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Eric Hutchinson to release new record, perform twice in Connecticut
Published 7:26 pm, Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Eric Hutchinson's life has been a series of ups and downs ever since he emerged from the suburbs of Washington, D.C., more than a decade ago.
After inking a contract with Maverick Records in 2003, his career looked bright -- until he was abruptly dropped from the label. Then, in the midst of an existential (and financial) crisis, he got a plug from an online gossip guru that sent his career soaring.
That led to a record deal with Warner Bros., followed by nationwide tours, appearances on late-night TV and a chart-topping album.
After the dust had settled, Hutchinson had the chance to look back on the last few years of his life -- a time of startling climbs and steep falls that left the artist feeling like "I was in a game of Chutes and Ladders."
That experience shines through on the singer/songwriter's latest album, the aptly-titled "Moving Up, Living Down" (available Tuesday, April 17, via Warner Bros.).
Spinning tight hooks, colorful melodies and a wide array of styles, the album details Hutchinson's reflections on everything from an awkward love triangle (folk-pop stomper "Watching You Watch Him") to the loss of identity (disco-esque number "Living in The Afterlife") to the capricious nature of success (ska-inflected sing-along "Not There Yet").
Despite the sobering material, the music is fun and breezy -- an indication of an artist who looks at every experience, good and bad, with humor and optimism.
"Celebration is definitely a part of (the album)," Hutchinson, 30, said in an interview last week. "I'm looking at things under a microscope, and while some of it's difficult, I've come out of everything feeling lucky and grateful."
However, climbing back from his steepest fall wasn't easy.
After signing with Maverick Records -- the Warner Bros.-distributed label started by Madonna -- in 2003, it looked as if Hutchinson had gotten his big break. But his dreams were shattered when he was dropped from its roster before the release of his major-label debut.
Set adrift, Hutchinson found himself uncertain of his next move.
Then, he got a "shot in the arm" -- a boost from Perez Hilton, who raved about Hutchinson's album, "Sounds Like This," on his blog. After the mention on one of the Internet's most popular websites, Hutchinson saw his record rise to No. 7 on the iTunes albums chart.
Appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno and "Late Night" with Conan O'Brien followed, as did nationwide tours with Joe Jackson, Jason Mraz and Kelly Clarkson.
Now, Hutchinson is embarking on a headlining tour that brings him to Connecticut twice this spring. His major label debut is finally being released -- by Warner Bros., oddly enough -- next month. ("Watching You Watch Him," meanwhile, was featured on the season premier of "Grey's Anatomy.")
So, when it comes to that game of Chutes and Ladders, Hutchinson has been landing on nothing but ladder spots as of late.
Still, even though "Moving Up, Living Down" marks a period of stability in Hutchinson's life, the journey to the top -- of "finding my place in young adulthood," as the artist put it -- is far from over.
"Everyone is saying I'm all grown up," Hutchinson sings on "Not There Yet." "I've come a long way, but I'm not there yet."
Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Casino, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville. Saturday, March 24, 8 p.m. Free. 888-226-7711, www.mohegansun.com. Heirloom Arts Theatre, 155 Main St., Danbury. Friday, May 4, 7:30 p.m. $15. 203-300-5270, www.heirloomarts.org.
firstname.lastname@example.com; 203-964-2238; http://twitter.com/scottgarg


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Christina Aguilera on Cee Lo Green's Jheri Curl: "He's Just Fearless!"
When it comes to outrageous hairstyles, Cee Lo Green is the only Voice mentor who can give Christina Aguilera a run for her money!
PHOTOS: Before they were on The Voice!
When the "Your Body" singer, 31, sat down with Hoda Kotb for the Nov. 16 episode of Dateline, the TV journalist couldn't help but inquire about Green's wild 'do from the Nov. 5 show.
PHOTOS: Christina Aguilera's sexy video looks
"What was going on with that jheri curl the other day?" Kotb asked.
"Oh, we don't know! We don't know!" laughed Aguilera, who once sported a pink afro on the program. "He's just fearless, you know? And he works it, too! He's like shaking it in your face."
PHOTOS: Christina Aguilera's body evolution
To see what Aguilera has to say about her new album, Lotus, and her 4-year-old son Max, tune in to ABC's Dateline Friday, Nov. 16, at 10 p.m. EST.
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Christina Aguilera on Cee Lo Green's Jheri Curl: "He's Just Fearless!"
We Recommend
- Feb. 18, 2018 Check out Taylor Swift's biggest career moments

subset: commoncrawl


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In a few years, you will be as embarrassed of these posts as you are today of your former claims of being an Algernon, or that a logical paradox would make an AI go gaga, the tMoL argumentation you mentioned the last days, the Workarounds for the Laws of Physics, Love and Life Just Before the Singularity and so on and so forth. Ask yourself: Will I have to delete this, too ?
And the person who told you to go to college was probably well-meaning, and not too far from the truth. Was it Ben Goertzel ?


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Saint-Gobain's 92400.20MIC12 Polycrystalline Alumina Slurry for C plane sapphire wafer polishing is a truly remarkable product. It replaces colloidal silica, SiO2, the traditional final polishing slurry used for many years on C plane sapphire wafers. This slurry can polish the sapphire wafers 2 - 3 times faster than colloidal SiO2, and it doesn't scratch the sapphire wafers, is much more easily cleaned from the wafers and the polishing machinery.
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You asked, and we're proud to offer some new levels of support for your next event. In addition to full service, we now have several menu options that you can use to customize the areas of your event that you need the most help with. Check them out!
Fundraising Event Audit + Strategy: Support your organization in developing a strategic event plan for the year to engage donors through fundraising events. We would review your current events themselves, and provide an assessment on the areas below and make strategic recommendations to improve in all areas and meet objectives.
Strategic Plan for Your Event: Have the infrastructure to carry out producing your fundraising event but are looking for strategic direction to capture its fundraising potential and your ability to connect with donors? Looking to reboot your event and unsure what that could look like? We will build you a customized strategy as the resource from which you can plan your event.
Event Script Development: Looking for help scripting and shaping how your event will actually look from the stage? We can take all of your event elements and help you shape them into an effective event arc and then write your script so that you can focus your energy on maximizing donor cultivation for the event.
Special Appeal Strategy: Your special appeal is your largest fundraising opportunity at your event when approached with a specific strategy during your planning. We will work with you to maximize your appeal story, look at your donor history for opportunities for growth, strategize the best uses of challenge and matching gifts and help you elevate your fundraising during this crucial part of your event with an ask + collection strategy.
Video: Video can be a highly effective method of telling your story at an event. We can work with you to shape a dynamic and effective video to tell the story of your organization or your special appeal.
Event Branding: Your event brand is an important piece of the puzzle. It communicates visually with your audience, setting the tone of the event before the doors of the venue open. It also provides visual and textual information about your event and should align with who you are. The voice and design of your event should be thoughtfully considered, succinct and powerful. This offering gives you with everything you need to produce and implement a successful event brand. It also provides several pieces of critical creative collateral that let you focus on other things to make your event a home run.
Event Assessment: Sometimes having an outside perspective on your event can help you continue to elevate its effectiveness. We will take a look at your onsite event execution including registration, flow, service, program, logistics, strategy and guest experience. We will then take all of that information and write up an assessment of your event highlighting its strengths and recommendations for future growth.
Custom Training: A custom 3-hour training for your staff and board about how to engage effectively in planning your event and how to strategically meet fundraising goals. It will be developed around your organization's specific goals, objectives and concerns.
Greater Giving Training: Want a smooth registration process and to be able to manage all event data easily? Utilizing Greater Giving to its fullest can accomplish that. Using this online software as your event database allows you to track guests, tables, sales, auction items, sponsorships, sell tickets to your event and collect credit card payments at your event. We will train your team on how to best use Greater Giving. We will also provide you with tools and recommendations along the way so your guests can have a more seamless check-in/check-out experience. One of these tools includes a seating meeting where we will walk you through placing guests and sponsored tables strategically in the room. You will walk away from this meeting with every guest seated at a table and tables assigned within Greater Giving.
On-Call Hourly Consulting: This pre-event strategic consulting can help increase fundraising opportunities, provide opportunities to brainstorm, problem solve program development, generate messaging ideas, evaluate your special appeal, solve event details, give you ideas for vendors and look at how to streamline workload prior to your event. This is just time with one of our strategic consultants to brainstorm, get ideas and solicit feedback on your event plans.
We would love to talk to you about your event and how we can support you on it. You can submit a request HERE or give us a call at 503-234-4546.


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Bill introduced to bring back payday-style loans
PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Arizona voters chose to stop payday loans in 2008. Now an Arizona State Senator wants to bring them back, under a different name called "flex loans."
A flex loan bill making it's way through the Arizona State Legislature would create a produce very similar to outlawed pay day loans.
"You can change the name, you can put lipstick on a pig, the bottom line is it's still a pig," said Rep. Debbie McCune-Davis.
"That's why a $2,500 loan over the course of 24 months grows to an amount of $10,000, and they call that help?" said Rep. McCune-Davis.
The sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Kavanagh disagrees. He says these loans would offer options to people in trouble.
"It's giving people who have no choice and are desperate an option," said Sen. Kavanagh.
Kavanagh says Flex loans are meant to be bridge loans.
"And what is the alternative of not getting the car fixed and losing your job? Going to a loan shark and having your legs broken when you don't pay selling drugs, going into prostitution. This is an option, and it helps a lot of people," said Kavanagh.
Residents have mixed opinions on the loans.
"I think I had one or two in my life, it worked out great, it worked out fine," said Daren Newsome.
"They're getting rich off poor people, way too much interest, way too much," said another resident.
Kavanagh's bill SB1316 was sent to the Senate on March 21 where it will be scheduled for a vote.


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Flexicurity is Scandinavian example for European model
This article has not been vetted by an editor at Paris HQ
Today the spotlight is on the public politics of the economics sector, especially on employment, and on a more general reform of the work market. The European dimension thus becomes crucially important for joint interventions as well as for the analysis of models which are born in single EU member states.
This is the concept of flexisecurity.
The combination of 'flexibility and security' to which the term refers finds its roots in the model created and developed with success by Scandinavian countries. The term was then adopted in varying degrees - not always with goodwill and often not painlessly - by different EU countries propelled by the desire to increase productivity without compromising the workers' quality of life.
The idea of flexicurity has its origins in the political debate initiated in the Netherlands in the early nineties, when unemployment visibly decreased and the job market became largely deregulated. But it's Denmark rather than Holland to which Europe aspires: the way in which Denmark has promoted employment flexibility with the guaranteed care of social well-being is the envy of neighbouring countries. Next to Denmark, Sweden is also held up as a model thanks to its ability to marry a flexible job market with public politics in order to repel social exclusion.
In the 2000-born European concept, 'flexibility' refers to the different stages which distinguish people's working lives, who are called upon to respond quickly and efficiently to the varying demands made by productive activities, such as work procedures and increasingly diversified skills. 'Security' is also extended beyond the usual guarantees which ensure a work placement or the safeguards to protect against changes in company policies, as well as preserving the existence of subsidies which help to reduce the economic difficulties connected to transition periods and of interruption in employment. The idea of permanent employment is thus moving in this direction. Permanent employment is becoming increasingly important in European politics and is geared to ensure that the individual worker has the opportunity to access training which is tailored to the new demands of an economy in constant evolution.
German and French trade unions were the first to respond: it was clear to them that behind the flexicurity model, as already put into practice for many years in Scandinavian countries, there is a well-tested system of negotiations shared between state institutions, representatives from the business world and workers' representatives. From its inception to nowadays, however, there has always been one obstacle for flexicurity: the relationship between state, trade unions and business is complex and specific to every single country in the European Union.


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- Some say that Argentina has two national anthems — the official hymn and the tango. True or false: The best bandoneóns (tango accordions) are made in Germany.
- Technically speaking, a tenor has to be able to sing a two-octave range from approximately B-flat to B-flat. Match these tenor arias with their operas.
A. "Nessun dorma" 1. Carmen B. "Flower Song" 2. Lohengrin C. "In Fernem Land" 3. Turandot D. "Il mio tesoro" 4. Don Giovanni
- True or false: Scottish bagpipes were once quite popular in much of Europe.
- When the Portuguese introduced an instrument called the braginha to Hawaii, the Hawaiians adopted it and called it the ukulele. The word ukulele is Hawaiian for:
- A. Four strings
- B. Tiny guitar
- C. Jumping flea
- P.T. Barnum billed a famous soprano who toured the United States in the 1800s as "The Swedish Nightingale." Her real name (short version) was:
- A. Annie Oakley
- B. Jenny Lind
- C. Helga Pfeffernusse
- True or false: Brazilians can lay claim to the most widely played of all guitar concertos, Concierto d'Aranjuez, by Joaquín Rodrigo.
- St. Gregory the Great was pope from 590-604. True or false: His accomplishments included systematizing the monodic liturgical plainsong of the Roman Catholic Church, also called "chant."
- Many Caribbean music styles are fusions of African and European sounds. Musical Mensas will be able to match the styles of music with their various homes.
A. Zouk 1. Puerto Rico B. Merengue 2. Jamaica C. Plena 3. Dominican Republic D. Calypso 4. Martinique E. Reggae 5. Trinidad
- According to many archaeologists, Australian Aboriginal culture has been traced back 50,000 years, which makes it the world's oldest civilization. Its most well-known instrument is made from a eucalyptus limb that has been hollowed out by termites, and often is beautifully carved. This instrument is called a:
- A. Bilma
- B. Lali
- C. Didgeridoo
- Da-da-da-dum! Of course you recognize the first four notes from Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. There is another Beethoven symphony that contains a brilliant, and exceedingly popular, movement. True or false: "Ode to Joy" is the last movement in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
[tooltip trigger="ANSWERS" width="750″ position="right" sticky="true"]
- True. Around 1860, this box-shaped button accordion was invented in Germany so that musicians could play hymns in churches without organs. The bandoneón has more than seventy buttons!
- True
- B. Jenny Lind, or Johanna Maria Lind-Goldschmidt, was born in Sweden. She was a coloratura soprano.
- False. Señor Rodrigo was Spanish.
- True. And he would no doubt be pleased to see the resurgence in the popularity of Gregorian chants 1,300 years later! The musical Benedictine monks of the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos have produced a best-selling recording called Chant, which has sold millions of copies.
- C. The didgeridoo (a k a didjeridu, yidaki, yiraki, magu, kanbi, or ihambilbilg) was originally only played by select Aboriginal men. It is blown in a circular manner, and emanates a variety of haunting tones.
- True. There are four movements in a symphony, and "Ode to Joy" was the last one, a choral movement. Beethoven composed and conducted it when he was totally deaf.


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Thinking highly of yourself
A few nights ago, I was bored and flipping through the channels when I came across one of those children pageant shows. Enough people have written about the horrors of "Toddlers and Tiaras" and the like that I don't have anything new to contribute. But I was intrigued by one of the dads, who said he encouraged his daughter to be in pageants to help her become a confident person.
I can hardly disagree with wanting your children to have self-confidence, but it's interesting that, for boys, self-esteem is usually associated with sports or other physical activities and, for girls, it's aligned with physical attractiveness.
I think the idea of having to be pretty to feel good about yourself is continually reinforced for girls. I think working on confidence on every level of your life — your intellect, your personality — is more important. It's a necessary tool to use the rest of your life.
There are far too many examples of women only being valued for their outward appearance. I recently read a study that said women who are overweight make thousands of dollars less than those who are skinny. To make matters worse, men who are overweight make more money. I argue that this is because the world has different priorities for women. It's all about how you're perceived.
Confidence is a funny thing. It's amazing how quickly your life can deteriorate when you don't feel good about yourself. Just look at the recent news of young people killing themselves because of constant bullying. It's a sad state that teenagers are facing so much anxiety and pressure from outside forces. It makes no sense to pick on others, but it happens all the time.
This also brings up the issue of too much self-confidence. I'm sure you've heard the newest documentary on education, "Waiting for Superman." One of the statistics in the film is that while American students have some of the lower scores compared to other developed countries, they have the highest confidence about those scores. That false sense of self-esteem is a scary thing, too. That end of things likely leads to people becoming bullies because they think they're better than others.
I guess, like many other things, gaining self-confidence is walking a fine line.
Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who's now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at email@example.com with "pop culture hijabi" in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.
This article has 5 comments
Hi Nadia,
I just find myself sighing as I read this. It's so true and one has to wander where things have gone so wrong. There seems to be a level of hatred in society that was not there before. When children are being cyber bullied I ask myself: Where are the boundaries? Does an eleven year old really need a FB account? Look at our media, the television shows and the false values that are so often conveyed. As an adult with some depth I can cross these things out of my mind but an impressionable young person mistakes these things as real life.
What bothers me is that "everyone has to win." That is just not realistic!
We have to teach kids that to get what you want you have to fight for it!
I was always afraid to ask teachers any questions and would annoy my dad if I asked too many. I think that so many parents are just not teaching their kids enough and leaving it to the school to teach them education on top of morality. It's so sad but unfortunately bullying has been around for way too long and who is keeping up this chain? My guess is the parents who used to be bully's themselves who don't teach their children NOT to do that to others and to be kind. Allah knows best.
I think the most important aspect of self-confidence that we can convey to our children is the ability to be unafraid to ask questions. So many children are too afraid of being embarrased, looking silly, etc, that this stifles them from asking questions. A child that can raise his or her hand with confidence and ask a question- from the naive to the sublime, these are the kinds of children we need in a democracy.


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A female who has daddy issues and trys to get back at all men by fucking them hoping she can contract and STD to spread. In fact she has so many STD's she dispenses them like a vending machine for the price of penis. Usually on birth control because being pregnant would take time from her being a slut. Refuses to use condoms. She is so easy that you will be surprised at the minimal effort you had to put in to get her to spread her legs. Once spreads you might have doubts of what you are about to do since her vagina will most defiantly look like something from health class. Every guy (and girl) that fucks her will try claiming that they were drunk and on drugs even if they are straight edge.
Man 1: "Damn dude, I went to the doctor today and she told me I had 3 STD's."
Man 2: "I told you that would regret fucking that STD slut."
Man 1: "I know but I was so drunk and high of heroin."
Man 2: "You don't drink or do drugs."
Man 1: "WTF WAS I THINKING??!?!?!?!?"
Man 2: "I told you that would regret fucking that STD slut."
Man 1: "I know but I was so drunk and high of heroin."
Man 2: "You don't drink or do drugs."
Man 1: "WTF WAS I THINKING??!?!?!?!?"
by stdslutexpert6969 April 19, 2011
Available Domains :D
- stdslut.net
- stdslut.men
- stdslut.org
Typically a female who engages in sexual activity with numerous partners without using protection or controception and accumulates many sexually transmitted diseases and/or unwanted children because of her slutty actions. Members of the male species unknowingly bang these individulas to later learn of the STD Slut's infestation. STD Sluts are typically socaily awkward, have daddy problems, or are attention starved and therefore use their sexualtiy to compensate for their life failures. Typically, repspectable human beings do not like STD Sluts.
Girl A sleeps with many men to compensate for her life failures and short-comings and therefore, she is an STD Slut.
by Gaybell April 19, 2011


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Click here to print the obituary below
In Memory of
Marina Abramovich
May 23, 1922 - June 13, 2012
Marina Abramovich passed away on June 13th, 2012.
The funeral service will take place on Friday June 15th, 2012 from 8:30am to 9:30am.
The Rabbi will start the service at 9:30am.
The interment to follow at Wellwood Cemetery, Pinelawn, New York.
Funeral Service
Friday, June 15, 2012 | 8:30am - 9:30am
Nevsky Yablokoff Memorial Chapels
1700 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230 | (718) 376-6900
Driving Directions


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2 years ago today we lost a young man by the name of Trayvon Martin..He was on his way home from the store when a racist man filled with hate and fearful of Black people 'suspected' him of being 'up to no good' because he was deemed to be out of place in the upscale neighborhood.
Disobeying police orders, George Zimmerman, a man with a criminal record and history of violence acting in the capacity of self appointed neighborhood watch captain, followed, this young brother and ultimately wound up killing him…
After Trayvon was killed that fateful night it took 44 days before Zimmerman was arrested and charged by a prosecuting team that for the most part did not want to try him and literally killed the concept of 'justice' during the trial. They brought their C and D game to the trial vs their 'A' game thus revealing to their world the same bias toward Black people that Zimmerman had.
We should never forget what happened to Trayvon who was not only killed by Zimmerman but also saw his character viciously assassinated by many who can't stand the fact that with each passing day they are losing their power and the world they once oppressively ruled.
We should never forget that the parents of Trayvon Martin lost their son…There are few things in this world more painful then losing a child… Reflect on that for a minute…
As we reflect on Trayvon, let us also reflect on the sudden loss of Chokwe Lumumba, a true freedom fighter and the recently elected Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. Lumumba throughout his life, stood and fought tirelessly for justice and was shining light in a sea of madness. His election while ignored by many political pundits had ignited the masses who were excited about his bold plans for Jackson (The Jackson Plan: A Struggle for Self-Determination, Participatory Democracy, and Economic Justice )and the upcoming conference in May called Jackson Rising. His loss was a heartbreak for many.
How will we honor their deaths? Will we stand for justice like Chokwe? Will we value life and love and respect each other so we don't have any more Trayvons, meaning young people who die tragically before their time? Or will today be just like any other day in America where we capitulate to the social and political engineering efforts of corporate tyranny?
For those of who are older, it would be a big loss if we don't teach our youth the lessons learned around Trayvon and the legacy of Chokwe. Today is a day for reflection. Tomorrow is when we make a commitment to move forward in honor of two who are now with the ancestors..


text: Located just 1.2 mi (1.9 km) from the airport, Airways Hotel offers a free shuttle (available 24 hours). Guests can visit the spa to be pampered with massages, body scrubs, or facials, and Vue Restaurant, one of 3 restaurants, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. An indoor pool and an outdoor pool are other highlights, and rooms at this luxurious hotel offer up nice touches like premium bedding and down comforters.


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First off, dear co-bloggers, if you have been planning to join the BlogRush, I'm sorry to say that it is no more. Actually, Mark Hopkins of Mashable said that. Cheer up, it was not very appealing and apparently had so many problems, it is short-lived like the gold rush. For those wondering what this is all about, BlogRush was a service that promised those who signed up a "RUSH of TRAFFIC to their BLOG."
Google is silently pushing updates of Chrome. I didn't notice it until a .EXE download initiated a prompt from Chrome before downloading itself silently like every other file. v0.2.149.27 to v0.3.154.9. In the meantime, Federico Fieni's comic about Google tackling Microsoft with Chrome is travelling the Internet. While everybody is happy with the sinister look of giant Google, I'm starting to wonder whether it is a personification of Google Cloud than Google itself. You tell me.
Another Italian has an encouraging news for us. Flash programmer Emanuele Feronato made more than $9,000 by making Flash Games just for fun during his spare time in a year.
More good news comes from Greg Jastrab of SmartLogic Solutions. His solution for migrating serialization changes in AIR won him the grand prize of the Adobe AIR Cook-off. Congratulations once again, Greg! That's a very neat solution that should work like a charm.
The Hongkiat blog has recently compiled a mile long list of 60 useful Adobe AIR applications from 6 different sources. There might be several for me to take and review sometime in the future. Thank you, Kay.
Lastly, Prof. Savage and his team have "Sneakey" ready. Those who have a habit of holding their keys in their hands, or placing them on the table in front of them, beware! If you play with your keys round a finger, someone might capture that shot and come back to haunt you.
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.


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Thanks to our advertisers for keeping this site free to use! If you'd like to advertise on The Leslieviller, start with this information.
Hi there,
Does anyone know if there is a good new mom/baby group in Leslieville right now? (this is for my brother and SIL who just had a baby a few days ago). As I understand it, Public Health's "When Baby Comes Home" is not not in operation anymore (which sucks - my group was what got me through the first few weeks/months of parenthood). I know there must be some programs at the drop-in centres, I just thought I would come on here first to get the scoop to pass along to them.
Views: 146
The Public Health program is the only formal program I know of. A lot of people start their own groups through this website. I've met tons of moms from this site alone.
L'il Bean on Queen is a great place to meet moms as well. Check their site as I know they hold seminars, events, etc.
Good Luck.
Hi Kate,
I had a baby boy on December 26th and I was told by Public Health that the "When Baby Comes Home" program is now "Living and Learning with Baby".
My name has been placed on the list for the next program in the area and apparently I will receive a call to confirm the time and location of the program. The contact name and number I was given is Debbie Ettienne at 416-397-4423.
If you hear of any other programs or groups starting up from anyone else, I would appreciate it if you could let me know!
Hi Kate - I joined two groups that were great - one at the South Rverdale Health Centre called Jump Start (I think the Ralph Thornton may offer something like this as well) and one at the Health Centre at Queen and Coxwell. Both groups offered snacks for the parents which was much appreciate during those first blurry weeks.
Good luck,
There's Applegrove drop in centre as well...
My daughter and I have joined the Living and Learning with Baby program. It starts March 23rd. If your brother and SIL haven't been contacted, let them know that now might be a good tiem to call.


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Medical Marijuana Crackdown Sparks San Francisco Protest [FEATURE]
A San Francisco medical marijuana community already unhappy with federal raids on dispensaries was outraged and energized by Monday's raid on Oaksterdam. Hundreds of protestors went to the federal building to let the US Attorney know it. Chronicle story here.
Dismantle the DEA
When will America wake up and see what a waste of money the DEA is? I had a dream a while back that the Mexican Cartels and al-Queda teamed up to obliterate the DEA. I woke up sad that it was only a dream, because I smile each time a DEA agent dies. It's unfortunate too few of them do. Everyone of them is scum. Pure human scum.
Inpatient Drug Rehab In Idaho
The site was so nice, I found out about a lot of great things. I like the way you make your blog posts. Keep up the good work and may you gain success in the long run.
Inpatient Drug Rehab In Idaho
I genuinely liked reading through your post! You have quality material. I might advise you to come up with blog posts even more often. By doing this, having this kind of a worthy website I think you will probably rank higher in the search engines.
What Happened to 2009?
Huh. I thought Obama stopped a lot of those raids around the time he first got into office. I guess it turns out that was just a short-term move to appease the people who thought he might actually do something about the Drug War. Hopefully we get someone in office soon who can actually put a stop to these ridiciulous policies.


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Masturbation doesn't harm anyone at all, so why is it bad? Don't say any crap like "Oh but it says in the bible that it's bad!" If you're going to say it's wrong, I'd prefer you state an actual problem that it causes, because, otherwise I don't see any actual problems.
It is a natural thing, but anything beyond limit is not good for anybody. It actually gives relief from stress and results in relaxation. This in turn is good psychologically. It can result in avoiding so many problems in society, which I cannot mention here. Restricting ourselves too much is not good for general health and mental health.
"It's having sex with the person you love the most" It's not dangerous in any way, relieves stress and yes, it is natural. Although other natural things are dangerous, masturbation is part of human nature and part of growing up and puberty. So pipe down with your fractionally old religious arguments.
Masturbation in the teen, puberty years, enhances the future when control and pleasure of oneself can be brought forward in love and sexual pleasure with a partner. Whether the masturbation is by a male of female it helps that person to first understand their own body and where pleasure is obtainable and to instruct their partner in later life so that their love can blossom. Experimentation always nearly leads to perfection but what is masturbation other than experimentation before commitment to intercourse.
Masturbation is a thing which is self taught there is no right or wrong way to do it. There is nobody who has not done it or has not enjoyed it. Masturbation is just another basic bodily function which needs to be addressed. It is a safe form of sex and also has good health benefits there is no shame so lay back and enjoy.
Yes, until you start doing it in public. I just don't want to see that. Even fetuses get aroused and self-stimulate. A biologically unhealthy libido is one that will not get an erection during sleep and men typically have wet dreams and/or self-stimulate at night every two to five weeks if they aren't masturbating in the day. The nervous system naturally functions to produce arousing erections which are as uncontrollable as salivation and crapping. Happy wanking!
Animals, men ,and women all partake. If you ask a woman if she masturbates? And she says no. RUN she is lying!!! Anyone who is disgusted by this act is either lying to themselves or in a cult . Wink twice if they are hurting you. I'll contact the authorities and we will start bringing you back to reality.
Masturbation is natural. It helps relieve stress in most people, some even claim it helps them feel better. Masturbation also helps you figure out about your body, feel more comfortable in your own skin, and what turns you on. How do you expect to have sex when you don't even know what makes you feel good?
It feels good & it relieves stress. I feel that masturbation is a wonderful way for us to get it touch with our own feelings. It is a way for us to allow ourselves to enjoy the feelings of climax with complications. I think it is natural & should be considered an acceptable way to live.
If you were born in Islam or Judaism, or even to some extents Christianity, you'd probably learn pretty early on in your holy book that whenever someone is doing something that is enjoyable or pleasurable, the Jewish tribes consider it a "sin". This is probably because they took the idea of personal sacrifice and then put it on steroids and said "Well if personal sacrifice is good for your conscience, then completely abolishing pleasure is even better!"
Imagine a child reading a story of a man releasing his seed for non-procreation purposes in the Bible and then being severely punished. At that young of an age, your mind is easily open to suggestion and its very easy to be indoctrinated into a "culture of guilt".
Even some babies explore their bodies at times. Their parents often discourage them because they're embarrassed, but this also subconsciously "guiltifies" the child's mind in the future.
But let's look at the big picture.
Humans have practiced the pursuit of pleasure since long before religion, or even before organized society to an extent. If it's this ancient, it has to be a natural process our brains cycle into according to nature, and not anywhere near a debatable issue in terms of ethics.
It was even so frowned upon by American Christians in the 19th and 20th century that they "invented" or in other words "popularized" circumcision in an attempt to make masturbation less comfortable for boys and hopefully stop it altogether. It's also been proven to cut off approximately 20000 functional nerve endings, so that young men will never, ever experience what an uncircumcised one will.
It was later proven that it simply wasn't preventing masturbation, but only making it uncomfortable. Not preventing it. So they had to come up with another excuse to keep the profit flowing for the procedure, so they claimed things like "hygiene" to coax people back into the practice. However a foreskin acts exactly like an eyelid to your eye; if the eyelid were cut off when you were a baby, imagine how dry, irritated and numb that eye would be when you're older.
The exact same thing happens to the glans.
It's been around since long before culture or society, and is therefore safe to assume that it's part of nature.
It says in the bible you little anti christ satanists. Grow up and get a wife and stop funking your junk. Mum caught me once and since then I have cried every night. Do not do it you will regret it and you're step dad will come in every night looking to do it with you with his butt plug. Rape is not fun, masturbation causes rape and racism. By masturbating you are a rapist and racist.
I believe masturbation is not a natural activity.... I mean we need a partner to satisfy our sextual desires....When you masturbate it shows that you don't have any sextual partner or you are habitual to watch porn (Monkey See Monkey Do....) thats why you do it.....whatever the reasons for that.... I believe that Intercourse is Natural way....so do it in the Natural Way....
Logic is Simple... Try to Analyse it....
Masturbation is nothing more than a way to pleasure yourself. However, it is one of the basest forms of pleasure that exist in life. There are many greater, more valuable and important ways of having pleasure in your life. There are artistic accomplishments and career pursuits. Masturbation is a gateway to wasting your life addicted to sex and its baser pleasures, which should only be appreciated and enjoyed with a spouse.
Whether masturbation is natural or not doesn't really mean anything. Arrogance, greed, corruption, even wars are part of human nature. Does that mean they should all be acceptable behaviors? The question should be is masturbation a good practice? My answer to that is no. Masturbation, when you break it down, is really sex with yourself. Sex feels really good is because it is needed for babies, it is needed for humans to survive as a species. That's why releasing sperm is really enjoyable to men. When you release from masturbation, your brain receives a massive surge of dopamine and the reward circuitry gets messed up, because you feel really good without actually doing something that is good. It turns people more inwards.
One cannot make an argument that says something is "natural thus acceptable." That is an appeal to nature fallacy. Masturbation may very well be natural. Masturbation may very well be acceptable. However, to make the claim that there is a correlation between the two is a use of flawed logic.
I feel that masterbation is a manipulation of the body by humans, not a natural thing. People get nothing from nothing and something from something. Nobody was born with a condom on their penise. Nobody naturally has babies with the opposite sex.
Go ahead scoff and don't listen cause that is just what your going to do. Your going to go with the old "majority vote" that you always do. OR you will commit the eveng greater error via "origin" because you think I'm a blind person. Either way its either true or its either false.
I personally see it as a substitute for shared pleasure that was designed for procreation. Yes, we might not have as much need for multiple descendants as once did, but that shouldn't mean that we should take up self-love before that of others.
I guess you could say I'm selfish when it comes to my partners... I wish to share in their pleasure. Is that such a bad thing? My sexual identity revolves entirely around my partner and therefore I feel that my pleasure should be with/for/because of that person and that person alone.
It's sort of like going from monogamy (bear in mind I don't mean the exact kind that Christianity promotes, just the procreation kind), to sologamy (self love), and finally to polygamy.
While I do agree that polygamy is natural in the bodily/procreation sense, I find the love aspect disquieting... I for one could not find it within myself to devote my time and love to more than one person. It just would be fair.
I guess it depends on your view of what is nature. But I definitely equate masturbation with polygamy however it is not as natural as it does not lend itself to furthering our species.
First lets discuss the word natural. Existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind. Like a tree growing apples, or a child hitting puberty. A more relevant example would be an orgasm.
Masturbation requires you to use your hands, fingers, everyday objects, or dedicated sex toys.
Sex is good when both participants love each other. Masturbation is different. Masturbation is only a substitution for intimacy and love. It is a smaller version of taking cocaine. It is more insidious because so many find it acceptable. There are too many addicted to masturbation mainly due to the explosion of pornography. It has decreased the quality of life for many, including those in the pornography industry.


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I'm not totally sure if this is a bug report or a support request, so please determine that after reading this report.
I am using the newly introduced "AT Panels Everywhere - full width wrappers" on my site (thank you for that!). It's working just fine on my public pages where I don't have any content in the first or second sidebar in the site's template. I have a separate site template for the control panel area of the site that I've built. In this context I am using the second sidebar area for content-- global navigation elements I want to appear on all control panel pages.
The problem is that the content-column area is overlapping the second sidebar content as if it's not recognizing the second sidebar is outputting content. This doesn't happen if I just have the "AT Panels Everywhere site template" layout selected.
- what it should look like.png: This is what the content should look like using the layout shown next.
- content layout - note sidebar second populated.png: This is the layout that's being used to show the content above.
- content-column inspected.png: You can see that both regions are side by side in the code and that the content-column is 100% wide
- adjusted width of content-column to 75%.png: I tried to set the content-column width to 75% and it also pulls the second sidebar over which I thought was odd.
- sidebar-second inspected.png: Just showing you what the code is that is affecting the second sidebar.
- sass code for control panel.png: I thought that some custom code may be interfering, so I removed all the code in the control panel section of the global.panels.scss file and regenerated the CSS.
Again, this didn't happen with the original site layout template provided with the module.
I wasn't able to attach more than PNG screenshot to the case, so I put them in my dropbox and are linked-to above.


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Harper + Oldham
Designer Todd Oldham rediscovered American Modernist Charley Harper and his illustrations for school biology text books in the 1950's.
"When I look at wildlife or nature subjects, I don't see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see...endless possibilities for making interesting pictures." - Charley Harper (1922-2007)
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Added to Registry


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How to Make This Great Place Greater
Can you make a great place better? The East End is a truly great place. So, every time a change of some sort is contemplated, we have to ask ourselves if the result of that change will in some way … Continue reading
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Is This the Land of No?
Sometime it feels like we're living in the Land of No. There are quite a few things in recent memory to which one or another Sag Hampton group has said (or tried to say) NO!
Many folks said no to the NYS Department of Transportation a few years ago when they proposed a roundabout at the wharf end of Main …
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Safe Routes to…the Library?
My friend and fellow EETC and CAC (East End Transportation Council and Citizens Advisory Committee) member, Ken Dorph has been traveling hither and yon trying to stir up interest in a very fine program called Safe Routes to School, which is sponsored by the federal Department of Transportation. I promise to write about that program in more detail at a later date. However, I was reminded of it today when reading part of the final report of the Community Library Committee…
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Boston Bruins
8:00 p.m., TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
If you want to hold your lunch or dinner down then what you don't want to do is scroll down and watch the highlights of game two. Things were bad and while things would have been OK for the Pens if they won game two that is not how it worked out. Actually they got run out of their own building against the Bruins and now they are in a place that no players want do be in: down 2-0 after having home ice advantage.
Now the Penguins are shipping up to Boston and while they might have started the series as the favorite I would think that they are underdogs now. Most athletes would like to say they love when they are looked down on and thrive off that, well the Penguins players might be getting what they want because while the game tonight isn't a "must win" they better show up and get a win or they will be looking to do something only a handful of teams have been able to do which is come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
Dan Bylsma isn't going to have last chance and with how well the Bruins handled Sidney Crosby and the Penguins top line that is going to make it even harder to get him the matchups that he would prefer and with the depth of the Bruins team you know this is going to be a steep hill to climb. Nobody said it was going to be easy but this stubborness that the Penguins are playing with needs to stop. The blind passes need to stop and the defense needs to make some play to at least try to help their goaltenders.
Pittsburgh (8-5 in playoffs) (via Empty Netters)
Pascal Dupuis - Sidney Crosby - Jarome Iginla
Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Matt Cooke - Brandon Sutter - Brenden Morrow
Craig Adams - Jussi Jokinen - Joe Vitale
Matt Niskanen - Kris Letang
Paul Martin - Brooks Orpik
Douglas Murray - Deryk Engelland
Tomas Vokoun
Boston (10-4 in playoffs) (via Empty Netters)
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jaromir Jagr
Rich Peverley - Chris Kelly - Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara - Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference - Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug - Adam McQuaidGoaltender
Tuukka Rask


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Avoid the high cost of chasing false leads.
Focus your investigation with Snapshot.
Snapshot is a revolutionary new forensic DNA analysis service that accurately predicts the physical appearance and ancestry of an unknown person from DNA. It can also determine kinship between DNA samples out to six degrees of relatedness. Snapshot is ideal for generating investigative leads, narrowing suspect lists, and solving human remains cases.
Starting with extracted DNA or biological evidence from your case, we will produce a detailed Snapshot report and composite sketch that includes eye color, skin color, hair color, face morphology, and detailed biogeographic ancestry. Armed with this scientifically objective description, you can conduct your investigation more efficiently and close cases more quickly.
yet another tool to cultivate quality forensic intelligence."
recommend Snapshot for any investigation that involves unmatched DNA."
that case, bringing it back to life. [Snapshot] allows you to focus your investigation."
composite. I think this is definitely going to help."
investigation and will prove to be an invaluable tool for investigators."
suspect photograph] side by side, it's jaw-dropping."
already looking to use it on at least two other cases."
over 100 tips come in through our Ziegert tip-line... Some have been significant."
'No match' no longer means 'no case'."
training session that we held. I was very impressed!"
bone structure was spot on."
will help solve more cases than you can imagine."
composite we could share with the community. They were great partners!"
murder suspect]. It cost $4,000. And, that's probably the best $4,000 this county has ever spent."
Snapshot provides a glimpse into what was previously unknown."
significantly reduced the amount of work required to make those eliminations."
so much time and money [and] solved this case a long, long time ago."
the perpetrator than we had before the analysis."
whole investigation and will move this case in a new direction."
skeletal remains]. We can't say enough good things about Parabon NanoLabs."
finding out [basic traits] will almost immediately eliminate a number of individuals who were persons of interest."
cold cases that were previously at a standstill."
after receiving Parabon's analysis, that we were able to get a hit on this suspect."
together to answering all our questions, and they did it very quickly."
for elimination purposes if for no other reason."
led us to NY where we were able to attain his DNA, which matched the blood at the crime scene and led to his arrest."
it gave us criteria with which we could exclude and include people."
that was contracted by the APD... all contributed to the resolution of this investigation."
driver's license photograph is quite striking."
Snapshot's data takes imagery to a whole new level; with Snapshot, we can focus resources more precisely."
I'm so grateful we could use it in this case."
and [the suspect's] booking photo was uncanny."
in your cases, you are missing critical information for your investigation."
helped us identify a viable DNA sample and delivered an invaluable description of our perpetrator."
it corroborates and coalesces our victim accounts of the perpetrator."
It cuts away a lot of work and effort that a lot of time in homicide investigations goes nowhere."
generated hundreds of tips from the public. It's been very productive for us."
hundreds and hundreds of cases that we could use this technology on."
has led us to this type of composite."
We've received over 100 new tips since releasing the Snapshot composites to the public."
to the one person [of interest]. I'm sure it will start closing cold cases rapidly."
I would be pleased to be a reference for Canadian law enforcement."
that instead of letters and numbers, it can turn DNA into a face."
I found Parabon to be extraordinarily responsive to the needs of law enforcement."
Phenotyping Is
The Snapshot DNA Phenotyping Service
DNA Phenotyping is the prediction of physical appearance from DNA. It can be used to generate leads in cases where there are no suspects or database hits, to narrow suspect lists, and to help solve human remains cases.
DNA carries the genetic instruction set for an individual's physical characteristics, producing the wide range of appearances among people. By determining how genetic information translates into physical appearance, it is possible to "reverse-engineer" DNA into a physical profile. Snapshot reads tens of thousands of genetic variants ("genotypes") from a DNA sample and uses this information to predict what an unknown person looks like.
Over the past four years, using deep data mining and advanced machine learning algorithms in a specialized bioinformatics pipeline, Parabon — with funding support from the US Department of Defense (DoD) — developed the Snapshot Forensic DNA Phenotyping System, which accurately predicts genetic ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling, and face shape in individuals from any ethnic background, even individuals with mixed ancestry.
Because some traits are partially determined by environmental factors and not DNA alone, Snapshot trait predictions are presented with a corresponding measure of confidence, which reflects the degree to which such factors influence each particular trait. Traits, such as eye color, that are highly heritable (i.e., are not greatly affected by environmental factors) are predicted with higher accuracy and confidence than those that have lower heritability; these differences are shown in the confidence metrics that accompany each Snapshot trait prediction.
Phenotyping Works
How DNA Phenotyping Works
Whereas traditional DNA forensics matches STRs from a sample to a known suspect or a database, DNA phenotyping can generate new leads about an individual, even if they have not previously been identified in a database. DNA phenotyping takes advantage of modern SNP technology to read the parts of the genome that actually code for the differences between people.
The Snapshot DNA Phenotyping System translates SNP information from an unknown individual's DNA sample into predictions of ancestry and physical appearance traits, such as skin color, hair color, eye color, freckling, and even face morphology. Each phenotype prediction is made with a measure of confidence, including those that can be excluded with high confidence.
SNP Technology
Recent advances in genomic technology have made it practical and affordable to read the sequence of millions of pieces of DNA from a small quantity of sample. This data captures a large proportion of the genomic variation between people and thus contains much of the genetic blueprint that differentiates people's appearance. These SNP genotypes can then be paired with phenotypes from thousands of subjects to create a genotype-and-phenotype (GaP) dataset for analysis.
Data Mining
Beginning with large GaP datasets containing genetic information and measures of phenotype for thousands of subjects, Parabon's bioinformatics team performs large-scale statistical analysis on hundreds of thousands of individual SNPs and billions of SNP combinations to identify genetic markers that are associated with a trait. This mining process can take weeks of compute time running on hundreds, sometimes thousands, of computers. In the end, those SNPs with the greatest likelihood of contributing biologically to the trait's variation are selected for potential use in predictive models.
Data Modeling
In the modeling phase, Parabon's scientists use machine learning algorithms to combine the selected set of SNPs into a complex mathematical equation for the genetic architecture of the trait. A new, unknown individual's SNP data can then be plugged into this equation to produce a prediction of the trait in that individual.
Model accuracy is assessed by making predictions on new subjects with known phenotypes ("out-of-sample predictions"). By comparing predicted versus actual phenotypes, Parabon scientists are able to calculate confidence statements about new predictions and, more importantly, exclude highly unlikely traits. For example, if 99% of brown-eyed people have an eye color prediction value greater than 2, then we can have very high confidence that a prediction of 1.5 most likely did not come from a brown-eyed person.
The final models are calibrated with all available data before being installed into the Snapshot production service that is used to generate phenotype predictions for investigators.
Success Stories
DNA Phenotyping Success Stories
Snapshot has been used by hundreds of law enforcement agencies around the world to help generate leads, narrow their suspect pools, and solve human remains cases, in both active and decades-old investigations.
- Featured Case Summaries: Read detailed case descriptions, including how Snapshot helped solve the following cases:
On Friday 13 May 2016, the Brown County Texas Sheriff's Office (BCSO) received a missing person report for 25-year-old Rhonda Chantay Blankinship. Family members reported Blankinship had last been seen late Friday evening, walking near her home in the Tamarack Mountain/Thunderbird Bay area of Lake Brownwood. Friends, family and volunteers began a search for her while deputies followed up on possible leads into her disappearance.
Blankinship's body was found... More
Just before noon on 11 September 2008, Diane Marcell returned to her home in Albuquerque, NM, to meet her daughter, Brittani Marcell, for lunch. Brittani, then 17 years old, had driven home from her nearby high school. Upon entering her home, Diane found Brittani lying on the floor, covered in blood. A male subject, unknown to Diane, was standing near Brittani holding a shovel.
Startled, he dropped the shovel, ran into... More
In the early hours of 4 Feb 2012, Troy and LaDonna French were gunned down in their home in Reidsville, NC. The couple awoke to screams from their 19-year old daughter, Whitley, who had detected the presence of a male intruder in her second floor room. As they rushed from their downstairs bedroom to aid their daughter, the intruder attempted to quiet the girl with threats at knifepoint. Failing this, he released Whitley and raced down the stairs.
After swapping his knife for the handgun in his pocket... More
Testimonials: To read about how Snapshot has helped our clients with their investigations, see:
- https://snapshot.parabon-nanolabs.com/testimonials
Published Investigations: To learn how Snapshot is being used by additional law enforcement agencies — and to read about other solved cases — please visit the published police investigation page at:
- https://snapshot.parabon-nanolabs.com/posters
Blind Evaluations: Snapshot was built by Parabon NanoLabs for the defense, security, justice, and intelligence communities with funding from the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency. As part of the development and validation process, Snapshot was tested on thousands of out-of-sample genotypes and was shown to be extremely accurate.
To see examples of Snapshot predictions from blind evaluation studies, visit:
- https://snapshot.parabon-nanolabs.com/examples
Example of How To Use Snapshot: To learn how you can use Snapshot to narrow a suspect pool, watch:
- https://snapshot.parabon-nanolabs.com/nbc-news-video
Law Enforcement
of Actual Police Dept. Evaluation Results
Determination Is
Predicting Genetic Ancestry With Snapshot
Scientific analysis of human genomes from different parts of the world has shown that, on a global scale, modern humans divide genetically into seven continental populations: African, Middle Eastern, European, Central/South Asian, East Asian, Oceanian, and Native American1. These genetic divisions stem simply from the fact that these groups were isolated from one another for many generations, and thus each group has a unique genetic signature that can be used for identification. In order to determine a new subject's genetic ancestry, Parabon Snapshot analyzes tens of thousands of SNPs from a DNA sample to determine a person's percent membership in each of these global populations. Other forensic ancestry approaches assume that every individual comes from only a single population, so they can easily be confounded by admixed individuals, but Snapshot allows for contributions from multiple populations, so it can detect even low levels of admixture (<5%).
After global ancestry is determined, Snapshot's ancestry algorithm investigates which subpopulations (e.g., Northwest vs. Northeast Europe) an individual comes from. This analysis is robust to admixture, such that each piece of continental ancestry can be precisely localized within that continent. For example, the admixed East Asian and Latino example from the global map above was determined to have specifically Japanses, Central American, and Southwest European ancestry, as shown in the map below.
Using all of this information, Snapshot builds a precise profile of an individual's ethnic ancestry using only his or her DNA.
Determination Works
How Genetic Ancestry Determination Works
Parabon has built a powerful system for determining ethnic ancestry from DNA. Most other forensic ancestry systems use only a small number of SNPs and thus are limited to very coarse populations and cannot detect admixture between populations. Snapshot uses tens of thousands of SNPs across the genome to obtain very precise estimates of ancestry, even for admixed individuals. Parabon's scientists have collected data from many published scientific articles, totalling more than 9,000 individuals with clearly defined ancestry from more than 150 populations around the world, as shown in the map below.
Academic research using hundreds of thousands of SNPs from across the genome has shown that human groups generally divide into seven continental populations, which have been established over the past 50,000 years during the migration out of Africa. The 150 populations collected as the ancestry background can thus be divided into these seven continental groups according to their origin.
Snapshot builds on this research by mapping a new person's genome onto these established populations. Our algorithm calculates how similar the new individual's DNA is to each of the background populations, determining which population(s) the person comes from. This allows for contributions from multiple groups, so even small amounts of admixture (<5%) can be detected.
Snapshot takes a similar approach to identifying within-continental (regional) ancestry, although the local populations were identified through empirical analysis performed by our bioinformatics team. Each piece of continental ancestry is partitioned according to its regional ancestry (e.g., if an individual is 50% European and 50% East Asian, the precise origin of each of those pieces will be determined). The person's genome is also plotted against all of the known individuals in each region to show visually where he or she falls.
Below is an example plot for an individual who was determined to be 50% East Asian and 50% Latino. Latino ancestry is a mixture of European and Native American ancestry, so these groups are shown as well.
Use Cases
Ancestry Determination Use Cases
Ethnic ancestry is one of the most informative traits that can be predicted from DNA. In an ancestry analysis, Snapshot will determine an individual's precise genetic origins, as well as whether there is any evidence of admixture (contribution from multiple populations). This information can be used to help identify remains or to significantly focus an investigation by excluding a wide range of possible suspects or even pointing to a very small group.
Law Enforcement
of Actual Police Dept. Evaluation Results
Inference Is
Snapshot Extended Kinship Analysis
Parabon Snapshot can provide inferences about the familial relationship between the sources of two or more DNA samples.
Using the power of genome-wide SNP data, it is possible to precisely calculate the degree of relatedness between two people, even if the relationship is very distant. Whereas traditional STR-based kinship analysis is limited to distinguishing parent/offspring relationships, Snapshot's kinship model uses hundreds of thousands of SNPs to identify up to 6th-degree relationships while preventing false positives (unrelated pairs mistakenly inferred to be related).
Inference Works
How Distant Kinship Inference Works
Parabon's scientists were not satisfied with the kinship solutions developed by academics and chose to develop a new algorithm that takes advantage of the massive amount of data made available by genome-wide SNP typing to compare two genomes and determine the precise degree of relatedness between the two individuals.
Traditional kinship analysis uses fewer than 20 short tandem repeat (STR) loci, which lack the resolution to establish relatedness beyond parent-offspring or full siblings, and is easily confounded by mutation or mistaken testing of a close relative of the true parent1.
More advanced analyses use pieces of DNA that are directly transmitted through the maternal (mitochondrial DNA) or paternal (Y-chromosome) lines; however, these approaches are limited to a small subset of relationships and are very low resolution. For example, ~7% of unrelated Europeans share the same mitochondrial haplotype. MtDNA and Y-STRs can only suggest that two individuals may be related but cannot say what the degree of relatedness is.
Parabon's kinship algorithm analyzes the similarity between two genomes and uses a machine learning model to predict the degree of relatedness of the two individuals. In more than 1,000 out-of-sample predictions, this method has proven to be highly accurate while maintaining a very low false-positive rate (i.e., unrelated pairs are almost never mistakenly inferred to be related). Accuracy is 100% for parent-offspring, full siblings, and 2nd-degree relatives — i.e., grandparents, aunts and uncles, and half-siblings — and Snapshot can distinguish 6th-degree relatives (e.g., second cousins once removed) from unrelated pairs with greater than 97% accuracy.
As shown in the figure below, even when Snapshot incorrectly infers the degree of relatedness between two individuals, it is almost always correct within one degree:
1 Chakraborty, R., et al. (1999). The utility of short tandem repeat loci beyond human identification: implications for development of new DNA typing systems. Electrophoresis, 1682–1696.
Use Cases
Who Uses Distant Kinship Analysis
The Snapshot kinship capability can be used to establish familial relationships between a DNA sample and previously collected DNA samples or among a set of new samples.
Knowledge of these relationships can be used to validate claims of distant kinship, establish relationship networks within groups of interest, or identify remains when close relatives are not available, such as cold cases, mass disasters, or casualties of past conflicts.
Law Enforcement
of Actual Police Dept. Evaluation Results
Enhancement Is
Forensic Art Enhancement
While DNA can reveal much about the appearance of a subject, information about features such as age, body mass index (BMI) or the presence of facial hair are not available within an individual's genetic code. Snapshot forensic art services provide a means of incorporating such information into a Snapshot composite when it is available from non-DNA sources.
Our Forensic Art Department — under the direction of Thom Shaw, who is certified by the International Association for Identification (IAI) in the discipline of forensic art — offers age progression, BMI alteration, and accessorization services, which may include the addition of facial hair, eyeglasses, piercings, etc. We can also create composite sketches from eyewitness accounts and combine them with traditional Snapshot composites; in this way, corroborating the witness account or adding objective phenotype information to help produce the most accurate composite possible.
In cases involving unidentified remains where a skull or partial skull is available, our forensic artists are also trained to perform digital facial reconstruction, using bone structure to enhance or give nuance to a Snapshot composite.
Collectively, these forensic art services perfectly complement what Snapshot can provide from DNA alone and together they represent a revolution in how DNA can be used in an investigation.
Enhancement Works
How Forensic Art Enhancement Works
Forensic artists are artists with special training to address forensic challenges. They have an expert understanding of the human face and how the effects of aging and body mass index (BMI) change appearance. Those trained in facial reconstruction learn how to infer the most likely distribution of muscle and soft tissue from a skull. Forensic artists who create composite sketches from eyewitness accounts are trained to conduct cognitive interviews, so as to get the most accurate portrayal from a witness' memory.
Like many domains, forensic artists are beginning to rely heavily on modern software applications to facilitate their work. Sketches formerly performed with pencil and pad can now be drawn digitally. As well, facial reconstructions once performed with clay sculpture can also be digitally sculpted. In the right hands, graphics software programs can ease the task of adding or subtracting hair, scars, and other accessories. In all cases, great skill and specialized training is still required, but the work can be more efficient and realistic thanks to these tools.
Use Cases
Forensic Art Enhancement Use CasesThere are a number of use cases for which forensic art can be used.
Age Progression or Regression
Because age is not genetically encoded, Snapshot predicts subjects at 25 years of age by default. When investigators have reason to believe a person of interest is younger or older, our artists can adjust a composite accordingly, based on standard aging principles.
Composites Based on Eyewitness Account
Our forensic artists are trained to conduct cognitive interviews and produce composites solely from an eyewitness account. The interview and composite production is conducted online with screen sharing technology, so eyewitnesses do not have to travel. When DNA is available for the same person of interest as seen by the eyewitness, Snapshot can provide a corresponding composite from "the genetic witness" perspective. Our artists can combine a composite from an eyewitness account with one produced by Snapshot to produce a single, highly accurate rendering that contains the best that both sources of information can offer.
In some instances, descriptive information about a subject's accessories or distinguishing features is available that can be used to enhance a Snapshot composite. For example, a surveillance camera image may be too grainy for identification, but nevertheless suggestive that a suspect has facial hair. Similarly, an eyewitness may recall a tattoo or scar, even though they were too traumatized to remember much else. In such cases, our forensic artists can accessorize a Snapshot composite to include all available descriptive information about a subject.
Body Mass Index (BMI) Alteration
Besides the effects of aging, changes in BMI have among the largest effects on appearance. By default, Snapshot produces composites assuming the subject has a BMI of 22, which is considered average. When information is available that suggests a subject has a lower or higher than average BMI, forensic artists can appropriately alter the BMI of a Snapshot composite.
Unidentified Remains
When unidentified human remains include a skull, our forensic artists can perform facial reconstruction, literally building up the corresponding face using knowledge of facial musculature and soft tissues. Although facial features cannot be perfectly inferred from a skull, bone structure can be immensely informative about the shape of an individual's face. Snapshot predicts exterior face morphology, but when a skull is available, a forensic artist can use it to confirm or enhance a Snapshot composite based on facial reconstruction.
Law Enforcement
of Actual Police Dept. Evaluation Results
Reconstruction Is
Snapshot Facial Reconstruction
By combining two complementary methods of estimating appearance from skeletal evidence — DNA phenotyping and forensic facial reconstruction — the Snapshot Facial Reconstruction Service produces the most fully informed recreations of antemortem appearance ever produced from skeletal remains.
Reconstruction Works
How Snapshot Facial Reconstruction Works
Snapshot phenotyping algorithms are used to predict a decedent's appearance and ancestry using DNA extracted from bone. Independently, a traditional facial reconstruction is performed by a forensic artist who has been specifically trained to interpret Snapshot DNA Phenotyping results. Tissue depth markers are physically applied to the decedent's skull, based on DNA-determined ancestry and estimated body weight, to produce a prediction of face shape from cranial morphology. A final composite is then produced by digitally blending the two predictions.
Benefits of Snapshot Facial Reconstruction
Combining DNA phenotyping and forensic facial reconstruction has several benefits over either method applied individually:
- Traditional forensic facial reconstruction often lacks ancestry and pigmentation information about a dependent, which is why they are often depicted in grayscale.
- In cases of prolonged decomposition, scavengers may remove the mandible (jawbone) from a skull. Snapshot DNA Phenotyping can provide a forensic artist with a solid prediction of jaw shape to assist with the reconstruction process.
- DNA phenotyping models are tuned to explain only normal variation in appearance, whereas skull evidence may reveal distinguishing facial features that may be difficult to predict from DNA alone.
Law Enforcement
of Actual Police Dept. Evaluation Results
For ordering information, please email email@example.com or call (703) 689-9689 x251


text: Dengue Fever's Senon Williams discusses the band's sound and story. How would you describe your music? 'A waterfall far from its source, taking in all the creeks and streams until it builds its self into a massive cascade… that you can dance to'. Can you briefly explain how Dengue Fever came together? 'Two brothers love the old 60s Cambodian tunes…they go down to Long Beach in California to check out some Cambodian clubs. Not finding what they were looking for, they ask a Cambodian singer to join their band… and voila!' You recently traveled to Cambodia to create a doco, 'Sleepwalking Through the Mekong', how did you find that experience? 'It was beautiful. We were lucky enough to record with several Cambodian master musicians, play a gig in The Tonle Basaac Ghetto, chill with our singer Nimol's family, play on Cambodian television and more. We saw, heard, smelled and felt almost too much for my mind to digest. A lot of Cambodians and Westerners were telling me they had been to places they had never been to in years of living in Cambodia until we showed up. That makes me feel good'.


text:
Dirtyphonics' View from the Booth
Pitchin and Charly—Dirtyphonics' DJ duo—are poised at the edge of a wobbly table that precariously holds their decks/mixer combo onstage at the Orange County Observatory.
After a few prepping shouts to the suburban SoCal audience, Pitchin flies into the fans' waiting arms to the pulsing sounds of "Stage Divers," the group's collaboration with Steve Aoki, himself a well-known human projectile. A little later on, Charly will do some diving of his own, the crowd fighting for a chance to hold him up.
But it's been like that for the Paris-based, DIM MAK-signed act for awhile now—live craziness for the two DJs or the full band that also includes Pho. (A fourth member, Thomas—first names only, please—recently departed the group.)
As an electronic-music quartet, Dirtyphonics spent this past spring and summer touring North America and Europe in support of its debut album, Irreverence. Loaded with teeth-grinding party tracks that infuse drum-n-bass and drumstep sounds with Euro-rave rhythms, heavy-metal crunches, and even classical piano, Irreverence roars and rages with whopping drops and electro buzzbombs.
Currently supporting Excision for a 55-date tour, the DJ half of Dirtyphonics comes armed with four Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS and two DJM-900NXS mixers. The setup allows the pair to maintain a musical dialogue. They can play all four decks simultaneously, while employing double drops, quick mixing and effects. Of course, they can also swap time on the decks—one mixing, the other hyping the crowd.
The two take cues from each other, but also from other DJs. The inspiration comes from jocks of many genres—Andy C, Laurent Garnier, Marky and especially Sasha. "The way he manages to have this buildup go on and on for three minutes," says Pitchin of Sasha's famed extended mixing, "maybe we can find a way in bass music to recreate this."
In the studio, the group employs a mixture of hardware and software, plus traditional instruments. Some of the pieces used on Irreverence include Ampeg SVT bass-amp emulation (via IK Multimedia's AmpliTube 2 plug-in), Native Instruments' Massive soft-synth, and mono analog synths like Korg's MS-20, Novation's UltraNova, and particularly, Access' Virus TI. Tons of samples are taken from hip-hop snares, Toontrack EZdrummer, and combustion-reverb noise recordings, which are natural sounding snares sculpted with EQ. On top of all this, details are added with distortion plug-ins and layering over the basic sounds.
Of course, DJing helps form the structure of their tracks, as Pitchin and Charly test the material to a live audience. "Bass music's evolution—how DJs play a tiny little portion of each track and mixing goes way faster with the help of technology and the different genres of music that have emerged—has changed the way we see the structure of the song," says Charly. "There is what feels right when you listen to the song at home or in your headphones and what you expect the energy of the track to be at a gig."
Adds Pitchin: "Even if we do what we want, so many DJs edit the tracks. We pretty much re-edit all the tracks—even our own. Four or five years ago, especially for drum-n-bass, you had to keep the crowd dancing and play without a breakdown for a good 10-15 minutes, then have a huge breakdown and buildup again. Now, you better have another breakdown and another buildup soon to keep them interested. Your selection has to be like a rollercoaster, on and on and on."
This is what can be expected from a Dirtyphonics remix as well. The group has put its stamp on tracks from Marilyn Manson, The Crystal Method, Linkin Park, Krewella, Nero, and Kaskade, to mention just a few. "So many remixes take a tiny bit of the vocal in the intro," says Charly, "and then drop into a track that feels like it was written before the artist even knew they were going to do this remix. The whole point about remixing a track is having a vibe that you originally like and can grab some of the melody or vocals. Then we'll put our heavy basses, throw a hook in, we'll even change the key if we feel like the track needs it. We always try to keep a lot of the original, so if you listen to the original and the remix, it makes sense."
[button_2 color="#ff0011" size="button-med" icon="none" text="Read More From This Issue" link="http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/20ad5266#/20ad5266/4"]


text:
Re: low-noise sot-23 BJT transistors
Source: http://sci.tech-archive.net/Archive/sci.electronics.design/2007-08/msg00682.html
From: "Howard Swain" <hswain@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>·
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2007 11:19:11 -0700·
Hi Win,
"Winfield" <winfieldhill@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
I'd like to take noise measurements now, but my
venerable HP 4470A has just gone on the fritz.
Perhaps in a week or two I can find the time to
repair it. Meantime, I've ordered a selection
of currently-available transistors from several
manufacturers to evaluate.
Actually, all the '6429 datasheets I have in my
computer show it to be a small-die transistor,
best suited to operation below 100uA or so.
What 2N6429 datasheet do you have that shows
better results for low-Z source impedances
(e.g., under 500-ohms)?
The Motorola data sheet for 2N6428 and 2N6429 dated 1977.
At 1 mA and 1kHz, this shows En as about 1.4 nV per root Hz and
In as 0.8 pA per root Hz as typical. I assume this is for the 2N6429,
which had the higher hFE.
Cob is spec'ed as 3 pF max at 10 V.
fT typically peaks at 400 MHz at about 10 mA and 5 V Vce.
Where it really shown for us was with a 50 ohm source
impedance and 10 Hz. I calculate about a 6 dB noise figure
at 1 mA bias.
Re: low-noise sot-23 BJT transistors
Re: low-noise sot-23 BJT transistors 1
Re: low-noise sot-23 BJT transistors
Re: low-noise sot-23 BJT transistors 2


text:
Dear Mr CP, look how your cops treat elderly victims
When this couple reached a police station at night after a biker snatched 64-yr-old Sushila Agrawal's chain, cops refused to lodge an FIR, scaring them of 'legal hassles and harassment'
When Home Minister RR Patil asked the police to make the safety of senior citizens a priority last month, surprised members of this oft-ignored section of society were quick to hail him as their saviour, showering their praise and blessings on the NCP leader. But going by the recent ordeal faced by an aged couple, they cheered way too soon.
When 64-year-old Sushila Agrawal's chain was snatched, she had the presence of mind to find out the licence plate number of the snatcher's vehicle from witnesses. She acted fast, reaching the station with her husband within minutes of the crime. The cops, however, fell lamentably short of matching the elderly woman's alacrity. Not only did they kept the couple waiting for two hours without bothering to enquire about the nature of their complaint, they also tried to convince them not to lodge an FIR.
The incident
On March 24, Sushila was on her way home from a nearby temple in Borivli around 10.10 pm when a biker tried to yank off her gold chain. "The biker snatched my chain from behind. As soon as I realised what was happening, I tried holding on to the chain. He pulled at it, and a part of it remained in my hand. My husband shouted out but the biker was quick and fled from the site. We were barely 50 metres away from the MHB police station and reached the station within the next 10 minutes," she said.
Long night
But the loss of the precious chain was just the beginning of a prolonged and harrowing experience. "It was night, and not a single officer at the station asked us what our problem was. After half an hour, my wife went up to them and requested them to at least ask us about her problem. It was only then that a staff-member came up and asked what had happened. He took us to the first floor where he wrote all details in a ruled full-scape book," said 66-year-old Rameshchandra Agrawal, Sushila's husband. He added, "The police were very negligent and even after we gave them the bike number, they didn't respond."
What FIR?
After the cop had written down all the details, the couple asked for a copy of the FIR. Asked to provide the victims with the FIR number and copy, the police staff present there remained silent and started exchanging uncomfortable glances. One of the staff members who was not in uniform allegedly took the couple to the staircase and tried to convince them not to lodge a formal complaint.
"They tried to convince us of the disadvantages of lodging an FIR, citing legal hassles and possible harassment. They promised us that they would return our chain within eight days. After sitting in the police station for nearly two hours, we decided to go home around 12.30 am," said Sushila, adding, "I just want to ask R R Patil, is this the order he gave to cops about senior citizens?" She added that though she would eventually come to terms with the loss of her gold chain, she is having difficulty coming to terms with the behaviour meted out to her by the police that night. Rameshchandra revealed that the incident has scarred Sushila so deeply that she hasn't yet mustered the courage to step out of her home.
Top cop's promise
Sunil Paraskar, additional commissioner of police, zone XI, said, "This is the first duty of the staff to attend to and register the complaint of any complainant, especially if they are senior citizens. I will enquire into the matter and if any officer is proven guilty, strict action will be taken against the officer on duty and the staff involved in this incident."
Only for show?
The shocking episode comes close on the heels of RR Patil's recent visit to senior citizens in Thane, where he had enquired about the frequency of policemen's visits, and their promptness in responding to calls made to the local police station. He had also publicly directed staff of police stations to visit senior citizens in their jurisdictions every month and address their grievances on safety and security issues. The unexpected gesture had won him admirers among the senior residents of the state.
The Other Side
Suresh Babu Kilje, senior inspector at MHB police station said, "I was not aware of the matter but I will immediately call the Agrawal couple and file their complaint." Repeated attempts were made to contact R R Patil, but in vain.
March 5
Home Minister R R Patil visited senior citizens, enquiring about the frequency of policemen's visits, and their response to calls made to the station


text:
2010 U.S. Four Continents Ladies Figure Skating Team
Amanda Dobbs
Alexe Gilles
Caroline Zhang
Alternate No. 1 - Melissa Bulanhagui
Alternate No. 2 - Becky Bereswill
2010 U.S. Four Continents Ice Dancing Team
Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein
Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell
Jane Summersett and Todd Gilles
Alternate No. 1 - Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt
Alternate No. 2 - Trina Pratt and Chris Obzansky
Alternate No. 3 - Shannon Wingle and Tim McKernan
USFS press release (announcing the Olympic, World and Four Continents teams and alternates): http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story...109&type=media


text:
Saudi woman to be flogged, because she was raped.
Discussion in 'Current Affairs' started by wet_blobby, Nov 16, 2007.
Welcome to the Navy Net aka Rum Ration
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The heart of the site is the forum area, including:
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text:
Since enrolling in Ingenious Med's PQRS in 2010 and submitting our data through their registry, we've received reimbursements for the past two years.
ATLANTA (PRWEB) February 28, 2013
Gates Hospitalists, LLC, a company providing internal-medicine physicians to care for patients in hospitals in the North Kansas City, Mo. area, has announced its first success in receiving Medicare reimbursements from the federal government. The company, which had previously submitted patient data to CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) on its own, had never received a reimbursement from the government until enrolling two years ago in Ingenious Med's PQRS (Physician Quality Reporting System) Registry.
"We were so frustrated. We felt that our doctors were doing a good job of submitting patient data to the government and that we were providing everything that was asked of us, but we still missed out on years of payments," says Stacey Gates, business manager and general counsel for Gates Hospitalists. "Clearly we were doing something wrong."
Gates Hospitalists, which was already successfully using Ingenious Med's charge capture system known as impower, chose to enroll in the company's CMS-certified PQRS Registry to improve the chances for reimbursement. An alternative to claims-based reporting (which typically results in 50 percent data loss in transit to CMS), the PQRS Registry analyzes and aggregates data regarding physician performance that has been recorded during the participation period and then sends the information directly to CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) through a secure portal. Ingenious Med customers who had previously submitted their data via claims-based reporting and never before qualified for reimbursement are now achieving a 100 percent success rate for reimbursement by using the company's PQRS Registry.
Additionally, there is now an increased urgency for hospitals and physician practices to ensure that their data is reported accurately. CMS will begin imposing a 1.5 percent negative payment adjustment on all 2015 Medicare Part B FFS billing for any practice that fails to successfully participate in PQRS during 2013, and that penalty will rise to 2 percent in subsequent years.
"Since enrolling in Ingenious Med's PQRS in 2010 and submitting our data through their registry, we've received reimbursements for the past two years," said Gates. "We're happy to have found a method that has helped us to achieve that goal while satisfying the government requirements, thus helping us avoid being penalized in the future."
Ingenious Med offers a range of innovative products for inpatient physician management and automated charge capture. The company's PQRS Registry is a free service offered to Ingenious Med customers as part of their product purchase.
For more information about the PQRS registry and Ingenious Med's revolutionary products, visit http://www.ingeniousmed.com or call 404.815.0862.
About Gates Hospitalists, LLC
Gates Hospitalists is a group of internal medicine physicians who practice medicine exclusively in a hospital setting. The company's physicians are all Board Certified in internal medicine. For more information, visit http://www.gateshospitalists.com.
About Ingenious Med
Founded in 1999 by a group of practicing physicians, Ingenious Med automates the revenue and charge capture processes for nearly 22,000 users in the nation's leading healthcare facilities. Ingenious Med's Inpatient Physician Management Platform is the nation's largest charge capture and physician performance solution in the healthcare industry today. The cloud-based, charge capture and analytics platform provides real-time data that helps hospital systems and physician groups improve physician productivity and efficiency, enhance quality of care, maximize revenue, increase billing accuracy and ensure compliance.


text:
Teens and college students are the future leaders of Special Olympics.
It's the mission of Special Olympics to show the world the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities.
We have more than 5.6 million athletes with intellectual disabilities and unified partners around the world.
Our celebrity supporters are Olympians, professional athletes, social leaders, and movie and music stars.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a pioneer in the struggle for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities.
Direction for our movement comes from leaders in government, entertainment, sports and business.
All adults and children with intellectual disabilities can become Special Olympics athletes. Here's how.
Get involved with Special Olympics in your neighborhood. Find the program nearest you.
Get involved with our Unified Sports, a quick path to friendship and fun.
Special Olympics has events and competitions happening in places all around the world. View our events.
Get results by sport and team for major Special Olympics competitions.
Explore how Special Olympics is creating a more inclusive, welcoming world for all.
Your gift of $35 will help train an athlete for an entire season. Give today!
Discover the many ways you can support Special Olympics through your estate plans.
Make a donation and send a card in celebration or honor of a loved one.
Donating appreciated securities, including stocks or bonds, is an easy and tax-effective way for you to make a gift to Special Olympics.
Donate with confidence on our secure server.
Newsletter: Sign up and get inspiring stories!
Make a Difference
Mika Hänninen
Leilani Gonzalez
Mariusz Damentko
Iael Bielorai
Suzanne Coogan
Maureen Rabbitt
Nance Larsen
Daniela Recinos
Paola Martinelli
Shelley Peterman
in my past, I have competed in the 2006 National Games. In the event of artistic gymnastics. I feel everyone around me supported me a lot.
Chris Hull
Maryorie Patiño Jaén
Will Schermerhorn
Two new online quizzes on powerlifting and rhythmic gymnastics are a good way to review and learn about the Special Olympics approach to these sports in a low-pressure quiz format.
Sara Prescott
Special Olympics welcomes applications for volunteer sport officials for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles California, 24 July – 2 August 2015. The application deadline is July 1.
Katarina Kiss
David Crawford
Butch & Krista Bouchard
Andrea Zapata
Christy White
In an interview with the UK's Metro newspaper, Nicole Scherzinger joins Special Olympics athletes Sophie Dalglish and Tom Hawkins to talk about her new role as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics.
Wendy Bigham
Neville Bone


text:
Thrifting: Think beyond GoodwillKacie
When you think of thrift stores, is Goodwill the first one to come to mind?
It might be the only thrift store in your area. But chances are, there are at least a few others — local and national charities.
I've found my share of decent finds at Goodwill stores. But I've found even better deals at thrift stores such as St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army.
Take today for example.
Johnny and I stopped in the St. Vincent de Paul because Tuesdays are "kid" days there. It's half-off children's clothing, books and games.
- I picked up a size 2T winter coat that I anticipate he'll be able to wear next year for $2.
- Some like-new New Balance tennis shoes for Johnny for $1
- A stack of books in excellent condition ranging in price from $0.20 to $1 each
- Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary Edition with game cards still in the original wrapper for $2
And that was just one day of thrifting!
I picked up a schedule of what's on sale when and keep it on my bulletin board.
The Salvation Army also has various sale days, and you could probably get at copy of their schedule there.
Of course, the types of deals you'd be able to find absolutely depend on the donations that store receives. Some people donate to Goodwill and Goodwill only. I like to share my donations among my favorite stores.
If you haven't thrifted lately, or if you've never been to another thrift store besides Goodwill, be sure to check 'em out!
Edited to add: Some thrift stores are more picky about the quality of goods they'll put on your shelves. If you think one store has nothing but junk, try somewhere else! You might find lots of new or nearly new items!
7 Responses
to "Thrifting: Think beyond Goodwill"
By Keri on Jan 19, 2010 | Reply
I LOVE finding great books at thrift stores. I always come back with a pile, and rarely spend over 25 cents a book for titles that are frequently in brand new condition!
Planning ahead and buying a coat that will fit next year if you see one is GENIUS – true thrifting genius. Great idea!
.-= Keri´s last blog ..Menu Monday =-.
By megscole64 on Jan 19, 2010 | Reply
I just recently discovered a baby consignment store and I am totally hooked. I took in several bags of things yesterday and got $150 in credit!!! =) SO excited (of course, that included a Baby Bjorn and some Dr Brown bottles but also lots of clothes). Their prices for really nice outfits are in the $7-$12 range but compared to Macy's that is a steal. They have onesies for $1! I have gotten his swing there as well as a little rocker thing for him. I'm definitely pro thrift shop but it has to be one that is picky in what they accept. I can't stomach going into our goodwill or value villages. Although my mom loves to hunt for good quality bargains. =)
By Bargain Junkie on Jan 20, 2010 | Reply
My husband is a free-lancer and frequently unemployed. He started a cottage industry by selling books online that he picks up on the cheap and thrift stores, yard sales, etc. We now have close to 10,000 rare books and a regular income from this fun hobby!
By Kacie on Jan 20, 2010 | Reply
10,000 books — WHOA! And way to be entrepreneurial about it! My husband and I sold $1,000 worth of books on Amazon once year in college. They were all in the "discard" bin at book buy-back time. To be clear, these were books in the trash. So we took 'em and sold them online and made quite a bit!
By ~Carla~ on Jan 23, 2010 | Reply
Awesome finds! There are NO thriftstores near me… i'd have to go downtown (*shudder*) or the other side of the city… :( Wish there was though…
.-= ~Carla~´s last blog ..Let's get fit with the Wii!! =-.
By Gwen @ Frugal-Bugle.com on Jan 24, 2010 | Reply
I have discovered that some Goodwill and Value Village stores are better than others. Great idea on the books. I hadn't thought of that.
By Frugal Babe on Jan 26, 2010 | Reply
Great finds! There are several great thrift stores in the town about 15 minutes from our house, and I do all of our non-food shopping there. Even our son's diapers are made from old fleece sweatshirts and t-shirts that I got at thrift stores.
.-= Frugal Babe´s last blog ..Sites I'm Loving Right Now =-.
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