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Damaging Inflammatory Response Could Hinder Spinal Cord Repair
[Embargoed until 12 noon CT (1 p.m. ET) Wednesday, October 21, 2009, to coincide with a poster presentation at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago.]
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The inflammatory response following a spinal cord injury appears to be set up to cause extra tissue damage instead of promoting healing, new research suggests.
Scientists analyzing this inflammatory response in mice discovered that the types of cells recruited to the site of the injury are dominated within a week by those that promote inflammation. When chronic, inflammation can prevent healing, and these inflammatory cells are believed to remain at the injury site indefinitely.Phil Popovich
Meanwhile, similar cells that are typically involved in a later phase of injury repair and that are anti-inflammatory were found to promote effective growth of axons that connect nerve cells. However, these cells disappear shortly after an injury, making it unlikely that they get a chance to complete their work under naturally occurring circumstances.
All of the responding cells in question are macrophages, but the study revealed that they have slightly different characteristics that define their functions. The research suggests that changing the balance of how these cells are activated in favor of the anti-inflammatory macrophages could be a potential treatment strategy for spinal cord injury.
Currently, no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment exists for spinal cord injury, and scientists have not discovered a way to repair nerve cells that are damaged or killed when the spinal cord is injured. An estimated 1.3 million people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury, experiencing paralysis and complications that include bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction and chronic pain.
"If these pro-inflammatory macrophages are a big part of the reason cells are dying, and we can figure out how to shut off that death cascade that they start, we might be able to minimize the amount of tissue damage," said senior study author Phillip Popovich, a professor of neuroscience and molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics at Ohio State University.
"If that could be achieved by injecting a drug or giving a patient a pill for a set number of days after injury, that could improve a lot of function and quality of life for people who suffer a spinal cord injury."
The research was presented Wednesday during a poster session at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Chicago.
Popovich has known about the presence of macrophages after spinal cord injury for a long time. What he didn't know was exactly what they did, or how they did it, or whether there could be more than one function among these cells.
"I've always been of the mind that if nature requires these cells to be there, we must figure out if it's advantageous or disadvantageous for spinal cord function," said Popovich, also director of Ohio State's Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair.
"The only benefits we've shown so far were in vitro. There's a chance we'll never be able to figure out how to regenerate an axon. But if we could minimize damage caused by inflammation, that would be helpful. Each axon that dies gets you closer to a threshold where you lose function. If we could just keep axons and neurons alive, we may have a better chance at promoting recovery."
"If what they do is disadvantageous, how can we change that without completely removing them? Because if we remove them, it will probably change a lot of other things and that is not going to be beneficial."
In this study, he and colleagues compared the spinal cords of mice with injury to the spinal cords of uninjured mice. The mouse injuries resembled the most common contusion/compression spinal cord damage in humans that occurs when a vertebral bone or a disc bumps into the cord, causing a lesion and bleeding.
The researchers used chemicals to stain the spinal cords with markers that would indicate what types of cells were active at the injury site. They named the pro-inflammatory macrophages M1 cells and anti-inflammatory macrophages M2 cells.
Immediately after the injury, the researchers observed an intermingling of M1 and M2 cells at the site of the spinal cord injury. In just a few days, all of the anti-inflammatory M2 cells had disappeared. The pro-inflammatory M1 population persisted for a month after injury – the longest period scientists have ever observed.
Popovich said he and colleagues used recent principles learned by others in models of repair of injured heart muscle to predict how the inflammatory response to spinal cord injury would occur. After the heart is damaged, macrophages migrate to the site to clean up debris and protect against any invading bacteria or other pathogens. Signals are eventually sent out to initiate a next phase, which prepares the site for repair. Then new cells are recruited, blood vessels grow and other macrophages facilitate closure of the wound.
In the spinal cord, the long-term presence of pro-inflammatory M1 cells appears to prevent the shift into a repair phase.
"What we've done is overly simplistic, but it's an advance conceptually from where we were because we're saying that even though it looks like a homogeneous response, not all macrophages are created equal," Popovich said.
Once they knew how M1 and M2 cells were distributed at an injury site, the researchers sought to determine what those two types of macrophages could do.
They created in vitro models – essentially, test tube experiments – in which they examined the effects of M1 and M2 macrophages on neurons, the cells that make up most of the spinal cord and brain.
The M1 macrophages killed neurons or stimulated a sprouting type of growth among their axons, which function as arms on neurons that reach out to connect with other cells or to send and receive signals. This type of sprouting of axons is associated with misguided circuits and can actually cause chronic pain.
The M2 cells, on the other hand, promoted long-distance axon growth without causing toxicity. This is the kind of axon growth required to regenerate spinal cord tissue and is the type of axon growth that is normally inhibited by proteins and cells that accumulate in the spinal cord after injury.
Popovich speculates that the immune system normally inhibits axon regeneration because its primary goal is to keep the injured spinal cord free from infection.
"The injury opens tissue to the external environment, increasing the potential to be exposed to pathogens. The immune system doesn't care that the spinal cord is damaged – it just wants to keep the organism alive," he said. "And neurons want to regrow, but when they try to grow their axons, they hit a wall of inflammatory cells that they can't get past or that are working against them."
One class of drugs – PPARgamma agonists, used to treat diabetes – is known to promote recruitment of M2 macrophages and has appeared in previous research to protect neurons in models of spinal cord injury, Popovich said. But before pursuing drug therapies, researchers must determine whether changing the balance of macrophages in an injured spinal cord to favor the activation of M2 cells would actually be beneficial in a human body.
"The only benefits we've shown so far were in vitro," he said. "There's a chance we'll never be able to figure out how to regenerate an axon. But if we could minimize damage caused by inflammation, that would be helpful. Each axon that dies gets you closer to a threshold where you lose function. If we could just keep axons and neurons alive, we may have a better chance at promoting recovery."
The National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke supported this research.
Popovich conducted the work with postdoctoral researchers Kristina Kigerl and John Gensel, and research scientist Daniel Ankeny, all of Ohio State's Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics; Jessica Alexander of the Neuroscience Graduate Studies Program; and graduate student Dustin Donnelly of the Medical Scientist Program. All of the co-authors also are also investigators in the Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair.
Contact: Phillip Popovich, (614) 688-8576; email@example.com
Written by Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; firstname.lastname@example.com


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NYAA Program: Baseball
Season: 2020
Policy: Chain of Command
The following policy and procedure will identify the chain of command and how it should be used:
The Baseball Director is responsible for the coordination, management, implementation and leadership of the entire baseball program.
The Head Coach of each team is responsible for the management, leadership and strategy of his individual team. This includes mentoring and managing the assistant coaches, coaching and managing the players.
Players are responsible for attending as many practices and games as possible, having an attitude of willingness to learn and work hard, but most of all, conducting themselves in the highest degree of sportsmanship possible.
Parents are responsible to encourage their young player to work hard and play with a high degree of sportsmanship, encourage coaches, other players and families, and most importantly conduct themselves in a high degree of sportsmanship and follow the NYAA code of conduct.
In the event a problem or concern arises that the parent needs to address with a coach, the following procedure will be followed:
If it is concerning a safety issue, the parent should bring the issue to the attention of an assistant coach, head coach, appropriate baseball coordinator or the baseball director IMMEDIATELY.
It shall be the policy of the NYAA Baseball program that the position a player plays on the field and the amount of playing time he/she earns in any particular game shall be determined at the sole discretion of that team's coaches, with the head coach ultimately responsible for determining the fielding and batting lineup for any one game. The head coach is strongly encouraged to consult with his assistant coaches in making the batting/fielding lineup. All NYAA baseball coaches must abide by the Playing Time Standard Operating Procedure as well as any specific league playing time guidelines.
If it concerns your son/daughter's position, play time or other issue that occurred during a practice, bring the issue to the head coach's attention at the end of the practice. If the coach has time to address your issue immediately, the head coach may elect to do so. If the head coach does not have time to address your issue or decides, at his sole discretion, not to address the issue directly after practice, the head coach will have 30 hours to contact you to discuss the issue or to mutually agree upon a time to discuss the issue.
If it concerns your player's position, play time or other issue that occurred during a game, the head coach MAY NOT be contacted in any way, shape or form for AT LEAST 24 HOURS. After 24 hours, the coach may be contacted or addressed by email or phone. Upon initial contact, the coach may elect, at his sole discretion, to address the issue immediately or schedule a time to address the issue, not to exceed 30 hours.
If the parent, after addressing the issue with the head coach, is still not satisfied, or the head coach has exceeded the time frames set forth above, the parent shall contact the baseball director.
If the parent, after addressing the issue with the baseball director, is still not satisfied, the parent may take the issue to the NYAA Board of Directors.
New Privacy Policy

subset: commoncrawl


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Ice Cream Heaven in San Fran!
Every night before I go to bed, I pray to the magical, mystical unicorns of the universe to bring Maggie Mudd to LA. I've had my fair share of scrumptious deliumptious vegan ice cream, but I have to say Maggie Mudd takes the (ice cream) cake. If you live in San Francisco and you like sweet, decadent, mind-blowingly awesome ice cream (and hey, who doesn't?), you need to get your booties to Maggie Mudd asap.
They have a wonderful selection of cones, sundaes, shakes and cakes that are insanely delish and vegan (they have non-vegan ice cream, too, so make sure to order off their vegan menu). Maggie Mudd is by no means a boring, ho-hum vanilla ice creamery. You can expect to devour vegan scoops like Banana Rum Brownie, Peanut Butter Palooka, and Coconut Pecan Praline, just to name a few. I was so overwhelmed by all the vegan options (there we 16 dairy-free flavors to choose from that day) that I spent at least 15 mins. finalizing my order.
I decided to go with the Maggie Muddy Fudgy, which is a rich, hot brownie with a (2) scoops of ice cream (I chose Tramack and Toasted Coconut), whipped cream, nuts, sprinkles, and choice of sauce (I chose their marshmallow sauce – my favorite part of the sundae). It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
Maggie Mudd, please get yo' ass to LA! xo
For more info: Maggie Mudd
Related posts:
Is there such a thing as healthy ice cream?
Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss vegan ice cream giveaway!
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at email@example.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.
Filed in: vegan restaurants
Comments (5)
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Café Gratitude: Get Your Spiritual Grub On! «Vegan Beauty Review | September 3, 2010
That vegan ice-cream and brownie thing looks incredible!!
Hi! I wanted to let you know that I looked at the MaggieMud website and I found out by looking at their website if you go to the homepage, click on dairy free between about us and party, click on where to find, you can see that they sell freestyle ice cream tubs at two Whole Foods Markets in LA.
My Messy Marcy sundae was THE best part of my vacation to SF!


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Hey there!
We've gathered 64 of the most powerful female protagonists for our first ever Shero Bracket Tournment - and a character from YOUR fandom is competing!
What's a Shero, you ask? A Shero is a heroine from the realm of comics, books, movies, TV, and games. There were so many options to choose from, but we managed to narrow them down to 64. These competitors will battle it out for 6 rounds, with the winner announced on January 3, 2017.
Ready to smash the patriarchy? Vote for your fandom's Shero now!
Fandom's Shero Bracket Tournament


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Calgary-born Rae Spoon explores mental health with 10th studio record
It might be tempting to think that the urgency Rae Spoon felt when recording their 10th album, Mental Health, stemmed from some cathartic need to tell their story.
After all, the deeply personal record comes less than a year after Spoon's 2018 album, the environmentally themed and more outwardly political BodiesofWater. Even for the hard-working and prolific Spoon, this is an unusually quick turnaround.
The need for emotional release may have played a part, Spoon acknowledges.
But the Calgary-born, non-binary singer-songwriter — who prefers to use the pronoun 'they' — also had decidedly pragmatic reasons to record the album with laser-focused efficiency.
"I wrote it pretty fast because there are these grants in B.C. and there was a deadline," says Spoon with a laugh, in a phone interview with Postmedia from their home in Victoria. "I had to get the album out by Sept. 1. I ended up writing seven songs in three weeks on the record. Which is something I haven't done before."
This is not to suggest that Spoon was flippant about the album or its occasionally harrowing subject matter. The cover art alone — which features a line of sullen figures marching into the gaping, fiery jaws of a monstrous blue beast — suggests Spoon was interested in exorcising a few demons with the album.
But it does point to a certain proficiency they have achieved in the past decade when it comes to writing witheringly personal accounts, even when it involved fearlessly returning to the coming-of-age trauma Spoon endured growing up queer in a strict Pentecostal family plagued by mental illness.
Adopting a slightly lower register in their singing voice, Spoon addresses everything from the horrors of insomnia (poppy first single I Can't Sleep), to inter-generational trauma (Inheritance), self-deception (the gorgeous ballad Blaring) and crippling shame (the appropriately named Shame) over eight songs, wrapping them all in their hallmark strong melodies and pop hooks.
"It was a lot of my own personal experiences and growing up with a lot of mental illness within my family," says Spoon, whose Canada-wide tour will bring them to Calgary's King Eddy on Sept. 14. "But also, (I belong) to communities that have a higher chance of mental health stuff. So I thought, with my audience, it was a good thing to write about. I see a lot about mental health in marketing campaigns as a buzzword. But I wanted to look into other sides of it."
Mental Health also reflects another chapter in Spoon's sonic evolution. Prior to their 2008 breakthrough, Superioryouareinferior, the singer-songwriter played mostly straight-ahead country and folk. But for the past decade, Spoon's albums have adopted a more nuanced mix of electro and dance-pop, while maintaining the dark pathos of singer-songwriter fare.
To record Mental Health, Spoon returned to the Noise Floor, the same Gabriola Island recording studio where they recorded BodiesofWater. But this time around, they enlisted the help of Vancouver's garage-rock duo Pack A.D. who gave Spoon's songs an added indie-rock jolt.
"I just thought the album could really use their guitar and drum vibe," says Spoon. "It was really fun. I like working with people who are already in bands and used to playing together a lot. A lot of it is still based on electronic drums, keeping the time. But I really wanted the live rock element in it."
Spoon's eclectic output over the years has often offered autobiographical details that address wider issues within the LGBT community. Spoon's trilogy of records that first marked the second phase of their career — 2008's SuperiorYouAreInferior, 2010's Love is a Hunter and 2012's I Can't Keep All of Our Secrets — explored identity, love and belonging in the transgender community. Chelsea McMullan's 2014 musical documentary My Prairie Home and its soundtrack chronicled Spoon's upbringing. While ostensibly fictional, their first book of short stories — 2012's First Spring Grass Fire — followed a queer Calgary protagonist named Rae, whose troubled upbringing under a volatile, ultra-religious patriarch leads to pill-popping, eating disorders and other acts of self-destruction.
While Spoon never intended the songs of Mental Health to be overtly didactic, they do think the songs could be hopeful to people going through similar experiences.
"There's always this kind of cure idea for health things," says Spoon. "I think it's more about the process of just living with issues, maybe a more holistic look at it. So I hope people can find spaces for themselves in the songs, even though it would be from my personal experiences. Maybe they can find hope in the fact that you don't have to be cured to live another day and for people with mental health issues its the same as having physical health issues. So it's about talking about it more and having less stigma about things being recurring. I know it's a life-long thing for a lot of people."
Mental Health is available Friday. Rae Spoon plays the King Eddy on Sept. 14.


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Search Constraints
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1. Geologic Reports: Santa Cruz County, California, 2015
2015. Garcia, Paul and Price, Matt. This point shapefile depicts locations of geologic reports submitted withland use applications for the County of Santa Cruz, California. Engineerin... County of Santa Cruz Information Services Department.


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They were a great hit among my friends, for how cute they are. You can make the same ones too by following my picture tutorial!
Lets get started.
1. Using royal icing, pipe an outline around a round cookie, and flood it immediately with white icing. Let that dry for 24 hours.
2. Pipe the shape of the penguin on the cookie. Let that dry for 24 hours, do not skip the drying part, otherwise the black will bleed into the white icing. Don't fill in the belly yet.
3. After drying for 24 hours or more, fill in the belly of the penguin. Let that dry for 16 hours.
4. Pipe a blue scarf across the penguin's body. Pipe the part of the hat. Let dry for 15 minutes.
5. Pipe the first dangling part of the scarf. Use a toothpick to drag out fringes for the scarf. Pipe the feet. Let dry 6 hours.
6. Pipe the second part of the dangling scarf. Eyes, mouth, and rest of the hat.
7. You're done. Let dry overnight before packaging.


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Just a few of the headlines on the abortion debate from the last few weeks:
- Emily Letts films her abortion and posts the video on YouTube, eliciting both praise and outrage;
- Sarah Silverman calls fetuses "goo" and causes even more outrage;
- Arizona restrictions on abortions remain blocked pending continued legal action;
- Wisconsin judge hearing the case on admitting privileges angers the states "expert"; meanwhile the assistant attorney general's questions angers pro-choice supporters;
- Senator Marco Rubio claims on Sean Hannity's television show that it is a scientific fact that human life begins at conception;
- Philip Bump challenges Rubio's assertion in a Washington Post blog;
- Michael Brendan Dougherty pens an article claiming that liberals are in denial of the science of when human life begins.
I would say that the Abortion issue has once again taken center stage in the culture wars, but it never really left. Unlike homosexual marriage, which seems to be making steady progress towards resolution by a majority of Americans that the freedom to marry of consenting adults is basic civil right, the abortion debate continues to divide a populace who is torn between adjudicating the priority of the basic rights of both mother and "potential" child.
I say "potential" child because herein is where the real debate lies: exactly when does a fertilized human egg, a zygote, become a "person," endowed with certain human if not specifically civil rights?
Dougherty's main point in his article on liberal denial focuses on the "fact" of the beginnings of human life. He claims that liberals tend to make one of two types of arguments where science and human life are concerned: either they take the unresolved legal issue regarding the idea of personhood and transfer it back to the "facts" of biology, concluding that we cannot really know what human life is or when it begins, or they acknowledge the biological fact of the beginning of human life but claim that this has no bearing on how we should think about the legality of abortion.
Both sorts of arguments, he claims, are obscurantist, and fail to actually take into account the full weight of science on the issue.
But the problem, I contend, isn't one of science: it's one of theology—or philosophy for those less religiously inclined.
The problem is not the question of "what" human life is or "when" it begins. Dougherty points out:
After the fusion of sperm and egg, the resulting zygote has unique human DNA from which we can deduce the identity of its biological parents. It begins the process of cell division, and it has a metabolic action that will not end until it dies, whether that is in a few days because it never implants on the uterine wall, or years later in a gruesome fishing accident, or a century later in a hospital room filled with beloved grandchildren.
So basically, human life begins at conception because at that point science can locate a grouping of cells from which it can deduce all sorts of things from its DNA, and this grouping of cells, if everything goes nicely, will result in the birth, life, and ultimate death of a human being.
He even gets close to the heart of the problem when, in arguing against an article by Ryan Cooper, he claims that many people are not fine with the idea that an abortion represents the end of a life, nor are they comfortable with having a category of human life that is not granted the status of "humanity"—and thus not afforded basic human rights.
The problem with all of these discussions is that they dance around the real issue here—the issue not of "human life" and its definition and beginning, but rather the philosophical and often theological question of the human "person."
If we look closely at Dougherty's remarks above, we note two distinct examples of why the generation of human life is a "fact": (1) we can locate DNA that tells us all sorts of things about the parents (and other ancestors) of the fetus and (2) this fetus, if everything works properly, will develop into a human being, or rather, I would argue, a human "person."
For there's the distinction that makes the difference.
After all, analyze any one of my many bodily fluids and a capable technician would be able to locate the exact same information that Mr. Dougherty points out is right there from the first moments of a zygote's existence. But no one claims that any of these bodily fluids or the cells my body regularly casts off are likewise deserving of being labeled "human life," though the sperm in my semen and the cells in my saliva are just as much "alive" as any zygote (believe me, I've looked).
No, the distinction and the difference is in the second example: The development of this zygote into a human person. My sperm, without an egg and the right environment, will never develop into a human being. The cells in my saliva have no chance at all—even with an egg and the right conditions.
So the real force of Doughtery's argument lies in the "potential" of the zygote to develop into what he and anti-abortion folks would claim is already there in the "reality" of a human person.
The debate thus centers on the question of human personhood, what we call theological or philosophical anthropology. For one side, this personhood is the result of a development and is achieved sometime during the embryonic stage (like "viability") or even upon birth. For others, it is there at conception. For some in both camps it would include a "soul." For others it would not.
So the reason that the abortion debate is sui generis or "of its own kind" is because here the issue is not the rights of a minority versus the rights of a majority, as it is in the debate about homosexual marriage, or even the rights of the mother versus the rights of the child. Rather the real debate is about when "human life" is also a human "person" (note this is also informs the debate of whether or not to end the life of someone in a vegetative state).
To this end, Mr. Dougherty is correct: We can and do know what human life is and when it begins. And he is correct that many are uncomfortable with the idea that abortion means the death of a human life. But he fails to recognize that the reason this is the case is that while those on one side regard this "life" as a human person, others do not. Potentially, perhaps, but not a "person" yet. And certainly not one whose "right to life" (if there even is such a thing: nature says otherwise—but that's another blog post) trumps the rights of the mother.
So what does all of this have to do with all babies deserving to die? It's simple: this is what the (necessary?) intrusion of theology into public policy debates entails. Once theological ideas are inserted (and note that I am not arguing that they should or shouldn't be), how do we adjudicate between their competing claims or limit the extent that they go?
For the two great Protestant Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin, representing the two dominant trajectories of traditional Protestant Christianity, humans are, by nature, sinful. We are conceived in sin and born into sin, and this "Original Sin" is only removed in Baptism (here the Roman Catholic Church would agree). Furthermore, we are prone to keep sinning due to the concupiscence of our sinful nature (here is where the Roman Church would disagree). The point is that, for Protestants, all people are not only sinful, but are also deserving of the one chief effect of sin: Death.
Calvin was most explicit in Book 2, Chapter 1 of his famous Institutes:
Even babies bring their condemnation with them from their mother's wombs: they suffer for their own imperfections and no one else's. Although they have not yet produced the fruits of sin, they have the seed within. Their whole nature is like a seedbed of sin and so must be hateful and repugnant to God.
Since babies, like all of us, are sinful in their very nature, and since they will necessarily continually bear the fruits of those sins (anyone who's ever tried to calm a screaming infant can attest to this), and since the wages of those sins is death, then it's not a far-fetched theological conclusion that all babies deserve to die. And remember: "they suffer for their own imperfections."
But they don't just deserve to die—they deserve to go to hell as well (but that's also another blog post). And this, not from the fringes of some degenerate religious thinker, but from the theology of one of Protestant Christianity's most influential thinkers.
Of course, it should be noted that Calvin does not imply that we should kill babies, or even that their death at human hands would be morally justifiable: thought he does argue (and here all Christian theology would agree) that their death at the hand of God is not just morally justifiable, it is also deserved. It should also be noted that the Roman Catholic theology behind the idea that children cannot sin until they reach the age of reason is predicated on the notion that this is only the case once their Original Sin has been removed in Baptism (So Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu kids would be sinful, unlike their Christian counterparts).
Again, this is not to argue that philosophical and theological principles should not be employed in the abortion debate, or in any debate over public policy. Only that (1) this is what is occurring when pro-choice and anti-abortion folks debate abortion and (2) it is fraught with complexities and difficulties that few on either side seem to recognize.
And contrary to Mr.Dougherty, this is beyond the realm of science, which at best tells us only about states of nature.
But the only way we have a "prayer" of real sustained dialogue—as opposed to debates that ignore our competing fundamental positions—is to take seriously the philosophical and theological issues that frame the question (even if my own example is less than serious).
But I'm not holding my breath. I would most certainly die if I did.


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ALPHACAM Automation Quiz 202
Please complete the questions below.
When you have finished, press the submit button to send your answers.
A copy of your Quiz will be emailed to you.
Select the [Submit] button above to complete the process.
Many thanks for completing the Quiz your copy will be emailed to you.


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Acoustic Gear
Andrew White Guitars
Gypsy Jazz-E
West Virginia acoustic builder Andrew White Guitars brought a whole line of impressive guitars to NAMM. His all-solid import flattops were impressive at less than $1,200, but the Gypsy Jazz-E shown here was what had heads turning the most. It features a solid Italian spruce top, solid curly walnut back and sides, a 1-piece mahogany bolt-on neck, and a fretboard and bridge made of ebony.
Orpheum Orchestra
Master luthier Ren Ferguson (who previously helped restore Gibson's acoustic brand to greatness) is now building for Guild, and his latest creations are part of the new Orpheum series. They feature looks and appointments more typical of guitars from 20 years before the company's 1953 debut, including Adirondack tops and bracing, hide-glue construction, and stunning golden-age-of-American-flattops styling. The line includes some very un-Guild-like shapes, including a slope-shoulder dread, as well as this Orchestra with Adirondack red spruce and rosewood.
Cole Clark
Angel 1AC and 2A3
Aussie acoustic builder Cole Clark brought the new Angel 1AC (left) and 2A3 to Anaheim. The 1AC features the company's original Dual Input pickup with bass, mid, treble, blend, and volume sliders, and a lovely sunburst or black finish. The 2A3 (right) is the first Angel without a cutaway, and it also features Clark's new 3-way pickup system—which incorporates a small condenser mic that's shelved at 1.25 kHz to eradicate feedback problems while serving up an airy, natural sound.
L.R. Baggs
Lyric Mic System
The Lyric acoustic microphone system impressed us with its unobtrusive design and absolutely blew us away with its super-organic tones and feedback resistance. It features TRU•MIC noise-cancelling technology, analog signal conditioning, a discrete mic preamp, and presence and volume controls.
Paul Brady
Renowned Irish luthier George Lowden brought the redesigned Paul Brady signature model to NAMM. Because Brady is now using an external mic during live performance, he wanted Lowden to build him a model that would project a little more powerfully. To that end, the new signature model uses figured bubinga back and sides matched to a red cedar top.
Unlike the original all-mahogany Martin 000-17, the new-for-2013 000-17SM has a spruce top as well as a 12-fret neck and slotted headstock—making this a sweet amalgam of classic Martin elements and a silky smooth fingerstyle machine.
Available in both 12- and 14-fret versions, RainSong's new Parlor model uses the company's Projection Tuned Layering and is all but bulletproof. This little beauty is stage ready, too, with its Fishman Acoustic Amplification Prefix electronics and built-in tuner.
Grand Orchestra
Taylor's latest series comes in a multitude of tonewood combinations that were knocking out folks right and left with beautiful aesthetics, trademark crystalline responsiveness, and the same silky playability the company is renowned for. The Grand Orchestra shown here features spruce and mahogany and Expression System electronics.


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HONOLULU, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- A bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii cleared a state Senate committee and moved to the full Senate for a vote.
The Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee approved the bill following nearly 12 hours of testimony Monday during which more than 400 people addressed lawmakers, Hawaii News Now reported.
The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday. If it passes, it will go to the House, where a joint hearing before the Judiciary and Finance committees is scheduled Thursday.
The Senate legislation would recognize marriages between persons of the same gender and would extend to same-sex couples the rights, benefits, protections and responsibilities that opposite-sex couples now have.
"This measure represents the committee's best effort to balance the interests of supporters and opponents of this issue," said state Sen. Clayton Hee, chairman of the Judiciary and Labor Committee. "The Senate's bill preserves religious freedoms and ensures that the rights of all Americans are preserved as enshrined in the United States and Hawaii Constitutions."
During his testimony, Gov. Neil Abercrombie praised Senate leadership for drafting a proposal he said struck a balance between equal rights and religious freedom.
"Our whole focus has been on trying to accommodate the First Amendment here with respect to people's religious rights and that's been done in good faith," the governor said.
Advocates and opponents were given two minutes to present their positions, Hawaii News Now said.
"I believe we should kill this bill ... and offer the people of Hawaii an opportunity to vote," one person testified.
"I humbly, humbly ask you to stand up for marriage equality today," another witness told the committee.


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ASRP evaluation process for research applications
- Each chair (from the Biomedical and Quality of Life Peer Review Panels) will recommend reviewers based on their area(s) of expertise. Members will serve for a term of three years
- Applications are assigned to either the Quality of Life or Biomedical Panel based on the stream selected by the applicant
- A primary reviewer and secondary reviewer are then assigned to each application based on their area of expertise. In the event that additional expertise is required, an external reviewer will be contacted to provide an additional review
- In instances where conflict of interest is declared, applications are reassigned to a different reviewer
Each reviewer evaluates assigned applications by providing:
- A summary of the proposal and an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in relation to ASRP criteria
- Comments on budget and comments on any matters that are flagged due to conflict with governing policies, or for other reasons
- A score between 0 and 4.9, where ratings of 3.5 or higher are considered to be within the fundable range
|May be funded, will be discussed by the Peer Review Panel
|Very good
|Acceptable, but low priority
|Not fundable, may or may not be discussed by the Peer Review Panel
|Needs revision
|Needs major revision
|Seriously flawed
Each reviewer evaluates assigned applications:
- During this face-to-face meeting, individuals who are in conflict with the application being discussed leave the room
- Assigned reviewers announce their scores. Those applications that receive scores of less than 3.5 by both reviewers are eliminated at the discretion of the panel. Assessments are then presented by each reviewer, and where relevant, reviews from external reviewers are read by the Chair. The Chair then leads a discussion with the committee, and seeks a consensus score from the assigned reviewers
- All committee members then submit a confidential score for the application within +/- 0.5 of the average score of the two assigned reviewers and the average of the total scores is the final rating that will be assigned to the application
- Budget and term of funding are then discussed
- Notes are taken to record discussion of each application
Each reviewer evaluates assigned applications:
- The approved budget for the annual research competition is allocated to each application deemed fundable based on the assigned scores. Funding is applied from the top of the ranking list until expended
- The RPC makes a recommendation to the Board of Directors that the final list be funded. The Board of Directors then provides final approval
- Applicants are notified of the status of their applications by email. A list of successful grants and awards is posted on the ASC website


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13 Aug, 2011
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Marijuana won't be legalized just because every other American smokes or eats it in some form. Think brownies, cookies, candy or cake.
Despite a record-high 50 percent of Americans saying they use marijuana and it should be made legal, it's still illegal.
Thea fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans are for legalization means absolutely nothing. The federal government, with its Orwellian logic, is unfazed by what Americans really want.
For those who don't know why marijuana is illegal in this country, it's because of politics and outright lies by a crazed anti-pot crusader named Harry J. Anslinger.
Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical and government hearings. Not even close. Banning pot was a political thing.
The first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate. Those who voted then got one side of the story based upon racism, fear, protection of corporate profits and yellow journalism inspired by Anslinger.
We can thank incompetent and/or corrupt legislators interested in personal career advancement and greed for the continued war on marijuana. Despite the medical findings associated with marijuana, it still hasn't been legalized nationwide.
Anslinger's propaganda still pulls weight among many legislators.
Politicians like to appear tough on crime and pass tougher penalties for marijuana possession.
The taxpayers end up funding the pot propaganda while their speech on the subject is stifled by the corporate media.
Laws are passed based upon political contributions from corporations that profit from marijuana being illegal, like pharmaceuticals and alcohol.
So what makes me think that marijuana will be legal in America some day? I've written on this subject for two decades, and I've always made it a point to show why Big Pharma doesn't want marijuana legal.
Well, guess what? Big Pharma has taken a new course (perhaps they planned it this way all along) and is seriously eyeing the profitability of the medical marijuana market. It's already using lobbyists and government connections to ensure control. That means legalization at some point.
Last April, two drug manufacturing giants, G.W. Pharmaceuticals (a worldwide corporation based in the U.K. with offices in the U.S.) and Novartis (a worldwide corporation headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with offices in the U.S.), announced they had formed an alliance to license and market GW's Sativex, a liquid cannabis drug.
The American Independent recently observed, "… the pharmaceutical giants' strategy as regards marijuana seems to be to 'demonize it, prosecute it, shut it down, then grab the market.'"
The idea that a drug can be denounced as evil in one context but hailed as a medical miracle if sold within the pharmaceutical system is nothing new. Big Pharma's magic cure pills for ADHD bear a suspicious chemical resemblance to speed.
Cannabis Science Inc., a U.S. biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, recently reported that two former U.S. attorneys and the former head of Seattle FBI are in favor of Washington State Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana.
So you see we are moving towards legalization. Not because you or I want it, but because Big Pharma has finally decided the time is here to profitably exploit marijuana.
Look to the media this year for more reports like Cannabis Science's (or other corporations) backing marijuana legalization in other states.
Big Pharma won't be the only corporate giant cashing in on legal cannabis crops. The retail and food industry will probably step in with their deep pockets, providing unfair competition to small-time growers.
The dot-com industry was once the fastest way to get rich, but I suspect the future holds a new crop of instant millionaire CEOs when marijuana is legalized. It won't be because the American people have finally convinced legislators to do the right thing. That only happens in the movies.
As It Stands, despite the real possibility of monopolies when marijuana becomes legal, there are at least two upsides. The Feds' expensive and losing war on marijuana will end, and it'll cripple the Mexican cartels' lucrative marijuana trade in the U.S.
News Hawk – 420 Warrior 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Times-Standard
Author: Dave Stancliff
Contact: Contact Us – Times-Standard Online
Copyright: Copyright © 2012 – Times-Standard
Website: www.times-standard.com


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| 4.6°C Belfast
A gang which hijacked mobile phones to defraud Vodafone customers of £2.8 million by making calls to premium rate numbers have been jailed.
The four men obtained customer details from data management firms and then linked mobile numbers to SIM cards in their possession by posing as legitimate account holders.
They then used the cards to repeatedly make calls to premium rate lines they had purchased, with connection charges of around £2.50 each time.
Around 1,500 accounts were hijacked, costing Vodafone in excess of £1 million.
One victim received a bill for £80,000 and thought she would have to sell her home to repay it, Blackfriars Crown Court in south London heard.
The gang was given a total of 11 years and five months in prison for conspiracy to defraud.
Kaleem Hussain, 30, from Maynard Road in Rotherham, was jailed for 38 months after pleading guilty for his role in the scam.
Nadeem Ali, 26, from Clifton Lane in Rotherham, got 21 months, Waseem Rashid, 26, also from Clifton Lane, got 30 months and Imran Rasab, 35, from Hooton Road in Mexborough, south Yorks, received a four year sentence for his role after being found guilty
Passing sentence, judge Henry Blacksell QC said their plot had the appearance of being "cavalier and sophisticated".
He said: "The billed losses to the respective customers amounted to some £2.8 million, but as anyone who understands the fraud knows, the losses suffered by the providers in this case amount to somewhere in excess of £1 million.
"Quite rightly, society is nervous and concerned about the way personal information, which is a necessary aspect of a lot of our modern living, is distributed and may be used by fraudsters.
"That is the category that you fall into.
"It is understandable that people are very sensitive about that and the courts must reflect it when people like you are brought before them.
"Huge amounts of personal details were secured and then misused for you and your co-conspirators' advantage.
"It isn't a victimless crime - it caused individual customers huge distress and concern at the bills that were being run up on their account."
The judge said the men had behaved in an "outrageous" way and shown no remorse for their wrongdoing.
Hussain, who was the only defendant who pleaded guilty before the case went to trial, played a "prominent part" and recruited the others, the court heard.
"I have absolutely no doubt that at this time you were completely out of control in the sense that you were pleasuring yourself through this fraud with the acquisition of fast cars and trips abroad," the judge said.
Addressing Rasab, the judge described him as "thoroughly dishonest" and a "major organiser" in the scam.
He added that he could not reduce the defendant's sentence because he had already served a prison sentence for assault occasioning ABH in 1997.
Rashid and Ali were said to have played a back up role and were involved in trips to Pakistan, France and Holland during which Hussain had hijacked phones.
Prosecutor Michael Brompton QC explained that the fraudsters had obtained the lists of mobile phone subscribers from marketing companies.
They would then call Vodafone customer services pretending to be the true subscriber and request the transfer of the account to a new SIM in their possession.
"Having thus obtained control of the account, they were able to make calls at the expense of the true subscriber," Mr Brompton said.
"In particular calls were made to premium rate lines, the use and benefit of which had been obtained by the fraudsters.
"Most calls were to foreign destinations and indeed some were made from abroad. The cost of the calls was charged to the true customer.
"In many cases the sum involved was no more than a few hundred pounds.
"But sometimes it was several thousands and occasionally far more than that.
"The receipt of the bill was usually the first the customer knew of the fact the hijack had taken place rather than an innocent interruption service.
"The most extreme example was that of Mrs Linda Priest, who was billed for some £80,000.
All four men smiled at their relatives in the public gallery when they were taken down.
Afterwards, the judge said he would be recommending lead officer Detective Constable Mark Wootton should be commended for his work.
Speaking outside court, Dc Wootton said that the offences were "definitely not victimless".
"Ultimately Vodafone have lost significant sums because of what they had to pay out," he said.
"But normal, everyday members of the public, me, you, have been targeted, they've had their personal details used, which is concerning for most people.
"Then they lost service with their mobile phones for a significant time and they received massive bills through the post, some of which were £80,000 to £90.000.
"The problem is that when they try to reconnect their line, they are sometimes not believed because the security settings have been changed by the offender and so there's not much that Vodafone or other companies can do to stop it from taking place.
"If you know all the answers to the questions, you can get into the house."


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| 9.8°C Belfast
The suicide of a violinist days after she gave evidence about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of an ex-choirmaster "could and should" have been prevented, a serious case review has found.
Frances Andrade, 48, killed herself at her home in Guildford, Surrey, a week after testifying against "predatory sex offender" Michael Brewer.
Brewer, who taught at the prestigious Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, was jailed for six years at Manchester Crown Court last year.
He was stripped of his OBE awarded for services to music after being convicted of five counts of indecently assaulting Mrs Andrade when she was 14 and 15.
His ex-wife, Hilary Kay Brewer, was jailed for 21 months after she was convicted at the same trial of indecently assaulting Mrs Andrade when she was 18.
A serious case review said Mrs Andrade, referred to as Mrs A, was "let down" by mental health services who failed to realise how vulnerable she was as she fought for justice.
Proper care measures and adequate risk assessments were not put in place as she made increasingly serious suicide bids, the report noted.
Its authors called for criminal justice professionals to improve the support offered to sex abuse survivors and recognise their "vulnerability" when facing their abusers in court.
Mental health services should increase their alertness to the fall-out of sexual exploitation and the risks of suicide and self-harm, the report by Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board added.
The review also said the media had a role to play, saying that journalists, broadcasters and editors "should be mindful of the way a person's mental health and their credibility are discussed throughout court proceedings".
Part of the 87-page report said: "The panel considered that this was a suicide that could and should have been prevented.
"Mrs A had reasons to live and she continued to ask for help throughout this period. We therefore invite all the agencies concerned to take real and concrete steps towards improving their practice."
The serious case review said that music schools, along with other "hothousing establishments", create a "backdrop" of "very particular and potent form of grooming".
The report's panel said "boundaries were blurred" and some staff appeared to act at times "with impunity".
Teachers were placed in an "exclusive and powerful" position over their proteges amid an atmosphere of elite performance, it went on.
The trial heard that the abuse took place in Brewer's office and in his camper van, which he used to drive Mrs Andrade out of the school grounds and get her to perform oral sex on him.
He was cleared of raping her when she was 18 at his then home in Chorlton, Manchester.
Sentencing him, Judge Martin Rudland labelled Brewer "a predatory sex offender" and said he used his powerful position to select and groom his victims.
Brewer also targeted a 17-year-old student at Chetham's whom he fondled in his office and admitted in court that he fell in love with at the age of 49, while another 17-year-old girl was said to have been pinned up against a wall during a school trip and sexually propositioned.
Brewer resigned as music director at Chetham's at about the same time he was awarded his OBE after the affair with the girl he fondled in his office was uncovered.
But the affair was hushed up, his trial heard, and Brewer went on to become the artistic director of the National Youth Choirs of Britain, to direct the World Youth Choir, serve as an adjudicator in international competitions and lead BBC workshops for the programme Last Choir Standing in 2008.
The abuse Mrs Andrade suffered only surfaced decades later when she confided to a friend at a dinner party in 2011.
Alarmed that Brewer was still teaching and had access to other aspiring musicians at a national level, she contacted Surrey Police.
It led to an investigation by Greater Manchester Police whose catchment area the crimes took place and where the abusers continued to live.
Mrs Andrade was at risk of causing herself harm by recalling the abusive experiences she suffered in court, the report said.
But she was concerned that, if her mental ill-health became common knowledge, her credibility in front of the jury would be undermined.
"She therefore seems to have made a principled decision to put her own well-being on hold in order to underline the clarity and, she hoped, the effectiveness of her evidence," it said.
The report added that court officials should pay more attention to victims' mental welfare and ability to make decisions about what special measures to accept.
And following publication of the report, Victim Support said an inquiry should be held into how the criminal justice system treats victims with mental health issues.
Surrey Police said they accepted that "more must be done" to recognise the needs of vulnerable people in historic child abuse cases.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said the force has since Mrs Andrade's case issued further guidance on pre-trial therapy and support.
He said: "In line with the national recommendations of the serious case review, we are also working to scope additional training for officers to help in the assessment of mental trauma."
Detective Chief Superintendent Vanessa Jardine, head of Greater Manchester Police's public protection division, said it was tragic that Mrs Andrade was unable to see justice served.
She said the force will be reviewing its policy relating to inquiries of rape and serious sex offences to make sure "the best possible standard of care" for every victim.
The NSPCC said there was an urgent need to reform how vulnerable people are treated in court.
Its head of public affairs, Alan Wardle, said victims have spoken of cross-examination in court being almost as bad as the original abuse.
He said: "We know of victims who were cross-examined by eight different barristers for days on end, others who were called liars or asked to relive horrific details of their life that were not relevant to the trial.
"This is not worthy of our world-renowned justice system and a change is a must."
Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove, whose husband Garry was killed by a gang vandalising his car, said that "mental health should never be a barrier to justice".
She said: "The tragic death of Frances has shown how crucial it is for all involved to truly understand and work together to protect vulnerable victims as soon as they enter the criminal justice system."


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Loyola at a Glance Faculty/Staff Newsletter
August 26, 2011 Issue
Alumnus appointed city attorney
Bryan Haggerty 80, M.B.A. 90, J.D. 99, was appointed city attorney for Slidell, La. Haggerty has been a practicing attorney in Slidell since 1995.
Loyola researcher reveals threat of Chagas disease in New Orleans through kissing bugs
Recent research conducted by Loyola University New Orleans biology professor Patricia Dorn, Ph.D., shows that more than 60 percent of the triatomine bugs, or kissing bugs as they are more commonly known, found in the New Orleans area are infected with the Chagas parasite.
Class of 2015 goes 'Into the Streets' of New Orleans for service projects
Members of the Loyola University New Orleans community braved the New Orleans heat and humidity and went Into the Streets on Thursday for a day of service within the greater New Orleans community.
Professor Burns offers top ten tips for success in college
As Loyola welcomes the Class of 2015 to campus this week, political science professor Peter Burns, Ph.D., offers some advice for making the grade in college.
Law alumna elected to national chair position
Dawn Tezino Jones, J.D. 01, of Kingwood, Texas, a shareholder with MehaffyWeber, was elected chair of the National Bar Association Commercial Law Section and chair of the 25th Annual Corporate Counsel Conference to be held in February 2012.
Student Affairs VP elected president-elect of JASPA
M.L. Cissy Petty, Ph.D., vice president for Student Affairs at Loyola University New Orleans, has been elected as the president-elect of the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Albanian art exhibit launches 2011 Montage season
The first exhibit of the 2011-12 Montage Fine and Performing Arts Series, Ekspozitë Fjala Exhibition, will feature works created by students and faculty from the Academy of Arts in Tirana, Albania.
Decades of Wolf memories go online
Want to take a trip down memory lane of your college days at Loyola University New Orleans, but cant find your old edition of The Wolf yearbook? No worries. Pictures that you havent seen in years are just a click away.
Loyola leads the charge in sustainability initiatives
Loyola University New Orleans is not just a supporter of green energy initiatives, it is leading the pack as evidenced by its installation of two electric vehicle charging stations on campus.
Loyola Institute for Ministry offers online information session
The Loyola Institute for Ministry will present an online information session on Sept. 13, Oct. 11 and Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. C.D.T. The virtual open house will provide information on Loyolas online graduate program in religious education and pastoral studies.
Author Stephen Rea leads fall Writing Institute
The Walker Percy Center for Writing and Publishing at Loyola University New Orleans presents its fall 2011 Writing Institute, hosted by author Stephen Rea.
Mass of the Holy Spirit helps celebrate start of school year
Loyola University New Orleans annual Mass of the Holy Spirit is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15, in Holy Name of Jesus Church.
Boggs Center director invited to serve on Workforce Investment Board
Petrice Sams-Abiodun, Ph.D., executive director of the Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy, has been invited by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to serve on the Orleans Parish Workforce Investment Board.
Loyola at a Glance is written and distributed for the faculty, staff, and friends of Loyola University New Orleans. It is published by the Office of Public Affairs, Greenville Hall, Box 909, 7214 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118. (504) 861-5888.
Information to be included in Loyola at a Glance must be received 2-3 weeks in advance of the publication date. Send items to Loyola at a Glance, Box 909.


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IYHA Board Meeting
March 17, 2005
Members present: Jeanne Falconer, Randy Bortot, Cheryl Mason, Renae Olesen, Brian Johnson, Dan Marcoulier, Pat O'Connor, Chris Tahti, John Donovan
Guests: Vance Feigel, Dawn Stimmler, Mark Mohar, Al Morelli, Jim Cich
Called to order by BD 6:35
Review of agenda and minutes moved to the end of the meeting.
Dawn Stimmler: Re Thanksgiving Tournament.
Dawn reviewed the history of the tournament. Vance clarified history, he and others started the tournament. Tournament is run by the Association, not by any autonomous committee. Irondale and Mounds View are suppose to split work and profits 50/50. Irondale is not doing its share of the work. There is a meeting coming up later this month to define the duties of each Association – meeting with tournament directors from each association. Costs have gone up. Need to review how we hold volunteers accountable to do their hours.
IYHA is a 501-3C. Tournament was designed to use up ice hours and to make a profit. This was a replacement for the various fundraisers that we had in the past.
Many thanks to Vance for the history. Thanks to Dawn for the presentation.
Recommendation: This Board to sit down with Mounds View Board to discuss issues. Brian Johnson as Vice President needs to be involved.
8:30 a.m. meetings are not appropriate. They need to occur at a time that people can participate in the meetings.
Will have list of what Irondale will do and what Mounds View will do. Will move forward with these outlined responsibilities—making it a 50/50 split of work.
Brian will set a meeting with Dean Klokkner of Mounds View. Renae Oleson and Dawn Stimmler are part of the Touranment Committee.
Rink Advisory Task Force:
Names have been given to Tadd Toumie.
Mounds View: Brad has not yet contacted Mounds View to talk about what they were interested in, in reference to merging…
New Business:
President: Brad DeKanick. Has contacted Chris, Dan and Cheryl to meet on Tuesday to talk about the ACE Coordinator evaluation. Meeting is pending.
Vice President: Brian Johnson
Will put in application for equipment loaner program—Minnesota Wild, Xcel Energy Center and 10,000 Rinks Foundation. Also asking for families to send equipment to Brian. Wants to get it started. Spread the word. Any good usable stuff, give to Brian. May eventually give responsibility to Equipment Coordinator.
Treasurer: Requested that all teams turn things in by 3/31/05. $62,500 in rebates this year—a little high, gave the teams the advantage. Don't expect this next year. Still need to pay mileage and ice for February. We have a $42 credit with Twin Cities District.
Director's Insurance: Policy is good from January 1st through December 31st of every year. Will need a copy of our policy. We are covered. Supposed to be a $15 fee per team. Mounds View and Irondale are back together again.
There is a meeting about Columbia on March 21st.
Check for $788 from Sports Star Photography. Also will receive checks from Cloquet ….
Lake Region: Jeanne Falconer. Sites are going well. We can look for donations that are in the community. Lake Region Hockey is going to work with Ramsey County to get the name off of the contract.
Registration—working on a different formula for giving monies to teams at start up. Will look at a system of having "non-refundable" warm up money.
Thank you letter to Lake Region letter distributed for signature.
Irondale opened the account for the Tournament, and was meant only for the Super Rink Tournament. Why is there only one person that is the signer—and a Mounds View person.
Lake Region is probably going to approach the two Boards. They may ask that the money be run through them, then they could show there is more fundraiser. Having two treasurers and two signers is a way to support 50/50 division of work. Treasurer and Secretary are supposed to be signers on all IYHA accounts. They will follow through in doing the account signing.
Secretary: Niki Gjere.
Newsletter deadline is April 2nd. Will do the pictures (with okay from Brian). Will choose a different site for meeting for general meeting and elections. Will ask Pete Carlson to present information about Super Rink.
Working on registration times for the 2005-2006 season. Will have them in different
TC District:
Bantams are going to start later next year. There were problems this year because tryouts were not done.
New District Director is getting feet under him. Going to look harder at waivers. Also, if an Association
Linda Opperman, Jeff Opperman, Steve Stimmler, Gordy Druvenga, Chris Tahti as volunteers for 12U State Tournament.
TC District donated to donate $1800 ($200) per association for the HEP program.
Next month is the TC Annual meeting—will elect a new President and __Secretary______.
Looking hard for a new District Coaching Chief.
Issue with the Bantams—co-op the Association and have 4 A Teams. Other players would be returned to Association to play at B level. District is getting concerned because the A Teams are getting pounded. Will work with Boys Coordinator (outgoing and incoming), Bantam coaches, Board members, and parents. If they did that and went down to the 4 Bantam teams, then who would we play? Not sure—Tom is asking for clarification. Thinks it may be VFW Team. For the co-op, it sounds as though the Associations may be linked together—for example Edison, Irondale, and ___Southwest. Those kids would try out, would choose A team. They would negotiate team colors, banner, costs, etc. Needs to have pros and cons for the April meeting. Tom has also asked the Boys High School Hockey coach for feedback.
Redistricting will come up again in the future. It has quieted down somewhat. However it is going to be raised again.
Cindy Lammi is a finalist for the Red Baron hockey mom of the year.
Sunday doing a U10A practice—having fun. 10Bs were having fun! And the Ponies were having fun—stands were full—lots of great fun! That is what it is all about!
Ice Commissioner: Renae Oleson
Talked with Peter Rupert from Mounds View. Has contacted VMIA, Super Rink, they will be giving information about ice soon. Will ask about Edison ice. Will be taking class from MaxSolutions and pay for the updated program.
Initiation Coordinator: Cheryl Mason.
Wrapping up. Will probably pay in to the Association more than we owed. Starting planning for next year—coaches and ice needs. 16 Mite 1s skated in the Little Chippers during the Class A High School 3rd place game.
Girls Coordinator: Chris Tahti
Will be meeting with the coaches to review how the year went.
Boys Coordinator: Dan Marcouiller.
Last month the Coordinators met about Ice.
Also, since last meeting the A Squirt coach had given feedback the next day (after the Board meeting).
Equipment Manager: Randy Bortot.
6 teams have turned in jersey.
ACE Coordinator: John Donovan.
Year end invoices distributed to the Coordinators. Broke down to $53.82 per hour for the hours put in.
Thanks to the Coordinators and the coaches—have done a super job. The coaches have
Additional Business: None.
Motion to adjourn the meeting (NG) (TW), motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
New Privacy Policy


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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) review
"COD4 is epic in scope and short on time, but brevity can be a powerful tool in capable hands. Over the course of two days, I stormed terrorist bunkers, marched a tank through city streets, and held an entire militia at bay. I was exhausted, and yet, so moved by the climax that I immediately began the battle again."
Staff review by Brian Rowe (December 11, 2007)
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The Pickwick 12lt is an update to our versatile canvas roll-top backpack whose design complements the ease that epitomises a urban journey by bicycle. Made from water-resistant cotton and genuine Brooks leather trim, the Pickwick has been designed by André Klauser in London and is manufactured in the hills of Tuscany by Italian artisans. The backpack features an internal 13" laptop sleeve and one secret pocket hidden on the back of the bag.
The pockets and roll-top system close toward your back, maintaining a sleek appearance while keeping your belongings safe.
Worldwide: 200 NOK (approx. 24 USD).
Europe: 150 NOK (approx. 16 EUR).
We handle all taxes and duties for you, no surprises! This service is included in the shipping price.
Norway: Calculated at checkout.
Dapper Oslo ships internationally with DHL Express and in Norway with Bring. We do our best to ship as quickly as possible and your order is usually sent from our store the same day. Your package will be fully trackable and delivered within 1-3 days after being sent from us.
To return an item, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com
We strongly advise you to check items thoroughly upon receipt before removing any attached tags, or disposing of any original packaging. Please notify us immediately by email if you receive any item which is defective, damaged or missing original tags/packaging.
If you wish to return an item, you can either ship it back to us with the carrier of your choice, or contact us to purchase a DHL return label for 150 NOK. We recommend that you return any items with a trackable shipping method as we cannot be responsible for untracked returns not arriving.


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The Highland Triangle Shawl is finally appearing to increase in size. Have you ever worked on something for a LOOOOONNGGG time and not seen it increase in size? Finally, I looked at it today, and said, "It looks bigger!" If all my tinked rows had actually been knit rows, I would probably have been done by now. I'm habitually counting each row now to make sure it is right. This doesn't keep me from making mistakes, but at least I catch them pretty early.
The texture is kind of interesting, and here is a close-up:
I found a couple of interesting blog entries today:
- This one in Mason Dixon Knitting from Kay, who says, "That's knitting; it's not for the stupid. It requires a constant, graceful kind of intelligence." I love that -- a constant, graceful kind of intelligence.
- Here's an interesting essay from Naive Knitting about "Why we choose the projects that we do."


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The exclusive IT Governance range of training courses offer a structured learning path from Foundation to Advanced level in the key topics of Information Security, Business Continuity, IT governance and Service Management.
Each course is designed to build the relevant skills to enable delegates to deliver best practice and compliance to their respective organisation and obtain an industry recognised certification.
IT Governance Learning Paths and their respective training courses are best viewed in the following diagram.
ISO/IEC 27001:2005 is the best practice specification that helps businesses and organisations throughout the world develop an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Knowledge and experience in implementing and maintaining ISO27001 compliance are considered to be essential to building a successful career in information security.
ISO22301:2012 is the international standard for business continuity within organisations and defines best practice for developing and implementing a robust business continuity plan. The concept that an organisation's systems and processes should be resilient against outside attack or natural disaster is also a key principle underpinning the implementation of the ISO27001 standard.
COBIT is an internationally-accepted best practice frameworks for IT governance and control in successful organisations. Our COBIT 5 learning pathway supports the growing need in the UK for skilled and certified COBIT professionals by enabling individuals to obtain the ISACA® qualifications at Foundation, Implementation and Assessor levels.
The Implementing IT Governance - Foundations and Principles training course provides a broader overview of this business critical subject, covering a wider range of governance frameworks and how to apply them appropriately within an organisation.
ISO/IEC 20000 is the first international standard for IT service management and defines the best practice for the delivery of managed services to meet the needs of an organisation and its customers.
Originally developed to reflect best practice guidance contained within the ITIL® framework, ISO20000 equally supports other IT Service Management frameworks including Microsoft Operations Framework and COBIT.
There is an increasing requirement for organisations to ensure the security and confidentially of the personal information of their key stakeholders.
While these requirements are key in the implementation of the ISO27001 standard, organisations will also need to comply with other data standards to fulfil their legal and regulatory obligations. These include compliance to the UK Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS v2.0).
Training courses designed to help you comply with these data standards include:
ISC2 and ISACA awarded certifications are globally accepted with the CISA, CISM, CRISC, CGEIT and CISSP qualifications already recognised as the 'must have' requirements for a career in information security, audit, risk management and IT governance management.
With over 150,000 qualified professionals worldwide, ISC² and ISACA certification demonstrates proven experience and is the key to a higher earning potential in the future.
The IT Governance ISC² and ISACA Examination Preparation Courses include the following:
You can easily book your training course online, or alternatively you can contact our sales team on 00 800 48 484 484 to discuss your requirements.


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Though the theatrical release of Toy Story 3 was touted as the likely last time we'd see the Toy Story characters on the screen, the folks at Pixar quickly realized that they missed the characters too much to say goodbye forever. The first Toy Story Toon (ie. A Pixar short featuring Toy Story characters) premiered with last year's Cars 2, while another short—titled Small Fry—premiered with The Muppets. However, it appears that the Toy Story characters aren't destined to live in 2-minute films forever as it was recently revealed that Pixar plans to unveil two 22-minute Toy Story TV specials in 2013 and 2014. Hit the jump for more.
The folks over at Big Screen Animation came across this bit of info by way of a book industry e-catalogue from Disney Publishing Worldwide. The info reads as follows:
Two 22-minute TV specials are in the works for October 2013 and Spring 2014.
Though it's not specified, I'm assuming the specials will air on ABC or the Disney Channel. I liked both previous Toy Story Toons quite a bit (especially Hawaiian Vacation), but the frenetic pace required for a 3-minute short film always seemed an odd fit for the Toy Story characters. It's encouraging to know that we've got a couple of Toy Story stories on the way that will hopefully have time for some of the quieter moments that made the Toy Story series so special. Though late 2013 and early 2014 are quite a ways off, we've got two Pixar features to appease us in the meantime: this month's Brave and Monsters University in June of 2013. Watch a clip from the Hawaiian Vacation short below.


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Become a Student Ambassador
The Student Ambassador Program allows students the opportunity to participate in various public relations, recruitment of future students, and represent the college in various functions such as new student orientations, campus tours, schools visits, speaking appointments, community outreach service, and other leadership events.
In other words, Student Ambassadors take great pride in Bristol and strive to display a spirit of excellence in all that we do.
Student Ambassadors play a key role in a variety of campus activities, including:
- New Student Orientation program: Campus Connections
- Prospective Student Recruiting programs
- Off Campus Recruitment and Community Events
- Campus Tours
- Various Communities projects
Do you enjoy helping others? Did you take a campus visit that changed your views on a school? Would you like to give back to your College? Want to be a part of a fun and active student group?
If you identify with these questions, you should consider becoming a Student Ambassador, one of the most prestigious student groups on campus. By leading campus tours, participating in student panels and corresponding with potential students, you can help future students with important college decisions. Ambassadors range in age, majors and come from all over the region, but all have the same vision: to change the world, one learner at the time.
How to Apply
Contact Michael Fox, Assistant Director of Student & Family Engagement, for your chance to join the Student Ambassador program. Email Michael at: firstname.lastname@example.com
- Visit local schools
- Meet with interested students
- Attend Parent Advisory Meetings
- Be familiar with campus resources
- Provide timely information about Bristol
- Assist with Alumni Programs
- Get students excited to come to Bristol
- Provide help to students applying to Bristol
- Provide peer advising services to high school students
- Assist in the recruitment of future ambassadors
To be eligible to participate in the Student Ambassador program, students must:
- Maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA
- Attend required training sessions
- Participate in at least four of the following each term: events, tours, and off campus community outreach visits.
Through the planning and production of these activities, Student Ambassadors will have the opportunity to develop a wide range of professional skills, such as team leadership, marketing, communications, and event management. In addition, they will be eligible for:
- Leadership Training and Professional Development
- A Student Ambassador shirt, lanyard, and wind-breakers other free bees
- Networking opportunities with Bristol faculty and administrators
- A Certificate of Service signed by the Registrar and Bristol President at Graduation
- A reference letter outlining their contribution to the program


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Jonathan saw a chance to make life better for others.
Cassy and Steve pass smiling faces as they walk the grounds of home in Zimbabwe. They originally came here on a church mission with their son, Jonathan, in 2005. But since he left them in 2008, this home has become a large part of their life.
A Calling
Jonathan and his family originally visited the Mbuya Nehanda children's home in 2005. They met with the children, helped around the home, and ultimately became dear friends to everyone there.
In the back of the home is a large field where the home grows crops for the children to eat. One day, Jonathan was helping the boys with some of the farm work. There was no irrigation system, so the boys carried large buckets of water far out into the fields just to water the plants. He thought back to his life in the states where none of his friends carried buckets of water long distances just to eat, let alone farm their own food. When it came time to leave, Jonathan felt that he wanted to do more for his new friends in Africa. He wanted so badly to do more for the children, but he didn't know how he could help.
Leaving an imprint
In 2008, Jonathan was diagnosed with a brain tumor and he was given the opportunity to have his wish granted. He immediately knew what his wish was going to be: to help the boys at the orphanage.
Jonathan asked to provide Mbuya Nehanda with an irrigation system so the boys would no longer have to carry the buckets just to be able to eat.
Sadly, Jonathan succumbed to the disease only four months after his diagnosis. But his legacy will live on for years to come. Cassy and Steve continue to help the orphanages of Zimbabwe, and the irrigation pump is still proudly in use.
Jonathan could have wished for anything, but in his time of darkness, he could only think of using his wish to help those he felt really needed the help. Such a selfless act is one that refuses to be forgotten. Jonathan is a model for all of us to follow. Some mothers celebrate the day ahead, and some can't help but write letters.
This story makes me feel
Reflections from Jonathan's Mom
Go behind-the-scenes of Make-A-Wish with the Wish Nation Blog.
Hear directly from those who work or volunteer here, or those who have been transformed by a wish.
June 25, 2012 - 11:25 AM
Wendy C.
We also lost our son to a brain tumor in 2005.His name was also named Jonathan he was 8 what an amazing story thank you for sharing
May 06, 2014 - 8:25 AM
Carey J.
I just read about Jonathan and his wish to help the orphanage in Zimbabwe. What a beautiful soul, it is so inspiring to hear about people like Jonathan and of course to know about all of the wonderful things that Make-A-Wish does. Thank you -- to everyone who works with and through Make-A-Wish!!
May 06, 2014 - 9:35 AM
Paula R.
This is a beautiful story and just in time for Mother's Day!! Makes you appreciate everything we have and especially our children. This young man was only concerned with helping those in need!! We could all learn a valuable lesson from his story!!
May 09, 2014 - 8:13 PM
Janet DW
Jonathan's legacy lives on in the many lives his foundation has helped. Steve and Cassie are true examples of heroes who have taken their personal tragedy and used it as a vehicle for good in the world. They will never know the extend of their actions as a movement for improving the quality of life for these children. May God continue to bless them in their work!
May 12, 2014 - 1:29 PM
Burkitts lymphoma
I wish to go to Pompeii, Italy
immune system disorder
I wish to go visit the doctor who saved my life
brain tumor
I wish to go to Australia
Stay in Touch!
Sign up to receive email from Make-A-Wish.


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My boss, Tom Doherty (who is awesome,) has posted a quick essay on our parent company's blog on the importance of mass market paperback books in developing new readers. In-house we know this as part of Tom's "Horseradish and Ketchup" speech. (The idea being, if all anyone is offered is ketchup than ketchup will be the bestseller, but that doesn't mean plenty of people wouldn't prefer horseradish if given the opportunity.) I'm not being snarky when I say it never gets old. It's impossible to sit next to Tom for any length of time and not learn something.
Wow, I earned $1.67 from the bookstore! (Ham sandwich, here I come.) Thank you, whoever you are.
Honestly, I didn't expect any sales. I, myself, am extremely lazy when it comes to buying on line, for some reason walking to the bookstore seems easy whereas filling out forms is a huge headache. And I'm impatient. But I was hoping that it could build into a place that is fun to browse and waste time with.
I'm actually rather surprised how good Amazon's suggestion program is working on it. I've been having fun seeing what it comes up with. (At work, I'm looking up so many random titles for the job that its suggestions become meaningless.)
Seen here is Dan Dos Santos. He stopped in today to hand in the artwork for Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker. This is the piece that Dan's tutorial video is on -- more on that when it becomes available.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Random Stuff
Labels: Dan Dos Santos, Tor Books
6 comments:
- Carl V. Anderson said...
The essay was very interesting. I'm not a big fan of the mass market paperback myself. There is no way the wonderful art you guys design and commission for book covers looks any good on that small format. I much prefer hardbacks or, if they are unavailable, really nice sized trades.
- Robert Hunt said...
A really interesting essay, thanks for that!
- Bill Koeb said...
I love paperback books. Some of my favorite covers are on paperbacks that I own, such as: 'Lord of the Flies' by Barron Storey, and 'A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich', (unknown). The inexpensiveness of them affords more access to more readers who might hesitate at a hardcover. When I was a teenager, I read almost all the Tarzan books, tons of science fiction, and just about anything else I learned about at the time. I devoured those things and I don't know if I would have been able to convince my parents to shell out the bucks for a hardcover for every book I wanted to read. I would love to have hardbacks of some of my favorites, especially some of the illustrated books I borrowed from the library, but because of the low cost and availability of paperbacks, I have been able to enjoy much more than if limited to the few hardcovers I could have afforded.
I have been working for the past year on a literacy project for Goodwill, and support any endeavor that will help people to fall in love with reading.
Thanks for posting the article.
PS If my work appeared on nothing but softcover books, I would be extremely satisfied at the end of my illustration career.
- Robert Hunt said...
Bill, I happen to have the "Day in the life of ivan denisovich" to which you refer, (Bantam, right?) One of the all time great covers...I believe the cover artist was William Edwards.
- Bill Koeb said...
Hi Robert,
Yes, that is the one. It is one of my all time favorite images. Thank you for the info.
- Irene Gallo said...
It's a shame to think that people can no longer build a career making art for paperback books the way they used to.
As a reader, I enjoy really _living_ with the books while I read them - I dog-ear em, stuff them into pockets, spill tea n them. I find hardcovers impersonal because I can't treat them like a favorite sweater. Although I do prefer the larger format trade paperback to mass.


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American Physical Society Sites|APS|Journals|PhysicsCentral|Physics Magazine
- American Physical Society Sites
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Art Hobson
Physics teachers, especially physics education researchers, need to know about the science education research of Jon Miller, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of the International Center for Scientific Literacy at Michigan State University. He is probably the world's leading expert on the measurement of scientific literacy. This is profoundly important work, because most national and global problems cannot be solved without a scientifically literate populace.
Miller and his colleagues have developed a set of basic science knowledge (concepts such as molecule, laser, DNA, biological evolution) and scientific process (an understanding that science is based on evidence and reason) questions used to study adults in many nations. He has used these questions, periodically updated to reflect new knowledge, in adult scientific literacy tests since 1988. A person scoring above 70 on these tests probably has sufficient knowledge to understand science-related stories in the daily newspapers, and is thus considered to be scientifically literate. By giving his test to a representative sample in each nation, Miller can determine the scientifically literate fraction of that nation's population, called the "scientific literacy rate" (SLR).
The bad news is that global scientific literacy is shockingly low. Among the 34 nations tested in 2005, the SLR rose above 30% in only one nation, Sweden, whose SLR was 35%.
For the United States, the good news is that in all of Miller's results since the beginning of testing in 1988, the U.S. scored above nearly all other nations. In the 2005 tests, for example, the U.S. ranked second with an SLR of 28%; next-ranked were Netherlands, Norway, Finland, and Denmark at 20 to 25%; then 15 European nations including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom scoring between 10 and 19%; and finally 13 other nations including Ireland and Japan at under 10%. In light of American students' mediocre showings in international science tests at the primary and secondary school levels, this is surprising. What happens to Americans after secondary school that accounts for this result?
To investigate this question, Miller asked each U.S. participant in the 2005 tests their age, gender, highest level of education, number of college science courses, number of children present in the household, their use of informal science learning resources (museums, magazines, etc.), and whether their adult occupation is science-related. He found that, over all these variables, the strongest predictor of adult scientific literacy was the number of college science courses taken; 75% of the variability in different people's scientific literacy scores could be predicted simply from this number. In assessing the effect of this variable, the number of college science courses was grouped into just three levels: (1) no courses, (2) one to three one-semester courses, and (3) four or more courses. People falling into the latter two groups were far more likely to be scientifically literate than those in the first group. Note that category (2) represents non-science students who are required to take a few science courses.
Thus the college experience is a strong determinant of scientific literacy in the U.S. The college experience is significantly different in nearly all other nations insofar as science education is concerned. Because other nations focus only on professional training at the college level, they don't require students outside of scientists and engineers to enroll in any science courses at all. Thus they have very few category (2) students. Miller concludes that "the college and university general education requirement to take at least a year of science courses makes a major contribution to the civic scientific literacy of [U.S.] citizens," and that the surprisingly high U.S. SLR is a result of the positive impact of these college-level science courses for non-science students.*
So it seems likely that all nations could increase their SLR by requiring science courses for non-science college students. Looking only at Europe, we might expect (in light of the superior performance of most European nations relative to the U.S. at the secondary level) such a requirement to raise the median European SLR to at least the 28% U.S. rate. In Miller's 2005 tests, the median European SLR was only 14%. Thus it's plausible that a science literacy course requirement for European non-science college students could double the median SLR in Europe!
But regardless of the precise effects on any nation's SLR, Miller's results certainly underline the importance of college scientific literacy courses. The U.S. should more strongly emphasize these courses, and all other nations should teach them.
I'd be delighted to discuss these ideas with anybody who is interested. Email me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Art Hobson is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and author of a scientific literacy textbook Physics: Concepts & Connections, now in its fourth edition. This letter is loosely based on the author's paper "The surprising effectiveness of college scientific literacy courses" appearing in The Physics Teacher, October, 2008.
* Jon D. Miller, "The impact of college science courses for non-science majors on adult scientific literacy," paper presented to a symposium titled "The critical role of college science courses for non-majors" at the annual meeting of the AAAS, 18 Feb 2007, San Francisco.


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Fw: Gas prices are rising - even higher now!
Key Words:
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This entry was posted on 3/10/2012 04:26:00 AM and is filed under 2012 , BARACK OBAMA . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
4 comments:
- gruaud said...
Hey there, conservative voters!
You do realize that gas prices are the result of speculators and those same speculators constantly raise or lower gas prices before an election in order to tilt it their way?
Don't believe me? Of course not.
So paste this.
You want to solve the issue? The Commodity Futures Trading Commission needs to put the brakes on oil speculators. That's a quick fix that will NEVER happen, because the oil lobby is too powerful now.
It won't be any different under anyone elected president from the Republican clown car.
- 10 March, 2012 07:27
- Anonymous said...
God dammit! I'm sick of this stupid fucking talking point!
We were in the very depths of a recession, you willfully ignorant assholes. Gas was high all through 2008, and then when everything went to shit worldwide demand plunged for a very brief moment. Now that the economies of the world are pulling themselves together gas prices are back at a natural level.
The trade off for gas being less than $2 a gallon is for millions of people to be out of work. Sound like a good deal to you, wingnuts? Should we trade a few million jobs for a couple of bucks at the pump?
- 10 March, 2012 08:48
- Ken said...
- 12 March, 2012 14:32
- ferschitz said...
Teh stoopit: it burnz.
Load of rubbish, but hey: feel all great about how Obama's the root of all eeeevul.
Don't worry, losers. The 1% are making sure that Obama will get his second term in 2012 (not that I'm all that thrilled with it). Don't think so? Just ask yourselves why such a giant bunch of idiotic douchebags are "running" in the Kabuki Show called "Republican Primary"???
Because Obama's the greatest thing for the 1%; they hired him; they'll keep him on board.
That said, it won't matter squat who's the Pres in terms of the cost of gas at the pumps. Team USA is pumping out more crude than ever, but we're *selling* YOUR oil & MY oil to places like China & India.... speculators have artificially driven up the price of gas at the pump, and it has fuck all to do with who's sitting in the Oval Office.
But hooray for conservatives who've been reliably FOOLED into focusing their childish tantrums on Obama, rather than Wall St.
Good job at not seeing what's really going on. Idiots.
- 12 March, 2012 15:45


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Hackers have found a flaw in Oracle's Java software that allows them to break into users' computers and install nasty malware, security experts report. The attack, first spotted on Sunday by researchers at the security firm FireEye, is what security types call a "zero-day" threat, exploiting a previously unknown vulnerability for which there is currently no fix available.
The loophole appears to affect Java Version 7 (also known as 1.7) on all browsers. So far the attacks have been against PCs, but Mac users are vulnerable as well. Businesses should be especially concerned about targeted attacks, but just about anyone who uses Java on the Internet is at risk, especially since the attack has been added to the Internet's most popular hacking kit, BlackHole.
Given the potential seriousness and pervasiveness of the attacks — and Oracle's reputation for being slow on the draw in response to Java vulnerabilities — experts say that everyday Internet users should probably just disable Java entirely. Like, right now.
"Java has been the most exploited program for well over a year now and it simply isn't worth the risk," Chet Wisniewski of the security firm Sophos told me in an email. "I would recommend removing Java entirely, if you can."
That's not as problematic as it might sound. Java is not as popular on websites as it once was, and the average browser will rarely run across it, Wisniewski says.
In Firefox, select "Tools" from the main menu, then "Add-ons," then click the "Disable" button next to any Java plug-ins.
In Safari, click "Safari" in the main menu bar, then "Preferences," then select the "Security" tab and uncheck the button next to "Enable Java."
In Google Chrome, type "Chrome://Plugins" in your browser's address bar, then click the "Disable" button below any Java plug-ins.
If you're an Internet Explorer user, the process is a bit more complex. The blog Krebs on Security summarizes a procedure that "may or may not work." Alternatively, you could uninstall Java from your system, provided you don't need it for some particular application or website that's important to you.
For those who can't live without Java, Wisniewski's blog post at Naked Security offers a few other suggestions.
One final point: This flaw does not appear to affect the previous version of Java (Version 6, aka 1.6), which is the default on most Macs. So while Mac users are theoretically as vulnerable as Windows users, only those who have specifically installed Java 1.7 should be at risk.


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Track & FieldSaturday, August 16th, 2008
We recently introduced an Event Dome in SocioTown. One of the weekly events in the dome is Track & Field. Throughout the day, players can compete in a series of races. In every race, players will accumulate points based on their placement. Then the top 3 players at the end of the day receive a prize.
And they're off!
Everyone is resting up between races.
Drinking a glass of lemonade to recover some energy.
Track & Field has definitely been one of the more popular events.


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