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Mental illness is common among HIV-infected individuals. Outpatient studies of un-incarcerated HIV-infected patients reveal a prevalence as high as 54% for Axis I psychiatric disorders (major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder) and 26% for Axis II psychiatric disorders (personality disorders).1 Among the incarcerated, data from the United States (US) Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that over 16% of all state prison and jail inmates have a mental or emotional condition, 10% receive psychotropic medication and 12.5% participate in mental health therapy or counseling.2 Given the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among those with HIV infection, as well as among the incarcerated, it is likely that a significant proportion of HIV-infected inmates are suffering from one or more mental illnesses.
Mental illness complicates the management of HIV infection in several ways. First, studies have shown that mental illnesses, especially depression, contribute to treatment non-adherence and poor HIV outcomes.3 Second, patients with mental illness are less likely to be prescribed certain treatments including hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy and highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in many settings,4 despite new data suggesting that patients with mental illness who receive treatment for the mental illness achieve HIV clinical outcomes equal to or better than HIV-infected control patients without mental illness.5 Lastly, mental illness, when sub-optimally treated, has been associated with behaviors that risk transmission of HIV.6-8
A key to improving outcomes in HIV-infected populations is adequate detection and treatment of mental illnesses. At the very minimum, HIV providers should be familiar with the screening and management of the most common mental illness among HIV-infected patients -- depression. Reviews on the management of depression, including in HIV-infected patients, have been recently published.6,9 In this article we highlight diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to depression among HIV-infected incarcerated persons.
Screening for Depression
Despite the high prevalence of depression, this disorder is under-diagnosed and under-treated. A major challenge to the clinician is the differentiation between major depression and isolation, demoralization and reactive states of grief and loss associated with negative experiences -- including the diagnosis of HIV infection and/or incarceration. In addition, establishment of a diagnosis of depression is complicated by the overlap between symptoms that could suggest depression, but could also be secondary to HIV disease or attendant opportunistic conditions. Indeed, the differential diagnosis that must be considered during the work-up of depressive symptoms in the HIV-infected inmate is extensive, and is discussed in detail below.
Depression may manifest predominantly as somatic complaints. Although readily ascribed to underlying HIV disease, symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, insomnia, inexplicable muscle or visceral pain and atypical cardiac symptoms have been found to be more likely due to depression than advancing HIV disease, especially in patients with relatively high CD4 T-cell counts.10 Data among non-incarcerated individuals suggest men and women with depression present with similar complaints, though women are more likely to report anxiety, somatization, increased appetite, increased weight, increased sleep and hostility.11
In the setting of HIV infection, screening for depression can be aided by the use of standardized scales. We have validated two screening tools -- the General Hospital Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in HIV-infected individuals. In a study of outpatients with HIV infection, any patient who scored above six points on the GHQ and above 14 points on the BDI was found to have a high likelihood of major depression when evaluated by a psychiatrist.1 Thus, a patient who breaches these thresholds on both instruments should be evaluated thoroughly to determine the type of depressive illness he or she is experiencing.
Patients with a complaint of depression usually suffer from either endogenous depression (also known as major depression), or reactive depression (also known as adjustment disorder or demoralization). A third diagnosis, dysthymia, is less common. Patients with major depression are less able to experience pleasure from pleasurable stimuli, a state known as anhedonia, and in any given setting the patient will be less able or unable to feel pleasure. A simple analogy is that for patients with major depression, the experience is as if the electrical outlet is not connected to the wires carrying the current -- no matter what you plug in or when you try it, there is no power. In contrast, patients with a reactive-type depression are depressed about something, and therefore can experience pleasure when distracted from the circumstance or event that is upsetting. In this instance, it is as if the electrical outlet is controlled by a switch -- when the switch is off because the patient is in the depressing setting (e.g., at home, in jail or prison, in the HIV clinic, etc.), there is no power, but when the switch is on because the patient is distracted from the depressing setting, the power flows normally.
In a very simple categorization, major depression is a brain disease in which the ability to feel pleasure is broken in a pervasive and persistent manner, while adjustment disorders are psychological impairments in which the patient's meaningful experiences of life's events and circumstances cause an understandable bad mood.
Understanding this basic premise of major depression allows for a greater understanding of the experience of life by a depressed person. One may try to imagine a life in which nothing felt good. Food does not have much flavor, sleep is not restful, friends and family bring no joy, sex is not pleasurable and one's usual enjoyable activities are no longer fun. Further, without pleasurable inputs allowing one to interpret one's actions as successful and uplifting, one quickly comes to expect that every action will lead to either numbness or pain. Hopelessness ensues. Major depression driven suicide kills thousands of people who have fallen to despair and have begun to believe that nothing will ever go right again. Of course, things do go right all the time, but the depressed person cannot experience the pleasure that other people and life have to offer -- to return to the analogy, it is as if the outlet has been disconnected from the electricity.
When assessing a patient with a complaint of depression, it is therefore important to ask about pleasurable experiences. In a correctional setting, pleasurable experiences may be limited, but an interviewer open to exploring a patient's daily routines may discover several activities that result in good feelings if the patient does not have anhedonia (e.g., playing ball, talking with friends, watching television, playing cards, visiting with relatives/friends, reading, etc.). Furthermore, it is often very useful to obtain input from an outside observer, when possible. If a patient will consent, the interviewer could contact a family member or friend to determine how the patient appears to feel when interacting with him or her (e.g., on the phone, during a visit, etc.).
It is likewise important to explore any of the patient's interpretations of his or her depression fully, without allowing the interviewer's attitudes about the complaint to interfere. Such is the case, for example, when a patient reports depression about having HIV infection. Just because the interviewer might feel it would be devastating to have HIV, one cannot assume the patient shares those feelings exactly. For many incarcerated individuals, being diagnosed with HIV was not the most devastating life experience that they have endured. He or she may be reacting to an entirely different aspect of the illness, or may be reporting he or she is upset about the illness when nothing, in fact, has changed. By saying the cause of the depression is HIV-related, the patient may be trying to explain depressive symptoms in an understandable way. Likewise, inmates may attribute a host of depressive symptoms to being incarcerated -- restriction of activities resulting in less pleasure, other inmates' activities interrupting sleep, cafeteria food taste causing loss of appetite, etc. In this way, a major depressive episode could be missed if the questions do not inquire deeply enough about the experiences to which negative feelings are attributed.
When major depression is diagnosed, assessment should be made for suicidal ideation (see Case #1 in this month's Case Series). Assessment includes past mental health history including prior suicide attempts, symptoms of psychosis (voices commanding the patient harm him/herself), plans for suicide (patients with specific plan for how to accomplish suicide are at greater risk), beliefs regarding HIV disease progression and current life stressors.
Differential Diagnosis of Depression in HIV-Infected Patients
Depressive symptoms in the HIV-infected inmate may well indicate the presence of major depression, but as CD4 T-cell count decreases, concern for alternative infectious, metabolic and medication causes increases. The differential diagnosis includes dementia, delirium, central nervous system (CNS) illnesses (e.g., lymphoma, toxoplasmosis, neurosyphilis, cryptocococcal meningitis), metabolic diseases (e.g., hypothyroidism, hypogonadism), acute medical illnesses, substance abuse, cocaine withdrawal and medication side effects (e.g., interferon, efavirenz, beta-blockers, metoclopramine), among others.
Infectious and opportunistic conditions can be assessed as is appropriate given the clinical stage of the patient and other suggestive symptoms and signs. In all patients with depressive symptoms it is crucial to examine for abnormalities of the thyroid axis in men and women and testosterone levels in men. Patients should be queried for symptoms of these conditions and basic laboratory studies should be done at least annually to detect sub-clinical abnormalities. Correction of hypothyroidism and hypotestosteronemia is often necessary to achieve remission from major depression.12,13
In any case where major depression is suspected, probing for symptoms of bipolar disease, specifically symptoms of mania, should be performed given differences in the management of these disorders.
There is some evidence that HIV infection itself directly causes major depression. First, there is a higher prevalence of major depression in HIV-infected patients than in the general population, as previously stated. Second, there is a correlation between progression of HIV disease and development of major depression. This, taken in concert with models for depression caused by chronic CNS inflammation (likely mediated by both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine action in CNS glial cells),14 demonstrates a possible causal relationship for HIV infection and major depression.
In addition to the direct effects of HIV and inflammation on the brain causing major depression, medications can cause or worsen depression. Two medications in particular, efavirenz and alpha-interferon15-17 (the latter used to treat HCV, frequently comorbid with HIV -- particularly in correctional settings) can cause depressive symptomatology. In general, depressive symptoms that begin after these medications are started should raise suspicion for a causal relationship. This may be overlooked, however, since the depressive symptoms often take some time to develop. While the time course for efavirenz is less clear, depressive symptoms develop between one and 24 weeks after starting treatment with alpha-interferon, with a mean of eight to 12 weeks after first dose. Screening for depression prior to initiation of alpha-interferon and regularly during therapy is prudent and should be incorporated into the management of HCV infection.
The best news for patients with major depression from any cause is that it is usually a very treatable condition. In studies of HIV-infected depressed patients, up to 85% had at least some improvement with treatment within 12 weeks and 50% returned to baseline.6,18 The overall response rate for alpha-interferon-induced depression in the literature is likewise approximately 85%.16
The cornerstone of effective treatment for major depression is anti-depressant medication. All available standard anti-depressant therapies have a potential efficacy for treatment of major depression co-morbid with HIV and/or alpha-interferon therapy. Selection of an agent is therefore based primarily on tolerability. In general, anti-depressants with few side effects experienced by the patient may promote adherence to the medications, and therefore, may have a good chance at effective treatment. Treatment should be started at low doses and titrated upward to minimize the risk of adverse effects. An algorithm for the management of depression and a listing of variables to consider when prescribing an antidepressant are shown in this month's IDCR-o-gram.
As the efficacy of the various classes of anti-depressants is similar, the search for a good match between the patient and treatment can be informed by the properties of the agents and the patient's medical and psychiatric symptoms. For example, tricyclic anti-depressants, such as nortriptyline, doxepin and desipramine, often curb diarrhea, promote sleep and assist with weight gain -- all of which may be desirable for certain patients. Some selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (e.g., fluoxetine and escitalopram), venlafaxine XR, bupropion SR and XL often cause some activation, thus eliminating fatigue. Bupropion SR may also be useful in combination with smoking cessation programs, since it treats symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Venlafaxime XR may reduce chronic pain. Matching the side effect profile of the medication to the patient's presenting symptoms can be useful in promoting adherence, thus enhancing the likelihood of a therapeutic effect. An excellent review of the properties of anti-depressants has been recently published.9
An additional consideration when choosing an anti-depressant for an HIV-infected patient are interactions with current medications and those that are likely to be prescribed in the future.6 The IDCR published a review of drug-drug interactions between mental health and HIV medications in January 2005, available at www.IDCRonline.org.19 SSRIs, like many protease inhibitors, are metabolized via the cytochrome P450 system. Ritonavir, in particular, is an extremely potent inhibitor of the P450 enzymes. Nevirapine can induce the P450 system, producing relatively decreased SSRI levels. Therefore, there is a potential for drug interactions that can alter SSRI levels; however, in general, the majority of interactions between SSRIs and antiretroviral fail to be clinically significant, and this information is presented to alert potential prescribers of a mechanism for those rare cases of clinically-significant interactions. Again, starting with lower doses of the anti-depressant will reduce the risk of supratherapeutic plasma drug levels and adverse effects and permit titration to doses that are tolerated and effective.
Following the initiation of anti-depressant therapy, the patient should be assessed every two weeks initially, at first for monitoring of side effects and later for efficacy. It may take six weeks to notice a significant change in depressive symptoms and patients should be counseled not to expect rapid results. Once remission in depression is achieved, the dose of the anti-depressant should not be altered.
Failure to achieve an effect should lead to reassessment of the diagnosis. Suboptimal dosage, drug-drug interactions and/or poor medication adherence may have contributed to the failure. If these are ruled-out, then a switch to another agent can be attempted. Response rates to a second SSRI after failure to respond to a drug in this class are 60-70%.11 In cases where a partial effect is seen during initial anti-depressant therapy, the patient may be a candidate for augmentation with a second agent with a slightly different neuropharmacological profile (e.g., adding venlafaxine or bupropion to an SSRI). There is a fair amount of evidence suggesting that lithium carbonate is an effective augmenting agent which can be monitored by serum levels.20,21 Anti-psychotic medications are also very useful in this regard. In particular, olanzapine22 promotes sleep and weight gain and ziprazidone provides a nice "energy boost" in lower doses (but must be taken with food to be effectively absorbed in the stomach).23 All patients with treatment-resistant depression should be referred to a psychiatrist.
It is important to remember that anti-depressant medications themselves will only affect a person's ability to feel pleasure. Psychotherapy is an integral part of the treatment of major depression and is more effective when combined with pharmacological therapy than when either is used alone.24 Returning to the electric outlet analogy, anti-depressants will turn on the power to the outlet. The patient's attitudes about the use of electric appliances may be unaffected -- he or she may believe that life contains no pleasures or that pleasures are fickle and subject to disappear without notice. This is the reason for combining psychotherapy with anti-depressant medication. Psychotherapy is the process of changing the patient's assumptions, behaviors and feelings about the world through discussion, exploration and practice. In essence, a depressed patient has to gain insight that the experiences he or she had while depressed were inherently biased because of a brain disease disallowing the experience of pleasure, and that new experiences, now that the power is back on, will be different. In this way, trials of behaviors once thought to be unrewarding may result in regained pleasures and thus, generate a sense of hope.
Several clinical studies have demonstrated enhanced efficacy of the treatment of depression in HIV-infected patients with psychotherapy25-27 and correctional systems with access to psychiatric consultation and on-going appropriate counseling services for patients with major depression have a distinct advantage in their ability to treat this disorder. For patients who are about to be released, post-release community counseling and mental health care should be arranged.
In all cases, there needs to be coordination among HIV care providers and those providing psychiatric care to ensure that each is aware of alterations in the status of the patient, modifications in treatment or dosage, potential for drug interactions and the development of relevant treatment-related adverse effects.
HIV infection and major depression are prevalent and often co-morbid conditions among inmates in the U.S. Health care providers practicing in the correctional setting are most effective when they can accurately diagnose and treat major depression in HIV-infected inmates. Following the general principles in this article will assist health care providers to diagnosis depression and differentiate between this disorder and other conditions that can cause depressive symptomatology, choose treatments that are tailored to the patient and recognize the potential for toxicity and drug interactions. Psychiatric consultation should be sought for patients with treatment-resistant depression, such as those failing a second anti-depressant. In addition, psychotherapy is an important complement to pharmacologic therapy and should be a component of the treatment of major depression in the HIV-infected inmate. Coordination between clinicians providing HIV care and those providing psychiatric care is essential to the safe and effective management of shared patients.
Andrew F. Angelino, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has nothing to disclose.
Glenn J. Treisman, M.D., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Honoraria: Pfizer, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, Agouron, Gilead, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Roche, Shcering-Plough, Janssen, Merck.
Lyketsos CG, Hanson A, Fishman M, et al. Int J Psych Med. 1994; 24:103-13.
Beck AJ, Maruschak LM. Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, US Department of Justice. 2001, NCJ 188215.
Singh N, Squier C, Sivek C, et al. AIDS Care. 1996; 8:261-69.
Himelhoch S, Moore RD, Treisman G, et al. JAIDS. 2004; 37:1457-63.
Perdue T, Hagan H, Thiede H, et al. AIDS Educ Prevent. 2003; 15:81-92.
Hutton HE, Lyketsos CG, Zenilman JM, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2004; 161:912-14.
Perkins DO, Leserman J, Stern RA, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 1995; 152:1776-81.
American Psychiatric Association. Arlington: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.
Grinspoon S, Corcoran C, Stanley T, et al. J Clin Endo Med. 2000;85:60-65.
Lyketsos CG, Hoover DR, Guccione M, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 1996: 153:1430-7.
Dieperink E, Ho SB, Thuras P, et al. Psychosomatics. 2003; 44:104-12.
Hauser P, Khosla J, Aurora H, et al. Mol Psychiatry. 2002;7(9):942-7.
Angelino AF, Treisman GJ. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2006; (in press).
Treisman GJ, Fishman M, Lyketsos CG, et al. In Price R.W., Perry S.W., (eds) HIV, AIDS and the Brain: ARNMD Volume 72, New York: Raven press, 1993: pp. 239-250.
IDCR. January 2005. Last accessed January 3, 2006 from www.idcronline.org
Stein G, Bernadt M. British Journal of Psychiatry. 1993;162:634-40.
Katona CLE, Abou-Saleh MT, Harrison DA, et al. British Journal of Psychiatry. 1995; 166:80-6.
Shelton RC, Tollefson GD, Tohen M, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2001; 158:131-34.
Papkostas GI, Petersen TJ, Nierenberg AA, et al. J Clin Psych. 2004; 65:217-21.
Keller MB, McCullough JP, Klein DN, et al. N Engl J Med. 2000; 342(20):1462-70.
Lee MR, Cohen L, Hadley SW, et al. Psychiatr Serv, 1999; 50:948-52.
Kelly JA, Murphy DA, Bahr GR, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 1993;150:1679-86.
Markowitz JC, Kocsis JH, Fishman B, et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998; 55(5):452-7.


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Juror Jailed For Friending Defendant on Facebook [VIDEO]
Word to the wise: If you're a juror in a trial, don't friend the defendant on Facebook, or worse, brag about being kicked off the jury committee for said friend request.
Jacob Jock, a 29-year-old man living in Sarasota, Florida, was sentenced to three days in jail on Thursday for criminal contempt of court by Circuit Judge Nancy Donnellan. The misdemeanor charge stemmed from a message he posted on his Facebook page after being dismissed from jury duty for sending a friend request to the defendant: "Score ... I got dismissed!! apparently they frown upon sending a friend request to the defendant ... haha."
The incident began in December when Jock sent a friend request to Violetta Milerman, the defendant in an auto negligence case. The defendant informed her attorney about the request and Jock was removed from the jury. It wasn't until Jock posted the message on his Facebook page that he was hauled into court.
Donnellan reprimanded Jock for his actions, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, concluding a two-hour contempt-of-court hearing by saying, "I cannot think of a more insidious threat to the erosion of democracy than citizens who do not care."
After the three-day jail sentence was announced, Jones was taken away in handcuffs as his girlfriend cried, but she has not commented on the matter.
Jock says he meant to click on "mutual friends" because he thought he may have known the defendant but accidentally requested her as a friend.
Keeping jurors away from social media may prove to be difficult for judges presiding over trials where juries are not sequestered. This isn't the first case in which Facebook interfered with a trial. In August 2011, a very similar incident occurred when 22-year-old juror Jonathan Hudson of Texas sent a friend request to the female defendant.
Hudson was removed from the jury and faced four charges of contempt of court. Just a month earlier, a juror and defendant in the U.K. were convicted of contempt of court after mutually friending each other on Facebook. The Guardian said it was the first case involving contempt of court and the web.
What impact do you think social media will have on trials in the future? Tell us in the comments.

subset: commoncrawl


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Will Davies once told Studio magazine, "I grew up during a romantic era." A child of the 30's, Will went on to admire the romance art being done in American magazines during the 40's and 50's. Canada offered few such venues but what publications there were could not have asked for a more eager or talented artist than Will Davies to illustrate "the clinch". One year his art appeared in 11 of 12 issues of Chatelaine.
Will figures that's how Harlequin Romance senior art director Charles Kadin first saw his work. That first commission from the publisher would lead to a 25 year "marriage" of two or three cover assignments a month, every month.
Kadin, whom Will still socializes with (they will be co-judges this summer at an exhibition of aviation art) had four or five art buyers/junior ADs working under him, such was the volume of books Harlequin was publishing. "We were all doing them [the covers] back then," says Will, "they started out at about $800 or $900 but gradually we got the price up to where it ought to have been: around $2,500 each."
Will particularly enjoyed the handful of wrap-around covers he did for Harlequin but the publisher ultimately went with the more realistic, oiled-skin style that was becoming increasingly popular with many readers. "Charles told me he fought for me." But in the end the publisher had to go with what the market wanted to buy. Of those more realistic illustrators, Will told Studio magazine, "They do a beautiful job. Quite a different way of painting. I can't do it that way."
Just as his American counterparts in New York were hiring top fashion models to pose for their romance scenes, Toronto's top modelling agencies found a steady client in Will Davies. Beautiful strangers in mock embrace, photographed against the rough background of Will's studio, were magically transformed on his easel into passionate lovers in exotic locales. "Illustration," says Will, "is fantasy. Illusion."
When I interviewed Will for this week's posts, it occurred to me that those many romantic paintings, first for Chatelaine, then for Harlequin, must have provided him with the outlet he had been denied all those years ago in New York. I asked him if that was the case. He told me plainly, "That's right."
Coby Whitmore, Joe Bowler, Joe DeMers and the others Will had so admired might never have known Will Davies or his work, but Will had found his own way to stand quietly shoulder to shoulder with them as an equal.
* For 25 years Will painted 2 or 3 covers each month for Harlequin Romance. He still has many of his originals. Will has agreed to make some of them available for sale. Serious inquiries can contact me and I will put you in touch with Will's wife.


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Definitely some great tips for getting a grip after the craziness of the holidays. Thanks.
Back to Reality: Coming Down after the Holidays
Whatever holidays you celebrate in November, December, and January, they're over now. The special food is eaten and the decorations are probably back in their boxes. The new year has come, though whether you see it with hope or fear is up to you. My point is, in most of the western world, January is a month of coming down. We spend November and December gearing up, getting ready, anticipating days off from work, travel, good food, and good times with people we love. Then January hits, and that's all over. Not only that, but the bills for all that hope and anticipation start arriving and we go back to our normal daily routine. It's no wonder if we sometimes look up and ask if the holidays really meant anything after all.
Seasons of letdown are difficult for the human spirit. They just are. There's not any way around that. But there are ways to lessen the impact of a letdown, any letdown, has on you.
Life Cycles
The truth is, our lives cycle and recycle all the time, though we don't often notice because we're too busy experiencing the feelings of wherever we are in the cycle. On every level--personal, professional, spiritual, financial, emotional--we are constantly going through ups and downs. We cycle as individuals, as family groups, as business groups, as friends, as a culture, as a country, and as a world. It's no wonder the patterns are hard to notice, what with all these cycles intersecting and influencing each other. But the cycles are true.
Sometimes, just knowing that we're at a particular part of the cycle makes being there easier. It's almost a relief to say, "It's January, and I'm on the downward side of the holiday season cycle. It's normal for me to feel tired, a little overwhelmed with everyday life coming back at me, and even a little sad. This will pass." While it can be hard to deeply embrace the truth that statements like these offer, there's some comfort in acknowledging, at least cognitively, that they are true.
Take Some Space
Take advantage of the lull in planned activities that often comes on the downward side of a cycle (like January) and even of any restricted financial resources you might have from your celebrating, find a quiet place, and hole up for a while. Part of what causes the downward side of the cycle is the onslaught of sights and sounds and people and experience that comes with the upside. Our minds get overstimulated, whether we're aware of it or not, and after a while they can't continue processing so much input without some rest. So taking some quiet time to meditate, journal, or read a good book helps our tired, taxed minds and puts us on the road to getting out of the downward part of the cycle.
Getting some personal space can also help us cement memories of the good times we've just had. Writing a memory down, looking through pictures, or even replaying something special in our minds cues our brains to remember it. And when we remember good times, it's easier to feel contented in the present.
Focus on the Present
Most likely, the tasks in front of us are not as loathesome as they seem when we're coming off a fun, exciting season like the holidays. Once we have memories cemented, the best thing we can do at the bottom part of a cycle is to focus on what is in front of us without longing for what we just had. Those times were good, maybe extremely, excessively good, but they aren't what's in front of us right now. In these January moments, we have tasks that need doing and people who need caring for. Focusing on these allows us to find contentment in our lives because we're not wishing for or straining towards something that isn't true in the present.
Actually focusing like this can be difficult, especially when we're so close to what was exciting. The key is to develop what I call a Meditation Mind. In meditation, practitioners are asked to focus and relax. When they find their minds wandering, they are asked to simply recall themselves to the focus. This kind of mindset can also serve well in focusing on the present, If you find your mind wandering, simply bring it back to the task at hand. Repeated practice allows our minds to attain focus easier and hold it longer.
Whether you're down or not after the holidays, I hope these thoughts and tips help you out whenver you're in the downward part of a cycle. Is there anything else you do when you're in that place? Let me know in the comments.
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
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Nice article Sarah. We once had a speaker come to our workplace to talk about resiliency in the face of change, and one of the points she made that really helped me was similar to yours. She said that studies show that change tends to be cyclical. Although we tend to think of successful change as linear, "progress" from one place to another, it more often tends to loop back upon itself. But if you don't give up during that backward loop, if you keep trying, you tend to progress a bit further along the continuum and move forward, before you take yet another little backward loop again. As long as you don't give up, your overall momentum continues to be forward. That picture in my head makes a difference. If you perceive that backwards movement as a temporary "roll" it's easier to bounce back and keep moving in the right direction rather than get discouraged and quit.
As I have a mood disorder, I cycle A LOT - but after lovely holidays January (the fitness, lose-weight month) can be a downer - It's reassuring to hear that one is not alone in this.


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Young intruder shot to death unknowingly by father
Home break-in: New Fairfield teacher answers neighboring sister's call for help
NEW FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Around 1 a.m. Thursday, a woman heard an intruder break into her home at the end of a quiet neighborhood street. She called her brother, Jeffrey Giuliano, who lives next door on Meeting House Hill Circle. He came over with protection for his sister -- a handgun.
On the front lawn, Giuliano confronted the intruder, who was clothed all in black and wearing a ski mask.
The intruder lunged -- police said he was holding a weapon -- and Giuliano pulled the trigger. The shot killed the intruder.
Only after his ski mask was removed did Giuliano realize he knew the intruder. It was his adopted son.
Tyler Giuliano, a 10th-grader at New Fairfield High School who turned 15 on Aug. 2, was dead. State Police confirmed his identification and the circumstances. They offered no motive for the teenager's actions nor specified the weapon he was found holding.
"Everybody is just shaking their heads over it," First Selectman John Hodge said Thursday. "We're hoping the police can get to the bottom of it."
A family member, who did not want to be identified, said the boy was adopted and previously had the last name of Januzzi.
Jeffrey Giuliano, brother of the homeowner, Alexis Scocozza, was described Thursday as "everyone's favorite teacher." He teaches fifth grade and science at Meeting House Hill School and is known as Mr. G.
Schools Superintendent Alicia Roy sent an email to parents Thursday afternoon. "Our district has experienced a tragedy that has affected us deeply," she wrote to parents and guardians. The tragedy was not discussed with students, she wrote, because "the facts were not clear."
Thursday afternoon at New Fairfield Plaza, Robbie and Kim Sarnelli said they knew both Jeffrey Giuliano and his son, Tyler.
"He was very open and very happy,'' Kim Sarnelli said of Tyler.
Robbie Sarnelli had been a student of Giuliano's at Meeting House Hill School.
"Everybody liked him,'' he said.
Jeffrey Giuliano's colleagues at Meeting House Hill School declined comment Thursday afternoon. "We've been told not to say anything," said one teacher, who declined to give her name.
Tyler Giuliano was a member of the New Fairfield Civil Air Patrol, the first civil air patrol to be located at a Connecticut high school.
"He loved to fly," said Ken Chapman, adult leader of the patrol. Tyler "was active in the power and glider flight programs" and was starting his second year in the patrol.
Meeting House Hill Circle ends at the Giuliano and the Scocozza homes.
It is a neighborhood of well-kept Colonials and ranches, the shrubs and lawns well-trimmed. The road is narrow and the houses are close to each other.
One neighbor, who did not want to be named, said she heard shots in the night.
"We all heard shots and there was a commotion afterwards," she said.
Another neighbor, Lydia Gibbs, said she counted nine shots.
"I thought it was fireworks because nobody would think it was a shooting in this town," she said.
Gibbs said she had taken fifth-grade science from Giuliano.
"He was everyone's favorite teacher," she said.
The shooting elicited an outpouring of sympathy from Tyler Giuliano's friends and classmates, many of whom took to Twitter to convey their condolences.
One person, whose handle is @BK1mmel, wrote, "you can only hope nobody ever has to feel the pain and guilt that Mr G feels right now. prayers go out to the family.. RIP Tyler."
Another tweeted: "To think I was just in class with Tyler on Thursday joking around and talking with him; he was such a nice kid and a good friend #RIP."
The high school media center was open until 9 p.m. Thursday for children and parents who wish to gather, Roy said. An open house at the high school was rescheduled to Tuesday, she said.
"We know that you will join us in our concern, support, and sympathy for those involved in and affected by the tragedy," Roy said in the email.
The state medical examiner's office is scheduled to perform an autopsy Friday.
Dirk Perrefort and John Pirro contributed to this report.


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Camping Missouri
The Kansas City Public Library and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources present a series of five programs in March that highlight many of the recreational offerings available in the state of Missouri.
In the first of five programs, Kevin Bolling discusses the many camping and hiking opportunities available at Missouri State Parks in a talk titled Camping in Missouri's State Parks on Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.
Bolling will discuss the dos and don'ts of camping in 42 of Missouri's State Parks and historic sites and offer suggestions for the best parks for a variety of recreational activities – from hiking to swimming to just camping out with friends and family.
Other events in the Experiencing Missouri series include: Cycling Missouri on Tuesday, March 10; Caving Missouri on Tuesday, March 17; Backpacking Missouri on Tuesday, March 24; and Fishing Missouri on Tuesday, March 31.
Admission is free. Click here or call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage located at 10th and Baltimore.
The series complements the Painting Missouri exhibit now on display at the Central Library. Painting Missouri is a collection of 115 oil paintings by internationally known artist Billyo O'Donnell depicting all 114 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis. The exhibit is on display through May 3rd at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.


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It's the most prestigious polo club tournament in the world. But unlike similar sporting events elsewhere, there's no snobbery involved in the invitations. Turn up at the ground in Buenos Aires' leafy Palermo district, hand over less cash than you'd spend on a beer in an upmarket London pub, and you'll find a seat in the stands.
Finding a seat in the saddle is more challenging. Many of the players of the Argentine clubs that participate in the Open share the same surname (the Heguy and Merlos families are particularly well represented), and there's no doubt that this is a rich man's sport. Individual ponies can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and players use fresh mounts for each of the game's eight or more chukkas.
When the game begins and the tempo picks up, you get a sense of why they're needed. The noise is terrific as the horses' hooves pound the turf, turning up little puffs of dust as each foot slams into the ground, and the bulging muscles of their legs and rumps heave beneath their glistening coats. Astride them, the players seem almost to float as they whip their sticks around in dexterous circles and, leaning impossibly far from the saddle, clip the ball with backhand swipes that should surely dislocate their joints. Galloping flank to flank, they scorch along, pressing one horse against the other, piling its entire weight on that of the opponent, trying to push it out of the way – yet still, incredibly, the riders don't fall off.
The crowd, meanwhile, cheers and chats, and natters on its mobile phones. It's a mellow bunch of spectators of all ages, gently enjoying a sporting afternoon in the sun. And foreigners – fear not. You don't need to be a polo aficionado to enjoy this game. You don't even need to understand the rules. Any layman can see: in these men and horses, breeding and skill have come together to create a match of breathtaking bravado and beauty.
The Argentine Open takes place in Palermo, Buenos Aires, in Nov/Dec. See www.aapolo.com (Spanish only).
For hundreds more ultimate travel experiences, get Rough Guides' Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth
Top image © JOSE ALBERTO TEJO/Shutterstock


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Pesticide Action Network: SIGN THE PETITION!
• U.S. bee populations are still declining and scientists believe pesticides are a critical piece of the puzzle. Clothianidin's family of pesticides (neonicotinoids, including imidacloprid) are an especially suspect culprit.
• Clothianidin is on the U.S. market on the basis of unsound science and deeply flawed EPA decision-making. Like most pesticides registered in the last 15 years, it was rushed to market prior to safety testing with a "conditional registration."
• Beekeepers can't take another season of losses. Beekeepers tell us that like their hives, their industry is on the verge of collapse. With 1/3 of food reliant on bees for pollination, the collapse of commercial beekeeping would devastate U.S. farmers as well.


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Good news in the fitness industry.
*Australian Body Works, for co-hosting the third annual Get Active Atlanta, a free interactive sports, health and fitness festival for families. The event, scheduled to take place next month, will feature more than 50 interactive activities, including moonwalk jumping and rock climbing. Dancers, boxers and others will give demonstrations. Visitors can take part in group exercise classes or try out new cardio equipment. Also, booths for health screenings, education and vendors will be on hand. According to Australian Body Works, the festival is meant to encourage families to become more healthy through fun, non-intimidating exercise that becomes a part of their everyday routine.
* Gold's Gym International, for being recognized as the largest gym chain in the world in the Guinness World Records 2000. According to IHRSA, GGI currently operates 530 facilities in 47 states and 24 countries. Another 20 are currently under development.
* Stephen Holt, for being named the 1999 Expert of the Year by expertcentral.com, a resource site that provides expert advice from a variety of fields, such as law, travel, science and fitness. Holt is the technical director at the Maryland Athletic Club & Wellness Center in Timonium.
* Greenville Racquet & Fitness Club, for celebrating its 25th anniversary. Starting with just six indoor tennis courts in 1975, the club now has a fitness area that occupies more than 65,000 square feet; 175 cardio and strength machines; a basketball facility; an indoor pool and track; three aerobic studios with more than 85 classes per week; racquetball area; nursery; and three acres of tennis.
* WOW! Work Out World (Brick, N.J.), for sponsoring a fund-rasing workout event at each of its locations to raise money for the St. Jude Research Hospital. The 35-year-old hospital conducts research into deadly childhood diseases and has provided total medical coverage to more than 16,000 patients.
* River Oaks Racquet Club (Rocky River, Ohio), for hosting "Lessons for Life," a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society. As part of the event, tennis players participated in social play, had their serve-speed timed with a radar gun and bought raffle tickets for donated items such as an autographed 1999 Cleveland Indians baseball. River Oaks donated close to $2,200 thanks to the event.
* WellStar Health Place and Mobile Health Services in Marietta, Ga., for its community service in 1999. Last year, the club certified 752 people in CPR/first aid, gave 2,600 flu shots at corporate sites and conducted 11,000 screenings (cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid and mobile mammography). The club's staff also worked to distribute 1,600 child safety seats, 500 bike helmets and 500 smoke detectors.
* James Stevenson, who placed third in the Bodybuilders & Advanced Exercisers category in the Met-Rx Engineered Nutrition World's Best Personal Trainer Contest. Stevenson is a personal trainer and exercise specialist at FitnessWorks (Detroit), a joint venture between Henry Ford Health System and General Motors. The award was based on the progress of one of Stevenson's clients during a 12-week program. Both trainer and client had to keep detailed, daily journals that summarized meals, supplementation and workouts. Documentation of physical and emotional growth were needed to illustrate the challenges and motivational tactics involved.


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Tempat Diskusi Tentang Tips & Trik dalam strategi bermain Poker
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
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Mario Kart DS Review :
Racin' to Win! - Mario Kart DS Review
Nov 10, 2010
Is it me or is the new generation of handheld game systems the best thing ever? Here I am away from my controller, away from my console, and nowhere near a TV screen and yet I am able to steal my friend's star and beat him to the finish line. He is nowhere in the room. There are no free power outlets, or any wires connecting our game experiance. That is the beauty of wireless, handheld gaming that's as powerful as the last generation of game consoles. With their new, N64-caliber system...
Raiting: 30 comments Continue reading
Mario Kart - Mario Kart DS Review
Jul 01, 2011
The game is an heart pumping race game. It's very entertaing and keeps you playing for hours. The easy connection setup let's you connect with players who own the game and with players that don't. Some of the awesome extra features include balloon battle. A game that let's you destroy people by gettting rid of all their balloons. Another awesome extra feature is shine runners. Shine runners is where you have to collect the more stars than anyone else before time runs out. One...
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A good racing game special edition number 3 - Mario Kart DS Review
Oct 01, 2010
Welcome back to special edition for peashooter. Some credit goes to pea shooter for this. This game is yet another well done ds game from mario company. It is not disappointing at any aspect of play. It is actually one of the best. The selection of cars is 32 cars per person and some cheats only cars. The courses are kindoff hard to unlock to so the prises are not easy to get. The graphics are fair enough. The sounds are also pretty good with some new sounds. So in my own words it is one of the ...
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This is what I made for the last Valentine's wreath that will hang on the ugly rental door!!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Valentine's Wreath {Tutorial}
This is what I made for the last Valentine's wreath that will hang on the ugly rental door!!
25 comments:
- erika @ life unfluffed said...
That is AAAADORABLE. I love it and want one right this second.
- January 22, 2012 at 6:25 PM
- Unknown said...
So cute! I'm hosting a linky party and would love it if you stop by and link up!
- January 22, 2012 at 6:59 PM
- Kristina said...
Beautiful Wreath! I saw yours at CraftoManiac Linky Party while I was linking my tissue rosette wreath! Great job!
- January 22, 2012 at 7:19 PM
- Anita Rowe Stafford said...
Mandi, this is adorable! I have a bunch of coffee filters I can no longer use cause our coffeemaker died, and the new one uses a different kind. I may have to get crafty!
- January 22, 2012 at 7:52 PM
- LifeLessOrdinary said...
Very pretty. I'm visiting from Craft-O-Maniac's party.
- January 22, 2012 at 9:51 PM
- Unknown said...
Mandi, This is so dang cute! BTW, where did you find the heart shaped wreath form?
Vanessa Barker
- January 22, 2012 at 9:58 PM
- Unknown said...
such a cute idea, i was debating tring this with cupcake holders. where did you find the heart shaped wreath?
Good luck on the short sale!!
new visitor and follower from manic monday hop
maria@close to home
- January 23, 2012 at 4:14 AM
- Lindy@Itsy Bitsy Paper said...
LOVE this wreath!! I hope you will link up to my I Heart Projects Party!
- January 23, 2012 at 6:45 AM
- Michelle Paige said...
Such a fun idea! I love the pink! Would you be willing to link this up to my Valentine Link Party going on now? I'd love to have you! Thanks, Michelle http://michellepaige.blogspot.com/2012/01/rockin-valentine-valentine-link-party.html
- January 23, 2012 at 5:22 PM
- Crafty Mischief said...
Your wreath is so cute! I can't believe it's made from coffee filters! I found you through Sew Can Do. Thanks for sharing! :)
- January 24, 2012 at 12:32 AM
- Brandy J. said...
ADORABLE wreath!! Thanks for sharing and leaving me totally inspired.
- January 24, 2012 at 7:22 AM
- Heather Rae said...
Absolutely beautiful! I host a Monday link party and would love for you to come and link up your craft with me. Each week, the top three links get featured! The linky stays open until Friday. Thanks so much! I hope to see you there! http://anoriginalbelle.blogspot.com/2012/01/make-it-yourself-monday-12-link-up.html
- January 24, 2012 at 10:59 AM
- Unknown said...
This is so adorable! Thanks for sharing! About to be your newest follower from www.daisycottagedesigns.blogspot.com.
- January 25, 2012 at 7:28 PM
- Unknown said...
Beautiful!! So creative!! I would love for you to come party today over at Passionatelyperfect.com! Your newest fan!
- January 26, 2012 at 9:08 AM
- Unknown said...
Thanks so much for linking up to the Manic Monday link party…it was a huge success! Make sure you check back Sunday when I feature the top 3 posts. I'll be hosting another Manic Monday linky party this week- the theme is "Favorite Things"…details will be posted at noon. :)
- January 26, 2012 at 9:06 PM
- Trish - Mom On Timeout said...
Really, really cute! Just pinned and shared on Facebook :) Thanks so much for sharing at Taking A Timeout Thursday!
- January 27, 2012 at 9:26 AM
- Alison @ Oopsey Daisy said...
I love that you dyed the coffee filters with food coloring! Great idea. Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!
- January 30, 2012 at 12:04 AM
- Unknown said...
Congrats! You've been featured at The Kurtz Corner! AND you've been Pinned on The Kurtz Corner Features Board! Come check it out :) Can't wait to see what you link up this week!
- January 30, 2012 at 7:39 PM
- An Oasis in the Desert said...
Mandi, this is so darn cute! I've pinned it to use next year, because it's too late for me to do this year. I'm your newest follower. I hope you'll come by my blog for a visit. Good luck on the new house.
- February 1, 2012 at 5:07 AM
- Trish - Mom On Timeout said...
Hi Mandi! Just wanted to let you know you're being featured this week at Taking A Timeout Thursday! Thanks again for sharing!
- February 1, 2012 at 8:06 AM
- Unknown said...
Love this - I have a whole pack of coffee filters just waiting for me to use them up!
- February 11, 2012 at 9:57 PM
- vicky1970 said...
Hi Mandi - cute tutorial - I love the wreath and your blog. I am your newest follower! You have a great name!! That is my daughter's name. :o) LOVE IT! Pop on over and visit me sometime I am a new blogger.. I write about teaching and motherhood..with crafting, cooking and fitness all in between. :o)
~ Vicky
Traditions Laughter and Happily Ever After
- February 19, 2012 at 6:03 PM
Can you please be a little more specific with what kind of wreath form. Where did you buy yours? What size? Is it a Styrofoam form? I really, really like it and want to make one. Thank you. Candy
- December 28, 2013 at 6:43 PM
- وليد العروي said...
- October 22, 2018 at 12:27 PM
- ابو خوخه said...
- February 23, 2020 at 4:00 PM


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Military-style semiautomatic rifles have been used in at least four high-profile shootings in the past year. Bushmaster variations of the weapon have been used in two recent attacks, including the Newtown, Conn., school shootings and the Christmas Eve ambush slayings of two New York firefighters. While commonly called the AR-15, Colt and Armalite have been the only companies to make weapons by that specific name. Many other manufacturers, however, now sell similar versions of the rifle largely styled after the military�s fully automatic M-16.
A look at the guns, their history and why they�re so popular:
Armalite first built the so-called AR-15 rifle for military use, but the design was later acquired by Colt, which produced the M-16 automatic weapon for the U.S. military. In the early 1960s, Colt then began marketing the semiautomatic AR-15 rifle largely as the civilian version of the fully-auto M-16. Many other companies have since begun manufacturing and selling AR-15-type rifles, but under different names, including the Remington Arms R-15, Bushmaster X-15 and Carbon 15 and the Smith & Wesson M&P15. The AR-15 has become the commonly-used generic term for all similar rifles.
The AR-15-type rifles and .223 caliber ammunition are largely used for hunting small game like coyotes and prairie dogs. They also are extremely popular in shooting competitions due to the light weight of the gun and ammunition and the weapon�s accuracy.
Most military-style semiautomatic rifles were restricted for sale under the 1994 assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. However, the ban made an exception for weapons that were made before the law took effect. Today, such weapons can be purchased in gun stores across the country except in some states, like California, which has a law that bans the sale outright of specific varieties of semiautomatic military-style rifles.
Licensed dealers must first run a background check on the buyer to determine whether they are eligible under state and federal laws to own the weapon; convicted felons, for instance, cannot legally own firearms. However, private sellers of such rifles are not required to perform background checks. This would include a person selling their private collection to a buyer from their home, as well as private sellers hawking their weapons at any number of dozens of gun shows that occur nationwide every year.


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Mossberg's Mailbox
Syncing to an iPhone on MobileMe
Here are a few questions I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability.
I saw your column last week saying Apple's MobileMe now does a better job of syncing contacts, calendar items and email. But will it allow me to sync to my iPhone directly from my company's corporate calendar, address books and email?
MobileMe is meant for consumer data, not corporate data. Essentially, Apple's own servers act like a company's servers in order to bring corporate-style push syncing to consumer data that isn't kept on corporate servers. To sync your corporate contacts, calendar items and email to an iPhone, you would use a different built-in option in the iPhone: Microsoft Exchange. Assuming your company's IT department certifies the iPhone as an acceptable device, and your company uses Exchange, as many or most do, you can use an iPhone to perform instant two-way syncing of corporate contacts, calendar and email. It works just like a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile phone in this scenario. I have tested this, and found it worked well.
Is it possible to sync a Treo or BlackBerry using MobileMe? If not, how can I transfer my Treo contacts and calendar items to the iPhone?
While MobileMe is agnostic when it comes to computer platforms, working on both Windows and Macintosh computers, it is single-minded when it comes to handheld devices. It synchronizes data only to Apple's own iPhones and iPod Touch devices. It doesn't work with the Treo, the BlackBerry, or any other smart phone or handheld device beyond those made by Apple. One simple way to move contacts and appointments from Treo to iPhone is to use Outlook as an intermediary. First, sync your Treo to Outlook. Then, just plug your iPhone into your PC, launch iTunes, and sync the iPhone with Outlook. The data from your Treo should then be on the iPhone. MobileMe isn't required.
I can't find the location of the files contained in my Personal folders in Outlook that contain my contacts and saved emails. Can you help?
To find the location of the single combined Outlook data file that contains your email, contacts and calendar, follow these steps. First, select "Data File Management" from the File menu. A window will open showing the name of your data file, which includes its location on your hard disk. Click the button to the right that says "Open Folder," and you will be in the folder that contains this file, with the file's name or icon highlighted. Outlook data files use the extension "pst" at the ends of their names.
- You can find Mossberg's Mailbox, and my other columns, online free of charge at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.


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Apple chief Tim Cook could testify in an antitrust lawsuit over e-book pricing, according to reports.
Cook could be called on for testimony, according to a U.S. District Court judge, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. Cook's possible testimony was disclosed in a brief by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan. Apple declined to comment on the possible testimony of its chief executive.
As we have written previously, Apple dismissed the accusations and called them "not true."
"The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry," Apple said in a statement." Since then customers have benefited from e-books that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we've allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore."
Apple's competent and busy legal team, as well as its dragon's hoard of cash, often means that Apple can legally fight as long as it wants. However, it's fighting the government -- the same entity that makes rules how technology can be used, so its usual strategy of making a company bleed money may not work here.


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If you use cloud applications to manage your business, chances are you've seen at least one of Citrix's cloud applications. They tend to be rather flexible, providing you with several ways of customizing the software to fit your needs. While you might find something else that matches your tastes, there's a chance that at least one of their solutions fits the bill for you. If you haven't heard of Citrix, you should certainly take a gander at what they have to offer.
For those of you who use any of Citrix's apps, there are some important updates you might want to check out! Here's a short list:
- Citrix XenClient now on ultrabooks. You're no longer limited to hard-wired virtualization. Because of the new trend in mobility, Citrix has decided to bring ultrabooks into the big picture, allowing them to take part in the virtualized desktop experience.
- Citrix introduces Windows 8 compatibility to everything. Windows 8 came out on October 26th. It was about time that they upgraded everything to make sure that it can catch up to the many small businesses adopting the new operating system.
- GoToMeeting now runs on the iPad. Your favorite HD video conferencing application is now available on the iPad, allowing you to make presentations and meet people live from across the globe anywhere you are!
- Podio's got a new "card" layout. Citrix's collaboration, CRM, and custom app sandbox now has a very nice new interface that presents your projects in a way that's much more feasible than older Gantt charts. Read more about it in their blog.
- GoToAssist now has a service desk. Citrix adds a service desk to its GoToAssist IT remote assistance solution that allows you to quickly resolve any customer issues through a very simple and straightforward interface. You can now have a look at problems that need to be resolved and see where customers had similar problems that were resolved to come up with a much quicker resolution and a happier customer!
- Citrix releases CloudGateway 2. This piece of software is a great way to distribute apps where you need them through your own app store. CloudGateway 2 includes some enhancements that allow you to securely encrypt apps and their data, and wipe out anything remotely when necessary. Not only does it allow you to individually manage mobile devices, but it also gives you a way to distribute the apps you use across your business.
- Citrix adds @WorkMail and @WorkWeb to Me@Work. That was quite a mouthful! Me@Work now introduces @WorkMail and @WorkWeb to its business app suite. @WorkMail allows you to manage your email, contacts, and calendars while @WorkWeb is a secure consumer-like browser that delivers secure access to enterprise environments.
It's time to log in and check out the new goodies you just got! Be sure to check out any other relevant services listed above if you still haven't subscribed to them. You'd be surprised at how much you can discover!
The post Citrix Unleashes New Features To Improve Their Virtualization, Networking and Mobile Cloud Applications appeared first on Small Business Technology.
Read more posts on Ramon Ray & the Smallbiztechnology.com Team »


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FOUND - One Happy Little Elephant!6/25/2009 10:36:00 PM Edit This 5 Comments »
It's been a long couple of weeks to get a smile out of her while she is wearing that costume but it finally happened tonight. As you will recall a few weeks ago when Lexie was coaxed into first putting on the costume the results were not the best. But tonight she had her final dress rehearsal for her dance recital that is this weekend. I will be glad when it's over but am happy to report I have a very happy elephant on my hands - finally! For the last two weeks of practices Lexie was her usual happy little dancer self. Until they invited the moms into the room to watch them dance. Lexie would run to sit on my lap and refuse to dance with the other girls. She has been very clingy lately and I think that was a big part of it.
Here she is with her practice tail in class happy as can be.
Then we had a dance class with them wearing the costumes minus tights just so they could get used to wearing them (especially since Lexie was not the only child in the class not happy about them.) As you can see she wasn't happy about wearing it at first but once we got outside she decided to do a little dance in the drive way and off we went.
At the class she had fun with the girls and it was finally decided to cut off the skirts on the costumes since they didn't look right on their own but looked really fun with the tutus under them. Then the hair debate went on for a while but everything was finally decided. By the way, we have a wonderful group of moms and girls so no non-sense like last year went on. Everyone is there for the kids to have fun not a beauty contest or power trip. MUCH better than last years attitudes!
Then this Monday were the professional pictures at the studio and all the dancers came fully dressed. Well she had a ball running around with the girls (after I had to bribe her with M&Ms to get into her costume) but as soon as they called our group in to have pictures taken she wanted me to hold her and wouldn't let go. One little girl did her individual picture first and then it was Lexie's turn. She would have nothing to do with it. My little photo princess would not let go of me. Lots of tears later I just said forget it with the individual pictures with the hopes that she would take the group picture at least and maybe go for the individual one after. Nope. Even when the dance teacher, Ms Tanya, came in and took her from me to try to get her to join the group she started sobbing. On my goodness you would have thought we were torturing her. Poor baby. I finally said enough and sorry to the other moms. But if it's not going to be fun for her then I'm just not going to do it. Here are the pictures I took of some of the girls practicing their poses and playing around before they went in to the torture chamber as Lexie clearly saw it.
Then on Tue we had their first practice on the "Big Stage" at the high school where the recital was going to be. Needless to say I didn't expect much but of course she shocked me. She got right up there, had so much fun with the girls and did the dance 3 times. But of course she wasn't wearing the costume.
So tonight was their final dress rehearsal with lights, music, costumes - the works. She was excited to get ready with the whole hair curling event and she was thrilled to put on make-up! She even practiced some of the poses in the dance.
I really didn't know which way she'd go once we got to "The Big Stage" as Lexie called it. I keep telling her she was like Angelina Ballerina her new favorite book that she got for her birthday from one of the girls in her class. But she was amazing. As soon as she marched on stage with the other girls she looked out at the audience and waved. So cute and then she did the whole dance with a huge grin on her face and got in a couple of more waves. She was just adorable! Yeah Lexie. I had decided if she was upset or wouldn't go on then that was going to be it. Needless to say I was so pleased to see her having so much fun. The only time she cried tonight was when I went to get her backstage and told her she was done. She cried saying "do it again - I want to do it again!!" as she wailed. I have a little star on my hands. What a funny little girl!
Waiting to go on backstage.
Such a BIG stage for such little girls.
She was ALWAYS out front.
Taking their bows!!
She was so darn proud of herself (and Mommy was too!!)


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Nearly 1 in 3 children in America is overweight or obese. Despite all the focus on kids being overweight and obese, many parents are still confused, especially when it comes to what kids eat. How much does your child need? Is he getting enough calcium? Enough iron? Too much fat?
Whether you have a toddler or a teen, nutrition is important to his or her physical and mental development. Here's what children need — no matter what the age.
During this stage of life, it's almost all about the milk — whether it's breast milk, formula, or a combination of the two. Breast milk or formula will provide practically every nutrient a baby needs for the first year of life.
Toddlers and preschoolers grow in spurts and their appetites come and go in spurts, so they may eat a whole lot one day and then hardly anything the next. It's normal, and as long as you offer them a healthy selection, they will get what they need.
It isn't uncommon for a 6- or 7-year-old to suddenly decide to be a vegetarian once they understand animals and where food comes from. This doesn't mean your child won't get enough protein; animal tissue isn't the only place we get protein. Rice, beans, eggs, milk, and peanut butter all have protein. So whether your child goes "no-meat" for a week or for life, he or she will likely still get sufficient amounts of protein.
Areas that might be a little too sufficient are sugars, fats, and sodium.
As puberty kicks in, young people need more calories to support the many changes they will experience. Unfortunately, for some, those extra calories come from fast food or "junk" foods with little nutritional value.
Although getting your child to eat healthy — regardless of his or her age — can be a constant battle, its one well worth fighting. A healthy child becomes a healthy adult, and only with your support and guidance will your child be both.
Water makes up more than half of kids' body weight and is needed to keep all parts of the body functioning properly.
Here's what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends kids get calorie-wise and from each food group for a healthy, balanced diet:


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Seashell Adirondack Furniture
This durable high end Seashell Outdoor Adirondack Furniture Collection is made in America of recycled plastic containers. Like real solid wood only POLYWOOD® is better! This modern style Adirondack Chair is super comfy with oversized arms, a curved fan back and contoured seat to provide proper support. Available in 7 natural colors (teak, mahogany, grey, black, white, green and sand), the Seashell Outdoor Adirondack Furniture Collection is perfect for relaxing on the beach, porch, patio, pool, yacht or deck. Sturdy and heavy as solid teak outdoor Adirondack furniture but this all weather faux wood requires low maintenance!
Get the look and beauty of traditional solid wood outdoor furniture without the refinishing and upkeep. Amazing POLYWOOD® recycled plastic lumber combined with premium stainless steel hardware makes our Seashell Furniture Collection the highest quality outdoor furniture available. Optional Sunbrella cushions for extra comfort.
To learn more about POLYWOOD® Outdoor Furniture or our Lifetime Guarantee please give us a call at 888-390-5571 or contact us with your questions. Read more about buying from us or about our green mission on our Eco Blog.
Learn more about buying online, our woods and finishes.


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Protein Crystallisation Diagnostic Facility
A Multi-user facility for the investigation of the nucleation and crystallisation of biological macro-molecules
The Protein Crystallisation Diagnostics Facility (PCDF) is a multi-user instrument for the fundamental study of the processes of nucleation and crystallisation of biological macro-molecules, and specifically, how these processes are influenced by gravity.
This instrument can conduct detailed measurements of physical phenomena in individual reactors, and control these phenomena through changes in temperature and concentration of solution. The facility resides in the European Drawer Rack multi-user facility.
Operation and utilisation
Accommodation & Transport
The electronics unit is housed in an International Sub-rack Standard drawer, and was launched integrated within the European Drawer Rack facility. The European Drawer Rack was launched inside the Columbus laboratory.
The processing unit was accommodated within the Shuttle's middeck locker, and was launched fitted with its initial set of four reactors (either batch or dialysis type). The advantage of this approach was that several of the Space Shuttle middeck accommodation slots could provide power to the locker during transportation to and from the International Space Station - the processing unit requires power during the ascent and descent phases.
Operational Concept
The Protein Crystallisation Diagnostics Facility consists of a processing unit and an electronics unit. The processing unit contains a process chamber into which experiment boxes containing reactors are placed.
The experiment boxes also include drive systems for individual injection of solutions into the reactors, and a stirrer to agitate solutions. Diagnostics are provided within the process chamber, or may be installed directly within the experiment boxes. The electronics unit accommodates all of the controls necessary for the performing the experiments.
The possible modes of operation of the instrument are:
- Automatic - using pre-programmed sequences, controlled by the built-in electronics;
- Remote - using telecommands from the ground;
- Local - operated by a crewmember, either via the portable computer and/or via the command interface on the front panel.
The processing unit remains on-orbit for a complete mission increment, after which time it was returned to the ground in a Space Shuttle. The electronics unit remained on the International Space Station for over two years.
When on the ground, the experiment boxes within the processing unit may be exchanged for a new set. Following removal of the crystals in a temperature-controlled ground laboratory, the reactors are emptied, cleaned, and re-filled with a fresh solution in readiness for the next flight campaign.
Data and digital video images are either stored on the International Space Station, or transmitted to the ground control station, depending on the transmission capabilities at the time of the experiment. Video images (including microscope images and interferogrammes) can be stored in the host facility (e.g. the European Drawer Rack) video subsystem. When a suitable communication link is available, this data may be transmitted to the ground, and forwarded to the investigators.
Utilisation scenario
The utilisation scenario for the Protein Crystallisation Diagnostics Facility is based on that of the European Drawer Rack - the host facility. This operations scenario relies upon a high degree of cooperation between the supporting ground facilities. These include the Facility Responsible Centre that is in overall charge of the facility, together with the User Home Bases, from which each customer will support their own individual experiments.
The master timeline is derived from the European Drawer Rack operations plan as defined by the Facility Responsible Centre together with the involved User Home Bases. The main objective of the operations plan is to match the required resources with those available from the Columbus Laboratory to maximise the number of experiments that can operate simultaneously.
The Protein Crystallisation Diagnostics Facility is run in the European Drawer Rack that was launched into space inside the European Columbus laboratory in February 2008.


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This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
OWASP Houston
Welcome to the Houston chapter homepage. The chapter Leaders are; Patrick Snyder, Paul Scott, Tyler Borland, Tom Cline, Johnathan Kuskos
OWASP Foundation (Overview Slides) is a professional association of global members and is open to anyone interested in learning more about software security. Local chapters are run independently and guided by the Chapter_Leader_Handbook. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional association your support and sponsorship of any meeting venue and/or refreshments is tax-deductible. Financial contributions should only be made online using the authorized online chapter donation button. To be a SPEAKER at ANY OWASP Chapter in the world simply review the speaker agreement and then contact the local chapter leader with details of what OWASP PROJECT, independent research or related software security topic you would like to present on.
to this chapter or become a local chapter supporter. Or consider the value of Individual, Corporate, or Academic Supporter membership. Ready to become a member?
OWASP Houston Metasploit Workshop
February 20th 2014 at 6PM
We have a new venue sponsored by TXRX Labs. If you haven't been to TXRX labs its 16,000-square-foot hacker space on the east side of downtown. They provide educational classes like Intro to LinuxCNC and host recreational programming events. They also have classes on knitting, welding, soldering, bike repair, and pancakes. This is a great space for learning in Houston and that's why we're exploring its use for OWASP workshops.
Our first Workshop topic for 2014 will be an introduction to Metasploit led by Dennis Maldonado(@DennisMald).
Dennis is a security enthusiast/researcher with an interest in web application security and how web application vulnerabilities can be used to gain a foothold into the network.
Dennis will be hosting a workshop on Metasploit and how it can be utilized for web application security assessments. If you haven't been to an OWASP Houston Workshop before, you are encouraged to bring a laptop to follow along with the presentation, ask questions, and test out concepts.
Reception 6PM-7PM
Presentation 7PM-8PM
Questions/Audience Participation 8PM-9PM We will update this event to include more details as we confirm them.
TXRX Labs 205 Roberts St, Houston, TX
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/OWASP-Houston/events/163900402/
Thank you,
OWASP Houston
OWASP Houston August Mini-Con
Thursday, August 15 at 6:00 PM
You Hear Me Now? Leveraging Mobile Devices on Pentests
Sheraton Suites Houston Galleria 2400 West Loop S, Houston, TX
OWASP Houston September Happy Hour
Thursday, September 19 at 6:00 PM
Please join us at Stag's Head pub on September 19th at 6PM for an OWASP Houston Happy Hour. Drinks are on us while the budget lasts. This will be the last Happy Hour meeting of the year.
OWASP Houston October Workshop
Thursday, October 17, 2013
1706 Yorktown St, Houston, TX Please join us for another OWASP Houston workshop. This will be a hands on exercise in security topics.
OWASP Houston November Mini-Con
Friday, November 15, 2013
Sheraton Suites Houston Galleria 2400 West Loop S, Houston, TX
More details will be added. This will be the last meeting of the 2013 year for OWASP Houston. We will not be meeting in December.
OWASP Houston February Mini-Con
Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 6PM CST
Please join us for our May Mini-Con, 6PM May 16th, at the Sheraton Suites, 2400 W. Loop South, Houston, Texas 77027. We're trying a new location this time. This is a free event, but space is limited. We will be providing food and beverage. Please register for a ticket to confirm your space at the event. If tickets are unavailable, we will have some standing room.
We are pleased to annnounce the speakers and topics of the evening...
Catching Flies with Mr Miyagi: Web Application Testing Techniques by Kevin Johnson
In this talk based loosely around the Karate kid movies, Kevin John (CEO of Secure Ideas) will walk through some techniques to improve your web penetration testing techniques. Stop being the kid moved from NJ and dropped into a cruddy apartment. Learn the wax on/off of testing modern web applications.
Kevin has performed a large number of trainings, briefings, and presentations for both public events and internal trainings. Kevin teaches for the SANS Institute on a number of subjects. He is the author of three classes- SEC542: Web Application Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking, SEC642: Advanced Web Application Penetration Testing, and SEC571: Mobile Device Security. Kevin has presented at a large number of conventions, meetings, and industry events. Some examples of these are: DerbyCon, ShmooCon, DEFCON, Blackhat, ISACA, Infragard, and ISSA.
WTF, WAF Testing Framework by Terry Ray
Terry Ray will be presenting an approach to evaluating web application firewall capabilities that is suitable to the real world use case. The methodology touches on issues like False Positive / False Negative rates, evasion techniques and white listing / black listing balance. He will demonstrate a tool that can be used by organizations to implement the methodology either when choosing an application protection solution or after deployment.
When and Where?
Thursday, May 16th from 6PM-9PM
Sheraton Suites
2400 W. Loop South
Houston, Texas 77027
For Directions: (713) 586-2444
Seating is limited, so please read these directions carefully: RSVP'ing on meetup.com will not guarantee entry to the event. This is a limited capacity event. If you would like to guarantee the availability of a seat please reserve a ticket with Eventbrite @ Reserve a Ticket
OWASP Houston March Happy Hour
Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 6PM CST
Imperva - Business Security Solutions - Complete Data Security
Alert Logic Brings Network Security & Cloud Security Services to You
Please join us for an OWASP Houston March Happy Hour.
More details coming soon.
When: Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 6PM CST
Where: Stag's Head Pub (Private Room) - 2128 Portsmouth Street Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (713) 533-1199
OWASP Houston February Mini Con
Thursday, February 21st, 2013 at 6PM CST
Imperva - Business Security Solutions - Complete Data Security
Alert Logic Brings Network Security & Cloud Security Services to You
Please join us for an OWASP Houston March Happy Hour.
More details coming soon.
When: Thursday, February 21st, 2013 at 6PM CST
Where: Westin Galleria, Imperial Suite
OWASP Houston January Workshop
Thursday, January 31st at 6PM
Sponsored by: Imperva and AlertLogic
Join us for an OWASP Houston Workshop. During this workshop, attendees will be lead through the process of discovering and reporting vulnerabilities. We will start by reviewing source code for common vulnerabilities. Once we identify interesting code, we will test the application to confirm our findings. Finally, we will discuss reporting. If you would like to participate please bring your laptop. You should prepare a virtual machine with Linux, Apache, Mysql, and PHP. We will have members helping with virtual machine configurations and assistance. If you just want to watch, that's fine too. We look forward to your attendance.
Sponsored by: Imperva, Alert Logic
When: January 31st 2013 (Thursday 6PM - 8PM)
Where: Stag's Head Pub (Private Room) - 2128 Portsmouth Street Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (713) 533-1199
OWASP Houston Kick-Off Meeting (Nov. 19th)
We'll be reviewing survey results and trying to finalize some details like when and where to hold our meetings. If you want to get involved with OWASP Houston now is the time.
Sponsored by: Imperva, Alert Logic
When: November 19th 2012 (Monday 6PM - 8PM)
Where: Stag's Head Pub (Private Room) - 2128 Portsmouth Street Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (713) 533-1199
Please RSVP @ meetup.com OWASP OWASP Houston Chapter to ensure best accommodations.
Sponsorship Opportunities
We're always looking for sponsors to help us provide the highest quality experience for our attendees. For sponsoring OWASP Houston we will list your name on our site, mention your sponsorship in all announcements on the mailing list, send us a banner and we'll hang it at the event, and send you some pictures. If you'd like to send someone to attend the event we will make room for a table. We encourage sponsors to have raffles to try and capture leads. Rather than sponsoring just one event consider sponsoring a few from the 2013 series.
Opportunity #0 - Workshops
We will have four workshops in 2013. These will be meetings dedicated to hands on education. This could be related to programming a vulnerability scanner, auditing source code, exploiting a vulnerability, or mini-ctf. Your sponsorship of this event includes appetizers and beverages for the attendees. Due to popularity, sponsoring a workshop is a $500 dollar commitment. For $2,000 dollars you can sponsor every workshop of 2013.
Opportunity #1 - Happy Hour Meeting
We will have three happy hour meetings in 2013. These will be social meetings where attendees build a local security community. We estimating the need for $500 in food and drink per meeting. By giving sponsors drink tickets to hand to attendees, we ensure that our sponsors are able to interact with everyone looking for another drink. Feel free to pass out business cards and network just like you would anywhere else. We will have three of these types of meetings in 2013 so you can sponsor all of them for just $1,500. On months where we have a formal meeting we will not hold an informal meetup.
Opportunity #2 - Formal Presentation Meeting
At our quarterly meetings we will be hosting two quality presenters. Generally we try to pull one presenter from out of state. Your sponsorship of this event includes food and beverages for the attendees. We are seeking $700 per sponsor to cover our expenses. Consider supporting the Houston OWASP community by sponsoring all of our quarterly meetings for $2,800.
Opportunity #3 - OWASP Presenter Sponsorship
Although OWASP is a non-profit organization, we strive to provide our members with the best presenters possible. In exchange for covering travel expenses for these presenters, our chapter will provide you with five minutes at the start of the meeting to introduce yourself and tell us about the products or services that your company offers. This benefit is in addition to special mention for sponsoring the travel. The speakers traveling expenses may vary but with a $1,200 donation we think we can handle the rest.
Opporutnity #4 - Meeting Space
We currently need funds to secure a stable meeting space for our quarterly presentations and workshops.
Opportunity #5 - Lock Pick Table
We are coordinating a lock picking table at every event. To help us get some new locks and create some mock door setups. For $1,000 bucks you can sponsor the table for a whole year. This opportunity is limited to one company. We'll credit you for it in all promotions, list you as a sponsor on the website. The whole deal.
Call for Papers
We're actively accepting abstracts. Please send all abstracts to paul dot scott at owasp dot org.
Local News
Worthwhile information.
November 5th 2012
Houston OWASP Chapter has been activated. Please join us in making this a successful security meetup. First meeting to finalize details around 2013 series of meeting has been scheduled for November 19th, 2012. Please fill out the quick five question survey if you have not.


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Additional Information
|John Hardy
Head designer Guy Bedarida first found the inspiration for the Kali, Balinese for river, from the river that edges the John Hardy compound. The riverbed is lined with pebble-like stones are fished from below the water to pave the pathways winding around the property, echoing the stream's trail. Bedarida continues to reinterpret and evolve the collection with influences from nature including Zen gardens, yacht's chains and the flow of water over the rocks.


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Video in Blogger: embed Flash video and a Flash Video Player
Videos can be an awesome kind of content to include in your blog. Embedding YouTube videos in Blogger is very easy. However, using YouTube videos has some drawbacks:
- The actual resolution of YouTube videos is limited to 320 x 240 pixels.
- The video suffers from strong compression (limited to 250 kbps).
- The YouTube watermark may overlap your video.
- The customization of the video playback controls is limited.
The FLV video format (Flash Video) offers a great amount of compression while keeping the video quality high. So I would really suggest you to create your own Flash Videos in this FLV format, host these videos on your own webserver, and then embed the FLV video in Blogger. Follow these steps to embed high-quality videos in your blog:
Step 1 - Convert your video into FLV format
The first step is to convert your video into FLV format. Adobe Flash Editor has an Import Video function that quickly converts the original video into FLV. Nevertheless, the Flash IDE is an expensive application, so I would suggest you to use some free video encoder to turn your original video file (.avi, .mpg, .mov, ...) into FLV.
SUPER would be my FLV video encoder of choice.
Convert your video into Flash Video and upload the resulting .FLV file to your server. Just be careful with your bandwith quota, as video content may be rather heavy.
Step 2 - Create the playback controls
Once you have a FLV video, you will need to create the playback controls, so you can play, stop and pause the video, see how much video has been preloaded, control the video volume and so on.
Flash can also create some video playback controls, but they won't be much useful, as you cannot use an absolute path to link to Flash video controls. So you cannot embed the Flash video controls directly on your blog, because you won't be able to link to the original SWF file containing the playback controls.
The solution is to use an open source FLV video player. I would recommend you to use the OS FLV Player, which is a truly open source, customizable and reliable FLV video player. And you don't need even to have the Flash Editor to use this module. You will just need to upload the file with the playing controls to your server (player.swf).
I will teach you how to configure OS FLV in the following step, so it will be easy to embed this video player in Blogger.
Step 3 - Add it to Blogger: Embed Flash Video
OS FLV Player provides some php scripts that automatically create the HTML code to embed the FLV video on your webpage. But, since we are going to host the video playback controls, as well as the FLV video on a webserver that is not in the same domain as Blogger, we will need to embed the video in Blogger by hand. This is the code that you should embed on your Blogger post to include the video:
<param name="movie" value="[Absolute path to player.swf]" />
<param name="FlashVars" value="&movie=[Absolute path to your .FLV video]">
<embed src="[Absolute path to player.swf]" flashvars="&movie=[Absolute path to your .FLV video]" width="[Width of your video]" height="[Height of your video]" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed>
Just change the following parameters:
- Use the same width and height values that your .FLV video.
- The absolute path to the SWF file with the OS FLV playback controls (example: http://www.mydomain.com/player.swf).
- The absolute path to your FLV video file (example: http://www.mydomain.com/myVideo.flv).
Step 4 - Customizing the video player in your blog
You may want to adjust the look and feel of your playback controls in order to make the embedded Flash video match the style of your blog. As the OS FLV Player is an open source player, you could edit the source .FLA file by yourself (player.fla), creating a new skin for the Flash controls. However, you will need the Flash IDE to edit this source file.
There is also a very simple way to customize the colors of the elements inside the video playback controller just by tweaking a couple of parameters. Here is the sample code:
<param name="movie" value="http://www.mydomain.com/player.swf" />
<param name="FlashVars" value="&movie=http://mydomain.com/myVideo.flv&fgcolor=0x333333&bgcolor=0x999999">
<embed src="http://www.mydomain.com/player.swf" flashvars="&movie=http://mydomain.com/myVideo.flv&fgcolor=0x333333&bgcolor=0x999999" width="640" height="480" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed>
The parameters that you should adjust are the following:
- The foreground color (fgcolor, set to 333333 in the example).
- The background color (bgcolor, set to 999999 in the example).
It's easy to embed your FLV videos in Blogger. You just need to convert your videos into FLV files and embed an open source video player. This technique offers many benefits:
- You can embed high-resolution video in your blog.
- As you control the compression, you can embed high-quality Flash videos.
- You can get rid of third-party watermarks in your FLV videos.
- The appearance of the video playback controls is fully customizable, so it can match the look and feel of your blog.
Take advantage of these techniques and start embedding high-quality video content in your blog!


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- This event has passed.
March Zentangle Basics Class
March 14, 2015 @ 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Anyone can do this! No drawing experience or skills are needed. If you can draw lines, curves, orbs and dots with a pen then you can create a Zentangle!
Everything you need for this class will be provided for you to keep in your own Zentangle Mini-Kit. Please plan to arrive just a few minutes early to settle in before class, as class will begin on-time. Do allow 2-1/2 hours for the class.
Want more info? Checkout the class details.


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"The amazingly self-revelatory, and often darkly humorous, self-portrait of a Canadian underground legend; by turns perverse, hilarious, terrible, sad and intensely human–I was sorry when Unrepentant ended. This book rings true." –Mick Lowe, award-winning author of Conspiracy of Brothers
"In the biker world the highest compliment you can pay to another guy is that he is 'solid.' It means trustworthy. Dependable. Loyal. Lorne Campbell, for the sake of his brothers, took the stand and confessed to a crime that he had not been implicated in, in any way, knowing that he might well spend the rest of [his] life in prison. It doesn't get any more solid than that." –Steve Earle, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter