text:
Medical note report samples:
Note Report Sample #1
|David Jones
SUBJECTIVE: This is a 32-year-old gentleman who came in for reevaluation of diabetes mellitus. He was started on Metformin 500 mg t.i.d last week and so far he has tolerated the medication well. He stated he is feeling a lot better. He has no more polyuria, no polydipsia, and he has more energy.
LABORATORY REVIEW: He had laboratory workup done. It showed glucose of 241, BUN and creatinine is in good range, total bilirubin is 1.2, AST is 49, ALT 135, total cholesterol is 216, triglyceride 180, and hemoglobin A1c is 11.4. He does not have any microalbuminuria.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: Blood pressure is 130/70. Respiratory is 16. Pulse is 68. Weight is 242 pounds. Temperature is 98.1 degrees. He is alert and oriented x 3.
ABDOMEN: Flat, soft, and nontender. He has no organomegaly or no jaundice noted.
1. Diabetes mellitus. I encourage diet and exercise. I also counseled him about decreasing his carbohydrate intake.
2. I will check for hepatitis B and C profile and do an abdominal ultrasound.
3. Patient is to return after his blood test is completed.
Note Report Sample #2
S: She has a pulse of 84. Blood pressure is 120/80. She is here for an acute visit today complaining about a recurrent rash on her right buttock. A few days ago Heidi felt a tingling sensation in her upper right buttock and today noticed that she had developed some small vesicles. It is in a well-circumscribed area, in an area where she had lesions previously. She had cultures done back in May, on May 10th. It occurred first in January of this year. She had light growth of coagulase-negative staphylococcus and that was all on her last bacterial culture. She has had multiple sex partners in her life. She has, she believes, been tested for herpes in the past and was negative. She has been monogamous with her current partner for quite some time now. She is trying to conceive a child and has been sexually active lately and is worried about giving this to her husband.
ROS: Is listed in HPI. Allergies are penicillin and IVP dye. Medications are reviewed. Please see medication sheet.
PMH: Is reviewed. Please see note.
SHX: Is reviewed. Please see note.
PE: She has a 2-3 cm well-circumscribed hyperemic area with small clear vesicles. Bacterial culture is taken. A viral culture is taken. She has no lymph nodes either in her anterior cervical chain, supra or subclavicular or inguinal area.
A&P: Likely herpetic rash. Cultures have been taken. We will also do a check for HSV-1 and HSV-2. I have given her Valtrex 500 mg twice daily for the next three days with p.r.n. refills. We will await the culture results to go further and, in the meantime, we talked about its spread and how to protect her partner. She was agreeable with the above- instructed plan. Risks, benefits and side effects of medications and treatments were discussed, and she will follow up as suggested.
Note Report Sample #3
|She is here for a re-check of weight. She is being seen on a chronic basis for her failure to thrive. Her normal weight is around 112. She is down to 95. Her pulse is 80. Blood pressure is 110/68. She has met a new friend and is enjoying his company. He is also helping out with things around the house and she appreciates that very much. She has gone to the graduation of her daughter from high school and her son from middle school. Their father came to the son's ceremony but not his daughter's, which was her graduation from high school. This had a huge impact on the family. Her son has actually bitten Daniel again and fortunately did not draw blood this time, but they are definitely having difficulties. She is trying to eat more but finding it difficult. Her back is really bothering her. She has had physical therapy but really has not noted any real improvement thus far. She was suggested to try Pilates, which she is doing daily. The pain is worse after working for several days and, although she had the injury on the left, it radiates all the way through to the right. At the end of the week, she has difficulty even walking around in the mall. She takes Naprosyn and Prilosec for her pain. She notes a slight improvement. She has no bowel or bladder symptoms but the pain radiates into her posterior thigh and makes her knee joint feel unstable.
|Is listed in the HPI or otherwise negative. She has no known drug allergies. Medications are reviewed. See medication sheet.
|Is reviewed. No changes.
|Social history is reviewed. No changes, except as listed in the HPI.
|This is a well-appearing thin middle-aged female. She has slight exophthalmus, anicteric and pupils are equal round and reactive to light. She is very thin appearing with very little musculature. Her veins are clearly visible. She has no thyromegaly. Chest is clear to auscultation bilaterally. Cardiovascular is regular rate and rhythm. Her abdomen is scaphoid but soft with audible bowel sounds, is nontender and without organomegaly. Her extremities are warm and well perfused. There is no edema.
|1. Reactionary depression. She is on Lexapro, taking Xanax only as needed. This seems to be improving her mood.2. Anxiety. Please see #1.3. Low back pain, herniated disc at L4-L5. She continues to see physical therapy. Unfortunately, though, she is not getting a lot of improvement.
4. Varicose veins. She is trying support pantyhose. At the end of the day, especially when she has worked for a couple days in a row, she has deep, aching pain in her legs.
5. Hemorrhoids. No symptoms.
6. Irregular menses. She has perimenopausal.
7. Failure to thrive, weight loss. She was encouraged to eat three meals and three snacks a day to include dense foods, such as ice cream and nuts. She expressed understanding.
8. Osteopenia. She continues to take her vitamin D for her vitamin deficiency. She is also taking Actonel. She has no esophageal problems, but she does need lab work done in August. She was agreeable with the above-instructed plan. Risks, benefits and side effects of medication and treatments were discussed, and she will follow up as suggested.
Note Report Sample #4
|Debra Jones
The patient presents complaining of bilateral knee pain. She is known to have degenerative disc disease with osteoarthritis of the knees.
On examination, both knees are tender, minimally swollen and warm. Straight leg raising test is negative. The sensory examination of the back is unremarkable and the back is nontender.
Under ultrasound guidance I did first the right and then the left knee injections, each with 20 mg of Kenalog and a cc of lidocaine. A total of 40 mg of Kenalog were used and two ultrasonographic images were recorded of each procedure.
DIAGNOSIS: Osteoarthritis of the knees, synovitis, and degenerative disc disease of the back. Routine visit.


text:
While dreams were the source of his imagery, Salvador Dalí felt that sleep was a great waste of time. Whenever he was getting sleepy, he would sit in a stiff, Spanish "bony" armchair with a metal key in his hand. Just below his hand, he placed a dinner plate. As soon as he nodded off, the key would slip out of his hand, hit the plate with a loud "CLANG!" and wake him up. According to Dalí in his 50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship, anyone who followed his method of "slumber with a key" would "wake up inspired!"
This kind of very brief nap is called by scientists "hypnogogic" and is known for releasing a rush of creative thoughts. Other famous nappers who believed in only sleeping a few hours a day were Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Aristotle, and Leonardo da Vinci.
Da Vinci is reputed to have had a method, known as polyphasic, where he slept fifteen minutes every four hours, never going beyond a total of five hours a day. Lord Byron, Thomas Jefferson, and Napoleon are also said to have used this approach, which causes vivid dreams.
Dalí wrote, "At the age of six I wanted to be Napoleon – but I wasn't." At least, he later slept like him.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Skyscraper Group, Inc.
Our company assists landlords and tenants in leasing San Francisco office space. We have been in this business for over 20 years. Our company's leasing practice is focused solely on the San Francisco office market. Our list of satisfied clients is extensive. From the Embarcadero Center to the smallest brick buildings in SOMA, we have completed hundreds of office leasing transactions. For select, exclusive clients, we can also provide you with commercial real estate brokerage services to buy or sell an office building or a condominium in San Francisco. Our database tracks office space availability in over 5,000 buildings in San Francisco. We even track future office space availability in buildings that are not yet built (e.g. those under construction). All services provided at our company are supervised or conducted by our firm's founder, Eric L. Risberg, a leading real estate professional.


text:
- Age / Gender:
- 28, Male
- Location:
- New York
- Joined:
- 12/12/05
- All Stats >
Hey there everyone. I'm a voice actor. Look at my favorites list for some roles I've been in. Visit my website for my resume, demo's, etc.
User Statshot
- Community Stats
Level 11 Blank Slate
Bronze Whistle
Ranked as Portal Security
Contact Info / Websites
- Moose1015
Recent Game Medals
Acid Bath 10 Points 08 - Watch Little Mac win in 3rd round by decision Medal Stats.
Champ 50 Points 08 - Defeat Little Mac in round 1 Medal Stats.
Fighting Chance 5 Points 03 - Let Urban Champ guy punch you Medal Stats.
Choices 5 Points 00B - Use level select Medal Stats.
SECRET MEDAL 50 Points Unlock this medal to see it's details. Medal Stats.
It's So Bad 50 Points 08 - Put on the Power Glove and defeat Little Mac Medal Stats.
Mac Attack 25 Points 08 - Knock down Little Mac twice in round 1 Medal Stats.
Punchy Power 10 Points 08 - Use Rage move on level 8 Medal Stats.
Barf-O-Rama 50 Points 07 - Kill giant Kirby Medal Stats.
Lemming Lunacy 5 Points 07 - Get Lemmings Gun Medal Stats.
Total Medals Earned: 221 (From 38 different games.)
Latest Audio Submissions
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Latest Movies
Perpetual Tuesday Rated Stars Johnny Buys String, Tyler Gains Powers, Dee Terrorizes Graphics Dept. All in a day's work! Comedy - Original Smart Power Entry Rated Stars 30 second commercial about Phantom Load. Informative Spark-Boy snowday Rated Stars Its a snow-day and Spark-boy is trying to save the day! Unfinished ... Perpetual Workday Rated Stars Johnny vandalizes the moon, Tyler gets annoyed, Dee commits genocide. All in a day's work! Comedy - Original
Latest Games
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Perpetual Workday Rated 4.0200 Stars Johnny vandalizes the moon, Tyler gets annoyed, Dee commits genocide. All in a day's work! Comedy - Original Flecko 2 Rated 4.1800 Stars Flecko is forced back on stage Comedy - Original Sonic Chaos Z -Pilot- Rated 3.4700 Stars On the nest episode of SONC....CHAOS....Z TPS Episode 2 Rated 3.2200 Stars Episode 2 of TPS. We find out a bit more about Jack.
Latest Favorite Games
Streets of Valhalla Rated 3.9900 Stars Destroy enemy gangs, face the Mafia, can you survive in the Streets of Valhalla? Action - Shooter - Run 'n Gun Super Smash Flash Rated 4.1800 Stars An amazing flash clone of Super Smash Bros. Melee! Action - Fighting - VS Key To Adventure: Ep 1 Rated 3.8900 Stars Joe's girlfriend is kidnapped and you have to save her in this puzzling adventure! Action - Platformer - Puzzle Art of War 2 Rated 3.7300 Stars Purge the glorious city of Stalingrad from the invading fascists! Action - Other


text:
Add a little education to your Jazz Festival adventure! You don't have to be a musician to enjoy the Festival's FREE education programs! Each event embraces a wide range of creative issues: you may learn Cuban song styles, experiment with improvisation, broaden your knowledge of jazz history, play with toy pianos, or hear the future of jazz. You're welcome to participate or just sit back and listen. Either way, Coastal Jazz invites you to immerse yourself in a diversity of musical perspectives, sounds and ideas. Above all, THINK JAZZ!
Education Vision Statement:
The CJBS outreach, education and community programs are designed to inspire a passion for the currency and immediacy of the living art of improvised music. We support performance practices that broaden the institutionalized study of jazz by connecting both musicians and listeners with the creative tradition of experimentation that is the legacy of the music. Never losing sight of the importance of intermingling creativity with craft, CJBS generates opportunities for mentoring relationships to develop and evolve between novice, emerging and seasoned artists, and listeners. We encourage and facilitate programs that combine inventiveness, innovation, spontaneity and musical risk-taking with the sheer pleasures of learning, listening and playing. Astutely aware that jazz and improvised musics have never existed in a vacuum apart from the communities they serve, CJBS welcomes diversity in musical perspectives. We endeavor to design programs that promote dialogue between and within diverse communities through the sharing of sounds and ideas. CJBS recognizes that improvisational practices cross borders of all kinds - borders of culture, gender, race, class, generation, sound, style - and we support the polyphony of voices that resonate in our community.


text:
Obama Prohibits Practice of Catholicism in U.S.
Posted in the Westerville Forum
"animis opibusque parati"
Since: Oct 12
Location hidden
#1 Oct 2, 2013
by Terence P. Jeffrey
Beginning now, with the opening of government-run health-insurance exchanges, President Barack Obama will be prohibiting American Catholics from practicing their faith in the way they live their daily lives.
This is an act of tyranny. Yet, many Americans in positions of public authority and influence have greeted it with silence and inaction.
I do not use the word tyranny lightly here. Obama is abusing his power as president to unilaterally impose on Catholics and millions of other Americans who share the Catholic moral view on certain matters a regulation that forces them to act against their moral convictions and the teachings of their faith.
He has declared war on their souls.
The Catholic Church teaches that sterilization, artificial contraception and abortion are intrinsically immoral and Catholics cannot be involved in them.
Last year, President Obama's Department of Health and Human Services issued a regulation, under Obamacare, requiring that almost all health care plans in the United States must provide coverage, without any fees or co-pay, for sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs.
Obama was boasting about this regulation last week.
At no time has he offered to exempt from it those individual Americans whom he has put in the position of needing to choose between obeying his bureaucratic mandate and the teachings of their faith.
Since Obama's administration first issued this regulation, America's Catholic bishops have forcefully and unambiguously declared it an "unjust law."
"A human law has the character of law to the extent that it accords with right reason, and thus derives from the eternal law," says the Catholic Catechism, quoting St. Thomas Aquinas. "Insofar as it falls short of right reason it is said to be an unjust law, and thus has not so much the nature of law as of a kind of violence."
Yes, Obama's sterilization-contraception-ab ortifacient mandate is "a kind of violence."
"If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience," says the Catholic Catechism. "In such a case,'authority breaks down completely and results in shameful abuse.'"
Yes, Obama's sterilization-contraception-ab ortifacient mandate is a "shameful abuse."
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, succinctly explained the evil of Obama's regulation in a letter he asked Catholic chaplains to read to U.S. troops attending Mass in January 2012.
Obama's regulation, Archbishop Broglio said, "strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith."
"It is a blow to a freedom that you have fought to defend and for which you have seen your buddies fall in battle," the archbishop told the troops.
"We cannot we will not comply with this unjust law," he said.
Many other bishops said these exact words in letters to their own dioceses: "We cannot we will not comply with this unjust law."
[read the rest]
"animis opibusque parati"
Since: Oct 12
Location hidden
#2 Oct 2, 2013
"Baby, it's cold outside! "
Since: Apr 10
#3 Oct 2, 2013
Him being pro choice! Do you think it was solely aimed at one particular religion or group.?
It has to be at the discretion of the single person, on which path to take regarding this subject matter.
Often times abortions are a form of birth control for many which is a sin!!!
That's what I fear with this liberal insertion in the ACA.
#4 Oct 2, 2013
Obama hates people who, in his words, cling to their guns and Bibles, instead of clinging to him the failed pseudo-Messianic figure to his non-White and Gay Base.
Its time to stand up to this narcissitic man child from Kenya / Kansas.
#5 Oct 2, 2013
Surely you don't expect a muzlim to love Catholics!
#6 Oct 2, 2013
narcissistic man child. I've used the narcissistic in my own descriptive language of it but I like the addition of manchild. Equally, truthfully fits.
Makes me think of a caption for the photo op in Phnom Penh November past of Putin, Wen and Oblamer. Two men and a boy.
#7 Oct 2, 2013
Good, I hope he puts them all in camps next.
Diamond Eugene
Since: Jun 13
#8 Oct 2, 2013
Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi will be the designated laundry workers in my barracks.
#9 Oct 2, 2013
So long as every kennedy klan member goes first...... the way John Kennedy and his brothers screwed around that means the eniter North East needs a razor wire fence around it.
#10 Oct 2, 2013
Obama doesn't see the problem with Catholics supporting abortion and contraception since he considers himself a Christian and he strongly supports those things (abortion, contraception) as well as gay everything.
As a liberal Obama's ideas don't have to be rational such as his strong support for gay rights as well as his strong support for Islam when Muslims are still putting gays to death in nations like Yemen, Saudi Arabia and such.
#11 Oct 3, 2013
Which is worse? A Catholic or a Republican?
#12 Oct 3, 2013
Republicans are worse. Catholic Church stood opposed to Iraq War.
#13 Oct 3, 2013
a thug muslin POTUS in office
however yesterday WW2 vets crossed Obama's barricaded line, and 7 Rangers allowed it.
Pale you think the military is going to back your side in a revolt?
Yesterday should prove differently.
Obama scrambled Army Rangers to protect entry to WW2 monument. 7 of them which is 3 more than Benghazi.
In Benghazi the 4 died, and in Washington DC the allowed trespassing to hundreds, while ordered to keep all trespassers out.
As all you say the GOP will be held responsible, know that is just a fantasy of liberal fools.
Obamacare is communism. It was not voted on by the people.
The supreme court determined obamacare as a tax was constitutional. The people say F U, we are not paying.
In August 2013 alone, more people renounced their citizenship to the USA in a month, than collectively all 8 years of Bush.
as time passes, People are getting wiser.
the frozen debt ceiling will really show the pettiness of Obama & party. Fun to watch and record for future campaign ads.
#14 Oct 3, 2013
Thug Muslim? From Kenya? Or Planet Krypton?
#15 Oct 3, 2013
I am not an Army ranger but I am Army. I salute you, Army Rangers.
#16 Oct 3, 2013
Catholics - Worst Religion in World!
"animis opibusque parati"
Since: Oct 12
Location hidden
#17 Oct 3, 2013
Just for you:
Diamond Eugene
Since: Jun 13
#18 Oct 3, 2013
Have you told the Vice President?
"Zuzu's Petals"
Since: Sep 10
Bedford Falls
#19 Oct 3, 2013
The sad part is, the majority of the fools, voted for the idiot!
#20 Oct 3, 2013
Hey Tippy.
How did Obama "prohibit the practice of Catholicism"?
do tell. Be specific, please.
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The Bitter American
I'm a Bitter Blogger, Clinging to My Guns and My Religion
Full of Antipathy Towards Liberals
For More Than Six Years!
Luke 18:9-14
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
2 Comments:
- At 7:18 AM, BobG said...
Unreal! And she probably drives, votes and is employed. What a tribute to our educational system.
- At 9:03 PM, kateykakes said...
Our country is in BIG trouble.
Is she really that dumb? Seriously?
Please tell me it's all an act!


text: On Fri, May 09, 2014 at 06:34:35AM +0000, Johny Radio wrote: > hi rack > > the event page is again being vandalized. Please give a URL for the page you're complaining about when you complain. This reduces confusion and is more likely to result in someone who has admin perms and a short bit of time fixing what you're complaining about. -andy


text:
As if Tiffany & Co. isn't already an amazing company, their Foundation just granted $1 million to create something memorable for the Battery East, Presidio.
Here's the scoop:
San Francisco, CA: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy announced a $1 million grant from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation to revitalize the vicinity of the historic Battery East in the Presidio, an area that boasts breathtaking views of the international symbol of San Francisco—the Golden Gate Bridge. The new Battery East Vista will feature a picnic area with seating, bicycle parking and interpretive signage, improved wayfinding information, and a revamped parking area—designed to enhance visitor connections to the parks and Presidio trails. Located along the San Francisco Bay Trail, this dazzling spot is destined to take its place among the most visited park sites in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
"The panoramic views along the trails near Battery East Vista will help deepen visitors' awareness and appreciation of the natural beauty of the national parks at our doorstep, just minutes from the cosmopolitan urban center of San Francisco," said Frank Dean, General Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The Battery East Vista enhancement project is part of the long-term plan to improve and enhance the trails and overlooks in the Presidio under the Trails Forever initiative. Established in 2003, the Trails Forever initiative is a public/private partnership between the Parks Conservancy, National Park Service, and the Presidio Trust with the goal to create a world-class trail system, protect valuable park resources, and engage the community in their ongoing stewardship.
"The Tiffany & Co. Foundation is delighted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge with a grant to create the new Battery East Vista with stunning views of this national icon," said Anisa Kamadoli Costa, President, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. "Through our Urban Parks Program, the Foundation supports organizations working to serve major cities through strategic design improvements of public green spaces. We are pleased to collaborate with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and National Park Service on the Foundation's first project in the San Francisco area."
The goal of the Trails Forever initiative in the Presidio is to renew the trail system that will link all the key visitor venues, programmatic sites, and park landscapes. New and revitalized trails will be organized around 11 major trail corridors—each celebrating a different element of the Presidio landscape—and will feature the latest sustainable design, accessibility standards, and directional and interpretive improvements.
"This generous grant by the Tiffany & Co. Foundation through its Urban Parks Program will help complete the final segment of SF Bay Area Trail improvements in the Presidio," said Greg Moore, President and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. "By providing additional visitor opportunities to explore this major national park site in an urban area, we are continuing our efforts to link visitors from near and far to the beauty and rich history of the Presidio."
Projected completion date for the Battery East project is summer 2014.
We are excited about this project and can't wait for it's completion. I'm sure the addition to the park is going to be beautiful, just like Presidio Park itself.


text:
Archive for the 'Soups' Category
As Seen on TV: Thai Scented Asparagus Soup
Cooking for a living has begun to take over all of my thoughts. Isabella's newly sewn pink dress isn't an article of clothing, but a piece of watermelon. Everywhere I go I think about new dishes and ingredients, and there is no off button to press. Just dials on the stove to let me make more food. I feel like a composer sometimes, only instead of notes, I hear shallots, pancetta and fried chicken. It's driving me crazy, really it is. I love love love teaching people to cook… but seriously. Enough is enough.
This recipe was born out of one of these fits of inspiration. We often teach a cream of asparagus soup in our spring classes, but I was making a Thai dish one day and the idea to infuse it with coconut, lemongrass and ginger just jumped into my head. It has quickly become a family favorite and it worked out so well that I used it for my latest appearance on Connecticut Style. Although a video exists on WTNH, it was very fast, and we thought you'd appreciate seeing how to make this lively Asian inspired soup step-by-step, so here it is:
We start with the freshest ingredients, which includes, lemon juice, lemongrass, ginger, asparagus and coconut milk, but there are others as well, including yellow onions and chicken or vegetable broth.
First, we need to peel the lemongrass, an ingredient commonly found in Asian food stores and in some supermarkets, especially Whole Foods.
Then you have to cut most of the stalk away. We only want the part of the lemongrass that has purple rings.
Then – and really pay attention to this or the lemongrass with be tough and stringy – you have to smash it hard several times with a knife. Until it looks like this
Then put the lemongrass in a mini food processor with a teaspoon or two of oil until finely minced and looks like this:
Then you need to peel the ginger. You can peel it in many different ways by using a melon baller, sturdy spoon or vegetable peeler. Afterwards, finely mince the ginger in a mini chopper as well. You can, obviously, do that by hand, it will just take much longer.
After sautéeing the onions until they are glassy, add the lemongrass and ginger and continue sautéeing until the ginger and lemongrass start to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add the asparagus, salt and pepper and cook for another five minutes.
Add the broth (chicken or vegetable – we like to use vegetable when we're cooking for a crowd, since then we can make this vegan and everyone can eat it!) and give the mixture a good stir in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven. Cook for 15 minutes and then puree the soup either in a blender (after letting the mixture cool) or an immersion blender right inside the pot, our preferred choice.
Add a bit of lemon, give it a good stir, and serve. The great thing about this soup, next to the amazing flavor, is that it tastes great for several days and can certainly be made the day before company. And there you have it! Serve with a garnish of mint, or chives.
Click here to get the complete recipe written up on Food52!
Too many Pumpkins…
For most people the holiday season begins with Thanksgiving. Here the "holidays" as they are collectively known, begin in (very) early October. I don't know why the color orange and October make me so happy, but I am a sucker for all things autumn and Halloween, probably because Halloween is about fun, not office parties. Instead, it's about apples and pumpkin picking, and laughing at the hysterical decorations and costumes so many people come up with.
More lawns than ever are populated with monsters and graveyards and not-so-scary whimsy, like this monster and mermaid I found in Essex, CT.
Our house is always the most over the top in the neighborhood, but we've even outdone ourselves this year with a witch that projects on to our house. It's pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself.
We are so into the season that my youngest daughter isn't allowed to wear anything that isn't orange and black or doesn't have a witch or ghost on it. I'm really not kidding. Thank goodness she's only five and thinks it's a blast.
A little odd, perhaps, but I did the same thing with Gabrielle and Isabella and they turned out pretty normal.
But of course, this is a food blog, and no post about October would make any sense without talking about all the spectacular cozy foods of autumn. We love teaching light and fresh meals at the Fig Cooking School in the summer – a chilled borsht made with organic beets on a sticky day is superb – but nothing beats hearty stews, rich pies and crisps made with apples or pears, or really anything made with the vast array of squashes and pumpkins now in season.
Of all the fall foods and decorations I go especially crazy for pumpkins. I can't get enough of them. Francesca has a fantastic book called Too Many Pumpkins in which Rebecca Estelle thinks she hates those beautiful bulky balls of orange until a truck spills dozens of splattered pumpkins in her yard. The next year there are hundreds of pumpkins and so she has to make dozens of pumpkin pies, cookies, muffins and breads for the townspeople so they don't go to waste. In the end, the pumpkins bring her happiness and community… totally my kind of story.
If you ask Mark and the girls they'll tell how they have to pull me away from the pumpkin patch. It's an addiction, really.
And I like gourds and weird pumpkins too!
So obviously, some of my favorite foods are made with pumpkins. This gorgeous vegetable makes the most wonderful soups, muffins and pies and, when roasted whole, a beautiful, edible bowl for your favorite autumn stew.
Since it is such a busy time of year, I try to keep it simple and create recipes that are hearty and delicious, so we have more time to be outside apple picking or taking scenic drives. I've created a delicious but simple pumpkin-butternut squash soup using canned organic squash and pumpkin. It's so easy you will never be tempted to by commercial soup again. I promise.
Hopefully it will become part of your regular dinner plans. When you make it, be sure to let us know!
Pumpkin-Butternut Squash Soup with Pears
2 cups of leeks, chopped
1/3 cup shallots, chopped
1 Bartlett pear, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 can organic butternut squash puree
1 can organic pumpkin puree (unprocessed)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/3 pound pancetta, sliced thin (optional)
1. Sautee shallots and leeks until they are wilted, but not yet brown, about 5 minutes
2. Add squash and pumpkin and stir
3. Add one teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
4. Add the broth, pears, sugar and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil
5. Let simmer for about 12 minutes, or until pears are soft
6. Add both the pumpkin and squash and cook for another 7 minutes on a low flame
7. Puree in a food processor, or with an immersion blender (you may also use a blender, but be sure to let the soup cool to lukewarm first)
8. Add sour cream and mix well
9. Fry pancetta in a small pan over medium-high heat, until crisp, and pat between two towels to absorb grease
10. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle chopped chives and crumbled pancetta on top


text:
The Subject of Towels
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has a few things to say on the subject of towels. A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have."
So for any intrepid adventuring interstellar hitchhikers, Nerd By Night has quite thoughtfully created a wonderful tutorial for how to make a towel even more useful by turning it into a messenger bag. Of course, to improve it even further, one should include the words "Don't Panic" in large, friendly letters across the front. All you need is a towel and some thread!
"Partly it has great practical value — you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble?sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindbogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you — daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
"More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: nonhitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might have accidentally "lost". What the strag will think is that any man that can hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through and still know where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with."


text: Tufts Ambulatory Service provides routine preventative care for your small ruminants. In addition to routine vaccinations and physical exams, the service also offers counseling regarding many aspects of small ruminant care to ensure optimum health for your animals. This advising may include nutrition counseling, barn design and management, how to effectively use rotational pasture grazing and stocking density.


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Another Ring on the Tree
- Artist: Professor Lift Band
- Format: CD
- Release Date: 6/8/2004
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Professor Lift advances a new, groundbreaking theory in the science of Groovology! Into a Jam-Rock beaker, he places carefully measured parts of Swing-Bop Jazz rhythms with a dash of soulful and insightful poetic concepts and then mixes in some soaring saxophone samplings and fusion driven 6-string angst. He then grounds the mixture by folding in some ancient global melody artifacts and some 'I don't care what you call it' modern attitude. If 'alternative' is a definable style, then this must be the other alternative. The bandleader and primary composer is Rob Probst, former mandolin player for Hypnotic Clambake. Rob's lyrics have messages that are born out of his observations of the troubled human condition, but his positive take, upbeat grooves and imaginative wordplay afford a 'lifted' experience. Another Ring On The Tree offers a sampling of many musical styles in the mix, even some Bohemian scat over a hip-hop funk. 'Thrace Lift' is a fiery jazz instrumental inspired by a traditional wedding dance in 7/8 time from the Thrace region of Bulgaria, known in the Balkans as 'Svatbarska Rachenitsa'. Soulful ballads are transformed by unique rhythmic approaches.


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Beijing, China, 17 – 21 May 2004
Current context of agricultural extension service systems in Asia and the Pacific
1. Some 60 percent1 of the Asian and Pacific population engages in agriculture, contributing significantly to the gross domestic product of countries in the region, ranging between 6 and 43 percent. Although faced with changes and challenges, agriculture's role in providing livelihood for the people and stability to economies of the region remains crucial.
2. At the same time, global, regional and national forces are impacting the region's agriculture and rural development. Many of these forces are driven by the effects of globalization and liberalization of the market economy, reduced levels of investment in agriculture, rapid technological, transportation and telecommunications changes and diverging demographic factors.
3. On the positive side, globalization and liberalization have stimulated regional cooperation and integration, trade, investment, rapid technology development and economic growth along with rural transformation. Many countries in the region have benefited from unprecedented success in poverty and hunger reduction.
4. Experiences in numerous countries in the region indicate that subsistence agriculture is moving toward greater industrialization and commercialization. Intensifying production and wider application of modern technologies have been acknowledged as the needed spurs for growth and are reliant upon capacity building and investment in natural resource conservation and technology transfer. Knowledge and skills development are also crucial, especially where rural populations lag behind urban dwellers in education and skills training attainment.
5. On the negative side, decentralization, globalization and trade liberalization are compounding the problems of marginalized vulnerable groups, especially women, small producers and landless farmers. The income disparity between the rich and the poor is growing as well, and ensuring household food security and access to food for those who are hungry and poor continues to be a major challenge. In some cases, people who are poor and food insecure have been made worse off because of inappropriate policies that favour large and industrial producers or provide incentives for direct investment with negative social and environmental impacts.
6. Pro-poor and pro-environment policies and special programmes for food security are proven models that can help increase the income-generating capacity of marginalized groups. Effective rural education systems and health and social welfare schemes will be required to create an enabling environment for improving the livelihoods of such marginalized groups.
7. During the past few decades, the Asia-Pacific region has created unique models in agricultural and rural development and has provided a spectrum of good practices and success stories from the Green Revolution to modern biotechnology applications, from agricultural research to education and extension, from innovative agro-industrial entrepreneurship to regional and international trade, from local farmer community development (including farmer schools for integrated pest management) to social initiatives of non-government organizations (NGOs), from developing research networks to rural financial systems.
8. Though some countries have yet to fully recover from the impact of the 1997 financial crisis, Asia and the Pacific is seen as the most dynamic region with the potential to become a trend leader in development in the twenty-first century. Both the experiences and lessons learned in the recent past in the region's social, economic and political transformations and development are recognized as assets to build upon in the coming decades. The region's huge human resources will be another asset to be more fully harnessed.
9. While high population growth rates in Asia and the Pacific will produce a rich pool of human resources, they will also present many tough challenges. By 2030, the region's population will reach 4.2 billion, representing 50 percent of the world's total population. To feed the growing population will require tremendous increases in agricultural production. For cereals alone, it is estimated that agricultural production needs to increase by roughly 80 percent – equivalent to an additional production of 380 million tonnes of cereals per annum. The population dynamics will be a key factor to a number of developmental and environmental issues, such as formal education, HIV/AIDS and rural health, migration, urbanization and unemployment. In addition, most countries in the region will be increasingly affected by shifting demographic trends. Already out migration of young people and males has led to a situation where rural residents are predominantly elderly and female.
10. Other critical challenges facing the region include increasing unemployment, uneven distribution of wealth, natural calamities such as typhoons and hurricanes, increased pest and disease incidences and increased reliance on modern technologies – but with uneven distribution and access.
11. The role of public-supported agricultural extension services2 has traditionally been to provide the important link between agricultural research and farmers and the farming community, especially for technology transfer in support of agriculture and rural development. Although this role is still played by extension services, the demands for support, as well as the targets, mechanisms, processes and strategies, require more varied and comprehensive attention regarding clientele and strategies to address their specific needs.
12. This paper will focus on the important role played by agricultural extension in agricultural and rural development in the Asia and Pacific region and examine the changing roles and trends and possibilities for continuing to ensure adequate attention to serving marginalized and resource-poor farmers' and farm communities' needs for information and technology.
Effectiveness of extension services in reaching marginalized and poor farmers for food security
13. The important role played by agricultural extension services in providing linkages and support to agricultural research in information and technology transfer for farmers and farming communities has been crucial to agricultural successes. This was evident during the Green Revolution that began in the region in the 1960s. Through such efforts, increased production and productivity of crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry was achieved in many countries. However, strong criticism of public agricultural extension services has circulated in recent years. According to Qamar (2002), this criticism is due to its top-down approach, which has been supply-driven, technically weak, patronizing, catering only to large farmers and providing insufficient coverage of and contacts with farmers. Other criticisms include the inflexible blueprint approaches (such as the training and visit (T and V) system that the World Bank promoted) and the notion of extension being "mitigating" rather than "anticipating" in tactic. Providing extension services at all has even been questioned.
14. It is true that public extension services, unfortunately, have been ineffective in reaching farmers and farm communities with information and technologies needed to ensure food security and sustainable development. Where it has been insufficient, farmers have managed to obtain information from other sources. These preferred sources include other farmers, private sector agricultural marketing and sales providers (of seeds, fertilizers and agrochemicals) or from NGOs and civil society organizations.3 There is substantial literature providing evidence of this fact. What is clear from many studies, however, is the continued need for information by farmers and farm communities – thus necessitating continued improvement in ways and means to provide the extension support that farmers and farm communities require and demand.
15. Given the reality of an interconnected world, the recent trends currently confronting agricultural extension globally are also manifesting regionally and nationally. These include responses to the effects of globalization, privatization, increasing commercialization of agriculture, increased democratization and participation, environmental degradation, increasing incidences of natural disasters, improved communications including the availability of information technology, the need to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, preferences for multidisciplinary approaches and holistic development and criticism of extension itself (Qamar, 2002). The effects of globalization and privatization on extension, for instance, are probably most pronounced in the highly competitive, market-driven orientation of agribusiness. However, most extension services are ill prepared to deal with the changes due to extension agents' lack of knowledge and skills in those areas. Also, the forces for the changes are external in origin and thus extension has little or no control over them. The impacts of the changes are many and complex and can include traceability of product sources, food safety, increased consumer demand and increased farmer demand for up-to-date, rapidly changing policy and regulatory information. The impacts also place greater requirements on people and systems that generally are ill prepared or may even be adverse to such demands and needs.
16. The specific trends that have emerged for agricultural extension at the regional level in the Asia and Pacific region are likewise related to the key challenges and problems that agricultural extension faces and which include the following:
For a variety of reasons, the development resources channelled traditionally to agriculture through the public sector have become increasingly scarce. National and international budgets for agriculture are now much more seriously constrained. Moreover, investment in agriculture has decreased considerably over the past few decades – a trend that is evident on a global scale but is also true of the Asia and Pacific region (see the discussions in Siamwalla, 2002). Such decreased funding directly affects agriculture and even more severely impacts those agricultural components such as agricultural extension that are traditionally given lower priority and thus have smaller funding allocations compared to other sectors within agriculture (such as crops, livestock and forestry research and development). In some cases, continued support for extension is no longer assured. Faced with such realities, agricultural extension services will continue to be severely constrained. It will be difficult to ensure support for extension services through the provision of appropriately trained and qualified staff in sufficient numbers and adequate funding for the efficient and effective implementation of their functions and responsibilities. Thus, already weakened public extension systems will become even weaker. A positive development has been the involvement of private companies, including NGOs, cooperatives and associations, in extension work that provide services complementing those offered by public-supported extension.
As public-funded agricultural extension institutions struggle with funding and other challenges, NGOs have become increasing successful as agents of change that are especially active at the grassroots level. In fact, NGOs have become a major form of non-government support at this level. Their strong focus and commitment at local levels and their use of participatory strategies make them useful allies for extension work. Furthermore, their focus on food security and on marginalized sectors of the population provides a positive basis for extension delivery. Likewise, the role played by cooperatives and associations is useful, especially in regards to providing extension services to members for free and to non-members for a fee. Trends toward market liberalization, privatization and decentralization have led to a multiplicity of actors in Asian rural development (Siamwalla, 2002).
A number of countries have abandoned the conventional, centre-focused multilayer organizational structure for extension in favour of a decentralized mechanism. The emphasis is on having small units at the national level to address functions relating to policy, coordination and training, while delegating those relating to programme planning and implementation, including fiscal authority, to provincial, district or municipality government levels (Qamar, 2002). As Van Crowder (1996) points out, decentralization not only gives local government control over personnel and finances, but in theory also focuses control closer to the level of farmers and thus can improve accountability to their needs. Countries in the region where decentralization has taken place include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines while various others are at various stages of either adopting or considering such a system. Although positive in principle, experience has shown that initial difficulties are faced regarding adjustments to the decentralized modalities for which appropriate planning, financing and staff training for the devolved extension staff who have been moved from central to decentralized control will be required. Moreover, the achievement of full decentralization is a long, slow process that must be carefully planned and requires political will and commitment.
Given the problems that extension agents face in facilitating direct contact with farmer clients and with researchers due to the physical distances involved and the lack of transportation needed for their mobility, the application of ICT offers excellent possibilities. Utilizing ICT for strengthening research-extension-farmer linkages must, however, move from pilot testing phases to integration into research-extension systems and beyond the urban focus. Major factors to also address include the creation of an enabling environment, development of infrastructure, development of software and information content, making ICT sustainable, building capacities, combining its use with traditional media and learning from success stories (APO, 2002).
Client involvement and empowerment has become a prerequisite to ensuring sustainability of initiatives. A number of approaches have been tried. A very successful FAO-initiated participatory approach is the farmer field school (FFS), which originated as the means to promote integrated pest management in Asia in the mid-1980s. The FFS concept has spread to other regions and is one of the forefront extension-approaches used by various FAO and non-FAO projects and activities (Rivera et al., 2002).
Utilization of multidisciplinary approaches to information delivery
Given the complex nature of agriculture and the challenges being faced, the use of multidisciplinary approaches involving a mix of specializations is becoming more and more the norm in addressing information delivery today. Technical specialists along with social scientists and communications and information specialists are combining expertise to address farmers' and farming communities' problems and needs.
Studies have shown that farmers depend on multiple sources for information and technologies. In most societies, face-to-face contact is still the preferred mode of communication. Given the large populations to be served by extension and the dispersed and distant locations, face-to-face communication is not always possible and thus needs to combine strategies and communication channels to include traditional information sources, such as radio, print, video and television, together with new forms of delivery such as through ICT.
Apart from knowledge and information available from sources external to local and rural communities, there exists much traditional knowledge, wisdom and expertise, including important farmer units and groupings. These provide entry points into local communities for extension and a useful basis for building up expertise, information and technology.
17. The trends regarding agricultural extension in Asia and the Pacific have both positive and negative consequences. On the positive side, there are opportunities for strategies that can be appropriately applied to ensure that the vital support to rural farmers and farming communities, especially for marginalized ones, continues to be available. Important components for effective extension include the following:
18. In addition, new perspectives are needed regarding public funding; decentralized activities require coordination and dialogue between actors. Incorporation into poverty reduction and rural development programmes and plans at national levels should be given attention as well.
19. Despite improvements being made, current extension services still favour large, resource-rich farmers, with the majority of marginalized resource-poor farmers and farm communities being inadequately served. In addition, women and girls, due to various cultural, social and economic factors, are likewise not well served by extension services. These marginalized groups, which also include people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and those who are HIV/AIDS-affected, constitute the majority population in the region – which accounts for roughly two thirds of the world's 1.2 billion absolute poor and 508 million people, or around 64 percent, of the global undernourished population. In the context of Asia, the rural population is ageing, a trend that has significant implications for agricultural extension. While it represents a challenge (the elderly might be less able to make use of hi-tech innovations and may prefer oral to printed or Internet information, for example), it also creates opportunities (older persons can be used as tutors/trainers and as role models for the young). The marginalized groups are often the less educated and are primarily rural dwellers and resource-poor farmers in the region. They must be served if significant impact is to be made in terms of improved food security and sustainable development.
20. Implementation of reforms in extension has begun, especially in developing countries, advancing institutional pluralism (Rivera et al., 2003). A common strategy involves NGOs, for-profit companies, consulting firms and farmer cooperatives contracting for delivery of extension field services. Either public or donor support, or both, is needed for broader implementation of this strategy.
21. Entering into various types of partnership is another possible reform strategy. In most countries, there exists today an institutional "complex" of service providers, including public, private, and semi-public or NGO groups (Rivera et al., 2003). Public extension entities can develop linkages or strengthen existing partnerships, especially with the private sector, NGOs, civil society groups, rural education institutions and other appropriate entities for extension support. Multistakeholder partnerships are advocated but will require purposeful linkages and networking, together with the provision of appropriate capacity building.
22. Implementation of policy changes might also be considered to allow extension workers to function more as information gatekeepers and providers while allowing other existing bodies to handle traditional extension tasks regarding technology transfer. As previously mentioned, other sources are generally more preferred by farmers for information and technology than publicly supported extension services. At the grassroots level, NGOs and civil society organizations have proven to be very innovative and successful in technology transfer. As information gatekeepers and providers, extension workers with appropriate training and motivation can facilitate in searching, repackaging and/or interpreting information from various sources, including from agricultural research, the Internet, library sources, etc. Such a modified role for extension augers well with the notion of modern agriculture being more knowledge- rather than technology-driven.
23. Strengthening the use of ICT to close the gap between those who have access to extension services and those who do not, along with the strategic use of traditional media, is an opportunity that needs to be harnessed. ICT is now increasingly available and becoming more affordable. A number of countries within the region have already made good headway in this area, but these efforts are on the whole available only as pilot projects or in the urban areas where infrastructure has already been developed or is being established. A significant concern relates to overcoming the digital divide and the penetration of information systems, including cost factors.4 Annex 1 contains an attempt at grouping countries in the Asia and Pacific region regarding ICT use and penetration and clearly illustrates a lack of homogeneity. Given the diversity involved, no one system will suffice for all situations and countries. Issues relating to access and cost will need to be guiding factors. What is clear is that extension must harness the huge potential of ICT. A variety of models are currently being tested/used in the region and in other parts of the world that can offer useful lessons. Studies of such models would be an appropriate first step. Linking ICT with other traditional mediums, such as radio, print, television, videos and CD-ROMs, is also advocated, with choices dependent upon the local situation and realities. ICT provide information access and networking, which are two areas where current extension systems are weak – between research and extension and between extension and farmers.
24. Strengthening and upgrading rural education and training is a sure means for addressing the knowledge, skills and information gaps that currently exist for farmers as well as change agents. The important role that rural education institutions can play in this is vital and will require policy changes and commitment and support by governments, donors and communities, as rural schools and institutions are often given lower priority compared to urban institutions and are thus under-resourced and under-utilized. Strengthening of education's linkages with extension is a needed component.
25. Approaches for achieving effective extension might include all or a combination of strategies based on circumstances at national and local levels. Rivera (2003) advocates five important "strategy recommendations" to address the food security challenge:
26. A few examples of some good practices and lessons from various countries are presented to illustrate the possibilities of what can be achieved:
27. The demands and needs brought about by the changing macro and micro situations confronting agriculture, and more specifically by agricultural extension in the Asia and Pacific region, calls for new solutions and strategies. Despite extension's weakened status and role in agriculture and rural development, it is still recognized that extension continues to be needed but that the role and strategies followed must change or be modified. It is recognized that given the important role of agriculture and rural development, a revitalized and expanded role for advisory and information services is central to pro-poor agricultural growth.
28. Given the lack of homogeneity between countries and situations, a one-shoe-fits-all approach cannot be adopted. Some solutions and strategies have been suggested to cope with some of extensions' critical challenges via institution building. Good practices are being followed and used elsewhere with adequate testing and adjustments to local needs and situations. Sharing information about good practices is seen as an important component for ensuring a means for learning
29. Continued training and re-training through planned capacity-building programmes at national and regional levels is emphasized. This is especially important when considering that many of the staff, especially those involved in extension work in public institutions, have not had formal extension/communications training.
30. The Conference members may wish to recommend the following:
Asian Productivity Organization (APO). 2002. Report of a study meeting on Integration of Agricultural Research and Extension.
Coldevin, G. 2001. Participatory communication and adult learning for rural development.
Das, P. 2002. Research-extension-farmer-marketing-civil society in India: New horizons and extension modalities, Paper presented at the FAO Regional Expert Consultation on Agricultural Extension, Research-Extension-Farmer Interface and Technology Transfer in Bangkok, Thailand 16-19 July 2002.
FAO. VERCON Virtual extension and research communication network brochure.
FAO & WB. 2000. Agricultural knowledge and information systems for rural development (AKIS/RD), Strategic Vision and Guiding Principles.
Food & Fertilizer Technology Centre. 1999. Information flow in three national extension systems.
Mee, A., Haylor, G., Vincent, S. & Savage, W. 2003. Information access survey: Cambodia, STREAM/NACA. 50 pp.
Qamar, K. 2002. Global trends in agricultural extension: Challenges facing Asia and the Pacific region, Paper presented at the FAO Regional Expert Consultation on Agricultural Extension, Research-Extension-Farmer Interface and Technology Transfer in Bangkok, Thailand 16-19 July 2002.
Rivera, W. M, 2003. A new extension vision for food security: Challenge to change. Rome: FAO, 2003
Rivera, W. M., Qamar, K. & Van Crowder, L. 2002. Agricultural and rural extension worldwide: Options for institutional reform in the developing countries. Rome: FAO, 2002.
Siamwalla, Ammar, 2002. The evolving roles of the state, private and local actors in rural Asia. http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Rural_Asia/Evolving_Roles/default.asp
Van Crowder, L. 1996. Decentralized extension: Effects and opportunities, SD Dimensions, http://www.fao.org/sd/EXdirect/Exan0013.htm
Zakaria, A. 2002. Indonesia: Research-extension-farmer-market interface and technology transfer, Paper presented at the FAO Regional Expert Consultation on Agricultural Extension, Research-Extension-Farmer Interface and Technology Transfer in Bangkok, Thailand, 16-19 July 2002.
Zhen, L. 2003. Sustainability of farming practices in Ningjin county of Shandong province, People's Republic of China, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, pp. 174.
Based on the overall status of ICT use in agricultural research and development (ARD), Asian countries can be categorized into four groups:
A- Advanced users of ICT in ARD
Australia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Taiwan province, People's Republic of China
B- Less advanced users of ICT in ARD
India; People's Republic of China; Malaysia; Pakistan; Philippines; Thailand
C- Rapidly developing ICT use in ARD
Bangladesh; Fiji; Indonesia; Iran; Nepal; Papua New Guinea; Mongolia; Sri Lanka; Viet Nam
D- Slow development in ICT use in ARD
Afghanistan; Cambodia; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Myanmar
Source: From a presentation by Ajit Maru of the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), 2003
Note: Although not directly focused on extension, the information provides a good indication of ICT use in agriculture, but would certainly be lower for extension.
1 1999 FAO data
2 Agricultural extension is referred to in this paper as any non-formal education and training programme or system that is involved with disseminating and exchanging knowledge and information for agricultural and rural development purposes.
3 A recent study in Ningjin county in China, for instance, showed that a wide variety of information providers exist with the more preferred information providers being mass media sources (print, radio and television) followed by other farmers and sales personnel and with the least preferred source being the government extension services. Studies in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Samoa showed similar findings.
4 The Programme for Bridging the Rural Digital Divide to Reduce Food Insecurity and Poverty makes the case for a new strategic programme through which FAO will facilitate a global partnership to address the rural digital divide. The programme will strengthen human and institutional capacities to harness information and knowledge more effectively for agricultural and rural development. The proposal responds to a real gap not yet addressed in a cohesive way by the international development community. For details see http://www.fao.org/gil/rdd/


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A final post from Abraham Tewolde
It is with a heavy heart that I introduce the fourth and final post by our Stanford University Libraries 1st-generation intern Abraham Tewolde, whose time with us here at the Archive of Recorded Sound comes to an end this Friday, August 16th. Working with Abraham this summer has been a real joy. The diligence, aptitude, and speed Abraham has demonstrated during his work here has been nothing short of remarkable, and witnessing the enthusiasm he has shown as he has learnt about the history of recorded sound, library research methods, and archival practice has been a true pleasure.
Thanks must go to Felicia Smith and Chris Bourg for devising and coordinating the excellent 1st-generation intern program here at Stanford Libraries. Thanks also goes to Benjamin Bates, Interim Operations Manger at the Archive of Recorded Sound, for his supervision of Abraham's daily tasks and help coordinating his schedule over the past few months.
All the staff here at the Archive would like to wish Abraham well as he starts college here at Stanford in the fall, and thank him for all of his hard work. We look forward to hopefully seeing more of him in the Archive in the near future.


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The Daily Star (Dhaka) - April 15, 2014
Women on the March
Reviewed by Syed Badrul Ahsan
"The truth is self-evident. Women are the change-makers today, all around the world. And it is not just in politics but on a deeper, larger level as well. Change must always come through a demonstration of courage. In these past few decades, courage has arisen in women aplenty, to a point where they are now leading voices in a transformation of societies nearly everywhere. No, not everything is smooth. There are the usual obstacles, the old male chauvinism, the ancient taboos about what women should and should not do. Even so, the barriers are being crossed, or broken down, ever so clearly and decisively.
The caveat, of course, is there --- that women are yet objects of sexual gratification for men in diverse regions of the globe and are yet subject to patronizing by men. That last point comes through in Sharon J. Mijares' simply titled essay, Women Gathering, in this revealing compilation of write-ups on women's changing role in enabling social change. Mijares notes the reluctance of men, even now, to treat women as their equals. She observes the behaviour of a spiritual leader from Africa:
'He sits on a stage with three male disciples behind him, as he requests that the women from his group gather in front of the stage on the floor below. He introduces, thanks, and dismisses them, as he moves on to other content within his speech. He does not invite any of these women to join him on that stage.'
And that is where the difficulty comes in, this unwillingness on the part of men to share the stage with women. In this work, however, writers straddling a whole world make it obvious that while women may yet be trapped in the prison of male obstinacy, they are beginning to loosen the shackles and emerging into sunlight on their own. To be sure, societies such as the one in Saudi Arabia still remain feudal. And with religious fanaticism, of the kind propagated by such outfits as the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Hefazat-e-Islam in Bangladesh, rearing its monstrous head, there are reasons to be worried about the future of women in Islamic societies. Equally true, though, is the determination of women to resist any encroachment on their hard-earned liberties by the forces of obscurantism.
Sharmin Ahmad, in her exposition of women's issues in Rising Phoenix: Weaving Peace, seems to be underscoring just such a point through her incisive essay on the perils Bangladesh's women went through in the course of the country's war of liberation in 1971. In a conflict that left as many as three million people dead and tens of thousands of women dishonoured by the Pakistan occupation army, there was yet the courage in some of the women to speak up, even if it was to be many years later. Ahmad's narrative focuses on the trauma Ferdousy Priyabhashini was subjected to for months on end by the army and its local henchmen in Khulna. Ahmad's point is without ambiguity: when Priyabhashini decided to reveal the tale of her sorrows, it was sheer courage she was resorting to. In a society which has traditionally considered a raped woman as a fallen woman, Priyabhashini's decision to inform the country of what was done to her was a saga of courage in its totality. She is, as Sharmin Ahmad would say, a rising phoenix. Note Ahmad's assessment:
'Ferdousy buried her tormenting past in silence, and attempted a fresh start. She became her own counselor. When memories of genocide and torture became unbearable, she would meditate and surrender to God. . . The natural world provided her with means to speak – to say things her lips could not repeat. Nature spoke to her and she spoke through Nature.'
The canvas expands through the work. Tenzin Dhardon Sharling, in her passionate essay Tibetan Women: Devotedly Defiant, expounds on the courage Tibet's women have systematically demonstrated since the region was seized by China in 1959. The narrative brings to light hitherto unknown realities, owing to a total ban on news of happenings inside Tibet, about the ways in which Tibet's women have waged their own war of resistance against the Beijing authorities. Of particular poignancy is the repression and humiliation a group of fourteen nuns, known as the Drapchi Fourteen (Drapchi being the prison wzzhere these women were detained following anti-China protests between 1987 and 1989 in Lhasa) went through as a consequence of their political activism. In 1993, these nuns, with apparently nun Ngawang Sandrol in the lead, were able to smuggle out a cassette on which they had recorded songs of freedom, resistance and faith. These nuns were to be severely punished by the Beijing authorities.
Uganda's Despina Namwembe has a larger issue to handle and is indeed equipped to deal with. Her essay, Protecting Mother Earth, dwells on the role of women in conserving nature through a proactive role in interacting with the land. Women are still challenged by resistance to a bigger role for them over matters relating to the land. That does not in any way permit them to rest easy when it comes to handling household issues. Men are nowhere on the scene. Take it from the writer, in her own words:
'Traditionally in Africa, the young women and their daughters are in charge of making sure that there is food prepared for all family members.'
That is an onerous task, as women striving to push Liberia and Ghana into a region of peace know only too well. As Leymah Gbowee notes in her Women Building Peace Against All Odds, for years until the fall of Charles Taylor in Liberia, mothers watched helplessly as their young daughters were kidnapped and raped and their young sons were drugged and recruited as boy soldiers by the various warlords in the region. By 2002, in the run-up to which over 200,000 people had been killed in Liberia, women through the Christian Women's Peace Initiative had decided that 'if men chose to go to war, their wives would withhold sex.' These women did more: they compelled the two sides in Liberia's civil war to hammer out a peace deal. Until they did, the women would lock the men in the conference room and bar the door. Security forces threatened to place Gbowee under arrest, to which she responded in a novel way:
'. . . I began to strip naked in front of them. This was the strongest act of indignation I could demonstrate. Even though many of these men had most likely raped other women, combining violence with sex, they were immensely shamed at my demonstration.'
Liberia's women eventually won victory of a remarkable kind. They saw Ellen Sirleaf Johnson elected president of Liberia.
Other stories by other women, all of them privy to assertive self-esteem, abound in this work. Collectively, they are a statement --- that women across the world are moving on, that with men running out of ideas about the world, it is time for women to govern, to save the Earth.
Syed Badrul Ahsan is with The Daily Star
The Interfaith Observer - March 15, 2014
Reviewed by Paul Chaffee
"Matthew Arnold, the distinguished Victorian poet and essayist, is credited with saying, "If ever there comes a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of [hu]mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known." Were Arnold with us today, and could read A Force Such as the World Has Never Known: Women Creating Change, he would be nodding his head in happy satisfaction.
As Jean Shinoda Bolen says of them in the Foreword, "They are women who rescue, teach, and empower girls and women and are advocates for positive change in judicial and religious institutions." Their stories come from "Syria, Japan, Costa Rica, Brazil, Bangladesh, Tibet, India, China, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Liberia, United Kingdom, Iran, Uganda, Venezuela, Sweden, Canada, and the United States of America."This book takes on the very toughest subjects: living in the midst of war, terror, rape and abuse of women and children, the dangerous struggle for women's rights, and much, much more. At a glance, it looked like a tough read – and it goes on for 406 pagesSo I was startled to get pulled into each chapter, slowing down to catch the details, and then, like a good mystery story, finding myself compelled to start the next chapter right away. It was counter-intuitive; story by story I was buoyed. These 28 women, each with a chapter, take us through the nightmares of cultural oppression, unspeakable violence, and poverty. But one by one, in impossible situations, their work turns fruitful, leaving you cheering for the ways human beings, led by women, can make the world a safer, better place.
These women come from a variety of faiths, as well, but it is a deep spirituality and a creative genius for constructive cultural change that indelibly marks them as leaders. They are grassroots-grounded, articulate and well versed, walk the talk, take all sorts of risks, and are active nationally and internationally. Each has made a huge difference in her chosen arena. Women's rights in Iran after Ayatollah Khomeini took over – ending war and chaos in Liberia – using the Dances of Universal Peace to actually generate peace – the environmental passion and raw courage of women in Uganda reclaiming the Earth – a campaign to enroll nurses to address the enormous unaddressed medical needs of the world – inspiring the Dalai Lama to overturn Tibetan Buddhism's historic sexism – returning Japan to its indigenous heritage of the Divine Feminine (Ama-terasu) through diet – transforming how babies and birth are treated in Russia … the list goes on and on.
These writers have bulging resumes, beautifully captured in 15 biographical pages at the end of the book. More importantly, they are a new breed of leaders, with different assumptions, values, and goals than the dominant culture. In the lead essay, co-editor Sharon Mijares writes:
The patriarchal paradigm, with its extreme emphasis on corporate power, greed and related wars, is moving all the organic life rapidly into extinction. It is time for all humanity to makes choices and related actions that create peace, economic security and environmental care for all – rather than for a small segment of humanity, a specific race, region or gender.
Buddhism, the Green Tara represents the Buddha of enlightened activity. – Photo: WikipediaLater in her opening essay Mijares sketches the history of the Divine Feminine, glossing the likes of Quan Yin, Sophia, and Tara, along with lesser known figures from indigenous traditions. (Explicitly or implicitly, all 28 authors address the Divine Feminine in their own contexts.) Mijares also surveys psychological literature about leadership, a discussion packed with provocative notions, such as, "Women need to heal their relationships with other women in order to clear out dominating and destructive behaviors."
Mijares' colleagues in editing this book, Aliaa Rafea and Nahid Angha, write the final chapter, drawing conclusions from all that's been presented. They happily admit the stories are promising, but go on to survey the huge task ahead. They point out that they are a part of what is being called "transnational feminism," designed "to work as one human family, respecting our diversity and enriching our experiences." They conclude with a discussion of the "spirituality in action" that characterizes every page of the anthology.
One notes, in passing, that the three editors all are Muslim, though in no way is this a Muslim book. It's worth mentioning simply because the enablers of this spiritual treasure are representatives of a growing community of mainstream Muslims in our midst who are making pioneering contributions benefiting us all. These three women deserve gratitude and congratulations from all of us.
The best use of A Force Such as the World Has Never Known: Women Creating Change will be as a primary text in leadership training courses for the 21st century. Three stories a week for a semester would offer a rich diet, inspiring long conversations about core values, leadership, and transforming the world. For men as well as women, please, for whom it should be at least as valuable. If you care about what women can teach us about healing the world, buy your own copy. It's an interspiritual feast.
Women Creating Change's lasting impression, for this reader, is hope. Not a Pollyanna 'every thing's going to be all right' kind of hope, not a sigh of relief that the work has been done. No cheap hope here. But each one of these writers, and the sisters with whom they stand, indeed represent a force the world has never seen. We are the better for it, and we can learn to be like them."
Jean Shimoda Bolen
Chapter 1
Women Gathering: An Introduction
Sharon G. Mijares, Costa Rica/usa
Chapter 2
Rising Phoenix: Weaving Peace
Sharmin Ahmad, Bangladesh/usa
Chapter 3
Women Building Peace Against All Odds
Leymah Gbowee, Ghana/Liberia
Chapter 4
Empowering Women and Girls—Empower Nurses: Discovering Florence Nightingale's Legacy of Global Citizenship
Deva Marie Beck, Canada
Chapter 5
Protecting Mother Earth: The African Women's Sanctuary—Stories of Support, Struggle and Success
Despina Namwembe, Uganda
Chapter 6
Women's Movements and the Democratic Transition Process in Brazil: Effectiveness of Rights and Judicial Politics
Rosane M. Reis Lavigne, Brazil
Chapter 7
This Precious Human Life: How to Turn an Ordinary Life into an Extraordinary Adventure
Anahata Iradah, usa/India/Nepal/Brazil
Chapter 8
Advocating Women's Rights in Palestine
Hana Kirreh, Palestine
Chapter 9
A Serving Nation: Gathering People Who Serve to Create a World that Works for All
Elly Pradervand, Switzerland
Chapter 10
Tibetan Women: Devotedly Defiant
Tenzin Dhardon Sharling, Tibet
Chapter 11
Women and Wisdom: Culture in India
Renuka Singh, India
Chapter 12
Feminine Democratization of the Society
Parvin Ardalan, Iran
Chapter 13
Changing the World from the Kitchen: Tubu-Tubu Peace Food
Yumiko Otani, Japan
Chapter 14
The Female Social Enzyme: The Italian Case
Paola Conti, Italy
Chapter 15
The Long and Winding Road to Reproductive Rights in Mexico
Maria Luisa Sanchez-Fuentes, Mexico
Chapter 16
Obedient, Beautiful and Silent
Gal Harmat, Israel
Chapter 17
Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue: Supporting the Human Rights of Women and Children
Annie Imbens-Fransen, Netherlands
Chapter 18
The Strength of Our Nations Lies in the Hearts of Our Native Women
Susan Masten, Yurok Nation
Chapter 19
Costa Rica: A Nation without a Military Presence
Ana Marcela Garcia Chavez, Costa Rica
Chapter 20
Conscious Mothering: New Routes of Transformation
Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova, Russia
Chapter 21
Women Politicians in One of the World's Most Equal Countries
Magdalena Andersson, Sweden
Chapter 22
And God Created Circles
Rufaida al Habash, Syria
Chapter 23
China: Balancing Gender, Art and Global Feminism Project
Sharon Mijares, usa/Costa Rica
Chapter 24
Breaking the Power of Patriarchy: Finding a Voice for Ugandan Women
Joy Kemirembe, Uganda
Chapter 25
One Woman's Experience in a Changing World: Physical Challenges Do Not Prevent Us from Acting for the Betterment of the World
Diana Rhodes, United Kingdom
Chapter 26
Voices from Venezuela: Women's Paths to Recovering Power
Aura Sofia Diaz and Cecilia Vicentini, Venezuela
Chapter 27
From Devotion to Action: The Sufi Women's Organization
Nahid Angha, usa
Chapter 28
A Dawn of a New Era
Aliaa Rafea, Egypt
Chapter 29
We Honor Her Beauty, Now It's Time to Embody Her Power
Sharon Mijares, usa
Chapter 30
Conclusions: Envisioning a Balanced World
Aliaa Rafea, Egypt and Nahid Angha, usa
Contributor Notes


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Migraine Relief Success Stories!*
"Having suffered from various types of headaches for most of my life, I visited the VAPWC as soon as they began offering the MiRx Protocol for headache relief. After 4 treatments, I noticed a significant reduction in the number and severity of my headaches. After 8 treatments (the full protocol), I am headache free. Only time will tell, but so far the Protocol has been extremely effective. Everyone at VAPWC is professional, courteous and provides great service."
– Todd L., Ashburn VA
The Virginia Pain & Wellness Center is proud to be one of the few providers in the country of the MiRx Protocol, a revolutionary new painless and FDA approved treatment for Migraines (with or without aura) and other head pain caused by Cluster Headaches, Tension Headaches, Atypical Face Pain or Trigeminal Neuralgia.
The MiRx procedure is virtually painless AND is covered by most PPO insurances (call our office at 571-926-8918 and we can get your insurance benefits verified, free of charge). It involves a series of medical procedures that are integrated with a physical rehab plan over four to six weeks. The medical procedures are used to repair any chemical imbalances which lead to head pain and migraines while the physical rehab portion addresses any postural and biomechanical dysfunction which can lead to muscle tension and neck pain. Overall, this revolutionary head pain treatment is fast with minimal discomfort and provides swift relief.
The MiRx Protocol is made up of two parts:
- Medical Component: Our medical doctor administers a nasal spray over several visits which stops the reaction of the nervous system and alleviates the headache pain.
- Physical Component: We then treat and rehabilitate your underlying condition causing the migraines with physical rehabilitation.
These two steps have been proven in clinical studies to effectively eliminate the conditions causing headache or face pain, and work together to provide long-term headache relief.
How to Get Migraine Relief:
Call us or contact us at right to schedule an appointment. Our headache specialist medical doctor will evaluate you for the MiRx Protocol and may even be able to begin treatment on your first visit.
|Want to learn more about the MiRx protocol and speak to others who suffer from migraines? Come share strategies and learn how to relieve the pain of migraines. Join our Migraine Relief Meetup group. We'll see you at the next event!
How the MiRx Protocol Works:
Dr. Dal explains the MiRx Protocol:
The medical component of the MiRx protocol uses clinical testing to make sure you qualify for the treatment. The data collected also helps identify obvious triggers of the headaches. Most patients qualify for the procedure and are treated during the first visit. After the initial exam and free consultation, the MiRx doctor will prepare you for the procedure to quickly alleviates your headache. The procedure targets a nerve cluster with in the nasal cavity called the sphenopalatine ganglion. By using a specialized FDA cleared nasal applicator to deliver medication directly to this nerve cluster headache pain is nearly eliminated instantaneously. Many patients go from a pain rating of 8 to a pain rating of 2 in seconds. (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11))
The physical component of the MiRx Protocol will evaluate the diagnostic test results, and your feedback to find biomechanical imbalances, or other physiological conditions to be addressed for long-term headache pain relief. These are commonly refered to as triggers. This could include but not limited to, physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, corrective ergonomic recommendations, cranial therapy, diet modifications, and stress management therapy.
Headache relief will only be long term if the patient follows the entire protocol. Clinical tests recommend a 4 – 6 week treatment schedule for the MiRx Protocol. Some patients can sustain long-term headache relief after just 1 treatment; however the chance of a re-occurring headache or face pain episodes is much greater if the physical component is ignored. For those that have experienced chronic migraines or headaches for years may require additional treatments.
Learn More About The MiRx Protocol:
People who suffer from headaches and migraines will spend more than $4 billion dollars annually by using over-the-counter (OTC) medications that only temporarily dull the pain their headaches and migraines cause. Anyone who suffers from severe headaches and migraines understands the frustration with these OTC solutions. The relief is only short and the OTC pain medication does nothing to prevent the next impending headache or migraine.
That's what makes the MiRx Protocol so exciting. It's a whole new approach with a goal of providing fast, safe, long term migraine relief.
Scientists have discovered that migraines, headaches, and facial pain are controlled by a nerve cluster called the Sphenopalantine Ganglion (SPG) located in a difficult to reach area of the nasal cavity. The biggest challenge in treating headaches and migraines has been getting the medication or an anesthetic agent directly to the SPG to provide immediate relief without using painful or invasive treatment. MiRx overcomes this challenge by providing a nasal spray that is accurately applied to the SPG without pain or discomfort.
It all starts with an inventive applicator that provides a simple nasal spray. Unlike other nasal spray applications, the revolutionary Tx360® nasal applicator has a soft, flexible extension that directs the anesthetic agent to be sprayed directly onto the Sphenopalatine Ganglion nerve cluster.
The result is instantaneous headache relief. The treatment takes less than a minute and most patients report a decrease in pain within a few seconds.
Unlike OTC painkillers and prescription medications, MiRx Protocol doesn't have potentially dangerous side effects or complications. As a total headache treatment plan, MiRx Protocol has been clinically proven to provide long-term relief of headaches and migraines. While some patients can experience lasting migraine relief after just one treatment, those who have experienced chronic migraines and headaches for years may require multiple treatments to experience the maximum benefit.
Learn More About Our Medical Center
See the Picture Gallery + Tour of our Medical Practice
There is relief! Virginia Pain & Wellness invites you to open the door to total health and wellness. Schedule your appointment today!
* The testimonials presented on this site apply only to the persons leaving the testimonials. The individuals' results cannot be guaranteed and should not be considered typical. Individual results may vary. Testimonials may not reflect the typical patient's experience, and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.


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Roberto Mancini dismisses Manuel Pellegrini's role in City's success
'The players that score the goals are players that I bought – Sergio Agüero, Edin Dzeko, Yaya Touré, David Silva and Samir Nasri'
Former Man City manager Roberto Mancini. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA Wire
Roberto Mancini has claimed Manchester City's stellar campaign is down to the team he "built" when manager. The Italian also dismissed the role of his successor Manuel Pellegrini, stating he had done precisely the same three years ago.
Mancini was sacked towards the end of last season and under Pellegrini City are the only side who can win an unprecedented quadruple, with the Blues having already reached the Capital One Cup final.
Yet Mancini is adamant that this success is because of him. "I'm happy that Manchester City is one of the best teams in England because I built this team. I think Pellegrini is doing a good job but what is happening now at Manchester City, we did three years ago. It's the same.
"The players that score the goals are players that I bought – Sergio Agüero, Edin Dzeko, Yaya Touré, David Silva and Samir Nasri, " he told BBC World Service. "I'm very happy about what I did in Manchester, I love the Manchester City supporters and I had a fantastic experience.
"After four or five years, maybe the manager needs to change the team. I did my job, I built a fantastic team, we played fantastic football and we didn't win last year only because Manchester United bought Robin van Persie. He was the difference, if not I think that would have changed the history in Manchester over the last three years. We played really good football and now they are continuing to do this."
Guardian Service


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Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a well-described and empirically validated treatment for depression. Though its efficacy is unassailable, it is ofte delivered with low fidelity in the community, decreasing its effectiveness. This in turn diminishes the response and recovery rates of patients treated in the community. This proposal is submitted in response to NIMH RFA-MH-12-505, """"""""Optimizing Fidelity of Empirically- Supported Behavioral Treatments (ESBT) for Mental Disorders."""""""" This RFA specifically requests that proposals develop and test: 1) methods for assessing theory-derived ESBT fidelity components;and 2) interventions that enhance and maintain the fidelity with which clinicians implement ESBT's in community settings. In response, we propose to conduct a two-phase study involving IPT. Phase I will be a two year project to develop and validate a fidelity instrument to measure the adherence and quality of the delivery of IPT. Specific steps include a review of all available psychotherapy adherence instruments and review of IPT videotapes with qualitative feedback by IPT and other psychotherapy experts, with subsequent development of a prototype measure of IPT fidelity. This measure will then be pilot tested using archived samples of IPT from outcome studies, allowing us to correlate adherence to specific IPT tactics and techniques to symptomatic and diagnostic outcome. We will develop a final IPT adherence measure which will be used by IPT experts to rate a representative sample of IPT therapy sessions. We will also use the instrument to rate cognitive and psychodynamic therapy sessions as a means of establishing discriminant validity. Phase II will be a three year project in which the fidelity measure will be used to evaluate 4 different methods of IPT training in the community, with the goal of establishing the feasibility of training methods that foster fidelity to IPT and optimize patient outcomes. These methods include a traditional instructor- led didactic training followed by either: 1) individual case supervision;2) community-based consultation;3) internet-based training;or 4) an """"""""autodidactic"""""""" control condition. The IPT training will occur in community mental health agencies serving a diverse and low-income population in Los Angeles and other California communities, all of which have a close liaison relationship with the PI. In sum, our goals are to develop and test a measure of the fidelity of IPT treatment delivery which: 1) has content validity;2) has a high degree of predictive and discriminative validity;3) is reliable;4 is comprehensive;5) reflects the stages of IPT;and 6) is feasible for use in the community.
The proposed study will provide critical information about the fidelity of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and its use in the community. The IPT fidelity instrument to be developed and tested will include input from both IPT and non-IPT psychotherapy experts, and will be tested with community clinicians. The instrument and data developed will assist in increasing the effectiveness of IPT for patients receiving community-based treatment for depression.
|Noyes Jr, Russell; Kukoyi, Oladipo A; Longley, Susan L et al. (2011) Effects of continuity of care and patient dispositional factors on the physician-patient relationship. Ann Clin Psychiatry 23:180-5


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Click here to print the obituary below
In Memory of
Wytonia Barber
November 1, 1923 - December 11, 2010
Wytonia "Billie" Stanford Barber, age 87, passed away Friday December 10, 2010 at Athens Limestone Hospital in Athens, Alabama.
Visitation will be Sunday December 12, 2010 from 2 until 4 p.m. at Carr & Erwin Funeral Home. Funeral will be 11 a.m. Monday December 13, 2010 at Carr & Erwin Chapel with interment in Maplewood Cemetery.
Survivors include her daughter Carol Clem and husband Ashley of Athens, two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.


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Antioxidants will reverse your wrinkles. This is a common misconception.
Antioxidants can help prevent wrinkles by soaking up harmful free radicals that damage your collagen.
Wrinkles result when collagen is damaged by ultraviolet radiation. Antioxidants, regardless of how potent they are, cannot alter existing collagen that is damaged. Antioxidants therefore do not treat existing wrinkles.
In terms of topical creams, only products that can cause growth of new collagen such as tretinoin (like Renova®, Retin-A®, and Tazorac®) can treat existing wrinkles.
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text: On Sun, 22 Jul 2001, Arto Huusko wrote: > I can't access ftp.netbsd.org at all: this is what I get: I can get to it with "ftp" or "ssh", both through the 6bone and not, though "ftp ftp4.netbsd.org" connected a little faster. The load average on the machine is ~61 right now, though, as it's running some Sunday morning cron jobs. I suggest you try a mirror, or wait a bit and try again later. Frederick


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MIAMI -- The CONCACAF Champions League tournament regulations as approved by the Executive Committee stipulate in section 2.2.1 that there cannot be two teams from the same country in the same group during group stage. In addition the regulations mandate that teams from Mexico and USA cannot be paired in the same group.
The first stage of the Monday night draw produced two such conflicts, with Club Tijuana and Houston Dynamo matched in Group 5, and Cruz Azul and LA Galaxy paired in Group 8. The result therefore necessitated a second round of the draw, duly executed by CONCACAF General Secretary Enrique Sanz, which re-seeded the groups in question, complying with the applicable regulations.
Section 2.2.1
2.2.1 Phase 1 Group Stage
Twenty-four teams will participate in the Group Stage.
1. Teams will be placed or drawn into eight Groups consisting of three teams.
2. The draw will be conducted in such a way as to ensure that two or more teams from the same association will not play in the same Group and the four USA and four Mexican Teams will be drawn into separate Groups.
3. In the event any "wildcard" teams enter the event, such teams may be drawn to play against teams from their own country.
4. Wildcard teams are any teams entered into the event, at the sole discretion of the CONCACAF Executive Committee as a replacement for another team, above and beyond those teams ordinarily qualified to enter the event as defined in Appendix A.
5. Teams will play each opponent in their Group twice; once at home and once away.
Champions League