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It didn't take observers at Dennis Lesh Sports Arena very long on Thursday night to figure out who was going to win between Pratt Community College and the McPherson College JV. The Beavers bolted into the early lead, extended it throughout the game to as many as 25 points, and eventually settled for the convincing 85-64 victory over the visiting Bulldogs.
In their final shakedown cruise prior to the opening of the Jayhawk schedule, PCC opened the game with a 8-0 run. McPherson was not able to get on the board until the 16:00 mark, and trailed 8-3 at that point after hitting a long-ball. In the next minute and a half, Pratt's Javis Flynn buried back-to-back trifectas to push the lead to 14-3.
Through the middle of the 1st stanza, the Beaver defense was keeping McPherson at bay, forcing them into crazy shots in the lane or long-range, low-percentage efforts. Eventually, the Bulldogs got a few shots to go, but the Beavers kept forcing the issue, especially on the offensive glass, and so took a 41-24 lead into the halftime locker room.
It was more of the same in the second half. Within four minutes the lead had ballooned to 20, and at the midway point of the second frame, PCC reached their high water mark with a 66-41 advantage.
The final 10 minutes was just playing out the string, with reserves getting most of the floor time for the Beavers. At the final horn, PCC still had an 85-64 lead to qualify for the win.
The game was decided in the paint, as McPherson had no answer for PCC's bigs—either keeping them from scoring, or competing on the boards with them, or finding ways to shoot around them in the lane. PCC had total domination on the glass, outrebounding McPherson 51-23. They scored 20 second chance points to only 5 for the Bulldogs.
Ralph Abraham had a monster game for the Beavers, leading PCC with 21 points and earning the double-double by yanking down 11 rebounds as well. Point guard Javis Flynn was also in double figures with 12 points and Devin Callon contributed 10. Overall, the offense was balanced for the Beavers as 10 of the 11 players who saw floor time broke into the scoring column.
Defense for PCC was also solid, especially in the first half. The Beavers held the McPhersons to a mere 33% from the floor and 25% from behind the arc. With Pratt's inside dominance, the Bulldogs only real chance was to be on fire from long range, but they were not.
At 10-4, PCC takes the plunge into the Jayhawk Conference next week with games against Cloud (Monday, home), Seward (Wednesday, there) and Dodge (Saturday, home.)
McP JV 24 40 64
Abram 3-0-1/2-7; Javis Flynn 2-2-2/2-12; Rogers 1-0-0-2; Devin Callon 2-1-3/5-10; Thomas 3-0-0-6; Ralph Abraham 6-1-6/9-21; Roberts 1-1-0-5; Downs 1-0-2/3-4; Stivrins 4-0-1/2-9; Hellman 3-1-0-9
Location, ST | website.com


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5 Crazy Ways the Colors Red and Blue Control Your Life
#2. Heal You
Now we're getting into Star Trek territory. Different frequencies of light have actually been shown to help heal the cells of your body. NASA has been the leader in this research, because when you're out alone in space, you need every advantage you can get. And if your damaged cells could heal, say, 150 to 200 times faster, that would be a pretty good thing to have once we inevitably find some aliens to fight.
And when we start having sex with those aliens, it'll be equally useful.
NASA scientists found that that's exactly what happens when you expose cells to near-infrared light (light just beyond the red that we can see -- it's like a super red). High Emissivity Aluminiferous Luminescent Substrate, or HEALS technology, condenses the power of 12 suns (not making this up) into a heatless device. By stimulating the cells with long wavelengths, it encourages growth and repair. They've used it to heal burns, diabetic skin ulcers and just about any other kind of hole you can imagine.
Specifically mouth holes. Five to 15 percent of cancer patients receiving radiotherapy develop a condition called mucositis, painful sores in the mouth, as if cancer wasn't enough. NASA discovered that just two weeks of using light therapy 88 seconds a day reduced pain in 96 percent of patients. Let's say that again. Powerful red flashlights can heal your flesh and ease your pain. Your move, Dr. McCoy.
Via NASA
"Crap, dial it back, we've turned him into a douche!"
Not to be outdone, blue has a few tricks up its azure sleeve as well. Blue light kills bacteria and reduces inflammation. Doctors have used it as a safe way to treat everything from plaque, gum disease and acne to the super-resistant staph infections MRSA and SARS. And in fact, purple and ultraviolet lights do it even better. Health officials have used UV rays as a disinfectant and to purify water for almost a hundred years.
You might recognize UV rays as the stuff that gives you sunburns. It's actually dangerous to most forms of life, even human cells. Blue is a better compromise -- it's safe to use on us, but microbes still don't like it. However, researchers have developed a special blend of safe purple and white light to disinfect hospitals. Chemical disinfectants can miss cracks and crevices, but this germ-slaying violet flashlight can shine into hard-to-reach places, helping to reduce the environmental transmission of pathogens. Purple: It's not just for talking dinosaurs and pimps anymore.
Which is why ravers never get sick.
#1. Influence How You Buy Things
You had to know this was coming -- companies don't spend millions thinking up logos and color schemes for nothing. It's all about pushing your color buttons.
For example, people bidding online will pay substantially more when there's a red background on the selling page, but only when they perceive that they are competing against others. If, on the other hand, you don't think anyone else is bidding against you, red will tempt you to lowball the seller -- it's all about winning. Either way, you're on your guard and out to get someone. So what happens when the background is blue? You're more generous and willing to pay more.
Stores have also found, through experience and several studies, that a blue environment leads to more purchases, fewer purchase postponements and a stronger inclination to shop and browse than a red environment does.
Via Wikimedia Commons
Shit, that reminds us, we need more peanut butter and condoms.
Even though it's been shown that people are definitely more attracted to bright, warm colors, it's the cooler, inviting shades of blue and green that are rated more positive and pleasant. They make people feel less cautious and safer.
Not that blue works 100 percent of the time -- it depends on the product. If red makes people more watchful and defensive, companies that are promoting a product based on how it deals with negative issues can use red to encourage sales. If you're "fighting" something, your best bet is red:
Via Homedepot.com
It's actually a DVD on how to fistfight ants.
But aspirational messages like "prevention" or protection work best with blue.
Via Crest.com
Crest tried to emphasize their cavity-fighting power by having the site flash red, but that just caused seizures.
In other words, do you want to scare people? Use red packaging. Do you want to make them think they're a better person, maybe even saving the world? Use blue.
We see what you did there, Obama.
Monte occasionally writes irreverent comics over at RealToyGun.com, or you can get the update on his women troubles on his blog.
For more things that weirdly influence your brain, check out The 6 Most Surprising Ways Alcohol Is Actually Good for You and 7 Insane Ways Music Affects The Body (According to Science).

subset: commoncrawl


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If I find myself caught in a sand storm, what should I do? Should I sit it out, or try to keep moving somehow? Can this depend on the severity of the sand storm?
Sandstorms (or, here in the southwestern part of the US, dust storms) impair the ability to see and breath. The winds also carry heavier debris. Because the storms often occur when it is hot, the wind can contribute to dehydration. The reverse is also true--cold, winter dust storms occur in some places, and hypothermia can become an issue.
Fortunately, most of the time, there is advance warning. Even if you don't hear the alert, you can see the wall of sand or dust moving your way.
There are related conditions of which you'll want to be aware. These storms are often accompanied by lightening and rain. Particularly in desert regions, the rain can cause flash flooding.
You asked if the precautions can depend on the severity of the storm. Yes, the size and intensity of these storms vary greatly. When they are gathering steam, it's often not possible to distinguish the storm that has the potential to be more dangerous. Don't be misled, though--these storms are changeable and have the potential to become both fast moving and destructive.


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I'm looking for information about the Barysaw Massacre of 20 October 1941. Who performed it and who was in charge of this operation?
On October, 20-21 1941, the German occupation authority of Borisov (headed by Stanislav Stankevich with the participation of obersturmfuerer Kraffe) performed liquidation of the Jewish ghetto. At the day were killed 7 245 Jews. The upcoming action was announced on a banquet by the city administration.
The performers were mostly Russian auxiliary police headed by a Volga German David Egof. Other involved forces were the units of Wehrmacht as well as a Latvian SD company under command of obersturmfuerer Kraffe who arrived from Minsk for the event.
According the Egof's words, the next day they also killed about 1000 people in the course of cleaning up the ghetto's territory.
In 1943 Germans ordered Russian POWs to open the ditch and burn the bodies of the victims so to cover up the massacre. All the POWs who participated were executed afterwards.
Before the war Egof was a teacher of German language near Borisov, who was elevated by the German administration due to his German ancestry. He was tried in 1947 and got 25 years in prison, because death penalty was abolished in the USSR at the time. After he served the term he was released.
Before the occupation started Jews constituted 20% of the city's population, that is 10000 people of 49000 total.


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5 Adorable Animals That Are Turning to the Dark Side
#2. Bunnies
The Good
Oh, Jesus, look at the bunnies!
Bunnies are what you get when a cotton ball has sex with a stuffed animal. There is no possible way a bunny could do anything that isn't precious.
The Evil
Armando Del Manso believed his dog was responsible for the dead snakes showing up with teeth marks all over them each morning. They were brown snakes, after all, which are what you would expect an Australian snake to be -- huge, poisonous and freaking everywhere. Then one night he heard something being horribly murdered nearby and pointed his spotlight in the general direction of the horrible gurgling. That's when he saw two wild rabbits attacking a king brown snake, which are presumably discernible from regular brown snakes because they are huge and played by The Rock.
Finally, a role that matches his emotional depth perfectly.
Apparently, living on an island filled with spiders, crocodiles and terror can turn even the Easter Bunny into Freddy Krueger. But those rabbits were more "evil genius" than the disturbing, lurking sociopaths that have made up the rest of this list so far. In Linz, Australia, however, a hare, presumably after watching too much Monty Python, decided to attack an elderly woman while she hung her laundry.
The little bastard made hit-and-run attacks at the woman's ankle, causing her to fall. When her husband came to see why she was screaming, he was attacked as well. He fought off the crazed rabbit with a stick, and police later reported that when they arrived, the hare was winning. Even in the face of an armed cavalry, the bunny did not relent in its attack, and in order to stop the furry insanity, they had to shoot it.
In their defense, that rabbit was dynamite.
And then there's the story of the hick out on a canoe, fishing, when a hissing rabbit swam to his boat, teeth bared, and attacked until the brave yokel beat it away with his oar and some well-placed splashing. Since things don't get much more ridiculous than amphibious assault bunnies, everyone pretty much called bullshit, and that was that. Well, until a few years later, when a White House photographer produced images of the event. What was he doing there? Well, the yokel happened to be Jimmy Carter, then president of the United States, and apparent battler of what he referred to as "swamp rabbits."
Apparently there are aggressive, angry rabbits that are so terrifying, we won't believe they exist even after they attack our president.
#1. Mice
The Good
Without exception, every last iteration of mice in popular culture has been adorable. Mickey Mouse? Jerry? That little blonde Rescue Ranger we all had an odd furry crush on as a kid? Sure, they can destroy our furniture and poop in our food, but it's not like they are vicious monsters.
It's an all-in-one home and bathroom!
The Evil
A few years back, scientists noticed the mice of Gough Island in the South Atlantic were getting larger and more aggressive. They also noticed that the bird population was taking a nosedive. But these were regular house mice. The kind you catch with a piece of cheese. That live in the little half-circle hole in your kitchen wall. Surely the two phenomena couldn't be related.
Actually, they were. The mice were eating birds 300 times their size. They were burrowing into their nests, straight through the feathers and skin and on into the sweet, sweet innards.
As illustrated by this adorable little present.
The scientists even captured this video. Be warned, this is likely the most disturbing video you will ever see of mice outside of some bizarre niche hentai featuring Mickey and Minnie.
What you see there is an albatross, resigned to its fate of being devoured alive by a swarm of giant mice. Mice that are giant because they've figured out that the birds don't have the energy to stop all of them, and that they can feed off of, and even inside of the birds for months before they keel over.
Fortunately, this is a tiny isolated island off in the middle of the ocean. Unfortunately, in both Australia and Russia, mice have started viewing the elderly in much the same way: tasty, succulent and ill-equipped to defend themselves.
"All right, Mitch. As soon as she pulls out the coupon book, we rush."
In a southwest Queensland nursing home, an 89-year-old veteran was found bleeding from his hands, ears, neck and head. The mice had become bold because the government had banned the spraying of mouse-killing agents around health facilities. That's apparently all it takes to bring on a population explosion and apparently the rapid evolution of massive mouse balls.
In Russia, in the city of Tver, the mice and rats became so plentiful that they needed a new source of food, and sleeping humans were just the sort of thing they could include on the menu. Unlike the Australian rodents, the ones in the former Soviet Union are plenty happy attacking healthy adults in their sleep.
In former Soviet Union, mouse traps you! Why do you laugh? I was being serious.
My aunt is missing and my children fear the night.
Apparently mouse traps and yearly spraying are all that's stopping us from being living, breathing, screaming edible housing for mice.
Sweet dreams!
David blogs at Death and Other Funny Stuff, writes for Funnycrave, and is the author of the ridiculous unedited sci-fi novel, Shorty.
Now learn about some animals that used to be awesome, in 11 Modern Technologies That Are Way Older Than You Think. Or check out some more tiny terrors in The 6 Deadliest Creatures (That Can Fit In Your Shoe).


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In a non-emergency situation, fire chiefs from all across the Commonwealth were in Bowling Green this weekend for the Kentucky Association of Fire Chiefs Conference.
More than 70 fire chiefs came together this weekend to network with each other.
The purpose of the conference was to give fire chiefs the opportunity to learn from each other as well as various speakers.
"When you talk with other people in the same industry you learn how they do things and sometimes you take away a good idea," says Bowling Green Fire Chief Greg Johnson.
"Training is just important. There's probably a lot of company officers in this room that teach and know everything I'm talking about, all the firefighters have heard it from them already. So when you invite a guy in from out of town more than 50 miles away and suddenly you have an expert on your hands and people write down what you say," says former New York Firefighter and guest speaker, John Salka.
This was the second annual conference.
Both years were in Bowling Green.


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This motion shows up in some styles of Karate (opening movement of several Shotokan kata - Bassai Dai, Jiin, Jion, Jitte) and some Kung-Fu styles. What does it represent?
This motion shows up in some styles of Karate (opening movement of several Shotokan kata - Bassai Dai, Jiin, Jion, Jitte) and some Kung-Fu styles. What does it represent?
This ritual is called Bao Quan (抱拳), literally meaning "Fist Wrapping", and is a common etiquette derived from (but not exclusive to) Chinese Martial Arts. It is not necessarily a bow, but rather a salute. Traditionally, this is practiced by:
There are two traditional explanations.
Edit: I have also heard numerous other explanations from various instructors in different styles of Kempo and Wushu, ranging from the "Right is war, left is peace" to the meeting of Taoist (right) and Buddhist (left) cultures in unity. The two I list as traditional (above) come from sources who've been very helpful in researching things in the past. These edit-included excuses tend to be perpetuated down less reputable lines.
There are many reasons for this action. It is, by the way, not the opening movement of a form, but a salute, a ritualistic motion. Here are a few reasons:
In the system that I teach in, the left hand symbolizes the mind, the right symbolizes the body. We have three bows as you progress through training:
I think this is being over analysed. This is simply a courteous symbol of respect. All martial art instruction emphasises that conflict should be avoided wherever possible. I must admit that I find the idea of different expressions of respect dependent on grade a little bizarre.
The fist is symbolic of fighting or war, the open hand is covering it showing that we come in peace, but are ready for war if that is what the other person wants or brings. The open hand with the fingers straight is also similar to an extended open hand ready to be shaken. With the fingers outstretched towards the other person it's basically showing that we prefer to be at peace over war.
There are of course many other meanings attached to it as well, but that is basically what is taught in the gung-fu system that I learned.
This hand posture is also found associated with the sho chiku bai (pine, bamboo, plum) formations as seen at this link: http://www.skski.net/sho-chiku-bai-mon.html. More details about that can be found there, as well.
In Morihei Ueshiba's book on aikido talks about the sho chiku bai throughout its pages, but doesn't discuss the hand postures: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teachings-Aikido-Morihei-Ueshiba/dp/1568364466/
Robert Trias of Shuri-ryu karate mentions Sho Chiku Bai. He doesn't necessarily stress it, at least not within his Pinnacle of Okinawan Karate book. However, all of the Shuri-ryu katas (and perhaps others) end with each of these hand positions. The connection between them is not well explained, though (in my experience).
The open and closed fist means-Peace, I do not wish to harm you. It's in place of shaking hands. If you shake hands that's bad because you can get pulled in and killed. By not shaking hands things are nuetral.
Some of the information contained in this post requires additional references. Please edit to add citations to reliable sources that support the assertions made here. Unsourced material may be disputed or deleted.
Hate to burst everybody's bubble about peace and war, and all the elements and that.. but it literally means thank you. It is not limited to martial arts.. purely a common way to express gratitude.
I am an academic, so here is my evidence (in non reference format): "The gesture for thank you in Chinese is to cover one's right hand with the left, and raise them chest or head high while bowing one's head."
Link : http://survivalphrases.com/pdfs/SurvivalPhrases_Chinese_S1L01.pdf google search "Chinese thank you hand gesture"
Bowing has been used thru the ages, throughout the world mostly to show subservience to your betters, to be lower than them, that you acknowledge them as your superiors. It has been adapted to show greeting salute, humility, apology and other salutations.
Many Kung fu and martial arts adapted the traditional bow to a new form to never take your eyes of your opponent. The open hand wrapped over closed fist bow was originated by a group of Quen Daoist monks from wu dang mountains. The two fists together meant battle salute while the hand covering fist meant 'I do not wish to fight but stand ready'. The monks migrated to the Shaolin temple. The Shaolin monks then edited this bow and gave new meaning to it with the left open hand. The closed fist represents the sun while the left open hand signifies the moon. The sun and the moon are the two great sources of light and when placed together they signify "Ming" which means bright in Chinese. The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was an amazing era in Chinese history which saw an explosion in culture and prosperity. Many different martial disciplines adapted this bow and gave their own spin to it but it originated with the fathers of Gongfu not to be mistaken with the originators of martial arts which is ancient Thera 1650 bc with Minoan boxing.
As for Asian disciplines, Boddhidarma an Indian monk brought weapon styles to China and they adapted the styles to unarmed combat styles praise be Kung Fu and Karate were born but that's another topic.
Off topic: Martial discipline history is fascinating. Many styles predate any we currently practice. Japanese Koryu, German Ringen, the Togakure-Ryu manuals from India is exquisitely rich in disciplines also. I teach at Michigan state devoted my life to martial study and after 20 years barely scratched the surface
I always get them mixed up, but I used to know a Northern Shaolin form that started with the right fist in the left palm and then you 'shot' out your right fist to the side, pushing with the left palm. From that I always remind myself that right fist covered with left palm is 'begin fight' and left fist covered with right palm is 'peace' or stop fight.
It's called Bojumeok (보주먹) in Kukkiwon Taekwondo (http://taekwon.net/mks/files/attach/images/130/859/002/d9a9a87f6fc340c73053285d96bba4f7.jpg).
As far as I understand it (and it wasn't touched on much in our Kukkiwon Master Instructor Course in Korea) it's a mainly symbolic movement, simply representing umyang (the Korean version of yin-yang, used on the Korean flag) - one hand tightly clenched representing strength and rigidity and one hand softly wrapping it representing gentleness and fluidity, both are useful in martial arts and it's knowing when to use each that is important.
there is a simple poem to remember this learned when I was very young,
"left over right , a fighter's delight" "right over left , a fight to the death" when you bow your hand placement means everything , fighters would bow showing weather is was a spar or a death match.
there are lots of meanings, but this one is being forgotten because death matches are now forbidden in most places "right over left" means only one of the fighter leaves the match alive while, "left over right" means its a practice fight, or sparing match as people call them now
In our Southern Shaolin tradition, the interpretation is:
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New parents often forget to take good care of themselves when there's a new kid in town. Check out a list of ideas for finding quiet time and accepting help from others.
After giving birth, it's common to feel pain and changes in your body and mood. Find out what physical and emotional symptoms you might experience and how to treat them.
Exercise can be great for your mind and body during the postpartum months. Get some guidelines on safely returning to working out after your baby arrives.
By eating a healthy diet after giving birth, you'll feel energized and empowered to lose the baby weight and care for your newborn. See what to include on your postpartum menu.
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5 Absurd Movie and TV Premises That Actually Happened
How often have you heard someone casually compare their life to a movie, like when they say "That date turned into a scene from Eraserhead" or "This pizza-topping selection is my personal Sophie's Choice"? Of course, we know they're exaggerating -- when someone says their morning commute was "literally like the movie Speed," we mentally translate it to "The driver ran a light," not "A crazed ex-policeman placed a weirdly specific explosive device on the bus and I made out with Keanu Reeves."
However, there are people out there who can honestly say that one day their lives turned into something straight out of a Hollywood writer's deranged imagination ...
#5. Kick-Ass 2 Stuntmen Heroically Save Woman at Comic-Con
Kick-Ass was that movie where a bunch of normal people (and Nicolas Cage) decide to dress up as superheroes and fight crime. The film did well enough to warrant a disappointing sequel that was basically just a regular superhero movie with more F-bombs -- the scrawny protagonist from the first one is now a beefed-up crime fighter, and Hit Girl is pretty much Batman with pigtails.
Universal Pictures
And Jim Carrey is in it, the mark that a superhero franchise has jumped the shark.
A much more faithful recreation of the spirit of the first movie came not from the actors, but from the stuntmen. While Kick-Ass 2 was being promoted at the annual Comic-Con in San Diego last year, a distraught woman staying at a hotel near the convention stood on her 14th floor balcony and threatened to jump.
While most people tried to help the woman by heroically whipping out their phones and recording her lowest moment, three stuntmen setting up a scaffold for a Kick-Ass 2 party across the street rushed to her rescue like freaking Power Rangers. They ran across a busy highway, scaled a security fence, and convinced a security guard to let them into the building (presumably just by flexing their pecs and ripping their T-shirts).
Gregg Sargeant
Each revealing a red S, for "Stuntman."
After racing up to the 14th floor, they entered the woman's room and sneaked up behind her without being noticed. Seeing that she was just seconds away from leaping down onto the largest congregation of nerds in the Western Hemisphere, one of them quickly grabbed her around the waist ...
Luke Honest
We blurred her so it looks like they're hugging.
... while the other two expertly placed a harness on her and pulled her back.
Luke Honest
The old reverse-bungee maneuver.
It's like something out of, at the very least, a live-action TV drama -- you can practically hear the A-Team theme song while watching the footage. In fact, the rescue was so flawlessly executed that some witnesses mistook it for a publicity stunt, but nope: The woman was upset over a breakup and had been drinking, and these regular guys decided to step the fuck up and save her. Besides, why would the studio promote Kick-Ass 2 with a stunt so heroic and cool that it makes the movie look like shit in comparison?
#4. Suburban Mom Leads Massive Pot Operation, Like in Weeds
In the Showtime series Weeds (aka the show people were calling Breaking Bad a ripoff of when it appeared three years later), Mary-Louise Parker played a soccer mom who, after finding herself husbandless, starts dealing pot to maintain her family. Or at least that's how it started, because as is often the case with these things, the show got more and more fantastic as it went. Nancy's increasingly lavish lifestyle is full of rich, handsome suitors (including the mayor of Tijuana, with whom she lived in a mansion), noisily slurped iced coffees, and an eventual rise to the upper echelon of drug smugglers. Unbelievable, right?
They eventually planned to grow pot on Mars, but the show got canceled in 2012.
Actually, it's not so unbelievable for Andrea Sanderlin of Scarsdale, New York, because she kind of lived it. Both Nancy and Andrea were single moms with three kids (a toddler, a teen, and a 20-something). They both lived in wealthy suburban neighborhoods, and they both worked with babies: Nancy ran a maternity store in Season 4, and Andrea designed baby furniture. Oh, and they both directed an enormous marijuana operation from a large warehouse.
Like in the show, Sanderlin apparently got into pot growing to support her kids and then just kept raking in the bucks. She drove around in a Mercedes SUV (one of three vehicles) and dwelt in a huge Spanish-style mansion (Spansion?), although she apparently dipped into her product more than once, as the house had more bathrooms than it did bedrooms. Sanderlin often pimped a giant-ass diamond ring bought for her by her own Latin lover. At the same time, she posted on weed growers' message boards as Andi68, which is just begging to get a visit from the feds.
John Minchillo/AP
Andi69 was a cop offering sex for seedlings.
A few days after the DEA started following her, Sanderlin led them right to her operation, a massive two-room warehouse. The authorities found a sophisticated grow room and seized over 2,800 plants, which we're told would amount to an ungodly amount of nickel bags. In her home, they found $6,000 in cash and books on how to grow marijuana plants and how to launder money.
#3. Better Off Ted and Hewlett-Packard Can't Recognize Black People
The short-lived ABC sitcom Better Off Ted took satirical stabs at the office-working culture (thus breaking new ground for American comedy) by showing the ridiculous ideas implemented by the R&D department at the fictional Veridian Dynamics corporation. For instance, in one episode, Veridian decides to go green and installs some energy-saving measures around the office, like motion detectors that switch the lights off whenever all employees leave the room. It works like a charm, except for one small drawback: It can't detect black people (which, granted, wouldn't be a problem in most sitcoms).
Wait, hold on! There's a black guy! Neatly set down over there.
It turned out that the sensor operated by reflecting light off of human skin, and it only worked if it was shining against the pale, milky flesh of a white person, creating a potential PR nightmare for the company. While most viewers chuckled at the preposterous situation (then promptly stopped watching the show and got it cancelled), Hewlett-Packard apparently said, "Hey, there's an idea."
In a YouTube video posted by two co-workers, they exposed a small glitch in the state-of-the-art webcams HP installed in their computers: When a white employee stood in front of the computer, the webcam would automatically zoom in on her face and follow her as she moved around ...
Wanda Zamen
This seemed cool before we learned that the NSA hacks webcams.
... but, as soon as a black employee sneaked into frame, the camera slipped on its Klan hoodie and staunchly refused to detect his face.
Wanda Zamen
The NSA skips over dark skin. Who knew?
They tried this over and over, with the same baffling result. As the YouTube video went viral and Hewlett-Packard received allegations of digital racism, the company quickly explained that the webcam has difficulty recognizing "contrast" in low-light situations -- such as, you know, a black face on a regular office background. And sure enough, when more foreground light was added in a separate test, the webcam's attitude toward black people became much more open-minded. If nothing else, we learned that, like Veridian Dynamics, HP's webcam division apparently doesn't employ black product testers.


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Microwaved Foods and Cancer Risk
Last Modified: March 22, 2012
Do you think microwaving foods causes cancer?
Charles B. Simone, II, MD, Radiation Oncologist at Penn Medicine responds:
This is another great question. The short answer is no, there is no definitive evidence to suggest that microwaves cause cancer. However, microwaves to emit radiation that can theoretically be harmful. Standing away from the microwave while it is cooking, at least three feet but preferably farther, would decrease this theoretical risk. Additionally, there is some concern that heating certain types of plastics in a microwave can cause chemical changes to occur in the food. While there also is limited data on this topic, heating food in plastic containers would eliminate this risk. Please follow the microwave instructions regarding the types of containers that can be used in the microwave. Lastly, some have suggested that people can be harmed by eating food heated from the inside out, as is done in a microwave, versus eating food heated from the outside in. This has not been shown to be a true cause of concern. So, if you do have concerns, try to stand away from the microwave and use glass containers.
This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. View the entire Cancer Risk & Prevention Webchat transcript.


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The 6 Most Amazing Military Raids of All-Time
#3. The Doolittle Raid
In the spring of 1942, America wasn't exactly punching within its weight class and was generally getting its ass kicked up and down the Pacific in World War II. Meanwhile, people in Japan were being told by their whack-job government that they were invulnerable to attack. To prove that Uncle Sam could actually hurt Japan, legendary airman Jimmy Doolittle devised a plan to hit the Japanese where they lived (Japan). Thus was born the Doolittle Raid.
Keep in mind that bombers that could just fly from friendly territory to Japan were not a thing at the time. This was 1942, and military aircraft in general were still new enough that it took luck just to get off the runway and back down again without bursting into flame (during the war, aircraft accidents alone destroyed more than 12,000 planes and killed a mind-boggling 13,621 pilots and passengers -- just on the American side). So Doolittle's plan was to load up a carrier with bomber aircraft, sail into Japanese-patrolled waters, then launch the bombers and drop bombs on industrial targets.
Specifically these industrial targets, photographed during the raid itself.
Did we mention that nobody had tried to launch a B-25 off an aircraft carrier? It wasn't intended for that purpose. And this is not a minor point -- it's the difference between taking off from a long, roomy, comfortably flat runway versus taking off from the tiny deck of a rocking boat in the middle of the ocean, where one wrong move means sharks are sorting through the wreckage to find the most tasty parts of your body. Also, nobody involved in the mission had ever taken off from an actual carrier -- not even in training.
"Oh craaaaaaaaap!"
To top it all off, the aircrafts' limited fuel capacity more or less guaranteed landing either in a part of China that was occupied by Japan (mere hours after bombing their homeland) or in the sea.
"Land in either the red or the blue, and you're dead. But no, seriously, good luck."
Right off the bat, things went horribly wrong. The carrier force that was set to release Doolittle and the other raiders on their suicide mission was spotted by a patrol boat, so everyone said "screw it" and launched the planes, even though they were still around 170 nautical miles from their intended launch point. After flying for six hours (again, at wave-top height), the bombers reached Japan and dropped their payload.
At that point, one bomber headed for Vladivostok in the USSR and the rest went south toward China, hoping to make it to a friendly airfield or just anywhere not crawling with Japanese troops. Due mainly to the early start, there was actually very little chance of the raiders ever making land, never mind Chinese-held airstrips. However, a strong tailwind gave them a little extra push and allowed some of the planes to make land before running out of fuel. Others weren't so lucky.
What survivors there were went two different ways: Some were captured by the Japanese, while the rest, including Doolittle, sneaked through Japanese lines with the help of Chinese guerrillas.
While not a great deal of physical damage was actually done to Japan, the raid caused a great boost in morale in America. It also shook the Japanese people's trust in their government and forced them to spend key strategic resources (including a whole bunch of aircraft carriers) to protect the Japanese Home Islands against raids.
#2. The bin Laden Raid
As if you didn't know this was going to be here.
The now world-famous raid was carried out by a unit known as DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six, and we're not allowed to know their actual names, but of the few things we are allowed to know is that they were founded by a guy known as "The Shark Man of the Delta" and "Demo Dick," plus he's already featured in a Cracked article (so you just know he's cool).
Every war hero has to go through this rigorous process.
Anyway, 79 of these ghost warriors and an awesome dog named Cairo took four advanced stealth-modified choppers (which we're also not allowed to know about), flew low through the part of Pakistan's airspace where unknown aircraft are automatically shot down, assaulted a compound designed to defend against exactly this sort of attack and then stormed out 38 minutes later with angry Pakistani F-16s in pursuit.
"What, bin Laden? Shit. OK, we'll get off your tail and never speak of this again."
When things go right in a raid, it's easy to lose track of how disastrous even one mistake would have been. Have you seen Black Hawk Down, where the choppers get shot down and the Americans are surrounded by thousands of heavily armed and pissed off Somalis? This raid could have turned out like that, except with the crowd made up of trained Pakistani soldiers, zero chance of overland rescue and the mother of all diplomatic shitstorms preventing any air rescue.
If the SEALs' choppers were to crash or otherwise break down, they would have been beyond screwed. So can you imagine what went through their minds when the first chopper stalled and crashed (albeit very slowly) in bin Laden's backyard?
"Oh no, my dahlias! You bastards."
Probably not much, because they are SEAL Team Six and they don't give a shit. Ditching the original plan to rappel onto the roof, they just blew a hole in the wall and started shooting. After securing the compound (during which some innocents were injured by mistake) and, oh yeah, killing fucking Osama bin Laden, they grabbed everything of value to the intelligence guys (including bin Laden's wank bank), crammed into the three surviving choppers and hauled ass out of there.
In this one action, 79 men and a dog took out the most wanted man on planet Earth and the closest thing real life had to a James Bond supervillain. This was the man responsible not just for 9/11, but for the deaths of thousands of civilians across four continents, the figurehead of an organization that posed the greatest threat to the security of the free world. The raid brought closure to one of the most traumatic events in American history. Oh, and it gave the USA a reason to finally start ending the war in Afghanistan. Not bad for 38 minutes' work.
And what did you do today?
#1. The St. Nazaire Raid
During World War II, the colossal Louis Joubert Lock at St. Nazaire in France was the only dock under Nazi control that could a. bypass the Allies' main naval defense line and b. accommodate the Germans' gigantic primary battleships, the Bismarck and the Tirpitz. If the Germans ever moved those huge ships into that dock, they would be able to wreak havoc in the shipping lanes supplying the U.K. from America, starving the U.K. into submission and therefore more or less winning the war.
If they swung this thing around, they could probably just bridge the English Channel and walk ashore.
Obviously, with their dinners on the line, the British needed to prevent this. A team of 600 British sailors and commandos took an ancient WWI-era American destroyer called the HMS Campbeltown and 18 small motorboats (which were made mostly of wood and burst into flames constantly during the raid) and set out for France in March 1942.
"There's no way this can fail!"
The plan was to sail straight up an estuary lined with heavy coastal gun emplacements and crash the destroyer (which was packed with explosives on a timer) into the dock gate. Then they'd jump out onto the dock (where the commandos would be outnumbered by about eight to one by the German garrison) and do as much damage as possible. With the Campbeltown lodged in the gate (the bomb was set to detonate after the commandos had left) and as much chaos and mayhem created as possible, the commandos would board the surviving motorboats and sail triumphantly back to Blighty.
That was the plan, anyway. Sailing a destroyer packed with explosives into St. Nazaire harbor was very much like trying to disable a running blender by reaching into it holding a live grenade. After a brave but futile attempt at bullshitting the German coastal defenses, the raiders found themselves sailing through walls of coastal battery fire and flak. The British returned fire but were hampered somewhat by the fact that their largest gun was still smaller than the smallest gun being fired on them. But in that British tradition, they soldiered on.
See that tiny ship in the middle of the dock? Yeah. It's a big dock.
Most of the ships -- including the one with the huge, dock-destroying bomb inside -- made it to their destination. The commandos jumped out and started shooting and blowing up everything they could find.
The small boats that were supposed to transport the raiders home were all destroyed or otherwise put out of action, so the surviving commandos were ordered to run for the Spanish border or fight until they ran out of ammo. As for the floating bomb that was sitting at the dock gate? The Germans just left it. For some reason they never went and defused the explosives, which detonated later in the day and put the dock out of action for the rest of the war.
"Hey, do you guys hear a ticking sound? No? It's probably just me."
Of the 600 men, only 228 of them made it back to England: 169 died and 215 were captured and became prisoners of war. However, the raid killed 360 Germans, which if you're keeping score is significantly higher than 169, and basically saved Britain's ass. After the raid, 38 medals were awarded, including five Victoria Crosses, and today the operation is colloquially known as "the greatest raid of all."
Who are we to argue?
Read more from Tony Pilgram at Bad Metaphors.
For more crazy conflicts, check out The 6 Most Retarded Police Standoffs of All Time and 5 True War Stories That Put Every Action Movie to Shame.
And stop by LinkSTORM to see what happens when John Cheese and David Wong strap up and make a raid on Dunkin Donuts.
And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get sexy, sexy jokes sent straight to your news feed.
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Airport hotels
There no on-site hotels at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, however several options are located within a short distance. Most nearby hotels operate courtesy shuttles to and from the terminals.
Radisson Hotel Gateway Seattle-Tacoma Airport
Close to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, this 204-room hotel is also within walking distance of the light rail link. It has eight meeting rooms, a grill restaurant, free internet access, a newly modernised gymnasium, indoor pool, and free shuttles to various points in the local area. Seattle 18118 International Boulevard Washington 98188 United States Tel: (206) 244 6666. Web: www.radisson.com
Seattle Airport Marriott
The Seattle Airport Marriott has a full-service business centre, rooms for smaller meetings, and a choice of three dining options. There is a pool in the building's atrium area, and a fully-equipped fitness centre. The hotel is 1.6km (1 mile) from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.Seattle 3201 South 176th Street Washington 98188 United States Tel: (206) 241 2000. Web: www.marriott.com
Best Western Airport
Executel Located less than 2.5km (1.5 miles) from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the Best Western Airport Executel offers a complimentary shuttle bus service to the terminals. Other facilities include a meeting room and a cocktail bar.Seattle 20717 International Boulevard Washington 98198 United States Tel: (206) 878 3300. Web: www.bestwesternwashington.com
Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center
Very close to the airport, the Hilton operates 24-hour courtesy shuttle service both to the terminal and the light rail station. The property has extensive meeting space, an on-site business center, fitness centre, outdoor pool and restaurant.Seattle 17620 International Boulevard Washington 98188 United States Tel: (206) 244 4800. Web: www.hilton.com
Holiday Inn Seattle Sea-Tac International Airport
Less than 3km (2 miles) from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, this 259-room hotel is also near the light rail station and is connected via a shuttle service. The hotel offers meeting facilities, a business centre, a fitness centre and spa.Seattle 17338 International Boulevard Washington 98188 United States Tel: (206) 248 1000. Web: www.holidayinn.com
Holiday Inn Express
Offering a business centre, gymnasium, and two meeting rooms, this is a lower-budget option about 4.5 km (3 miles) from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. However, the room rate does include breakfast, and a free shuttle is available to and from the airport and several nearby restaurants.Seattle 19621 International Boulevard Washington 98188 United States Tel: (206) 824 3200. Web: www.hiexpress.com


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Brad Rodu: Tobacco Harm Reduction
April 11, 2013
Brad Rodu, Endowed Chair, Tobacco Harm Reduction Research at the University of Louisville and Senior Fellow at the Heartland Institute discusses tobacco harm reduction on "The Legislature Today' radio show in Bismark, North Dakota.
Read some of Dr. Rodu's work, and Heartland coverage of tobacco harm reduction, at PolicyBot.
[Subscribe to the Heartland Daily Podcast free at this link.]


text:
Pictures: 'Money' Magazine's 2010 best places to live
These towns made "Money" Magazine's list of best places because they boast plenty of job opportunities, great schools and offer a safe place to raise a family. See pictures and maps of the cities below.
This photo gallery is featured in these articles:


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One of our users has deleted a table by mistake. How can I restore only that table?
Sign up
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
I'm not familiar with MySQL, so don't have a straight line of directions. What I'd do is to restore the last backup (do you have one?) of the database on the same or a different server and copy the missing table table to the main on-line database.
PS: oh, and also remove the write permission for that user :-).
If you've got a backup dump of the DB, there's a nice article on the alternatives here. http://code.openark.org/blog/mysql/on-restoring-a-single-table-from-mysqldump
Most commonly you want to extract the relevant data and exclude data on the rest of the tables.
If you have binlogs, you'll most likely need to create a temporary copy of the whole DB and replay from the last dump.
Step1: create a user who has privilege to read / write only that particular drop table in the database.
Step2: restore forcefully from your backup (.sql ) file by logging that user .
Step3: Now check database and that table.


text:
I am looking for a reference on the gluing together of strong Markov processes to get a new one.
Here is an example of what I have in mind. Let $B^1, B^2, \ldots $ be independent one-dimensional Brownian motions started at $0$ and $\tau_i$ be the first time $B^i$ hits $1$. Construct a new process $Y$ as follows. Let $Y(t)=B^1(t)$ for $t<\tau_1$, $Y(t)=1-B^2(t-\tau_1)$ for $\tau_1 \leq t<\tau_1+\tau_2$, $Y(t)=B^3(t-\tau_1-\tau_2)$ for $\tau_1+\tau_2\leq t <\tau_1+\tau_2+\tau_3$ and so on. I would like to conclude that the this construction gives a strong Markov process (in fact its a Brownian motion).
More generally, suppose I have a suitably nice topological space $E$ and open sets $U_1, \ldots, U_n$ such that $E=\cup U_i$. Suppose for each $\overline{U_i}$ I have a strong Markov process $X_i$ in $\overline{U_i}$ killed at $\overline{U_i}-U_i$ and that started at $x\in U_i \cap U_j$, $X_i$ and $X_j$ are the same up until the first time they leave $U_i \cap U_j$. Is it possible to "glue" these $X_i$'s together (analogous to the example above) to get a strong Markov process on all of $E$?
I think I can make sense of my example by looking at the infinitesimal generator for the process and observing that it is "nice" and therefore is the generator of a strong Markov process. Perhaps I can use the same sort of idea in general if the $X_i$ are "nice" (that is if the $X_i$ have "nice" generators operating on $C_0(U_i)$, I can use them to construct a nice generator on $C_0(E)$ and then use general theory to say there is a process with this generator), but I'm wondering if there is anything in the literature on this sort of construction.
EDIT: I slightly changed my example to try to emphasize that I don't want to a priori assume that I know anything about the process I get in the end.


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Top Definition
(n & adj) usu. used with a number indicating an increasing scale of aggression or pent-up wrath defined along the lines of the US Defence Condition ("DEFCON") scale.
Adaption of DEFCON
Adaption of DEFCON
"Stay out of Sgt. Smith's way: She's NUTCON 5!"
de Spootonium 12 octobre 2004
Trending Now


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Trial Comparing Metabolic Efficiency of Islet Graft to Intensive Insulin Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes's Treatment (TRIMECO)
This study is currently recruiting participants. (see Contacts and Locations)
Verified December 2014 by University Hospital, Grenoble
University Hospital, Grenoble
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
University Hospital, Grenoble
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: June 21, 2010
Last updated: December 8, 2014
Last verified: December 2014
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- How to Read a Study Record
Efficacy of pancreatic islet transplantation at 6 months compared to an intensive insulin therapy for 2 categories of patients: patients with unstable diabetes and patients who underwent kidney transplantation.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
Procedure: human pancreatic islet transplantation
Phase 3
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Metabolic Efficiency of Allogeneic Pancreatic Islet Transplantation to Intensive Insulin Therapy for the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: type 1 diabetes
MedlinePlus related topics: Diabetes Type 1 Islet Cell TransplantationU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by University Hospital, Grenoble:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- ß score evaluation 6 months after first infusion (group 1 'immediate registration on infusion waiting list') or 6 months after inclusion (group 2: 'delayed registration on infusion waiting list') [ Time Frame: 6 months after first infusion (group 1) or 6 months after inclusion (group 2) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]Metabolism evaluated by ß score. This score uses 4 intermediate scores ranging from 0 to 2 associated with the following 4 indicators: HbA1c, basal C peptide (or stimulated C-peptide), daily insulin dose (U/kg) or intake of oral antidiabetic drugs and fasting glycaemia. The total of the intermediate scores ranges from 0 to 8. Islet graft will be considered as successful if the ß score is equal to or greater than 6
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Evaluation of metabolism indicators : ß-score and individual analysis of the 4 components of the ß-score [ Time Frame: 6 and 12 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]Metabolism indicators at 6 and 12 months : ß-score (quantitative analysis by mean score comparison), individual analysis of the 4 components of the ß-score (HbA1c, basal C peptide (or stimulated C-peptide), daily insulin dose (U/kg) or intake of oral antidiabetic drugs and fasting glycaemia), lability index, ADRR score, Clarke score
- Measure of quality of life (SF36, DQOL, DHP) [ Time Frame: at inclusion time, at 6 months and at 12 months after first infusion (group 1) or after inclusion (group 2) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]Measure of quality of life (SF36, DQOL, DHP) for Group 1 ('immediate registration on infusion waiting list'): at inclusion time, at 6 months and at 12 months after first infusion For Group 2 ('delayed registration on infusion waiting list'): at inclusion time, 6 months after inclusion, at 6 months and at 12 months after first infusion
- Cost evaluation of islet cell infusion [ Time Frame: 6 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]Cost comparison between islet cell infusion (group 1 'immediate registration on infusion waiting list')and intensive insulin therapy (group 2 'delayed registration on infusion waiting list') at 6 months, from a hospital perspective as well as a health-insurance system perspective
- Evaluation of side effects and iatrogenic effects [ Time Frame: at 6 months and 12 months after infusion ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]Evaluation of side effects and iatrogenic effects at 6 months and 12 months after infusion
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|June 2010
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|December 2015
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|May 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: immediate registration on infusion list
group 1 'immediate registration on infusion waiting list' : patients who will be immediately registrated on islet cell infusion waiting list after randomization
Procedure: human pancreatic islet transplantation
Iterative injection of pancreatic islets (minimum: 250,000 IEQ / injection or 3500 IEQ / kg / injection) with a threshold required total of 11,000 IEQ / kg in 2 or 3 injections per patient)
delayed registration on infusion list
group 2 'delayed registration on infusion waiting list' : patients who will be registrated 6 months later on islet cell infusion waiting list after randomization
Procedure: human pancreatic islet transplantation
Iterative injection of pancreatic islets (minimum: 250,000 IEQ / injection or 3500 IEQ / kg / injection) with a threshold required total of 11,000 IEQ / kg in 2 or 3 injections per patient)
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 64 Years (Adult)
|Genders Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patient with type 1 diabetes or C-peptide negative diabetes Diabetes duration > 5 years
- No residual insulin secretion (plasmatic basal and stimulated C-peptide < 0.3 ng/ml)
- HbA1c considered acceptable by the selection committee
- Insulin needs < 0.85 IU/kg/day
Islet cell infusion after kidney graft
- Patient with terminal renal failure and functional kidney graft for at least 6 months (creatinine clearance greater than or equal to 35 ml/min)
- Patient whose glycaemic control obtained with insulin therapy could threaten kidney graft survival and/or significantly alter quality of life. This situation is assessed by a diabetologist
Islet cell infusion only: patient with major glycaemic variability despite proper intensive insulin therapy, closely monitored by a diabetologist. Poor glucose control, assessed by a diabetologist, endangers the patient's life and/or significantly alters personal, social, professional and family quality of life. At least one of these criteria must be fulfilled :
- Hypoglycaemia unawareness, blood glucose level < 3mmol/L or 0.54 mg/L
- At least 2 severe hypoglycaemia events (defined by the necessity of a third party's assistance) per year or a ketoacidosis requiring patient's hospitalization during the last year.
- Impairment of quality of life or life-threat for patient or other persons, or progressive complications despite optimal insulin therapy
- Social Security membership or benefit from Social Welfare
Exclusion Criteria:
- Age< 18 and > 65
- Diabetes duration < 5 years
- Criteria specifically related to the islet intraportal injection procedure: hemostasis problem, haemoglobin level < 11g/dL for women and <12g/dL for men, abnormalities of complete blood count, documented liver pathology (alkaline phosphatases, gamma GT, transaminases levels over twice normal values) ; pancreatitis history, gallbladder stones that could potentially migrate; HLA hyperimmunisation (PRA >20%).
Criteria related to diabetes complications :
- Non-stabilized proliferating diabetic retinopathy
- Creatininaemia > 16 mg/dL
- Exclusion criteria non-specifically related to islet infusion: evolutive vascular disease, evolutive cardiopathy (especially myocardial infarction less than 6 months ago, cerebrovascular stroke less than 6 months ago, evolutive arteritis with trophic disorders) ; systemic infection including hepatitis C and HIV ; leuconeutropenia ; thrombocytopenia, non-stabilized neoplastic pathology ; pregnancy or project of pregnancy within the next 24 months ; poor therapeutic compliance
- Criteria related to immunosuppressive protocol : renal failure (glomerular filtration < 35 ml/min/1.73 m²) and/or proteinuria > 0.5 g/24h ; non-treated hyperlipidemia (LDL-C > 130 mg/dL) ; blood pressure > 160/100 mmHg
- Clinical insulin resistance : assessed by patient's weight, BMI and exogenous insulin requirements (BMI > 30 kg/m² or insulin dose > 0.85 UI/kg/day)
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01148680
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01148680
|Contact: Jean-Luc Bosson, MD
|Contact: Myriam Haddouche
|University Hospital, Department of Endocrinology
|Strasbourg, Alsace, France, 67000
|Contact: Laurence Kessler, Pr +33 3 88 11 62 67 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Laurence Kessler, Pr
|Sub-Investigator: François Moreau, MD
|University Hospital Gabriel Montpied, Department of Endocrinology
|Active, not recruiting
|Clermont Ferrand, Auvergne, France, 63003
|University Hospital
|Besançon, Franche-Comté, France, 25000
|Contact: Alfred PENFORNIS, Pr +33 3 81 66 81 92 email@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Alfred Penfornis, Pr
|University Hospital, Department of Endocrinology
|Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 34000
|Contact: Anne Wojtusciszyn, MD +33 4 67 33 83 82 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Anne Wojtusciszyn, MD
|Sub-Investigator: Eric Renard, Pr
|University Hospital, Department of Endocrinology
|Nancy, Lorraine, France, 54000
|Contact: Bruno Guerci, Pr +33 3 83 65 65 28 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Bruno Guerci, Pr
|Sub-Investigator: Luc Frimat, Pr
|University Hospital, Department of General Surgery and Endocrinology
|Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France, 59000
|Contact: Marie-Christine Vantyghem, MD +33 3 20 44 43 32 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Marie-Christine Vantyghem, MD
|Sub-Investigator: François Pattou, Pr
|Sub-Investigator: Violetta Raverdy, MD
|Sub-Investigator: Christian Noel, Pr
|University Hospital, Department of Endocrinology
|Grenoble, Rhône-Alpes, France, 38000
|Contact: Pierre-Yves Benhamou, Pr + 33 476769349 email@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Pierre-Yves Benhamou, Pr
|Sub-Investigator: François Bayle, MD
|HCL Sud, Department of Endocrinology
|Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France, 69000
|Contact: Charles Thivolt, Pr +33 4 78 86 14 87 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Charles Thivolet, Pr
|Sub-Investigator: Emmanuel Morelon, Pr
|Sub-Investigator: Lionel Badet, Pr
|Hopitaux Universitaires de Genève
|Active, not recruiting
|Geneve, Switzerland, CH-1211
Sponsors and Collaborators
University Hospital, Grenoble
|Principal Investigator:
|Pierre-Yves Benhamou, Pr
|University Hospital, Grenoble
More Information
Keywords provided by University Hospital, Grenoble:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on July 28, 2016
Alejandro R, Barton FB, Hering BJ, Wease S; Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry Investigators. 2008 Update from the Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry. Transplantation. 2008 Dec 27;86(12):1783-8. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e3181913f6a.
Shapiro AM, Ricordi C, Hering BJ, Auchincloss H, Lindblad R, Robertson RP, Secchi A, Brendel MD, Berney T, Brennan DC, Cagliero E, Alejandro R, Ryan EA, DiMercurio B, Morel P, Polonsky KS, Reems JA, Bretzel RG, Bertuzzi F, Froud T, Kandaswamy R, Sutherland DE, Eisenbarth G, Segal M, Preiksaitis J, Korbutt GS, Barton FB, Viviano L, Seyfert-Margolis V, Bluestone J, Lakey JR. International trial of the Edmonton protocol for islet transplantation. N Engl J Med. 2006 Sep 28;355(13):1318-30.
Badet L, Benhamou PY, Wojtusciszyn A, Baertschiger R, Milliat-Guittard L, Kessler L, Penfornis A, Thivolet C, Renard E, Bosco D, Morel P, Morelon E, Bayle F, Colin C, Berney T; GRAGIL Group. Expectations and strategies regarding islet transplantation: metabolic data from the GRAGIL 2 trial. Transplantation. 2007 Jul 15;84(1):89-96.
Vantyghem MC, Kerr-Conte J, Arnalsteen L, Sergent G, Defrance F, Gmyr V, Declerck N, Raverdy V, Vandewalle B, Pigny P, Noel C, Pattou F. Primary graft function, metabolic control, and graft survival after islet transplantation. Diabetes Care. 2009 Aug;32(8):1473-8. doi: 10.2337/dc08-1685.
|Responsible Party:
|University Hospital, Grenoble
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01148680 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|June 21, 2010
|Last Updated:
|December 8, 2014
|Health Authority:
|France: Afssaps - Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé (Saint-Denis)
Keywords provided by University Hospital, Grenoble:
Islet Cell Transplantation
Metabolic Diseases
Endocrine System Diseases
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
Glucose Metabolism Disorders
Metabolic Diseases
Endocrine System Diseases
Autoimmune Diseases
Immune System Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on July 28, 2016


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Does a compact semilocally simply connected geodesic space have the homotopy type of a compact CW complex? Actually what I'd like to know is whether the fundamental group of such a space is finitely presented.
Edit: As Bruno Martelli notes, this is obviously false, but the question of whether the fundamental group is finitely presented, which is what I really want to know, is still open.


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If someone starts out as a junior designer and keeps practicing, what are some benchmarks to show they have progressed as a better designer?
closed as not constructive by dnbrv, ChrisF, JonW♦ Aug 14 '12 at 13:20
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
If you are asking for within the realms of UX, then UX Design Practice Verticals can be a good measurement for you.
Its a grid, made of eight columns standing for main domains in UX, and six grades of depthness going from practical to strategical areas of practise. It was introduced at UXmatter article The T-Model and Strategies for Hiring IA Practitioners, but explained solely for Information Architects. Nevertheless, it matches Visual Design either.
I like this approach, because it has well thought categories and shows the differences as well as overlaps of each specialist in the field of "Computer Design". And it gives a sort of guidance, where to grow and what to leave aside.


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Introduction to the Data Protection Act 1998
What is it?
Data protection ensures that information held about you is processed in accordance with the rights provided in the Data Protection Act 1998. This safeguards and prohibits any non-compliant or unauthorised processing.
Your rights
The Act also gives you the right to:
- Know what information is being held about you.
- Know what your information is being used for and why.
- Know where the information came from and who has accessed it.
- Request access to your information.
- Take action to block, rectify, erase or destroy inaccurate data.
Request access - You can request access to find out what information Birmingham City Council holds about you by completing the Council's Subject Access Request form.
Data Protection Policy - You can view further information on Birmingham City Council's Data Protection Policy.
Guidance documents - There are twelve guidance documents available for download, each one details a specific area of data protection compliance.
Data protection and security - You can view Birmingham City Council's guidelines and policies relating to data protection and security.
Further information
For more details, please contact:
Corporate Information Management Team
Address: Corporate Information Management Team, Performance & Information Division, PO Box 16266, Birmingham, B2 2YY.
Telephone: 0121 303 4876
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
The Information Commissioner's Office
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Telephone: 01625 545745
Web Address: ico.org.uk


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Explore deep dark caves, ancient Maya sites, amazing waterfalls, and new cultures. We are your Belize Adventure Experts! From the islands to the coast into the jungle, from budget to luxury rooms, from easy-paced activities to heart racing adventure
Belize Adventure Vacation of a lifetime discovering the Rainforests of Central America and Tropical Caribbean Islands of Belize from our Private Jungle Lodge or the Tropical Island Resorts.
Select your destination in Belize. Browse thousands of listings for accommodations, adventures, tours and travel services.


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Debut Lords of the Fallen gameplay footage showcases exploration and stellar visualsWritten by: / / 3 Comments
So far we've only really had brief glimpses at Lords of the Fallen, with a spectacular CG trailer and snippets of gameplay details emerging from developers Deck13 and CI Games regarding the pair's upcoming next-gen action RPG, but more recently we've had the chance to clap eyes on in-game footage to discover what looks to be an epic fantasy romp in the vein of The Legend of Zelda, with touches of Dark Souls and even Darksiders evident, too.
Executive producer Tomasz Gop walks us through the gameplay and tells us more about the hero, Harkyn, as well as the team's influences and goals while discussing the game's vast timeline:
Lords of the Fallen – Seven Minutes of Developer Gameplay
Lords of the Fallen is expected on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in late 2014 – looking forward to it?
Tags: cigames, deck13, lordsofthefallen, trailer


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Showtime! FUSE and Friends at OBUG Connect 2013
By Ultan O'Broin Oracle UX-Oracle Paas4SaaS-Oracle on Mar 28, 2013
Just back from Oracle Benelux User Group's (OBUG) Connect 2013 where, together with Jeffrey Pease, Oracle Applications Labs VP, we demoed "FUSE". FUSE is an internal name really, one that got away and has stuck; but make no mistake, it was Oracle Fusion Applications that we showed!
FUSE is a browser-based, cross-device, simplified and lightweight UX for self-service, casual and frequently performed tasks. Built using Oracle ADF, rendered in HTML5 with CSS3, and leveraging cloud infrastructure, this UI is optimized for navigation and action, action, action.
Ultan at the controls. (photo: Ultan O'Broin)
Intuitive, intelligent, and integrated with other Fusion UI optimizations, what the audience saw was a UX informed by COIT and BYOD trends, and designed to meet the high expectations about modern apps that our users communicate to us. It was awe-inspiring to see the sleek UX put through its paces on an iPad and projected onto the huge movie screen at Connect 2013's Kinepolis cinema center location.
So, watch out for news of this new face of Fusion Applications coming to events and browsers near you.
iPads and Apps in Your Hands
Jeffrey also demoed the fantastic mobile analytic apps for sales leaders called Mobilytics, live in the session too. So, in about 45 mins, we showed off four demos on iPad, MacBook Air, and Chromebook, did some Q & A, and let the audience come up and play with apps on the tablet. A very lively and interactive session. No PowerPoint karaoke there!
Mobile UX Design Patterns are in Business
Later in the day, along with Fusion User Experience Advocate (FXA) Lonneke Dikmans (@lonnekedikmans) of Vennster, we presented on Mobile UX Design Patterns. We called out how these design patterns enabled productive building of apps by customers and partners which combined with the security and code-once model of Mobile ADF make this the perfect solution for enterprise apps deployment. You can read more about our presentation on the Vennster blog.
The OBUG Connect conference in 2013 was a great event. Don't miss it next year and watch out for more events from OBUG (@OBUG_ORG) too, an organization that continues to go from strength to strength. Bring your popcorn.


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Trademark Games Arizona Coyotes 60'' 3-Shade Billiard Lamp
Product Information:
Brighten up your game room with the Trademark Games® Arizona Coyotes 60" 3-Shade Billiard Lamp. This lighting fixture looks great on or off with the Arizona logos on both sides of the polyresin shades. Over nine feet of cord provides many hanging options, and a pull chain makes it easy to turn the lights on and off. Accented by the polished metal hardware and chain, this lamp is the perfect addition to any Coyotes fan's collection.
- Trademark Games® Arizona Coyotes billiard lamp
- Features Coyotes logo on both sides of lampshades
- Pull chain for ON/OFF operation
- 110V household outlets
- Maximum bulb wattage: 60W (not included)
- Three-prong cord measures 116" in length
- Hanging chain measures 36" in length
- Lamp dimensions: 14" x 14" x 9.5"
- Lampshade material: polyresin
- Officially licensed by the NHL®
- Trademark Games
Country of Origin: United StatesWeb ID: 31621636


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Weather Station Siting Issues within the USHCN Surface Station Network
March 10, 2009
The second International Conference on Climate Change, ICCC-2, took place in March 2009 in New York City. The theme for ICCC-2 was "Global Warming: Was It Ever Really a Crisis?". The conference demonstrated that the number of global warming "realists" is growing rapidly, and the scientific community is turning against alarmism.


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14 Feb 2012 8:47 AM #51
Great Job...
This extension is just what I wanted and yet I am not fluent enough to know where to start wrapping my own.
Thanks, I owe you a coffee!
14 Feb 2012 8:50 AM #52
You are welcome RichSencha Inc
Andrea Cammarata, Solutions Engineer
Owner at SIMACS
github: https://github.com/AndreaCammarata
TUX components bundle for Sencha Touch 2.x.x
23 Feb 2012 11:20 PM #53
Andrea, there now a release candidate of Sencha Touch 2 out. Is it finally time to port your beautiful code?
8 Mar 2012 5:01 PM #54
touch 2
So when are you gonna port it to Touch 2.0 because I tried hard all day but couldnt done yet : )
9 Mar 2012 1:47 PM #55
You are right guys!
Also thank you for all your feedbacks.
I will develop it again from sketch to support all those great Sencha Touch 2 features and I already have some nice ideas in mind to make it much faster!
Hope to give you more updates soon!Sencha Inc
Andrea Cammarata, Solutions Engineer
Owner at SIMACS
github: https://github.com/AndreaCammarata
TUX components bundle for Sencha Touch 2.x.x
21 Mar 2012 3:48 AM #56
Hi Andrea, on the Sencha Market is mentioned Sencha Touch 2.X on your Editable List Extension.
Should it work with ST2 already? Look forward to it cause I haven't been able to implement mine yet.
3 May 2012 11:32 AM #57
Hi Andrea, I need your great component for Sencha Touch 2 as well. Are you expecting to release the ST2 version soon? Are you actively working on it? If not, I might just fork it and have a go myself but don't want to waste the time if you're almost done. Thanks!
14 Jun 2012 7:44 AM #58
I'm on the same boat! heh I need this component in ST2, I would love to help out porting it but don't want to double the effort if it's near done, can we have an update on the status of the port of this great component of yours please?, it's really the best one out there!
31 Aug 2012 3:52 AM #59
Any word on this plugin? The functionality in this is basic required stuff for list components, but it still hasn't shown up in Sencha Touch 2.. !
31 Aug 2012 4:37 AM #60
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This functionality won't be part of 2.1Mitchell Simoens @LikelyMitch
Sencha Inc, Senior Software Engineer
Check out my GitHub, lots of nice things for Ext JS 4 and Sencha Touch 2
Think my support is good? Get more personalized support via a support subscription. https://www.sencha.com/store/
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Erdos, Ginzburg and Ziv prove the following: Let $n \geq 1$¸ $a_1,\ldots, a_{2n-1}\in \mathbb{Z}$. There exist $i_1,\ldots , i_n$ such that: $$a_{i_1} + \cdots + a_{i_n} \equiv 0 \pmod{n}$$ Is there a proof that doesn't use Chevalley-Warning theorem (or a variant of its proof)?
The original proof used Cauchy-Davenport lemma. Several proofs are given in this article of Alon-Dubiner (The proofs deal only with the case when $n$ is prime, but deducing the general case is straightforward from there). Note that the ideas behind most of these proofs could be interpreted as special cases of the more powerful theorem that is commonly known as "Combinatorial Nullstellensatz" (proven by N. Alon, see here). The keyword for results like these is "Zero-sum Ramsey theory".
ETA: You might also find the paper by Olson, "A combinatorial problem in finite abelian groups", Journal of Number Theory (1969) Vol.1 very interesting. It proves a generalization of EGZ theorem for finite abelian p-groups (I think this was one of the first among many other generalizations).
Here is what I remember from a proof I came up with long time ago (it appeared in some competitions). I am sure it is known, but since the proof is short, I will put it here:
The statement can be reduced to the case $n=p$ is prime. Now it will follow from the following:
Lemma: Let $2\leq i\leq p$ and consider any set $A$ of elements $ a_1,\cdots, a_{2i-1} \in \mathbb F_p$ such that no $i$ of them are the same. Let $S$ be the set of all sums of $i$ elements of $A$. Then $|S|\geq i$.
Proof: Induction on $i$, the case $i=2$ is easy. Suppose the result is true for $p>i=k\geq 2$. Consider the set $A'$ of $2k+1$ elements $\{a_1,\cdots,a_{2k-1},b,c\}$, WLOG we may assume that $b,c$ represent the two most frequently appeared elements in $A'$. By assumption $b\neq c$.
The set $\{a_1,\cdots,a_{2k-1}\}$ satisfies the condition that any frequency is less than $k$, otherwise there will be $3$ elements appearing at least $k$ times in $A'$, impossible. By induction we can choose $k$ subsets of $k$ elements with sums are distinct $s_1,\cdots, s_{k}\in \mathbb F_p$. Let $B=\{b+s_1,\cdots, b+s_{k}\}$ and $C=\{c+s_1,\cdots, c+s_{k}\}$, obviously $|B|=|C|=k$. We will be done by showing $B \neq C$. If so, then by summing all the elements in each set one gets $k(b-c)=0$, impossible. QED.
Applying the lemma for $i=p$, note that if there are $p$ identical elements then their sum is $0$.
By the way, I asked some question on generalizations of this theorem, and get really good answers here.


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Husqvarna 54 In. Kohler 24HP Riding Zero Turn Riding Lawn Mower for $2850 + Free Home Delivery
Inventory and availability varies by location.
Equip your lawn care arsenal with the impressive Husqvarna 54" Kohler 24hp zero turn lawn mower that's built like a tank as far as strength and performance go. While you can use the versatile mower for a variety of purposes, cutting grass is certainly one of its outstanding talents. Touting true zero-turn radius performance, you can nimbly maneuver this lawn mower through tight spaces with ease and around landscaping and other obstacles effortlessly.
4 Comments add a comment
Well, you have succeeded in making me wish I had an extra $3000 lying around. There's that.
What? you don't have 3000$ lying around to spend on a mower? pffff.
I'd get one of these but it seems as though it would be hard to drink a beer while mowing with the two hand control thingy.
@wardcleaver: Use a beer helmet :-)


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New Jersey Devils vs Colorado AvalancheMon, February 3, 2014 - 7:30 PMPrudential Center in Newark, NJ
We are sorry, the date for this event has already passed. This event took place on 2/3/2014. Click here to view upcoming events for New Jersey Devils.
Still unsure? Check out our user reviews for:
Have a question? Need help? Call us at 800.477.5285


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6 Writers Who Accidentally Crapped Out Masterpieces
So what does it feel like to write something that will inspire audiences for generations? Apparently it feels like another day at the office, as it turns out some of the greatest works of all time weren't intended to be classics... and often were just dashed off for the hell of it.
#6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
It changed a generation. It was supposed to be a report on a motorcycle race.
The Impact:
When Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas stumbled into the American literary scene in 1972 it was almost immediately embraced as a new classic, and has been screaming incoherently at the other classics and eating all the shrimp at their parties ever since.
It is the tale of two barely fictionalized versions of Thompson and prominent civil rights attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta (you can see him here in a yellow fishnet t-shirt) who leave a swath of destruction and crumpled plastic baggies across the desert. It's a manic and increasingly frustrated search for the American Dream in a world where Richard Nixon is President; JFK, MLK and Jimi Hendrix are dead and this is considered an appropriate way to dress:
Really? 'Slack Power' is a better slogan than 'Once You Go Slack'? Really?
Some of you may be more familiar with Terry Gilliam's film version of the novel, the poster of which is immediately recognizable to anyone who has ever spent more than five minutes inside a college bookstore.
While there, you'll also find comics starring the character based heavily on Thompson, Spider Jerusalem.
But it All Got Started When...
Appropriately enough, the entirety of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas came to be because Thompson was on assignment from Rolling Stone to report on some retarded dirt bike race in the middle of the crappy desert.
Thompson spent so much of his time summing up the post-hippie zeitgeist that folks tend to forget that he got his start as a sports writer, and remained one up until his death (his suicide note was famously titled Football Season is Over.")
Over for YOU, anyway!
Thompson, never one for deadlines, responsibilities or coherence, started sending his bosses pages ripped out of his personal journal. Go ahead, try that at your job, see how it goes. Especially if your journal includes paragraphs like this:
"The sporting editors had also given me $300 in cash, most of which was already spent on extremely dangerous drugs. The trunk of the car looked like a mobile police narcotics lab. We had two bags of grass, 75 pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers . . . and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls."
But, if you're Hunter S. Thompson, your editor sends it off for immediate publication and you become the voice of your generation.
The lesson? Contrary to what your parents told you, drugs and motorcycle racing go together beautifully.
#5. Alice in Wonderland
One of the most beloved tales of all time was something a guy made up off the top of his head to please his 10-year-old girlfriend.
The Impact:
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is a classic kid's story about a little girl that finds herself transported into a magical alternate universe that reflects and lampoons our own; including humorous explorations into the subjects of mathematics, statistics, logic and linguistics. Sort of like a Victorian xkcd, but with worse art.
It's been translated into 125 languages and has been adapted to film dozens of times since the inception of book-adapting technology. There are several silent versions, a Disney version, an anime version, a musical version, an upcoming CGI version and of course a version with some hardcore fucking. It's also responsible for most of the songs written in the 60s, the better parts of The Matrix, a pretty scary-looking video game and even a graphic novel by literary genius Alan Moore, which of course features plenty of hardcore fucking.
It even has an extremely appropriately named medical condition named after it.
But it All Got Started When...
Author Lewis Carroll suffered from a condition that modern biographers have diagnosed as "being a fucking dork." He was home schooled until adolescence, tall and awkward, spoke with a stutter, never married and counted mathematics and logic among his hobbies. But probably his biggest flaw was that he liked to take naked pictures of little girls.
We wonder if the guy doing this portrait ever said "Try not to look so fucking creepy" at any point.
OK, now to be fair, Victorian England was a place and time where pictures of nude children were actually considered pretty cool (apparently, it wasn't terribly uncommon for parents to send out photos of their kids' wieners with the holiday newsletter), and many Carroll scholars believe that his attraction to little girls was purely aesthetic, and free of any sort of eroticism. We will refrain from making any sort of judgment on the matter, but considering Carroll specifically requested that the parents not be present during his naked photo sessions you can imagine how this excuse would hold up when Dateline comes knocking down your door.
"Why don't you just have a seat over there... "
The point is that Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland at the behest of one of his favorite ladies, 10-year-old Alice Liddell, who was bored out of her mind on some sort of riverboat trip she was taking with her two sisters and Carroll (who was friends with her dad). She asked him to tell her a story, and he did, making it up verbally, on the fly. It was only at her request that he later wrote it down on paper.
This is entirely unlike luring children into your van with promises of candy in the sense that it was somehow socially acceptable and that Carroll actually made good on his promise (sorry to stereotype, but most of the pedophiles we're friends with are extremely unreliable). Oh and Carroll's bait ended up being one of the most beloved works of children's literature of all time. Go figure.
#4. A Clockwork Orange
A classic novel that inspired a classic film. A novel that was written in three weeks, for quick cash.
The Impact:
Although fairly tame by today's standards, when it was it was published in 1962, A Clockwork Orange would have made the hairs on your grandma's back stand up. The novel features a sadistic, drug-addled, amoral young Beethoven fan who roams the streets of London with his gang, robbing, beating, raping and killing anyone unlucky enough to cross his path. He's the hero of the story.
The book was poorly received by critics and public alike, but this general distaste erupted into a category five shit-storm of public outrage when the Kubrick film of the same name was released in 1971 (somehow, beating a woman to death with a giant sculptural penis doesn't pack the same punch on paper as it does on celluloid). The film was blamed for a rash of copycat crimes, eventually leading to the prohibition of its public display in Great Britain, a ban that was only lifted just over 10 years ago.
Despite the public backlash, the film and book have been heaped with awards and both achieved cult status. They're also hugely popular amongst angsty teenagers who identify with Alex's cruel, nihilistic outlook on life, as evidenced by the wide variety of Clockwork Orange avatars that can found on any number of forums throughout the Internet.
But it all Got Started When...
So who was the tortured, violent, kitten-stomping soul that could find enough darkness within himself to release a horror like A Clockwork Orange upon the unsuspecting populace?
This guy:
That's Anthony Burgess, poet, playwright, critic, author, classical musician, linguist and the only man to win the Pan-European Comb-Over Tournament three years running. He may look like a stodgy old academic, but that's only because he was. His considerable literary output includes a few linguistic studies, a biography of D.H. Lawrence, a couple of children's books, a screenplay about the life of Jesus Christ, a translation of Oedipus Rex and a couple of books that attempt to recreate classical music pieces in prose form (lol whut?).
A Clockwork Orange wasn't written to shock the old folks or subvert the young, but rather as an investigation into the nature of evil and free will, inspired by his own wife's assault by a group of AWOL American G.I.s (USA! USA! USA!). The book is heavily influenced by his own Catholic upbringing, which he maintained philosophical, if not dogmatic ties to. Christian protest groups and 16-year-old Internet atheists have, of course, rejected and embraced the book, respectively.
But Burgess himself considered it one of his weakest works, writing that it was, "... knocked off for money in three weeks, it became known as the raw material for a film which seemed to glorify sex and violence. The film made it easy for readers of the book to misunderstand what it was about, and the misunderstanding will pursue me till I die."
Sure enough, a good chunk of the man's life was spent sighing heavily whenever A Clockwork Orange was brought up during interviews. And it was no doubt brought up during every single fucking one.


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603 N. Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78703 512-472-5050 Open 9AM - 11PM The largest independent bookstore in Texas!
Books On Our Site May Not Be Available In-Store
Is This Book In Stock? Be Savvy! Check availability details beneath the blue "Add to Cart" button.
A Stay Against Confusion: Essays on Faith and Fiction (Paperback)
In this vivid and deeply felt collection of essays, Ron Hansen talks about his novels, childhood, family, and mentors such as John Gardner. He explores prayer, stigmata, twentieth-century martyrs, and the Eucharist. A profile of his grandfather, a "tough-as-nails, brook-no-guff Colorado rancher," finds a place alongside a wonderfully informative portrait of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. A brilliant reading of a story by Leo Tolstoy follows an appreciation of the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Surprisingly intimate, A Stay Against Confusion brings together the literary and religious impulses that inform the life of one of our most gifted fiction writers.
About the Author
Ron Hansen is the bestselling author of the novel "Atticus" (a finalist for the National Book Award), "Hitler's Niece", "Mariette in Ecstasy", "Desperadoes", and "Isn't It Romantic?", as well as a collection of short stories, a collection of essays, and a book for children. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Ron Hansen lives in northern California, where he teaches at Santa Clara University.
Praise For…
"Erudite and meditative, A Stay Against Confusion…depicts a profound, complex spirituality…brims with intelligence, passion and conviction."
-San Francisco Chronicle
"Refreshing and enlightening … only rarely does any writer explain himself so clearly and so courageously."
-Los Angeles Times
"Wise and searching."
-Wall Street Journal
"A book that shines as a consequence of an accomplished writer's deeply felt (and understood) moral and spiritual energy."
-Robert Coles, author of Lives of Moral Leadership
"Rich, eloquent and thoughtful ... This is a deeply satisfying read."
-Publishers Weekly
"This vital new collection of essays … is a generous benefaction … fascinating … courageous."
-Rick Moody, Book Forum


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Few things in our world represent America's strength and its spirit of freedom than the beloved bald eagle.
Though once at the top of the endangered species list, the majestic eagle's numbers have grown, with nearly 10,00 nesting pairs in the United States, according to Fish and Wildlife Service data.
And anyone who's ever spotted a bald eagle in flight or resting on a ledge or in a tree knows it's a unique event they won't soon forget.
Given that, we are proud that three eagles have made a ledge along state Route 7 on the Ohio River their home.
Early on they were spotted soaring over the highway and along the river, and Ohio Department of Transportation workers soon found that the eagles' nest rests in a tree located on a ledge that's part of the hillside being cut back north of Brilliant.
Despite the $2 million stone-filled wall that is nearing completion and will protect drivers traveling on Route 7, the eagles' nest was not touched and, in fact, was home to two eaglets earlier this summer.
ODOT had to obtain a disturbance permit from the fish and wildlife service to get within 660 feet of the nest and workers weren't allowed into that zone until a permit was issued, but we greatly appreciate the kids' gloves that were used in helping to keep the eagles safe.
Workers at the site each day have grown fond of the eagles, and in fact, believe the birds "are almost like family." The workers have grown accustomed to watching these majestic birds and seeing them fly to the river and back with fish in their talons. Crew members have even labeled the eagles as "co-workers" of sorts that have been spotted keeping watch over the worksite and its workers.
The overall hillside project could take more than two years to complete, according to officials, and we are hoping ODOT and other construction crews will continue to be mindful of these raptors.
We've also got our fingers crossed that the eagles will continue to feel comfortable and nest in our little part of the Ohio Valley.