a generation of devices it is developing using Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform.
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RE[2]: Comment by ronaldst
by garyd on Thu 11th Aug 2011 18:47 UTC in reply to "RE: Comment by ronaldst"
A shame they aren't planning to release an NDK for Windows Phone because of monopolistic interests.
By NDK do you mean a native dev kit like the Android NDK? All of Microsoft's dev tools are available here: http://create.msdn.com/en-us/resources/downloads


text:
Skip to comments.Police Shut Down Cub Scouts Cotton Candy Booth and Homeless Shelters Bake Sale
Posted on 10/18/2010 12:13:08 PM PDT by citizenredstater9271
What would we do without the heroes in the Keene Police Department? Thank goodness they are here to keep us safe from the criminal Cub Scouts selling us cotton candy and the volunteers at the Hundred Nights shelter selling us baked goods! Heres the news story from the Sentinel. I heard there was video taken, but I havent seen it pop up yet.
Many businesses and nonprofit organizations name Pumpkin Festival as their most profitable selling day or fundraiser.
But a few fundraisers were cut short by police and festival organizers. Police shut down three vendors for operating without permits this year. One of them was the Cub Scout Pack 297 cotton candy booth. Den leader Roberta Mastrogiovanni said being shut down was unfair.
It was very rude to my scouts and people from out of town were witnessing what was going on, Mastrogiovanni said.
According to Mastrogiovanni, who owns the Corner News, the scouts were selling on her private property next to her store. Permits are required only on city-owned land.
Suzanne L. Woodward, executive director of festival organization Center Stage, said the selling was happening on city-owned property, and that is why it was shut down.
Mastrogiovanni said the scouts had run their booth for the past four years in the same location, and there had never been a problem before. The scouts moved their operation inside Mastrogiovannis store, and continued to sell cotton candy there. They were back outside later in the night
. Another vendor that was shut down was selling on behalf of the Hundred Nights Shelter. The booth was selling baked goods and drinks, according to Donald R. Primrose.
Members of Free Keene, a local activist group, were staffing the booth, Primrose said.
(Excerpt) Read more at freekeene.com ...
Time to shut down the Keene Police Department for a year. Maybe then the cops will get the hint.
I'd be hard pressed to contain myself if that happened in my town.
I guess fat pensions come from Unicorns. Idiot cops.
Now if they were Muslims selling prayer rugs and goat sex dolls they would get a pass
Back in my day, we had a word for that. The first two syllables were chicken.
those terrorist cub scouts,/sarc
Damn Cub Scout subversives. They're probably taking up space that could have been used by the Muslim GLBT Association.
This is clearly a case of the police enforcing the small laws so these obvious scofflaws don't turn into murders, rapists and robbers.
Once a Cub Scout gets the idea that he can sell cookies and brownies without a permit, there's no telling what crimes they will commit next.
Just ask the Girl Scouts...
If the Mayor doesn't fire the Chief of Police then "The People" should fire the Mayor.
Cub Scouts in the news
Maybe the citizens of Keene should fire the city council and the mayor who made the city ordinances.
Way to go, cops. Were you all in RIOT gear to face those dangerous Cub Scouts?? Hell of a lot easier than taking on REAL criminals, ain't it!!!
My father was a LEO for 35 years. He served with honor and distinction. There was a time many years ago when I would have taken violent exception to your remarks.
Now, all I can say is stupid PIGS!
Sounds like Minnesota (Twin Cities area) cops.
I miss Texas.
We had a similar occurance here involving a sign that was placed on a public street corner for a Christian non-profit fundraiser event.
The rules are the rules, of course. But the reason why people are getting angry is not that it was enforced, it was HOW it was enforced.
The town is at fault for not having a fast, easy way to apply and pay for permits on-site, nor allow issuance of a warning/citation that can be easily cleared up the following week through payment and back-dated permits. All this behavior does is anger the locals and irritate the merchants.
I was a Scout leader (both Cub and Boy Scout level) for years with my boys, and we always made sure we followed the laws and ordanances where we were doing any activity.
Ms. Mastrogiovanni should appeal if there is an avenue to show the boys the correct way to resolve a conflict like this.
There is a saying in BSA leader training: "camping is the carrot". Scouting is really about teaching life skills. The fun stuff is the distraction that makes them want to do it.
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