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Transition Hints
Moving can be challenging for anyone. A move that involves relocating from and/or selling a family home can be both physically and emotionally draining. The process can even sometimes leave participants second guessing a sound decision that most often has been made with thoughtful consideration. With a little planning and preparation, moving into a senior living community can be an exciting time in anticipation of the quality of life to come.
Because this type of move often involves emotional attachment, it can be even more challenging to downsize as needed. When this appears to be an issue, it is sometimes advisable to engage the services of a third party who specializes in assisting seniors with this task. Having an objective voice can be just the thing that is needed to deal with tough choices. Your senior living community may also have a list of resources such as movers, or charities that pick-up donations should you need it. If multiple family members are assisting you in preparation for, or during the move, in order to avoid confusion, it is also advisable to designate one person, either you or your family member or other designee, to communicate with the senior living community on your behalf during the move.
Before the Move
Before your move day, make sure that you have all the information that you need. Ask for a list of names and phone numbers for the point person for your move – someone who can assist you if you have a question or require assistance the day of the move. Make sure that you are comfortable that you (or your loved one if you are coordinating their move) have visited and are familiar with the apartment or room and with key staff; and that you have met other residents who will help "show you the ropes" as you settle in to your new home.
Also, double check that all documents/forms needed by the senior community have been completed prior to move date. This will make the process go more smoothly, with no last minute panic over something that is required in order for the resident to move in.
Make sure that you have an agreed upon date and approximate time that the movers and the resident will arrive. Additionally, ask for specific instructions for the movers – should they come to a service entrance and/or elevator? Who should they see upon their arrival? Will you be on hand to direct furniture/belongings placement or if you are moving to an apartment or assisted living suite, have you furnished the movers with a floor plan of where you want things to go?
If you are moving to Independent Living:
Prior to your move, examine the apartment. Take measurements of each room, and plan for the furniture you wish to bring and where it will go. Take into consideration the space available at your new home when selecting items you wish to keep. You may wish to include your children or another family member in this process. Be realistic in your plans – that is, if you are moving from a five bedroom home with a basement, to a one or two bedroom apartment, plan thoughtfully for what you wish to bring. This is a good time, well ahead of your move date, to make sure that certain items which you wish to gift to another family member or friend is done. This doesn't mean giving up special treasures such as artwork, books, lamps, or a chair you love – plan your apartment décor to accommodate those things. Other options for things you will not bring to your new apartment include holding a yard sale, hiring an estate sales professional, donating items to charity and giving items to others.
Examine the kitchen area and know what appliances are provided and what you will need to bring, such as a microwave, toaster, etc. Is phone service and/or cable or satellite television provided or do you need to contact someone to arrange for your service? Knowing these things help make for easier packing decisions. It is also a good idea to pack grooming essentials in a small bag that you can carry for immediate access.
Prior to your move, double check that you have signed your residency agreement; picked up your keys; know where the dining room is located and have a meal schedule; know where the trash bins are located; know the optional services that are available and how to access things like the hair salon; and provided accurate information regarding whom you wish to be contacted in case of emergency.
If you have not already done so, you may wish to consider renter's insurance for your personal property. Also, once the move is complete, share your new address and preferred contact information with your family, friends and others as you wish.
If you are moving to assisted living:
When moving to assisted living, preparation for the move is much the same as outlined in independent living. The main difference is that because assisted living provides health related services and is regulated by the state, it is necessary to make sure certain requirements are met.
Many assisted living communities require personal assessment of a prospective resident prior to acceptance for admission. The purpose of the assessment is to identify level of care needs and to insure that an individual can be appropriately cared for at the assisted living level of care. Things such as cognitive functioning (memory) and physical abilities are assessed. Depending on the level of cognitive functioning, some individuals may need a more specialized environment such as a Specialty Care Assisted Living (specialized memory care center). Additionally, should physical/medical needs dictate more advance monitoring and care, a skilled nursing environment may be recommended.
Residents moving into an Alabama assisted living are also required by regulation to have a care plan signed by their physician prior to their move-in, and a negative chest x-ray or tuberculin skin test within 30 days prior to move-in. Since physicians' offices are often very busy places dealing with a lot of paperwork, it is best to schedule your physician's appointment well ahead of your move date and remind the office staff that the plan should be transmitted to the assisted living several days prior to the planned move date. That way, should there be questions, errors or omissions, corrections can be requested and received prior to the move date. Common issues include clarifying medications, ambulation assistance needs, etc.
If you are moving to skilled nursing:
Skilled nursing must comply with state and federal regulatory requirements when admitting residents. A move to skilled nursing generally falls into 2 categories: for short term rehabilitation; or for long term care.
Generally, skilled nursing rooms are either private or semi-private and generally are furnished with items necessary and appropriate for the care of residents. While most skilled nursing rooms may be personalized with a resident's belongings such as family photos or artwork. Remember to discuss this with your admissions representative for advice regarding appropriate items. Sometimes a personal chair or small piece of furniture may be added to the room, depending on space and the ability of the healthcare team to easily maneuver in the room to provide care for the resident. Bear in mind that issues such as the size of the item and fabric (vinyl, fire retardant, etc.) may come into play. It is always advisable to leave items of high value with a trusted family member or friend.
Admissions to short term rehabilitation often follow a hospital admission after a surgery, injury or illness. Due to the temporary nature of a short term stay, rooms generally have everything needed for the duration of the stay and are not detailed with personal decorative items or furnishings. Most include telephone and television service as well. Admissions from the hospital require communication with the hospital care plan team and are usually coordinated by a case manager, discharge planner and/or social worker. When preparing for a short term stay, it is advisable to communicate your personal skilled nursing choice to your care plan team and authorize them to provide required information to your preferred choice. Prior to the admission, the skilled nursing center must receive physician orders for your care; a clear list of your medications and administration orders; a discharge summary; a negative chest x-ray or tuberculin skin test and mental status documentation. Additionally, a signed admission agreement and verification of insurance or another source of payment is required prior to acceptance of the resident. Most insurance companies require prior authorization for skilled nursing benefits so make sure that your insurance information has been provided to the skilled nursing admissions representative. Additionally, check your benefit information carefully so that you are aware of any deductibles or co-pays that may apply.
It also important for the skilled nursing staff to be aware of a resident's wishes regarding their care, therefore, you will be asked for copies of any living wills and/or advance directives. If you are a family member agent (typically referred to as sponsor) for the patient/resident, make an appointment with the admissions representative to review and take care of these items prior to your loved ones discharge. Additionally, establish with the hospital the recommended mode of transportation. Does the resident require ambulance transport or will a family member or friend be transporting them by car? For private transportation, ask your skilled nursing admission representative for clear instruction on the location of the building entrance to be used and who to contact for assistance with transporting the resident from the vehicle to their room.
Long term admissions require the same documents and care plans as short term admissions, with care plans and chest x-rays or skin tests having been completed within 30 days of admission. A major difference is that long term admissions are not covered by health insurance. Typical payment methods for long term care are private pay from a resident's own funds, long term care insurance, and Medicaid for qualifying individuals. Additionally, it is not uncommon for long term residents to be admitted from home. If admitting from home, ask your skilled nursing admission representative for clear instructions as to what is required from the resident's physician and any other documentation needed. It is best to schedule a physician's appointment well ahead of a resident's anticipated admission date and remind the office staff that it should be transmitted to the skilled nursing representative several days prior to the planned date. That way, should there be questions, errors or omissions to the care plan, corrections can be requested and received prior to admission. Common issues include clarifying medications, etc.
Planning for a skilled nursing admission also involves having a clear financial plan as to how the prospective resident's care will be financed. Documentation of the payment source will likely be required, i.e., a statement of personal funds, verification of a long term care insurance benefits and/or plan to establish Medicaid eligibility. If a potential resident requires Medicaid assistance, begin these discussions with the admissions representative right away so that she/he can familiarize you with general eligibility requirements and the documentation that the state Medicaid agency will require from you in order to process your loved ones application. Planning early will also give you time to contact an outside source, such as an elder-law attorney or financial planner for advice if needed.
Once a final decision to admit is made and necessary documentation is in order, schedule an appointment with your skilled nursing admission representative to complete and sign the residency agreement and review all applicable documents. This is your opportunity to ask any remaining questions you may have.


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|Waveform display apparatus of frequency sweep type for facilitating display of a high definition waveform
|Takano et al.
|Visually aging scroll bar
|Bates et al.
|Waveform display apparatus for easily realizing high-definition waveform observation
|Kawauchi et al.
|Computer display unit with attribute enhanced scroll bar
|Wroblewski et al.
|Method and apparatus for enlarging a trend graph
|Method and apparatus for manipulating outlines in improving digital typeface on raster output devices
|Manipulatable orientation for a translatable graphic object
|Polarized mask stereoscopic display including tiling masks with complementary transparent regions
|Method and apparatus for removable menu window
|Method and apparatus for generating variably scaled displays
This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/844,466, filed on Apr. 18, 1997, pending which was a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/990,339, filed on Dec. 14, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,588.
a) first means in computer for displaying alongside the displayed objects a scroll bar as part of the control device,
b) second means in the computer responsive to the user control device for selectively marking on the scroll bar an area corresponding to a first segment of the objects displayed for future retrieval or emphasis; and
c) third means connected to the second means for transforming the object display into shrunken and non-shrunken segments corresponding to the marked areas and for causing a corresponding change in the appearance of those scroll bar portions located opposite the marked objects.
(a) first means in the computer responsive to the user control device for selectively shrinking the display of a first segment of the objects displayed to emphasize the display of a second segment of the displayed objects;
(b) second means for displaying alongside the displayed objects a scroll bar as part of the control device,
(c) third means connecting the second means to the first means such that transformation of the display into shrunken and non-shrunken segments causes a corresponding change in the appearance of those scroll bar portions located opposite the marked objects in proportion to the shrunken or non-shrunken segments in the document; and
(d) fourth means of changing perspective scaling of all marked segments by selectively changing the proportion used.
This invention relates to a computer system, and in particular to computer tools to improve user perspectives and enhance navigation or browsing of information sources stored in or available via the computer.
As computer accessing of large quantities of information increases, the ability of users to navigate large information spaces and to maintain visualization or personal perspectives thereof decreases [1] (bracketed numbers reference publications identified in Appendix A).
The need for this type of control has been expressed most recently by Furnas [2], Mills [3], Degen [4], and Chimera [5].
Furnas' solution to the problem of understanding the limited information available in a window of large information structures is to provide in the window the detailed region to be considered in the context of important preceding or succeeding parts of the large structure. For example, to edit lines in the middle of a program, the window would also display, say, declarations at the beginning of the program. No magnification of desired information or shrinkage of undesired information is employed; rather, the desired program information is normally displayed, and many parts of the program are omitted from the display.
Mills et al addressed the issue of giving users access to video data by magnifying time through successive hierarchial extraction of increasingly detailed segments. Each expanded segment view was displayed in a separate window of the display. And each segment view, as well as the total video view, including the time lines associated therewith, were linearly arranged from a temporal standpoint.
Degen et al moved marks on audio tape to a digitized counterpart document scroll bar, and let the user change the visual scaling of time within a single window, as well as the speed of playback. But, again, the visual representations, whether of the original size or of the zoomed expanded size, had a linear temporal structure.
Chimera, on the other hand, maintained a full display within the window but was unable to provide a zooming feature or expanded segment view of a text listing. Instead, Chimera used scroll bars that, independent of the original data's representation, indicate relative values of list attributes by respectively scaling Proportions of list item indicators, according to those attributes, in the scroll bars.
Furnas shows in a single window multiple fisheye views of document segments. But Furnas doesn't disclose how a user can select which segments to display, or the means to magnify certain segments, or the means to control the degree of magnification, nor does Furnas provided a scroll bar or its equivalent as a convenient interface for the user to manipulate the display.
An object of the invention is a computer system providing improved means to allow users to extract important segments of computer-displayed information in the form of video, sound, graphics or text while maintaining a general view of the information.
Another object of the invention is a computerized system and method to enable users better to navigate or visualize large information spaces.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, means are provided to enable a user to visibly mark points or segments of displayed information, which will enable the user to quickly navigate to the marked displays.
In another aspect of the invention, a scroll bar is displayed alongside the information display, and the visible mark or marks appears on the scroll bar at locations corresponding to the desired information.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a computerized system provides the user with means to shrink less important or less significant portions of the information displayed, with the result of magnifying the portions that the user deems significant. In accordance with this aspect, the invention can be viewed as a user-friendly relativity controller tool that enables users to specify what is important to them, and modify the portion of their perceptual space that that information takes up, in a fisheye variant.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the resultant information can still occupy the same window where originally displayed, but with certain segments shrunk and other segments in comparison standing out or becoming more prominent.
In accordance with still other aspects of the invention, the relativity Controller of the invention is implemented by simply pointing to the screen and actuating a control device. In a preferred embodiment, a mouse button is pressed to mark the beginning and end of segments of the information to be marked. A further feature is that multiple segments can be marked in this manner. Thus, the relativity controller of the invention not only allows users to mark the scope of one or more salient segments, but also will cause the display to simultaneously shrink the non-marked portions and in effect zoom into the multiple-marked segments in a single step. The result is a non-linear display of the available Information. As a further feature, simultaneously with selective zooming of the information, the display of the scroll bar is correspondingly modified to show in the context of the total information the marked and non-marked portions of the displayed information.
The major benefits is to allow users to quickly navigate through a large information space and to control the salience of the displayed information in the context of the full display while conserving display area, sometime called desktop real estate. Moreover, maintaining a single window for the data and giving users the ability to visually navigate across the whole data via the scroll bar together with the ability to select the salient segments as well as the level of zoom, all in a single step, greatly enhances the ability of the user to cope intelligently and rapidly with large information structures containing large numbers of objects.
The above and further objects, details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a typical computer system;
FIGS. 2-6 schematically illustrate one form of the invention for use with audio representations;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a scroll bar in accordance with another form of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a combined screen display and scroll bar of audio information in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 9-11 illustrate various screen displays of text information produced by one form of the computerized system of the invention;
FIG. 12 shows various screen displays of video information produced by another form of the computerized system of the invention;
FIG. 13 illustrates, schematically, various cursor shapes produced by a system of the invention;
FIG. 14 shows a screen menu that can be used with the system of the invention;
FIGS. 15-33 are flow charts for implementing one form of computerized system of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a typical computerized system 10, comprising a console 11 containing a CPU 12, memory 13 in the form of RAM, ROM and disk, and I/O circuitry 14 connected to a monitor 15 having a display screen 16, and control devices in the form of keyboard 17 and a mouse 18. The mouse 18 typically contains button switches 19 operated by a user of the system. A cursor or pointer 20 is typically displayed on the screen 16 and its position is controllable via the mouse 18 or the keyboard 17 as is well known. A typical window 21 is displayed on the screen 16, with a title bar 22 in the window.
The following terms used herein will have the following meanings.
"Object" means any representation of information or of a data structure that can be displayed on the monitor screen, and includes one or more text characters, one or more sound representations such as a digital sample, a video representation such as a video frame, and in general any graphic's element.
"Control device" means devices manipulated by users to move cursors around a screen, and include a mouse and keyboard.
"Pointing" to an object on screen means actuating the control device to move the cursor so that it is over or adjacent the object. When the cursor is a pointer such an arrow, it means moving the arrow tip close to the object.
"Clicking" on an object means to press and quickly release a switch on the control device, such as a button on a mouse, when the cursor is pointing to the object.
"Dragging" means to click on the object, and while holding the switch activated, to manipulate the control device to move the object to a new screen location, and then to release the switch to fix the new screen location of the object.
"Double-clicking" an object on screen is by pointing to the object and clicking twice rapidly, often used for special control purposes.
"Shrinking" the display of objects means reducing the time or space normally allocated to display the objects, and includes shrinking them to the point where they essentially disappear from the display.
A "scroll bar" is a common control device displayed alongside window, having, typically, at opposite ends small arrowed scroll boxes or buttons that when clicked on by the user causes the window contents to scroll.
A "button" or "box" on a scroll bar is a representation of a control device for use with a mouse.
A "thumb" is a button or box on the scroll bar, between its ends, which moves and whose location on the scroll bar corresponds to the location in the whole information of the current view.
FIGS. 2-14 illustrate several ways in which the invention may be used. While the invention will be described in connection with a Macintosh personal computer (PC), which employs a graphics user interface (GUI), it is also usable with other PCs or workstations using other operating systems with GUIs, such as UNIX with X-windows, and DOS with Windows.
The first example concerns a sound representation. As illustrated in FIG. 2 on top, a user can sample audio 24 into a computer 25 as described in the Macintosh user's manual, or alternatively record audio 24 onto tape 26 and then sample into the computer 25. The computer processes the sound data 28 into a visual representation 29, based, for example, on Cochlear models, principal component analysis, or Fast Fourier Transforms, as shown in FIG. 3. The result is displayed on the monitor screen 16 and can also be heard 30 by the user. The typical monitor screen contains a scroll bar 32 for scrolling through the sound representation using a left arrow button 33 to scroll to the left, and a right arrow button 34 to scroll to the right. A thumb representation or button 35 which is displayed on the scroll bar shows by its location the portion of the sound representation displayed in the context of the whole sound. In other words, if the thumb 35 is at the center of the scroll bar 32, then the sound displayed is at the middle of the recording.
In a usual GUI display, a horizontal title bar 37 is located on top and a vertical menu or tool bar 38 is displayed at the left side. Clicking on any of the icons displayed in the tool bar will invoke appropriate software routines to carry out the function indicated by the icon. In this particular example, the user desires to annotate the sound representation, and the icons can represent an EDIT function, or a DRAW function including certain graphic symbols to be pasted into the sound representation.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the computer has been trained or customized to recognize meaningful objects and mark them. In this particular case, a meaningful object can be any sound representation above a certain amplitude, i.e., loud sounds, but the computer can choose instead certain frequencies or ranges or certain sound sequences. Marking means with respect to the data structure representing the object to add a tag bit or other data representing a marked time or space position or point. If it is desired to mark a segment, meaning a temporal sequence of objects, then one tag data can represent the beginning of the marked segment, and another data bit can represent the end of the marked segment.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the mark is displayed on the display. In FIG. 5 a diamond mark 40 is shown to indicate the temporal position of the large amplitude sound 41. When marks 40 are displayed at the salient points, the user can quickly fast-forward through the unmarked areas and then stop at or slowly play the marked points or segments by observing the mark or by programming the computer to automatically stop at marked points.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the scroll bar temporal representation is modified to display the marked points or segments. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, a density representation on the scroll bar is modified, with high density regions 42 representing unmarked segments, and low density regions 43 representing marked segments. Thus, while only a portion of the whole stored sound representation may be displayed in the window shown, the scroll bar in the window shown will show the positions of the marked segments or salient points relative to the whole set of objects stored. Thus, the user can quickly navigate to the salient points by the conventional fast forward or rewind buttons to reach and observe the annotated regions. FIG. 6 illustrates the customized annotation 44 added by the user to the sound representation. These annotations are also useful for indexing, hyper-navigation, and multi-sound catalogs. It is understood that marking 43 on the scroll bar can be used separately (FIG. 6) or together with marking 40 (FIG. 5) on the document display.
FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the scroll bar 32 indicating how high density 42 and low density 43 appearances can indicate non-marked and marked segments, respectively.
It will also be observed that the scope or range of the marked objects is visible on the scroll bar 32 by the width of low density segments 43.
FIG. 8 shows another view of a screen window with a title bar 45 and a scroll bar 46 having scroll buttons 47 and 48, and a conventional window size button 49. An audio representation is displayed with marks 50 on the display and marks 51 on the scroll bar indicated by the arrows.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, means can be provided to execute a relativity controller function. This can be implemented automatically whenever a marking of salient points is made, or it can be implemented by, for example, pointing to the scroll bar, clicking, and then dragging the mouse perpendicular to the scroll bar, or it can be implemented, as explained later, by clicking on a special button added to the scroll bar and then dragging the mouse. In the flow charts described later, an option key is also used when clicking cn the scroll bar. When the relativity controller function is activated, the computer modifies the linear temporal representation of the sound into a non-linear representation, with the non-marked segments shrunken in time and the marked segments expanded in time into the resultant empty regions and thus magnified. This is also illustrated in FIG. 8 which displays a large portion containing marked segments 51 indicated by the arrows and unmarked segments 52. If the user then plays through that portion of recorded sound, it will play at normal speed through the marked segments 51, but will fast-forward at, say, twice the normal speed through the unmarked segments 52. In the resultant display, the marked segments 51, having been expanded in time, show actual digital samples, whereas the unmarked segments 52 condense the samples into black bars.
FIGS. 9 and 10 indicate the effects on a text document. FIG. 9 shows a day calendar 54 with a linear representation of time events from the hours of 8 a.m.-1 a.m. FIG. 10 shows the representation obtained in the invention. In this case, a vertical scroll bar 55 is at the right containing the usual scroll boxes 56 at top and bottom. In this case, the salient points as shown are determined by the user. The remaining times, being of less importance in this example, are shrunk temporally. No magnification of the salient times has occurred but now the range of times shown has expanded to 7 a.m.-2 a.m. The resultant non-linear representation is replicated in the scroll bar 55 by the density of the horizontal lines.
FIG. 11 shows another example of application of the invention to text documents. FIG. 11 depicts one page 57 of linear spatially depicted text, which would normally be displayed as a single screen with its accompanying vertical scroll bar 58 with, in this case, a relativity controller box 60. Three text lines have been highlighted 61 as salient. The thumb 62, it will be noted, has a certain size (height), showing as before one marked salient segment on the page. When the relativity controller box 60 is clicked on and dragged rightward (toward the right side of the mouse pad), reference numeral 64 now shows the resultant screen display. Note now that the non-salient (non-highlighted) parts of the original screen 57 have been shrunk or condensed, so that now not only the original marked segment 61 is visible but also a second marked segment 65. Note further that the thumb 62a has enlarged to indicate the increased number of visible salient points. Screen 64 also shows how the unmarked "insignificant" text above and below the salient segments shrink up, and disappear in the third screen 67 shown at the right when scaling perspective, as other salient segments 68 come into view. Thus, when the second screen 64 has segments 61,65 marked, and when the controller box 60 is clicked on and again dragged to the right, more of the succeeding text can be displayed as illustrated in the third screen 67. Again note the increased size of the thumb 62b. In all three cases, the scroll bar 58 illustrates at 70 the scope of the salient segments and thus the modified text representation. The text abstract generated 67 in this process could be presented in library search systems, so that the user could then more readily scan and expand the view to give more details as desired.
FIG. 12 depicts application of the invention to video, for example, with Apple QuickTime video. QuickTime allows a user to play through a video presentation with a window just like playing a video tape on a VCR, except that QuickTime also allows editing of one or more of the frames making up the video. In this case, three successive screens 72, 73 and 74 are depicted, only one of which would appear at a time in the window. Each screen has its accompanying scroll bar 75 having a relativity controller box 76 at the left end, and a thumb 77 showing the temporal position of the video frame being displayed. Note also markings 78 displayed on the scroll bar 75 to represent marked segments. This figure and FIG. 13 also illustrates user control of the magnification. Note that the relativity controller box 76 also shows different sized scroll representations to inform the user of its function. In this example, when the user clicks on the controller box 76, a cursor 80 is displayed on the screen. While holding down the mouse button, when the user moves his or her mouse upwards, represented by image 82 (which is not actually displayed) the cursor 80 appearance changes with a larger white space region 81 to indicate higher magnification. During the movement, which is reversible--up for increased magnification, down for reduced magnification--, only one cursor image 79 is displayed, the full line image, representing the selected magnification level. The other grayed images are not displayed. When the user releases the mouse button, the selection of the magnification level is completed and may be stored with the data structure representation of the video if desired. In this instance, seven discrete levels of magnification are possible, but the invention also contemplates continuous change in magnification level. In the latter case, it is preferred to display a slide control with button, movable by the user to select the desired magnification level such as is used in the macintosh volume control.
Note, further, in FIG. 12 how the user's marked segments 78 of video get longer and the scroller (above and below mark) gets lighter as the spacing between marks condenses and darkens when the user scales perspective by moving the mouse upwards, toward the top of the mouse pad. Also, note how the scroll bar appearance changes to reflect the size of the marks in relation to the length of the whole video.
Marking of the video can occur in the same manner as the audio, such as pressing a mouse button when the cursor is on the video to mark the beginning of a segment and releasing the button to mark the end of the segment. The resultant marks can be displayed on the video, or in the scroll bar, or on both.
In this aspect of the invention, not only is the user allowed to select and display the scope of salient segments, but as a further feature allows the user to vary the degree of magnification of the salient segments. It will also be understood that, besides size, other scroll bar changes can be used to represent the salient segments and/or different levels of magnification. For example, different colors can be used to represent on the scroll bar the salient and non-salient segments selected at different times or by different users, and if desired the intensity of the color used to illustrate level of magnifications.
The relativity controller application program will not interfere with the normal functions available in programs such as Apple QuickTime, while providing the additional functions described above. A listing of available functions for a preferred embodiment, which is not meant to be limiting, appears below, to be used with, for example, an EDIT menu as depicted in FIG. 14.
The edit menu allows the user to perform the normal functions on displayed information, as well as the ability to remove any marks made by the user on the screen display or the scroll bar. what appears below is a description of functions available to the user to carry out the invention. One way of implementing these functions in software are shown in the program flow charts illustrated in FIGS. 15-33. The functions included are for the video of FIGS. 12 and 13, but obviously can be modified and applied to audio or text. Also, in the description of these button functions, the relativity controller has also been referred as the scale perspective button.
Adjust position in movie time
click or drag mouse in scroll bar
Play & Pause movies from/to anywhere in movie (beginning<->end)
press Play/Pause button
Mark segments of movies (while playing or paused)
press mouse (and hold down for duration of mark) within movie window
Review individual marked segments
click on a mark, and press Play Segment button
Adjust relationship between marked and unmarked segments
click on Scale Perspective button and drag mouse vertically (up into movie->relative scaling; down out from movie->absolute scaling)
option-click on slider thumb and drag mouse vertically (one step navigation to/from specific point in time & resolution)
Remove 1 or all marks in movie
click on a mark, and select Remove Marker (cmd-R) from Edit Menu
click on a mark, gesture (press, drag, lift) left with mouse within mouse within movie window
select Remove All Markers from Edit Menu
Change current marking color
use Apple `Color` control panel to choose Selection Color (may facilitate collaboration of groups of people (diff. color per person))
Copy frames or marked segments to the Macintosh clipboard & other applications
select Copy Frame or Copy Segment (cmd-C) from the Edit Menu
Save document marks and perspective
select Save (cmd-S) from File Menu
High Speed annotation:
adjust Scale, press Play, then mark segments
can also be used by scaling to fast-forward to stop when hits a marked segment.
As is conventional in the Macintosh, the left button 83 (FIG. 12) on the scroll bar represents the play button which then converts to pause during play. The right button 84 can thus be used by clicking as a play segment or play mark button.
Various features of the invention as well as modifications are also indicated below:
Marks can be drawn inside scroll bar to keep desktop real estate usage down
Marks can be colored to indicate different users or states of notation
Scale Perspective cursor changes (while adjusting scale) to reflect size of segments in scroller (also dynamically changing)
Relationship between marked and unmarked segments is reflected in:
speed of playback (unmarked segments speed-up with perspective relativity)
size of marks in scroll bar (unmarked segments shrink in proportion to play speed) (marked segments enlarge to fill the remaining scroll bar space)
color of scroll bar area: indicating density of scale (looks like depth of field) (unmarked segments get darker in proportion to size in scroll bar & speed) (marked segments get lighter in proportion to size in scroll bar)
At more relative scale, user has higher resolution access to time in that area (moving scroll thumb passes through less frames per pixel)
Overlapping marked areas join to form single marks (with 1 scope & 1 color if desired)
if new mark falls between original startTime and endTime, then newColor=1/4(new) +3/4 (orig.)
if new mark overlaps original startTime or endTime, then newColor=(orig.+new)/2
if new mark overlaps both original startTime and endTime, then newColor=3/4(new) +1/4(orig.)
`Save` menu item is enabled when user modifies marks or scale perspective is part of the document)
Marks & scale are saved inside movie files as QuickTime `user data` Mark data consists of scope (startTime, endTime) and color when chosen (RGB)
Gives audio feedback when removing marks from segments
Marked movies have unique `stamped movie` icon on Desktop
Also listed below is a summary of a few data types with examples of how the invention can be applied: DATA TYPE: APPLICATIONS: Schedules personal profile based time scaling Sound annotation & editing Video annotation & editing Text data retrieval & abstract searching CAD & PICT scaling space to dimensions of experimential perspective
Implementation of the various forms of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art. Reference is made to "Inside Macintosh", (published by Addsion-Wesley) which provides the code for developers for various kinds of interface constructs, such as scroll bars, control bars, slide controls, and boxes used therein, as well as how to display them in different colors or appearances, and how to invoke program routines when a user clicks on a box or icon, and how to change the appearance of an icon when a routine is executed. See, also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,783, which describes operation of a system with the Apple Graphical User Interface, whose contents are herein incorporated by reference.
To further assist those skilled in the art, FIGS. 15-33 are flow charts of one form of program suitable to implement a user selecting and displaying in accordance with the invention desired salient of a video presentation.
The person skilled in the art will have no trouble in understanding and implementing the flow charts illustrated. Virtually all of the statements printed in the flow chart boxes are understandable, and no need exists to repeat the text herein. However, certain statements require some explanation. The statements in the blocks indicated by double lines, such as block 85 in FIG. 17, represent calls to subroutines as labeled that are detailed in another of the figures. Thus, the Track Thumb routine 85 flow chart is shown in FIG. 29. In the labels, "button" refers to the mouse button, a "pressed" button, as in the Macintosh, changes its 3-d appearance to appear pressed; an "unpressed" button is the reverse. "Play segment" refers to the right button 84 in FIG. 12. The examples given are with a colored scroll bar to represent the marked segments. "Zoom" designates magnification level. "Stamp cursor" means that when the screen cursor is moved within the movie displays, the cursor shape changes to resemble a rubber hand stamp, indicating to the user that by clicking, he or she can mark (stamp) the document to indicate a salient point. "Play speed" refers to play speed of the video. "Update scroller" means to redo the scroll bar to show user selections. Conducting tests are indicated in the boxes by question marks (?); Y or N indicates the test was or was not successful.
To summarize some important aspects of the invention:
Linear density of scroll bar (i.e. ruler) can be varied with document salience density;
Scrolling rate can be varied with document content density;
Amount of document in window can be varied with document salience density;
The zoom control function can be implemented by clicking the scale perspective button and dragging perpendicular to scroll bar to zoom between perspectives: drag out from document->absolute scaling and drag towards document->relative scaling.
As a further alternative, the user can press an option key and click on the scroll bar, which will jump the thumb to the pointer position and simultaneously allow the user to scroll by moving the mouse horizontally and to change scale or magnification by moving the mouse perpendicularly (vertically) to the scroller. These changes will be visible on the screen display as well as on the scroll bar.
Since the program of the invention runs as an application, clicking on the document display can readily be used to add to the document data structure in memory the time or spatial position of the salient marked display portion when/where the pointer rested.
Marking data structures will be evident to those skilled in the art. For text documents, adding a mark is generally similar to adding a formatting or printing code to the stored text. Marking video is similar to text marking, except that remembering character position is replaced by remembering time position and storing it in the user data portion of the movie.
As further marking alternatives, for video, the mouse button for marking can be held depressed while the video plays and released to define a marking point or segment. For text, the salient text can be highlighted and a menu dropped to select a marking function.
Although there have been described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative, and not restrictive. This scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.
1. Mackinlay, J., Robertson, G., and Card, S. The Perspective Wall: Detail and Context Smoothly Integrated. Proceedings ACMCHI'91 Human Factors in Computing Systems Conference (New Orleans, La, Apr. 27-May 2, 1991). ACM, New York, pp. 173-179.
2. Furnas, G. Generalized Fisheye Views. Proceedings ACM CHI'86 Human Factors in Computing Systems Conference (Boston, Mass., Apr. 13-17, 1986). ACM, New York, pp. 16-23.
3. Mills, M., Cohen, J., & Wong Y. Y. A Magnifier Tool for Video Data. Proceedings ACM CHI'92 Human Factors in Computing Systems Conference (Monterey, Calif., May 3-7, 1992). ACM, New York, pp.93-98.
4. Degen, L., Mander, R., Salomon, G. Working with Audio: Integrating Personal Tape Recorders and Desktop Computers. Proceedings ACM CHI'92 Human Factors in Computing Systems Conference (Monterey, Calif., May 3-7, 1992). ACM, New York, 1992, pp. 413-418.
5. Chimera, R. Value Bars: An Information Visualization and Navigation Tool for Multi-attribute Listings. Proceedings ACM CHI'92 Human Factors in Computings Systems Conference (Monterey, Calif., May 3-7, 1992). ACM, New York, pp. 293-294.

subset: commoncrawl


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Obama's Unemployment Crisis Catch 22
December 13, 2010
The battle continues over private sector job creation and government expansion. Taxation and unemployment are directly related and if every American doesn't understand this, they will continue to lose jobs.
The Democratic Left has placed a gun to the head of Congressional Republicans by threatening to allow taxes to increase on all Americans on January 1st, intent upon continuing government expansion by again extending the policy of paying people not to work, while Republicans are threatening to block all Leftist lame duck initiatives if they cannot extend tax breaks for every American, including Americans who invest and employ Americans, "the rich."
The historical facts are quite clear on the subject; lowering tax rates always results in economic growth by leaving more investment resources in the private sector, where real jobs must be created. Lower tax rates have always resulted in increased tax revenue streams by way of economic expansion. So, why are Democrats so committed to raising taxes?
The Democratic Left is not really focused on economic expansion, they are focused upon government expansion, taking earned resources out of the private sector and placing them in the public sector where they can dictate "social justice" from on high.
As Bush tax breaks are due to expire on December 31, 2010, Obama threatens to raise taxes on all Americans in his pursuit of shifting more private wealth to the public sector. This concept is sold to American workers as "social justice," and the claim is made that "the rich" do not pay their "fair share" in America , to justify the federal assault on America 's employers.
In short, if Republicans won't allow the Democratic Left to further assault investors and employers on January 1st, Democrats are prepared to penalize ALL Americans by increasing taxes on everyone at a time when unemployment is already at an all-time high and home mortgages are in deep trouble.
Tax facts are clear though – According to I.R.S. reports, 70% of all federal income taxes collected are paid by only 10% of working Americans, people making only $113,000 per year or more. Every citizen should take a few moments to read the history of our tax system in order to fully understand what has been done to destroy American economic freedom and prosperity over the last hundred years.
"By 1913, 36 States had ratified the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. In October, Congress passed a new income tax law with rates beginning at 1 percent and rising to 7 percent for taxpayers with income in excess of $500,000. Less than 1 percent of the population paid income tax at the time. Form 1040 was introduced as the standard tax reporting form and, though changed in many ways over the years, remains in use today."
In 1913, people making more than $500,000 in "income" (which did not include "wages" at all), were considered "the rich." Taxing "wages" was considered immoral and therefore, unconstitutional at the time. My how our morals and constitutional interpretations have changed…
But today, Democratic leftists tell us that everyone making more than $113,000 per year in "wages" are "rich" and despite the fact that these folks currently pay 70% of all federal income taxes, the left claims that they are not paying "their fair share."
As a result, the battle over further extending unemployment benefits is really nothing more than a battle to continue the assault on the top 10% of "wage" earners in America , under the guise of social justice and Democrats are willing to raise taxes on everyone if they can't attack that 10%.
With the official unemployment rate hovering around 10%, and the real rate closer to 20%, addressing those who cannot find work is indeed a very important issue as extended unemployment benefits run out for an estimated 2 million Americans between now and year-end.
But how we address this problem is critical at this moment in history, with the federal government debt at an all-time high and no end to deficit spending in sight.
Allowing the Democratic left to further assault those who invest and create private sector jobs in America , even to pay for extending unemployment benefits, will drive the jobless problem even deeper. We have been talking about a "jobless recovery" for months now. The rich won't invest or hire while threat of increased taxes targeting them looms.
A tax assault on the rich is a tax assault on the very people who spend, invest and create jobs. Do we want to be paid not to work, or do we want jobs? We can't have it both ways anymore.
There is a term in our Constitution, "general welfare" which is a limitation on the federal government intended to force government to avoid passing legislation which benefits some at the expense of others. Government policies which attack some for benefit of others are by definition "unconstitutional."
Forcing 10% of wage earners to pay even more than the 70% of income taxes they already pay - can hardly be deemed a policy which treats all citizens equally under the general welfare restriction.
The American people are in charge here.
If we want jobs, then we must stop the Democratic left from continuing their assault on the private earnings of private sector job creators. But if we want something for nothing, then Obama's Chicago thug styled threat to increase taxes on ALL if they are not allowed to target job creators is the way to go.
More than Obama, unemployed citizens are caught in a catch-22. If they call upon Congressional leftists to continue their assault on investors and job creators, they may get another extension on unemployment benefits and even tax cuts for the 50% of Americans who don't pay taxes to begin with.
What they won't ever get, is a job!


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Catholic school saved in Big Bend
Prayers aren't always answered when we want them to be, but sometimes they are. An act of kindness saved a Catholic school in Waukesha County.
"Yeah, it was a very big shock and a huge blessing for our school," St. Joseph's Parish marketing director Shelly Wohler said.
Like many Catholic schools, St. Joseph's parish in Big Bend was losing students and money.
At a meeting in January it was announced that the school would have to close.
Mother of four, parishioner and alum Kim Miller said that was the mirror she needed to see.
"When I'm in church on Sunday I see kids that I coached or baby-sat that are now married with their own kids here, it makes me feel old, but it's also very special," Miller said.
She stepped up and so did another parishioner -- in a big way.
WISN 12 News' media partners at the Muskego Patch reported that an anonymous parishioner donated at least $50,000.
"It means that we will be able to invite families to come here for the first year at no charge with a two-year commitment," Wohler said.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church has been around since 1872, the school since 1953.
Talking to parents and students with tears in their eyes, you can tell this is more than a school.
"We've been here for like 25 years in continuous. It probably wouldn't have affected me that much, but I would've felt bad for the kids that couldn't finish like I did," St. Joseph's eighth-grader Austin Young said.
Only a handful of staff know who the donor is, and they just found out the commitment is open-ended, meaning more money could come their way.
Click here to read more on the story from the Muskego Patch.


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Aromatic juniper and silicone teething/nursing necklace: Soot
Simple, elegant, chic. A teething/nursing/baby-safe necklace that looks like proper jewellery? Yes please!
Made from Ukrainian juniper wood (treated with beeswax), silicone beads, and nylon cord, this necklace is a perfect accessory for mums with small children. Baby can safely gum on the beads, and the cord is very strong and fitted with a break away clasp so will simply pop off your neck if tugged too hard by a baby or toddler.
The juniper wood smells absolutely amazing, and the beads are incredibly tactile. I'm so in love with these necklaces! My son loves fiddling with the little three bead detail too.
Juniper wood is a little bit softer than other woods, and so if you have a very bitey baby or toddler it might be better to try one of my silicone or maple necklaces instead. It is safe, it may just get scratched more easily.
To keep your wooden beads looking beautiful, nourish them from time to time with some baby safe polish I use a mix of coconut oil and beeswax, and I sell small tubs in my shop, but it's very easy to make yourself if you wish, or you can just use coconut oil.
For safety and product information, please see my FAQs. If you have any further questions about the materials used please get in touch, I'm happy to chat.
My jewellery is first and foremost an accessory. It is not a toy and baby should never be left unattended with it.


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Meet my best teachers. They are advocates of all cultures that learn, teach, model and show how to get more abundant supplies of food, energy, learning and health, along with cultures that cultivate access to opportunity to maximize potential for all groups and individuals.
Over the past 3 years, I have been learning from these community heroes that are modeling a new culture of solving age old problems with new tools.
These cultures all share one set of universal principals:
1. They are honest with a tendency toward one-set of rules and shared mutual understanding and goals.
2. They emphasize FIRST STEPS. This means they are ruthless in evaluating where they are and what they have before they make any plans.
3. They use an "Apollo 13" mentality of making the best use of what the group does have, rather than itemize what the group doesn't have only to get lost in fighting over why that is.
4. They have a clear imagination of exactly what the goal of their mission is.
5. They make decisions based on the clarity of that imagination not in response to available or lost objects.
6. They use mission based hierarchical structures to plan, brief and execute tasks. But the more power you wield in the hierarchy to more you are expected to serve the mission.
7. They use communal egalitarian structures for mission analysis and debriefing before and after each plan, brief and execution.
All of this is definitive to any true problem-solvers culture.
Failure to have a good first step can result in jumping out of a plane without a parachute, building a bridge without any nuts and bolts, or planning a political reform that treats symptoms, not roots. It is the most important step, before planning or execution can begin.
The people in these playbooks have been some of my best teachers the past 3 years and I believe their culture of thinking represents a clear success in achieving security, abundance and individual and collective freedom.
The best community heroes use a "mission" culture. This best defined in the Marine Corps, a surgical operating room, or while engineering a bridge, road or factory.
I believe that if we teach, model and show good first step practices – which are being shown to us by our "Greatest Generation," returning war veterans, youth and countless civilians – a true renaissance is closer than we realize.
I am thrilled to share this Community Hero Playbook with you featuring some of my most valuable teachers, and ask you to help me expand on them.
Here's to the story of our lifetime!
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text:
Unwanted fire alarms are a problem for the fire service and the community. NFPA® estimates that fire departments respond to more than 2 million false fire alarm calls each year. According to NFPA 72®: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, an unwanted alarm is any alarm that occurs that is not the result of a potentially hazardous condition. NFPA developed the Fire Service Guide to Reducing Unwanted Fire Alarms to provide the fire service with a free resource that offers guidance in the following areas:
- Understanding commercial and residential building fire alarm systems
- Understanding single-family alarm causes
- Providing a framework for developing possible solutions
The Guide is an important tool for line firefighters, fire officers, and fire prevention personnel to provide basic knowledge on how fire alarm systems and detection devices operate and assess the cause of alarms where no emergency condition is apparent. The Guide can assist Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ's) in developing strategies to manage response to unwanted alarms thru practices reflective of risk assessment, resources management, and current Code recommendations.
Download your free copy of the guide to reducing unwanted alarms.


text:
Fanciful Fun Thank You Card
Communion Thank You Cards
Fanciful Fun Thank You Card, Item# TYCM7571
Note: Sparkles are simulated and will not light up.
Fanciful Fun Thank You Card, Item# TYCM7571
Note: Sparkles are simulated and will not light up.
Fanciful Fun Envelope Seals
Fanciful Fun Return Address Labels
Personalized Communion Beverage Napkin 1
Fanciful Fun
Our fold-over Communion notecard, "Fanciful Fun" features whimsical flowers and hearts intermingling next to a simple optional cross. At the bottom, a bold scalloped stripe highlights the honoree's name. Mix and match multiple color options to create your own personal style.
A custom message can be printed with flat printing inside the fold-over card (for an additional $0.50), to acknowledge that special gift.
You will be able to select the typestyle and ink colors to use for your personalized text during the design process. Start by clicking on the green 'Personalize and Continue' button. We recommend using the default typestyle and ink colors.
|Estimated Postage Required:
|$0.55 stamp - if other items are not added into the Envelope. Click here for additional postage information.
|Item Type:
|Foldover Notecard
|Card Dimensions:
|5 1/2" X 4 1/8" (W x H)
|Printing Process:
|Digital Press
|Paper Weight:
|Multiple Stock Options
|Typestyle Shown:
|Matching Ink Color:
|White Envelopes included. Printed return address and/or Calligraphy is available for an additional cost.


text:
ZTE has surprised everyone at the Mobile World Congress by announcing the ZTE Grand Memo, a 5.7-inch competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Note. The surprising part about the Grand Memo is that it is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 SoC running at 1.5GHz. The Snapdragon 800 SoC was initially expected to show up in devices in the second half of this year, but ZTE states that it will be launching the Grand Memo in March in China, and a month after that in Europe.
The 5.7-inch display on the Grand Memo is a disappointment though, as it has 720p resolution compared to 1080p, which is quickly becoming the norm nowadays. The 8.9mm thin phablet sports a 13MP shooter at its back, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, LTE connectivity and a beefy 3200 mAh battery. The Grand Memo runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out of the box with ZTE's own MyFavorite UX on top of it.
ZTE plans to aggressively promote the Grand Memo and have its presence feel outside of China. However, the Chinese OEM does not intend on bringing the Grand Memo to the United States anytime soon.
UPDATE: Either ZTE lied or there was a huge confusion that led to this huge blunder. The ZTE Grand Memo does not sport Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, and is instead powered by the S4 Pro (APQ8064) — the same SoC that powers the Nexus 4, DROID DNA and Butterfly.


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For Patients
Planned Parenthood of Delaware provides high-quality sexual and reproductive health care throughout Delaware. We have centers conveniently located in Wilmington, Newark and Dover.
Our health centers offer a wide variety of health care services for women, men, and teens. Services may vary by center; please indicate which service you want when you make your appointment.
- Wellness exams: screening for breast and cervical cancer
- Birth control and family planning—a wide range of options
- HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer
- Advanced diagnosis and early treatment for cervical abnormalities (colposcopy)
- Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including the rapid test for HIV
- Emergency contraception (Plan B)
- Pregnancy tests and information on all pregnancy options
- Abortion services: surgical - sedated, surgical - awake, medical
- Male exams:screening for STDs,plus the HPV vaccine
To make an appointment, call:1-800-230-PLAN (7526)
To find a center in Delaware: click here.
Got a health question? For more information on health topics, click here.


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California Short Sale Laws
In the real estate market, a short sale is the sale of a property under mortgage where the sale price is less than the balance of the mortgage. The bank receives the proceeds from the sale and may or may not relieve the borrower of the remaining balance. In California, laws are in place to manage the short sale process. Generally, a short sale saves banks from foreclosure expenses, and prevents borrowers from damaging their credit histories.
Response Time
California Senate Bill 306 was signed into law in 2009, which clarified and created rules for short sales in that state. A significant component of this legislation affects how lenders, usually banks, deal with short sale offers. Prior to the new laws, banks were under no deadlines to answer short sale offers, which left homeowners and home buyers in limbo. The new law requires that lenders answer to short sale offers within 21 days. Thus, if a buyer makes an offer on a home that has already been approved for a short sale, the bank must accept or refuse the offer within three weeks. This law serves to facilitate the short sale process so that properties in these scenarios can sell more quickly.
Notification Time
In California, most borrowers in mortgage situations expect one month or more of advance notice from a bank if foreclosure is imminent and short sale options are available. California Senate Bill 306 expanded this law to include properties that are owned and occupied by the borrower and that also include additional rental space up to four apartments or units. Should the mortgage be at risk for any of these properties, short sale cannot be forced at the last minute.
Broker Involvement
The California Business and Professions Code, section 10131, states that a licensed real-estate broker must represent both parties in the sale of property, and this includes short sales. Some parties attempt to circumvent this law during short sales. Under section 10139 of the same code, failure to include a licensed broker during a short sale can result in fines or imprisonment.
When an escrow transaction is near completion for a short sale, California law places a four-day deadline on banks or other mortgage lenders to deny the offer. If a licensed real-estate broker and escrow officer complete form 1 of the U.S. Department of Housing (HUD1), this nearly finalizes the transfer of funds for purchase of the property. If the lending institution does not formally deny the offer in this circumstance, the law affords the offer an automatic approval. This further streamlines the sale of at-risk homes during the short sale process. Prior to this law, a short sale could commence but remain in limbo for an indefinite period of time until the lending bank reviewed the final escrow transaction. But this law now accelerates the process so sales may finalize promptly.
Photo Credits
- house image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com


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Missouri's horse
Fox trotters were bred for the Ozarks
Fox trotters are known for their ability to do just about anything and go anywhere. From left, Jim Mann, Carla Moore, Jerry Skaggs and Charles Bunting water their horses in the Little Black River.
Ask most Missourians to name the state horse and they are likely to pick the mule, which is actually the state animal. But pose the same question to owners of Missouri fox trotters, and they will tell you that only their breed, developed by selective breeding in the Ozark hills, can hold that distinction.
It wasn't until 2002 that the Missouri fox trotter became the state horse. But the breed got its official start in 1948 when a group of Ava businessmen — who realized the advent of the automobile could spell the end to their breed — started an official fox trotter registry and formed the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association which is still based in Ava.
Early settlers in the hills around Ava brought the ancestors of the fox trotter to the area, then worked to breed horses more suited to the rugged landscape of the Ozarks.
"I suppose it's more a gait than anything," Southwest Electric Cooperative President Ken Morrison says of the fox trotters he raises near Humansville. "They were a smooth-riding horse, they could cover a lot of miles and they wouldn't wear you out. They were just kind of an all-around horse. You could tie them to a buggy. You could plow corn with them and then show them at night."
In the early days, someone wanting to register their fox trotter had to prove the horse carried the fox-trot gait before the papers would be issued. In time, the registry was closed and only the foal of a registered sire and dam could be added.
"I remember when the breed started, I was 13 and I had a good gelding," says Bill Sanders of Gainesville. "I wanted to register him so bad, but my dad wouldn't let me. He said, 'It costs $10 to register that horse. Why, you could go out here and buy an acre of land for $10.' It didn't look like a good deal to him."
Jamie Johnson shows off the distinctive fox-trot gait in the Dale Easter Arena at the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association.
Interest in the fox trotter has grown over the years. Today, there are more than 96,000 horses on the association's registry. The association has 5,243 members, and there are affiliate organizations in 26 states, Europe and Canada.
Fox trotters have been used for everything from six-team stagecoach hitches to field trials with gun dogs to mounts for the U.S. Forest Service, which discovered fox trotters let them cover in one day what it used to take two days to ride. A German breeder used Missouri fox trotters to make the first descent of the Grand Canyon's north rim by horses.
Most owners point to the smooth gait as the best selling point of the fox trotter, which moves in a rhythmic, diagonal pattern. Unlike most horses, the fox trotter always has one hoof firmly planted on the ground. This provides a smoother, less jarring ride.
When fox trotting, the horse appears to be walking with its front feet and trotting with the rear. Show horses also must have a flat-foot walk, and when they reach four years old, a "rocking horse" canter, in which the front of the horse bobs up and down while the rider remains steady.
Bloomfield's Carla Moore, a director from SEMO Electric Cooperative, is a recent convert to fox trotters. "I always rode quarter horses before," she says. "I hear a lot of talk from people who rode quarter horses. Now they want something a little smoother. If you want to enjoy the ride, get a fox trotter. It's the difference between a Volkswagen and a Cadillac."
Jerry Skaggs, a fox trotter rider from Poplar Bluff, says his horses are in demand with cowboys on Western ranches. "They've ridden them on the trails out there," says the Ozark Border Electric Cooperative member. "Now they are buying them for ranch work because they can check fences, work cattle and do it faster and more comfortable, too."
No matter where you go in the Ozarks, a fox trotter provides a comfortable ride.
But Dale Lawson, who owns Fox Gait Farms in Ava, says there is another endearing quality to the breed. "I think the main thing people talk about is the smooth ride. But they don't talk about how fast they can go. Fox trotters are deceptively fast. You watch him, they over reach when they are trotting or walking. If I've got a 12-inch over reach and we are walking side by side, in 5,280 steps, it won't be long before I'm a mile ahead of you."
In fact, riders mounted on fox trotters often have trouble riding with friends on other breeds.
Those in the know can tell a fox-trotting horse from the sound it makes. "I've heard people say it sounds like someone saying 'hunk a meat and two potatoes,'" Sanders says. "I don't know about that, but I'd know it if I heard it going down the road. You don't have to see it. If you know one, you can tell a long ways away if he's fox trotting."
Fox trotters from across the U.S. descend on Ava twice a year for horse shows put on by the association at its 130-acre facility. In June, the annual Spring Show and Futurity is held. Each September, the association holds its annual Fall Show and Celebration, which attracts more than 1,500 people to the south-central Missouri town.
Here the association will crown its world grand champions after eight days of tough competition. Riders often represent the third generation of their family to show at the Ava grounds, which features five arenas, 850 private horse stalls and 334 full-service RV sites served by White River Valley Electric Cooperative.
Those who ride fox trotters are understandably proud of their horses. "These horses have been good to us," Morrison says. "We didn't make a lot of money on them, but we sure made a lot of friends."
The 2010 Fall Show and Celebration takes place Sept. 4-11 at the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association show grounds north of Ava on Highway 5. Spectators are welcome. For more information, call 417-683-2468, send e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com or visit www.mfthba.com.


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Teen Girl Who Performed at Inauguration Ceremony Shot Dead in Chicago; Obama Reacts
A teen girl who performed as a majorette at President Barack Obama's inauguration festivities last week has been shot dead at a park in Chicago, sparking outrage in the violence-hit community.
"He took the light of my life," Hadiya's Pendleton father, Nathaniel, told reporters, according to MSN.com. He then addressed the shooter directly: "Look at yourself, just know that you took a bright person, an innocent person, a nonviolent person."
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at a park only a mile away from Obama's home in Chicago. The 15-year-old girl was apparently talking with friends when a gunman who was not even aiming at her opened fire, and shot her in the back. Pandleton was rushed to hospital, but died of her wounds.
The city has already experienced over 42 homicides in January alone, its highest death total for over a decade. Last year, over 500 people were killed.
Reacting to the news, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney revealed that the president's "thoughts and prayers" are with the grieving family and added: "It's a terrible tragedy any time a young person is struck down with so much of their life ahead of them, and we see it far too often. And as the president has said, we will never be able to eradicate every act of evil in this country, but if we can save any one child's life, we have an obligation to try when it comes to the scourge of gun violence."
When asked whether Chicago was an example of a city where strict gun control laws don't necessarily mean less gun violence, as the NRA has argued, Obama said: "Well, the problem is that a huge proportion of those guns come in from outside Chicago."
Many in the community have expressed their thoughts on the shooting and shared memories of the girl.
"She was a very active kid, doing dance, cheerleading, who felt like she could accomplish just about anything, a very good student who had big dreams about what she wanted to be, a doctor, an attorney," commented Damon Stewart, a Chicago police officer and attorney. "She was constantly getting good grades."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has pushed for tougher laws in efforts to curb homicides and violence, also spoke about Pendleton at a local media event on Wednesday.
"She had dreams," Emanuel said. "And these – this gang-banger, this punk – took that away from [her mother] Cleopatra, they took it away from Hadiya and, in my view, they took it away from the city of Chicago."
The shooter has not yet been caught, but Chicago police have said that "every indication now points to the fact that the area is a hangout for gang members."


text:
How do I specify the libraries to be searched by the linker?
- MinGW supports libraries named according to the "<name>.lib" and "<name>.dll" conventions, in addition to the normal "lib<name>.a" convention common on *nix systems. To include libraries named according to any of these conventions, simply add an associated "-l<name>" specification to the compiler command, ensuring it is placed after the name of the module in which the reference appears.
- Note that, if the library is not found in any of the default library search paths, you may also need to insert an appropriate "-L<dir>" switch to specify its location; (it is recommended that you place the "-L<dir>" switch before the "-l<name>" specification which requires it).
- Also note that the library names "lib<name>.a" and "lib<name>.lib" are not equivalent; if you have a library named according to the aberrant "lib<name>.lib" convention, it will not be found by an "-l<name>" specification -- if you cannot rename the library, you must use the form "-llib<name>" instead.
- Finally, please do not fall into the all-too-common trap of placing any "-l<name>" specification before the name of any source or object module which requires it. Where the source file bar.c has dependencies on the library archive libfoo.a, the command:
$ gcc -lfoo bar.c
is incorrect, and will surely lead to "undefined reference" errors. The correct form for this command is:
$ gcc bar.c -lfoo
Also, please do not be misled into the belief that this is a peculiarity of MinGW; it is a common requirement of the GNU linker, on all platforms which use it, and indeed of UNIX linkers in general, that libriaries must be specified after the names of all dependent modules. Please resist any temptation to report failure to support the former (incorrect) usage as a MinGW bug, for it is no such thing. If any other user attempts to convince you that the incorrect form works perfectly well on GNU/Linux (for example), then please politely refer them to the GCC Manual, and to the GNU Binutils Manual, point out that such usage is definitively incorrect, and advise them that they may have been getting away with such incorrect usage because some versions of the ELF platform linker, (of which GNU/Linux is an example), will forgive the error, specifically in the case of shared libraries; (such linkers will punish the error equally strenuously on every platform, in the case of statically linked libraries).


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"The Peanut Butter Falcon"
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz
Writers: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Rated: PG-13
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Synopsis: Zak is a young adult with Down syndrome who decides to run away from the nursing home that he has been sent to live in. Determined to train with The Salt Water Redneck, his favorite professional wrestler, Zak teams up with Tyler, a troubled man on the run.
Review: There aren't many acting opportunities for actors with Down syndrome. So, when Zack Gottsagen asked Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz to help make him a movie star their only real option was to write, produce and direct a film built around Gottsagen. Nilson and Schwartz had made short films and commercials; this would be their first feature film.
"The Peanut Butter Falcon" is a feel-good film that doesn't sell its soul to convention and sentimentality. It's filled with a genuine warmth and a sense of fantasy that is grounded in Gottsagen's spirit and performance. It was willed into being; a true labor of love.
Despite being a debut feature, the supporting cast includes familiar names like Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern, Jon Bernthal and Thomas Haden Church and former professional wrestlers Jake Roberts and Mick Foley.
Hollywood has soured on LaBeouf's eccentricities, but he's always been a quality actor and he's more likable here than you'd expect. His character, Tyler, isn't a model citizen by any stretch, but you're likely to root for him nonetheless.
Church's performance as the Salt Water Redneck is given an incredible amount of depth despite his limited screen time. His story is tragic in its own bitter sweet way.
"The Peanut Butter Falcon" is a bit rough around the edges, but its story of flawed individuals chasing down their dreams is more inspirational than a thousand Hallmark Channel films.
My fear going into the movie was that casting an actor with Down syndrome would feel like a gimmick. That's not the case at all. It's not exploitative. It respects its characters and its audience.
You'll leave the theater with a smile, I promise. I hope the Down syndrome community and its family and friends see this film. You can do anything with a little help from your friends.


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Family man … Shane Watson. Shane and Lee Watson the high tea function on Jane McGrath Day during the third Test at the SCG last week.
SHANE WATSON is expected to put family before country and could miss a Test match during the tour of India to fly home for the birth of his first child, creating another dilemma for national selectors.
And Ben Hilfenhaus appears to be losing his race against the clock to earn selection for the four-Test series.
Watson and his wife Lee Furlong are expecting the arrival of their first child in March, raising the potential for a clash with Australia's Test schedule in India.
The vice-captain, a likely inclusion if fit to tour the subcontinent, may sit out the third or fourth Test, although he could also play both games if his wife gives birth between matches.
Ricky Ponting missed the second Test on a tour of Sri Lanka in 2011 so he could be present for the birth of his and wife Rianna's second child.
Watson's potential unavailability for parts of the tour is another factor selectors must take into account as they plan for life after Michael Hussey, whose retirement has left a huge hole in Australia's batting line-up.
Selectors had already been scratching their heads over how to replace the experienced and dependable Hussey and where Watson slotted best in the batting order now he was not bowling.
Watson was moved from first drop to No.4 in his two Tests against Sri Lanka as it was felt the position would better accommodate his bowling.
But, now that he is taking an indefinite break from bowling, Australian team management is considering restoring Watson as an opener, where he averages nearly 44 from 24 matches as opposed to Ed Cowan's 33 from 13 games.
Such a move would break up Cowan's partnership with David Warner, which was last year's most prolific opening pair in world cricket, and possibly endanger the adopted Tasmanian's position in the XI.
Watson had stated prior to his move from opener in late 2011 that his preferred position was at the top of the order.
Used primarily as partnership breaker towards the end of Ponting's reign as captain, Watson was able to stay injury free for two years after earning an international recall in the 2009 Ashes series.
But he has struggled to cope with the extra bowling workload placed on him by Michael Clarke in the past 18 months.
Although chairman of selectors John Inverarity's panel is now judging Watson as a specialist batsman rather than as a bowler, the selectors are keen for him to resume bowling.
Watson, who has taken 48 wickets at 28 since his return in 2009, will not bowl in the next two months but the door remains ajar for him to play a role with the ball in the Ashes later this year, although it's unlikely he will bowl extensively as he has this summer.
The 31-year-old is aiming to return for the ODI series against West Indies, starting February 1, but he could also make a comeback via the Sheffield Shield.
The original release of this article first appeared on the website of Hangzhou Night Net.


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You'll be surrounded by water in the Townsville region, from the crystal-clear Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef to tumbling waterfalls in lush national parks. Discover Townsville's offshore jewel, the delightful Magnetic Island, or check in to an exclusive resort on secluded Orpheus Island.
Discover the secret side of the Great Barrier Reef with a day trip to dive or snorkel at remote, uncrowded reefs. The SS Yongala, one of the world's best wreck dives, is accessible from Townsville or Ayr. You can even experience the Great Barrier Reef on land with a visit to Reef HQ near the city centre. It's home to the world's largest living coral aquarium, a turtle hospital and a number of conservation programs that the whole family will enjoy.
There's an island for everyone close to Townsville: Magnetic Island for families, Hinchinbrook Island for adventure-seekers and Orpheus for couples. On family-friendly Magnetic Island, look for rock wallabies, and members of one of Australia's largest colonies of wild koalas. Test yourself and hike the famous Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island; relax in absolute luxury or snorkel over a giant clam nursery on Orpheus Island. For the ultimate fishing adventure, take a helicopter to a deserted island for a private heli-fishing safari.
There's plenty to discover on the mainland as well. Marvel at Wallaman Falls, Australia's highest single-drop waterfall that's almost 270m tall, and visit one of the many national parks in the region. Hike up the goat tracks to Castle Hill, the striking pink granite monolith overlooking the town, or discover some of the other walking, hiking and mountain-biking trails that cover the region. The Townsville region also has a rich WWII history, including the Forts Walk on Magnetic Island and Jezzine Barracks on Kissing Point headland.


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Thinklogical to Showcase Innovative Fiber-Based Video and KVM Extension and Switching Systems at ISE 2013
Will Demonstrate Secure, High Performance Solutions for Demanding Audio-Visual Environments in Booth 1-F69
MILFORD, Conn. – Thinklogical LLC, a global provider of fiber-based video and KVM extension and switching systems, announced today that it will showcase its innovative solutions at Integrated Systems Europe 2013, Jan. 29 – 31, at the Amsterdam RAI in booth 1-F69.
"Today, there is a rapidly growing need for complex visualization, analysis and editing of multiple sources of video and data within mission critical operations. Organizations increasingly need extension and switching systems that deliver full video resolution with no compression, latency or artifacts while providing robust security, uninterrupted operation and ease of integration," said Joe Pajer, president and CEO of Thinklogical. "We are excited to demonstrate Thinklogical's solutions for these demanding application environments at ISE 2013."
Demonstrations at the Thinklogical booth will include video source and destination routing, flexible KVM extension, color correction and calibration integration, and touch-screen-enabled control management software used to simplify the configuration, operation and management of Thinklogical systems. Typical Thinklogical applications include command and control, video post-production, scientific modeling, live event staging and production, and training and simulation environments.
To schedule an appointment with Thinklogical at ISE 2013 please contact us at [email protected]. For more information about Thinklogical's products and services, please visit http://thinklogical.com.
About Thinklogical
Thinklogical is a global manufacturer and provider of fiber optic KVM, video, audio, and peripheral extension and routing systems, as well as NATO Information Assurance (Common Criteria, EAL4) accredited fiber matrix routers. Thinklogical helps customers reduce overall cost and dramatically enhance workflow dynamics within complex computing, broadcast, post production and AV infrastructures. Leading organizations in the government, entertainment, scientific and industrial sectors rely on Thinklogical's innovative products and services for optimal performance in secure visual computing environments. Thinklogical is privately held, with headquarters in Milford, Conn., and offices and representatives worldwide.
For information about Thinklogical products and services, please visit thinklogical.com. Follow Thinklogical on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/thinklogical
Media Contact
Robert Ventresca
(203) 647-8728
[email protected]


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Featured Post
Is the new professionalism and ACP's new ethics really just about following guidelines?
The Charter ( Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium.A Physician's Charter) did not deal with just the important relationship of ...
Friday, December 21, 2007
Everyone agrees -hospitalists are here to stay
In this posting, Dr. Rob expresses no little dissatisfaction that he can't find out in anything like a timely fashion what the heck the hospitalists et al did with his patient in the hospital.Further, I am becoming more and more of the opinion that patients tend to be in the win column as well except when they go back to their primary care doc to find out what happened to them in the hospital. I hasten to point out that this is not be case with every hospitalist-patient-PCP encounter set but obviously sometimes it does happen.
Dr. Wes points out that when we go to the hospital we now have the doctor rather than our doctor. That is ,the primary care doctor who attends the patient when he is not in the hospital hands off the patients to the hospitalist who in the course of the patient's stay in the hospital may himself hand off the patient a number of times. The recurrent discontinuity of care at least so far has not been proven to cost anything in terms of cost to the hospital or morbidity of mortality of the patients. One might argue that the loss of one aspect doctor-patient relationship could be lost but no dollar value is typically assigned to that. And as Dr. Happy Hospitalist points out , there was no shortage of hand offs on weekends between docs in the same group anyway, so what's different now.
As Dr. Wes states and as the Happy Hospitalist has explained clearly the current economics of medical care is such that the dichotomy of "officist" and hospitalist makes sense and the former practice of an internist playing both roles perhaps was only possible in a long gone economic environment.
I chafed against the concept of a hospitalist and mourned the apparent terminal condition of the type of internist that I enjoyed being for a number of years but now if I were just entering into a medical life as a general internist I believe I would have to take the road of either the hospitalist or the physician with a retainer practice. As pointed out by DB the retainer doc can have the time to do a good job in the office .We all know that the time pressured doc is a prefect recipe for missed diagnoses, poor judgment calls, pride and sometimes ethical damage to the physician and loss of respect of the patient. The retainer doctor has the time and the hospitalist practice -as least of the type that Dr Happy Hospitalist lives- does also.I think as far as general internists are concerned. Mr. Dylan's advice might be heeded.
..you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone.For the times they are a changing
3 comments:
- The Happy Hospitalist said...
Dr Rob brought up very great points. One of the differences between a good hospitalist program and a great hospitalist program is communication.
Communication with specialists
Communication with the referring primary care doc.
Communication with the pateint.
Our hospital has a priority code for transcribing our discharge summary. It is transcribed and faxed within 24 hours.
And we AlWAYS call the PCP on the day of discharge to discuss the hospital stay.
While you can't please everyone all the time, you can certainly make it easier to get to that point.
The systems and culture must be in place to make a hospitalist program WIN-WIN
- Anonymous said...
the identity of the primary physician is frequently a mystery to the specialists. a big one. most of the calls i get are from the clerk, with no idea of the specifics of the request. so there are communication issues on both sides.
if you call the hospital trascription service and ask how many primary care docs have blocked sending of discharge summaries and transcriptions to their office you would be shocked. some primary care docs don't want to be called because it disrupts their day, unless something unexpected occurs. lastly, as a specialist, i feel that when this communication has been provided to the hospitalist, it is their job to concisely summarize these things for the primary doc unless there is a special issue requiring urgent attention that could not be reliably communicated by them. if the primary docs would like a call, just tell the patient to have the specialist call them directly or leave a note in the chart. i'm sure they would get sick of calls if the hospitalist called them, the nephrologist, the pulmonologist, the cardiologist, and the radiologist all suddenly started interrupting their daily routine with calls on all their patients. but i would be happy to call anyone. a lot of times it takes someone 5-10 min to get to the phone. that starts to add up over the course of the day.
the first hospitalists probably were very good at all these issues, having been experienced physicians who worked closely with their community before becoming hospitalists. now that we are just throwing bodies into these 'higher paid, lifestyle' internal medicine positions, these new practioners have to learn these things. my experience has been that many hospitalists did not grow up in the united states, so there may be some cultural issues to overcome as well (or not). frequently they are swamped from day one. they also are often new to the area and learning to practice medicine as well.
- Anonymous said...
Our family has just had their first experience with a hospitalist. My parent went into the emergency room from a nursing home. She was very dehydrated, and the hospitalist indicated her condition was grave. She did bounce back, however the hospitalist felt that a decision needed to be made about a feeding tube. With my parent suffering from late stage Alzheimer's, this is not something she would have wanted. We decided against the feeding tube, and the hospitalist suggested hospice care. We concurred, and she is in an End of Life program at a different nursing home. She's been weakend by the ordeal, but she's hanging in there.
My concern is that the primary physician has never spoken with us. It is a huge emotional step to have a loved one enter into a hospice situation, and I really feel some reassurance from her primary physician would have been appreciated. After all, we CHOSE him to be her doctor, not the hospitalist.
This is especially disconcerting in that her primary doctor is also our family physician. It just seems that when one is truly ill enough to be hospitalized, the primary physician should use his or her connection with the patient, at the very least to reassure the patient.
I feel we made the right decision, but I sure would have appreciated some input from someone we knew and trusted.


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