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You finally received the approval to upgrade SQL Server and buy a new server. As you think about all the new SQL Server features that you want to take advantage and the benefits of having new hardware, your boss stops by. She asks, "Now that we can spend the money on this project, how are you going to be certain that we won't have any issues? Are you sure that things will run faster on the new server? How will you know?" As your boss walks away, you break out in a cold sweat at the thought of the upgrade failing or performing poorly. "There must be an easy, low-cost way to predict performance," you say to yourself as you start searching for a tool. The good news is that there is such a tool. You can use SQL Server Profiler's replayable trace functionality.
As a consultant, I'm often asked to assist with SQL Server upgrades and hardware migrations. I've found that many IT shops just assume that a new version of SQL Server will perform better than the old one. What they fail to realize is that they might be running legacy code that isn't efficient or won't benefit from the new functionality in the new SQL Server version. In the case of a migration to new hardware, many system administrators will configure a new server the same as the old one, which can perpetuate poor server response. Unfortunately, the poor response isn't realized until a load is placed on the new server. This often happens the day that users are allowed to access the new server. Failing to test new versions of SQL Server or new hardware can result in unpleasant surprises after the upgrade or migration.
Using Profiler's replayable trace functionality (i.e., the trace replay template), you can test query compatibility and performance in a new SQL Server version or test a workload on new hardware. You can also use it to find T-SQL code that needs to be optimized or disks that need to be reconfigured. You can even use it as an inexpensive stress tester. Although there are other tools you can use for these tasks (e.g., RML Utilities, SQLIO, SQL Server Migration Assistant), they might not be immediately available for use on a new version of SQL Server. This isn't an issue with the replayable trace functionality because it's built into SQL Server. So, I'll concentrate on how to use this powerful yet flexible tool. I'll explain how the replayable trace process works, describe possible uses for it, and cover some "gotchas" that you need to be aware of.
The Process
Figure 1 outlines the replayable trace process in a graphical workflow. As you can see, you need to perform a backup, capture the workload, move the backup and trace files to the test server, perform the control run, perform a test run, and compare the performance data from those runs.
Performing the backup. You need to back up the database (or databases) from which you want to capture a workload. You can use any method as long as it creates a backup that you can use to restore the database back to the point right before the workload was captured. For example, you can perform a full backup right before capturing the workload or bring the last nightly full backup up-to-date with transaction log backups.
Capturing the workload. You need to capture the workload by collecting trace data. Because there are differences in the trace script generated by newer versions of SQL Server, it's best to use the server-side trace script generated by your production SQL Server instance. For example, if your production server is running SQL Server 2005, then you should use a SQL Server 2005-generated trace script. Similarly, if your production server is running SQL Server 2008, then you should use a SQL Server 2008-generated trace script.
Moving the files. After the backups and trace files are created, you need to move them to the test server. The test server should be running the same software as the production server, including the same versions of SQL Server and Windows.
Performing the control run. On the test server, you need to first restore the database using the backup files. Then, you need to replay the workload from the trace files. This is referred to as the control run.
During the control run, you need to capture performance data. Ideally, you should capture this data from a remote client because collecting performance data on the same server that's running the workload can skew the server's performance. The performance data captured can be as simple as a SQL trace. Here are some SQL trace events that are often collected:
- Cursors
- Database
- Lock:Cancel events and Deadlock-related events
- Errors and warnings
- Scans
- Stored procedures (completed events)
- Transactions
- T-SQL (completed events)
- Deprecation events (especially when upgrading)
Be aware that collecting all stored procedure and T-SQL completed events can generate a significant amount of trace data. To avoid data overload, you can set a duration filter of 200ms so that only those statements that are mostly likely to be using a significant amount of resources are captured for analysis. This is especially important if you're collecting performance data on the same server that's running the workload.
You can also use Performance Monitor counters to collect performance data. For example, when you want to measure the workload and assess processor utilization, disk response, and memory pressure, you can use the counters listed in Table 1.
There are a lot more counters and events that can you can use. What I've listed is simply a starting point. You should use the events and counters that give you the information you need about your system.
Performing the test run. After the control run is complete, it's time to prepare for and perform a test run. The specifics of the test run will vary, depending on what is being changed in the new environment. Suppose that you're upgrading to a new version of SQL Server. In this case, you must use the same equipment for the test run (and any subsequent test runs) that you used for the control run. That way, you'll be making an apples-to-apples comparison. On the test server, install the new version of SQL Server, Windows, and any other software needed in the new environment. Once installed, perform another replay of the workload and capture the same performance data.
Comparing the performance data. After you have performance data from the control and test runs, you need to analyze it. I like to import SQL traces into tables and clean up the queries so that they can be grouped. When queries are grouped, it is easy to compare and drill into the T-SQL statements that are most in need of optimization. For example, I was part of a team that helped a client upgrade from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2008. The client wanted to know what code needed to be changed to run on SQL Server 2008. So, we provided the client with information that indicated which stored procedures and statements needed to be changed and which didn't need any modifications, as Figure 2 shows. As you can see in Figure 2, the usp_proc1 stored procedure had a severe degradation in performance, but the usp_proc10 and usp_proc4 stored procedures actually experienced a performance boost from SQL Server 2008. Drilling further into the data, we revealed the specific statements inside of the stored procedures that need to be worked on.
I also like to import Performance Monitor data into tables, where read, write, and CPU metrics can be summed. When comparing workloads, using graphs is a great way to make results easier to digest, especially for management. For example, the graph in Figure 3 compares the physical disk reads, transfers, and writes of a typical workload and a heavy workload. As you can see in Figure 3, the disk subsystem experienced dangerously high response times for reads during the test of the heavy workload, so the disk subsystem is a cause for concern under a heavy workload.
Based on what you find in the comparison, you might need to make changes (e.g., rewrite stored procedures, reconfigure hardware) and perform another test run. This can be done as many times as needed because you can continually restore the database and replay the workload. After you've determined what you need to change to make the SQL Server upgrade or hardware migration a success, you can prepare to make those changes in the new environment.
The Possibilities
You can use the replayable trace functionality for more than just testing a new SQL Server version or new hardware. You can use it to test changes you want to make in the existing SQL Server environment. For example, you can test changes you want to make to database IDs and logins. By testing logins, you can make sure that users and groups have appropriate permissions. If you're not concerned with permissions, you can change the workload so that it uses only one login that has elevated database permissions. That way, you don't spend time chasing errors that should have never been generated. You can even test changes you want to make to T-SQL statements and other T-SQL code.
You can also create a workload that can be used for stress testing. I recently worked on a project in which the workload had to be expanded to seven times the current load to mimic the load experienced during peak usage at certain times of the year. This was accomplished by capturing multiple workloads from different times of the day. These workloads were then combined by changing the times of the transactions so that all the workloads occurred around the same time. We had great success with the stress testing and used it to prove that a hardware vendor had misconfigured a SAN for this client.
The Gotchas
Like most other tools, replayable traces have some areas that can trip you up if you aren't careful. I've encountered gotchas in all stages of the replayable trace process. When you're first starting the process, a common gotcha is to let too much time lapse between the database backup and the workload trace. You must start the workload trace immediately after the database backup to ensure that data is in a state that will allow the captured transactions to run. For example, suppose that a backup is taken at 12 p.m. to use for replay and a new customer is added at 12:05 p.m., but no one starts collecting the workload until 12:30 p.m. On replay, the absence of the new customer in the backup will cause any T-SQL code that references the new customer in the workload to fail because the backup happened before the customer was added. The failure would, in turn, skew the replay performance analysis.
When setting up the control run in the test environment, you need to be aware of two common gotchas involving database IDs and logins. The database IDs in the test server must be the same as those in the production server. In addition, production logins need to be transferred to the test server. The only time you don't have to transfer production logins is when you're altering the workload to use a single login (like sa) with elevated database permissions.
When you're testing an upgrade to a new version of SQL Server, a common mistake is not updating the statistics or rebuilding the indexes. Both actions are necessary for a successful performance comparison.
If you're loading a captured workload into a table, you need to watch out for this gotcha: In test environments running SQL Server 2005 or later, you must use Profiler to load the captured workload into a table. Using the fn_trace_getinfo system trace function can result in errors when replaying the workload.
When replaying the workload in the test environment, expect the test server to be heavily utilized by the replay of the workload. This can cause other users of the test environment to be unable to work and might require that you reserve a time slot in the test environment dedicated only to replay.
When evaluating performance data, you need to be aware of two common gotchas. First, you should avoid using the duration counter in the SQL trace because it will produce inconsistent values. Second, you need to cleanse parameters from queries so that queries can be grouped. For example, you can substitute {Str} for string parameters, {#} for numeric parameters, and {MDY} for datetime parameters. You can find more information about cleansing parameters in "Troubleshooting and Analysis with Traces" on TechNet . This is an excerpt from the book Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: Query Tuning and Optimization (Microsoft Press, 2007) by Kalen Delaney, Sunil Agarwal, Craig Freedman, Ron Talmage, and Adam Machanic. Another book you might want to check out is Inside SQL Server 2005: T-SQL Querying (Microsoft Press, 2006) by Itzik Ben-Gan and Dejan Sarka. They provide a CLR user-defined function (UDF) that cleanses parameters. You can also find more information about the gotchas and the replayable trace process in a free three-part video series on replayable traces.
The End Result
Profiler's replayable trace functionality is a powerful yet flexible tool for comparing and analyzing performance between different SQL Server environments. In a SQL Server upgrade and hardware migration, it can help you identify and fix performance problems before that big event. As a result, you and your managers will know what to expect when the new environment goes online.


text:
Syria, Saudi Arabia sign free trade accord
Saudi Arabia and Syria signed an accord Tuesday, February 20, to set up a free trade area between the two countries, the official SANA news agency reported. The deal, signed by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal and his Syrian counterpart, Faruq Al-Shara, envisions the agreement coming into force on January 1, 2003, SANA said.
Syria has already signed free trade accords with several Arab countries, most recently with Iraq in late January.
A joint statement said afterwards that the accord will provide reciprocal exemption from customs duties and all other taxes goods produced in Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Syrian Economy and Foreign Trade Minister Mohammad Al-Imadi told journalists that the accord would also result in an increase in joint investments, cultural and tourism exchanges and "open up the possibility of a common market."
For his part, Rateb Shallah, president of the Syrian union of chambers of commerce, said the deal would cut tariffs immediately by half, dropping them to zero in 2003.
A meeting of the Saudi-Syrian commission, to be co-chaired by Shara and Prince Saud, was also to discuss agreements to facilitate road transport, and cooperation in agriculture, tourism, oil and banking, Syrian Vice Minister for Economy and Foreign Trade Shebli Abu Fakher said.
He said the agreement will increase significantly bilateral trade, which stood at $300 million in 1999. Syria exports food and textiles to Saudi Arabia and imports petroleum and petrochemical products.
The government newspaper Syria Times last week said the joint commission would also discuss joint industrial projects worth $800 million to be set up in Syria.
Those projects, drawn up by the Syrian state run General Establishment of Chemical Industries, include a $90 million glass factory, a $300 million phosphate fertilizer plant and a chemical urea plant worth $400 million.
Damascus and Riyadh traditionally maintain good relations. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad last week discussed in Riyadh with King Fahd ways to advance the Middle East peace process and bilateral cooperation and received Prince Saud on Tuesday. — (AFP, Damascus)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)

subset: commoncrawl


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By Fernando Duarte
The unveiling of Luiz Felipe Scolari as Brazil coach for a second time came as a huge surprise to most onlookers. Not because the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) wanted him, but because the former Chelsea manager actually accepted what was a fourth offer to take over the Selecao.
After politely turning down the advances of ex-CBF president Ricardo Teixeira in 2006 and 2010, Scolari has finally said yes. But the reason why still seems a mystery, even though the 64-year-old attempted to answer the question during his first press conference on Thursday by declaring he was "happy to work with people who have confidence in me."
Scolari is well aware of the hoodoo surrounding former winning bosses' attempts to achieve a second World Cup success. He does not need to do much research to learn that Italy's Vittorio Pozzo was the last man to actually succeed in doing this back in 1938.
Each of Brazil's five titles were won by different coaches. The country's only boss who has even come close to enjoying double success is Mario Zagallo, who won the tournament with Brazil in 1970 and then became technical assistant to Carlos Alberto Parreira in 1994.
The man from Passo Fundo, in Southern Brazil, also knows what a home World Cup in 2014 will mean to a country still traumatised by losing the 1950 final. Even though a crisis of confidence seems to have taken over players, public and media, it seems there can be no excuse for failure this time around.
So why is he about to down a chalice that seems so poisoned that not even Snow White dressed in a famous Rio bikini would touch it?
It certainly was not for the money. It has been widely reported that Scolari has accepted wages that will not match the €259,000 a month he collected at Palmeiras - the Sao Paulo club with whom he won this year's Brazilian Cup but also oversaw part of a league campaign that ended with relegation for the second time in 10 years.
This writer's answer? For a start, few things in football please Scolari more than a suicide mission. Nostalgia may make a lot of people remember the quality of the Brazil 2002 squad, but that team in fact flattered to deceive in the World Cup qualifiers and perhaps even Ronaldo's mother did not expect her son to become the first player since 1970 to score eight goals in the tournament.
In that campaign, however, Scolari showed a trait that people in England and Europe would have witnessed had he received more time and support from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge. The Brazil boss has proven that he benefits from siege situations, especially in gelling groups of players.
That took place in the three most important campaigns of his career: Brazil in 2002, and Portugal in 2004 and 2006. These situations allowed the 'Scolari family' mentality to prevail, as egos were accommodated and pressure was deflected. However, a reason for concern is that all three groups had a fair amount of seasoned players, something Scolari will not be able to rely upon with today's side. Brazil's current squad averages around 24-years, and only four players have ever experienced World Cup action.
It will not be any surprise, then, if 'Big Phil' resorts to bringing some veterans back to the fold. Names like former Roma man Juan spring to mind, even though his predecessor Mano Menezes refused to call up the injury-prone defender. In fact he brought in Lucio, a Champions League winner with Inter. The problem is that most veterans are far from shining at the moment, with Fluminense's former Lyon striker Fred a notable exception.
|Scolari led Brazil to their fifth World Cup victory in 2002
|The number of defeats Scolari suffered as Brazil boss
|The number of goals scored by Ronaldo at the 2002 World Cup under Scolari
|The Brazil trainer led his side to 19 victories in his first spell from 26 games
|The percentage of wins gained by 'Big Phil' during his first venture with the Selecao
Like 10 years ago, however, Big Phil inherits a group with a horrendous aftertaste of defeat in their throats. The 2002 generation wanted to make amends after the drubbing at the hands of France in Paris four years earlier. Ten years later, and history is repeating itself. Neymar is suffering from a London Olympics hangover and several players from the squad have told this author that the sensation was horrendous enough to still make some have nightmares of the Wembley defeat by Mexico.
But one can easily see Scolari using the same psychological support dispensed to the two Ronaldos for Neymar, paternal tones that the Santos striker was missing with Menezes. Brazil's coach will certainly adopt wilful blindness strong enough to embarrass Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger when defending his players.
On the pitch, he will need to work harder. As deceitful as the Fifa rankings can be, Brazil's plunge to their worst position since the list was created, almost 20 years ago, is no algorithmic accident. In two-and-a-half years under Menezes, Brazil only had glimpses of a well-oiled side and even the tests with the 4-6-0 formations came much more from necessity than some kind of admiration for Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. Since Ronaldo's retirement, Brazil have struggled to find a suitable No.9.
One thing people cannot say is that Scolari lacks cojones. Ten years ago, he tore up the unwritten book of Brazilian tactics by going to Japan and South Korea with a back-three formation composed of Lucio, Roque Junior and Edmilson. It is tempting to think he could tinker with the starting XI again when his first choice full-backs are Barcelona's Dani Alves and Real Madrid's Marcelo.
Scolari's second coming is not totally football-related. By bringing back a name who earned public respect a decade ago, the Brazilian FA is praying for breathing space. The trainer's well-known lack of patience with deeper probing questions by the media was addressed by the appointment of another blast from the past, Carlos Alberto Parreira (the 1994 World Cup-winning coach) as an advisor for Scolari. Parreira's role is nothing but a buffer – even after failing to win the 2006 World Cup, he is widely respected in Brazil.
One suspects both Scolari and Parreira were both driven by a mixture of patriotism and vindication, which in the case of the coach has a lot to do with the massive hit his reputation took after his ill-fated spell at Chelsea. That Brazil's first commitment in 2013 is a friendly against England at Wembley only serves to make things much more interesting.
As for what Brazil can achieve in 2014, Scolari will not try to fool anyone. These days, Brazil are not the favourites for the title and although Menezes left his post with a very decent record (27 wins and 6 draws in 40 matches), most of his results were obtained against second-tier opponents such as Gabon and Iraq. The reality is that Brazil are yet to beat a top-ranked side since a 1-0 win against England in Doha, three years ago. Their triumphs over an Argentina B team in a couple of friendlies reserved only for domestic players should not be taken into account.
The future looks positive, though. The return of Kaka, whose club career has been pretty much restricted to cameos at Real Madrid, has surprisingly helped settle the midfield, and combined with Oscar, Neymar and Hulk, the quartet combines both speed and stamina. Corinthians' Paulinho could be as influential as Gilberto Silva was in 'Big Phil's' class of 2002.
However, it is quite possible that Scolari, a devout Catholic, will resort to bringing to the dressing room the Mother Mary statue that was part of his staff when he took over Brazil in 2001 in the hope that a little bit of luck will come his way. If it does, he could yet fully remove the pain and hurt felt by the country over 50 years ago and return the Selecao to the top of the game.
Follow Fernando Duarte on


text:
- MFLS Forums
Forums : MFLS Central Forum Thread : Cup Winners' Cup Registration
from SDFC Macross
on Sat 2/21 13:23 ET
Reply to This Message
The Champions League and the Cup Winners Cup are the two most prestigious competitions in Major Fantasy League Soccer (MFLS). The Champions League was founded in 1997 and has consistently been comprised of the top teams from the top divisions in MFLS. The Cup Winners Cup was founded in 1999 and is a competition for the winners of the top division's own tournaments and a few winners of interdivisional tournaments. Both tournaments have become MFLS tradition, and despite switching websites and commissioners, the tournaments have stayed intact.
Cup Winners Cup
*Only the host of the cup will be allowed to sign his or her cup up.
*Divisions may sign up their divisional cup for the CWC as well, but they need to notify in the forums just like the interdivisional cups.
*There is a minimum of 8 teams participating in a cup in order for it to qualify for the CWC. Once again, there is no maximum.
*Tournament managers whose most recent attempt at tournament management was abandoned before the tournament's completion will not have their winners gain admittance into the CWC.
*Deadline for registering a division or cup for the CL or CWC � TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THIS THREAD.
--- Deadline for CWC participating tournaments ---
CWC participating tournaments must be complete by week 21 (unless tournaments > 16 then week 19)
[Round of 32 - 20, 21 (if necessary)]
Round One - 22, 23
Quarter-Finals - 24, 25
Semi-Finals � 26, 28
Final - 29
The deadline for registration is unspecified at present and will be announced later when the Silversmiths commissioner chooses a deadline.
Note that the CL and CWC registration is now separate. This is the CWC Registration thread.
from Mohawks
on Sat 2/21 13:29 ET
Reply to This Message
Please sign the Silversmiths Cup up for the CWC. from Arrows SC
on Sat 2/21 15:50 ET
Reply to This Message
The Mugs O Suds winner has in the past not participated in the Cup Winners' Cup. I thought that the CWC was for primarily for the division cup champions. Your invitation rules allows for other tournaments to be included. If you feel that the Mugs O Suds is a qualified tournament, then I request that the 2015 Mugs O Suds winner participate in this years Cup Winners' Cup. I am the tournament manager. The tournament is managed via this URL:
from Hounds FC
on Sun 2/22 0:02 ET
Reply to This Message
Please sign up the AAPL Open Cup for the Cup Winner's Cup.
Also, sign up the MFLS Open Cup for the Cup Winner's Cup.
from Port City Navigators
on Sun 2/22 11:48 ET
Reply to This Message
I'd like to sign up the DoGS Challenge Cup (Formerly the River
Cup) for the CWC. Thanks for running it!
from 1 FC Red Devils
on Mon 3/2 12:39 ET
Reply to This Message
The Casbah Division is up the Casbah Cup will run and
we're ready for the Cup Winners Cup
from Dynamo Silver Spring
on Tue 3/3 10:44 ET
Reply to This Message
The Brew City FA Cup will crown BCFA's tournament champion, please add our winner to this tourney. Thanks. from Locomotive Baltimore
on Tue 3/3 22:15 ET
Reply to This Message
The Black & The Red FA back for more from El f�tbol es as�
on Fri 3/6 14:31 ET
Reply to This Message
"La Armada Invencible" runs "La Armada Cup" once
again... Thanks...
from Port City Navigators
on Fri 3/6 16:42 ET
Reply to This Message
DoGS Challenge Cup URL
from SDFC Macross
on Fri 3/6 18:01 ET
Reply to This Message
The deadline to register will be March 20th at the deadline for week three. from SDFC Macross
on Fri 3/20 11:35 ET
Reply to This Message
Registering UvW International Cup for the CWC
I'm extending the CWC registration deadline to the
deadline for MFLS Week Four.
from SDFC Macross
on Wed 3/25 16:12 ET
Reply to This Message
AAPL Open Cup added to CWC
Brew City FA Cup added to CWC
Casbah Cup added to CWC
DoGS Challenge Cup added to CWC
La Armada Cup added to CWC
MFLS Open Cup added to CWC
Mugs O Suds Invitational added to CWC
Silversmiths Cup added to CWC
The Black & The Red FA Cup added to CWC
UvW International Cup added to CWC
The registration deadline is Saturday, but not expecting any more entries. Geo Cup is the only tournament from last year not on this list, and I haven't heard that it's being run this year.
from Dynamo Silver Spring
on Mon 3/30 15:30 ET
Reply to This Message
Kerry, to confirm, CWC will start Week 22, right? from SDFC Macross
on Wed 4/1 16:59 ET
Reply to This Message
CWC registration is now closed as of last Saturday.
Yes, CWC starts Week 22.
Pages : First, 2, Last


text:
I'm turning again to the January 2009 issue of Internet Genealogy and another article that attracted my attention.
David A Norris is described as a regular contributor to various of the Moorshead Magazines publications. His second article in this issue takes a look at "The London Gazette" with the sub-head "Published by Authority" reflecting the official nature of the publication.
A full archive of the London Gazette back to the reign of Charles II is free online at www.gazettes-online.co.uk. Chances are any family with long-time roots in England will have some member mentioned in the Gazette, if not for an award or military promotion then for a change of name, notice of claims against an estate, or bankruptcy.
The article makes brief mention of colonial gazettes, especially Australia, but not a word about the Canada Gazette. That's surprising for a magazine published in Toronto.
The history of the Canada Gazette is described here.
Issues of the Canada Gazette after 1997 are available online at the website of the Canada Gazette Directorate: http://canadagazette.gc.ca/index-e.html
Library and Archives Canada are working on digitizing earlier issues. Currently approximately 30% is searchable online, including:
- Part I - 1983-1997
- Part II - 1950-1976, 1983-1997
- Part III - 1985-1997


text: Shop for exclusive skirts in the official Oui online shop. Be inspired by our Autumn/Winter 2018 collection and purchase trendy ladies fashion with no shipping costs inside Germany (outside of Germany free delivery for purchases of €200 or more) - items may be returned for free! Oui skirts are available in a wide range of colours, materials and lengths.


text:
Making the SDN Transition: First Steps
Posted by
Marcia Savage
February 18, 2014
As software-defined networking moves beyond the hype, many organizations are contemplating plans for migrating to SDN. But getting started can be a challenge, given the complex nature of the SDN landscape with its assorted architectures and multitude of vendors.
"The big question is do you have to buy into SDN whole hog -- jump into the deep end first -- or can you make this transition in a more gradual fashion?" Eric Hanselman, chief analyst at 451 Research and SDN track chair for Interop Las Vegas, said in an interview. "Fortunately, it's not something that you have to do all in one shot."
Companies can get started on the road to SDN by automating pieces of their network environment through virtualization. "Most organizations have gotten to the point where they're automating some of the simple networking technologies, like VLANs, but those basic techniques need to take a step up," Hanselman said.
Network overlays are a good choice for stepping up automation, he said. "Overlay technologies are a great way to enhance connectivity, but not yet cause disruption in the existing network operation."
A network overlay is an SDN option in which tunnels are set up between virtual switches inside hypervisors, networking expert Greg Ferro wrote in a recent InformationWeek report, "Overlay Networking: An Introduction."
"While the tunnels make use of the physical network to send packets, they don't have to configure switches to get traffic to its destination," he wrote. "By contrast, other SDN approaches use methods such as OpenFlow to program switches."
For organizations interested in migrating to OpenFlow-based SDN, the Open Networking Foundation's migration working group recently made available a paper that describes SDN use cases and best practices for SDN migration. The paper includes three use cases: Google's inter-data center WAN, NTT's service provider edge, and Stanford's campus network.
[Read about the security challenges that come with software-defined networking in "Beware SDN Security Risks, Experts Warn."]
The level of readiness for SDN depends on an enterprise's organizational maturity in terms of how much automation and orchestration they already have in their infrastructure, Hanselman said.
"To really leverage SDN, you need some level of sophistication in orchestration. ...If you're not already starting to automate deployment of compute and storage resources, there's not much point in starting to automate the network," he said.
SDN's Impact On Networking Pros
All the movement toward automation naturally has some network engineers on edge. Networking practitioners are wondering if SDN will put them out of work, Hanselman said.
He urges network pros to embrace the transition as something that can help them play a bigger role in an organization. Otherwise, they risk being left behind.
"So much of what has been guiding networking for so long has been the firefighting -- all of the modifications, all of the odds and ends of troubleshooting that occupy your average networker's day," he said. "By integrating with more sophisticated management, SDN can get rid of the more repetitive day in and day out drudge work."
To make this transition, network engineers will need to be better versed in the various aspects of IT operations, Hanselman said. Learning some programming skills -- for instance, Python -- can go a long way in terms of understanding the steps toward greater automation.
"We've spent a lot of effort getting really good at CLI wrangling," he said. "Now, we need to set the console cable aside and work within management systems and scripting capabilities to really understand in greater detail the higher capabilities of our various platforms."
Anxiety aside, many organizations appear to be marching ahead with SDN plans. An Enterprise Strategy Group survey of 300 IT pros in charge of networking found that two-thirds of the companies polled are committed to SDN as a long-term strategy. Twenty-seven percent said they've actually begun implementation.
"For better or worse, we've come through a period of tremendous hype ... What's happening is people are starting to understand there's value of moving beyond the hype," Hanselman said. "They're understanding there is something other than all of the flash and grand claims -- the fact it can really work and help operations work more efficiently."
[Eric Hanselman will moderate a panel discussion on the changing roles of network pros as virtual networks, SDN and automation makes inroads in the enterprise. Don't miss "Will SDN Make Me Homeless?" at Interop Las Vegas March 31-April 4. Register today!]
Marcia Savage is managing editor at Network Computing.
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text:
Community churches and Harris Hospital are coming together to collect coats for our School Students. We will be collecting coats of all sizes, styles, gender and for all ages.
Why don't we make this winter a little warmer for the children?
Do you have coats hanging in your closets not being used?
Harris Hospital and area churches are accepting coats that are clean and in very good condition. Please take your donated coats to: First Christian Church, Emory Chapel Methodist Church, Harris Hospital
Umsted Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church, Newport Pentecostal Church of God, First United Methodist Church, Remmel and Crossroads Church, Holden Avenue Church of Christ and Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church. Other area churches are being added each week.
Distribution will be at Newport High School Cafeteria Dec. 1, Saturday, 10 a.m to 2 p.m.


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PORTSMOUTH — Jim Lee, an agent with RE/MAX By The Bay, Portsmouth was installed as 2013 Seacoast Board of REALTORS president November 29 in ceremonies conducted at the Gaslight Restaurant in Portsmouth.
Lee is originally from Knoxville, Tenn., where he began his real estate career in 1980. He is a past president of the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors and was Knoxville's 1999 REALTOR of the Year. For three years, he also served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of REALTORS.
"I believe continuing education is critical," Lee said. "It's the only way to stay on top of changing laws, customs and ways to market, sell and finance the purchase of real estate."
Lee holds several distinctive professional designations including CRS, Certified Real Estate Specialist, ABR, Buyer Representative, GRI, Graduate Realtor Institute and e-PRO, Internet Certified Professional.
This coming year he is looking forward to leading the SBR forward and offering many free continuing education classes.
A new Board of Directors for 2013 was also named at the same installation event. The new members are: Tom Heany, Vice President, Keller Williams Coastal Realty; Dana Mitchell, Treasurer, Better Homes & Garden Masiello Group; Lauren Kane, Past President, Re/Max by the Bay; Marion Cheney, Re/Max Legacy; Tom Fabisak, Tom Fabisak Realty; Diane Foley, Prudential Verani; Karen Kulberg, Carey & Giampa REALTORS; Mary Markham, Better Homes & Garden Masiello Group; Martha McAuliffe, CB/Residential Brokerage.


text: Get your Jet-Pack and Laser shooting skills at the ready for a new Space adventure game. Prepare to float around the universe using the phone's gyroscope to navigate through four levels on different planets. AstroStar is a game of Intergalactic proportions that requires co-ordinated flying skills and deadly shoot-em-up accuracy. Even better, you can add your highest score in OpenFeint and also share them with your friends. Gravity is against you so your jet pack is there to help you fly but remember to keep refuelling it as you go! Try your best to shoot (or avoid) the asteroids as they float by in order to keep your lives intact. You are armed with a limited number of bombs to help clear your path. Try and collect more of them as you go along for maximum destruction! Why is it cool? - It's an action / reaction game that gets faster and faster - It's not that easy! By Level 4 the gameplay is pretty challenging - You can store and share your score with your friends - Prepare for some good vibrations when you use a bomb or hit an asteroid (note: iPhone only) - No internet connection needed - Ad-free!


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Are you worried about your student loans and debt? If so, you're probably not alone! You're making an important investment in yourself. It's also important that you be able to achieve your financial goals (including repayment of your student loans) once you graduate. Do you have all the financial skills needed to do so? Having a better understanding of money management and student loan repayment can help you maximize your educational investment and minimize your debt. With this in mind, our office will be hosting a workshop about loan repayment and person budgeting. The workshop is open to all students. Please be aware that attendance is mandatory for all continuing students. During this interactive seminar, we will focus on:
* General Loan Repayment
* Personal Financial Management
* Public Service Loan Forgiveness & Income Based Repayment
The session will be held as follows:
October 23 at 12-2pm Room Auditorium
October 24 at 6:30pm-7:30 Room 370
If you are unable to attend please one of the session please contact the Office of Financial aid so that we can make alternative arrangements for you.
Anytime you accept a loan on the myIIT portal, you will receive a Loan Disclosure Statement from the Department of Education's Direct Loans Program. This is in effort to ensure that students receive information regarding their loan disbursement before their funds are posted to their school student account. The Department of Education wants to make sure that students are aware of their loan obligations before they receive the funds. As a result, if you accept your funds 5 days before, or anytime after the scheduled disbursement date, your funds will not disburse to your student account until 5 days after your loan is originated by the Office of Financial Aid.
All loan funds, federal, and private, are posted directly to the student's account according to the scheduled disbursement date.
If you have any questions regarding the status of your refund check or charges on your account, please contact the Student Account's Office at 312-906-5161 or in room 290.
If you have any questions regarding the financial aid funds that have been credited to your account, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 312-906-5180 or in suite 230.
To avoid delays, please submit any requested documentation as soon as possible.
Please follow the steps below to see if you still have missing requirements:
Please note that completing the Financial Aid Awareness Counseling does not satisfy the Loan Entrance Counseling Requirement. It is an optional counseling session that covers the basics of financial literacy. The required counseling session is called Loan Entrance Counseling. Please see our website for more information: Financial Aid Required Documents
Once you complete your Master Promissory Notes (not loan application) and Loan Entrance Counseling via the Department of Education's website, it may take up to 2 weeks for your required document status on the myIIT portal to reflect this. If it has been over 2 weeks since your completion of a Promissory Note or Loan Entrance Counseling and your documents status on myIIT is still showing not received, please contact our office.
If you were awarded the Perkins Loan this academic year 2012-2013, please check your Kent email (or your IIT e-mail address on the welcome screen of your myIIT portal, as communications could be sent there), for information from the IIT Perkins Loan servicer, ECSI, on completing the Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling. Students that competed this requirement last academic year (2011-2012) are not required to complete this requirement again. This maybe marked as spam in your mailbox, but it is not. You will not be able to complete the promissory note online if ECSI does not have your information on file that is why we ask that you wait until you receive an email notification. However, if mid-August has passed and you have not completed this requirement, please contact ECSI directly at 1-888-549-3274 and state that you are attending the IIT Downtown Campus. Also, for more information see the Student Account's (formerly Bursar's Office) website at:
Due to a federal regulation change, all students that have been selected for citizenship confirmation, or are submitting citizenship documentation to satisfy any other requirement must submit the original document in person for the student's file for the academic year. Continuing students are also required to bring in their documentation even it is already on file from last year. Please note this is only for students that have been selected for citizenship confirmation on their FAFSA.
If you are planning to graduate in the December 2012 semester or will be less than half time in the spring 2013 semester, please notify our office as soon as possible of your enrollment intentions and credit hours, if you have not done so already. Your award will need to be revised for the fall semester only. Please send us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Please be aware that all Full Tuition and Honors scholarships have been updated to reflect final enrollment for the Fall 2012 semester. Please contact the office of financial aid if you have questions about your scholarship amounts.
Kent Scholarships have been posted to the accounts of all eligible students. If you received a scholarship it may have changed the amount of your Federal Plus or Stafford Loan. For this reason, please use your myIIT account to view your financial aid award.
Scholarships for day division students enrolled in less than 12 credits for the fall semester will be posted after the Office of Financial Aid receives approval of your scholarship from the Admissions Office.
Full tuition scholarships are based on your fall enrollment as of August 16th. Revisions to scholarship amounts for increased/decreased credits will occur after the add/drop period for the fall semester. You will receive a revised award notification email when it is finalized.
If you have question about your scholarship eligibility or if there seems to be a problem with your scholarship award amount please contact the Office of Admissions at 312-906-5020.
If you still have not accepted or declined your loans, please do so as soon as possible. You must use your myIIT account to accept/decline your loans. If you do not accept your loans, we cannot process them. That is why we urge you to accept them now to avoid delays with disbursement. If you do not wish to wish to receive any of the funds, you may decline the loan(s) using the myIIT portal.
Please select one of the options below on the myIIT portal at:https://my.iit.edu/cp/home/displaylogin.
Accept: If you wish to receive any portion of the loans still listed as offered, you must accept the funds. Also, please be aware that you may be required to complete a Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling with Direct Loans atwww.studentloans.gov before the funds can be disbursed. Please refer to your 'Requirements' section on the myIIT portal.
Decline: If you do not wish to receive any of the funds still listed as offered please decline the loan(s) using your myIIT portal.
Has it been 3 weeks since you completed your FAFSA and you have not received a financial aid award for the 201-2013 academic year? If so, follow these instructions to make sure your FAFSA information is sent to the DTC Office of Financial Aid.
Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and view your Student Aid Report (SAR).Make sure the Downtown Campus school code is listed on your FAFSA. The DTC school code is E00773 (Listed as Chicago Kent). Once you correct the school code it will take 1 to 2 weeks to receive a Financial Aid award notification.
If you have the correct school code listed on your FAFSA, check your SAR comments. Your SAR comments will let you know if the data that you entered on your FAFSA has caused an error that prevents your FAFSA information from being transmitted to the school. If there is a problem with the data that you entered on your FAFSA, please update the data elements requested. Once you update the information, it will take 1 to 2 weeks to receive a Financial Aid award notification.
If your comment codes are showing no problems and you have E00773 listed as your school code please contact the Office of Financial Aid so that we can find out why you have not received an award.
Please be aware that the university allows students the option of having their financial aid refunds direct deposited into their checking or savings account. The university encourages all students to sign up for direct deposit. Click here for more information on the new TouchNet service.
Did you know that you are now able to
receive a free credit report once every 12 months?
We encourage students to review their credit reports
annually to check for inaccuracies and identify any
suspicious activity.
To receive your free credit report,
please visit the following link: http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
This central site allows you to request a free credit
file disclosure, commonly called a credit report,
once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer
credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and
Please be aware that other sites may
advertise free credit reports, but this is the only
site that is sponsored by the federal government and
the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. Other
sites may charge fees.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday ~ 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 8:30a.m.-7p.m.
Friday ~ 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m
Phone: (312) 906-5180 -
Fax: (312) 906-5274
Main Chicago-Kent event
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posted by Andrew Youll on Fri 13th Jan 2006 17:29 UTC, submitted by Tyr.
Microsoft has officially halted development of its Windows Media Player for the Mac and plans no future Apple Computer versions of its music-playing software, CNET News.com has learned. "It's basically a business decision for Microsoft," Anderson said. "Like any other company, we have business priorities. Our focus really is in delivering the best experience to Windows customers." Instead, users should now use this, which has a few problems though, according to some Mac users.


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Tobacco Use
Smoking & Secondhand Smoke
September 2010
About 1 in 5 adults smoke.
4 out of 10 nonsmokers(88 million people) are exposed to secondhand smoke.
More than 1 out of 2 kids(aged 3–11 years) are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the US. Each year, around 443,000 people die from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million suffer from a serious illness from smoking. Two new CDC reports indicate that, despite the dangers of tobacco use, about 46.6 million adults in the US smoke, and 88 million nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Millions of people in the US still smoke
The decline in smoking has stalled in the past five years.
- In 2005, about 20.9% of adults smoked cigarettes. In 2009 about 20.6% smoked.
Some groups smoke more.
- More men (nearly 24%) than women (about 18%) smoke.
- Nearly 30% of multiracial adults and 23% of American Indian/Alaska Native adults smoke.
- Smoking rates are higher among people with a lower education level. For example, nearly 1 in 2 of all US adults who have a GED smoke; only around 6% of people with a graduate degree smoke.
- About 31% of people who live below the poverty level smoke.
Although the number of teenagers in the US who smoke continues to drop year after year, progress is slowing.
- In 1997, about 36% of high school students smoked cigarettes.
- Between 1997–2003, the rates of smoking among high school students dropped from 36% to about 22%. However, between 2003 to 2009, declines slowed from 22% to 20%. The slowing decline in teen cigarette use suggests that smoking and all the health problems related to smoking will continue as teens become adults.
- In 2009, nearly 1 in 5 high school students (20%) still smoked cigarettes. Monitoring teen smoking is important because most adult smokers (about 80%) began smoking before the age of 18.
States and regions in the US have different smoking rates.
- Utah has the lowest smoking rate; fewer than 10% of adults in Utah smoke cigarettes.
- Kentucky and West Virginia have the highest smoking rates; nearly 26% of adults smoke in both states.
- Fewer people smoke in the West (about 16%), and more people smoke in the Southeast (about 22%) and Midwest (about 23%).
Risks from Smoking
Smoking can damage every part of the body
Current smoking percentages by group
U.S. State Info
Adult smoking rates vary across the US, but the states with the most smokers are in the Midwest and Southeast regions.
What Can Be Done
Smokers and smokeless tobacco users can:
- Quit. Ask your doctor for help in making a plan to quit or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669; TTY 800-332-8615).
- Never smoke in your home, vehicles, or around nonsmokers, especially children, pregnant women, and persons with heart disease or respiratory conditions.
Parents and nonsmokers can:
- Quit if you smoke. Children of parents who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers.
- If you can't stop yet, never smoke or allow others to smoke in your home, vehicles, or around your children.
- Teach your children about the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke.
- Not start, if you aren't already using tobacco.
Employers can:
- Establish a policy banning the use of any tobacco product indoors or outdoors on company property by anyone at any time.
- Provide all employees and their dependents with health insurance that covers support for quitting without copayment.
Retailers can:
- Learn the new FDA restrictions on youth access to tobacco products and tobacco marketing to youth, and closely follow them.
- Check the photo ID of any customer trying to buy tobacco products who appears to be 26 years of age or younger, and never sell any tobacco product to customers younger than 18 years of age.
Doctors, nurses, and other health care providers can:
- Ask all patients and parents of pediatric patients whether they use tobacco, and advise those who do to quit.
- Advise everybody to make their homes and vehicles 100% smoke-free 24/7.
- Advise nonsmokers to avoid being exposed to secondhand smoke, especially if they are pregnant or have heart disease or respiratory conditions.
State and community leaders can:
- Consider the World Health Organization's MPOWER strategies in efforts to prevent and control tobacco use.
Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
Protect people from tobacco smoke
Offer help to quit
Warn about the dangers of tobacco use
Enforce bans on tobacco advertising
Raise taxes on tobacco
- Establish comprehensive tobacco control programs funded at CDC-recommended levels and sustain them over time.
- Reduce tobacco use by making tobacco products less accessible, affordable, desirable, and accepted.
- Page last reviewed: September 7, 2010
- Page last updated: October 29, 2013
- Content source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
Office of Smoking and Health
- Page maintained by: Office of the Associate Director for Communications (OADC)
- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,


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Your Email:
Your Name:
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I thought you would be interested in this article from environment: YALE magazine, the Journal of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Class notes and obituaries from the Spring 2009 Issue can be downloaded here: Spring2009-ClassNotes.pdf.
Read the Full Article
Environment: YALE magazine is Published by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Copyright ©2007-2018 environment:YALE magazine
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
195 Prospect Street
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Website: environment.yale.edu


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|Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Nursing
|Health Assessment
|Three semester hours, laboratory only (six contact hours). (FL)
This seminar and lab course builds upon the theoretical basis for physical, social, psychological, and cultural assessment of clients. The student applies knowledge of pathophysiology of each body system from health assessments to determine nursing diagnoses. Students compile a health history which includes an assessment of cultural values, health beliefs, and caring practices. Legal and ethical issues implicated in obtaining and managing health data are explored. Students practice in a supervised laboratory setting the procedural steps of a comprehensive health assessment. The importance of the professional nursing role in health assessment is examined. To earn credit, this course must be completed with a grade of "C" or better. Co-requisites: NURS 3525, NURS 3665. RN to BSN co-requisites: NURS 4263, NURS 4522. Course fee: $125.00.
Home - General Information - Student Services -


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Spend £50 on Beauty products dispatched and sold by Amazon (excluding fragrance, electrical items, sample boxes and other gift with purchase products) and get a Luxury Beauty Box for free. THE LUXURY BEAUTY BOX IS OUT OF STOCK AND THIS PROMOTION HAS NOW ENDED, in accordance with the full terms and conditions below.
From Wednesday 22 November 2017 when you spend £50 on Beauty products (excluding fragrance, electrical items, sample boxes and other gift with purchase products) dispatched and sold by Amazon, you can get a Luxury Beauty Box for FREE (the "Offer"). Each customer can claim only one Offer per order. This Offer ends at 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 31 January 2018, or when 19,800 Offers have been claimed (whichever occurs sooner). The Offer does not apply to purchases made from Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pantry, Prime Now, Amazon's Warehouse Deals or from third-party sellers on Amazon Marketplace.
We will endeavour to deliver the Luxury Beauty Box in the same package as your Beauty products but please be aware that on occasion, it may be delivered separately.
How to Claim:
See Terms and Conditions.


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Alexia Pizza Snacks Make Pizza Rolls Upscale
Alexia Pizza Snacks make pizza rolls upscale and all natural ... but not truly healthful. Food Processing's Consumer Understanding Editors take a closer look at this new snack product.
Athenians and Romans were some of the first to serve small plates of finger foods at banquets. These were supposed to aid in digestion and enhance the bond or friendship at the beginning of the meal. That's a long way from today's pizza puffs, but what remains is sharing and exploring a small dish with friends.
Alexia Foods Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Pizza snacks not only can start the meal, but can be served at other times of the day. They're eaten by many teenagers as a snack that can deal with the hunger after a long day at school.
Pizza snacks are typically small bites of traditional flavors (pepperoni, cheese and tomato sauce) and are quick and easy to prepare (microwave). Served warm, they are sharable and filling.
Alexia Foods Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a privately held prepared foods company best known for Alexia frozen potatoes, thought the traditional pizza snack, while familiar, can be confining in its offerings. With many consumers wanting to recall or experience travel through food or wanting a more gourmet or healthier experience, there potentially is some vacant space in the category.
Understanding the marketplace
The frozen snack market has grown nearly 25 percent from 2000 to 2005 to a market size of about $2 billion, according to Research and Markets. This is still a small percent of the overall snack food market of $61 billion, according to MarketResearch.com.
The key brands within the frozen snack market are Nestle Hot Pockets with 28 percent of the category. Ruiz Foods' El Monterey brand has grown 73 percent over the past five years. The category includes players large and small: Amy's Kitchen, Cedarlane, Camino Real Foods, Chef America, ConAgra, General Mills/ Pillsbury (including Totino's), Heinz, Hormel, Kellogg, Luigino's, Pierre Foods, Pinnacle Foods, Sara Lee, Schwans, Simplot and White Castle.
Although there is a wide variety of products and competitors in this category, recent growth has been in stuffed sandwiches and Mexican and Asian cuisine, as well as some "better for you" products. This is a category that is not viewed as healthy. Using cuisine style and all natural ingredients/flavor as a means to signal "healthy" could allow a smaller company to stand out in the crowd.
Alexia Foods proclaims "100 percent all natural" on all its products because they don't need artificial flavors or preservatives. Many of the company's items are certified organic through Oregon Tilth. They emphasize the use of trans-free fats and healthy oils, such as olive and hi-oleic canola oils.
Plus, founder Alex Dzieduszycki was a New York chef who moved a small catering kitchen into the partnership that is Alexia Foods. So the insight of taking a frozen appetizer as ubiquitous as pizza snacks and creating two classic Italian style flavors (Pesto Chicken with Fresh Mozzarella as well as Sweet Italian Sausage with Roasted Peppers and Parmesan) makes a lot of sense.
Busy consumers (and who isn't?) lack time for meal preparation, so the trend toward eating more snack-type foods is obvious. Households in the U.S. are redefining what a snack or meal is and when that snack or meal is eaten. People are using snacks to provide a small meal that can be eaten on the go. However, at some point, most of these busy consumers begin to question what it is they are eating while on the go.
There are limited options for familiar snacks that fit their lifestyles, are satisfying, signal meal acceptability via real food elements and have a "healthy halo." The growth of a brand like Hot Pockets has been driven more by familiar flavor options than a health halo. Lean Pockets, with a definition of healthiness via lower fat, may not fit all family consumption. "All natural," while comforting to some, is recognized by many as a marketing term that has no real definition for consumers.
From our Healthy You!, It!s Convenient and Crave It! databases, we find the key attributes for convenient appetizers are: taste, appearance, aroma, easy to eat, ready to eat, portion size and flavor varieties. When asked to make trade off choices, consumers are looking for premiumness via similarity to sit-down restaurant cuisine, good for you, bite-size quick and fun, vitamins and minerals, all natural, tastes fresh, perfect to hold in one hand, sensory experience, and already prepared. Appetizers are consumed from lunch time to late evening or during TV viewing, with family or friends, alone and while playing on the computer for most Americans.
Key trends that impact this category are: convenience, flavors and healthfulness.
Convenience: Snack foods provide a quick bite.Through the warmth of the product and real food ingredients, they deal with hunger and can be eaten on the go. One concern is the impact of microwave heating on the overall flavor and texture of the snack.
Flavors: The category has grown via new flavors concentrating on Mexican and Asian. Consumers welcome cuisines such as American, Chinese, Mexican, Italian and Cajun/Creole, according to our It!s Convenient study. The key is to provide a familiar cuisine style and yet deliver a unique flavor.
Healthfulness: While these products are viewed as healthier than shelf-stable snack foods, their fat and sodium levels can be high. These ingredients are part of what makes the food taste good and increases their satiety. So the real challenge is how to create a "healthy halo."
The experience
Alexia Pizza Snacks are not available in all food stores. Alexia is using specific retail outlets (in this case Whole Foods) to provide a signal to consumers that this is a healthy snack. The product we tested with consumers -- Pesto Chicken with Fresh Mozzarella -- is available in a 6-oz. box at $3.49-3.99.
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Opinion: Battling for the Black Vote in the Big Apple
New York Post editorial writer Robert George on the latest developments in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Photo: Associated Press
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... intro I'm Mary Kissel believe it or not ... the New York City mayor's race is not all about it than the wiener we had another very big twist here ... in the big Apple ... a focus on race ... here's what Bill Thompson's campaign wanted the candidates is not Anthony wiener had to say about one of its competitors and I quote ... plus CEOs tying him self up in knots trying to tell people the only African American in the race for mayor wants to have it both ways on ... racial profiling ... he should stop whining about Mr. Thompson's record ... on back to your post editorial writer Robert George hear Robert that saw references stock question Frisk ... focus on race ... where did this come from ... will this came from the collapse of the anti we're campaign and he again either leading or in second place that's collapse ... and so now you've done ... built Bill Tomson ... of the former ... city Comptroller and building Clouseau the current ... aam public advocate ... here now fighting for the Number two slot behind ... the speaker ... Chris Quinn ... and it's likely in New York if only if no candidate gets forty percent in the primary legal runoff so they're fighting for number two to get into that ... that slot and it's it's it's come down to it has come down to race ... bill Tomson Billy Thompson surprisingly isn't dominating home amongst African Americans as people ... expected he expected his mentor he's Africa American though the plot CEO whose wife is flat as interracial children he's he's doing quite well Aaron and Chris Quinn is getting some is well between Iraqis still getting ... good support among ... African Americans so they they they are now focusing on the onthe on the racial question ... and Billy Thompson who's been has been relatively moderate on racial issues in the past ... um can I was somewhat inflammatory words ... when he he he he compared the stock question Frisk ... to the racial profiling of Trayvon Martin ... and The and that was and is it was outrageous ... this it was still in an inevitable turn in the race given that these candidates don't seem to have a new life is ... on the economy that they have to turn ... to the race card to to drum up but ... I would I would look to the metal loop a little wider I need them most of the release him on the basic issues he said that mean that I'm not a whole other new ideas that so they all have to fake a carve out a different appeals to him interest groups ... Chris Quinn ... and his Oakley is open the gate so she she seems to be the pre much got ... the cable kind of locked up but she's also because of the wiener collapse is now trying to the makers of you more and more of votes from one end and now and the PLA Zeo and and Thompson seemed to be one to fight them over the African approval to me to get that photo ... on it's it's it's about ... it's about thirty thirty five percent of all of the room of the price of the primaries so it's very very significant vary significantly could be could be the king maker gets a look at one of the pool's most recent polls opening is from Oakland in Akron ... I'd to show the numbers are so crisp and twenty seven percent ... you're right that was Ian Thomson unit said he Anthony wiener sixteen percent ... but our is if if Mr wiener drops out ... I've that was double what it what what happened then let's put those numbers up on the screen ... and we've got ... Quinn ... the person is ... still in ... a ... while yet in stocks and so what was we were votes go ... and that the ... anus and um we are aam partly because of his bravado and so forth then had begun a mother could sizable amount of the ... of of the black folks so it did it that's so to be going going and ... I think splitting basically between ... the plot CEO who is who is basically the most solidly down the road down the line liberal on in the canoe race so he's gonna get a look of a strong ... MMM out of it and then the rest of the disorder for me to be split ... on by the widening canapes you've got a few free of that that he got up to three also rans including John woo the current ... city Comptroller and Auditor in ... color the color that the ... days that is what that is quite crowded we had that lesson lesson and laughed a aam ... and in your kisses problems with race in the past ... I is good for New York ... you really have this kind of race card planes ... and ... anytime the campaign this is a steal it's it's not and it's interesting that you know I'm a certain friend Al Sharpton is all his Kuwaiti that a lot of people looking for his endorsement and he's basically said he's kind of torn between the two the two bills Thomson ... and Thompson and the andthe Clouseau so that's another that's another one to look at some that could also be that could also um send a major signal and them ... and be the deciding to call ... him a son were to stay on leader watch ...


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Support PDF,DOC,DOCX,TXT,XLS,WPD,HTM,HTML fils up to 5MB
Company name
Organization TypeGovernment
Job Type
Date Last Verified
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ProfileSpring Clerkship Program The clerkship program provides law school students with invaluable legal experience. Will work in the Medical Malpractice division. Law students are considered. A law school student who has completed at least one-half of the total, hourly credits required for graduation, will be eligible to apply for the 711 license. Will be eligible to handle own cases under the supervision of an Assistant State's Attorney.
Additional info
Submit completed application form with a signed and dated Release Form, current resume, 1 letter of recommendation from a Professor or Employer, and current transcript.
Company info
Sonia Antolec
Cook County State's Attorney
69 W. Washington
Chicago, IL 60602


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GR - "The Humble Bundle has always been a project reserved solely for smaller, indie developers, but a few larger developers have since embraced it with gusto and delivered quality games at a "name-your-own-price" offer."
Mannnn, I just bought Saints Row and Metro not too long ago... -_- Dang it all.
It's awful to see publishers having financial problems. I hate seeing studios fail.
i have most of those games but i want to know, if i buy this bundle will it be and extra game in my inventory?
I bought the games and paid above average just to help THQ. I could have easily pirated them. Hopefully other gamers do the same.
I bought it. Hopefully this helps THQ out, I don't want to see another developer/publisher fall. + it helps out charity.


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American Forces Press Service
CAMP CROPPER, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2009 Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston discussed key concerns and possible solutions with soldiers during a visit here Aug. 3. At a town hall meeting, Preston outlined the topics he had brought to President Barack Obama in the presidents first office call with the top noncommissioned officers of each service. "I submitted three things: stress on the force, recruiting and retention, and the Year of the NCO," Preston said. Preston pointed out that stress doesnt just affect soldiers overseas. "It's not just the soldiers who are deployed," he said. "It's also those picking up the slack in the rear and their families." To allow soldiers and their loved ones shorter deployments and more dwell time at their home stations between deployments, Preston said, the Army has been "building brigades." "We saw the impact of what happens to units with less than one year of dwell time," he said. On recruiting and retention, Preston pointed out a few of the factors he said keep re-enlistment percentages high. "The command climate depends on the leadership you work for," Preston said. "Job satisfaction goes far beyond occupational specialty. The quality of life for soldiers and their families is usually better than what they could provide back home." Preston discussed the importance of the Year of the NCO and the meaning behind the designation. "We want to recognize the contributions from the NCO Corps of the past and present," he said. "We must remember the veterans. If it weren't for them wearing the uniform, we could not wear it today." Before leaving, the Armys top enlisted soldier participated in a promotion ceremony and presented commemorative coins. "It's great to be a part of this promotion today to see soldiers move up to a higher position," Preston said. "It was an honor to be promoted by the sergeant major of the Army and have [Command Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Wilson] the Multinational Force Iraq command sergeant major present," said Army Sgt. David Rollins, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 89th Military Police Brigade team leader for the personal security detail. Preston also discussed detainee operations with members of Task Force Griffin, and stopped by the combat support hospital, Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center and the Remembrance II Theater Internment Facility. (From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)


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Want to help scientists help you?
Researchers at the Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC) are gathering a corpus of sketches using CogSketch. CogSketch is the sketch understanding software that we are creating, which is available for free from our web site. It has two purposes. First, we are using it to explore how people reason and
learn. Second, we are exploring how to incorporate sketching into education, to improve student learning. By gathering people's sketches, scientists will be able to do analyses that will help them with both of these missions. If you want to participate, all you have to do is download CogSketch, and indicate your acceptance when you install the software. (If you change your mind, there is a "Phone Home" setting in the software preferences.)


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The Musical Offering, BWV 1079
Canonic Variations on the Christmas Hymn
Canonic Variations on the Christmas Hymn
1. Prelude: Three-part Ricercare
performed on a 1746 Silbermann Forte-et-Piano
2. Overture: Trio Sonata for flute, violin, cello & harpsichord
3. The Art of the Canon:
4. Five Canons on the Royal Theme
5. Five Canons on variations of the Royal Theme
6. Six-part Ricerare – Chamber Orchestra
7. Canonic Variations on Vom Himmel hoch BWV 769
Total playing time 70 minutes
We open our disc with a performance of the Three-part Ricercare which could not, at least in its instrumentation, be more authentic! This piece is performed on a 1746 Gottfried Silbermann fortepiano, one of those delivered to the King on which Bach was required to improvise, and thus one which may well have been played by Bach himself. It was recorded in the King's nearby Summer Palace of Sans Souci, its home since 1947.
We then embark on the program proper. We start with the Trio Sonata, as a "warm-up" piece or Overture, in which the Royal Theme gradually makes cautious appearances. The main canonic material consists of two groups of five canons, the first, canons on the Royal Theme, the second canons on derivatives or variations of the Royal Theme. At the beginning and the end of the two groups of canons come the two Ricercari, first the Three-part, lastly the Six-part.
Bach sent the work, engraved at his own expense, to the King in three instalments, with no performance or instrumentation instructions, no program order, and the canons were simply one-liners which the players would need to interpret. So it is up to the producer and performers to settle on a program order, and instrumentation.
We have chosen to present this work as performed by chamber orchestra, sometimes in full, or in many of the canons, as solos. This rendition satisfies our own requirements of clarity and "enjoyability"; however there is also considerable historical justification for our choice. The King had at his command what was in effect a substantial chamber orchestra consisting of twenty-plus musicians who were among the very best to be found anywhere and included many eminent names well known to Bach. They would thus have been more than capable of arranging their own programming and instrumentation. The lighter canons might well have been performed by single instruments, while those of more substance, including the two Ricercari, could well have drawn in the entire Capelle. No doubt His Majesty himself enjoyed taking a leading part – we may confidently listen to the flute parts and imagine the king performing them.
Many recordings play the canons in mixed order with long spaces between these often short pieces. We have grouped them into two groups, first canons on the Royal Theme, then canons on variations of the Royal Theme. We present them almost like Suites of movements, with the canons following fairly closely on one another. We feel that this allows the listener to follow the developing complexity of the structure - and it makes for more enjoyable listening too.
As a complement to the Musical Offering, we could hardly find better than the set of five Canonic Variations on the Christmas hymn Vom Himmel hoch, BWV 769, composed as they were at around the same time as the Musical Offering, and exploring once again the Art of the Canon. The chorale, arranged by Bach as part of the Magnificat, is first given by the Choir, followed by the five canon-groups performed on the historic organ in Freiberg Cathedral built in 1714 by Bach's old friend Gottfried Silbermann.


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Patons 100% Cotton DK - Nectarine (02723) - 100g - Product Description
Patons 100% Cotton DK is a mercerised cotton double knit weight yarn with a gentle sheen. It is quite fine for a DK and although the recommended needle size is 4mm you'll probably find that, certainly in stocking stitch, it knits up to a much more even tension on a smaller needle. Patons 100% Cotton DK is great for light, lacy designs. We also stock Patons 100% Cotton in a 4 ply weight.
Patons 100% Cotton DK is available in a comprehensive range of shades, and we stock every single colour and shade of Patons 100% Cotton DK that Patons produce - so if we don't have it, it is most probably because Patons have stopped making it! Supplied in 100g balls, Patons 100% Cotton knits to a gauge of 22 stitches over 30 rows on 4mm needles, and there are approximately 210m / 230yds in every 100g ball.
|40 - Very Gentle
|Do Not Bleach
|Do Not Tumble Dry
|Iron - Medium / 150
|PCE Dry Clean


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A 30-year-old man described as "nice" and "quiet" died tonight after being shot in the face in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
The shooting happened at 7:32 p.m. and the man died at the scene on the 5400 block of South Wolcott Avenue, Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Sean Flynn said.
Michele Peals, who lives across the street, described the block as "quiet" and "nice." Peals said the man was the first person to welcome her when she moved into the neighborhood a year ago. He also gave her advice about her four sons, who are between the ages of 18 and 22.
"He said, 'They should stay to themselves and stay in school. If they do that, they'll have no problem,'" Peals recalled.
"I'm so sad," she said. "He didn't deserve it."
The man, identified as Brandon Johnson by the Cook County medical examiner's office, died at the scene. According to public records, Johnson has been arrested in Cook County more than a dozen times and pleaded guilty in separate burglary and narcotic cases, in 2003 and 2006.
On Wednesday evening, four squad cars remained in the street as police officers and detectives canvassed the area and talked with neighbors. Yellow tape blocked off the small brick home where the man was shot.
The neighborhood is mostly single-family homes and small apartment buildings and Wolcott dead-ends mid-block so there's no access to the north part of the block from Garfield Boulevard to the south.
The man was sleeping when someone called and told him to come to the door, said a 26-year-old woman who said her sister dated the dead man. He was shot in the face when he opened the side door, the woman added. Authorities described the incident the same way.
Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said the man may have been conducting a "narcotics transaction" when he opened the door and someone shot him.
Johnson's girlfriend's sister and his two children from another relationship were inside when the shooting happened, she said.
"He was friends with everybody. Everybody liked him. That's why no one can understand why this happened," the woman said, as she stood on the sidewalk near the scene. "That boy is a sweetheart. That boy didn't do nothing."
The woman said her sister and the victim dated "for years" and had planned on moving out of the neighborhood soon.
Meanwhile, the woman's sister cried uncontrollably in the back of a police car as a detective interviewed her. She could be seen shaking and pounding her fists, prompting a friend to climb in the back seat and console her.
Four others were wounded across the city, police said.
Two other men were shot on the north side of the city, in the Rogers Park neighborhood, about 9:25 p.m. Both were taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston with gunshot wounds from near the intersection of Bosworth Avenue and Jonquil Terrace.
One of the men self-transported to the hospital and a Chicago Fire Department ambulance took the other, Fire Department Spokeswoman Meg Ahlheim said. Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said a man in his 37-year-old man was shot in the arm and a younger man, 18, was shot in the foot. Both were in the street when shot and expected to survive, police said. Two males approached a group that the two men shot were standing with and opened fire, hitting the two, police said.
About 10:30 p.m. a 19-year-old man was shot in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, authorities said. The man was shot in the 1200 block of West 49th Place, Ahlheim said. He was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in good condition. Greer said the man was sitting on a porch when a van pulled up, stopped, and someone inside started shooting.
Early Thursday morning, a 26-year-old woman was shot in the Logan Square neighborhood. Someone in a passing car opened fire about 12:40 a.m. in the 2700 block of North Lawndale Avenue, Greer said. The woman was grazed in the neck, Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro said. She was taken to Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center.
Twitter: @peternickeas


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MHS EAST to receive grant
The Malvern High School EAST Lab recently received confirmation they had been awarded a $1,000 grant from Blue Cross & Blue Shield Blue & You Foundation.
The grant will fund a project called Hunger Relief. According to EAST teacher Mary LaVergne, the students submitted the paperwork for the grant online and were notified quickly that they qualified and would receive the grant.
For the rest of the story pick up a MDR Friday Feb. 28 edition.


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Sebring Class of 62 50th Reunion, October 2012
Hi Everyone! If you'll hover your mouse pointer over the large image to the right, you'll see a menu that will allow you to increase or decrease the size of the image. If you're using Windows, you can right-click on any photo and select "Save image as..." Then save it to your own computer. If you use a Mac, you're on your own; I've never used one. Ask your grandkids to show you how. IF YOU HAVE IMAGES OF YOUR OWN that you would like to upload to this album, and did not receive an email from me because I didn't have your address, send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com. I'll send you an URL that will allow you to do so from your own computer. Please don't send your photos to me! I hope we'll get a lot, and I simply don't have time to deal with it. The process is really simple; you won't have any trouble. The same with photos: get a link, and have at it. The album capacity is unlimited, and it will be here as long as we can afford the rent -- which ain't all that much. You can purchase prints at our cost. See the "Buy" link at the upper right of each photo. We make nothing if you do, so don't feel obliged. PLEASE use the "Comments" links at the lower left and beneath each photo as a bulletin board to pass on addresses, etc. to others who visit the site. IMPORTANT! All of our photos aren't up yet (those pesky phones we kept pointing at you) and others will be added. Bookmark the album and keep checking back, especially over the next few weeks as other folks' images creep in. Hope you had as much fun as Shel and I did. This was the best reunion ever! Thanks so much to all the folks who made it possible! I'm not naming names, because I don't want to leave anyone out. You know who you are. Enjoy! - Bill and Shel (Webb) p.s. If you think these photos make you look old, I don't know what to tell you.Read More


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Emma Houchins is a little girl with a big heart.
Emma Houchins is a little girl with a big heart.
A year ago, Emma decided to collect and donate blankets instead of receiving presents for her eighth birthday, on Feb. 13.
This was her first Emma's Birthday Blankets campaign and she collected 336 blankets, which she donated to several agencies.
This year, as her ninth birthday approaches, the New London girl is beginning her campaign, again seeking donations of blankets.
Her goal this year is to double the number she collected a year ago, according to her mother, Mandy Clendenny, giving her a goal of 672 blankets.
The campaign will be from Jan. 1 to her birthday, Feb. 13.
Emma has a message for all the people who donated blankets the first year and those who will help her collect them this time. "Thank you for sending me all my blankets, so I can send them to the people who don't have any," Emma said.
When she presented the blankets to the agencies a year ago, Emma said, it made her feel proud.
Her mother explained that Emma became inspired to help others as she was watching a commercial "about a little boy making his mark and collecting canned goods. ... She decided she wanted to keep people warm, so she chose the blankets."
This was shortly after Christmas in 2012, Clendenny continued, and Emma said, "We just had Christmas. I don't want presents this year for my birthday."
She named the campaign Emma's Birthday Blankets, and "we built her a Facebook page."
Clendenny added that "one of the first places she wanted to take them was the James E. Cary Cancer Center in Hannibal, because her Grandma, (the late) Jean Campbell, had just gone through her treatment there.
"A lot of the patients are very cold during their treatment, and she wanted them to have a nice warm blanket during their chemo," Clendenny said.
Emma delivered to several agencies during her first campaign, and "everyone was very happy to receive those blankets," her mother said.
In addition to the cancer center, she gave blankets to the American Red Cross and Beth Haven Nursing Home in Hannibal, and the YWCA program in Quincy, Ill.
Some blankets went to individuals, Clendenny continued, such as "local cancer patients who were going through treatment, as well as to a local church that delivers them to the homeless in St. Louis."
This year "The James E. Cary Cancer Center has asked for them again, and we have new places," she said. "The Blessing Cancer Center in Quincy has also asked for some, as well as the Salvation Army in Hannibal."
Last year, Clendenny said, "She had blankets coming from all over the country! She asked for new or gently used and most of them that came in were new.
"She had them come from Florida and California. She even had a professional baseball player sign one and send it her way. ... We had baby blankets, pretty much anything and everything."
Emma is not just collecting new blankets, her mother said. "Even if it is gently used, there is somebody out there who can use it."
Emma's school also helped last year, Clendenny said. Emma is in fourth grade at New London Elementary School. At the school, "several kids brought in blankets, and they also took up a collection, and she would go out and purchase blankets."
This year Emma has "drop off" locations in six cities. They are:
• The Encore Emporium - 4500 Paris Grave Road, Hannibal (less than one mile from U.S. 61).
• Main Street Thrift Shop - 101 S. Main, Monroe City.
• Creative Country - 108 N. Fourth, Canton.
• State Farm - 503 W. U.S. 54, Vandalia.
• American Family Insurance - Main Streeet, New London.
• Dr. Chismarich Dental - 310 W. Main, Bowling Green.
People are "welcome to take blankets to drop off sites from Jan 1 to Feb. 13," Clendenny said.
"Some people make a donation, and we purchase new blankets and we will distribute them. She takes donations on gofundme.com/emma'sbirthdayblanket."
For more information, email Clendenny at email@example.com.
"You can visit Emma's Birthday Blankets on Facebook and follow her story," Clendenny added.
After Emma's ninth birthday campaign is completed, she said, "We still celebrate. She had presents come in from all over last year. We will still have a big birthday party with her friends."


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BALTIMORE – UMBC women's lacrosse sophomore midfielder Alyssa Semones (Westminster, Md./Westminster/Penn State) scored a game-high four goals for the third time this season, as the Retrievers exploded for an 11-goal second half, including eight-straight scores, in a 14-8 victory against Drexel on Saturday afternoon at UMBC Stadium. The black and gold handed the Dragons, who are receiving votes in the national poll, its first loss of the season.
Semones added an assist for a total of five points on the afternoon and pulled in six draws, while junior attack Shannon Harkey (Purcellville, Va./Loudon Valley) also chipped in five points, adding two assists to her hat trick.
UMBC sophomore attack Abby Wilson (Bel Air, Md./Fallston) opened the game's scoring, picking up her eighth of the season on a free position shot to put the Retrievers out in front 1-0. Drexel went on to score three straight, two coming from senior attack Alysa Maiden, to take a 3-1 lead with 14:51 remaining in the first.
With less than a minute left in the opening half, the Retrievers knotted the contest up at three, with pair of goals coming within 16 seconds from Semones. Semones bounced her first underneath the crossbar on a free position shot, while the second came off a beautiful pass from junior midfielder Kristen Bilney (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial). The Dragons were able take back the lead before the half, scoring with six seconds left on the clock, on a long shot coming off the draw from junior midfielder Amanda Norcini to put Drexel up 4-3 at the half.
The Retrievers exploded out of the break, connecting on eight of their first 10 shots. Semones started the run, scoring the equalizer into the top right corner of the net at 26:08 off a pass from senior midfielder Lindsay Cox (High Bridge, N.J./Voorhees). Harkey came from behind the net and slipped past her defender, putting away one of her three unassisted goals on the afternoon 1:14 later to give the Retrievers the lead for good, 5-4.
UMBC netted four more goals in the next 1:32, two coming from Cox and a goal and assist for both Semones and Bilney, to give the black and gold a 9-4 advantage with 22:13 left. The Retrievers were not done yet, as Wilson tabbed her second goal of the contest and junior midfielder Mary Milligan (Edgewater, Md./South River/Anne Arundel CC) scored her first goal as a member of the Retrievers with 11:58 on the clock to put UMBC out in front, 11-4.
The Dragons looked to stop the bleeding, as Kelli Joran placed a shot inside the right post for her first score of the afternoon, but the Retrievers responded with two more goals, coming from Harkey and sophomore attack Jordan Lyons (Peterborough, Ontario/St. Peter's Secondary) to make it a seven goal deficit for the Dragons.
Drexel recorded three of the last four goals in the contest, but it was too little too late for the Dragons.
UMBC senior goalkeeper Kendall Mason (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) made eight stops for the second-straight contest. Drexel goalkeepers Teresha Bradley and Amanda Santandrea each saw action in net for the Dragons. Bradley was credited with the loss, her first of the season, after allowing 11 goals.
The Retrievers connected on 14 of their 24 shots in the contest and held a 10-6 advantage on draw controls in the second half.
UMBC returns to the field on Friday, March 15 when it hosts Mount St. Mary's at the UMBC Stadium at 7 p.m.


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WASHINGTON -- It's not your imagination. The Republican Party really does seem to have taken leave of its senses.
The House GOP majority has decided that its final act before the summer recess will be to take its 40th vote to repeal all or part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. This time, Republicans will vote to prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from playing any role in implementing the law, which would effectively gut the measure -- in some parallel universe.


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An update on feline infectious peritonitis
FIP is caused, at least in part, by feline coronavirus. This virus is related to the enteric canine coronavirus as well as the agent of transmissible gastroenteritis in swine. It is an enveloped virus, which is unusual for enteric pathogens, and contains a large RNA genome. This large genome is correlated with a high virus mutation rate through nucleotide substitutions, deletions, and recombination events. The virus's mutability may play a role in the development of virulence.Feline coronavirus is divided into two serotypes based on virus antigenicity. Most field strains are type 1; type 2 is a recombinant of feline and canine coronaviruses.1 FIP may be caused by either serotype, although most cases are associated with type 1.2 However, most feline coronavirus infections produce no or only mild disease that typically manifests as diarrhea.
Feline coronavirus infections are common, especially in multicat situations. The virus is widespread, occurring worldwide and in domestic and nondomestic felids. Serologic studies indicate high prevalence rates in most feline populations. The virus is spread primarily by fecal-oral transmission, and infected cats may remain chronically infected, shedding the virus continuously or intermittently for long periods.3 Indirect transmission of the virus may occur; the virus is easily inactivated with detergents used on nonporous surfaces but may persist in the environment for several weeks. Kittens born into populations in which feline coronavirus is endemic may become infected by 4 to 6 weeks of age.4
FIP is an uncommon manifestation of feline coronavirus infection, occurring in only 5% to 10% of infected cats.5 Why most cats suffer no serious consequences of feline coronavirus infection, while some develop a lethal disease, remains uncertain. Virus factors are important in FIP development, as some strains are highly virulent and cause FIP in experimentally infected cats. In addition, FIP outbreaks have occasionally occurred.6,7 It has been speculated that a mutation in the infecting virus leads to a change in the virus's biotype, from one causing mild enteritis to one causing FIP.8,9 However, no genetic mutation that consistently correlates with FIP production has been identified. So why do only certain cats progress to FIP?
The pathogenesis of FIP is complex and still not completely understood. The feline coronavirus is required but may not alone cause the disease. This virus is spread via fecal-oral transmission and survives transit through the gastrointestinal tract. It enters the intestinal epithelia from the lumen, with replication leading to the death of the epithelial cells that may manifest as diarrhea.3 From the intestines, the virus may spread to infect monocytes and macrophages. This acquisition of monocyte/macrophage tropism by the virus is a critical factor for FIP development—in cats that develop FIP, it appears that the virus replicates efficiently in these cells, achieving high viral levels in the blood.10
One study found that the feline coronavirus spike protein provides target cell specificity and is the critical determinant for macrophage infection.11 The region of the spike protein that mediates viral envelope fusion with the cell membrane during virus entry is the critical domain that determines macrophage tropism. Regardless of how the monocyte/macrophage tropism arises, the efficient replication of feline coronavirus in these cells is a key factor in FIP development. High levels of viral RNA have been detected in blood and tissue of cats with FIP.10,12 However, this property alone does not appear to be sufficient to lead to FIP development, as another study found that high viral load was not associated with clinical signs or pathology.13 Thus, systemic spread and replication are not unique to FIP.
Other viral genes speculated to play a role in FIP development are those encoding the coronavirus nonstructural proteins, in particular the 3c and 7b genes.8,9 The function of these gene products is unknown, but they are theorized to be important in the virus's virulence. The evolution of the FIP-causing ability may in fact involve multiple mutations. On the other hand, at least one study found no evidence of mutation in the virus identified in FIP lesions.14 Thus, consensus on the precise nature of the viral contribution to FIP development has not been reached.


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Car Deals
Sedan Deals: June 2013
Shoppers searching for a sedan have come to the right place. We've listed several of today's best sedan deals on some of our favorite models. And whether you're leasing, financing or buying, you're sure to find something helpful in our list of deals.
Ford Taurus
The 2013 Ford Taurus is a full-size sedan available with front- or all-wheel drive. In June, shoppers interested in a Taurus can get deals whether they're leasing the sedan or buying it with cash. For cash buyers, Ford is offering up to $2,500 back on all trim levels of the Taurus. That deal adds an extra $1,000 if shoppers are coming out of a competitor's leased car. For drivers interested in leasing, Ford is offering the Taurus SEL for 24 months with payments from $299 per month. The only catch is the deal requires nearly $3,000 down at lease signing.
Honda Accord
Honda is offering lease and finance deals on its recently redesigned midsize Accord sedan this month. For shoppers looking to lease, Honda is offering a 36-month term with payments starting at $219 per month for the base-level Accord LX. While that deal requires $2,399 down at lease signing, Honda also has a zero-down lease deal this month on the Accord. That offer touts a 35-month term with payments starting at $280 per month. Finally, shoppers looking to finance an Accord can get 0.9 percent interest for up to 36 months or 1.9 percent interest for up to 60 months on all Accord trim levels.
Kia Optima
Kia's best June deals are on its stylish Optima midsize sedan. Through the end of the month, Kia is offering qualified finance shoppers 0 percent interest for up to 36 months plus $500 cash back. For lease shoppers, Kia is offering a 36-month term with payments from $239 per month after $2,399 down on the Optima LX. And for those paying with cash, Kia is touting cash-back deals of up to $1,000 for all Optima trim levels. Kia is also offering up to $1,000 cash back for drivers who trade in competitive models.
The all-new Mazda6 is a sporty midsize sedan recently redesigned for the 2014 model year. Through the end of June, it's available with two incentives. The first is for shoppers interested in financing. Qualified buyers can get a 2014 Mazda6 with interest rates as low as 0.9 percent for up to 36 months. For those looking to lease, Mazda also has a deal this month on the Mazda6. Through the end of June, shoppers can get a 36-month lease with $1,999 down and payments starting at just $229 per month.
Toyota Corolla
The compact Toyota Corolla is a fuel-efficient 4-door sedan with a 4-cylinder engine. In June, Toyota is offering two deals on the Corolla. The first is for qualified drivers interested in financing the small sedan. Through the end of the month, they can get 0 percent interest for up to 60 months. For shoppers who would rather lease, Toyota is offering a 36-month term with payments starting at just $149 per month. While that rate is very attractive, it requires more than $2,500 down at lease signing.
Find a Toyota Corolla for sale
What it means to you: Some of today's best sedan deals are available on several top new models.