text:
For more information and current press releases.
S&M! Lewd Ken dolls! Worhington's wild weekend.
The Other Paper (Columbus, Ohio)
February, 12, 2009
Despite Right Wing Pressure, Straight BDSM Gathering Goes Forward
The Boston Edge
February 10, 2009
Interview with Susan Wright, Spokesperson for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
Kasidie Magazine
October 2008
Shrinks: Kinky Sex is a Mental Disorder
Mom Logic
September, 19, 2008
For some, Gitmo interrogation techniques are a real turn-on
New Jersey Star-Ledger
August 2008
Leather Scene Not as Gay as Imagined: Many gay folk in the bondage S/M scene relate more to the leather community than the LGBT community
By Bill Schoell
NY Blade
August 08, 2008
Man on video in R. Kelly trial: He did what?
By Rex W. Huppke
Chicago Tribune
June 8, 2008
Daddy do-right; The Sexies Awards
By Dan Savage
Detroit Metro Times
March 5, 2008
Death shines light on dangers of sex play
By Carly Weeks
Globe and Mail
February 28, 2008
Bound and Flagged: Members of Seattle kink community face discrimination in custody battles
By Jason Simms
The Stranger
February 21, 2007
When three's no crowd
By Rachel Breitman
Gay City News
October 25, 2007
Media, critics get whipped into frenzy by Leather Fest
By Jefferson Siegel and Lincoln Anderson
The Villager (NYC)
October 10 - 16, 2007
Pollard denied access to papers; Justices refuse to hear appeal
By Guy Taylor
The Washington Times
March 21, 2006
Arts Briefly: Justices reject photographer's appeal
By Ben Sisario
New York Times
March 21, 2006
Foes of Anti-porn Law Prep Appeal To Supreme Court
By Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid
Technology Daily
August 22, 2005
Spanking Jessica Cutler: Capitol Hill attorney sues Washingtonienne for exposing his kinks
By Rachel Kramer Bussel
Village Voice
May 31, 2005
Nothing wrong with sex
UCLA Daily Bruin
Feb 14, 2005
Waltham sex boutique aims to attract couples
By Joshua Myerov
Boston Globe
October 14, 2004
Sex, art & politics takes on John Ashcroft
By Susan Wright
San Francisco Bay Area Indymedia
August 30, 2004
Iowa State U.: Iowa State Board of Regents next to receive Cuffs appeal.
By Morris L. Manning
The America's Intelligence Wire
June 1, 2004
Iowa State U.: Members of Iowa State U. bondage group appeal assault verdict
By Tom Barton
The America's Intelligence Wire
May 3, 2004
East Carolina U.: Club focusing on fringe sexuality denied East Carolina U. association.
The America's Intelligence Wire
April 8, 2004
Iowa State U.: Group wants Iowa State U. Cuffs charges dropped.
The America's Intelligence Wire
By Tom Barton
February 23, 2004
Kenner police heavy-handed
The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
October 20, 2003
Sex club is shut down: Restraining order targets 'private' fetish group in Lakewood
By Ann Schrader
Denver Post
May 21, 2003
Queen of Pain, Dominatrix: I'll whip courts over sex rap
Philadelphia Daily News
August 27, 2003
Slap leather, S&M lovers: 'Thunder' to peal soon
By Ann Schrader
Denver Post
June 1, 2003
Controlling clubs a zoning matter
By Peter Ward
The Sun (Lowell, MA)
December 28, 2002
A taste of the whip for Saddam: U.N. weapons inspector Jack McGeorge's leadership role in the Washington S/M scene isn't a liability, says a friend -- it'll help him distinguish between fantasy and reality.
By Kerry Lauerman
December 3, 2002
Monitor irons out kinks with UN
By Joe Williams
NY Daily News
November 30, 2002
U.N. begins searches in Iraq
By Maggie Farley, John J. Goldman And John Hendren
Los Angeles Times
November 28, 2002
No background checks on applicants: Critics say U.N. inspectors are inexperienced
By James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post
November 28, 2002
Cendant, sex lobby communicate but don't make up
Lodging Hospitality
October 1, 2002
Cendant spars with sexual freedom lobby
Lodging Hospitality
August 1, 2002
Bound by a boycott
The Advocate
May 28, 2002
Sex-Oriented convention opens today despite effort to ban it
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 27, 2002
What is going on in that ballroom?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 25, 2002
Senator will try to block sadomasochism seminar
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 22, 2002
Senator wants sex seminar outlawed, says event is 'absolutely dangerous'
Belleville News-Democrat (St . Louis, MO)
April 22, 2002
Hotel will host seminar, despite objections from Southern Baptists...
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 7, 2002
One more faction whips Congress
The American Enterprise
March 1, 2002
Group with unconventional tastes draws ire over gathering
By Burt Constable
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
February 7, 2002
The erotic web offensive
By Annalee Newitz
January 14, 2002
New suit targets obscenity law
By Julia Scheeres
December 12, 2001
Tough Love: Inside the city's growing sadomasochistic scene
Philadelphia Daily News
July 10, 2001
Kinky find a cause in 'Paddleboro'
By Amy Pagnozzi
Hartford Courant
March 9, 2001
Lawsuit targets last scraps of Net-obscenity law
By Sam Costello
December 20, 2001
New Suit Targets Obscenity Law
By Julia Scheeres
December 12, 2002
1976 case seen a key to Attleboro sex party charges
By Cindy Rodriguez
Boston Globe
July 17, 2000
N.Y. woman charged in Mass. spank party
By Leo Standora
NY Daily News
July 13th 2000
Safe, sane and consensual' is rule for sadomasochists
By Stacy Downs and Dawn Bormann
The Kansas City Star
June 16, 2000
NCSF Profile
An interview with Leigha Fleming, then-interim Executive Director of NCSF.
On Our Backs
Tristan Taormino interview former NCSF Executive Director Judy Guerin.
by Female Trouble
March 1994
Within the womenâs community, over half (56%) of the 539 lesbian and bisexual women surveyed experienced discrimination, harassment, or physical assault from other women because of their participation in consensual s/m. This survey only dealt with the discrimination or violence occurring within the lesbian community against S/M women.
Harassment is the most common form of attack against s/m practitioners in the lesbian community. 44% of the S/M women reported some form of violence against them, with one-third of the reported incidents of harassment had occurred in the last year (1993).
30% of the S/M women in the survey experienced discrimination in the lesbian community because of their s/m orientation. This discrimination included being refused membership or being ejected from social, recreational, political, education, spiritual groups within the lesbian community.
Incidents of physical assault in the lesbian community because of S/M orientation were reported by 25% of the women. This includes being slapped, punched or kicked by other women because of their s/m orientation.
Of the 367 s/m women who were victims and/or witnesses of violence at some point in their lives, only 22% felt safe enough to report the incidents to police or event organizers, group leaders, bar staff, etc. Only 25% stated that their complaints had been handled satisfactorily. This reputation within the lesbian community for not supporting victims of violence, harassment and discrimination prevents s/m women from fully participating in the community.
In the forward of the Female Trouble analysis, Jad Keres writes: "The S/M women who have taken part in this survey have something important to tell us. Listening to them does not require an understanding of their sexual expression nor approval of their lifestyle. It does require a willingness to still the persistent noise of hard-held opinions and unyielding dogma. As a community, will we finally allow the voices of all women to be heard and heard consistently or will we continue to blatantly censor and dismiss the lives of women we do not understand or approve of? As a community, will we finally acknowledge and stop the political violence that has preyed upon S/M women or will we continue to ignore the real bloody consequences of the 'Sex Wars'?"
Female Trouble, PO Box 30145, Philadelphia PA 19103
17th Annual Symposium
in San Diego, California on Aug 27, 1999
I. Who we are... why we are doing this..
Introductions of Dr. Ruth W., neurologist, and Susan Wright, Policy Director of NCSF
We are presenting on "SM Issues for Healthcare Providers" because the same issues which may lead to inadequate health care for patients with non-mainstream sexual orientations or gender identity affect those who participate in sexual minority practices.
There are many questions related to physical or psychological health which patients may feel unable to ask because of fear of discrimination or of breach of confidentiality. As health care providers, we have a responsibility to be able to address these concerns without passing judgment.
An understanding of the basic principles of SM play enables us to fulfill this responsibility. In addition, it is important that we be able to identify when someone is in an abusive, non-consensual situation, and to provide them with appropriate support. This workshop will address the physical and psychological aspects of SM practices and provide an understanding of common scenarios.
II. Examples of questions Doctors may get
A 50 y/o man defers consulting his family physician about lower abdominal cramping associated with bowel movements because he is afraid the doctor will be able to tell he is into anal sex play and enemas, and that this may be related to his problem.
A 30 y/o woman gets a vaginal tear from fisting, which is continuing to bleed, but doesn't want to consult her doctor or got to the ER.
A 45 y/o man is left in bondage by a professional dominatrix for too long and develops numbness and weakness of both arms which does not resolve after a couple of days.
A 25 y/o woman newly diagnosed with MS is scared to explore her new interest in SM with her girlfriend, because she doesn't know how to ask her neurologist about what might be safe or dangerous for her to do.
The same issues which may lead to inadequate healthcare for patients with non-mainstream sexual orientation or gender identity affect those who participate in sexual minority practices. This includes gays, lesbians, bisexuals, folks who enjoy SM, who have body modifications such as piercings, tattoos, who crossdress, who are sex workers, who have multiple partners, who are transgendered or engage in fetish behavior.
There are many questions related to physical or psychological health which patients may feel unable to ask because fear of discrimination or of breach of confidentiality. Simple problems fester or become chronic. Patients are afraid to tell their doctors about their alternative sexual expression - even doctors they know are kink-friendly.
We are all unused to discussing sexuality in a neutral atmosphere and we are not given training to do it. In the LGBT community we are at an advantage, because sexuality is often more to the forefront than in the heterosexual community, but this certainly doesn't make us immune to being judgmental about practices outside our realm of experience. But precisely because of this reason I would argue that we have more of a responsibility to address issues related to alternative sexual practices.
Everyone deserves adequate health care, whether they are kinky or straight. As a prerequisite to good health care, the patient must trust their physician.
As healthcare providers we have a responsibility to be able to address these concerns without passing judgment. An understanding of the basic principles of SM play enables us fulfill this responsibility. In addition it is important that we be able to identify when someone is in an abusive situation and to provide them with appropriate support.
III. What is SM?
SM includes a broad and complex group of behaviors between consenting adults that involves the consensual exchange of power. This includes the giving and receiving of intense erotic sensation and/or mental discipline and power games.
SM activity is often called "playing" or having a "scene" because that is the way the SM-Leather-Fetish community approaches our form of sexual expression. Our equipment is often referred to as "toys". Like any other kind of game, we have rules we play by.
Individuals negotiate their limits prior to having a scene. Negotiation is ongoing; before, during and after the scene (what's known as "aftercare") to make sure the bottom is fine with what occurred. In our community, it's considered polite to check in with a bottom the day after the scene (or to request that they call you). This is usually more for the psychological issues that may have arisen rather than physical concerns.
SM does not feel like what it looks like. SM rests on a firm foundation of ongoing communication because most of what's going on is in the participants head. I'll use the term top and bottom, but it's also called dominant and submissive, or master and slave. SM is sometimes called D/S or BDSM or the practitioner may not identify or label their activities at all.
Contrary to popular stereotypes, the bottom is in control of the scene and can stop the activity at any time. Often people use a predetermined "safeword". This is a word or gesture that will stop the scene. At community events, the established safeword is "safeword," but individuals often have their own personal safeword, or some simply use "no" to mean "no." Sometimes people who are very submissive have trouble saying no, so a word like "red" is easy for them to say. Or some bottoms like to resist and say no, when they really mean yes, so they choose to have a safeword.
This community-wide standard was codified more than ten years ago in the creed: "safe, sane, consensual."
1. Safe is being knowledgeable about the techniques and safety concerns involved in what you are doing, and acting in accordance with that knowledge.
This includes protection against HIV, STDs, and hepatitis. It also includes notifying your partner of any physical condition that may impact on the scene, like asthma, bad back, epilepsy, etc. It also includes psychological safety, such as you were abused as a child and don't like a particular part of your body touched.
The community concerns itself with safety issues by supporting hundreds of educational and social organizations that teach people the proper way to use their equipment. Such as: how to tie wrists without putting pressure on the insides; how to properly clean equipment; which areas on the body are unsafe to stimulate, such as the face, joints, spine, bottoms of the feet.
2. Sane is knowing the difference between fantasy and reality, and acting in accordance with that knowledge.
Since physical acts has so much power, there are many fantasies that can be acted out by only hinting at the physical conditions someone fantasizes about. That's why our language is so symbolic: dungeon, slave, words of humiliation, or affectionate ownership. You may have to break through the fantasy to make sure your patient likes and wants what is happening.
Sane includes being of clear mind, and the community strongly recommends that mind-altering substances should be avoided during a scene, including alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescription drugs that impair judgment.
3. Consensual is respecting the limits imposed by each participant at all times. One of the recognized ways to maintain limits is through the "safeword" I mentioned. If it's nonconsensual, then it's abuse or assault. SM must be consensual.
To determine if informed consent has been reached, you can ask the following questions:
a) Was informed consent expressly denied or withdrawn? (similar to rape standards, if one of the participants withdraws consent during the activity, that must be respected)
b) Were there factors that negated the informed consent? (alcohol impairment, drug use, underage participants)
c) What is the relationship of the participants? (first encounter or long-term partner?)
d) What was the nature of the activity? (did it cause permanent harm, was it unsafe, was it enjoyable?)
e) What was the intent of the accused abuser? (to cause pleasure, to gain dominance, to gain control, to hurt?)
IV. SM vs Abuse
The community standard of safe, sane and consensual emerged from the growing national concern with domestic violence. SM is not domestic violence, but increasingly as SM gains wider mainstream acceptance, there are abusers who take advantage of men and women who enjoy SM. This makes it difficult for you, as a doctor who is required to report abuse.
If there are physical signs, you can usually judge by the marks:
1. SM rarely results in facial marks or marks that are received on the forearms (defensive marks).
2. There is usually an even pattern of marks if it is SM, indicating the bottom held quite still during the stimulation.
3. The marks are often quite well-defined when inflicted by a toy like cane or whip, whereas in abuse there are blotches of soft-tissue bruising, randomly distributed.
4. The common areas for SM stimulation is on the buttocks, thighs, back, breasts, or the genitals. The fleshy parts of the body can be stimulated intensely and pleasurably.
Questions to ask to determine if it is abuse. Whether an individual's role is top/dominant or bottom/submissive, they could be suffering abuse if they answer no to any of the following questions:
1. Are your needs and limits respected?
2. Is your relationship built on honesty, trust, and respect?
3. Are you able to express feelings of guilt or jealousy or unhappiness?
4. Can you function in everyday life?
5. Can you refuse to do illegal activities?
6. Can you insist on safe sex practices?
7. Can you choose to interact freely with others outside of your relationship?
8. Can you leave the situation without fearing that you will be harmed, or fearing the other participant(s) will harm themselves?
9. Can you choose to exercise self-determination with money, employment, and life decisions?
10. Do you feel free to discuss your practices and feelings with anyone you choose?
V. Intersections of SM and Healthcare
The role of Health Care Providers is to educate the patient to understand the medical problem. Give the patient the info to help determine what is safe, and what to do if there is a problem. If they don't know already, they should know to educate play partner(s).
1. When SM causes health problem (least common). An accurate report of activity is essential and requires trust from patient:
a) Fainting or dizziness
b) Bondage-related - causing nerve damage, joint strain, numbness
c) problems releasing retained rectal objects
2. When the patient wants advice on what is safe (pretty common). Much of this we can figure out from common medical knowledge (eg how long can vascular supply be cut off), but you may need expert advice on this from scene-friendly physicians:
a) extreme bondage (breast, genital)
b) play-piercing
c) breath control
d) anal play
e) nipple piercing and breast-feeding
3. When health problem inhibits a patient from full expression of sexuality. This is more straightforward, and involves educating patient about their disease:
a) MS: fatigue, overheating, numbness, coordination, sexual dysfunction,
b) CAD: HTN level of exertion,
c) Diabetes: avoiding hypoglycemia,
d) Asthma: need quick-release restraints, no chest or breath restraint,
e) Epilepsy: awareness of aura, what to do if seizure occurs,
f) LBP, arthritis: avoid putting strain upon joints (shouldn't do this anyway).
VI. Talking to your Patients about SM
1. Who is involved in SM?
You have patients involved in SM practice and you don't know it. One out of every ten Americans engages in diverse sexual behavior, yet the stigma against these millions of people means that these people aren't talking about their sexuality as it impacts on their health concerns.
How does a patient come out about SM activities to a healthcare provider? It may be that the provider simply notices piercings or marks or shaved skin. Don't ignore these signs--ask questions to ensure it is consensual SM. That will encourage your patient in turn to ask their health care questions. As you ask questions, never assume you know the kinky activity by a person's appearance.
As an added bonus, Doctors can benefit from being kink-aware because the SM community constantly talks to each other. They belong to support groups, women's groups, special interest groups, and word gets around. You could find you're getting many referrals if it's known that you don't pass judgment on their lifestyle.
2. Don't discriminate against SM practitioners.
It is imperative for you to be nonjudgmental. As a prerequisite to good health care, the patient must trust their physician. To create that trust, the HCP must be receptive. Patients are often inhibited from going to HCP in the first place because of embarrassment/fear of being judged or discriminated against. Many practitioners don't even tell their therapists much less their doctors.
You must be aware that there is REAL discrimination and persecution going on against SM practitioners. The analysis of the NCSF Violence and Discrimination Survey indicates that 1/3 of the respondents have suffered discrimination because of their SM practice, and another 1/3 have suffered attacks and harassment because of their SM practice. People lose their kids, their jobs, their spouses, and even suffer estrangement from family members because of the stigma. NCSF has received complaints from people who have been lectured by their doctors to stop what they are doing, or they were made to feel like they were wrong.
Just because you treat and understand a kinky patient, that's not the end of the road. Often you have to make referrals, and you will have to educate other HCP. This includes making them comfortable enough and knowledgeable enough to give quality medical care to the patient.
3. How do you talk about SM with your patient?
You as the Health Care Provider may be embarrassed about expression of sexuality in patient. Most of us are uncomfortable with discussing sexuality. Medical school doesn't address this issue, and our society is taught to treat sexuality as a joke or something to be avoided.
4 out of 5 of the people who participate in the organized SM community are closeted at work or with their friends and family. Some don't even tell their primary partner about the SM activities they engage in. This can cause problems for the doctor when the patient hems and haws and doesn't ask their real question until your hand is on the door knob. It can take up extra time you don't have. So be sensitive to hints and tentative probes - it may be up to you to help them discuss their activities and how it might be adversely affecting their health.
Remember that your patients have had no experience talking about this in the way that you require. They may provide too much information about their personal desires and explain their sexual encounters in ways that are embarrassing to you. They aren't trying to shock you - they are simply sharing in the way they've learned through SM support and educational groups. You can gently help them stay on track by asking questions and keeping the dialogue moving.
VII. Conclusion
We are here because we want to be able to address these needs of our patients, as they can have deep impact upon level of healthcare sought and given. Patients have a right to this. If we don't feel comfortable we should refer to someone else, and not at patient's emotional expense. As LGBT Health Care Providers, I feel we are better equipped to deal with these issues because our sexuality is a more prominent factor in our identity, and we should have more empathy for those who feel marginalized because of sexual practices.
We don't have all the info about what the patients' needs are, and they may not tell, or even anticipate all of their activities, and they don't have the medical information to make decisions about safety.
How we can appear non-judgmental:
a) Ask about sexual partners/activities when taking medical history
b) Be very careful about judgmental language and use open ended questions.
c) Ask patient to define terms used rather than making assumptions.
VIII. Open up for questions
Copyright 2012-2015 - National Coalition for Sexual Freedom - NCSFreedom.org
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We are witnessing a highly complex and fast-moving economic environment with even the most successful businesses facing new and unexpected challenges. As businesses focus on responding to these challenges, the strategy around effective structuring is often neglected giving rise to increasingly complex structures, which can lead to underperformance.
Each restructuring scenario calls for different specialist skills and we offer a broad range of services that are tailored to your individual situation to help you evaluate opportunities, optimise transactions and achieve your strategic goals.
Our restructuring services include:
- Corporate restructuring:
We help companies and investors improve their total expected return in times of uncertainty and deteriorating performance and growth. We support you in managing work-out or turn-around processes and in allocating capital and investment — evaluating your business plans objectively. We also devise strategies to address potential covenant breaches, negotiating with stakeholders and complying with insolvency and other requirements.
- Working capital management:
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We work with you to develop optimal and flexible debt and equity capital structures and competitive financing programs. We analyse the choices, present you with the alternatives and offer recommendations.
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We can assist companies and help address the cash-flow challenges that result from economic conditions, financier pressure and/or capital structure. We assist managers of companies experiencing cash flow difficulties and restore a constructive dialogue with financiers and creditors.
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Working capital management in oil and gas
Our report explains how improved working capital performance fails to make up for a long-term rise in C2C.
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Pharmaceutical companies in the US and Europe improved working capital performance in 2010 compared with 2009. Was this improvement enough to reverse the previous deterioration?
Cash on the road: working capital in the automotive industry
While there is evidence of progress in some areas of working capital, we see significant opportunity for improvement across the entire working capital value chain for the automotive industry.
Cash on the table: working capital in consumer products
Increased competition and consolidation in retail and volatile commodity prices have forced the consumer products industry to intensify its focus on cash, cost efficiency and working capital.
Cash on the chip: working capital in technology
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Visa policy is the process by which countries decide which noncitizens they wish to admit—either as short-term travelers, international students, temporary workers, or permanent immigrants. Beyond setting quotas and outlining which characteristics are most important in immigrant selection, visa policy also has a public diplomacy aspect, with visa facilitation, for example, serving as a sign of the strength of bilateral relations. The research here examines the permutations of visa policy around the world.
This Council Statement from the sixth plenary meeting of the Transatlantic Council on Migration provides an overview of the Council's discussions on how states can work together to move beyond the mantra of "global governance," and begin taking concrete actions in pursuit of a shared agenda of safe, secure, legal, and orderly migration.
Migration to the United States from Mexico and Central America's Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) has accelerated in the last four decades. This increase has been driven by economic opportunities and facilitated by social networks of friends and family already in the United States.
This report reviews the history of immigration legislation since 9/11, the new enforcement mandates that arose immediately afterward, and the unsuccessful efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform bills during the 109th and 110th Congresses.
الأردنية ودعم اقتصاده. وابتدأت العَمالة غير العربية الآتية من آسيا بالزيادة في السنوات الأخيرة في الأردن، وبالأخص من سريلانكا والفِليبّين.
Migrants from the Philippines and Sri Lanka have taken on a growing role in filling labor shortages in Jordan, leading to significant challenges surrounding the recruitment of these foreign workers. Based on interviews with government officials in sending and receiving countries and focus groups with migrants, the report analyzes the role of private recruitment agencies and points to oversight gaps.


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Donating eggs and sperm are some of the most popular ways people are getting a little extra cash.
The Nashville Fertility Center has been collecting eggs from donors since the 1990's.
"We meet these women, we talk with them, we examine them, we do blood work, we go through a very formal physiological screening," says Dr. Glenn Weizman, a physician with the center.
WBKO talked to two women who have donated their eggs, the women donated through two different anonymous donor services, so we are not releasing their identities.
One woman, we will call her "Mary," says she desperately needed money for college.
Women can make anywhere from $2,000-$10,000 dollars donating their eggs.
"For me it was 100 percent about the money," says Mary, "I was a college student and that usually means (you're) totally broke. It was an opportunity for me to make $2,500 which I could use to pay for college. I was already working three jobs and basically at that point I was getting to sleep three nights a week."
For some it's not about the money, another woman, we call her "Jane" says she saw how the process worked and knew she could help people.
"I just felt like it was something I would want to do," says "Jane." It's kind of like giving blood in a way, it's not helping to save a life, but rather make a life."
For a woman to donate her eggs, the process is lengthy.
"The screening process takes two months," says Dr. Weitzman, "and then, if we're ready and they're ready, it'll take another month or two to get to the process of extracting the eggs."
There are also several criteria that must be met.
"They need to be young," he says." Under 30, oldest donors will be in their early 30's. They must be in the general height/weight combination and healthy."
If the woman meets the criteria an extraction will be done.
"We take a needle to go into the ovary to remove eggs," he says, "So, there are no scars, you are asleep for the process so, it's not painful. Afterwards, you might feel some cramping but other than that just sleepy and a bit out of it."
"When you wake up there are pains but it just feels like menstrual cramps," says Mary.
"Several genetic tests where done, so they're very clear and exact. You know, if my family had a history of cancer that would be disclosed. So, it's very in depth and very thorough," says Jane.
But, the process doesn't come without some controversy.
"I don't think it's invasive or weird that I have a child running around, I don't think about it like that at all," says Jane, "So, I think it's a matter of how the individual perceives it. For me, it's about being able to help people."
Mary felt similar about the situation,
"I think it's kind of cool. Here is something my body is producing and I'm never going to need it because a female proceeds millions and billions of eggs. So, I have so much more so here is something I can make money from."
"Part of the process from the get go is screening these women to know if donating egg is going to create problems down the road. We want to make sure they will be okay psychologically," says Dr. Weitzman.
The center's program is completely anonymous, so the donor and prospective parents never meet.
For men, the process is much less time consuming but, the pay out is also less.
While women are making thousands for their eggs only about $50 is given to men for a collection of their sperm.
The Nashville Fertility Center gets their donor sperms from banks, they're sent to them inside tanks of liquid nitrogen and frozen until they need to be used.
The tanks have to be monitored 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
And when the time is right, the center's lab can create a life.
"You see the families we're able to create with the eggs from these donors," says Dr. Weitzman, "We see the families come back and they bring their babies and it's a gift. It's a gift of life, it's a gift of a family, it's a gift of a lifetime."
The center says some donations are not anonymous, that usually happens when a family member is donating their eggs or sperm to help another family member.
For more information on donating your eggs, visit the Nashville Fertility Center's website by clicking the link below this story.


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The Flying Panthers Motorcycle Club of Franklin went out into the communities of Franklin and Bowling Green Saturday morning to make sure that families who might not be able to afford a thanksgiving dinner, were able to have just that. The club says helping in their community is always rewarding for them.
"Every time we've done something, whether it be passing out candy on Halloween or trying to get kids together for someone's birthday party in the community, we've always had good outcomes. Positive outcomes. That's what we look for because a good deed is a warm feeling and that's what we want to do." said Club President, Dearegon "Kidd" Barbee.
The club passed out boxes that included pancakes, jello, and of course, Thanksgiving turkeys.


text:
11 Jul 2012 6:46 AM #1
GXT 3 Charts: Specifying series colors in HSV and HSL
we are using GXT 2.2.x for over a year. Now, we are evaluating GXT 3 (3.0.0b). We are excited about the GXT 3 Charts. I used the Pie Chart example (http://www.sencha.com/examples/#ExamplePlace:piechart) to do some tests. I encountered a problem with specifying colors for a PieSeries. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
Instead of specifying a gradient, I tried to specify a HSV and HSL color, respectively. In both cases the pie chart has black segments. Using RGB colors the pie chart is rendered with the specified colors. To isolate the problem I used the following code:
series.addColor(new HSV(new RGB(148, 174, 10))); // Black segment series.addColor(new HSL(new RGB(148, 174, 10))); // Black segment series.addColor(new RGB(148, 174, 10)); // Works fine
<path d="M172.0,230.5 L143.39205047240992,111.90158001125454 A122.0,122.0,0.0,0,1,278.08990550028653,170.25938288048275 Z " stroke-width="0.0" fill="hsl(69.51219512195121, 0.891304347826087, 0.3607843137254902)"/> ... <path d="M172.0,230.5 L185.10052429302795,351.7945846410621 A122.0,122.0,0.0,0,1,52.813503881183834,256.5495516836551 Z " stroke-width="0.0" fill="hsv(70.0, 94.0, 68.0)"/> ...
11 Jul 2012 12:35 PM #2
Thanks for the bug report. This has now been fixed and will be in the next release.
12 Jul 2012 12:17 AM #3
I was curious, so I searched...
SVG color definition send to the CSS2 color definition.
Both indicate that color is defined in RGB terms.
I suppose hsv and hsl are defined in CSS3, so are out of the scope of SVG 1.1.
15 Aug 2012 1:29 PM #4
GXT 3.0.1 has been released and contains this fix.


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My bank's website uses HTTPS with the cipher suite
What are the known weaknesses of this suite? Do they have a practical impact for banking-related communications?
In a purist cryptographic sense, there are many vulnerabilities in this cipher suite that can be (theoretically and practically) exploited. There are much stronger versions of SSL/TLS, and much stronger cipher suites that could be used.
In a practical sense, it's not the end of the world - there are far worse cipher suites (e.g. those using intentionally weaked 'export' encryption, or weak ciphers such as DES), and you probably have more to fear from malware/phishing attacks etc. wrt interacting with your bank than from someone targeting your SSL connection.
Bear in mind that the cipher suite being used is what the bank web server chose to use based on the cipher suites your web browser told it could be used - if your browser is configured to disable TLS 1.0/1.1 for example, this may be the best the server could manage (although from the use of MD5, this appears unlikely).
If you're interested in the detail, then looking at each of the parts of ssl_rsa_with_rc4_128_md5 individually:
Most of these issues are in the walk, don't run, to the exit category (the use of MD5 being probably the most concerning issue) - it would be prudent for your bank (and you) to start using more modern cipher suites to protect traffic.


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Please register here. REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS FREE BUT REQUIRED.
The field of international investment law has been shifting rapidly in the
last 15 years. Some states have chosen to unilaterally terminate investment
treaties and/or withdraw from the ICSID Convention, while others have frozen
their investment treaty programs or decided against including investor-state
arbitration provisions in future treaties. Other states have redrafted their
investment treaties and Model BITs, moving from a previous era of investment
treaties (that tended to be vaguely worded and investor-friendly) to a newer
style (that tends to be more protective of the regulatory authority of host
states and the interpretive powers of the treaty parties).
If states unilaterally withdraw from investment treaties, most treaties
provide a sunset clause allowing the treaty protections to continue to apply for
10-20 years after notice of termination. But could the treaty parties circumvent
the survival clause by agreeing to jointly terminate or amend the treaty with
immediate effect? For instance, the Czech Republic has reportedly agreed with
some of its EU investment treaty parties to (1) jointly terminate their
investment treaties with immediate effect and (2) amend the survival clauses to
state that they no longer apply. Are such actions permitted as a matter of law?
Are they wise as a matter of policy?
Given the timeliness and importance of these issues, the Vale
Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment, the Center on
International Commercial and Investment Arbitration, and Chadbourne &
Parke's Public International Law and International Arbitration practice group
are hosting a moderated discussion on the topic. The event is scheduled
for October 14, 2013, at 6:30 pm, at the offices of Chadbourne & Parke at 30
Rockefeller Center in New York.
Professor Anthea Roberts from Columbia Law School and the London School of
Economics will start the panel by presenting on whether states can transform the
investment treaty system through joint termination and amendment with immediate
effect. Other panelists, who will include representatives from government,
private practice, and academia, will provide a critique of this issue from
their own perspectives.
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text: This is just another cute version of Hello Kitty that was also requested by more than a few people. I will step away from the hard stuff for a minute and do something a little more simple like "how to draw Darth Vader Hello Kitty", step by step. This version of Kitty is probably one of the less detailed I have done this far. I'm pretty confident that you will have a blast as well as a simple task to drawing Darth Vader Hello Kitty. Let me let you get started so I can get the other tuts I have uploaded. I shall meet you all back here in a few so stay tuned in. Peace folks.


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5 Common Crime Fighting Tactics (Statistics Say Don't Work)
#2. Jails Are Turning Nonviolent Offenders Into Repeat Offenders
Take two guys convicted of a nonviolent crime, like smoking a bong in a parking lot. Now, as a society, you have to make a choice. You can go easy on them with probation or community service, figuring that what they did wasn't that serious of a crime. But you're also making it easier for them to continue to be criminals, right? If you're not taking them off the street, they're free to get into more mischief. And why wouldn't they, if you have basically taught them that crime gets you nothing more than a slap on the wrist?
No, if you are serious about crime, you need to scare those guys straight! Send them to jail, let them feel the consequences of their actions. Once out, they're sure to straighten up, for fear of going back.
So What's the Problem?
It's the opposite.
"When you came here you could barely roll a joint. But by the time you graduate prison, you'll know how to cook meth and cut bitches with a soap knife."
Let's say with our two hypothetical bong smokers, we give one probation/community service and give the other a short sentence in jail. The first guy, the one who spends his time picking up trash in a garish orange vest and chatting weekly with a police officer, is approximately 20 percent less likely to be in jail three years later.
The second guy, supposedly taught a harsher lesson, has a close to 50 percent chance of showing up in prison again within the next three years. A variety of studies have shown this -- jailing first-time nonviolent offenders is completely ineffective at deterring future crimes. It's weird -- it's almost like prison puts you in a criminal mindset, as if spending all day and all night living with and talking to other criminals, completely immersed in their lifestyle and morals and way of thinking, makes you start to act like them.
"Told you I'd be back to finish this game. I'm no quitter, man."
So if the data says jail isn't great for keeping nonviolent offenders free of crime, why do we insist on using it? For starters, there's a massive cultural bias in favor of putting people in prison -- we don't want to be soft on crime, after all.
And holy shit do we love to send people to jail. The U.S. jails 743 out of every 100,000 citizens -- 10 times the rate of a country like Denmark (which only jails 71 out of 100,000 people). The U.S. has 1.6 million people in prison right now. The only country close to that number is China ... which has four times the population.
Via Wikimedia Commons
Then again, behind each of these doors is over seven thousand criminals.
It's not because violent crime is rampant in the U.S., either -- the U.S. is average in that category (for instance, the U.S. has fewer violent crimes per capita than the U.K., regardless of how civilized that accent makes them seem). It's because we jail people for anything. The U.S. is the only modernized country to throw people in jail for writing bad checks. In no other civilized (or even pretend civilized) country will someone go to jail because he couldn't pay a $215 fishing license fine. And then we have the perpetual drug war, which has added around 200,000 people who wouldn't see jail time in Europe.
Meanwhile, states are cutting funding to programs meant to keep people out of the prison system and spending far, far more on prisons (where it costs $24,000 per prisoner, per year). Jail is where the bad guys go, and we'll be damned if we'll just let those bong-smoking bastards walk around free.
Take your gang signs elsewhere, druglord!
While we're on the subject of drugs, we should probably point out ...
#1. Drug Sentencing Is a Vortex of Ineffective Insanity
For those of you who don't remember, the '80s were all about saying "NO!" to drugs, and then reminding everyone else to do the same about three times every minute. This was due to the appearance of crack cocaine, a much cheaper form of the drug that exploded in popularity overnight. So when Congress wanted to draft a law that would punch crack right in the dick, they turned to officer Johnny St. Valentine Brown, nicknamed Jehru, for help.
Using his pharmacology PhD, his decades as a narc and his lifetime of having a name from a 1970s cop show, Jehru concluded that crack was 50 times more dangerous than cocaine. Congress transformed this into the 100:1 rule, which meant that having one gram of crack was as bad as having 100 grams of cocaine. Possession of 500 grams of cocaine or 5 grams of crack was enough to classify a person as a dealer, leading to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. And 5 grams of crack is a tiny freaking amount.
Ladies and gentlemen, the '80s.
But, hey, we can never be too careful, right?
So What's the Problem?
Too bad the whole thing was bullshit. There is absolutely no difference in danger between crack and powder cocaine. It turns out that Jehru made the whole thing up, just like he made up his academic credentials. That's right: Jehru was convicted of perjury in 1997 for falsifying his degree, plagiarizing letters of reference and being a douche who helped jail thousands of undeserving people.
It's OK, you can make the "oops" face.
Which, again, maybe a person could justify under the "better to be tough than to let our kids all turn into crackheads" theory. But as you can guess, jail doesn't work -- treating drug users is the most effective way to reduce cocaine use. It doesn't matter. The laws force judges to impose outrageously large, expensive jail sentences on first-time offenders. The minimum drug amounts are so off that the average cocaine dealer gets less of a sentence than the average crack user.
Via Bannedinhollywood.com
Which makes some people incredibly happy.
Fortunately, it only took 15 years of total failure to pass the Fair Sentencing Act, reducing the arbitrary ratio of 100:1 to ... an equally bullshit 18:1 ratio. Even though the White House Drug Control Policy Director acknowledges that there is no real difference between crack and cocaine, the laws are still different because ... we have no idea. We give up.
For more reasons to be scared of everything around you, check out 6 Weird Things That Influence Bad Behavior More Than Laws or The 5 Most Horrifying Things Corporations Are Taking Over.
Do you have an idea in mind that would make a great article? Then sign up for our writers workshop! Do you possess expert skills in image creation and manipulation? Mediocre? Even rudimentary? Are you frightened by MS Paint and simply have a funny idea? You can create an infographic and you could be on the front page of Cracked.com tomorrow!
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It was 1988 when WKU-Glasgow opened its doors. 25 years later, things look much different. Changes in technology have led to a larger campus as well as ways in which students learn.
"IVS is an important part of what we do on this campus. We deliver a number of classes from the Bowling Green campus," says WKU-Glasgow Director Dr. Sally Ray.
IVS, or Interactive Video Services, allows a student in Glasgow to virtually sit in a larger class from the main WKU campus. The high tech video and audio software means graduates can come directly from Glasgow.
"A student can begin as a freshmen, complete an associate and a baccalaureate degree and even continue their study with graduate degrees," says Dr. Sally Ray.
As enrollment continues to grow the campus hopes to stay ahead of the always changing higher education system.
"We want to look at different ways we can deliver services to our students to meet their needs to offer more programs. More degree programs on this campus," says Assistant Director Bill Walter.
Meetings are going on right now with department heads to discuss a possible expansion down the road. Administration says they are prepared for some bumps along the way.
"We realize the future will be challenging. We are in a very competitive climate and in light the the economic situation we know it won't be easy to grow and expand this campus," says Walter.
As more students come and go WKU-Glasgow says no matter what, they will be here for another 25 years to come.


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The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: May 3, 2002
I Am Not Thirsty, I Am Only Parched monotype 20 x 22 inches 1995
My father was diagnosed with cancer almost two years ago. He had radiation and chemotherapy. Part of his esophagus was surgically removed. He was in the hospital for 40 days and 40 nights. He could not eat or drink during his stay.
I did not want to deal with my father's illness, yet I felt a strong sense of responsibility and worried constantly. There are so many things I want to say to him, yet I do not have the strength to face him. Through my art, I am able to work through these feelings. It is a way to express what is difficult and to gain perspective on my life.
My father is in the hospital. He asks me for water but I cannot give him any. There are tubes sticking in and out, draining the bad out of his body. He then asks me for a wet towel, and he tries to suck the water out of it. I have to call the nurse in. He tells me that, when he gets out, he will have a juice party. Thirty gallons of juice, every type and every flavor. I am not thirsty, I am only parched.


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War on Advent
Here's a true story from last week: A woman was shopping and asked the clerk of a large store where she might find Advent candles. "Where you might find what?" The clerk was confused. "Advent candles. Three purple, one pink, for an Advent wreath." "I'm sorry, ma'am," the clerk replied, "we only sell seasonally appropriate candles." I had similar problems last weekend trying to find Advent candles. After several stores and some phone calls, I gave up looking for purple and pink. But I really needed some color of candles for our Advent wreath -- and not electric ones either. How am I supposed to reflect on the mystery of "light from light" with electric candles? The Creed doesn't make sense with electric candles!And so I settled for the only long candles I could find: red and white. Christmas colors. There will be no penitential purple on our wreath this year. No Gaudete pink. It's just Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, and Christmas.Let us not be fooled by those peddling a "War on Christmas." That's the decoy to divert our attention from the real war going on right underneath our red noses. Everywhere I look or listen, I get Christmas: the colors, the music, the smells, the imagery, even the theological import. Everyone around me knows what Christmas means. Anyone who's heard the four verses of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" has all the Christmas theology they need.The real war is the WAR ON ADVENT! (Yes, I'm shouting, on the off chance that Bill O'Reilly -- four-star propagandist of the decoy war -- might hear me.) People don't even hide the fact that they are trying to eliminate the season of Advent. Everywhere I go, it's "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas." When I try to tell them that "Today is not a holiday" or "Christmas is on December 25" or "I can only assume you're wishing me a prevenient happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception" -- people think I'm playing the Scrooge.I understand that stores are concerned with the bottom line, and that Christmas sells. But we ought to remain vigilant about how the liturgical season of Advent has steadily been replaced with the secular season of Christmas shopping. Then again, maybe American consumerism is just too strong of a force. If only there were a way to combine the season of Advent with our compulsive shopping needs...I know! How about a Lego Advent Calendar with a theme of intergalactic warfare! We can turn the war on Advent into 24 days of Star Wars-themed gifts during Advent! Imagine it: each night of Advent, above our deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by, and in that darkness shineth the everlasting light. It's the Death Star exploding! Merry Christmas!
About the Author
Michael Peppard is associate professor of theology at Fordham University, author of The World's Oldest Church and The Son of God in the Roman World, and on Twitter @MichaelPeppard.
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For years now, I have been really strict about my home reflecting only Advent and no Christmas until Christmas Eve. I love the whole atmosphere of Advent and so decorate for it during this time. I also use plain white candles and have put purple and pink ribbons around the candle holders that I use because the only place I could find the right color candles was the local Catholic bookstore and even then not in the size that I wanted. In the past, I've sometimes snatched up purple/pink candles when I've come across them at other times in the year but they do seem to all completely disappear just when you need them. I drive friends and family crazy with my insistence upon celebrating Advent but I've found that since placing my emphasis there, I have a much calmer December than I used to when I got too caught up in all the Christmas fuss.
We got our candles from Amazon.
I'm surprised the Catholic religious goods stores in New York had no Advent candles. A shame the bookstore at Fordham doesn't carry them.
The suddenly very popular use of "Advent Calendar" to mean "Toy that counts down to Christmas" is a major peeve of mine. I loved having an Advent calendar when I was a kid, but it was always the kind where you opened a window every day and got a bible verse, or saw another part of the nativity scene. You know, something relating to Advent. But there's also the simple excess of getting a toy every day of December in anticipation of Christmas. Kids today, grumble grumble.Re: Advent candles, yesterday I overheard someone ask for them at the drugstore in our town (where I've seen them in the past). The clerk apologized that they had sold most of their stock after running out of regular candles during the post-Sandy power outage!
Sorry to talk Marx this sacred season, but he said the big fish eat the little fish, and the big companies like Amazon eat the little companies like your religious supply stores. My kindy neighborhood druggist just sold his business to Walgreen's -- gave his 6 employees one week's notice. And you think you got troubles?I"m starting to understand the socialists.
Amazon can hardly be accused of eating religious goods stores. Ziegler's, e.g., has been in business for generations. The thread starter could have obtained candles from them.http://www.zieglers.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=812 Do bishops buy their rings on Amazon? http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=3&gs_rn=0&gs_ri=hp&qe=Y...
I get Advent candles at Abbey Press.http://www.abbeypress.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_70550_A_Replacement+Candles...
To play devil's advocate, I offer a quote from Fr. Andrew Greeley's book The Catholic Revolution: New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Second Vatican Council. (And remind you that Greeley is hardly a flak for traditionalists or the likes of the SSPX.) It may shed some light on why appreciation of Advent has dissipated. I'm not sure we can blame this one on capitalism. Much of the ceremony and art of the Catholic tradition was summarily rejected, without vote or even consultation. The altars were stripped, to use the phrasing in the title of Eamon Duffys book on the Reformation in England. The leaders of this secondary revolution banned statues, stained glass windows, votive candles, crucifixes, and representational art from new or remodeled churches. They rejected popular devotions like May crownings, processions, First Communions, incense, classical polyphony and Gregorian chant. They dismissed the rosary, angels, saints, the souls in purgatory, and Mary the motherof Jesus. They considered these old customs and devotions liturgically or ecumenically or politically incorrect. ... These various movements subverted much of the richness of the Catholic imaginative and communal tradition in the name of being correct and postconciliar. There was nothing to be learned from the preconciliar past, from anything that had happened before 1965. ... No one seemed to understand that they were destroying precisely that sacramental dimension of the Catholic heritage that was more important than prosaic rules and that held Catholics in their Church regardless of what else happened.
Try Gracious Home at 67th and Broadway.
Michael - bravo on keeping Advent! And Molly - right on re: Advent calendars. If all I want to do is count down the 25 days to Christmas, I can watch the ABC Family Channel.Re: where to buy candles: there is an entire industry of retail emporia that sell candles, e.g. Yankee Candle Company. In my experience, they are of the genus and species of stores owned and run by women for women, and, speaking as a man, shopping at one of them elicits an even more intense reaction than I get when I go into a Hallmark store: the clerks (all women) look at me with a mixture of surprise, pity and mild hostility, kind of like when a street person wanders into the hotel ballroom where the convention cocktail party is in full swing. But, those stores do have, literally, thousands of candles of every imaginable length, color, circumference and, need it be said, scent. The scent in these places hits you like a haymaker. While I'm too insecure to actually go into one of those stores to scout it out for you, I'd bet they'd have candles of the right length and color. And you might end up with some interesting scents, anything from lilac to cinnamon to frankincense.
Michael, Amen. Molly, a big Amen to you, too.
Please don't tell me that Catholic bookstores and/or liturgical supply houses do not carry the appropriate colors of candles for Advent.I'll bet (but not a lot 'cause I really don't know) that evangelical-owned bookstores have REAL Advent calendars.
The classical music station I listen to is now full of "music of the season," Christmas, that is. It will all but end, abruptly, on 26 December. Enough of that!The Advent Season has such a rich progression, from the end time to John the Baptist to Mary. The texts for the Mass and Office of the Vigil of Christmas are some of the most memorable in the whole of the liturgical calendar. For example, the Opening Prayer (collect) for the Vigil of Christmas (in the evening before the Mass of Midnight):Eternal God,every year you gladden our heartsby renewing our hope of redemption:grant that we who welcome your only Son as our Redeemermay face him with confidence when he comes as our judge,who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.The chant for the hymn at Evening Prayer in Advent, "Creator of the stars of night" (Conditor alme siderum) is tender, calming, and very accessible.As for Andrew Greeley, yes and no, but that for another time. Just to say, the Advent wreath and its blessing were unknown in the parishes of my pre-conciliar youth and hardly known at home. (The Liturgical Movement was largely suspect on the East Coast.)One more resounding vote for Advent. Come, Lord Jesus! Do not delay.
Enjoyable post. I haven't been able to find Advent candles this year, either. I did come up, though, with the album "Advent at Ephesus," some lovely Advent-related chant from the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles. It's this year's Advent phenom, climbing to No. 1 classical album after knocking off a collection of music compiled in connection with "50 Shades of Gray." When I bought it last Saturday, it also was No. 5 on Amazon for ALL albums.
The German custom is all red or all white candles. This purple/rose business seems to be a peculiar Irish-American custom, reflecting the vestments of the presider at the Sunday liturgy. (Even though I haven't seen rose colored vestments for years. And am rather grateful for that fact.)
Regarding the quote from Andrew Greeley above at 10:40 a.m.:Please review Greeley's statement. Nowhere does he mention Advent or damage done to the celebration of Advent. He is addressing some other area of Catholic devotions. As an avid reader of Orate Fratres and liturgical commentaries in the 1950's and 1960's, I must state that Advent was important both before and after Vat2. At last Sunday's Mass in our parish, the homilist pointed to the similarities of the readings in the last Sunday of the Year and the First Sunday of Advent, with the notion of two Comings. Our hymns were Advent hymns, not Christmas hymns. Two I recall: People, Look East, and Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.----Please do not fault the liturgical movement of the Twentieth Century for downgrading Advent. The advance of Christmas into Advent may be partly attributed to commercialization, partly to the the broadcasting industry, and partly to early decorations up and down the street. Our parish will have an outdoor tree lighting on December 7th. I think it is too soon, but please do not confuse that with Fr. Greeley's complaint.
I always get my candles at the Dollar Store. But shop early---theyre not packaged as Advent candles but are simply on the candle shelf among all the other colors.
A friend of ours does something similar to what Elizabeth does; she purple and pink "necklaces" she wraps around the base of four white pillar candles. The beads are shiny and add to the light. I'm talking to so many women at work who utterly hate Christmas and the stress of decorating, baking, visiting, card-sending, getting dunned for charitable contributions, etc. etc. Without Advent and its focus on self-examination, Christmas turns into a meaningless buying frenzy.I have found Fr. Imbelli's posts on the season good fodder for reflection. I also use the Advent collects in the BCP. And we have a prayer I think we must have made up when The Boy was little and still liked church: "Dear Lord Jesus, we invite you to come make a home in our hearts."
I think we Advent lovers miss a nuance when we complain that "they're already celebrating Christmas." It's really not true -- nobody really celebrates Christmas (except the day of), just as nobody really celebrates Easter (except the day of). The modern American Christmas season is just as much a season of anticipation as Advent is supposed to be (ask my 6 year old whether it's Christmas now or three weeks from now -- she's anticipating like crazy). It's what we're waiting for that's at issue.
Joe, thanks for your insights on Greeley and Advent. You're correct in pointing out that he doesn't mention Advent. Yet it seems to me that there was a clear depreciation of "devotions" in general, and all the old-school trappings of Catholicism. I don't blame the liturgical movement for downgrading Advent; I don't think the liturgical movement (or Vatican II for that matter) caused or controlled a lot of what was actually happening on the ground. So much else was going on, and I think some of the proverbial babies got tossed out with the proverbial bathwater. In any case, I'm glad to see some of the old traditions still alive or being brought back to life.
I don't think it's secularization that pushes these traditions aside, I think it's a culture and an economy that puts huge demands on people's time. People have so many obligations and commitments, parents are juggling full-time jobs and child-rearing and other caregiving. It's a challenge to put the time aside for holidays when you're already operating from a time-deficit to start with. We have a lovely advent wreath on the altar at Mass; I make do with that. I have a little book of daily prayersf or Advent I read with my younger daughter and I read the Little Blue Book of 6 minute reflections on the subway coming home from work.
On the bright side, people interested in finding out more about traditions such as the advent wreath have the Web at their disposal. A search on Advent Wreath returns about three million hits, which is pretty respectable. For comparison purposes, consider:advent wreath: About 3,000,000 resultsthomas aquinas: About 9,400,000 resultshomer simpson: About 22,100,000 results
We never celebrated Advent at home when I was growing up and I don't know anybody who had a home Advent wreath before 1990. And we were generations and generations of Catholics. Sorry, this just seemed uncommonly silly, especially the war part.
Ms. Follman,Thanks for that quote from Fr. Greeley. It may not be germane to the Advent discussion, but it is both accurate and important.As for Advent and Christmas, I note that the Pope puts up a large Nativity Scene and Christmas Tree in St. Peter's Square during Advent. He obviously sees nothing wrong with that, and neither do I.And here are some more thoughts from Joseph Ratzinger on Advent that I think are germane:What is Advent? Many answers can be given. We can grumble and say that it is nothing but a pretext for hectic activity and commercialism, prettified with sentimental clichs in which people stopped believing ages ago. In many cases this may be true, but it is not the whole picture.We can say the reverse, that Advent is a time when, in the midst of an unbelieving world, something of the luminous quality of this lost faith is still perceptible, like a visual echo. Just as stars are visible long after they have become extinct, since their erstwhile light is still on its way to us, so this mystery frequently offers some warmth and hope even to those who are no longer able to believe in it.We can also say that Advent is a time when a kindness that is otherwise almost entirely forgotten is mobilized; namely, the willingness to think of others and give them a token of kindness. Finally we can say that Advent is a time when old customs live again, for instance in the singing of carols that takes place all over the country. In the melodies and the words of these carols, something of the simplicity, imagination and glad strength of our forefathers makes itself heard in our age, bringing consolation and encouraging us perhaps to have another go at faith which could make people so glad in such hard times.
The Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square is unveiled on Christmas Eve. At that point the season of Advent has ended.
It's December 6th, feast of St. Nicholas of Myra. Please note the Bavarian and Rhineland Catholic custom of gift-giving to children this early in Advent. Also, if you are in New York, you might stroll up St. Nicholas Avenue and visit Incarnation church at West 175th Street, thereby marking the intersection of Christmas and the saint from what is now Turkey.
When my mother was a child gifts were exchanged on Epiphany. I don't know whether this was a French or a Spanish custom, or both. Their Christmas trees were decorated with real candles. (Sounds like a dreadful fire hazard to me.)
There is a great book "Unplug the Christmas Machine," (Robinson and Coppock Staeheli). It sure helped me and I know some others get a grip on this commercial monster we have to wrestle with.As for my household we are happy to spend a rather quiet Advent in preparation. Its kind of a game for the kids. On Christmas eve at sundown we turn on the Christmas lights (outside and tree) for the first time and then have a good 12 day period of jolly time with family and friends.
I'm having trouble finding Christmas wrapping paper that is about the Christmas story - what passes for 'Christmas' wrapping paper is Santas and reindeer and New England winter scenes. All very nice, but I'd like some wrapping paper that's not 'winter' paper.


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Which point and shoot cameras support RAW images? Is there any way to take RAW images on unsupported cameras?
Many Canon PowerShots can, using the alternative firmware CHDK (found here: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK)
Panasonic DMC-LX5 and the Leica clone of it allow for raw format. However, the easiest way to see this is to visit a site, like DP Review that has a database of this information. The link there will take you to a list of 39 that support the raw option. :)
No, not all point and shoots can do RAW. Check your camera's manual to find out if yours can. If buying a new one, check the features list. Usually only the more expensive ones have RAW shooting facility unfortunately. Cheap ones tend not to have the feature.
I have the utterly excellent Canon PowerShot S95 which can shoot RAW. I love it. :-)
Arguably, no point and shoot camera can shoot RAW, because if it could, it would cease to meet the definition of a simple camera you just point and shoot and get automatic acceptable results. I know that many people use "point and shoot" to refer to any small camera despite that argument, but the point is important. Since the term can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, you have to decide what aspect of what you are referring to is the part you're interested in — because the right answer depends on that.
A, B, and C below refer to three possible interpretations of "point and shoot", along with why one might want RAW from that kind of camera, followed by suggestions on how to find what you need.
A. I would like a cheap camera but want better quality or flexibility out of it.
In this case, a Canon camera with the CHDK alternative firmware is the best bet — you're really not going to beat that.
B. I want a compact camera with advanced features and I'm happy to both pay for and work for better results.
Here, you have several options depending on your need. There's an emerging — or re-emerging, since it parallels market options like the Olympus C-5050 from a decade ago — segment which DPReview calls "enthusiast compact". These can work like a point and shoot in many ways, but they're aimed at the non point-and-shoot photographer. The link there goes to a round-up from a year ago, and the specific models will change, but basically everyone has got one. This link from Neocamera showing compact cameras with RAW output basically covers this category, or similar from DPReview.
→ Update: in December 2011, DPReview ran an article entitled Buyer's Guide: Enthusiast raw-shooting compact cameras, covering exactly this category, even more specifically than last year's roundup.
Or, depending on how important small and cheap are vs. flexibility, you may be interested in a mirrorless interchangeable lens system camera, like the Micro Four Thirds offerings from Panasonic/Olympus, Sony NEX, or Nikon 1 — or even Pentax's ultra-tiny Q.
There's also a few unique cameras like the Fujifilm X100, which isn't really compact or a point and shoot, but also isn't a DSLR.
C. I do want automatic great photographs by just pointing and shooting, and I've heard that RAW is better than JPEG, so I want a camera that can do that.
In this case, you should rethink your assumptions.


text: "Saudi Arabia has recently broken up Al-Qaeda cells that were planning further attacks against the Kingdom and other targets. Al-Qaeda continues to seek to terrorize us, but they will not succeed. Our recent efforts have been extremely successful in rounding up scores of Al-Qaeda suspects. But we will not stop until this evil cult is uprooted and destroyed."


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ANDERSON, S.C. – The fourth-seeded Anderson men's basketball team will make its fourth appearance in five seasons in the Big Dance by squaring off against fifth-seeded GRU Augusta Saturday in the 2014 NCAA Southeast Regional, hosted by USC Aiken. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Pacers' Convocation Center.
After a one-year absence from the tourney, Saturday's quarterfinal matchup will pit the Trojans (22-9), who wrapped up the regular season in third place in the South Atlantic Conference regular season and finished last week's conference tournament as runners-up, against GRU Augusta (23-7). Anderson and the Jaguars will square off to decide who will advance to meet the winner of the top-seeded USC Aiken vs. No. 8 seed Limestone contest scheduled to tip just prior to the AU vs. GRU contest on Saturday.
The Trojans outlasted GRU Augusta, 91-86, in the second game of the season earlier this year at Christenberry Fieldhouse, as senior guard Chandler Hash poured in a then career-high 42 points. Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Daniel added 15 points, while senior Kyle Sledge pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. Guard Myson Jones dished out a team-best six assists. Jaguar senior forward KJ Sherrill led five Jaguars in double figures.
The early-season matchup marked the first meeting between the two teams since the Trojans upset the top-seeded and nationally third-ranked Jags, 75-73, in overtime in the finals of the 2011 NCAA Southeast Regional.
Center Taylor Shugart scored 14 points and blocked the potential game-tying shot with two seconds left in overtime to help preserve that win. Guard Denzail Jones also scored 14 points. Oskars Ernsteins added 12 points and Brandon Young dished out seven assists for the Trojans. Trailing by three with exactly one minute remaining in regulation, Shugart hit one-of-two from the line to pull Anderson within two points with 43 seconds left. AU then sent Franck Ndongo, who had been a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line to that point, to the line. He missed both attempts and the Trojans' Kevis Cornwell grabbed the second miss and hit a 12-foot jumper from the right side with 27 seconds remaining to tie the score at 69 and send game to overtime. Shugart scored four of Anderson's six points in overtime, including a jumper in the paint with 1:13 on the clock that broke a 73-73 deadlock and proved to be the winning points. Augusta State had a chance to tie after Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one with 17 seconds left, but Shugart blocked ASU's final attempt as time expired.
The Jaguars are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but their first since falling to Anderson in the 2011 Southeast Region Championship. GRU Augusta has advanced to three Elite Eights and made an appearance in the national championship contest in 2008. The Jags won two of their final three contests this season, falling to Montevallo 96-87 in double overtime in the semifinals of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
GRU Augusta returned four of its five starters and eight letterwinners overall from a year ago, with guard Keshun Sherrill earning Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors earlier this month. He was third on the team in scoring with 11.4 ppg., while getting a starting nod in in 23 of the Jaguars' 28 games this year and was second on the team in assists. Sherrill led the team and was fourth in the PBC in free throw percentage and scored a career-high 22 points against Francis Marion.
Seniors KJ Sherrill and Ryan Weems were both named All-Conference, with Sherrill leading the squad in points, field goals, rebounds, and block shots. Weems earned his second consecutive conference honor while averaging 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Anderson owns a 6-3 record in three previous appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2011 and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012. The Trojans are 3-3 this season versus teams in the Southeast Regional - defeating GRU Augusta, splitting the regular-season series with Carson-Newman and also splitting the regular-season series with Lincoln Memorial before falling to the Railsplitters in the SAC Tournament Championship last Sunday.
The Trojans posted a seven-game win streak midway through the season en route to earning their fourth 20-win season in five years and have advanced to the tourney's round of 32 teams with at least one victory in each of their three previous appearances in the Southeast Regional.
AU is led offensively by First-Team All-Region selection and two-time First-Team All-Conference honoree Hash. The 6-foot guard led the league and ranked fifth in the nation with his 24.4 points per game average and poured in a career-high 44 points in last Saturday's SAC semifinal win past Coker, while following up with a 33-point effort in the championship setback to LMU. At the conclusion of the tourney, he was named conference tournament MVP. Hash's school-record total 757 points this season is tops in the nation and the Greer, S.C., native has demonstrated his durability by starting 59 consecutive games and reaching double figures in 45 of 46 games, including 33 games with 20+ points. Hash is the reigning SAC Scholar-Athlete for men's basketball and during the regular season, he was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Second-Team for his performance in the classroom, as well.
CJ Gleaton, another senior, averaged 16.4 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds per contest, while staring 29 contests. He averaged a team-high 27.3 points during the three-game conference tournament, while also earning SAC All-Tournament recognition and being named Second-Team All-SAC following the regular season. The versatile guard posted a team-best nine double-doubles, including a career-best 32 points and pulled down 10 boards against Coker. Gleaton garnered double-digit points in 26 contests and scored more than 20 points on five occasions.
Jones tossed in 11.6 points per contest on the season and led the Trojans by dishing out 3.3 assists a game. The Aiken, S.C. native handed out a career-high eight assists in AU's road win at Catawba in early January and notched a career-high 22 points against both Tusculum and Carson-Newman in February.
The Southeast Regional consists of four sessions and includes seven games over a four-day stretch. Nationally 18th-ranked and third-seeded Montevallo (24-5) and sixth-seeded Georgia Southwestern (20-10) will tip the event off at noon, while sixth-ranked and second-seeded Lincoln Memorial (27-2) and seventh-seeded Carson-Newman (19-8) continues quarterfinal play at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. At 5 p.m., fifth-ranked and top-seeded USC Aiken (29-3) and eighth-seeded Limestone (21-8) will square off before AU and GRU Augusta wrap up the first day's action.
The Southeast Region tournament champion will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, which will be held March 26-29 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
Tournament Central Website
Trojan NCAA Tournament Game Notes
NCAA Tournament Bracket


text:
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text:
In Newtown, Daily Services Take Toll
Connecticut Town's Only Funeral Home Grapples With Heart-Wrenching Task
NEWTOWN, Conn.—The pews of the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church here overflowed with tearful mourners Wednesday for the funeral of Caroline Previdi, a 6-year-old girl who was among 20 students slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
It was one of at least eight memorials that will be held at the redbrick chapel, and the crowd spilled from the vestibule onto the street. "There were a lot of tears, but there was some laughter too," said Mark Petiprin, a family friend.
A young child's burial is a challenge for even the most experienced funeral directors, and the only funeral home in Newtown is handling arrangements for at least 11 such services this week. The undertaking is unprecedented at Honan Funeral Home, a mom-and-pop business that won't charge fees to the families who lost loved ones at the school.
Funeral directors, casket companies and other mortuary suppliers from around the country have pitched in to help. Clergymen search for the right words as locals try to console one another through long days of grief.
At Caroline's funeral, one speaker explained that the little girl known by those gathered in the pews was now in heaven "with all her friends," Mr. Petiprin said.
Mourners encountered an American Girl doll in a holiday dress perched atop a casket, and pallbearers lifted her owner from the church. Friends of the family spoke afterward of a hand-drawn picture that Caroline made for her father, with a note saying she loved him.
"She brought joy to a lot of people," said Joseph Secola, a family friend who attended the service. "You have to hold on to that."
The funerals for the 26 victims at the school began Monday with services for two 6-year-old students. Tuesday saw funerals for two more children, and memorial services Wednesday included two students and school principal Dawn Hochsprung, who was killed trying to stop the gunman.
At a fourth service held Wednesday for 27-year-old Victoria Soto, a first-grade teacher gunned down inside her classroom, the songwriter Paul Simon performed "The Sound of Silence." A spokesman for the singer said the two families had met through Ms. Soto's mother and Mr. Simon's sister-in-law, both nurses.
At least three more funerals are planned this week. The staff at Honan, the local funeral home, has handled at least six so far. Daniel Honan, the owner, said the home conducts about two per day. Some of the services are held off-site.
"We're doing what we do—helping families bury the dead and follow their wishes," he said.
More than 100 funeral directors traveled to the Connecticut town to assist with everything from counseling families to preparing paperwork and transporting the bodies.
"Every little detail," said Laura Soll, spokeswoman for the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association, which organized the volunteers. "It's been extraordinary."
When a small-town funeral home is handling services for a mass-fatality event, the business must also contend with routine deaths that affect every community, explained David Weber, a funeral-home director who specializes in dealing with crises. "They become besieged with a volume that—staff-wise and space-wise—they are not used to," he said.
Despite what may look like an uptick in business, Mr. Weber said that deadly tragedies aren't "a windfall" for funeral homes, which typically perform pro-bono work in such events.
"Generally speaking," he said, "funeral directors are very compassionate people."
For the funerals of young children felled by gunshots, embalming and preparing bodies can be especially difficult and heart-rending, funeral directors said.
Thomas Lynch, a small-town undertaker and writer based in Michigan, said even veteran funeral directors struggle to uphold professional composure when facing the deaths of children. A rampage inside an elementary school is "outside the existential pale of our imaginations," he said.
Mr. Lynch has prepared the bodies of very young victims while dealing with his own feelings of outrage and horror. "But your obligation is to return the body to the family," he said. "This is the great kindness of the embalmer and the undertaker. It is a work of mercy."
"In the most difficult situations," Mr. Lynch added, "it is the most honorable work."
—Josh Dawsey contributed to this article.


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I would like to share what Bill Birnes shared in the UFO Hunters Season 1 book about Terrell's & my episode "Alien Contact"
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Full Career History for Gary Hernandez from his Linkedin page...
Investigator - American Security & Protective Services
June 2013 – Present (4 months)Las Vegas, Nevada
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Conducted numerous investigations and surveilance assignments
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I notice there is a strong connection between shellability of simplicial complexes and bistellar flips on these complexes; in particular, adding in a new facet of a shelling induces a bistellar flip on the boundary.
Is it always the case that bistellar flips preserve shellability of a complex? In other words, if I apply a bistellar flip to a shellable simplicial complex, is the resulting simplicial complex also shellable? If so, how can this be seen easily?


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DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Despite producing its second highest run total of the young season, Anderson University baseball was unable to keep up with North Georgia, falling in a 16-12 marathon game Saturday afternoon at Bob Stein Stadium.
With their second straight setback to their Peach Belt Conference foe, the Trojans drop the series with a game left to be played on Sunday. Anderson has dropped four straight games since claiming 2-of-3 in a South Atlantic Conference series from Carson-Newman last weekend.
Designated hitter Travis Smith notched his first hits in an Anderson uniform, finishing 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored. Right fielder Paul Como and first baseman Steven Cooper added two hits apiece, as the tandem combined for three runs scored and two RBI.
Senior left fielder Nathan Galliford knocked his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning, as the Trojans recorded an impressive nine runs for the inning. During the stretch in the fifth, Anderson tallied six hits for nine runs, which included a two-run double by Cooper. Galliford and Cooper continue to lead the team in runs batted in for the season, as Galliford has 14 RBI in 14 games. Cooper ranks second with eight for the year.
Despite the nine-run fifth inning, North Georgia responded in the bottom half with seven runs to reclaim its lead at 10-9. Leading the Nighthawk lineup was Eason Spivey with a 3-for-4 afternoon with leadoff solo home run, followed by a three-run double in the seven-run fifth inning.
UNG's Joey Cecere, Travis Naraine and Ryan Raper all totaled two hits on the afternoon, as Cecere and Naraine each recorded a double.
The Nighthawks added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 14-9 lead before AU scored three runs in the top of the seventh. Smith started the scoring in the seventh when he singled through the left single, scoring senior Josh Hickman and Como.
Anderson would tact on another run when sophomore Garrett Bernardo used a sacrifice fly to score catcher Jonathan Zalud, cutting the deficit to 14-12.
Later, UNG scored two insurance runs in the eighth frame to put the game out of reach. The win moves North Georgia to 7-4 on the season.
Anderson looks to avoid the sweep on Sunday when the Trojans and Nighthawks lock up again on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.


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Top Definition
A person of very limited intellect who will not befriend someone of a different faith unless it is to try to convert them.
I see Dave sitting along eating lunch. Perhaps if I go over and say hello, i can eventually Bayardelle him.
লিখেছেন- Tootzie 2 de মার্চ de 2009
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Daniel J Olsson, DO, FACOEP
Current Appointments
- Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Hospital Campus
- Downtown
Research Programs and Affiliations
- Emergency Medicine
- Emergency Department, Pediatrics
Upstate University Hospital - Downtown Campus
Google Maps & Directions
2nd Fl., East Wing, 750 East Adams Street
Syracuse, NY 13210
315 464-5565
- Emergency Department, Adult
Upstate University Hospital - Downtown Campus
Google Maps & Directions
2nd Fl., East Wing, 750 East Adams Street
Syracuse, NY 13210
315 464-5611
Education & Fellowships
- Residency: Chicago Osteopathic Medical Center, 1993
- DO: University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, MO, 1989
- Internship: Lakeside Hospital, Kansas City, MO, 1989
Clinical Interests
Emergency Medicine
Education Interests
Prehospital Emergency Medicine
Research Interests
Dr. Olsson's current projects and research interests include Prehospital Emergency Medicine
Specialties & Certification
- Emergency Medicine
Diseases & Conditions Treated
- Medical Emergencies
- Adults and Children
- Emergency Services
Current Hospital Privileges
- Upstate University Hospital
ResearchEmergency Department Overcrowding: Use of a computer model to predict overcrowding in real time .
Olsson, D.*; Joroleman, M.; Scott, J. University Hospital; SUNY Health Science Center, Syracuse, New York, USA 13210
AIMS: Overcrowding in Emergency Departments is an ongoing and serious issue. Many departments are faced with staffing and space issues. Is it possible to predict the future by developing a computer model to determine real time needs within the Emergency Department ?
METHODS: Historical data ( EMS transports and ED visits ( length of stay, arrival times and total numbers )) was collected and reviewed. This was obtained from the area Hospital Executive Council and the regional EMS dispatch center. From this information we were able to construct a theoretical model of a patient visit. This model was then realized into a computer program written from MicrosoftÔ Visual Basic.
RESULTS: By combining fixed data ( patient rooms ) with variable data ( length of stay and EMS rates of arrival ) we were able to generate a visual display. This provides a real time or predictive color scale on the computer screen that displays patients' arrivals, rooms needed, and times of discharge. From this output, we can glean the staffing and space needs given current / fluctuating EMS transports ( as indicated by arrival rates ). Therefore, as the rates of EMS arrivals fluctuate ( such as with weather ) one can predict the varying needs of the Emergency Department.
CONCLUSIONS: By adapting an accurate computer model we can provide immediate real time information regarding ED census in an attempt to ameliorate overcrowding, decrease nursing stress and improve patient care.
Presented as an Oral Presentation during the International Conference on Emergency Medicine, Cairns, Queensland, Australia, June 2004
Faculty Profile Shortcut: http://www.upstate.edu/faculty/olssond
Practice/Contact Information
Pediatric Emergency DepartmentUpstate University Hospital - Downtown Campus Maps and Directions
Address: 2nd Fl., East Wing, 750 East Adams St., Syracuse, NY 13210
Phone: 315 464-5565
Fax: 315 464-6521
New Patient Phone: 315 464-5565
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The CWC girls track team competed at the West Frankfort sectional last Friday and along with Hannah Gowdy's second place, state qualifying 300-meter hurdles performance, a pair of girls placed at the meet.
Emma Bachman finished sixth in the 100-meter dash and Briley Tolley was sixth in the pole vault.
At the middle school state meet Saturday at Carterville, Morgan Combs finished sixth in the long jump as well.
In the IHSA Girls Track and Field State competition, Class 1A, 2A and 3A will be held together Thursday, May 16 through Saturday, May 18 at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston. Gowdy also went to state last year as a junior in the 300M hurdles for Class 1A and had a preliminary time of 50.19 but did not advance to the final.
Location, ST | website.com


text: Here is a guy or character that my brother is in love with just because of his name. This is the second character from Team Fortress that I have for you and it is "how to draw the Soldier", step by step. Soldier is what you would call an American Patriot to the core. He is tough, rough and well armed because he represents everything that America is known for. Drawing the Soldier from Team Fortress will be easier than drawing Demoman because he is basically just wearing a shell style helmet, and his clothing. You don't have to draw his face because his eyes are covered by his helmet. I think if you are a fan of Team Fortress you will enjoy this tut. Adios people and be sure to leave some feedback.


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If i join two/more complex views (views that are made up by joining two/more tables); would it result in multiple iteration of reads on the base tables?
Would it not be more efficient just to have the join conditions on the base tables itself?
This is a problem i've analysed in our Production Oracle 10g R2 (ASM disk groups) environment, the sql queries are dynamically generated on the fly by the application itself and instead of using Tables to extract results, composite views are used.
Moreover, conditional joins are frequently implemented on these composite views.
Can such joins on the complex views unnecessarily cause high cpu utilization and also eat up the precious buffer cache?