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Spooks Official Press Release
Prepare for dramatic revelations as filming gets underway on the ninth series of critically-acclaimed Spooks, produced by Kudos Film and Television (Ashes to Ashes, Hustle) for BBC One.
The new series of this thrilling drama will introduce a host of new characters who shake things up and give cause for concern as Section D are left wondering who can really be trusted. Friendships will be tested and the depth of deceit will lead to an unprecedented game of cat and mouse for the Spooks.
Sophia Myles (Underworld, Doctor Who), Max Brown (Mistresses, The Tudors), Iain Glen (The Blue Room, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), Simon Russell Beale (Much Ado About Nothing, Uncle Vanya) and Laila Rouass (Primeval, Footballers' Wives) join Spooks as series regulars but the characters they play and the impact they have on the team dynamic is being kept tightly under wraps.
Sarah Brandist, BBC Executive Producer, said: "We are very proud to introduce an extraordinary number of exciting new characters to this new series. The new additions will really ruffle some feathers but, as intrigue and betrayal is at the heart of the new storylines, we don't want to give too much away at this stage. All will be revealed when the series transmits on BBC One later this year!"
Andrew Woodhead, Executive Producer Kudos Film and Television, added: "The ninth series of Spooks is stronger than ever with twists and turns that promise to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. As well as thrilling storylines we have wonderful new cast members who, with our brilliant established cast, will raise the bar once again."
Spooks is a Kudos Film and Television production for BBC One filming in London until mid July. It was commissioned by Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One and Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning. Spooks is produced by Lachlan MacKinnon and executive produced by Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins and Andrew Woodhead for Kudos Film and Television and Sarah Brandist for the BBC.


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Kiowa County Crash Results in Serious Injuries
Russ Baldwin | Feb 18, 2013 | Comments 0
The Colorado State Patrol is investigating a traffic crash involving a Dodge Intrepid that resulted in a serious bodily injury crash in Kiowa County.
The Dodge Intrepid was traveling westbound on Highway 96, approximately two miles west of Sheridan Lake. The vehicle went off the north side of the road rolling two times. The vehicle came to rest on its wheels, on top of a set of abandoned railroad tracks.
The driver was identified as 32 year-old David M. Crockett of Brandon, Colorado. Crockett was ejected during the accident and taken to Weisbrod Hospital in Eads. Crockett was later flown to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs with life threatening injuries.
Crockett was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. Speed and alcohol are believed to be possible contributing factors to the crash.
Filed Under: community • Featured • Law Enforcement • Police Reports • Public Safety • Transportation
About the Author:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Top Items:
Nick / Rough Type:
The Luddite dream of Jeff Bezos — Writes Jeff Bezos today, on the Amazon.com home page: … It's this decidedly old-fashioned experience - this pre-Web experience - that Bezos says he sought to replicate with Kindle, Amazon's pricey new ebook. No reading-by-committee. No the-crowd-is-the-author rigmarole.
Discussion: ct2, GracefulFlavor and Techdirt
Joseph Weisenthal / paidContent.org:
First Look: Amazon's Kindle Reader: The Gap Between Description and The Device — After today's festivities concluded, I eventually got a chance to sit down and play with Amazon's (NSDQ: AMZN) Kindle. The first thing to note is that the screen isn't like reading actual paper.
Discussion: JupiterResearch, Gizmodo, FT Tech Blog and Joe Wikert's Publishing …
Michael Gartenberg / JupiterResearch: Amazon Releases Kindle eBook Reader - First Take
Jesus Diaz / Gizmodo: Amazon Kindle vs Sony Reader Bitchfight [Poll]
Chris Nuttall / FT Tech Blog: Kindle gets fondled and flamed
Introducing Amazon Kindle — Revolutionary Portable Reader Lets Customers Wirelessly Download Books in Less Than a Minute and Automatically Receive Newspapers, Magazines and Blogs — No PC Required, No Hunting for Wi-Fi Hot Spots — Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today introduced Amazon Kindle …
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer: Ways bloggers get paid by Amazon
Ryan Block / Engadget: Live from the Amazon Kindle launch event
Russell Shaw / IP Telephony, VoIP, Broadband: IMHO: Amazon Kindle drum roll another example of digerati clustercluck
Wilson Rothman / Gizmodo: Amazon Kindle Hands-On and Questions Answered (Gallery) [Amazon Kindle Answers]
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com: Amazon debuts Kindle e-book reader
Brian Caulfield / Forbes: Kindle Versus The iPhone
Saul Hansell / Bits: Amazon Pitches a Wireless iPod for Books
Cyril Kowaliski / The Tech Report: Amazon launches Kindle 'wireless reading device'
Linda Rosencrance / Computerworld: Amazon unveils e-book reader Kindle
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: Sounds More Like 'the Zune of Reading' to Me
Joel Johnson / Boing Boing Gadgets:
15 Things I Just Learned About the Amazon Kindle — • Its eBooks have DRM (filetype: .AZW), but it supports unprotected Mobipocket books (.MOBI, .PRC), .TXT files, HTML, and Word. Some files can be transferred over USB, while others have to be emailed to the special per-device Kindle email.
Discussion: TechCrunch, Medialoper, paidContent.org, CrunchGear, rc3.org, Salon, Laughing Squid, Engadget, Gadget Lab, ParisLemon, kottke.org, dailywireless.org, CNET News.com and Mickeleh's Take
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch: Kindle: First Impressions — Everyone at Amazon's Kindle press …
Joseph Weisenthal / paidContent.org: @ Kindle Launch: Understanding the Business Model; Still Some Unanswered Questions
Rafe Colburn / rc3.org: Random Kindle thoughts
Farhad Manjoo / Salon: Kindle: Amazon's e-book reader is here
Thomas Ricker / Engadget: Amazon Kindle available now on Amazon — free EV-DO!
Rob Beschizza / Gadget Lab: Amazon's Kindle: What Files Will And Won't Work
Greg Sandoval / CNET News.com: Will e-books ever be a best seller?
Michael Markman / Mickeleh's Take: Amazon's Shiny New Thing: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Liveblogging the Amazon Kindle E-Reader Show with Jeff Bezos
Liveblogging the Amazon Kindle E-Reader Show with Jeff Bezos
Stephen Wildstrom / Business Week: Why Not Paper + Electrons — Reader doog has an interesting comment …
Jose Fermoso / Gadget Lab: Review Paella: 8 Opinions on Amazon's Kindle E-Book Reader
Nicholas Deleon / CrunchGear: Reaction: Amazon's Kindle
Brad Stone / Bits: Enough About Kindle 1.0. What About Kindle 2.0?
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Kindle — the Amazon launch
Rafe Needleman / Crave: The gadget blog:
Become a Kindle author
Become a Kindle author
Discussion: Webware.com
John P. Falcone / Webware.com: AMAZON KINDLE: HANDS-ON FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Denise Dubie / Computerworld UK:
Microsoft struggling to convince about Vista — Another survey highlights business concern about migration — The majority of IT professionals worry that migrating to Windows Vista will make their networks less stable and more complex, according to a new survey.
Discussion: CNET News.com, Digital Daily, ZDNet, Geek Speaker, MSNBC, Good Morning Silicon Valley, The Open Road, The Mac Observer and Slashdot
Ina Fried / CNET News.com: Microsoft inches closer to XP update
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: Windows Vista: The 'Eh' Starts Now
John Murrell / Good Morning Silicon Valley: IT pros searching for an alter-Vista
Ozmanjusri / Slashdot: 90% of IT Professionals Don't Want Vista
Vista SP1 a Performance Dud
Vista SP1 a Performance Dud
Discussion: All about Microsoft, Valleywag, Brandon Live! and open
Paul Boutin / Valleywag: Vista upgrade as slow as the original [Microsoft]
Brandon Paddock / Brandon Live!: A poor SP1 comparison
Glyn Moody / open: When the Microsoft Train hits the Brooksian Wall
Brad Linder / Download Squad:
Microsoft will install Vista SP1 on your PC - if you live in Silicon Valley
Microsoft will install Vista SP1 on your PC - if you live in Silicon Valley
Discussion: Windows Vista Team Blog
Dan / UNEASYsilence:
EXCLUSIVE: Apple Secretly Tracking iPhone IMEI and Usage (with proof) — As I sit here applying a new layer of Reynolds tin foil to my international hat of conspiracy, its been proven that Apple tracks iPhone usage and tracks IEMI numbers of all their iPhones worldwide.
Discussion: Gizmodo, heise Security, Contentinople, Vindu's View from the Valley, Computerworld, Geek News Central, TECH.BLORGE.com, SMS Text News, Valleywag, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, MobHappy, blackrimglasses.com, 9 to 5 Mac, O'Grady's PowerPage, Apple Gazette, CrunchGear, Guardian Unlimited, Slashdot and The Apple Core
A. L. Friedman / Contentinople: Apple: 'We're Watching You' — iPhone users are being profiled …
Todd Cochrane / Geek News Central: Is Apple Spying on your iPhone Usage?
Nicholas Carlson / Valleywag: Apple tracks which stocks you follow on your iPhone [Your Privacy Is An Illusion]
Erica Sadun / The Unofficial Apple Weblog: Regarding the IMEI tracking brouhaha
Carlo Longino / MobHappy: NEWSFLASH: Apple is Hella Evil!
Cleve Nettles / 9 to 5 Mac: Is Apple collecting your iPhone usage data?
Michael / Apple Gazette: Tinfoil Hat Brigade UNITE! …
John Biggs / CrunchGear: Apple is in yr IMEI, stealing yr stocks
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Apple is silently tracking iPhone usage data, maybe
CmdrTaco / Slashdot: Is Apple Tracking iPhone Users Through IMEI?
Jason D. O'Grady / The Apple Core: Apple collecting iPhone user data
Tom Krazit / CNET News.com:
And you will know us by the trail of our IMEI number
And you will know us by the trail of our IMEI number
Discussion: VentureBeat
Karl / DSLreports:
The Internet Ends in 2010 - Unless you give AT&T what they want — More warnings of a looming bandwidth apocalypse, this time from USAToday, who insists that the Internet "will start to seem pokey as early as 2010, as use of interactive and video-intensive services overwhelms local cable, phone and wireless Internet providers."
Discussion: Nemertes Research and IP Democracy
Cynthia Brumfield / IP Democracy: What Bandwidth Apocalypse? Verizon Tests 100 Gbps
Mathew / mathewingram.com/work:
Help me push this post up Techmeme — That headline is meant as a joke, by the way. But like many jokes, it has some truth at the center of it. Do I like to see my posts linked to on Techmeme? Sure I do — and I get the sense that Fred Wilson does too, even though he's a fantastically rich …
Discussion: Matt McAlister, GigaOM and Deep Jive Interests
Dave Winer / Scripting News:
Creating a maintainable and thriving web
Creating a maintainable and thriving web
Discussion: Doc Searls Weblog, Scobleizer, A VC, SmoothSpan Blog, Deep Jive Interests and Life On the Wicked Stage
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer: Can the "user's" Web come back?
Fred / A VC: Techmeme: A Cautionary Tale
Smoothspan / SmoothSpan Blog: Web Familiarity Breeds Contempt?
Warner Crocker / Life On the Wicked Stage: Searls and Winer on Buzz vs. Substance
John / Plaxo's Personal Card:
Early Pulse Results: "Open" is Good for Business — When we launched the beta of Pulse in August, we made a strategic bet — that the market was ripe for an "open social network" (rather than yet another "walled garden"). — The idea was that we could play a role in the emergence of a social web that was as open as the web itself.
Discussion: The Real McCrea and TechCrunch
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch: OpenSocial Has Been Good To Plaxo — Ever since Plaxo joined …
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com:
Plaxo: OpenSocial's been the gift that keeps on giving
Plaxo: OpenSocial's been the gift that keeps on giving
Discussion: Mashable!
Kristen Nicole / Mashable!: Plaxo Sees Exponential Growth as First to Use OpenSocial
Erica Ogg / CNET News.com:
Wal-Mart now giving away Blu-ray movies—with an 80GB PS3 — If you thought you could escape this Blu-ray and HD DVD format back-and-forth nonsense, well, you were wrong. It's actually just beginning! This holiday season, both sides in the next-generation DVD battle are continuing to ratchet up the pressure on you lucky consumers.
Brandon Hill / DailyTech:
Update: Wal-Mart's Saturday "Secret Sale" to Feature 80GB PS3 with 15 Free Movies
Update: Wal-Mart's Saturday "Secret Sale" to Feature 80GB PS3 with 15 Free Movies
Discussion: Gizmodo and TechSpot News
Justin Mann / TechSpot News: Wal-mart to divy out 10 movies with 80GB PS3?
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider:
GPhone Pics! Open-Source 'Bug' Can Run Android — Bug Labs founder Peter Semmelhack just gave us a peek at his company's prototype "open-source" mobile gadget, which should go on sale next month. The "Bug" is essentially a Lego kit for geeks: A base unit can connect to modules like LCD touchscreens …
Wilson Rothman / Gizmodo: First Video: Bug Labs Powers Up Its Modular Open-Source Device [Bug Labs Lights Up]
Owen Thomas / Valleywag: Googlephone revealed, out next month
Vodafone Gets Restraining Order On T-Mobile's iPhone Sales — DUESSELDORF -(Dow Jones)- The German unit of Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) has obtained a restraining order against Deutsche Telekom AG's (DT) T-Mobile unit prohibiting the German telecommunications giant from selling Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone in Germany.
Discussion: CrunchGear, Macsimum News, Blackfriars' Marketing, Seeking Alpha and Computerworld Blogs
Dennis Sellers / Macsimum News: Vodafone gets restraining order on T-Mobile's iPhone sales in Germany
Carl Howe / Blackfriars' Marketing: Vodaphone wants courts to block T-Mobile iPhone sales in Germany
Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog:
Survey: Google search share climbs even higher — Google's stock price wasn't the only thing climbing last month. The search giant's share of the U.S. Internet search market grew to more than 64 percent in October, from 61 percent a year earlier, according to results released by Hitwise today.
Discussion: Digital Daily, HipMojo.com and WebProNews
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: It's Google's Search Market. You're Just Floundering in It.
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / HipMojo.com: Google's Flight of Icarus
Doug Caverly / WebProNews: Hitwise: Google, Ask October's Winners
Jemima Kiss / PDA:
Rumoursville: Google sniffing round Skype — It's been a while since the last juicy web business rumour, so this will do nicely. — Currently in favour around London's webbist community is the rumour that Google has been in negotiations to buy Skype, the web telephony firm, from eBay.
Om Malik / GigaOM: Rumor: Skype4Sale? Google A Buyer?
Tropicaljantie / Skype-watch.com …: Top Rumour : will Google buy Skype ?
Carlo Longino / MobHappy: Rumor of the Day: Google Wants To Be Next To Try and Make Skype's Business Work
Jason Lee Miller / WebProNews: Google Maybe Could Possibly Buy Skype
Eric Savitz / Tech Trader Daily: Does Google Want Skype?
Mary Jane Irwin / Valleywag: Is Google looking to walk off with Skype? [Rumormonger]
Robert Nelson / Gadgetell: Rumor: Google looking to purchase Skype
John Battelle / John Battelle's Searchblog: Catchin' Up — A Monday morning catch up, given I was offline a lot last week:
Adam Ostrow / Mashable!: Rumor: Google Buying Skype? Makes Sense
Seth LaForge / Google LatLong:
Think globally, mark locally — The last time I threw a party, I used the My Maps feature of Google Maps to tell my friends exactly how to find my house. But if they'd just searched Maps on their own for my address and had gone to the marker location, they would have been partying in the middle of the street!
Garett Rogers / Googling Google: Google Maps gets wikified
Reto Meier / Google Blogoscoped: How to Program Google Android
Michael Calore / Compiler: Tell Google Maps Where to Find the Front Door of Your House
Mike Boland / Kelsey Group Blogs: Google Works to Solve the "Last Block Problem"
Heather Havenstein / Macworld: Google lets users edit Google Maps locations
MG Siegler / ParisLemon: Pinpoint Locations on Google Maps
Donna Bogatin / Insider Chatter: Can Google Map Out the Future of Local Search?
Ionut Alex Chitu / Google Operating System: Edit Locations in Google Maps
Haochi / Googlified: Post Weekend Roundup
Greg Sterling / Screenwerk: Google Maps Opens Up a Little More
Doug Caverly / WebProNews: Google Maps Allows Users To Move Markers
Kevin Newcomb / Search Engine Watch Blog: User-Edited Locations on Google Maps
Rick Allen / NVIDIA Press Room:
"Gamer's Wishes Come True: NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX GPU Comes to Notebooks" — World's Fastest Notebook GPU Brings DirectX 10 HD Gaming to Mobile Gamers — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: — This holiday season a new era of PC games, featuring advanced new graphics effects, will immerse gamers in cinematic realism like never before.
Discussion: Crave, Gizmodo, Engadget and The Tech Report
Michelle Thatcher / Crave: Nvidia unleashes GeForce 8800M graphics
Matt Buchanan / Gizmodo: NVIDIA Launches GeForce 8800M GTX and GTS Notebook GPUs [Gaming]
Paul Miller / Engadget: Hands-on with Alienware's Area-51 m15x and m17x laptops
Cyril Kowaliski / The Tech Report: Nvidia intros GeForce 8800M mobile graphics chips
Erica Ogg / CNET News.com:
Notebooks and servers continue to lift HP earnings — Emerging nations are buying notebooks by the bundle, and HP is reaping the benefits. — HP reported its fourth quarter earnings Monday, and revenues were up across its business units, but the PC business was again the star.
Discussion: Big Tech and deal architect
Jon Fortt / Big Tech: Will HP's good news cheer tech investors?


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May 18, 2000
Official Opinion 2000-5
- To
- State School Superintendent
and Chairman, State School Board
- Re
- The Georgia Constitution prohibits grants to sectarian institutions for the purpose of the Reading Challenge Program.
Both of you have asked for advice concerning the constitutionality of Reading Challenge grants to sectarian schools from the Georgia Department of Education. The dispositive issue is whether such a grant would violate that provision of the Georgia Constitution that prohibits money being taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of religion. See Ga. Const. Art. I, Sec. II, Para. VII.
The Reading Challenge Program is apparently a noncompulsory after-school program for middle school students in which grants are provided directly to educational institutions in return for the delivery of after-school care, opportunities to improve student reading skills, and enhancement of student interest in reading. Some of the educational institutions appear to be churches or other sectarian institutions.
In my opinion the Georgia Constitution prohibits such grants from state funds being provided directly to the sectarian institutions participating in this program. Article I, Section II, Paragraph VII provides that "[n]o money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, cult, or religious denomination or of any sectarian institution."
In 1988 Op. Att'y Gen. U88-6, an almost identical question was asked about a county school system providing after-school care by contracting with a sectarian organization. It was assumed that the after-school program would be operated in a strictly non-sectarian manner, otherwise it would violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Even so, the opinion concluded that if the contractual arrangement involved "any payment of public funds by the school system to the sectarian organization, the constitutional prohibition against taking money from the public treasury in aid of a religious organization would appear to be implicated." (Emphasis in original) Id. at p. 97. The opinion went on to state that if the contractual arrangement was one in which parents paid fees to the sectarian organization for the after-school care, and no public funds were involved, the constitutional prohibition would not be implicated. Id.; Accord 1969 Ops. Att'y Gen. 69-136 (Unofficial) and 69-125 (Unofficial). The Georgia Supreme Court has stated rather strongly that the State Constitution:
declare[s] against giving aid to sectarian schools and institutions. When the State selects a sectarian institution of learning, and commits to such institution its wards, for whose maintenance and education it pays, it gives the most substantial aid to such an institution. On the same principle the State could undertake to educate all its children in such sectarian institution, and pay them for the education of its children in such institutions of learning. Any such course would be giving the most valuable aid to such sectarian schools and institutions.
Bennett v. City of LaGrange, 153 Ga. 428, 437 (1922).
Several other states have similar prohibitions in their constitutions. See, e.g., South Dakota Const., Art. VIII, Sec. XVI; California Const. Art. XVI, Sec. V; Kentucky Const. Sec. 189; Idaho Const. Art. IX, Sec. V. Almost without exception those provisions have been construed strictly to prevent any kind of support to religious organizations. That includes even indirect arrangements in which it was argued that the state was only providing support to students rather than to the sectarian schools that they attended. See Smith v. Donahue, 195 N.Y.S. 715 (1922) (free textbooks to students in parochial schools was aid to religion and violated the state constitution); Dickman v. School District No. 62C, 366 P.2d 533 (Or. 1961) cert. den. 371 U.S. 823 (1962) (free textbooks prohibited); Elbe v. Yankton Ind. School Dist., 640 F. Supp. 1234 (D.S.D. 1986) (public school loaning textbook to parochial school violated state aid provision); Johnson v. Sanders, 319 F. Supp. 421(D.C. Conn.). aff'd. 403 U.S.955 (1971) (state board of education contract with operators of sectarian schools for "secular education services" is unconstitutional). But see Chance v. Mississippi State Textbook Rating & Purchasing Bd., 190 Miss. 453 (1941) (free book loaning program was not a "use or diversion" of school or other educational funds prohibited by the state constitution).
An annotation in the American Law Reports Second reports that "Arrangements whereby tuition for a pupil entitled to a public school education is paid to a sectarian school in lieu of providing the public school itself have been consistently held invalid under one or more state or federal constitutional provisions respecting separation of church and state, or the use of public funds or "common school" funds for sectarian purposes." Annotation, Public Payment of Tuition, Scholarship, or the Like, as Respects Sectarian School, 81 A.L.R.2d 1309 (1997).
Based upon my review of the law in Georgia and in other states with a similar constitutional prohibition, it appears to be an inescapable conclusion that the State may not provide a grant or enter into a contract for after-school care with a sectarian organization. That does not mean that every organization that may have some affiliation with a religious group is included in the definition of "sectarian." The test for whether the organization is sectarian appears to be whether the organization itself is one for "religious purposes for the public worship of God." See Bennett v. City of LaGrange, 153 Ga. at 433. There could be organizations that are supported in part by a church or other religious organization that are not organized or operated for religious purposes.
In light of the conclusion reached herein, it is unnecessary to consider whether the program violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
In conclusion, it is my official opinion that the Georgia Constitution prohibits grants to sectarian institutions for the purpose of the Reading Challenge Program.
Prepared by:
Senior Assistant Attorney General


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42536 Gothenburg
Our workshop.
Our workshop.
Our workshop has an area of over 200 square meters. Big enough for the perfect service. And neat enough to know each bike personally.
We offer all the following services: all usual servicing especially for BMW motorcycles, tyre installation including balancing.
The BMW Motorrad Service.
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You want to ride. Just ride. We take care of the rest. With service certified by BMW Nordic, you are guaranteed quality performance that lasts. Because your bike gets nothing but Original BMW Motorrad Parts and ADVANTEC Original BMW Engine Oil. To make sure nothing gets between you and your next adventure.
Anything else?
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Looking for the right accessories? Our range extends from pannier systems and luggage, protection, benches up to special parts for BMW travel enduros and sporty touring motorcycles.
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A BMW is also the perfect used vehicle.
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Motorcycles from BMW are also the first choice when it comes to choosing a used vehicle. Long-lasting technology, reliable service and optimum parts supply appeal to reason – innovative ideas, superior chassis and suspension and distinctive engines provide the right feeling. Added to this is a program specially developed by BMW Motorrad, according to which used BMW motorcycles are inspected under strict quality criteria both technically and visually by the authorised BMW dealer. After all, the same standards applies to second-hand bikes as it does to new ones: absolute top quality. In other words, BMW Motorrad.
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About Thigh Lift Surgery
Weight loss often leaves patients with unwanted sagging skin. In cases of extreme weight loss, such as after Lap Band surgery or gastric bypass excess sagging skin can be both uncomfortable and unsightly. Fortunately many body lift procedures are available to help remedy this dilemma.
A thigh lift, also known as thighplasty is a relatively simple outpatient procedure used to eliminate excess sagging skin on the upper thighs and create smoother more appealing contours. It can be performed alone or in conjuction with other body lift procedures.
It is important to note that a thigh lift is not a weight loss solution and is not recommended for patients looking to remove excess fat. However, if you are looking to remove a small amount of bothersome fat on the thigh area, liposuction can be utilized during your thigh lift procedure to provide you with your desired result.
Undergoing Thigh Lift Surgery
Most body lift procedures are performed under general anesthesia and can be performed either at a hospital or an accredited surgical facility.
Depending on the extent of skin to be lifted and removed along the location of the area you are looking to enhance, your surgeon will determine the best location of your incision. The length of the incision also varies depending on these elements. Incisions are made in areas as discrete as possible and can often be hidden by natural folds in the skin and undergarments.
Standard Technique for Thigh Lift Incision
Typically when performing a thigh lift, an incision is made from the groin area along the natural fold of the skin around the back part of the thigh, addressing concerns along the inner and back part of the thigh. The underlying tissue is then lifted, reshaped and tightened; held together with deep internal sutures. Excess skin is removed and the skin along the incision site is closed.
Medial Thigh Lift
A minimal incision thigh lift, known as a medial thigh lift is similar to that of a standard thighplasty procedure, however the incision is only made along the groin area. This technique is best suited for patients who are looking to reduce sagging in the front part of the inner thigh.
Outer Thigh Lift
If you are concerned with sagging skin on the outer thigh as well as upper front portion of the leg, then an outer thigh lift may be the best solution for you. Rather than the incision beginning at the top part of the groin moving back around the leg under the buttocks, the incision for an outer thigh lift begins at the inner part of the groin and moves along the natural fold of the skin and wraps around the hip at the bikini line. Like the standard thigh lift and the medial thigh lift the tissue matrix underneath the skin is reshaped and the excess skin is lifted and removed, resulting in a smoother appearance.
Recovering from Thighplasty
It is expected to experience swelling, bruising and soreness during the first week following your procedure. Side effects will dissipate over the next few weeks. Pain medication will be prescribed by your surgeon to alleviate any discomfort you may experience. You will need to refrain from strenuous activities for 3-4 weeks, although it is important to walk and move around to prevent blod clots and other complications. It is advised that you wear a post-surgery garment after your procedure for at least several weeks to help the healing process, reduce swelling and enhance surgical results.
Thigh Lift Risks & Complications
Although complications resulting from thighplasty are rare, it is important to be advised of the potential risks and complications, which can include infection, fluid accumulation, blood clots, changes in skin sensation, hematoma or unfavorable scarring. Extensive precautions are taken before, during and after your procedure to help ensure a successful surgery and a desired result. A 12 Week Scar Treatment Program is offered to all of our patients to help the healing process and reduce the appearance of scars.
What's Next
To find out more about our procedures and treatments book a free, no obligation, consultation with a medical professional.
I went in for a consultation with and their staffs were very nice and professional. They answered all of my questions and concerns I had about the procedure. I am a female of Middle Eastern descent and I wanted a nose that went well with my other features and doesn't look over-done. I had the surgery last year, it looks great, I can't ask for a better looking nose, no one can tell that I had a surgery and my breathing improved a lot too. I highly recommend Soluna MD Lipo and Vein Cosmetic Institute
Source: Google Plus on September 26, 2016read full review..


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We've discussed some of the advantages of transitioning the PSTN to IP, but there we haven't yet covered the environmental implications of the pending transition. At their annual partner conference Perspectives14, GENBAND hosted a discussion which addressed the power costs behind the PSTN, pointing out the benefits an IP transition.
In advance of that panel, GENDBAND released a statement with some insightful statistics that qualify those benefits: "The central offices that power the PSTN in the U.S. use more than 12 billion kilowatt hours of power every year, which compares to the power consumption of more than one million homes annually and the CO2 emissions of more than two million cars. PSTN phase-out options and new approaches for supporting network modernization . . . would reduce energy and water usage costs by 70%; real estate by 85% and CO2 emissions by 40%."
In his blog on PSTN transformation, GENBAND CEO David Walsh added: "With smaller and more efficient equipment, these COs can also reduce the physical footprint from big 'power hogging' decades-old switches to much smaller and more reliable equipment requiring only approximately 15% of the space – this opens up space that can be converted into 'data center' uses, for example hosting network virtualization and cloud services." GENBAND also has a series of papers and resources on PSTN transition available by clicking here.
Grant Seiffert, President of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) who chaired the panel discussion at Perspectives14, also commented on the ecosystem effects in a statement, "The race is on to implement viable solutions that transition the PSTN to IP as the clock is ticking on infrastructure far surpassing its 25-year life expectancy and costing operators millions of dollars to operate in energy."
Our observations: We know that many organizations are working to make our communications networks "greener"—ranging from governmental agencies to the infrastructure suppliers, and especially the network service providers who bear the brunt of legacy inefficiency. When we add the ecological benefits to the range of next-generation features an IP transition brings, going green is one more big reason to step up the pace of a PSTN's evolution to a fully IP network.


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Top Chef season-four contestant Spike Mendelsohn (the one with the funny hats) is in town to shoot his online series for Food2, the gig he got after auditioning for the Food Network. He'salso location-scouting for a Manhattan outlet of his D.C. restaurant Good Stuff Eatery, but lower rents in South Beach and L.A. could draw him there instead. For this week's New York Diet, there was still plenty of time to eat at friends' restaurants (Michael Bao Hunh and Paul Liebrandt), and to singe his palate as he plans an as-yet-unnamed Washington pizzeria.
Sunday, April 26
I was in D.C. I started the day off at this great little place called Pellegrine on Capitol Hill. They serve organic espresso and just take pride in what they do here-- it's not like a Starbucks or anything -- and they brew their coffee at the perfect temperature.
Then I cruised around the corner. I grabbed a Nutella crepe at a little food stand at Eastern market. It's so delicious and cheap and I can get it on the fly on my way to work. There'sa cheesemonger there and they serve the best Cheddar. They have a lot of samples, so I like getting a little nibble of that. Cheddar and espresso: It's the best way to start the day. After I hang out in the market for a little bit, I hit up this new place called Taylor on H Street. It's a developing, very hip area in D.C., with new restaurants coming in, and Taylor serves the best sandwich in D.C. right now. They get the bread delivered every day from Philly. My favorite sandwich is breaded chicken with sauteed broccoli rabe and pesto. I ask for an extra lemon because the broccoli rabe is really bitter, so I need a lot of lemon all over it. I took it to work with me. They also have Coca-Cola by the bottle there, which I love.
After I got to work, I scarfed my sandwich and I'vee been getting in the habit of always having the signature milkshake from my restaurant. It's called the Toasted Marshmallow. I usually get a miniature one because I can't have a whole one. We roast our own marshmallows, and we make our own marshmallow fluff. We blend it with a little bit of milk and it's just delicious.
In the afternoon it gets kind of hot now, and I like to go to this outdoor pool at the Capitol Skyline Hotel. I sit poolside and I take a little dip. They have these great zucchini corn beignets. I'm saving drinks for dinner.
II usually like to start the night out at Michel Richard's restaurant Citronelle. They make the best cucumber gin and tonics. They make their tonic, and it's so refreshing.
I like to spice it up a little bit, so after that I went to my good friend Jose Andres's restaurant Oyamel and just scarfed some pork tacos, some amazing ceviches, and had a margarita. That was dinner. The margarita was the dessert.
Monday, April 27
I took the train to New York. I love going to the Congee House on the Bowery. They make the best congee, obviously. They serve great pork and preserved egg, thousand-year-old egg, and these delicious savory doughnuts with tea. In the area after that, I can't resist getting some steamed pork buns from this little bakery on Mulberry Street.
I'm always in the mood for some pizza, so around 2:30, 3 we went to Lombardi's, had a margherita pizza — I'm a simple guy — and a pitcher of Peroni. I was with a couple of friends including one of my chef-partners.
After the pizza we wanted to do something a little more serious, so we went to Corton, which a friend of mine, Paul Liebrandt, recently opened. He's one of the best new chefs in New York. It was 6:30 maybe, just before anyone got there. It's always nice to go there because I never have to stay for the fourteen-course meal or whatever. I've known Paul for maybe two and a half years now. I was working for Drew [Nieporent], who owned my Vietnamese restaurant [Mai House], and Paul was practicing all of his stuff in my kitchen. So I just got to know him through association. We had a beet gelée with foie gras, a pork-belly dish, and an oyster with Japanese-beer gelée. I don't think that was on the menu; I think he just threw us a bone.
After Corton, we went to anotheroom and had some beers. Then we traveled to 99¢ Pizza. It's a dollar; super-thin crust. I had two to three slices there and then we called it a night.
Tuesday, April 28
The next day I was staying in Brooklyn, so we went to one of my favorite places, the Tea Room in Williamsburg. We went there for brunch at 12:30, 1 p.m. because I slept in. I had fresh-squeezed O.J., some coffee, and then ordered crispy trout with potatoes, mushrooms, and poached eggs, and soaked up all the egg with the country bread they serve there. It was just delicious.
I walked it off a little bit, saw a couple of shops, went down to Williamsburg's main street, Bedford. I sat outside of Fabiane's with the paper. It feels like a little piece of Europe. I had a cup of coffee, and ordered the pistachio cake, for giggles. I only ate half of it.
There's a really great cheese shop there. I just kind of looked at the new cheeses they had, chatted. I didn't buy anything. I did some more strolling around and before I left I had a falafel at Oasis by the metro. There's a better one in the city by the Comedy Cellar, Mamoun's.
After falafel I had a little bit of a siesta, and then dinner at Grimaldi's. I love my pizza. I'm opening a pizzeria in D.C. in the next three or four months. I just took over the building the other day. I'm researching pizza, so I'm trying to hit up all the spots. They do a great coal-fire pizza. I had pepperoni and green peppers on it and a pitcher of beer. I love watching the owner give everybody attitude in the restaurant; it's part of the ambience. I don't think I want to have coal fire. I want to have American-Napolean [sic] pizza. But not a true Napolean [sic] pizza; it needs to be Americanized a little bit. The true pizza from Napoli is really soggy in the middle, and you have to eat it with a knife and fork. I don't think it'll take well to the American palate. I mean, most pizzas in the States that are called Napolean pizzas are crispier. That was the night.
Wednesday, April 29
Next day I went to my favorite place in the whole entire world. It's called Barney Greengrass, the Sturgeon King. I had some chicken livers, pastrami with eggs, and a basket of bagels. Luckily enough they were serving potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce. I had coffee, no orange juice.
After Barney Greengrass, I went to see one of my good friends, Michael Bao at Baoguette. He's launching them all over the city. I met Michael Bao through school years ago. I had been doing French food for many years and was looking for something really fresh and new to do and gave him a call and organized a chef's tour of Vietnam. I rounded up a bunch of people and we cooked our way from north to south. We spent about three to four months there and he really showed me his culture, his food, and I was just inspired. I had a soup called bunbahue. It's a spicy soup with pork belly in it and noodles and fresh herbs. And a Coke. He makes this great soft ice cream out of pandan and durian, really exotic flavors. I nibbled on one of those. Then I took a bánh mì with me.
After that, I had to get right back to my roots and I went to Kefi, which is one of my favorite Greek restaurants. Michael Psilakis does amazing food, like my grandmother's food, my mother's food. I'm 100 percent Greek. I ordered a lot of stuff off the appetizer section. They have these dumplings that are really great. I ordered keftedes, tarama, tsatsiki, the dipping sauces. I had a piece of fish there, calamari, loukaniko, Greek sausage. And then they have a great bottle of Robola from Kefalonia, which is where my family is from. I downed two bottles of that with a bunch of appetizers and then called it a night.
Thursday, April 30
For breakfast today it was eggs and bacon in my hotel. After you do such an eating excursion, it's nice to just lay in bed. I'm in town until Saturday morning. Tonight I'm going on a pizza excursion. I rented a car and I'm doing a bunch of pizza places: Emporio, Una Pizza Napoletana, which I can't even pronounce, Kesté, San Marzano, Tonda. I'm going to cruise by Artichoke just to taste the artichoke pizza.Today is all about pizza. That's why I took it so light with breakfast.
Previously on NYmag.com's Grub Street...


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Gulf Coast Soaking Starts, Other States Still Recovering From Irene
A tropical storm that's expected to drench parts of Louisiana with as much as 20 inches of rain this weekend and could cause flooding along the Gulf coast has begun to soak southern Louisiana. Local authorities are beginning to declare states of emergency, as The Times-Picayune reports.
The storm's full force likely won't be felt until tomorrow. ABC News writes that:
"Tropical Depression 13, which is expected to become Tropical Storm Lee by Saturday, is expected to make landfall along the southern coast of Louisiana around 1 p.m. on Saturday with winds of 60 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. ... Tropical storm warnings are in effect from Pascagoula, Miss., across the coast to Sabine Pass, Texas."
Meanwhile, mid-Atlantic and northeastern states continue to recover from last weekend's major weather event — Hurricane Irene.
-- Of the 672,000 customers who lost power in Connecticut, 151,000 are still in the dark, according to the Hartford Courant.
-- In New Jersey, 39,000 customers are still without electricity," The Associated Press says.
-- North Carolina may construct a temporary bridge to reconnect Hatteras Island to the mainland, Raleigh's News & Observer says.
-- People in hard-hit Vermont can apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency starting today, the Burlington Free Press writes. Register online here.
-- Virginia's Dominion Power believes it will have 95 percent of the 1.2 million customers in the state and eastern North Carolina reconnected by tonight, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Is Samsung About to Get Samsunged?
Pop quiz. Name this company:
A vertically integrated South Korean conglomerate with an extensive supplier relationship with Apple has ambitious hopes in the smartphone market. The company will aggressively imitate the products of rivals in the pursuit of success, and also further integrate additional key components, such as investing more heavily in its own mobile processors.
Time's up
Pencil's down. The correct answer? LG Electronics.
That's right; LG is in the process of doing to Samsung what Samsung did to Apple. LG has just unveiled a new "Value Pack" of software upgrades for its Optimus G Pro, and some of the features that the company is adding are straight out of Samsung's playbook.
LG's Smart Video pauses videos when the user looks away, an obvious carbon copy of Samsung's Smart Pause. There's also the Dual Camera feature, which simultaneously takes pictures using both sensors, and is exactly like Samsung's Dual Shot. This is all for a device that already looks identical to Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 (except without the stylus).
Galaxy Note 2 (left) vs. Optimus G Pro (right). Sources: Samsung and LG.
The Optimus G Pro was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February, so it technically predates the Galaxy S4 that it also resembles. The 5.5-inch phablet isn't expected to launch in the U.S. until May, though, which comes after the Galaxy S4.
The bad news for Samsung is that there's little stopping LG from successfully using its own strategy against it. One of the benefits of enormous marketing budgets, however, is that Samsung has been able to build its Galaxy brand.
Another big marketing spender
While smaller rivals like HTC simply can't keep up with Samsung's marketing budget (even if HTC offers higher-quality products), larger competitors such as LG have more of a chance. Last year, LG spent $1.1 billion on advertising. When you add in other below-the-line marketing expenses like promotions ($652 million) and commissions ($1.6 billion), we're talking about more than $3.3 billion in marketing.
That's more than the $1 billion that Apple spent in fiscal 2012 (but less than Samsung) on advertising ,and Apple doesn't really use below-the-line marketing as much. The Mac maker doesn't typically offer very many promotions, and most of its sales are conducted through its online store or retail stores, where sales reps aren't compensated with commissions.
Android loyalty isn't Samsung loyalty
Android consumers have shown their fickleness before. It seems like just yesterday that HTC was the Android champion, but that was 2010. Even for users loyal to the platform, they're normally not loyal to the OEM brand. It's quite conceivable that another Android vendor could supplant Samsung in exactly the same way that Samsung displaced HTC.
Source: IDC.
Maybe it won't be LG; maybe it'll be Chinese vendors like ZTE or Huawei, both of which showed up on the global top-five radar last year. This may be more likely, since LG still doesn't rank in the top five, although it ranks No. 5 in the U.S. with 6.8% of domesticsmartphone subscribers.
The whole reason Samsung has been trying to undermineGoogle Android lately in the first place is in an effort to differentiate itself and fend off commoditization, which reduces the chances that fellow Android enlistees will steal its crown. If any vendor is going to topple Samsung, chances are it'll be another Android OEM. So long as it all contributes to Android ubiquity, don't expect much preference out of Big G as to who wins. In fact, the search giant already isn't particularly comfortable with Samsung's dominance anyway.
Is Samsung about to get Samsunged?
While Android OEMs face inevitable commoditization, Apple's highly integrated strategy lends to inherent differentiation and dramatically higher loyalty among users. The company's iOS platform lacks the fragmentation that plagues Android, which is how the iPhone and iPad businesses are able to generate healthy recurring revenue streams. Apple has plenty of other opportunities, which The Motley Fool details in our new premium Apple research service. Get started by clicking here.
The article Is Samsung About to Get Samsunged? originally appeared on Fool.com.
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In 1947, Miss Dior was born, an ebullient, cajoling fragrance in which Jasmine from Provence mixes with sensual mosses and a surprising green note of Galbanum. Sprayed generously around the rooms, the first Dior perfume instantly charmed the audience at the New Look show. And hooked countless women, who flocked to 30 Avenue Montaigne to offer themselves this youthful, elegant Miss Dior.
Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet is a subtle floral composition that celebrates the beauty of flower buds and the velvet softness of petals. It is a delicate evocation of Christian Dior's legendary love of flowers.
And now, as the world changes at high speeds, reinventing daily life and removing boundaries, the House of Dior rolls out its new Roller-Pearl bottle. An innovative design, this new application method provides sensual, casual perfume application for an instant sensorial hit that adds new pleasure to perfume. A miniature and portable version of the original, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet Roller-Pearl is small but generous. Featuring a wide crystalline bead atop a gorgeously elegant and architectural bottle, Dior Roller-Pearl is also hermetic thanks to a screw-on cap.
One of the biggest challenges of on-the-go perfume application is the bottle size, which is beautifully addressed by this miniature Miss Dior accessory-style bottle. Fitting not only in the palm of your hand, but also in a purse, there will be no more carrying around a large 50 ml or 100 ml bottle. And removing another barrier to public perfume application (or PPA 😉 ), there is no spray to potentially offend another! PPA away with this beautiful Roller-Pearl! I personally cannot wait to throw this stunning bottle into my purse, and use it to my heart's content. (An aside from a new mom: spray perfume can sometimes also be offending to apply around baby. This gem will make it so much easier for me to apply a dab of my favourite Miss Dior as I'm running out of the house.)
Miss Dior Roller-Pearl is available in Limited Edition in Blooming Bouquet ($49) and Absolutely Blooming ($59), in a perfectly-sized 20 ml bottle, exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart stores and beautyboutique.ca starting today, April 20th!
For more information (no shipping to Canada), head to Dior.com!
What is your favourite Dior perfume or cologne?
If you liked this post, please take a moment to 'like' this post and/or comment! I love to read what you think.
(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)


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Plume Alum-See Cyclopaedia by E. Chambers, 1741, art. Allum, and so called by Wecker, De Secretis, lib. 3, cap. 2, and Agricola.
I will submit also that references exist in the history of remote ages to suggest the mysterious light now so freely handled and produced by electricity was not unknown to the ancient sages. Numa, King of Rome, studied electricity, and left pupils of his art, of whom we are told was his successor Tullus Hostilius, who was destroyed whilst endeavouring to draw down from heaven and coerce the electric fluid from thunder clouds, or, as they said, front Jupiter Tonans. Eliphaz Levi remarks-It is certain that the Zoroastrian Magi had means of producing and directing electric power unknown to us.-Historie de la Magie, p. 57. Mediaeval scholars have fully debated several points in regard to ever-burning lamps, but in all cases without arriving at any definite result; much erudition has been expended on the question whether a lamp found burning on breaking open a tomb was not ignited by the admission of air, and had not been actually burning until it was disturbed; there is modern evidence in favor of this view, from the analogy of some chemical experiments, as, for example, phosphorised oil is invisible in the dark when enclosed in a sealed vial, when this is opened a light pours forth. On the other hand, evidence exists that some of the lamps actually paled and went out when the cavern in which they were found was opened, as a fine metal wire made white-hot by electricity in a sealed glass vacuumed ceases to shine when the glass is broken; others again burned on and could hardly be extinguished by water or other means, until the arrangement of the lamp was broken.
By the Levitical Law-Lev. vi., v. 13-the fire on the altar of Jehovah was never to be allowed to go out; but we are not told that it was ever burning without supply. It has been suggested that if everburning lamps were ever known, they would have been found in this application; but we know that the sacred flame was allowed to go out, and was renewed from heaven on several occasions.-Lev. ix., 24; 2 Chron. vii., 1; 1 Kings xviii., 38. Other writers have taken the other side of the argument, viz., that the gift of a flame that would need no attention would have tended to idolatry, to which the Israelites were ever prone. The Chaldeans and Persians used to maintain a perpetual fire in the temples.
Salamanders Wool-So called by Friar Bacon and Joachimus Fortius.
Khunrath, in his Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae, cites the ancient author of The Apocalypse of the Sweet Spirit of Nature, as speaking of a liquid which burneth with a bright light and wastes not.
At the dissolution of the Monasteries in Britain, by order of Henry VIII., a tomb, in Yorkshire, purporting to be that of Constantius Chlorus, father of the Great Constantine, was opened and ransacked, and a lamp burning was found in it: he died 300 A.D.-See Camden Brittania (Goughs edition, III. p. 572.)
Kenealy in his Book of God calls attention to the name Carystios applied to the asbestine wicks of the lamps in ancient Greek temples, and draws attention to its relations to Chr. of Christos and to Eucharist, anointed with oil, as to everburning lamps before the throne, as in the Apocalypse.
When the intruder advanced, a portion of the floor moved with his weight, and the figure became raised up, at the next step the arm was elevated, and as the man took the third step the arm descended, shattering the lamp and extinguishing it. The man was terrified, and made a hasty retreat as soon as he recovered possession of his senses sufficiently to find his way out of the vault.
There is a curious reference of asbestos to fire, and the heat of the sun, in The Ecstatic Journey to Heaven of Kircher, where Casmiel, the genius of this world, gives Theodidaktos a boat of asbestos to embark in for his travels to and on the sun, the centre of heat. See Itinerar 1, Dialogue 1, cap. 5.
Two miles from Rome an inundation broke down a wall, and disclosed an ancient tomb; on the cover stone were the letters P.M. R.C. cum Uxore; in it an earthen urn was found; when fractured, a bituminous smoke issued; in the bottom was a lamp, which went out; the fragments were still oily; this became dry after exposure.-See Lowthorp, Abridgment of Philos. Trans., vol. III., sec. xxxv., also No. 185, p. 227.
Lazius, in his Comment. Reipub. Romae, writes that the Romans under the Empire possessed the secret of preserving lights in tombs by means of the oiliness of gold, resolved by their art into a fluid.-See lib. III., cap. 18.
Ceres=was called Taedifera=torch bearing.
The ordinary Englishman of to-day considers the idea of a lamp which should be everburning only less absurd than the idea of perpetual motion. To the dabbler in modern science it is but little less absurd, but to the deepest thinkers, and to Rosicrucians, a scintillula of light appears on this mysterious subject. The true adept has discovered that although Nature is bound in general laws which seem universal, yet in Nature herself evidence may be found, when properly searched for, that at certain times and seasons, and in certain modes, unknown to us, her laws are over-ridden and replaced by a power to which she, the mighty mother, has herself to bow. The pages of the history of the world present to us many instances of such events, which we generally class as miracles; some of them are as well authenticated as any points in ancient history. The Israelitic passage of the Red Sea, the swallowing of Jonah by a whale which brought him forth again alive, and the Ascension of Jesus, are examples. The power of prophesy is a contradiction of the ordinary powers of earthly beings, and is so far miraculous. Angel visitors come but rarely now from the realms of glory; is heaven more distant? Or have men grown cold? Rosicrucians are nothing if not Christians, and Christians have ever believed in miracle, or have ever acknowledged the existence of an Omnipotence who can act at times in such a manner as to leave the traces and steps of the process so hidden as to tempt scoffers to doubt, and doubters to scoff.
Linum Vivum-Mentioned by Plutarch, also as Linum Carpasium and Lapis Carystius-see De Defectu Oraculorum, and Pausanias in his Atticus.
In respect to the oil for the lamp, there is no consensus of opinion as to the nature of it; neither of the authorities who narrate the finding of the lamps describe it in any way, yet many Latin authors discuss it. Some speak of it as bituminous oil, derived from the earth, thus forecasting the recent extensive use of petroleum. None of them definitely associate it with any known animal or vegetable oil. Many mystic references are, however, made to the labours of the Alchemists, who thought it must be of the nature of an essential oil of Sol, the metal gold, to be derived from it by alchemic processes. Sol, they say, must be dissolved into an unctuous humour, or the radical moisture of Sol must be separated.-See Wolfhang Lazius, lib. III., c. 8, and Camden Brittania, p. 572. For, say they, inasmuch as gold is so pure that it bears repeated meltings without wasting, so if it be dissolved into an oily residuum, such should support fire without being consumed.
Rosicrucian and Alchemical doctrines, especially their views on the connection between Fire and Water, are brought into close apposition to the dogmas of the religion of the Hebrews in some portions, at least, of the sacred writings, notably in the volume of the Maccabees, Book II., cap. I., where we are told that when the Jews were led captive into Persia, the priest took the Sacred Fire from the Altar, and hid it in a dry, hollow place. Many years after, in more favourable times, Nehemiah sent priests to fetch this fire, nothing doubting its existence; they found water only in its stead. Nehemiah caused an altar of sacrifice to be made of wood and other materials, and this water was poured upon them, before all the people; when the clouds of the sky passed away, and the sun appeared; then the water that had been poured over the sacrifice burst into flame. The connection between Fire and Water again becomes prominent when we note the miracle of Elijah, who made a sacrificial altar, poured water on it, and fire from heaven burned up the water, on the occasion when he condemned the priests of Baal who could not do likewise.-See Kings I., cap. xviii. Blavatsky claims that at the present time the priests of the secret temples of the Buddhists in Tibet, India, and Japan, use asbestos as a wick in lamps, which burn continuously without replenishing. Trithemius, Libavius, his commentator, and Korndorf, about the year 1500, each composed a material, by chemical processes, which they professed would burn for ever. Mateer, a reverend missionary, states that he knew of a great golden lamp in a hollow place inside a temple at Trevandrum, kingdom of Travancore, which he had the best authority for believing had burned continuously for 120 years. The Abbe Huc, a great traveller, states that he has seen and examined an Everburning Lamp.
In 1484 died Christian Rosenkreuz, our great prototype; he was such a man; by the dispositions he made, and the Society he designed, he shook the whole Christian world for a century of years, and laid the first stones of the edifice we are still building to-day. In his tomb, when it was opened by the Fratres, in 1604, or 120 years after his decease, were found, besides other mysterious articles, lamps of a special and peculiar construction; hence the study of Sepulchral Lamps is one particularly germane to us. The discovery of lamps in ancient sepulchres, in some cases extinguished, in others burning with brilliance, was no rarity in the middle ages; but the destroying hands of the Goth and the Vandal have left few ancient tombs for modern research to explore. We have to content ourselves with the observations and reports of our forefathers, the narratives of Arabian, Roman, and mediaeval authors. No fewer than 170 such authorities have written on this subject. Many of these references, in Greek and Latin literature, to lucent bodies, phosphorescence, and mystic lamps found in tombs, deserve study, and will repay perusal.
Several of our most modern discoveries have been shown to have been anticipated by men who are contemptuously regarded by modern scientists. So it has ever been. Earth knows but little of its greatest men; its greatest men are but pigmies in the presence of time, antiquity, and futurity. Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers, said the poet laureate. The Christian Rosicrucian can only exclaim-
A lamp still burning was found during the Papacy of Paul III., about 1540, in a tomb in the Appian Way at Rome, supposed to be that of Tulliola, the daughter of Cicero. The tomb was inscribed: Tulliolae Filiae Meae; she died B.C. 44; it had burned over 1550 years, and became extinguished as soon as exposed to the air; the whole body was in perfect preservation, and was found floating in a vessel of oil. See Pancirollus, Rerum Memorabilium Deperditarum, vol. I., p. 115, Franciscus Maturantius, Hermolaus, and Scardeonius.
The ancients, we know, did try incombustible metal wires as wicks; but found that oil would not pass up them, as it does up fibres of cotton or wool.-See Philos. Transactions, No. 166, p. 806, of the year 1684.
Rosicrucian Thoughts on the Ever-Burning Lamps of the Ancients. By W. Wynn Westcott
A certain man, engaged in digging, having at a particular spot turned up the earth deeper than usual, came upon a door, which he subsequently was able to open, and found beneath it a descending passage with steps; these he descended, and ultimately, with much trepidation and many delays, he arrived at the entrance of a vault.
Rosicrucian Thoughts on the Ever-Burning Lamps of the Ancients. By W. Wynn Westcott, VIII., Frater Roseae Crucis.
The great tendency of the modern times has been to reduce all men to a level, a dead level, of mediocrity, an effort fatal to the supremacy of individuals, and which has tended to discourage research into the Hidden Mysteries of Nature and Science, as opposed to the parrot-like study of what are known as modern sciences, a study of enormous value to mankind, but yet not the stepping stones on the direct road to Deity. History then narrates the lives of many men, who, from the exhibition of uncommon powers and transcendent abilities and wisdom, are pointed out as the possessors of what we may fairly call occult Inspiration, Poeta nascitur non fit; but I should add Magus nascitur non solum fit. No accident of birth alone can make a Magician, but intensity of duly directed effort may do so in a certain number of persons with specially favourable mental powers. We may be all born with an equal right to existence; but it is absurd to say we are all to be chiefs or Magi, for, as we are told in the Masters Degree, some must rule, and some obey.
Thieves! Grasp not this gift sacred to Pluto, Ye are ignorant of what it contains hidden, For Maximus Olybius has enclosed in This small urn, elements digested with heavy toil, Let abundance be present in a second vase as a guardian to it, Lest the value of so much oil should perish.
Krs.=[Hebrew: KRSh]=sun=(Greek?-EO)Kupios= Cyrus.
The place became famous for some time as the sepulchre of a Rosicrucian, and was regarded as a triumph of mystic skill and knowledge, which at once proved the possession of undreamed of powers in the designer, and yet provided the means of as certainly keeping his secret. See also Spectator, No. 379, of 1712.
The Darkness of Death and the Darkness of the Tomb are, and have ever been, common phrases; no wonder, then, that the ancients sought to minimise it. Hence we find that the relatives of a deceased person were desirous of relieving the gloom hanging over the grave of a beloved wife, kind parent, or respected brother, by any means in their power.
Certain scholars have considered that the window mentioned as placed in the Ark of Noah was not such, as during a period of prolonged cloud and storm a window should not light such a chamber. In the Hebrew version of Genesis, cap. 6, v. 16, the word is tzer, which means something transparent, and is to be compared with the similar word zer, always translated splendour or light, hence they suggest that this tzer, or zer, was some form of ever burning light, or the universal spirit fixed in a transparent body, similar to the Mysterious Urim and Thummim.
But although perpetual motion be but a dream to us earthbound mortals, we do not doubt a future perpetual existence, and it is as reasonable to picture to ourself a perpetual flame, as an Eternity of Life. The ancient Egyptian priests pictured life as a flame. The Great Master of the Temple of this world being omnipotent, and able to do all things, does not usually proceed by miracles, or they will not be prized as such; an essence of miracle is rarity, a miracle imitated is not a second miracle. Ordinary events, then, being the extreme of opposition to miracle, there are yet events of a third and intermediate type, marvels, which cannot be understanded of the people, but which are yet the product of a special gift to certain men, their spirits, minds, and bodies, who by due, careful, and sufficient training, wisdom and experience, have earned such a reward.
An ancient Roman tomb was discovered in Spain, near Cordova, near the site of the ancient Castellum priscum; in this tomb was found a lamp. This lamp is described by Mr. Wetherell, of Seville. See an essay by Wray, Athenaeum, Aug. 8th, 1846.
Ludovicus Vives, 1610, in his notes to St. Augustine, says that in his fathers time, A.D. 1580, a lamp was found in a tomb, which from the inscription was 1500 years old; it fell to pieces when touched. This Commentator does not follow his master in his denunciation of these lamps, but says they must have been made by men of the greatest skill and wisdom.- See also Maiolus, Episcopus, Colloquies.
At Edessa, or Antioch, in a recess over a gateway a burning lamp was found by the soldiers of Chosroes, King of Persia, elaborately closed in from the air. From a date inscribed it was known to have been placed there soon after the time of Christ, or 500 years before. Beside this lamp a crucifix was found fixed.-See Fortunius Licetus, cap. vii., and Citesius in his Abstinens Consolentanea. In the volcanic island of Nesis, near Naples, in the year 600 a marble tomb was found, and when opened it contained a vase in which was a lamp still alight; the light paled and soon was extinguished when the vase was broken. See Licetus, cap. x. See Baptista Porta, Magia Naturalis, lib. xii. cap. ult., A.D. 1658.
See F. Licetus, cap. ix., and Scardeonius, De Antiq. Urbis Patavinae; Rubeus, De Destillatione, and Lazius, Wolfhang, lib. iii., cap.18.
Such should the typical Rosicrucian be, a terrestrial earthly Body, the Temple in which dwells a mind trained to understand the powers of Nature, and enshrined within this, as a canopy, should sit a Divine afflatus, a portion of the Spirit of God, an ala of the Celestial Dove who brooded over the chaos, and this spirit may by patent submission to Deity, and by active efforts at power, draw down to itself a commission to work wonders, and so do not as other men do.
Irish lore recounts a mysterious everburning flame in the Temple at Kildare, sacred to St. Bridget-Daughter of Fire.-See Giraldus Cambrensis, De Mirab. Hibern. 2, xxxiv.
Such a lamp is stated to have been found in 1401, in the reign of Hen. III., King of Castile, not far from Rome, on the Tiber, in the stone tomb of Pallas, the Arcadian, son of Evander, slain by Turnus Rex Rotulorum in the wars at the time of the building of Rome; nothing could extinguish the flame of this lamp until it was broken. On the tomb were the words: Filius Evandri Pallas, quem lancea Turni militis occidit, mole sua jacet hic.-See Martianus, Liber Chronicorum, lib. xii., cap. 67.
To include in the tomb a lamp and leave it burning was a kindly attention, even if it burned but one short hour; it was an offering to Pluto, to the Manes; it kept away spirits of evil, and preserved peace to the dead man: this knowledge of the limited time such a lamp could possibly remain alight acted, doubtless, as a stimulus to the discovery of a means of prolonging the burning power of a lamp indefinitely, and if I read history aright, in at least a few instances, the problem has been solved; so far at any rate as the manufacture of a lamp which should burn until deranged by the barbarian invader of its precincts. I shall narrate a few examples, premising that these are instances of different modes of obtaining the desired effect; besides these instances the ancient Latin authors speak of the use as illuminants, not alone of lamps, but of natural lucent bodies, which would suffice to dispel the gloom to some slight extent. Such were the diamond, the carbuncle, the glow-worm, the exposure of phosphorus to the air, the ignition of certain substances which burn alone without any wick or arrangement, such as camphor, which will burn even floating on water. The presence of a combustible gas, which issues from clefts in the rock in some mines and caverns, seems to have been known, and was probably taken advantage of by the ancient sages to enhance the mystery and majesty of their secret rites. It is very possible that some of the priests of old were aware of the lucent property of some forms of sulphide of calcium, which have attracted much attention the last few years, in the shape of luminous paint.
Abite hinc pessimi Fures Vos quid vultis, vestris cum oculis emisitiis. Abite hinc, vestro cum Mercurio Petasato caduceato que Donum hoc Maximum, Maximus Olybius Plutoni sacrum facit.
Plutarch in his work De Defectu Oraculorum, states that in a Temple to Jupiter Ammon a lamp stood in the open air, and neither wind nor rain put it out, and the priests told him it had burned continually for years.- See also Licetus, cap. v. Herodotus tells us that the Egyptians made a special and extensive use of lamps in the religious festivals, and that the Temples of King Mycerinus had many mysterious ones. Strabo, and Pausanias in his Atticus, narrate that in the temple of Minerva Polias, at Athens, there was a mysterious lamp of gold always burning; it was made by Callimachus. The altar of the Temple of Apollo Carneus, at Cyrene, was similarly furnished. A like account is given of the great Temple of Aderbain, in Armenia, by Said Ebn Batric.
Plutoni sacrum munus ne attingite fures, Ignotum est vobis hoc quod in urna latet Namque elementa gravi clausit digesta labore, Vase sub hoc modico Maximus Olybius. Adsit secundo custos sibi copia cornu Ne tanti pretium depereat laticis.
Amiantus-By Pancirollus, and by Lucius Vives.
On the smaller one were these words:-
This essay has already extended beyond the contemplated limits, so I refrain from a long resume. These pages provide much food for thought. That lamps have burned for long periods of time untended is testified to by more than 150 authorities, and some dozen instances of this marvel are borne witness to by a large proportion of these authors
The last relation which I propose to cite to you is from Dr. Robert Plot, the Archaeologist, written in the time of Charles the Second, as follows:-
From the time that has elapsed since everburning lamps were found, and from the comparative ignorance of the world at that period of the distant past, comes to our minds some hesitation and doubt as to accuracy of detail, and this is unavoidable.
Other authors, taking for granted that some of these lamps had burned for hundreds of years, have discussed the necessary relation between oil or liquid consumed and wick. With regard to wick, there are several names of substances proposed as incombustible; but they are probably only synonyms of one body, namely, asbestos, which is even now used in our gas fires. It does not consume, although kept constantly red hot with flames flickering over it. Other names for it were-
This underground chamber was lighted up by a lamp, which was placed in front of a statue of a man in armour sitting at a table, leaning on his left arm; in his right hand was a sceptre or weapon.
Numa Pompilius, King of Rome, who certainly experimented with the natural electricity of the clouds, built a Temple to the Nymph Egeria, and made in it a spherical dome, in which he caused to burn a Perpetual Flame of Fire in her honour; but in what manner this flame was produced we have no knowledge. Nathan Bailey, in his Brittanic Dictionary, 1736, remarks that in the Museum of Rarities at Leyden, in Holland, there were two of these lamps, only partially destroyed.
In a certain temple of Venus in Egypt there hanged a lamp which neither rain nor wind could put out, says, St. Augustine, in his work De Civitate Dei, lib. xxi., cap. 6, and he associates its make with Magic, and the Devil, as indeed do all Roman Catholic authorities whenever they mention any of these lamps. Fortunius Licetus describes this lamp in his work De Reconditis Lucernis Antiquorum, cap. vi., and see `Isidorus, De Gemmis.
Lead, kindly Light, lead thou me on; The night is dark, and I am far from home.
Jacobus Mancinus wrote to Licetus that he knew of a burning lamp dug up from the Monte Cavallo at Rome; it was still burning when found, and within it was a bituminous substance.
It may suitably be explained in this place that the oldest Alchemists held peculiar views on flame and fire. Fire was to them an element-one of four; there were two contraries in nature, three principles, and four elements. Fire, as such, should not need what we call fuel to consume; but only as a means of detaining it in a certain place.-See Licetus, De Lucernis, cap. 20-21 and Theophrastus. They said there may be a relation between fire and fuel of three sorts-if the strength of the fire exceed that of the humour, it presently burns out; if the humour be too strong for the fire, the fire departs; but if the radical strength of the humour and of the fire be co-equal, then, caeteris paribus, that fire would burn continually, until the surrounding states of radical moisture or natural heat should be altered by external circumstances, as if a flame be made to burn in a closed vault, it would depart when such was opened.
Hermolaus Barbarus, in his Corollary to Dioscorides, speaks of a wondrous liquor to sustain combustion, known to Democritus and Trismegistus.
Alchemy and its successor, Chemistry, are said to have originated in Egypt, that land of ancient marvels, and, indeed, these names are intimately related, the ancient name of Egypt being Chm or Land of Ham, from which the title Chymia, in Greek Chemi and Ges Cham is derived. The learned Kircher writes in A.D. 1650 that several travellers in Egypt found in his time Burning Lamps in the Tombs at Memphis.
Get ye hence, most wicked thieves, What do you desire with your rolling eyes? Get ye hence with your broad hatted Mercury Carrying a wand with twisted snakes. Maximus Olybius makes this, His greatest offering, sacred to Pluto.
But the consensus of ancient opinion must point to the broad conclusion that there formerly existed an art that has been lost in the dim light of the dark ages of the world. Pancirollus catalogues many other such lost arts, and modern science is flung back baffled from the performance of many a deed which could have been freely done by the ancient sages.
Asbestinum-Plutarch uses this term, Pliny, and Solinus, and Baptista Porta; Linum Asbestinum by Albertus Magnus.
A very notable example occurred in the discovery of lamps buried in urns about A.D. 1500; they were taken possession of by Franciscus Maturantius, and described by him in a letter to Alphenus, his friend; they had been buried 1500 years. A labourer at Ateste, near Padua, in Italy, found a sepulchre, in which was a fictile urn, and within it there stood another urn, and in this smaller one a lamp burning brightly; and on each side of it there was a vessel, or ampulla, each of them full a of pure fluid oil; one was made of gold, and the other one of silver. On the outer urn were these words engraved:-
Chrs., from this also comes Eros in Greek, material light coming from ineffable light.


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The fashion house DIOR was founded by the eponymous designer Christian Dior in 1947 in Paris. As early as 1937 whilst Dior was still working for Robert Piguet, he caused a sensation with his dress Café anglais. Ten years later he presented his first collection in the Avenue Montaigne in Paris - which was already an important center of the French fashion world.
His models, which he designed in collaboration with tailor Pierre Cardin, differed greatly from designs of other couturiers at the time, as their figure accentuating cuts created a slim waist thereby accentuating the upper body and hips. Numerous layers of fabric ensured skirts with enormous volume. With this "New Look," as it was titled by the press, Christian Dior at the age of only 42 won worldwide fame for his first presentation and became known in the United States.
A few years after this historic collection, Dior advanced to pioneer in the industry by being the first couturier producing accessories for men and women as well as jewelry and perfumes as a licensor. A business model that generated the most revenue for many fashion houses up until the present.
After Dior's death in 1957 his 21-year-old assistant Yves Saint Laurent took over the creative direction of the house DIOR and modernized it from scratch. After Saint Laurent's retirement due to health problems, Marc Bohan followed as the creative director and guided the fortunes of the House DIOR for 30 years. Under Bohan's direction the following lines were introduced: the first pret-à-porter, a collection for men and BABY DIOR, a line for children.
In 1984 the empire DIOR went into bankruptcy. Bernard Arnault took over and employed Italian Gianfranco Ferré as the creative director. In 1997 John Galliano followed, who was known for constantly causing a great stir with the press due to his eccentric, enigmatic personality and his extraordinary creations. After Galliano was forced to leave the company in early 2011, his assistant Bill Gaytten, in cooperation with Suzanna Venegas took over the creative direction of DIOR temporarily.
From 2012 and up to the last show in July this year, Belgian Raf Simons has been responsible for the pret-à-porter and haute couture lines for men.
Since its inception the name DIOR represents French luxury from Paris par excellence: Elegant fashion, accessories, seductive scents, haute joaillerie and horlogerie.
Apart from haute couture and pret-à-porter lines, DIOR offers exclusive jewelry and watches, cosmetics, skincare, and perfumes for women. The classics include the bags 'Lady Dior', 'Diorama' and 'Diorissimo', the eyewear model 'So Real', the watches 'La D de Dior' and 'Chiffre Rouge' and the scents 'Miss Dior', 'J' Adore' and 'Dior Addict'.


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Starting this week, our Twitter and Facebook accounts will be managed by our Senior Editor Meg Favreau and Community Coordinator Ashley Jacobs (who writes our Best Money Tips and Ask the Readers columns).
Our current social media manager, Kelly Whalen, has been a wonderful voice for Wise Bread. We're big fans of Kelly's talent and charisma. Unfortunately, so is the rest of the world! Kelly has been offered a ton of awesome opportunities, and she'll have to stop the day-to-day social medial work with Wise Bread to pursue them. In August Kelly is launching Splash Creative Media, an exciting new social media agency. She'll also be speaking at several conferences, including BlogHer, The Financial Blogger's Conference and BlogPaws.
The Centsible Life will continue to be Kelly's home on the web, where she'll focus on living the life of your dreams on a budget. She'll continue to tweet from @centsiblelife chatting about money, social media, and motherhood.
"It's been my a great pleasure to get to know the fans and readers of Wise Bread since they are such savvy people when it comes to spending smarter and living on less," said Kelly. "I've learned so much from them, and from working with Wise Bread and am grateful I got to be a part of such an amazing team."
We wish Kelly the best of luck!
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


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Co-Optitude is all about Felicia Day and Ryon Day hilariously playing through the co-op retro games their parents never let them have. This week's game is Donkey Konga 2 for the GameCube! Want to play them for yourself? Snag it here: amzn.to/1lV8CTa
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Felicia Day
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Executive Producers:
Felicia Day
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2015 Gastown Grand Prix
Denise Ramsden of Trek Red Truck Racing team leads the way as the crowd cheers her on.
Denise Ramsden of Trek Red Truck Racing team rounds the corner while maintaining a large gap between her and the peloton.
Alex Cataford (right) of Silber Pro Cycling leads the chase around the corner
2015 Gastown Grand Prix, men's race: Victory
Ryan Roth of Silber Pro Cycling crosses the finish line to win the 2015 Gastown Grand Prix Pro Men's race in Vancouver, Canada.


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This is the third (and perhaps final) post in a series on a study recently published in Neuropsychopharmacology which used risperidone (Risperdal) as an add-on treatment for depression. The study had three phases, as follows:
1) Participants who had not responded to 1-3 antidepressants other than (es)citalopram (Celexa or Lexapro) for > six weeks were assigned to open-label citalopram (Celexa) treatment for 4-6 weeks
2) Patients who failed to respond to citalopram were then assigned to open label risperidone (Risperdal) augmentation (add-on) treatment for 4-6 weeks
3) Patients whose depression remitted were then assigned to 24 weeks of either risperidone + citalopram or citalopram + placebo and the differences between risperidone and placebo for depressive relapse were examined.
Let's start with examining the differences between the trial report found on clinicaltrials.gov and the trial as published in Neuropsychopharmacology. The clinical trials report indicated that the primary outcome measures were: a) change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS); b) time to relapse, as measured by Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores.
Secondary measures include: a) Response rate, measured by at least a 50% improvement in MADRS score; b) Change in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and c) Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale scores.
Now, to the journal report. Under the results for the open-label risperidone augmentation, on page 9 of the early online version of the study, it is stated that the MADRS was "the primary measure used to assess depression severity." Nowhere are the results of the MADRS response criteria (>= 50% change in MADRS scores) reported. Where did this go? If this was a predetermined test of treatment response, shouldn't it be reported? While means and standard deviations of the MADRS are reported, the alleged measure for treatment response is strangely missing.
It's also unclear what happened to the CGI scores, as means and standard deviations for this instrument are not reported anywhere. It's mentioned that scores on this measure were used as one measure of relapse, but the means and standard deviations are missing.
Under the results from the double-blind continuation phase, we can see that the rate of relapse was 53.3% for risperidone and 54.6% for placebo. The time to relapse was 102 days for risperidone augmentation and 85 days for placebo augmentation, for which the associated p-value was .52. But a post-hoc analysis found the p-value of the difference in time to relapse was p <.05. The authors state that this difference was found because they switched to a linear ranks test. I'm no expert on this test, so I can't make a judgment, but I can say that I'm suspicious any time a p-value goes from .52 to .05 just by switching statistical tests. At the very least, an explanation in the article is in order, as it is noteworthy that just switching a statistical test made such a change in results.
Post-hoc analysis part 2. An additional post-hoc analysis was conducted using the subgroup of patients who were fully nonresponsive to citalopram monotherapy. In other words, the people who showed the poorest response to SSRI treatment were examined in separate analyses. Their median time to relapse and relapse rate were reported as significantly different, in favor of the risperidone group. The relapse rate was 56% in the risperidone group and 64% in the placebo group. The associated p-value was reported as .05. However, I conducted my own analysis and came up with Chi-Square = .922 and a p-value of .337. It is mentioned earlier in the paper that the authors used the Cochran-Mantel-Haenzel test and this explains how the p-value shrunk drastically. Again, a post-hoc analysis was conducted which changed the results substantially, yet the authors did not discuss reasons behind these large discrepancies. What this would appear to mean is that time to relapse differed substantially more than chance depending on the site where patients received treatment. The CMH test stratified by treatment site, which I believe would then account for differences due to treatment site. If treatment response really was dependent to a significant extent on the treatment site, this bears mention in the article, but such a discussion is nowhere to be found.
Table 2. The results here are quite interesting. This refers to the double-blind section of the study in which patients who had shown symptom resolution while receiving risperidone were randomly assigned to continue risperidone or to receive placebo. On the MADRS, patients receiving risperidone, on average, gained 11.2 points (i.e., their depression worsened by 11.2 points), whereas patients on placebo gained 10.4 points. Thus, there was a slight, but certainly not significant, difference in favor of persons on placebo worsening less than persons on risperidone. On the HAM-D, patients receiving risperidone worsened by an average of 7.6 points whereas they worsened by an average of 7.9 points on placebo. Between the two measures, it is clear that on average, there was very little difference between risperidone and placebo. However (and take out your notepads, please), patients in both groups got significantly worse over time in the third phase of the study. Thus, the scenario for the average patient is that he/she sees a relatively brief improvement in symptoms while taking risperidone then returns to a period of moderate depressive symptoms. The authors do not discuss that mean scores between groups did not differ at all in the third phase of the study.
The only evidence to emerge from this study, really, is that an open-label treatment resulted in a decrease of symptoms. If Janssen really wanted to impress, they would have included an active comparator. Say, an older antipsychotic, a so-called "mood stabilizer," or perhaps another atypical antipsychotic. Or, if not feeling daring, at least add a placebo to the mix. Based on the study results, we cannot even conclude that risperidone augmentation worked better than adding a sugar pill to SSRI treatment.
In summary, it is unknown what happened to some of the secondary outcome measures (CGI scores, MADRS response rate) and the statistical analyses used in some cases required more explanation, as their use led to a big change in interpretation of the results.
So what do we have here? I believe this is an excellent example of a study conducted for marketing purposes. I bet that many reprints of this article have been purchased by Janssen, which will be passed on by cheerleaders, er drug reps, to physicians in a ploy to market Risperdal as an adjunctive treatment for depression. Additionally, there are likely "key opinion leaders," perhaps including some of the study authors, who are willing to stump for Risperdal as an adjunctive treatment for depression at conferences, meetings, and dinners. With this study now published in Neuropsychopharmacology, there can be little doubt that such marketing strategies now have a glimmer of scientific sparkle on their side, although upon closer examination, the scientific evidence is very weak at best. Yet too few doctors will bother to perform closer examination of the meager science behind the marketing as the atypical antipsychotics continue their march toward rebranding as "broad spectrum psychotropic agents," as Rispserdal was referred to in this press release regarding the present study.
I encourage interested readers to also check out my earlier posts regarding the questionable authorship of the paper (possibly involving magic!) as well as the rather blatant undisclosed conflicts of interest associated with the study. This is so distressing that I think I'll have to chill out with a couple of Quaaludes, er, earlier versions of broad spectrum psychotropic agents.


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WASHINGTON - A Canadian-built helicopter that is powered by a human riding a bicycle has become the first winner of a decades-old US$250,000 (S$315,600) engineering prize, the US awarder said Friday.
The American Helicopter Society had never given out its Igor Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Award - initiated 33 years ago - until the team from the University of Toronto snatched it this week.
The challenge was to create a flying machine that would be able to reach a height of three metres, fly for 60 seconds by human power alone, and stay in a 10 by 10 meter area.
"It was long seen as impossible to win this," AHS International executive director Mike Hirschberg told AFP.
The winning vehicle is called the Atlas, and was designed by a team of about 20 students and young professionals.
The aircraft is extremely light - just 55 kilograms - but it spans a sprawling 49.4 metres.
"This is not about creating a practical machine," said Hirschberg.
"This is to set a challenge for young engineers, to harness their creativity and technical skills and to experience working as a team against really, extremely challenging requirements," he added.
"It is sort of like climbing Mount Everest for the first time - to prove it can be done."
The winning June 13 flight was pedaled by team leader Todd Reichert, 31, an aerodynamics expert and competitive speed skater.
Reichert is chief aerodynamicist at a company called AeroVelo, which was created by the students in their mission to win the competition's cash.
AeroVelo co-founder Cameron Robertson, 26, said the aircraft is designed to be ridden by someone 72.5 kg or less.
It also requires a fairly strong pedaler, requiring about one horsepower to operate, when the average person could probably manage a half horsepower, he said.
Robertson said the team was motivated by the prospect of "showing people that impossible is nothing."
The US$250,000 prize, which was formally awarded Thursday after about a month of technical review of the winning flight, was also a key factor.
Winning it will allow the team to invest more in AeroVelo and support research with the current crop of University of Toronto engineering students, Robertson said.
"We are not rich but it will enable us and the students with us to continue doing what we love doing," he said.
The prize is named for Igor Sikorsky, a Russian born engineer and pilot who came to America in 1919 and in 1939 designed and flew the first successful single main rotor helicopter in the world.
The amount was set at US$10,000 when the award was initiated in 1980 and was soon raised to $25,000.
But no-one ever won, and the programme stagnated through much of the 1990s and 2000s until Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation agreed in 2009 to raise the amount to US$250,000.
"That quarter of a million dollars absolutely brought out some of the best innovators and the best talents in tackling this challenge," said Hirschberg.
The first prize attempt at a human powered helicopter was by California Polytechnic State University, which flew its craft for 8.6 seconds at a height of eight inches off the ground in 1989, according to AHS.
A team from Nihon University in Japan set the endurance record for the prize with almost 20 seconds in 1994.
For the winning University of Toronto AeroVelo team, Robertson said the next lofty challenge is building an extremely lightweight bicycle that can reach human-pedaled speeds of 120 kilometres per hour.


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