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Free delivery on all orders over £200
Amedei of Tuscany, Italy, was founded in 1990 and today is considered to produce some of the best bean to bar chocolate in the world. The Amedei Porcelana chocolate is often described as the Champagne of chocolate and its limited supply and numbered packaging has certainly given rise to fame. In their quest for superior chocolate, Amedei buys high quality, fine flavour cocoa beans direct from only the finest cocoa plantations. The result of Amedei's passion for optimum quality is a unique chocolate, bursting with flavour and a noticeably extra smooth texture. Read more about our interesting visit to Amedei
Amedei, Acero 95% dark chocolate bar
Toscano Black, 90% dark chocolate bar
Amedei Blanco de Criollo chocolate bar
Amedei Gianduja, milk chocolate bar
Toscano brown, milk chocolate bar
Amedei Porcelana, 70% dark chocolate bar
Porcelana, 70% dark chocolate neapolitans
Amedei Chuao, 70% dark chocolate neapolitans
Amedei Chuao, 70% dark chocolate bar
Amedei No.9, 75% dark chocolate bar
Toscano Bianco, white chocolate bar
Toscano Black, 70% dark chocolate bar
Toscano Black, 63% dark chocolate bar
Crema Toscana, gianduja chocolate spread
Amedei Venezuela, 70% dark chocolate bar
Amedei Crema Toscana, dark chocolate spread
More on Amedei
Sitting proud on the Tuscan landscape, just outside Pisa, is where you will find Amedei, a small and perfectly formed artisan, bean to bar chocolate maker with a rather big name, not just in Italian chocolate but the world over. We have had the pleasure of visiting Amedei and its two founders, brother and sister Alessio and Cecilia Tesserio, who gladly spent an afternoon discussing with us just how passionate about chocolate they really are.
Amedei putting Italian chocolate on the map
We have got to know Amedei very well since we first included their outstanding chocolates into our collection. It has been refreshing to experience first hand a true desire for perfection, which sadly isn't all too common in the world of chocolate, particularly in the UK. However we, at Chocolate Trading Company, certainly enjoy searching for and are proud to share with you the finest of chocolates from around the world, real chocolate. Amedei certainly is the pinnacle of fine chocolate. Amedei, particularly in the last year, have become known around the world for their chocolate, in particular their Porcelana chocolate. One of the many reasons for their high acclaim is a strong and honest desire to create the best chocolate at whatever cost and above all else, a commitment to the precious most susceptible cocoa species and the unsung farmers right at the roots of the cocoa plantations. Amedei is largely responsible for entering Italian chocolate on the map and sitting firmly side by side with French chocolate as the best in the world.
Quality over quantity
Amedei is important to us all in many ways, it is creating a chocolate that not only surpasses many of the larger chocolate companies around the world, giving us a chance to experience chocolate in its finest form, but it is doing so with a conscience. Amedei strives to use fairly traded cocoa, it closely monitors how this cocoa is produced and clearly has an intention of protecting the rarer cocoas and assisting with their continued growth. Alessio and his agronomists, combined with various agricultural agencies and experts in cocoa, have worked hard to ensure supply and supervision of the most valuable plantations and support their production. Amedei is not interested in the mass produced cocoa, such as Forastero, which is often used to replace the higher quality but lower yielding cocoa varieties in favour of increased profits. This invasion of low grade cocoa, and even more profitable crops such as bananas and oranges is an ongoing threat to the worlds finest cocoas, as cocoa farming isn't the most profitable of incomes for many farmers it continues to be a growing concern. To attain the finest cocoas for Amedei's chocolates, such as the revered Chuao, Alessio originally paid up to three times the current price given to the farmers from existing merchants and even assumed the farmers debts. His belief to attain the best cocoa was worth the great effort and cost, with constant supervision of how the cocoa is farmed.
The precious cocoa
With a growing awareness of how important and precious such fine cocoas really are and the requirement for them increased by the likes of Amedei, maybe the trend for quantity over quality can be reversed, or at least halted. For many years cocoa varieties have been crossed to increase their yield and greater resistance to disease, sometimes with devastating effects. In recent years germplasm banks have been created to preserve the true historic strains and research undertaken into new cocoas from findings of a few isolated and forgotten plants. Commercially this is becoming increasingly viable - as long as the requirement is there. It seems ironic that it was these very fine cocoas that the Spanish originally discovered and brought to the rest of the world with such excitement. Wouldn't it be a great shame if all was lost simply due to commercial gain and that all we were left with is a shadow of what used to be.
Amedei's prized chocolates
Amedei's most prized chocolate comes in the forms of the Single origin, and to be precise, single variety, Porcelana bar and Porcelana neopolitans and as the name suggests is created solely from the very rare and valuable Porcelana cocoa bean, the purest form of the Criollo cocoa bean (Criollo meaning "native"). This particular cocoa bean is revered around the world for its superior taste and with such short supply, a mere 3,000 kilos a year, Amedei only produces 20,000 Porcelana chocolate bars, each numbered by hand. Amedei has conducted in-depth agronomic research and genetic testing on the Porcelana cocoa and today it buys up a substantial quantity of all that is grown, paying up to eight times more for Porcelana than the lower grade Forastero cocoa, the most widely grown and used cocoa in the world. The next prized Single origin chocolate from Amedei, again comes in the forms of the Chuao bar and Chuao neopolitans,created solely from the world famous Chuao cocoa bean which has an exceptional fruity flavour and unique character. This particular cocoa bean legend is named after the plantation it is grown on Venezuela's coast. Therefore technically these chocolates can be more accurately referred to as Single Estate. Up until a few years ago, the Chuao cocoa was the exclusive domain of the great French chocolate makers. Now Amedei has managed to break this long-standing tradition and is today the sole producer in the world at this time creating chocolate using this precious cocoa bean.
The Amedei blends
The Amedei range of blended chocolate bars are created from the two favoured cocoa beans amongst the premium chocolate makers, from the three main cocoa types, the Trinitario and Criollo. Amedei's Toscano Black 70% bar Cecilia (master chocolate maker at Amedei) describes as "all the flavour that chocolate is capable of giving" and is, as we found, her own personal favourite amongst the finely blended dark Toscano Black 66% bar and Toscano Black 63% bar chocolate bars created by Amedei. We sampled the range of blends comparatively and discussed their unique characteristics. The 70% we agreed is the most powerful and full flavoured of the blends, it provides a wonderful rounded taste that fills the mouth with cocoa, with not too much acidic fruitiness and not at all drying on the finish. The 66% and 63% blends are quite different in that they have an increased fragrance with the 63% providing the fruitier flavours and the 66% with a unique balsamic quality. Even though the cocoa percentages of the blends are very similar it is very apparent the differences noted in each chocolate when tasted comparatively and considered. And that's exactly how chocolate should be eaten, like all fine foods and wines, it must be savoured and enjoyed and not just consumed as a fast snack. Chocolate Trading Company's aim is to provide people with that opportunity to experience and enjoy the finest chocolates available, and to prove that there is much more to real chocolate than we were brought up to believe perhaps. It's certainly our passion anyway and one that we hope you also enjoy and share.
We then moved on to the Crus or single origin neopolitans which, with their gradient of colours, look nearly as impressive as they taste. With water between each tasting to cleanse the palette of course we continued to treat our taste buds to an oral chocolate trip around the world. Firstly, we sampled the Toscano Brown Milk Chocolate again as this is the best way to begin a tasting as milk chocolate prepares the mouth. Amedei's milk chocolate it has to be said is definitely one of the most flavoursome of milk chocolates we have experienced. And that's a lot! The full-bodied tastes of caramel and fudge fill the mouth with the creamiest of finishes, with added notes of malt and honey. This is how milk chocolate should taste. Not a sugar filled explosion with a cloying texture with no or little taste of the actual cocoa. Once prepared, and collectively purring with delight, we began with the more delicate and lighter Crus such as the Venezuela and finished with the more intense and robust, such as Ecuador. Cecilia explained the work involved in understanding each Cru and her aim to enhance their individual complexities and extract the most potential from the raw cocoa:


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Maritime Employers Insurance
Your Business Never Sleeps, Protect it Every Step of the Way
A.J. Gambardella Associates, LLC provides insurance to maritime employers in Shelton, Stratford, Milford, Bridgeport, Fairfield, , and surrounding areas.
Employees working on or near U.S. waters (i.e. on a vessel or unloading cargo at the docks) are required to be covered by their employers. A.J. Gambardella Associates, LLC aims to provide maritime employers with quality insurance packages to offer their employees.
We offer the following coverage options to maritime employers:
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subset: commoncrawl


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Digital Subscriber DownloadsYour personal Sub-Code can be found on the my account information page, below your telephone number. Please have your personal sub-code, log-in email, and password available to activate and download your digital issue.
This above instructions describe how to active and download a new digital issue for the first time. Optionally if you want to download the same issue to a different device, login to our store and click "My Account" and view your last order. You will then see up to three remaining downloads which you can save to your other reader devices. These are available for 370 days after activation. For help on this process see our FAQ "Downloading from My Account." |


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Camo Neoprene Cover.
Lenscoat part number LCG1548DC
Brand New.
These digital damo LegCoat Tripod Leg Protectors from LensCoat are compatible with Gitzo 1548 tripods. This 3-pack of LegCoat Protectors is made from closed-cell neoprene and heavy-duty padding to protect your tripod's legs from the elements, bumps and scratches. The material is also designed to be comfortable against your shoulders during transport. Additionally, LegCoats camouflage the tripod's legs when you're shooting outdoors. Open or close LegCoats with their touch fastener. Another advantage of LegCoats is that they will make your tripod easier to handle when working outside in temperature extremes. LegCoats are made in the USA and backed by LensCoat's 30-day warranty against defects.


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Renault KIGER is a sporty sub-4 meter SUV. Its energetic & masculine design makes it stand out with a fresh and bold design approach, Renault KIGER's exterior design brings out a strong attitude and expresses an athletic character.
The finance calculator is a form of loan simulator and is NOT AN OFFER by Kelston Motor Group, its management, employees, representatives, agents or affiliates of any kind. It is provided to you for information and convenience purposes only and does not constitute financial advice in any form or manner. It is a guide only, which is based on certain assumptions and approximations, and we do not guarantee the accuracy of any information thereof. Kelston Motor Group, its management, employees, representatives, agents or affiliates DO NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for any errors or omissions whatsoever in relation to the finance calculator, and DO NOT ACCEPT LIABILITY for any loss, damage, inconvenience experienced or otherwise, caused in respect of any reliance on the finance calculator or information on this website. The finance calculator will not pre-qualify you for any loan programs whatsoever.
Actual instalments on loans obtained with financial institutions will vary depending on: the current prime interest rate; the financial institution's variables; the type, condition and age of the vehicle; your credit rating with the financial institution concerned; the respective initiation fees; and the time period between the effective date of the loan and the first instalment payable. Please note that you should seek appropriate financial advice before concluding any loan agreements.


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The Online Community for Culver City – The New Scene
Time: October 29, 2016 at 8pm to December 11, 2016 at 3pm
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Here are our hand-selected favorites from eBay for this week, plus heads-up on recommended sales. If you're a member of the Inside Track, log in with your CrateJoy username and password.
If you're not a member, you can join now for just $5 a month. You'll get access to one of these members-only lists every week, and your membership supports Put This On!


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Spoilers for the series finale of 30 Rock below:
If you had asked me to describe 30 Rock back when it debuted in 2006–or really, most any time between then and now–the first phrase that came to mind would not have been "love story." But the series' sharp, nostalgic, funny and heartfelt finale made it clear that that's exactly what it was.
It was not, most of the time, a romantic love story. That was part of it, especially as Liz Lemon found just the right oddball match for herself in Criss these final two seasons. One of the things that made this show distinctive was that it made finding love a goal in a female protagonist's life without making it the goal. Instead, what nerdy, workaholic, Top Chef-obsessed Liz demonstrated was that there was room in her life for all kinds of love: for herself, for work, for coworkers, for friends.
The most obvious example was Liz and Jack's sendoff scene, as fine a declaration of platonic love as a sitcom has ever done. Jack leads into it with a long etymology of the verb, which is partly just the way his character would sidle up gingerly to any discussion of love, but also makes a real point.
30 Rock has admirably been no-nonsense about saying there is no will-they-won't-they with Liz and Jack. But that doesn't mean there's no love. Indeed, their work-love–more unlikely than most odd-couple romantic pairings–has always been one of the most important parts of the show: a love that's about respect, mutual concern and high regard. Jack made low-key, complacent Liz realize that she was ambitious and talented; Liz made Jack realize that there were kinds of happiness that extend beyond share prices and clear dishwashers (though the latter are very important). That's not always comfortable–hence their final fight–but that's what friendship-love does.
Above all, the finale gushed sincere but pitch-perfect love for its characters. Over the years I've sometimes criticized 30 Rock for really only giving depth to Liz and Jack, while the rest of the ensemble gets drawn flatter and more cartoony. I can say now I was kinda wrong, or at least not taking the show on its own terms. Even its wackiest characters expressed things that were true and human: Jenna, a running comment on a woman hitting middle age in a business built for Ceries; Tracy, commenting on the enabling culture of fame; even hilariously, creepily sad Pete, whose ending arc about planning his own death was a bizarre and perfect sendoff. Criss, meanwhile, got a final story that extended the show's real-world feminism to men; it's still a rare sitcom that will show a guy who wants to stay home with his kids and not make him ridiculous for it.
As long as I'm confessing, I also hereby retract any criticism I made early on about Tina Fey's limitations as a comic actress. (Or she's grown in the role. Yeah. Maybe I should stick with that story! Remember to delete this parenthetical in the final draft.) From her scene at the dock with Jack to her negotiations with Kenneth to her slapstick in the lunchroom–"Oh, God, cover the food!"–she showed that a onetime writer mastered the physical comedy and verbal jumprope required by the very demanding show she created.
In some ways, last week's episode felt more like a finale, in that it put a period on several stories: Liz got her kids, TGS hit the end of its run, Jack got Kabletown and Kenneth became president of NBC. The last hour, on the other hand, was a goodbye–in a 30 Rockian meta sense, it was like the "one more episode" that TGS itself had to make, because we weren't quite ready to stop. ("Because the human heart is not properly connected to the human brain, I love you, and I'm going to miss you.")
And I'm glad we got that epilogue, because as neatly as the rest of this shortened final season wrapped up 30 Rock's plotlines, this last hour captured its emotion. The final scene–recalling the snowglobe ending of the NBC classic St. Elsewhere while flashing into the far-future–was suffused with love, for the characters we'd just seen, for the potential of TV, for the future Liz Lemons who now have more possibilities open to them. Jenna's last performance was unintelligible and loud and clear: these were, indeed, the best days of our flurm.
Yeah, there are a lot of things I would not have predicted had you asked me about 30 Rock in 2006. I would not have predicted, much as I liked the show back then, that it would last seven seasons. That the last half-hour would be a showcase… for Lutz. ("I'm five steps ahead of you, you sons of bitches!") And that the finale would make me cry.
Good God, Lemon. And goodbye.
Blah, blah, blah, get to the funny stuff! Like any episode of 30 Rock, this one begs to be broken down into hilarious quotes and random observations, so I give you one last hail of bullets:
* I'm not sure how many people out there recognized it–and you didn't need to to get the joke–but GothamMoms.com was a dead-on parody of the flame wars on urban-oriented parenting message boards like UrbanBaby and YouBeMom. I'm sure someone on those boards, at some point, will argue that Fey insulted parents with nannies by presenting a choice where either Mom or Dad had to quit work and stay at home. Take that, Double Hitler!
* "He has a degree in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan, so–he's a receptionist at a dentist's office."
* I can't imagine I caught half the references to past 30 Rocks here–"Rural Juror," Kathy Geiss, Mickey Rourke, Liz's relationship with Conan ("We were going to lose our virginity together!"). But I especially loved the return of the too-many-farts-in-this-machine sketch, dubbed into Greek. ("Farting like a Turk!")
* Herewith, Kenneth's (partial) list of TV No-No Words: "Conflict, urban, woman, divorce, shows about shows, writer, Justin Bartha, dramedy, New York, Politics, high concept, complex, niche, quality, edgy, blog, immortal characters, foreign…"
* "I'm going to crush this problem–with my ASS." I am not too proud to laugh.
* "R as in the pirate noise, A as in the Fonzie noise…"
* "I pissed off my enemies: Pelosi, Maddow, Baldwin…"
* "I'll be the one wearing a purple sweater and wrapping a baby swing around some skank's neck."
* "Like the snakes in my dressing room, I release you." Awwww. I lizzed and I cried.
* "NBC. The same company that suggests we get 'flush buddies' to save water."
* "The night is young. Ad neither are you."
* Sue LaRoche-Van der Hout, pregnant in a Hooters shirt.
* "For your information, most of Tan Penis Island was destroyed in Sting's house fire."
* Did Al Roker actually make a sharts joke? Also The Weather Channel's naming system could totally use a Snowicane White Lady Name Like Dorva or Something.
* "Sounds like someone's got a case of the old kablooies!"
* "And when that sandwich slides out of you in a week…" I'm guessing this was not a paid product placement for Blimpie's?
* "I have to find my bliss, which for once is not an acronym for Beautiful Ladies In Short Shorts."
* One more meta-moment: 30 Rock is going off the air, just as its network has promised to make fewer "niche" comedies like it and more "broad" ones. Last we see Liz Lemon, she's producing Grizz and Herz. Coming to NBC in fall 2013?


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The residential real estate market has definitely been the shining light in this country's current economic situation. All-time low mortgage rates coupled with a new appreciation of what a home truly means has caused the housing market to push forward through this major health crisis. Let's look at two measures that explain the resilience of the real estate market.
Purchase Mortgages
The number of buyers getting a mortgage to purchase a home is a strong indicator of the strength of a housing market. Below is a graph of the week-over-week percent change in that number, as reported by the Mortgage Bankers' Association:The number dropped dramatically in March and mid-April when the economy was shut down in response to COVID. It increased substantially from later in April through the middle of June. The strong increase in May and June was the result of the pent-up demand from earlier in the spring along with the normal business that would have been done during that time.
Since July, the market has remained consistent on a weekly basis, but still reflects a double-digit increase from the levels one year ago. The August 12 report shows a whopping 22% increase over last year.
Pending Contracts
Like purchase mortgages, pending contracts are also a powerful indicator of the strength of the real estate market. Zillow reports each week on the percent change in the number of homes going into contract. Here's a graph of their data:The graph mirrors the one above, showing a drop in early spring followed by a strong recovery in late spring and early summer. Then, in July, it settles into a consistent level of deals. That level, like the one for purchase mortgages, is well ahead of the level seen last year. The last report revealed that pending deals were 16.9% greater than the same time last year.
Bottom Line
Both indicators prove the housing market recovered quickly from the early setback caused by the shelter-in-home orders. They also show that Americans have realized the importance of their homes during this time and are buying more houses than they did prior to the pandemic.


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Refinancing a home mortgage can be a big decision for many homeowners. Your situation and needs change over time so why shouldn't your mortgage? Now might be the right time for you to refinance into a lower rate mortgage. You should take the time to consider the following questions to see if refinancing makes sense for you.
Refinancing is an easy way to solve many of your mortgage worries. Getting a lower monthly rate and paying less over the life of your loan just makes sense. At Affiliated Mortgage Lending we're ready to find the right refinancing solution for you. Our staff of refinance experts will help you evaluate your mortgage needs and draft a refinancing plan that will save you money.
Be sure to check out our mortgage refinance center to get the information you need so you can make a sound decision for you and your family.


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"Title" by Game Developer
Welcome to the 5th Casual Gameplay Design Competition!
We are doing things a little differently this time:
All entries are available to play immediately.
Each entry is represented by an icon on the left.
Clicking an icon will reveal more information about the game. Click the "Play" button that appears to play it.
A section for comments will also appear, so please provide your wonderful feedback and constructive criticism to the game designers as the JIG community is known for.
The competition judging period is over. Results have been announced!
Thank you kindly for your support and for helping to make these competitions a success!
All entries and their icons have been randomized here and their order stored in a cookie so that you see the same order each time you visit. The order is randomized so that no entry receives more attention from its position in the list.


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How It Works
About Online Learning
How the Course Works
It is easy to participate in your online course. After you register, you will be given a web address to go to get into your online classroom. You will have a password and use your email address and password to gain access. Once inside the online classroom, here's what you can expect.
What You Will Do
For each Unit, you will:
- Read the print readings (about 20 pages a week)
- Have the option of accessing the online readings
- Listen to the audio presentation for the Unit and view the slides
- Have the option of taking a self-quiz to see how much you have learned
- Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants
For best learning, you should make one or more comments at 2-3 different times each week.
The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.
Participate When You Want
You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate.
For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different days of the week.
The Discussion for each Unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time of the day or night.
Your instructor will log into the Discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants.
We encourage you to make 2-3 comments each week to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.


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In particular, I liked slide 19, 20, and 31, all of which makes it clear that Google isn't losing its wide-eyed optimism.
Slide 31 says that Google's philosophy to new product development is "no constraints" and that they initially ignore "CPU power, storage, bandwidth, and monetization."
Slide 20 says (in the notes) that Google plans to "get all the worlds information, not just some."
And slide 19 (in the notes) talks about how their work is inspired by the idea of "a world with infinite storage, bandwidth, and CPU power." They say that "the experience should really be instantaneous". They say that they should be able to "house all user files, including: emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc)" which leads to a world where "the online copy of your data will become your Golden Copy and your local-machine copy serves more like a cache". And, they say that they want "transparent personalization" that uses user "data to transparently optimize the user's experience ... implicitly."
Google also recommits to a future with personalized search. They say in the notes on slide 12 that they will "introduce new personalization elements" and that they view that as one of two major directions for their efforts to improve relevance rank.
Some might be inclined to dismiss all this talk as the wild fantasies of engineers with too much caffeine, but I think Google does see their ability to build out their massive cluster as one of their primary competitive advantages. I think they do intend to continuing extending their computing infrastructure until everyone everywhere really does feel that they have near infinite CPU power and storage at their fingertips.
[link to presentation via Paul Kedrosky]
Update: It appears Google suddenly removed the PPT file. Ugh. Well, sorry, but, unless you moved quickly, looks like there's no way to see it anymore.
Update: Google just made a PDF version of the slides available.
Unfortunately, this new PDF version of the slides no longer has the notes attached to each slide, so you can't see some of what I was referring to in my comments above.
However, I did download the original PPT presentation. Though I didn't keep a copy, I recently discovered that my Google Desktop cache does contain a text-only copy of notes for slide 12 and most of slide 19. The cached copy ends in the middle of the notes for slide 19.
Here are the notes from slide 12 with the reference to using personalized search to improve relevance rank:
Lead in SearchAnd here are part of the notes from slide 19. Unfortunately, my cached copy ends right before the discussion of "transparent personalization" that I mentioned above:
As the market leader, we need to ensure search doesn't become a commodity. Our focus on search is nothing new. We built our brand on being the best search engine, with the best results, and as our competitors have caught up to us, it's become even more important for us to focus on:
1) Speed
Solve international speed issues and bring international users to US performance
2) Comprehensiveness and freshness
"All webpages included in the Google index and searched all the time" -- Teragoogle makes this possible
Expand to other sources of data
Become the leader in geo search (any search with a geographic component).
New forms of content -- video, audio, offline printed materials
3) Relevance
Leverage implicit and explicit user feedback to improve popular and nav queries
Introduce new personalization elements
4) User Interface
Experiment with several new UI features to make the user experience better
In a world with infinite storage, bandwidth, and CPU power, here's what we could do with consumer products --Update: Derrick made the full notes for slide 19 available in the comments to this post.
Theme 1: Speed
Seems simple, but should not be overlooked because impact is huge. Users don't realize how slow things are until they get something faster.
Users assume it takes time for a webpage to load, but the experience should really be instantaneous.
Gmail started to do this for webmail, but that's just a small first step. Infinite bandwidth will make this a reality for all applications.
Theme 2: Store 100% of User Data
With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including: emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc).
We already have efforts in this direction in terms of GDrive, GDS, Lighthouse, but all of them face bandwidth and storage constraints today. For example: Firefox team is working on server side stored state but they want to store only URLs rather than complete web pages for storage reasons. This theme will help us make the client less important (thin client, thick server model) which suits our strength vis-a-vis Microsoft and is also of great value to the user.
As we move toward the "Store 100%" reality, the online copy of your data will become your Golden Copy and your local-machine copy serves more like a cache. An important implication of this theme is that we can make your online copy more secure than it would be on your own machine.
Another important implication of this theme is that storing 100% of a user's data makes each piece of data more valuable because it can be access across applications. For example: a user's Orkut profile has more value when it's accessible from Gmail (as addressbook), Lighthouse (as access lis... [...TRUNCATED...]
Update: The full story about why the PPT version of these slides disappeared is now clear.
When I first posted a few excerpts from the notes to the slides, I had assumed that the notes were intended for the speakers of the presentation. I was annoyed and even a bit angry when the PPT was pulled, not fully comprehending why Google wouldn't want to make the notes generally available.
It now appears that many of the notes in the slides were cut-and-pasted from other presentations, never intended for Google Analyst Day. As mb points out in the comments to this post, the notes for slide 10 contain an odd reference to CBS, something I didn't notice when I originally was reviewing the slide deck.
Even worse, the notes to slide 14 contain revenue projections for next year, also something I didn't notice previously. Because Google published these projections to their website, even briefly, they were forced to file a 8-K with the SEC. In that filing, they say that the notes were "not speaker notes prepared for the Analyst Day presentation."
All very unfortunate.
Google's mission may be "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible," but some information is not intended to be accessed by all.
Update: After waiting for the press storm to fade, Paul Kedrosky posts the original PPT file with the troublesome notes included.
Update: Nearly two years later, the WSJ reports that "a service that would let users store on its computers essentially all of the files they might keep ... could be released as early as a few months from now."


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Bifocal contact lenses are a type of contact lens that combine two different prescriptions in the same lens. One component corrects nearsightedness and the other prescription addresses farsightedness or farsightedness. Several types of bifocal contacts are available; your eye care provider can help you determine which option is best for you.
What Types of Bifocal Contacts Are Available?
- The reading power is in the center of the lens, and the distance (far vision) is on the outside. Or, the distance could be in the middle with the reading on the outside.
- The distance is on the top, and the reading power is on the bottom, similar to bifocal eyeglasses. These contact lenses are weighted at the bottom to keep the reading power on the bottom.
- The reading and distance powers blend from the outside towards the center.
What Kind of Bifocal Contacts Should I Wear?
At your optometry clinic, you'll be able to explore your options fully. Generally, several factors influence the type of bifocal contacts that are right for you, including:
- Your age
- Your eyeglass prescription
- The type of work you do
- How you use your eyes, such as looking straight ahead or looking down when you read
- Typical lighting conditions when you read
- Your eye shape
- Your pupil size
What Should I Expect During the Adjustment Period?
Some people adjust quickly while others need some time. You might notice that images jump when you switch between close-up and distance vision, or you might see a ghost image when you read. You might see a halo around lights, or your vision might change when the lens moves on your eyeball. If you experience any of these quirks, talk with your eye care provider. Sometimes, these effects are part of adapting to your new corrective lenses and will go away with time. However, in some cases, you might need to try a different type of lens.
If you're having trouble seeing clearly both up-close and at far distances then bifocal contact lenses offer a convenient alternative to bifocal eyeglasses. It may take longer to adjust to bifocal contacts than to glasses, but many find that it's a worthwhile investment.


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Cassiope mertensiana; Western Moss Heather
Copyright © 2012 Gary A. Monroe
Using this photo The thumbnail photo (128x192 pixels) on this page may be freely used for personal or academic purposes without prior permission under the Fair Use provisions of US copyright law as long as the photo is clearly credited with © 2012 Gary A. Monroe. For other uses, or if you have questions, contact Gary Monroe g.monroe[AT]att.net. (Replace the [AT] with the @ symbol before sending an email.)


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Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. One way we can try to measure the level of fear in a given stock is through a technical analysis indicator called the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which measures momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30.
In trading on Wednesday, shares of Cavium Inc (NASD: CAVM) entered into oversold territory, hitting an RSI reading of 28.2, after changing hands as low as $64.395 per share. By comparison, the current RSI reading of the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is 37.5. A bullish investor could look at CAVM's 28.2 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. The chart below shows the one year performance of CAVM shares:
Looking at the chart above, CAVM's low point in its 52 week range is $38.73 per share, with $77.42 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $64.43. Find out what 9 other oversold stocks you need to know about »
According to the ETF Finder at ETFChannel.com, CAVM makes up 2.25% of the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (AMEX: XSD) which is trading lower by about 2.5% on the day Wednesday.
Can your brain be trained to become a chart-predicting wizard? Click here to find out


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Glendora Marijuana DUI Defense
Defense Lawyer For Driving under the influence of Marijuana Offense in Glendora
It is always advisable to contact an experienced and reliable impaired driving lawyer because of the severity of the harsh punishments that are handed out to Glendora DUI offenders charged with impaired driving.
Laws Concerning Driving under the influence of Marijuana DUI in Glendora, California
Under the California Laws, recreational use of marijuana is legal. However, according to the California Vehicle Code impaired driving is considered as a criminal offense that attracts severe punishments and consequences. The penalties for impaired driving are strict in Glendora and across California. The laws are quite clear and the punishments involved are high when it comes to driving under the influence of alcohol. However, for driving under the influence of marijuana in Glendora and California, things are a bit different. Although the law relating to drug impaired-driving is strict, the process is different and there is room for being safeguarded against the punishments involved.
Even though the recreational use of Marijuana has been legalized in California, driving under tits influence is still considered as a crime the under Vehicle Code 23152(f) VC. The law enforcement is likely to put in more energy and effort in order to enforce California's marijuana DUI laws, since "stoned driving" is expected to be even bigger a problem following the legalization of recreational marijuana.
It may be noted that in order for you to obtain protection against the penalties arising out of a drug-impaired driving charge, it is necessary that you hire a dependable Glendora DUI lawyer. We are a renowned DUI law firm in Glendora, California and we are experienced in defending our clients against drug-impaired driving charges.
Approved Testing for a Marijuana DUI in Glendora, California
In the case of impaired driving under the influence of alcohol, the police can ask you to undergo a breathalyzer test or a blood or urine test in order to determine your DUI blood alcohol level. However, for marijuana DUI, the process is different than the usual test. In such a case, the police officer will look for signs that would help them determine that the driver is under the influence of marijuana. Soon, the police may have a newly approved testing device specifically for detecting marijuana in drivers.
Do Not Hesitate To Contact Us If You Have Received A DUI Offense in Glendora
Types Of DUI Charges:
Consequences Of A DUI:
Common Signals That Justify Marijuana DUI in Glendora, California
The signs that may determine the influence of marijuana when a driver is flagged down include: driving too slow, driving erratically, slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, glassy eyes, impaired cognitive function, impaired motor skills, and the smell of marijuana in the vehicle.
How Glendora Police Will Determine if a Driver is Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis
The California Vehicle Code empowers the police officials to investigate possible marijuana DUI offenses. The police can seek permission to demand a suspected driver for completing a Standardized Field Sobriety Test that includes a physical conditioning test, which allows the officer to look for signs of impairment.
The Drug Driving Limit of Cannabis and Driving under the Influence of Cannabis in Glendora
Getting charged with a DUI offense in Glendora or California can be a devastating as well as life-altering experience. Apart from receiving severe penalties and punishments, including heavy fines and possible jail time, you may end up with a criminal record too. However, driving under the influence of alcohol is a bit different from driving under the influence of cannabis. For instance, there is no drug driving limit for cannabis like for alcohol. Nevertheless, the police officers can still ask the driver to undergo the Standardized Field Sobriety Test, as the breathalyzer test may not prove to be accurate in the case of cannabis usage.
Defending Driving and Cannabis Charges in Glendora, CA
The laws governing DUI offenses in California and Glendora are some of the strictest in the entire country. There is a strict policy governing DUI offenses in Glendora, California. Driving and cannabis usage is considered a criminal offense under DUI laws with penalties and punishments such as up to six months in jail, up to five years of summary probation, a fine that may go up to $1000 and suspension of driver's license for a period of six months. These punishments are for first time marijuana DUI offenders and the penalties are even higher for second, third and subsequent offense.
Defending a cannabis DUI offense may take a different approach than that of an alcohol related DUI offense. Your lawyer will have to build up a defense identifying the flaws on the charge against you which could include pointing out technical mistakes made by the police officials. Apart from this your attorney will have to take defenses like you were not driving, you didn't use marijuana, you used marijuana but were no longer under its influence and will have to prove to the court that your mental and physical abilities weren't significantly impaired. This is why it becomes necessary for you to hire a relentless Glendora DUI lawyer to guarantee that you receive efficient representation in the court of law. We will assess your case and put our best foot forward to defend you in court and protect you against any penalties relating to the impaired driving offense.


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Experience enhanced comfort with a Giselle Bedding Memory Foam Mattress Topper. It features a 7-zone comfort design with an innovative open cell structure for better heat dissipation and yet feels warm at the right temperature. With a high-density 100% visco elastic foam filling, the topper provides a lofty cushion of softness. The highly breathable 8cm thick topper is also designed to shape according to the contours of your body for an even weight distribution with over 1000 supporting points. Not least, the topper is housed in a removable and washable zipped jacquard knitting fabric cover for a premium look and appearance. Ready to be used right out of the package, simply place the topper on your mattress and it will provide you with a better sleeping surface and pure comfort throughout the night.
7-zone contoured design
100% Visco elastic memory foam
Innovative open cell structure
Over 1,000 supporting points
Even weight distribution
Increases air circulation
Eco-friendly bamboo fabric cover
Removable and washable zipper cover
Dust mite and mould-resistant
Vacuum packed
Size: Double
Dimensions: 190 x 137 x 8cm
Assembly required: No
Number of packages: 1
Package Content
1 x Memory Foam Mattress Topper


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About this Journal
The Global Research Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology (GRJPP) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal that provides rapid publication (monthly) of articles in all areas of food science and related disciplines. The objective of this journal is to provide a veritable platform for scientists and researchers all over the world to promote, share, and discuss a variety of innovative ideas and developments in all aspects of food science.
The Journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published shortly after acceptance. All articles published in GRJPP are peer-reviewed.
The Global Research Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology is published monthly (one volume per year) by Spring Journals. Current Issue: VOL 6 Issue 1, 2019


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Cleopatra Home
Lesson Plans
The Art Institute of Chicago
© 2000, by The Art Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Use of this program is subject to the terms below. No part of this program may be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form or by any means, except for personal or classroom use. All Copyright in and to the program, in whole or in part, belongs to the publisher and its licensors and is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office


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Software Map
Project Tree
Now limiting view to projects in the following categories:
Natural Language :: Russian [Remove This Filter]
Programming Language :: R [Remove This Filter]
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1 project in result set.
0. Quantmod extension for Russian market - This is an extension for quantmod framework to simplify working with Russian stock market. Adds additional datas to work with MOEX (Moscow Exchange) using finam.ru and mfd.ru datasources. | |
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Mathew J. Schwartz
Executive Editor, DataBreachToday & Europe, ISMG
Schwartz is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience in magazines, newspapers and electronic media. He has covered the information security and privacy sector throughout his career. Before joining Information Security Media Group in 2014, where he now serves as the executive editor, DataBreachToday and for European news coverage, Schwartz was the information security beat reporter for InformationWeek and a frequent contributor to DarkReading, among other publications. He lives in Scotland.


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The Light from the TV Shows: A Chat with Chris Elliott ("Eagleheart")
Chris Elliott has comedy in his genes, courtesy of his father, Bob Elliott (of the legendary comedy team Bob & Ray), and he's passed his abilities on to the next generation, as his daughter Abby Elliott proves week after week on "Saturday Night Live," but, geez, enough about his dad and kid already. Surely it's time to shine the spotlight solely on Chris Elliott himself, who first won our hearts with his decidedly unique characters on "Late Night with David Letterman," completely blew the minds of a generation of moviegoers with his film "Cabin Boy," and has since gone on to appear in everything from "Manhunter" to "Everybody Loves Raymond." On April 12, his current endeavor – Adult Swim's "Eagleheart" – returns for its second season, just over a week after the DVD release of Season One, which hit stores on Tuesday. Bullz-Eye chatted with him…okay, fine, we geeked out…about the more eccentric side of his comedy, including his seminal TV series "Get A Life," which, as you may have read elsewhere first (although it came from this interview), is coming to DVD in a complete-series set at long last.
Bullz-Eye: First off, let me just tell you what a pleasure it is to talk to you. I've been a fan for many years.
Chris Elliott: Oh, well, thank you. I just don't hear that enough. [Laughs.]
BE: In my case, it's no exaggeration: when I was in high school, I sent off for tickets for "Late Night with David Letterman." Granted, I had graduated by the time I actually got them, but, hey, at least I got them.
CE: Oh, my gosh. That's pretty funny. So did you actually wait four years for tickets?
BE: No, but it was more than a year: I sent them off during my senior year, and it was well after graduation when they finally arrived.
CE: Wow, that's pretty amazing. But it proves that you were a hardcore fan. Do you remember who was on the show when you went?
BE: Absolutely: it was Jane Pauley and Bruno Kirby. I also remember that they did Shoe Removal Races that night, with a podiatrist squaring off against a shoe salesman.
CE: Ah, yes, that was an excellent episode. [Laughs.]
BE: You were actually just on Letterman's show a few nights ago. It sounded like you may have taken a bit of flour into your lungs.
CE: [Laughs.] I started to smell like cookies after I was under the lights for a little while. But I thought it came off all right. It's always fun to go back there, and I hate coming back on there as myself in any form. This interview is okay because I can't see you. [Laughs.] But I don't like coming on and just talking as myself, so I always come on with something.
BE: The "Downton Abbey" thing was great, too.
CE: Yeah, I thought that came out great.
BE: So let's talk "Eagleheart." One of the most surprising things about the series, at least to me, is that you don't actually get a writing credit on the show. Not that you don't have some input, given that you're a consulting producer, but…
CE: I'd say these guys have my voice down. I knew that when I met with them. They were huge fans of mine, and, honestly, I didn't want the extra work. [Laughs.] And at the same time, y'know, they changed the pilot quite a bit to suit me, and what I do – and Adam Resnick does this, also – is sort of take a pass at the scripts when they're done with them and change a couple of jokes here and there, and if something's not quite in my voice, I just kind of paraphrase what I would be saying, and that sort of thing. I'm sort of at the point in my career where writers that are working in the business sort of grew up knowing about me. At least the ones that are fans of mine, anyway. And they're really capable of writing for me. It wasn't always that case. Early on in my career, it was pretty much Adam and me just trying to establish this voice.
BE: Of course, it makes me wonder if people sometimes come to you with something utterly off the wall, saying, "Well, 'Cabin Boy' was so nuts that I figured you'd be into this.'
CE: Yeah, I think I get that a lot. It's interesting: some people put anything weird in the "weird" category and think, "Oh, Chris'll do that because it's so weird." But you're right. Certain people, like yourself, get why certain things are funny-weird as opposed to just being strange. That's a different breed. I think I do get lumped in a lot with "he's just off the wall, he's crazy."
Posted in: Entertainment, Interviews, News, Television
Tags: Abby Elliott, Adam Resnick, Adult Swim, Andrew Weinberg, AV Club, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner, Bob and Ray, Bob Elliott, Breaking Bad, Bruno Kirby, Bud Cort, Cabin Boy, Chris Elliott, Conan, Conan O'Brien, Connie Chung, David Letterman, Dean Norris, Dilbert, Downton Abbey, Eagleheart, Get A Life, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Pauley, Jason Woliner, Late Night with David Letterman, Manhunter, Marlon Brando, Michael Koman, Mickey Rooney, Onion AV Club, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Stephen Collins, Tattinger's, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Light from the TV Shows, Walker: Texas Ranger, Will Harris, You've Reached the Elliotts


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Low Back Pain
Topic Overview
Is this topic for you?
This topic provides a general overview of low back pain. If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, see the topic Herniated Disc or Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.
What is low back pain?
Low back pain can happen anywhere below the ribs and above the legs. It is possible to hurt your back when you lift, reach, or twist. In fact, almost everyone has low back pain at one time or another.
What causes low back pain?
Causes of low back pain include:
- Overuse, strain, or injury.
- Aging.
- Herniated disc.
- Arthritis.
- Compression fractures.
- Illness.
- A spine problem you were born with.
Often doctors don't know what causes low back pain.
What are the symptoms?
Depending on the cause, low back pain can cause a range of symptoms. The pain may be dull or sharp. It may be in one small area or over a broad area. You may have muscle spasms.
Low back pain can also cause leg symptoms, such as pain, numbness, or tingling, often extending below the knee.
A rare but serious problem called cauda equina syndrome can occur if the nerves at the end of the spinal cord are squeezed. Seek emergency treatment if you have weakness or numbness in both legs or you lose bladder or bowel control.
Most low back pain is short-term (acute) and will go away in a few weeks. It is more likely to become long-lasting (chronic) if you are depressed or under stress.
How is low back pain diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask questions about your past health, symptoms, and activities. He or she will also do a physical exam. Your answers and the exam can help rule out a serious cause for the pain. In most cases, doctors are able to recommend treatment after the first exam.
Tests such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs usually don't help.
But if you have a back pain problem that has lasted longer than 6 weeks, or if your doctor thinks you may have more than muscle pain, it might be time for one of these tests.
How is it treated?
Most low back pain will improve with basic first aid, which includes continuing to do light activity such as walking, and taking over-the-counter pain medicine as needed.
Walking is the simplest and maybe the best exercise for the lower back. It gets your blood moving and helps your muscles stay strong.
Your doctor or physical therapist can recommend more specific exercises to help your back muscles get stronger. These may include a series of simple exercises called core stabilization. Strengthening the muscles in your trunk can improve your posture, keep your body in better balance, and lower your chance of injury.
If your symptoms are severe or you still have symptoms after 2 weeks of self-care, see your doctor. You may need stronger pain medicines, or you might benefit from manual therapy.
Each of the various treatments for back pain work for some people but not for others. You may need to try different things to see which work best for you, such as:
- Spinal manipulation.
- Massage.
- Acupuncture.
Having ongoing (chronic) back pain can make you depressed. In turn, depression can have an effect on your level of pain and whether your back gets better. People with depression and chronic pain often benefit from both antidepressant medicines and counseling. Counseling can help you learn stress management and pain control skills.
How can you prevent low back pain from returning?
After you've had low back pain, you're likely to have it again. But there are some things you can do to help prevent it. And they can help you get better faster if you do have low back pain again.
To help keep your back healthy and avoid further pain:
- Practice good posture when you sit, stand, and walk. "Good posture" generally means your ears, shoulders, and hips are in a straight line.
- Get regular, low-impact exercise. Walk, swim, or ride a stationary bike. Stretch before you exercise.
- Sleep on your side.
- Watch your weight.
- Don't try to lift things that are too heavy for you. When you must lift, learn the right way to lift.
If you sit or stand for long periods at work:
- Sit or stand up straight, with your shoulders back.
- Make sure your chair fits you and has good back support.
- Take regular breaks to walk around.
If your work involves a lot of bending, reaching, or lifting:
- Talk to your human resources department to see if there are other ways you can do your work.
- Don't depend on a "back belt" to protect your back.
Health Tools
Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
- Anxiety: Stop Negative Thoughts
- Back Problems: Proper Lifting
- Depression: Stop Negative Thoughts
- Fitness: Increasing Core Stability
- Healthy Eating: Starting a Plan for Change
- Low Back Pain: Exercises to Reduce Pain
- Quitting Smoking: Getting Support
- Stop Negative Thoughts: Getting Started
- Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation
- Stress Management: Doing Guided Imagery to Relax
- Stress Management: Doing Meditation
- Stress Management: Doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Stress Management: Managing Your Time
- Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax
- Stress Management: Relaxing Your Mind and Body
- Weight Management: Stop Negative Thoughts
Often doctors don't know what causes low back pain. The most common causes of low back pain are:
- Injury or overuse. This can include sprains or strains of soft tissues such as ligaments and muscles, fractures or compression fractures of bones, or injuries to the small joints between the bones of the spine.
- Pressure on nerve roots from conditions such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis.
- Osteoarthritis, which is usually caused by getting older.
- When osteoarthritis affects the small joints in the spine, it can lead to back pain by making the joints themselves stiff and sore and also by creating pressure on the nerve roots.
- Osteoarthritis in other joints, such as the hips, can cause you to limp or to change the way you walk. This can also lead to back pain.
Less common spinal conditionsthat can cause low back pain include:
- Ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of arthritis that most often affects the spine.
- Bacterial infection in the bone, spinal discs, or spinal cord.
- Spinal tumors, which are growths on the bones and ligaments of the spine, on the spinal cord, or on nerve roots.
Symptoms of low back pain depend on the cause.
Back sprain or strain
Symptoms typically include:
- Muscle spasms, cramping, and stiffness.
- Pain in the back and sometimes in the buttock. It may come on quickly or gradually. It most often occurs in episodes. Certain movements make it worse, and doing light activities such as walking makes it feel better. The worst pain usually lasts 48 to 72 hours and may be followed by days or weeks of less severe pain.
Nerve-root pressure
Symptoms typically include:
- Leg pain. If pain extends below the knee, it is more likely to be due to pressure on a nerve than to a muscle problem. Most commonly, it's a pain that starts in the buttock and travels down the back of the leg as far as the ankle or foot. This pain pattern is known as sciatica (say "sy-AT-ih-kuh"). For more information, see the topic Sciatica.
- Nerve-related problems, such as tingling, numbness, or weakness in one leg or in the foot, lower leg, or both legs. Tingling may begin in the buttock and extend to the ankle or foot. Weakness or numbness in both legs, or loss of bladder and/or bowel control, are symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, which requires immediate medical attention.
Arthritis of the spine
Osteoarthritis of the spine usually causes pain that:
- Is worse in the back and hip region.
- Starts gradually, gets worse over time, and lasts longer than 3 to 6 months.
- Is generally worse in the morning or after prolonged periods of inactivity. Arthritis pain gets better when you move around.
Other conditions
Symptoms of diseases that affect the spine depend on the disease. They may include:
- Pain that is worse in the affected part of the spine (for instance, if there is a compression fracture, tumor, or infection).
- Pain that starts gradually, is constant, and may be sharp or a dull ache. Bed rest doesn't help and may make it worse (for example, tumors on the spine often cause night pain). The pain lasts longer than 2 to 3 weeks.
- Fever.
- Sensitivity of the spine to touch and pressure.
- Pain that wakes you up from sleep.
What Happens
The course of low back pain depends both on its cause and on how well you treat your back.
Most low back pain goes away within several weeks. But after you have had back pain once, you're more likely to have it again. Many people who recover have back pain again within a year, and most people will have it again sometime during their lives.
Long-lasting (chronic) pain not only makes you tired, irritable, and less productive and less active but also can trigger other problems. If your back pain causes you to use your body in different ways (for example, to limp or to sit differently), pain can develop in other areas of the body. Pain can also cause biochemical changes in your body that tend to keep the pain going.
What Increases Your Risk
A risk factor is something that increases your chances of having back pain. Having more risk factors means you have a higher chance of having back pain.
Physical and family risk factors
- Being middle-aged or older
- Being male
- Having a family history of back pain
- Having had a back injury before
- Being pregnant. A woman's back is significantly stressed by carrying a baby.
- Having had compression fractures of the spine
- Having had back surgery before
- Having spine problems since birth
Risk factors you can change with lifestyle changes
- Not getting regular exercise
- Doing a job or other activity that requires long periods of sitting, heavy lifting, bending or twisting, repetitive motions, or constant vibration, such as using a jackhammer or driving certain types of heavy equipment
- Smoking. People who smoke are more likely than people who don't smoke to have low back pain.
- Being overweight. Excess body weight, especially around the waist, may put strain on your back, although this has not been proved. But being overweight often also means being in poor physical condition, with weaker muscles and less flexibility. These can lead to low back pain.
- Having poor posture. Slumping or slouching on its own may not cause low back pain. But after the back has been strained or injured, bad posture can make pain worse. "Good posture" generally means your ears, shoulders, and hips are in a straight line. If this posture causes pain, you may have another condition such as a problem with a disc or bones in your back.
- Being under stress. Stress and other emotional factors are believed to play a major role in low back pain, particularly chronic low back pain. Many people unconsciously tighten their back muscles when they are under stress.
Risk factors you might change with medical treatment
- Having long periods of depression
- Using medicines long-term that weaken bones, such as corticosteroids
- Having an illness or disease that causes chronic coughing
When to Call a Doctor
Call 911 or other emergency services immediately if:
- Back pain occurs with chest pain or other symptoms of a heart attack.
- A person has signs of damage to the spine after an injury (such as a car accident, fall, or direct blow to the spine). Signs may include:
- Being unable to move part of the body.
- Severe back or neck pain.
- Weakness, tingling, or numbness in the arms or legs.
Call your doctor nowif:
- You have new numbness in your legs or numbness in your legs that is getting worse.
- You have new weakness in your legs or weakness in your legs that is getting worse. (This could make it hard to stand up.)
- You have a new loss of bowel or bladder control.
- You have new or increased back pain with fever, painful urination, or other signs of a urinary tract infection.
- You have long-term back pain that suddenly gets much worse, and you did not cause it by being more active.
- You have a history of cancer or HIV infection, and you have new or increased back pain.
- Pain wakes you from sleep.
For more information, see the topic Back Problems and Injuries.
Watchful waiting
Most low back pain doesn't require a visit to a doctor.
If the pain doesn't get better after 1 or 2 days and you can't do your normal daily activities, call your doctor.
If you still have mild to moderate pain after at least 2 weeks of home treatment, talk with your doctor. He or she may want to check for problems that may be causing your back pain.
Who to see
The following health professionals can diagnose the cause of back pain, evaluate back injuries, and start treatment.
- Primary care providers:
You may also be referred to one of the following specialists:
- Physiatrist
- Neurosurgeon
- Rheumatologist
- Orthopedic surgeon
- Pain management specialist if low back pain has lasted for more than 3 months
- Cognitive-behavioral therapist
Exams and Tests
Your doctor will begin by asking questions about your medical history, your symptoms, and your work and physical activities. He or she will also do a physical exam. The questions and exam can help rule out a serious cause for your pain. Your doctor may also ask questions about stress at home and at work that may make you more susceptible to chronic pain.
If your back pain has lasted for less than 6 weeks, it may be best to wait to do any testing. This is because most back pain goes away on its own in a month or so.
But if you have a back pain problem that has lasted longer than 6 weeks, or if your doctor thinks you may have more than muscle pain, it might be time for a test.
Which tests are used?
Tests for low back pain include:
Sometimes other tests can be useful, such as a bone scan or an electromyogram and nerve conduction. These are used to look for bone, nerve, and muscle/nerve problems that might be causing low back pain.
Treatment Overview
Experts divide low back pain into two categories:
- Acute:This is pain that has lasted less than 3 months. Most people get better with home treatment.
- Chronic:This is pain that has lasted longer than 3 months. People with chronic back pain are usually helped with more intensive treatment.
Treatment for acute low back pain
Learn about the first aid steps you can take when you first get back pain, such as using heat or ice, taking medicine, and not resting too much.
Sometimes acute low back pain lasts longer than a few days, even after you try first aid steps. In such a case, you might add another treatment, such as acupuncture or manual therapy.
If your pain is very bad, your health care provider may recommend short-term use of a muscle relaxant. Some people consider epidural steroid shots.
Answers From an Expert: "Stay as active as you can. Doctors used to say to rest, but it turns out that this is not the case. The more active you are, the better you will be, and the faster you will heal."— Dr. Robert Keller |
One Woman's Story: "I thought, 'Okay, it will hurt for a day or two, and that's it.' But it lasted a lot longer. It took about 3 weeks. I guess we're used to fast cures. We take an aspirin, and the headache goes away. We take the antibiotic, and the infection disappears." — Lorna Read more about how Lorna learned to be patient with her back. |
Treatment for chronic low back pain
If you have chronic back pain, one type of treatment by itself doesn't always stop your pain. Spinal manipulation can work to relieve low back pain. Other treatments can too.
- Acupuncture
- Biofeedback
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Comprehensive rehabilitation programs
- Massage
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction
If over-the-counter medicines combined with these treatments have not helped, your doctor may recommend another medicine. In some cases an antidepressant such as duloxetine can help. If pain is very bad, your doctor may have you try a week or two of an opioid pain reliever such as tramadol. Be sure to discuss the risks and the possible benefits of all medicines with your doctor.
There is no clear evidence that you can prevent low back pain. But there are some things you can do that may help prevent it. And they can prepare you for faster recovery if you do have low back pain.
- Exercise to keep your back healthy and strong.
- Learn how to lift objects safely to protect your back.
- Think about your posture, whether you are sitting or standing.
- Try different sleeping positions that protect your back.
- Wear low-heeled shoes.
- Stay at a healthy weight to avoid excess strain on your lower back. For more information, see the topic Weight Management.
- If you smoke, quit.
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Manage stress.
To learn more, see Living With Low Back Pain.
Living With Low Back Pain
Almost everyone has low back pain at some time. The good news is that most low back pain will go away in a few days or weeks with some basic self-care. This includes first aid, self-massage and using heat or ice.
Basic self-care can also help prevent back problems from coming back.
One Man's Story: "Some people get better fast, but others take a lot of time. That was my case. If you have back pain, do what you can for it, but don't be in a hurry. It usually gets better."— Jack Read more about how Jack learned that he didn't need surgery. |
Ease back into your daily activities
Some people are afraid that doing too much may make their pain worse. In the past, people stayed in bed, thinking this would help their backs. Now experts think that, in most cases, getting back to your normal activities is good for your back, as long as you avoid things that make your pain worse.
- For the first day or two of pain, take it easy. But as soon as possible, get back to your normal daily life and activities.
- Movement helps your muscles stay strong. Lying down for too long can make your problem worse.
- If you are an athlete, return to your activity carefully. Choose a low-impact option until your pain is under control.
Avoid or change activities that cause pain
- Try to avoid bending, lifting, or reaching. These movements put extra stress on your back.
- When you sit, place a small pillow, a rolled-up towel, or a lumbar roll in the curve of your back for extra support.
- When you brush your teeth, put one foot on a stool.
- Don't wear shoes with high heels. Wear low-heeled shoes.
- Try different sleeping positions.
- If you sleep on your side, try putting a pillow between your knees.
- If you sleep on your back, use a pillow under your knees.
- You can also try rolling up a small towel and using it to support your lower back.
Pay attention to your body mechanics and posture
Body mechanics are the way you use your body. Posture is the way you sit or stand.
- To prevent a return of low back pain, you will need to take extra care when you lift. When you must lift, bend your knees and flex from your hips. Don't let your spine slump.
- Think about your posture, whether you are sitting or standing. Slumping or slouching alone may not cause low back pain. But after the back has been strained or injured, bad posture can make pain worse. "Good posture" generally means your ears, shoulders, and hips are in a straight line. If this posture causes pain, you may have another condition such as a problem with a disc or bones in your back.
Stretch and strengthen your back
When you no longer have acute pain, you may be ready for gentle strengthening exercises for your stomach, back, and legs, and perhaps for some stretching exercises. Exercise may not only help decrease low back pain but also may help you recover faster, prevent reinjury to your back, and reduce the risk of disability from back pain.
Walking is the simplest and perhaps the best exercise for the low back. Your doctor or a physical therapist can recommend more specific exercises to help your back muscles get stronger. These may include a series of simple exercises called core stabilization. The muscles of your trunk, or core, support your spine. Strengthening these muscles can improve your posture, keep your body in better balance, and decrease your chance of injury.
One Man's Story: "I discovered that what you have to do is this: You do as much as you can."— Robert Read more about how Robert controls his back pain by staying active. |
Take care of stress
Stress and low back pain can create a vicious circle. You have back pain, and you begin to worry about it. This causes stress, and your back muscles begin to tense. Tense muscles make your back pain worse, and you worry more … which makes your back worse … and so on.
There are lots of ways to teach yourself to relax.
- Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax
- Stress Management: Doing Guided Imagery to Relax
- Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation
- Stress Management: Doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Stress Management: Relaxing Your Mind and Body
- Stress Management: Managing Your Time
- Stress Management: Doing Meditation
One Woman's Story: "I had too much to do and too little time. That means stress. And when I start stressing, my back starts aching. Before I knew it, my back was screaming at me."— Cathy Read more about how Cathy made time to deal with her stress. |
Manage your weight
Extra body weight, especially around the waist, may put strain on your back.
If you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there, lifestyle changes will work better than dieting.
Here are the three steps to reaching a healthy weight:
- Eat ahealthy diet.
- You may be tempted to do a diet overhaul and change everything about the way you eat. But you will be more successful at staying with the changes you make if you pick just one eating habit at a time to work on.
- Getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D may help prevent osteoporosis, which can lead to compression fractures and low back pain.
- Get moving. Try to make physical activity a regular part of your day, just like brushing your teeth. Start small, and build up over time. Moderate activity is safe for most people, but it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program.
- Change your thinking.Our thoughts have a lot to do with how we feel and what we do. If you can stop your brain from telling you discouraging things and have it start encouraging you instead, you may be surprised at how much healthier you'll be—in mind and body.
Quit smoking
People who smoke take longer to heal—from any injury, not just back pain. If you stop smoking, you may feel better sooner.
People who smoke are also much more likely to have back pain than people who don't smoke. This is because the nicotine and other toxins from smoking can keep spinal discs from getting all the nutrients they need from the blood, making disc injury more likely. These discs cushion the bones in your spine. An injured disc can cause low back pain.
Smoking also increases your risk of bone loss (osteoporosis).
Medicine can decrease low back pain and reduce muscle spasms in some people. But medicine alone isn't an effective treatment for low back pain. It should be used along with other treatments, such as walking and using heat or ice.
Medicine choices
There are several medicines your doctor may recommend, depending on how long you have had pain, what other symptoms you have, and your medical history. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
The medicines recommended most often are:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen. These seem to be the most effective over-the-counter pain relievers for low back pain. But if you can't take NSAIDs, you can try acetaminophen. You can buy these medicines without a prescription. Some of them also come in stronger doses. For those, you'll need a prescription.
- Muscle relaxants. These medicines can help with severe muscle spasms that happen when the back pain starts (acute phase). Side effects, such as drowsiness, are common.
- Opioid pain relievers. These are very strong medicines that are sometimes tried to ease severe back pain that has not been controlled by other medicines. They are usually taken for only 1 to 2 weeks.
- Antidepressants. Some of these medicines, such as duloxetine, not only treat depression but also may help with chronic pain.
Other medicines sometimes used for low back pain are:
- Anesthetic or steroid injections. These have been prescribed for chronic low back pain, but they have not been researched enough to know if they work well for back pain. They may give short-term relief from leg pain related to a back problem.
- Botox injection. This is a shot into the back muscles. It has not been well tested for chronic low back pain.
Medicines that work for some people don't work for others. Let your doctor know if the medicine you are taking doesn't work for you. You may be able to take another medicine for your back pain.
When you're in a lot of pain, you might wonder if you need surgery to fix what's wrong so that you can feel better.
Every case is different. But most people don't need surgery for low back pain.
When surgery may help
Most back surgeries are done to treat nerve pain from herniated discs. Surgery might be an option when a disc problem causes pain in your leg that prevents you from doing everyday tasks. You may have pain, numbness, or tingling through your buttock and down the back of your leg (sciatica) or in the front of your thigh.
Other problems that may require surgery include:
- A spinal fracture caused by an injury.
- An infection in your spine.
- A problem that causes your spine to be unstable.
- A tumor in your spine.
- Spinal stenosis.
- Loss of feeling or weakness in your back or legs that gets worse over time.
- Loss of control of your bowel or bladder.
Having surgery for a herniated disc or another back problem is a big decision. Talk to your doctor about it.
Surgery choices
There are several types of back surgery. Some, like a discectomy, can help people who have severe symptoms. Others have not been proved to work.
If you do need surgery, you and your doctor will decide which type is best for you. Types of surgeries include:
- Discectomy.
- Percutaneous discectomy.
- Laminectomy for spinal stenosis.
- Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty.
- Surgeries for tumors and infection.
- Spinal fusion.
Rehabilitation after surgery
A comprehensive rehabilitation program is very important after most back surgery. As you regain flexibility, recondition your back and stomach muscles, and increase your endurance for activity, you increase your chances of treatment success.
If you are unable or unwilling to commit to physical therapy after surgery, you may not be a good candidate for surgery.
Deciding whether to have surgery
If you and your doctor are considering surgery, get as much information as you can about possible results, and consider whether you will be willing to do physical therapy after surgery.
Back surgery isn't always successful. Depending on the condition, you may still have back pain after surgery.
Other Treatment
You can choose from a number of treatments for your low back pain. Because some of these treatments are new or not yet well researched, they may not be covered by health insurance.
The following complementary treatments are often used for low back pain.
- Massagemay reduce low back pain for a short time. It is probably most effective if you also learn to do exercises for your back and learn the best ways to liftand move to protect your back.
- Biofeedbackhasn't been well studied as a treatment for low back pain. Recent research hasn't shown that biofeedback is effective for controlling low back pain.
- Acupuncturemay help reduce pain and increase the ability to be active for a short time after treatment but not any more than other treatments.footnote 1
- Acupressure uses pressure on certain points in the body to decrease symptoms. Small studies suggest that acupressure reduces pain and allows a person to be more active.footnote 2
- Relaxation techniques can help reduce muscle tension, stress, and depression.
- Yoga is another way to stay active and get help with relaxation and managing stress. Small studies suggest that yoga classes may help people with chronic low back pain control their symptoms and stay more active.footnote 3, footnote 4 It is not clear whether yoga is more helpful than other activity or treatment for chronic low back pain. There are different types of yoga. Talk to your doctor before you start a yoga program.
- Capsaicin cream may help relieve pain.footnote 5 Capsaicin is a substance contained in cayenne peppers. Capsaicin cream is applied directly to the skin over the painful area.
Here are some other treatment choices to think about:
- Self-care techniques:
- Back school teaches you all about back care, how to stand and sit, and how to move your body in a safer way.
- A pain management clinic is a place where you can learn how to cope with chronic pain.
- Electric currents:
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) gives brief pulses of electricity to nerve endings in the skin to relieve pain.
- Spinal cord stimulation uses an electrical current to treat chronic pain.
- Other procedures:
- Intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) gets rid of nerve fibers that have grown from the outer layers of the disc to the inside of the disc.
- Nerve blocks may numb certain nerves.
- Low-level laser therapy, which uses targeted light energy to decrease pain and promote healing.
Experimental treatments
New and experimental treatments are constantly being developed and offered to people who have low back pain. If you are considering such a treatment, be sure to ask your doctor for two things:
- The scientific evidence that shows that the treatment works and is safe.
- The results that your doctor has seen in his or her own practice.
Experimental treatments include:
- Surgery to replace a ruptured or herniated disc with an artificial disc. This treatment has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Long-term studies haven't been done.
- Botulinum toxin (Botox) injection. This may relax painful muscle spasms in the low back.
- Radiofrequency ablation of nerves. This may reduce chronic low back pain in some people by preventing pain signals from reaching the brain. It is sometimes used for pain from problems with the small joints in the spine called facet joints.
- An intrathecal pain pump. This is a small tube inserted under the skin and deeper tissues along the midline of the back and into the spinal canal. The tube connects to a small reservoir of medicine inserted under the skin of your belly. The medicine is regularly delivered to the area of pain through the tube.
Coping With Chronic Back Pain
Low back pain can take a toll on your mental health. You may feel fear, frustration, and anger or have depression and anxiety because of ongoing pain. Those common reactions can make your pain last even longer. If pain is starting to get you down:
- Let people know when you need a helping hand. Ask family members or friends to help out with physical tasks you can't do right now.
- Be honest with your doctor about your pain. Ask for a referral to a counselor or pain management specialist. A prescription antidepressant or antianxiety medicine may also help with chronic pain.
- Work with your health professionals and your work supervisor to make a return-to-work plan, if needed. Ask for an ergonomic consultation if you need to learn how to do some of your job duties differently to avoid hurting your back again.
One Man's Story: "I started feeling sad and angry a lot. I didn't want to do anything. My back was hurting more. I was having trouble focusing on my work. My life just started feeling smaller and smaller."— Ravi Read more about how Ravi learned he had depression and how he fought back. |
Emotional support is important
You may have to lean on friends and family when facing difficult situations caused by chronic pain or other problems. Your loved ones can play an important role in supporting your recovery. Your doctor and community also may give you extra support.
Asking for support from others is not always easy. It can be hard to tell someone about your problems. But don't be afraid to ask for help.
Where you can get support
- Family. Family members can help you cope by giving you comfort and encouragement.
- Friends. Building strong relationships with others is important for your emotional well-being. Helping is a big part of friendship. At times you may be the one who encourages a friend.
- Counseling. Professional counseling can help you cope with situations that interfere with your life and cause stress. Counseling can help you understand and deal with your pain. You can learn ways to stop negative thoughts. See the topic Stop Negative Thoughts: Choosing a Healthier Way of Thinking.
- Your doctor. Find someone you trust and feel comfortable with. Be open and honest about your fears and concerns. Your doctor can help you get the right treatments, including treatment for depression or other problems.
- Religious groups. Religious or spiritual groups may help you meet people and get involved in the community. Some religious organizations can help you get counseling or other social support services.
- Social groups. Social groups can help you meet new people and get involved in activities you enjoy.
- Community support groups. In a support group, you can talk to others who have dealt with the same problems or illness as you. You can encourage one another and learn ways of coping with tough emotions.
One Woman's Story: "I really work at finding the good things in my day. It helps me get through the day, and I think it makes my pain not bother me as much."— Patty Read more about how Patty used positive thinking to help her back pain. |
How friends and family can help
Your loved ones can offer support by:
- Giving encouragement. This can keep you from feeling hopeless or alone.
- Offering to help. Getting a helping hand can keep you from feeling overwhelmed. This may include helping with small daily tasks or bigger problems.
- Going to medical visits. Your loved ones can offer support by being involved in your medical care.
- Being honest and realistic. Make sure your loved ones understand how serious the problem is. They can help by not setting unreachable goals or by not acting like the problem will just go away.
- Respecting your wishes. You are responsible for your decisions. Your loved ones can offer support and encouragement without interfering with your major decisions.
Having trouble getting support from friends and family? There are steps you can take to make your social support stronger.
Staying active
Having chronic back pain can make exercising—even walking—difficult. Being active is often the last thing you want to think about.
But the truth is that easing back into daily activity and physical therapy exercises can help relieve back pain and can lead to long-term improvement for low back pain.footnote 6
So be as active as you can. Take short walks as often as you can. Talk to a physical therapist, chiropractor, osteopathic doctor, or physiatrist about exercises you can do.
- Furlan AD, et al. (2005). Acupuncture and dry-needling for low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1).
- Hsieh LL, et al. (2006). Treatment of low back pain by acupressure and physical therapy: Randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 333(7543): 696–700.
- Tilbrook HE, et al. (2011). Yoga for chronic low back pain: A randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(9): 569–578.
- Sherman KJ, et al. (2011). A randomized trial comparing yoga, stretching, and a self-care book for chronic low back pain. Archives of Internal Medicine, 171(22): 2019–2026.
- Gagnier JJ, et al. (2016). Herbal medicine for low back pain: A Cochrane review. Spine, 41(2): 116–133. DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000001310. Accessed June 17, 2016.
- Chou R (2010). Low back pain (chronic), search date April 2009. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Other Works Consulted
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2010). Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Back Pain II (Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 194). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Also available online: http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/backpaincam/backcam2.pdf.
- American Geriatrics Society Panel on Pharmacological Management of Persistent Pain in Older Persons (2009). Pharmacological management of persistent pain in older persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57(8): 1331–1346.
- Carragee EJ (2005). Persistent low back pain. New England Journal of Medicine, 352(18): 1891–1898.
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- Chaparro LE, et al. (2014). Opioids compared with placebo or other treatments for chronic low back pain: an update of the Cochrane review. Spine, 39(7): 556–563. DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000000249. Accessed February 6, 2015.
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- Mercier LR (2008). The back. In Practical Orthopedics, 6th ed., pp. 143–184. Philadelphia: Mosby Elsevier.
- Modic MT, et al. (2005). Acute low back pain and radiculopathy: MR imaging findings and their prognostic role and effect on outcome. Radiology, 237(2): 599–604.
- Roelofs PDDM, et al. (2008). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1).
- Tay BKB, et al. (2014). Disorders, diseases, and injuries of the spine. In HB Skinner, PJ McMahon, eds., Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Orthopedics, 5th ed., pp. 156–229. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Thorson DC, et al. (2010). Health Care Guideline: Adult Low Back Pain, 14th ed., pp. 1–74. Bloomington, MN: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement.
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2004). Primary care interventions to prevent low back pain in adults: Recommendation statement. Available online: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsback.htm.
Current as of: June 26, 2019
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:William H. Blahd Jr. MD, FACEP – Emergency Medicine & Adam Husney MD – Family Medicine & E. Gregory Thompson MD – Internal Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD – Family Medicine
- Lumbosacral Region of the Spine (Lower Back)
- Proper Lifting Technique
- Sleeping With Back Pain
- Protect your back as you lie down
- Sciatica
- Fitness: Increasing Your Core Stability
- Tests for Low Back Pain
- Low Back Pain: Keep Moving
- Back Pain: Self-Massage With a Tennis Ball
- Heat or Ice for Low Back Pain
- Low Back Pain: Keeping It From Coming Back
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