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While the Home Alone and Saw films don't exactly seem like they were designed for the same audience, you could probably make a pretty solid case that the former helped prepare many kids for the latter, once they got old enough for horror movies. Given how many of us spent part of our childhoods taking sadistic glee in seeing the Wet Bandits fall victim to Kevin McCallister's elaborate traps, it's perhaps only logical that we would later seek out even more twisted thrills in Jigsaw's similarly intricate setups.
But according to one fan theory, the connections between these two franchises don't end there, with the claim being made that little Kevin and the psychotic Jigsaw are in fact one and the same. As another defender of justice who eventually went down the wrong path once put it, it seems that you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Apparently there are quite a few parallels between the behavior of the oft-neglected McCallister child and the killer also known as John Kramer. The theory, published on Grantland, observes Kevin's occasional hot temper, as well as his willingness to threaten others – often through the use of deceptive audio clips – to get what he wants. What's more, the writer points to similarities in the physical appearances of the two characters, along with the presence of a clown doll in Kevin's basement that's vaguely reminiscent of Billy the Puppet from the Saw movies.
But as you'd imagine, the real focus of the justification is the traps that each character sets up for supposed wrongdoers. The author includes a few amusingly horrific quotes from the writing of Dr. Ryan St. Clair of the Weill Cornell Medical College, who was asked to evaluate the extent of the injuries that burglars Harry and Marv suffered when they threatened to ruin Kevin's Christmas. Just take this excerpt about the doorknob that Kevin heated to unbearable levels – a seemingly fun bit of mischief that realistically would've yielded horrific results.
"If this doorknob is glowing visibly red in the dark, it has been heated to about 751 degrees Fahrenheit, and Harry gives it a nice, strong, one- to two-second grip. By comparison, one second of contact with 155 degree water is enough to cause third degree burns. The temperature of that doorknob is not quite hot enough to cause Harry's hand to burst into flames, but it is not that far off … Assuming Harry doesn't lose the hand completely, he will almost certainly have other serious complications, including a high risk for infection and 'contracture' in which resulting scar tissue seriously limits the flexibility and movement of the hand, rendering it less than 100 percent useful. Kevin has moved from 'defending his house' into sheer malice, in my opinion."
So, are these parallels between the two characters really enough to suggest that Kevin grew up to be the infamous Jigsaw killer? We're not convinced, but feel free to adopt this theory if you believe that Macaulay Culkin's family comedies could benefit from some darker undertones.
Because the Saw movies continue to bring in audiences, there's reportedly an eighth installment on the way, though details are very thin at the moment. Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, this may also be the closest thing we get to a Home Alone sequel for the time being.


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Source: Flatmattersonline
URL of the article: http://www.flatmattersonline.com/jean-william-prevost-wins-afa-round-3-in-winston-salem-nc
Congratulations to Jean William Prevost who took the win at Round 3 of the AFA flatland series in Winston-Salem, North Carolina this past weekend, in the expert class Ed Jolie took home the win, Bert Williams taking the Old's Cool win and Ty Howell won the beginner class.
For the Winston Salem stop, Bryan Huffman stepped up to organise the event. Big up Bryan!
Thanks to Todd Carter for all the podium shots and results.
Pro Class
1. Jean William Prevost
2. Austin Luberda
3. James McGraw
4. Jean-Francois Boulianne
5. Dax Wolford
6. Art Thomason
7. Steph Cerra
8. Will Redd
9. Bryan Huffman
10. Michael Shao
11. Joe Cicman
12. Nikola Olic
13. Todd Carter
Expert Class
1. Ed Jodie
2. Rennace Tomko
3. Kevin Edwards
4. Ron Monis
5. Marc Joseph
6. Anthony Schneidewind
7. Sean Porter
8. Kevin Washington
9. David McDuffie
Old's Cool Class
1. Bert Williams
2. Paul Vail
3. Lee Mejia
4. Dan Hull
5. Fox Kinsman
6. Todd Shoemaker
Beginner Class
1. Ty Howell
2. Justin Griffin
3. Justin Oh
4. Kim Klisiak
5. Bri Welch
More from the same site:

subset: commoncrawl


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If you're feeling a little uptight about your job these days, you're not alone. And if you're not feeling a little uptight, you should be.
That's because the employment figures released last week weren't so hot. Those lost jobs – the first time that's happened in four years – comes on the heels of a lousy housing market and continuing costly overseas military actions.
Of course, the more optimistic among you will cite the good retail sales figures and the strong corporate profits as signs that things will again be good, and that you've got no reason to be worried.
Are you absolutely sure about that? Well, if so, then continue on your merry way and don't worry about tomorrow. But for those of you who are concerned that your job may be threatened (remember, companies keep those profits high by using employees as commodities), then it's time to take stock and prepare.
While I've covered some of these in my "What To Do When You Lose a Job" posting, I'd like to beef it up a bit. Even if you feel like your job is safe, you'd be foolish to turn your nose up at these opportunities that will not only benefit your job now, but help you should the pink slip be in the next paycheck:
1. Attend the next professional event. You've been putting this off because, frankly, you're so exhausted after work the last thing you want to do is talk business and eat stale pretzels while trying to remember some guy's name you met a year ago. Go to the next event and not only should you learn everyone's name, but come away with at least three new contacts. Is your industry vulnerable to the ripples going on now in the economy? Are other companies already making noises about layoffs? What are other professionals in your industry seeing at their companies?
2. Do some snooping. Get to know the boss's executive assistant if you don't already. Get friendly enough to take him or her to lunch or meet for a drink after work. Is this assistant hearing anything about the boss being told to tighten the budget? Is the boss – or the boss's boss – thinking of jumping ship? What departments are scheduled for new training, and who is being cut off from decision-making?
3. Start blogging. Make sure it's OK with your company policy first, but this is a good chance to set yourself up as an expert in your area. Post important information from other sites, and refer readers to other places for information. Even if you aren't allowed to blog about your job, find other bloggers in your industry and post comments. This is a good way to become known for your knowledge and expertise.
4. Know what's being said about you online. You want to make sure that what is being presented about you online does not give a company the excuse it's looking for to get rid of you. Remove anything questionable, and ask friends to remove photos or descriptions that make you look or sound like a total moron or dangerous human being.
5. Know where the jobs are. Make sure you understand not only what you're worth, but what areas of the country (or world) are hiring people with your skills and abilities. Constantly assess your network and how up-to-date you are on current trends, how fast you could hit the ground running for a new employer. If you're lacking in an area, don't wait – get the training either through your company or on your own.
Remember, you want to make sure you've got a game plan in place before you see someone from security standing by your desk with a cardboard box. Waiting until you and everyone else from your company is filing out the door with those boxes could mean that you should have heeded this warning in the first place.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Job Loss: You Could Be Next
Labels: job loss, networking, unemployment
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The material below should be of help to individuals interested in planning and managing a variety of programs, conferences, workshops, and other types of meetings. It contains material I have created plus information from a wide variety of sources. If you have additional items, references, and/or links to suggest I add, please send me an electronic message.
Glossary of terms for conference and meeting planners.
Program planning facts, principles, and steps from the Iowa Cooperative Extension Service.
Program development and evaluation – information from the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service
Program planning and development – a logic model from the University of Missouri Cooperative Extension Service
An extensive look at planning from a systems approach. Intriguing but very complicated piece: A modeling approach to program evaluation.
A chapter I wrote several years ago on program planning and evaluation.
Roger's short planning model. His long model. And more details on the long model.
Rosemary Caffarella's interactive planning model with items or actions to consider when development programs.
Another planning model. Still another one. One called a front end analysis. And one more related to a front end analysis.
A variety of planning models. Another model completed as a class project. Additional model ideas. Planning elements from Cornell University. Conference planning ideas.
Program planning and procedures from the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium
Program planning and management, by Carter McNamara.
A group of graduate students at Florida State University created a wonderful page on programming in adult education.
Conference planning ideas and more on event planning.
A webinar planning checklist. Another webinar checklist. Planning virtual/hybrid conferences.
Here is a summary of the appropriate steps, processes, and decisions in designing an instructional process.
More information on instructional design.
Information on various needs assessment techniques and an overview of some needs assessment research information.
An interesting article describing what is continuing professional education.
Ideas as writing objectives from different philosophical viewpoints, executive summaries, criterion referenced testing, goals for a first team meeting, and stages of team growth.
Here is an interesting site on goals and objectives.
Several interesting ideas on prioritizing. Another one on prioritizing. And a third one on prioritizing.
Here is a piece on Critical Path Analysis, a time management tool.
Information on budgeting and finance considerations.
Conference expense categories.
Fifteen ways to save money on your next meeting or conference.
Considerations pertaining to advertizing and marketing your programs.
What you need to know about making conference brochures.
Information on computer software related to conferences. Meeting and conference-related software by ACEware Systems, Inc.
Thinking about catering?
Ideas for finding and working with presenters.
A worksheet for analyzing aspects of your target audience.
A conference planning schedule.
A conference planning timeline. Another way of looking at a program timeline.
Types of conference activities.
Meeting room styles.
A guide to program evaluation. Another excellent site on program evaluation. Finally, a basic guide to program evaluation.
Integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches in program evaluation.
Free resources for methods in program evaluation and social research.
Tips and tools for evaluating learning.
A variety of evaluation forms and Stephen Brookfield's Critical Incident Questionnaire for seeking evaluative information on a weekly class.
Quick tips for making your conference outstanding.
Giving program participants more than they expected.
Working with convention and visitors bureaus, hotels, travel agencies, conference committees, etc. – tips from a professional meeting planner.
Techniques, tools, and resources for the self-directed learner.
Finally, here is a lengthy portrayal of the efforts going into a very successful conference.
Roger Hiemstra
Updated July 6, 2012
Return to the home page.


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Falling in LOVE with Petunia Pickle Bottom all over again! These gorgeous bags need no introduction and I'm sure nothing I write here matters because the new Fall Collection of Petunia Pickle Bottom is STUNNING and they really just speak for themsleves but there is a brand new bag in town – that will need an introduction, The Wistful Weekender bag comes out September 15th and it's gorgeous!
So where do such gorgeous Baby Shower Gifts aand Chic New Mom essentials call home? Layla Grayce of course. If you have not stepped inside the decadent world of Layla Grayce, well get comfortable and settle in because you may be there for awhile. The boutique website is full of luxury baby bedding, blankets, nursery furniture, clothing, diaper bags, lighting, jewlery and fun accessories.
Free Gift Wrap on all Petunia Pickle Bottom
Free Shipping on over $50.00
Like Petunia Pickle Bottom on Facebook
Tweet with Layla Grayce


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Scientists have discovered what they think may be another reason why Greenland 's ice is melting: a thin spot in Earth's crust is enabling underground magma to heat the ice.
They have found at least one "hotspot" in the northeast corner of Greenland -- just below a site where an ice stream was recently discovered.
The researchers don't yet know how warm the hotspot is. But if it is warm enough to melt the ice above it even a little, it could be lubricating the base of the ice sheet and enabling the ice to slide more rapidly out to sea.
"The behavior of the great ice sheets is an important barometer of global climate change," said Ralph von Frese, leader of the project and a professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University. "However, to effectively separate and quantify human impacts on climate change, we must understand the natural impacts, too.
"Crustal heat flow is still one of the unknowns -- and it's a fairly significant one, according to our preliminary results."
Timothy Leftwich, von Frese's former student and now a postdoctoral engineer at the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets at the University of Kansas, presented the study's early results on Thursday, December 13, 2007, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
von Frese's team combined gravity measurements of the area taken by a Naval Research Laboratory aircraft with airborne radar measurements taken by research partners at the University of Kansas. The combined map revealed changes in mass beneath the Earth's crust, and the topography of the crust where it meets the ice sheet.
Below the crust is the mantle, the partially molten rocky layer that surrounds the Earth's core. The crust varies in thickness, but is usually tens of miles thick. Even so, the mantle is so hot that temperatures just a few miles deep in the crust reach hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit, von Frese explained.
"Where the crust is thicker, things are cooler, and where it's thinner, things are warmer. And under a big place like Greenland or Antarctica , natural variations in the crust will make some parts of the ice sheet warmer than others," he said.
The ice thickness, the temperature at the base of the ice, and ground topography all contribute to the forming of an ice stream -- a river of ice that flows within a larger ice sheet. In recent years, Greenland ice streams have been carrying ice out to sea faster, and ice cover on the island has been diminishing.
Once the ice reaches the sea, it melts, and global sea levels rise.
"The complete melting of these continental ice sheets would put much of Florida, as well as New Orleans, New York City and other important coastal population centers, under water," von Frese said.
The ice sheet in northeast Greenland is especially worrisome to scientists. It had no known ice streams until 1991, when satellites spied one for the first time. Dubbed the Northeastern Greenland Ice Stream, it carries ice nearly 400 miles, from the deepest interior of the island out to the Greenland Sea.
"Ice streams have to have some reason for being there. And it's pretty surprising to suddenly see one in the middle of an ice sheet," von Frese said.
The newly discovered hotspot is just below the ice stream, and could have caused it to form, the researchers concluded. But what caused the hotspot to form?
"It could be that there's a volcano down there," he said. "But we think it's probably just the way the heat is being distributed by the rock topography at the base of the ice."
Collaborator Kees van der Veen began working on the project when he was a visiting associate professor of geological sciences and research scientist at Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State. He is now at the University of Kansas.
"Recent observations indicate that the Greenland Ice Sheet is much more active than we ever believed," van der Veen said. "There have been rapid changes in outlet glaciers, for example. Such behavior is critically linked to conditions at the ice bed. Geothermal heat is an important factor, but until now, our models have not included spatial variations in heat, such as this hotspot.
"Our map is the first attempt at quantifying spatial variations in geo-heat under Greenland -- and it explains why the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream is where it is," van der Veen added.
To measure actual temperatures beneath the ice, scientists must drill boreholes down to the base of the ice sheet-- a mile or more below the ice surface. The effort and expense make such measurements few and far between, especially in remote areas of northeast Greenland.
For now, the researchers are combining theories of how heat flows through the mantle and crust with the gravity and radar data, to understand how the hotspot is influencing the ice.
Once they finish searching the rest of Greenland for other hotspots, they hope to turn their attention to Antarctica.
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Ohio State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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We took a spin to the Carolina beaches with our tent, swim suits, and food. South Carolina has a string of gorgeous state parks along the shore fully equipped with campgrounds, small stores and fire pits for each site. We chose Hunting Island south of Beaufort. It had the whole deal. You know. Crawling out of your tent on a pleasant morning looking at the surf rolling in.
So, on the first night we made a fire and grilled stuff on it as one should, right? We tried a medley of sausages and hot-dogs on the griddle over the pit. The kicker, though, were our cobs of corn. We left them in their husks and grilled them whole.
For a little freshness we cut up a few cucumbers and peppers to nibble on.
That was it. Easy, fun, yummy, and healthy. We are planing to collect more ideas for easy campsite foods. For the next trip.


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Traffic between Brainerd and Crosby is going to have to take the long way around, this summer. Eleven miles of highway 210 will be tore up and replaced starting in June. Shoulders and turn lanes as well as intersections will be improved.Starting after the 4th of July, traffic will be detoured on to Oak Street in Brainerd to State Highway 18 east of town to Minnesota Highway 6. Traffic will then head north to the intersection just east of Deerwood. That busy intersection will gain a temporary mini-round-about. According to the MN DOT website, before the main construction on 210 can occur the detour needs to be completed:
HWY 210 will close and detour along HWY 25 Brainerd, HWY 18 to HWY 6 Deerwood and HWY 6/HWY 210 to Crosby-Ironton. Detour map, PDF
To improve traffic flow and ease congestion on the detour, MnDOT will install a:
- Temporary mini roundabout at the east intersection of HWY 6 and HWY 210, just north of the railroad tracks, in Deerwood. Watch for trains, and stay off railroad tracks.
- Temporary traffic signal at the "T" intersection of HWY 25/Mill Ave and the westbound HWY 210 access connection to HWY 25 in Brainerd.
- HWY 18 bypass lane at the HWY 6 intersection near Bay Lake.
MN DOT states that access to businesses and residences to be maintained and open, however expect some changes and gravel surfaces. The road will be temporarily impassable at some locations to complete underground work, seek nearest alternative route. Work area map, PDF
You can see a comprehensive plan of the project and more information at the MN DOT website: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/projects/2019/h210/


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8455 Colesville Rd, Ste 935
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3319
Phone: 800-227-0216
Website: abledata.acl.gov
Comprehensive database of assistive technology and rehab equipment, and child appropriate toys.
Antoni Toys & Products for the Physically Challenged
PO Box 1662
University Station
Portland, OR 97207
Phone: 800-826-8664
Brennan Enterprizes
905 So. Perry St
Johnstown, NY 12095
Phone: 518-762-1045
Adapted toys focusing on children's abilities.
Constructive Playthings
1227 East 119th Street
Grandview, MO 64030
"The Best Toys, Books & Videos for Kids"
Exceptional Parent Library/The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
Phone: 800-535-1910 or 800-544-8697
A comprehensive guide to more that 1000 classic and new products and expanded chapter on adapting toys.
Communication Skill Builders
3830 E. Bellevue
Tucson, AZ 85716
Phone: 602-323-7500
Publishes educational materials that aid children of all ages who have learning disabilities.
Crestwood Company
6625 N. Sidney Place
Milwaukee, WI 53209-3259
Phone: 414-352-5678
Catalog of 237 devices designed to assist children with communication difficulties.
Different Roads to Learning
12 W. 18th St, Suite 3E
Phone: 212-604-9637 or 1-800-853-1057
Fax: 212-206-9329 or 1-800-317-914
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: difflearn.com
Discovery Toys
Phone: 800-426-4777
Offers toys, books, games and tapes through home demonstrations.
Flaghouse Inc
Phone: 914-699-1900
"Special Population" catalog offers equipment, games, recreational supplies and adaptive toys.
Fun-Attic, Inc.
3719 Jasmine NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Phone: 616-559-3642
Fax: 603-215-2856
Website: www.funattic.com
Funtastic Therapy
Phone: 800-531-3176
Catalog features toys, games, books, & educational aids for children with learning disabilities, ADD & developmental delays.
Handicapable Operated Play Equipment (HOPE)
Innovative Products, Inc
830 South 48th St
Grand Forks, ND 58201
Phone: 800-950-5185
Motorized miniature toy truck (Bigfoot). Allows children with motor skill development disabilties to control their own movement, improves coordination and visual skills.
J.A.Preston Corp
Phone: 800-631-7277
Catalog offers physical therapy, rehabilitation and special education products.
Jesana Ltd
PO Box 17
Irvington, NY 10533
Phone: 800-443-4728
Catalog features communication, recreation and adaptive devices for children with special needs.
Kapable Kids
Phone: 800-356-1564
Catalog offers products adapted and designed for children with special needs.
Kaplan School Supply Corp
Phone: 800-334-2014
Catalog of developmentally appropriate learning materials features and Early Intervention Classroom List, offering products that focus on special needs.
Lakeshore Learning Materials
2695 E Dominquez Street
PO Box 6261
Carson, CA 90749
Phone: 800-421-5354 or 310-537-8600
Fax: 310-603-2991
Toys that help kids learn about disabilities.
Move International
1300 17th Street, City Centre
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: 805-636-4561
National Autism Resources
6240 Goodyear Rd.
Benicia, CA 94510
Toll Free: 877-249-2393 (Monday – Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. PST)
PCA Industries
Playgrounds for the Disabled
5642 Natural Bridge
St Louis, MO 63120
Phone: 800-727-8180
Rich Rider Trikes
8131 Allport Avenue
Sante Fe Springs, CA 90670
Phone: 310-693-6372
Safe, adjustable, accessible trikes
Southpaw Enterprises
Phone: 800-228-1698
Offers therapy equipment for children with special needs.
Step N Go
Treadle Power,Inc.
6 Linden Terrace
Burlington, VT 05401-4928
Phone: 802-862-2980
Fax: 802-864-6156
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Step 'n Go is a 3-wheel, step-action, self-balancing cycle which combines gentle weight bearing aerobic exercise with the excitement and fun of biking.
The National Lekotek Center
2100 Ridge Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 800-366-PLAY
A nonprofit organization that runs resource centers across the country and offers extensive library of toys, adaptive equipment, electronic playthings, and books.
The Right Start
Phone: 800-LITTLE1
Catalog offers developmental toys, equipment & accessories.
Therapeutic Toys
Phone: 800-638-0676
Toy Manufacturers of America
200 Fifth Avenue, Suite 740
New York, NY 10010
Information on labeling, safety features, and toy selection.
Toys for Special Children
385 Warburton Ave
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706
Phone: 800-832-8697
Offers catalog of toys, computer interfaces, switches & other devices for kids with disabilities.
Toys R Us
"Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids"
PO Box 8501
Nevada, IA 50201-9968
Triaid, Inc
PO Box 1364
Cumberland, MD 21502
Phone: 301-759-3525
Offers the Terrier Tricycle for physically challenged rider.
USA Toy Library Association
2530 Crawford Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 708-864-3331
W. M. Smith & Assc, Inc
PO Box 398
Ellensburg, WA 98926
Phone: 800-426-9460 or 800-443-SWIM
Offers water toys and handicap access for water recreation.
PO Box 2127
Waldorf, MD 20604
Phone: 800-638-9663
Special playset for special people.
ZYGO Industries
Phone: 800-234-6006
A catalog of augmentative devices (i.e. talking boards) for children with special needs.


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its a cool game but I suck aligning the circles. is there a trick to it?
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Assemble the commodity-chain for a rare mushroom in my attempt at a post-structuralist puzzle game. Based on Anna Tsing's The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins.
Also many thanks to Eli Cauley (@small_signs on Twitter, Crawlspace on itch.io)! He very generously shared the effect from his wonderful game Cabin, which is used here for the edge of the map. His comments on a draft build also infinitely improved the game's final quality!
CONTROLS: AWSD to move, QEZC to interact
|Windows, macOS, Linux
|Made with
|Adobe Photoshop, Unity, Blender
|artgame, Economy, Experimental, First-Person, leftist, weird
|Average session
|About a half-hour
|Keyboard, Mouse
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Hey! Yeah, that puzzle turned out a lot more difficult than I intended... You've got to align them so that all the icons overlap in the very middle of the screen. Here's a screenshot of the setup: https://imgur.com/a/94zIIqZ
Hope that helps!
thank you for the solution! but I feel like such a loser asking what I do next after I aligned. I want to see the ending lol
No worries! There are four separate puzzles which you have to complete:
- Aligning the circles
- Selecting words for each sentence of the little narrative with Q and E
- Using the mousewheel to select the mushroom on the centre pedestal
- Using QEZC to change the grid lines so that the centre pedestal and each of the icons are separated by a line, like this: https://imgur.com/54VY8Qu (a barcode will appear when you've got it right)
Then when you do all that, just interact with the centre pedestal to finish!
I too got a bit stuck. I figured out the mouse wheel movements (I think) and I moved the circles around but . . . I made it no further than Coconut Mousse. Is there more to the puzzle than shown in CM's video? Is there an obvious ending?
That said, thanks for pointing out The Mushroom at the End of the World! A copy is winding it's way to me via the Brooklyn Public Library and Ms. Tsing's work in general looks very interesting.
There is an ending, yeah - did you manage to align the icons on the circle screen? The idea is to get them all to overlap on a single point.
And I'm really glad to hear you'll be having a look at the book! It's a wonderful read on so many levels, and this game really only delves into a small part of it.
Thanks! I went back and aligned the icons. (I _thought_ I aligned them earlier and they didn't do anything but apparently I just got close the first time.) I quite like the design of Acephalus and it's great to play with a game that is different from other games. Considering it's a short game, the feeling that a much larger world of mushrooms is condensed into the experience is an amazing design feat! However, I'm going to wait until I've had a chance to look at the Tsing book before I say more. (And, as much as I like Lieve Oma, I'm not going to mention Lieve Oma here :))
Excellent little puzzle game! I think it turned out really well. And I'm still such a fan of the mushroom colored almost sketch book aesthetic of the whole game. I can' wait to what you have in store next.
i dont understand what this puzzle is? i made some video of this game, this is a great game but we need a little hint please. hope this game get better update. i dont know if its a glitch or not and when i recording it, it has no sound
Hey, thanks for the video! Two quick hints: try scrolling the mouse wheel in the main room and try dragging the circles on the screen with the rotating parts. Hope that helps!


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Friday, November 06, 2009
Fall leaf watching
It's near da end of fall and I'm watching all da leaves fall down. I watched all day long. Is is efun more fun dan watchin birdies. It was so much fun I watched for hours an hours. We gots big windows so I could watch dem fall down from way up high. I watched all day long as more and more leaves camed down. Den I watched as owr humans tried to rake dem all up. Angie tried to jump in da big leaf pile but she had more fun pouncin on da leafs. She watched da leaves come down too.
We has lots of trees in da yard. One is a maple and da ofurs are Sick-a-mores. Dey has dat funny name cuz day always look sick like dey got a disease or somefin. But dey am fun trees cuz I gets to bring da furry ball fings dat fall off dem into da house an play wif dem. Dey roll around on da floor reel good.
Haf fun leaf watchin if yoo in a fall leaf area too. Show us yur leaves owt yur window.
~Beau Beau & Angie
14 comments:
all the leafs falled off our tree a couple of weeks ago. we just haf a nekkid tree now.ReplyDelete
What a wonderful giant window you have to look out of!ReplyDelete
Love these great photos! We have a walnut tree across the street from our house, so we are watching the squirrels gathering nuts. The leaves on that tree haven't started to fall you, but they are turning yellow.ReplyDelete
Enjoy leaf watching this weekend!
Purrs, Busby and Raymond
The leaves do not change colors and fall down where I live. Except one tree, but that happens in April! You are lucky!ReplyDelete
We love watching the leaves fall too! Most of them have fallen off...so now we get to watch them blow around when it's windy!ReplyDelete
We've been going crazy watching the leaves in our backyard - there's so many of them and we want to chase all of them!ReplyDelete
It's great that you have such big picture windows to watch from!
Charlemagne and Tamar
Oh those are lovely fall leaves. You have a great window to watch from. We don't really have fall leaves--all of our trees are something called 'evergreen' (except one in the back next door) They are certainly pretty now.ReplyDelete
We leaf watch, too, but Buddah thinks the leaves are alive and tries to hunt them through the window. When it gets windy and they blow around, he gets so excited I think he might be peeing just a little...ReplyDelete
We have a big old oak tree in our garden and we watch the leaves fall. It is almost as much fun as jumping in the middle of them when mum has made them into a pile. Sometimes the acorns hit us when they drop off and we think it might be squirrels throwing them at us.ReplyDelete
Oh, watching leaves fall down is really fun! Maybe we should haf a big leaf watching party and just move from house to house looking out windows and wathcing dem! Dat would be great.ReplyDelete
The leafs are just about all gone here Victor. The tree dropped them, mum moves them off the grass and the village picks them up and takes them away. Just a few left to chew up with the grass eating monster now.ReplyDelete
Plus I agree, big windows that go to the floor a nice!ReplyDelete
We don't have any leafs to show 'cause they're all on the ground blowin' around.ReplyDelete
Your friend
- Anonymous3:43 AM
OH, I thought that was a picture of myself!ReplyDelete
Birds and leaves are so much fun to watch and chase!!


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SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE – STEWART FRIESEN (61st career win at Fonda), Matt Sheppard, Rocky Warner, Michael Maresca, Matt DeLorenzo, Anthony Perrego, Jessica Friesen, Danny Varin, Josh Hohenforst, Brian Gleason, Adam McAuliffe, Larry Wight, David Schilling, Craig Hanson, Dave Constantino, Bodie Bellinger, Allison Ricci, Pep Corradi, Jeff Hoetzler, Kyle Coffey, Troy Palmer, Brian Calabrese, Brian Pessolano, Roger Henion Jr., Rich Christman, Darwin Greene.
Lap leaders – 1-13 Michael Maresca, 14-30 Stewart Friesen.
Heat race winners received $100 from Palmer's Service Center – Stewart Friesen, Larry Wight, Anthony Perrego, Josh Hohenforst. Thanks to Palmer's Service for their support of the Fonda Speedway.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – BRETT MORTENSEN (third career win in the division), Dylan Eldred, Jeff Lutes, John Young, Pete Nowicki Jr., Kyle Dingman, Harold Robitaille, Bill Port, Spencer Rapp, Yule Cook (DQ), Kadon Hohensheldt (DQ), Carter Gibbons (DQ).
Lap leaders – 1-15 Brett Mortensen.
Heat race winners – Spencer Rapp, Brett Mortensen.
ROBERT'S TOWNG & RECOVERY STREET STOCK FEATURE – AL RELYEA (first career win in the division at Fonda), Dave Horning Sr., Michael Arnold, John Bradt, Jim Duncan, Mark Burch, Janal St. Pierre, Jason Samrov, Harley Sheppard, Lou Gancarz, Zach Sorrentino, Josh Samrov.
Lap Leaders – 1-8 Jason Samrov, 9-15 Al Relyea.
FOUR CYLINDER CRUISER FEATURE – JUSTIN POPE (first career win in the division at Fonda as a DOHC), ZACH MCSPIRIT (first career win in the division at Fonda as a SOHC), Wayne Russell, Bubba Cook, Ken Hollenbeck, TJ Marlitt, Chris Pierce, Mike Landux, Riley Pedrick, Dale VanAllen, David Peek-Britten, John Napoli, Justin Sargalis, Jeffrey Tubbs, Shawn Hemstreet, Pat McSpirit.
Lap Leaders – 1-12 Justin Pope.


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There is no doubt about the power of storytelling. The ways that we, as humans, connect and relate to one another involves story one hundred percent of the time. We are constantly telling parts of story, whether the story is our personal history, or the collective story. When you are trying to connect your business to customers, you have to have a compelling story to tell.
As much as it seems counterintuitive, your story has to be personal. For most customers, it's hard to connect to a generic plotline with static or uninteresting details and characters. When your aim is to reach new people, you have to start with who you are, and most importantly what part of that story they should connect and resonate with. That comes through personal details, value sharing, and laying out the vision. Do you value transparency, and if so how do you work to achieve it? Share those more personal messages in your company's story.
You might be thinking that you have a very specific brand of content to share, and there is no way to connect that to a more general audience. Challenge that thought – and yourself – to think about how to present your story in a more relatable way. We all know that when you are presenting high level ideas, best practice is to bring down the language and jargon to a general level for the layman. In a good story, you don't have to sacrifice language for likes, because when you build a relatable story it is as much about the emotion you convey as it is about the language that you use. Think about reading the classics; we no longer use language the same way as Shakespeare did, but the feelings and ideas of the story still translate today.
One of the most powerful and quick ways to connect through story is to convey an emotion. Perhaps you want to convey a sense of hope, resilience, urgency – whatever it is, your content should evoke that. It also needs to happen fairly quickly with what we will call a hook. Once you have a hooked, engaged audience that person is most likely to connect to your story and want to connect to your services.
Telling stories is a practice that can be traced back to the beginning of time. Good companies use stories to connect to their intended audience, and then to build relationships! Once you have tapped into the art of telling personal, relatable, and emotion conveying stories you will see the benefits.


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Blood tests that measure a person's antibodies to the coronavirus could be a powerful tool to determine when it's safe to reopen the country.
But concerns about the accuracy and availability of the tests — which detect whether a person has ever been exposed to the virus, and are different from the tests used to diagnose the disease — could hamper plans to allow Americans back to work and school.
More than 90 antibody tests are now on the market, but only one has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. The others "may not be as accurate as we'd like," agency chief Stephen Hahn said Sunday.
And public health experts are warning that just because a person has antibodies to the coronavirus doesn't mean they are immune to it.
Here's what you need to know about antibody testing — including why it's unlikely we'll be able to crowd into a bar or a baseball stadium anytime soon.
1. How do the tests work, and what can they tell us?
Antibody tests, also known as serological tests, analyze a person's blood for evidence that they have been infected with the coronavirus — even after they have recovered.
That data can help public health experts better understand how many people have been infected and adjust their models of the U.S. outbreak, said Kelly Wroblewski, the Association of Public Health Laboratories' director of infectious diseases.
Widespread antibody testing could also help inform decision making about when to start reopening parts of the economy, but scientists aren't sure if surviving a coronavirus infection confers immunity, how strong that immunity might be and how long it could last.
"Just because you have antibodies doesn't mean you have immunity," Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of the Emory School of Medicine, told reporters Friday.
Wroblewski said that while it's reasonable to assume survivors gain some level of immunity, it is important to proceed with caution. "Everybody is being optimistic you have some sort of sustained immunity for at least the ensuing months to a year," she said. "But it is still somewhat an assumption."
2. What's the government doing to ensure the tests are accurate?
The FDA said in March that it would allow companies to develop and distribute validated antibody tests without review under certain circumstances — including that test-makers notify the agency and include disclaimers in test results.
More than 90 tests are now on the market, and most have bypassed FDA review. Diagnostic manufacturers, public health labs and commercial labs have raised concerns about the accuracy of these tests. They want the FDA to take a tougher regulatory approach to ensure the quality of antibody tests.
Top government officials, including HHS testing "czar" Brett Giroir and Hahn, have said the public should only rely on antibody tests reviewed by the FDA. But the agency has given emergency authorization to only one such test, manufactured by Cellex.
"There should be a strong evaluation process that goes on ahead of getting these tests out there," APHL CEO Scott Becker told POLITICO.
The National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA are each working to assess the accuracy of antibody tests that haven't yet undergone FDA review.
"There has been some concern about the accuracy of at least some of these tests, so the FDA in collaboration with other agencies is standing up a voluntary program to help address and verify their accuracy," FDA diagnostics chief Tim Stenzel said on a webinar last week.
3. Will widespread antibody testing be available soon?
The Trump administration said over the weekend that it would require most private insurers to cover coronavirus antibody testing at no cost to consumers. But so far, very few Americans have undergone such testing.
Giroir and other members of the administration have predicted that "tens of millions" of antibody tests will soon be under production, but it is unclear how soon they will reach the public.
"I think we're still weeks away from the logistical aspects of this kind of mass testing program," Becker said. "We in public health are looking for a high-quality test that can be used for serology studies to understand the dynamics of immunity within each community."
Once the logistics of administering tests are resolved, frontline health care workers should have priority, said former acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt. That can help workers who suspect they've been exposed to the virus return to work if they have antibodies.
"It will be important in the future and at least important for health care workers in New York and other places," Slavitt told POLITICO. But until more is understood about potential immunity gained after being exposed to the virus, he added, antibody tests are "unlikely to be a game changer."
4. Could the tests help the U.S. ease social distancing measures?
Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, last week raised the possibility of issuing "immunity certificates" to people who test positive for coronavirus antibodies.
But antibody tests cannot be the sole mechanism for deciding who can return to work, according to Gigi Gronvall, an associate professor of immunology at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Doing so may induce perverse incentives for people to lie about their antibody status or purposefully try to become infected.
"If you're going to develop a system like that, you need to make sure it's legally okay," Gronvall told POLITICO. "You can imagine there would be some HIPAA challenges and also employment discrimination challenges."
Another worry is that the use of antibody tests to reopen parts of the economy may give the public a false sense of security. Allowing some people to return to work could cause others to become less diligent with social distancing measures before it's safe to do so.
"The federal government should probably right away say how [the tests] ought to be used, or at least how they should not be used," Gronvall said. "Businesses will certainly start using them, and I worry about the consequences for public health if people decide that their employment rests upon getting this disease."


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Santa Fe's style isn't really known in a positive light. Most of the shops don't offer anything for anyone
under the age of 50 and are outrageously expensive for no good reason; then there's the mall; the end.
But there is a store giving hope to the word "style" in Santa Fe.
Really, it was Elle Magazine's finding. In an upcoming piece by the magazine about the "50 states of
fashion," the writers found, in the bat-cave of downtown (the Railyard), Daniella. Yes folks, the cotton-
candy-colored light at the end of the tunnel is really the pink sign for Daniella. Owner Daniella Fox
arrived from the east coast 10 years ago and wasn't planning on staying, but she got some gigs at local
clothing shops and realized she was great at sales. She has a background in marketing, advertising and
promotion, but within the music business. When asked what made her decide to make the huge change
into owning her own clothing store, she says, "It came from meeting and working with people. A lot of
my life I've wanted to look good and feel good. Everyone needs to come into here [Daniella] and have a
good time."
Three years ago, Daniella opened her store's doors in the throes of the economic crash. "I don't know
good times," Daniella says. She's in her shop seven days a week working on making her store a better
place to be. Her business' inner workings are evident on the surface. Daniella has used the other places
she's worked as a comparison for her own shop and how to improve it. She feels it's important how you
treat the people working for you. "I keep evolving," she says.
Upon entering the store, I was greeted kindly by the girls working there and chatted amiably with them
while I waited to meet with Daniella. There was a very relaxed feeling as one of the girls showed me
around the store. Y'all, this stuff is cute; they play fun music in there; and I didn't see one thing that I
didn't want to try on. One of the best parts is that they carry brands that no one else carries in the Fe
(I'm looking at you, hipsters). Also they're like the czar of jeans; everyone needs a pair that makes your
butt look good. Go make your own opinion about it. It's in the Railyard next to Flying Star and REI. The
Railyard is pretty much walking distance from everywhere, so you don't have an excuse.
Santa Fe Reporter


text: SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS007 ARLS007 Columbia recovery effort over for Texas hams ZCZC AS07 QST de W1AW Space Bulletin 007 ARLS007 From ARRL Headquarters Newington, CT February 14, 2003 To all radio amateurs SB SPACE ARL ARLS007 ARLS007 Columbia recovery effort over for Texas hams Ham radio support for the shuttle Columbia debris search and recovery effort in Nacogdoches and San Augustine counties in Texas wrapped up February 12. US Forest Service personnel were scheduled to assume the support role hams had filled in East Texas for nearly two weeks. South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Bob Ehrhardt, W5ZX, praised amateurs for their professionalism and dedication. Ehrhardt said the weather often was rainy and cold with some sleet--and the brambles and briars in the forest did not help. Ehrhardt said the agencies the hams worked with were pleasantly surprised, and pleased, too. As he put it: ''I know that we changed several minds that we could get the job done.'' Hams spent about 12 days in the Columbia search-and-recovery effort, using GPS and off-the-shelf computer mapping software to pin down and report the locations of debris items as they were sighted. Preliminary numbers reported this week indicated that 198 amateurs logged in at one time or another in Nacogdoches County and 148 in San Augustine County. An estimated 80 percent of the participating amateurs were from outside the two counties. NNNN /EX


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Do you want to celebrate the life of someone you care about and support our vital work? Giving a Gift in Memory is a special way to remember a loved one and helps us continue our work and support more people at sea.
Your loved one may have had a connection to seafaring or the Mission and setting up a tribute is the perfect way to ensure their memory lives on.
We're very grateful for any donation, no matter how small, as anything you give really does make a difference. You can also make a legacy donation for someone who is already listed on our website.
There are three ways you could set up a new Gift in Memory:
Collection at funeral, make a gift or tribute in Memory by setting up a new memorial below, or leave a legacy in your will.
Please type the name of the memorial you are looking for in the box below:
Celebrate the life of a loved one while supporting our vital work by giving a gift in memory of a departed loved one is very special. We know how important it can be to keep that memory alive.Set up new memorial


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Rustic cooking tools and knives have been produced from old steel tool parts as a result of testing a new forge and other knife-making equipment at Hovey's Knives of China's shop in Georgia. A rib flipper and forge tool have been made from a piece of lawnmower steel, and a Chef's knife was cut from a 100-year-old blade from a scythe.
These Billy Joe Rubideoux products are named after a fictional character from Plaquemine Parish in the Louisiana Delta. Raised in the water-logged swamps below Lafitte, Billy Joe had a hard-scrabble existence where trips to town were infrequent. If he needed a tool, he had to make it or do without. Working in this tradition, a rib flipper was made for turning meat on a charcoal grill and the rounded piece of left-over steel was used to pound out a forge-cleaning tool.
The rib flipper
Anyone who cooks on a grill must turn their meat. The most commonly use tools to flip ribs, turn chickens and move chops are spatulas, tongs and forks. None of these are very efficient. A piece of steel from the bottom of a riding lawnmower had a curved shape and appeared that if it was straightened and handled would be ideal for that purpose.
The steel was heated on the forge to the point where it could be pounded flat, cut and ground. The result proved to be a somewhat dogleg-shaped object that only needed a handle to be functional. I used a piece of salvaged wormy tea olive as a fitting grip for this tool and designed an asymmetrically – shaped grip that could be held horizontally in the hand. This grip proved ideal for turning ribs and other objects on the grill and outperformed anything I had used.
As the carbon steel in the flipper easily rust, I polished it with a steel wheel and coated it with canola oil to provide a non-toxic protective coating. Square holes in the flipper's blade provide a handy means for hanging on the sides of my smoker. More custom flippers will be made in the Billy Joe style will be made along with stainless steel adaptations for commercial use.
The forge cleaner
After the Rib Flipper was completed a piece of steel remained which had a distinctively curved profile, similar in shape of a flattened spoon. I used this piece to clean the ashes out of my forge, which has a steel tire rim as a fire-box. This worked and needed only a longer grip to make it efficient. I wire-brushed it down to bright metal, dressed the edges with grinding wheels and drilled it for a grip. This grip would be firmly attached by four pins made from cut-off nails. The result was an efficient forge-cleaning tool that I protected from further rust by giving the blade a coating of black enimal paint. Thus, both pieces of salvaged lawnmower steel were put to beneficial use to make new-to-the-world tools that performed beneficial functions.
The Chef's knife
I had been saving the blade from an old scythe from the 1800s that was given to me over 30-year-ago. It had been exposed to rust and was well-pitted, but was nonetheless sound. The steel used in this scythe was among the highest quality steels available in the day and similar to that used to make straight razors. The shape of the blade was wide enough to provide sufficient steel to make a Chef's knife. After the basic shape had been drawn on the blade, a torch was used to profile of the blade. Rough shaping was done using a grinder and final edging was completed on a 72-inch knife-making machine, which is basically a 72-inch variable-speed belt grinder with a 2-inch wide belt. To preserve the blade's rustic look, the deep brown rust patina on the sides of the blade was left intact.
Once the blade was ground and holes drilled for the scales, the forge was used to re-temper the blade, as heat from the cutting torch had heated the steel sufficient to soften the steel. The tempering process served to stiffen the blade and harden the edge. A video showing how the knife was made is at: https://youtu.be/maFAogwdrcw.
Wood from the tea olive, a native American tree whose fragrant-smelling blossoms caused it to be planted around many antebellum plantations, was selected as the handle material. This wood is harder than pine, ivory colored, commonly spalted and worm-holed when it has been on the forest floor. The natural holes and contrasting colors proved to be complementary to the over-all look of the knife. Although the finished knife is fully functional and has a sharp edge, it would appear to be hundreds of years old. Closer inspection would reveal that its cutting edge is brightly finished, the grips are coated with a tough polyurethane and the back of the blade exposes bright metal.
Billy Joe's knife was compared to a $7.00 Chef's knife from a mass-market-outlet's discount table during cutting tests using bond paper and vegetables as I prepared some soup. Although Billy Joe's knife had the advantages of having a sharper, deeper and longer blade, the pitted sides of the blade produced much more friction. In most cases the commercial knife was superior as a usable kitchen knife, although the rustic Rubideoux knife felt better, worked better as a chopping blade and kept its edge during the test. In short it proved itself to be a usable Chef's knife, although not as good as the inexpensive commercial product.
The Billy Joe Rubideoux knife is more art than functional knife, but it will work for its intended purposes in a home setting. Its design is superior to the commercial knife. The longer, deeper blade and long grip with the stag-like feel imparted by the worm holes give it a distinctive feel while the light-weight wood of the grips provide a desirable weight-forward balance for the knife. Only the roughness and perhaps the slight lip at the top of the blade made the Billy Joe knife function less well than the commercial blade. The wooden grips, which provide an artistic counterpoint to the blade, will also soften if immersed in water or put in a dishwasher. These grips demand careful handling, which is not likely to happen in a commercial kitchen.
A video, "A $700 Billy Joe Rubideoux Chef's Knife Vs. a $7.00 Mass-Market Markdown Makes Soup for the Toothless," was made when showing this knife being used to chop vegetables for a soup. While the knife felt good in the hand and handled better than the commercial knife as a chopper; overall, the slicker-sided commercial knife proved to be much more efficient. While distinctive as a piece of rustic functional art made and fine for casual use in a home kitchen, its pitted blade caused it to be inefficient. Billy Joe's knife would be thrown out of a commercial kitchen, although it did serve to demonstrate that a functional Chef's knife could be made from scrap materials in a home workshop. This video may be seen at:https://youtu.be/jpsLeNHNY-E.
This experiment was sufficiently successful that the decision was made to custom make knives and tools in the Billy Joe fashion using salvaged steels and handle materials furnished by the anyone who wants a custom-made, functional tool made of something that had significance to him. As long as it is a reasonable carbon steel, a useful knife or tool can probably be made by the combined processes of cutting, forging, grinding and tempering. The last is significant, because if too much heat is applied to the metal during cutting or grinding the result will be a softer steel and a weaker tool that will not hold an edge or quickly fail if exposed to heat or stress.


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Federal Service Fellow and Member
A Fellow or Member who serves full-time in the federal service (Air Force, Navy, Army, Federal Public Health Service and Veterans Administration) and who meets the eligibility requirements for a Fellow or Member. Federal service Candidates must furnish an affidavit certifying the occupational specialty of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and limitation of practice to OMS or to administration. Full-time federal service Fellows and Members are not required to hold and maintain Membership in their OMS state society.
Dues: Contact the Membership Department or call toll-free, 800-822-6637 for more information.
Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (required): $145


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This precious little white hydrangea was delivered by Mr.'P' this week. He has been traveling and playing golf a lot lately! The guys at Boxwoods Atlanta are his best friends now. Have a wonderful Spring weekend!
xo♥, Lissy
All photos by Lissy Parker for lissyparker.com. You are welcome to 'borrow' my photos—just please credit the source.


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Nationwide delivery
FREE when you spend
over £175
Get FREE local delivery to Ashburton & Chagford when you spend £50 or more
Nationwide delivery
from £8.95
Click & collect from
Ashburton or Chagford.
Open Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm
REGION: Roussillon, France
VARIETIES: Cinsault
VITICULTURE: Conventional
INFO: Mont Rocher is a collection of wines produced from indigenous varieties,
produced in a style that lets them clearly express their varietal typicity and sense
of place. This is a dry pale pink rosé, similar in style to a provence rosé. Soft red berry fruits, strawberry and raspberry flavours are supported by deliciously fresh acidity.


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COACH OF THE MONTH Andrea Reidel-Carrison
COACH OF THE MONTH is a regular Education series on our website. It is a way of highlighting the EA coaches and educators who work with dedication and passion all over Australia.
Andrea Reidel-Carrison is an EA Level 1 General Coach and a Skill-Specific Trainer/Assessor (SSTA) based in Mount Gambier, South Australia.
"I started riding at the age of five. We were living in the Morphettville suburb of Adelaide at the time, so my pony was kept at John Hawkes Racing Stables, where I rode him in the round yard, or in the car park opposite the Morphettville racecourse. I attended the Marion Pony Club until my parents purchased a property in Morphettville, so I attended Morphettville Pony Club from then on.
Both my parents rode. My father was in the SA Mounted Police Force, my mother a casual rider. My mother's mother was a great race goer and owned several race horses; I have a treasured photo of me sitting on one of her gallopers when I was age three.
My parents were also great friends with Noel Fennell, who owned Willomurra Quarter Horse Stud. After I grew out of my first pony, all my horses for the next several years came from Willomurra and were all first cross quarter horses.
During his service on the Police Force, my father had been stationed in Mt.Gambier. He liked the area so much, he decided to retire there. As I was the youngest of four children, and some nine years younger than my closest brother, I was the only child that moved with my parents. By this time, I was 14 years old, and starting to work towards the discipline of eventing.
While living in Mt.Gambier, my parents decided that they would like to become race horse owners. This was not a very successful venture for them, but a great one for me, as my two eventers were both my parents failed racehorses. I got both horses to Advanced Level in eventing, now days that would be 3-star.
As dressage was part of the eventing discipline, I have always competed in pure dressage, as well as eventing dressage. I purchased from a 'tried-TB' sale in Adelaide, what was going to be another event horse, a stunning gelding that I called Beau Cheval. But, as we found out, he had previous soundness issues. Instead, he became my first real show horse. He was very successful, winning at Royals and HOTY. In those days we could compete in both the VIC and SA HOTY shows, and I managed to make the top 10 in VIC, as the youngest ever Hack Rider finalist at 16 years of age.
These days I am competing in dressage and showing. I own a lovely Thoroughbred (TB) x Warmblood (WB) mare, that I purchased as a 2-year-old, breaking her in myself. This mare was purchased on the factors of being nice enough to show and moving well enough to be competitive in the dressage arena. She has indeed been very successful in the dressage arena and did extremely well as a Show Hunter last year too. We are currently the Mt.Gambier Horseland sponsored rider, for the 2017/2018 year.
I have always bred from my competition mares, previously using Riding Pony stallions over them, to produce show-quality galloways. After purchasing my current competition mare, I liked the mix of TB x WB so much, that several years ago I purchased a beautiful TB mare. She has produced two stunning geldings by the beautiful WB stallion Contenda. The oldest is rising three, and has just been broken in. I aim to have him as my competition horse in late 2019, as I plan to put my current competition mare in foal this season.
Regarding coaching, my parents were very supportive and funded a trip to the UK in my 22nd year. During this time, I qualified as a British Horse Society Intermediate Instructor. At that time in Australia there were no coaching qualifications, so when this was adopted in Australia, I managed to qualify under the EA Coaching Accreditation as well. I was coaching part-time until three years ago, because I was also working as a part-time Veterinary Nurse, qualified in Equine Surgical. These days, I am coaching full-time, seven days a week. If I am not coaching, I am competing, and if I am not coaching or competing, I am judging - as I am also an EA National Show Horse Judge and an EA Dressage Judge.
To say I love my job would be a total understatement; to see the absolute joy on the faces of my students, when it all comes together is totally worth it. My successful students have covered all disciplines, from World Cup Show Jump riders, Royal Show and HOTY winning riders, Three Day Event competitors, and EA Dressage combinations.
My philosophy is to teach a rider how much they can influence their horse by using their position; to not just sit there and look beautiful, but to understand and feel the difference they can make in the way the horse goes, with empathy and harmony.
In the future, I just want to keep living the dream!"
Andrea Riedel-Carrison


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This 'Hot Dog Water' Costs $37.99 for the Craziest Reason
One man is selling hot dog water for almost $40 for the craziest reason ever.
Years ago, when Limp Bizkit was a thing for a lot of people, Fred Durst and company decided to name one of their albums "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water."
The album cover is fairly awful and a bit disgusting. I'm not sure what's going on with the "chocolate starfish" in that picture, but I have a few ideas, and I'm not really interested in pursuing them any further.
Now I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the band didn't include "hot dog flavored water" in the title of their album in an attempt to entice prospective CD buyers by invoking a sense of deliciousness. I'm fairly sure repulsion is exactly what they were going for.
So imagine the surprise many people felt when they learned that Hot Dog Water is now being sold at the annual Car Free Day festival in Vancouver, Canada. And it's $37.99 a bottle. In case you were wondering what such a ghastly-sounding and seemingly overpriced product would look like, well, here you go.
If you think your eyes are deceiving you, I assure you, they're not. That's literally a bottle of Voss-looking water with a hot dog floating around in it.
The best part about the Hot Dog Water is that there a bunch of health claims associated with the product that aren't the immediate evacuation of whatever's in your stomach through your mouth.
"Improved brain function," "increased vitality" and a "younger" look can all be yours if you slurp on some water with a hot dog floating around in it, apparently.
Upon seeing the stand selling the "revolutionary" new beverage, festival goers couldn't decide whether it was an elaborate joke or an actual product designed for human consumption.
Which was really the question on everyone's minds. There were quite a few people who thought the water was a legitimate health food product.
And some people already found potential customers for the $37.99 bottle of intestine-packed mystery meat juice.
When the creator of Hot Dog Water, Douglas Bevans, was questioned about the health benefits behind his creation, his response was a bit vague.
"We've created a recipe, having a lot of people put a lot of effort into research and a lot of people with backgrounds in science really creating the best version of Hot Dog Water that we could."
When asked exactly how the beverage made good on its health claims, this is what Bevans had to say to Global News.
"there's a fair bit of it that is too science-y for me. So the protein of the Hot Dog Water helps your body uptake the water content, and the sodium and the things you'd need post-workout."
However, a closer look at Bevans' display quickly revealed that he was, indeed, not entirely serious with his product.
Bevans, a tour operator and artist, said that he came up with the idea while thinking up a way to comment on "snake oil salesmen" in the health industry.
It seems that everywhere you turn, there's some type of suspicious-looking health craze like gem-infused water or the potentially life-threatening "Raw Water" looking to charge you premium prices in the hopes of making you believe you'll attain perfect health nirvana.
"It's really sort of a commentary on product marketing, and especially sort of health-quackery product marketing," Bevans said.
"From the responses, I think people will actually go away and reconsider some of these other $80 bottles of water that will come out that are 'raw' or 'smart waters,' or anything that doesn't have any substantial scientific backing but just a lot of pretty impressive marketing."
Even though the Hot Dog Water was a stunt, people still bought and drank it throughout the day. "They've been drinking it for hours. We have gone through about 60 liters of real hot dog water," Bevans said.
Sounds like he's well on his way to recouping the $1,200 he spent on branding, bottles, and labels for his art stunt. Along with the Hot Dog lip balm, breath spray, and "body fragrance." Man, he went all in.


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Methods for Estimation of Radiation Risk in Epidemiological Studies Accounting for Classical and Berkson Errors in Doses
AuthorsKukush, Alexander
Shklyar, Sergiy
Masiuk, Sergii
Likhtarov, Illya
Kovgan, Lina
Carroll, Raymond J
Bouville, Andre
KAUST Grant NumberKUSCI-016-04
Permanent link to this recordhttp://hdl.handle.net/10754/598819
MetadataShow full item record
AbstractWith a binary response Y, the dose-response model under consideration is logistic in flavor with pr(Y=1 | D) = R (1+R)(-1), R = λ(0) + EAR D, where λ(0) is the baseline incidence rate and EAR is the excess absolute risk per gray. The calculated thyroid dose of a person i is expressed as Dimes=fiQi(mes)/Mi(mes). Here, Qi(mes) is the measured content of radioiodine in the thyroid gland of person i at time t(mes), Mi(mes) is the estimate of the thyroid mass, and f(i) is the normalizing multiplier. The Q(i) and M(i) are measured with multiplicative errors Vi(Q) and ViM, so that Qi(mes)=Qi(tr)Vi(Q) (this is classical measurement error model) and Mi(tr)=Mi(mes)Vi(M) (this is Berkson measurement error model). Here, Qi(tr) is the true content of radioactivity in the thyroid gland, and Mi(tr) is the true value of the thyroid mass. The error in f(i) is much smaller than the errors in ( Qi(mes), Mi(mes)) and ignored in the analysis. By means of Parametric Full Maximum Likelihood and Regression Calibration (under the assumption that the data set of true doses has lognormal distribution), Nonparametric Full Maximum Likelihood, Nonparametric Regression Calibration, and by properly tuned SIMEX method we study the influence of measurement errors in thyroid dose on the estimates of λ(0) and EAR. The simulation study is presented based on a real sample from the epidemiological studies. The doses were reconstructed in the framework of the Ukrainian-American project on the investigation of Post-Chernobyl thyroid cancers in Ukraine, and the underlying subpolulation was artificially enlarged in order to increase the statistical power. The true risk parameters were given by the values to earlier epidemiological studies, and then the binary response was simulated according to the dose-response model.
CitationKukush A, Shklyar S, Masiuk S, Likhtarov I, Kovgan L, et al. (2011) Methods for Estimation of Radiation Risk in Epidemiological Studies Accounting for Classical and Berkson Errors in Doses. The International Journal of Biostatistics 7: 1–30. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.2202/1557-4679.1281.
SponsorsThis work was supported by funds from the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the Radiation Protection Institute ATS of Ukraine. The authors also want to thank their colleges from the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism AMS of Ukraine and the Radiation Protection Institute ATS of Ukraine who contributed to the preparation of the results presented in the paper. Alexander Kukush is supported by the Swedish Institute grant SI-01424/2007. Carroll's research was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA57030). This publication is based in part on work supported by Award Number KUSCI-016-04, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH
PubMed ID21423564
PubMed Central IDPMC3058406
Scopus Count
CollectionsPublications Acknowledging KAUST Support
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Andi Herman (aka Patch Andi) and Dan Prager are the wife-and-husband team that came up with YouPatch.
In 2013, Andi was working endlessly at her computer trying to generate a pixel quilt pattern of Groucho Marx using spreadsheets and complicated formulas. Dan saw what she was doing and asked, "If I made you some software that would turn your ten hours of work into a few minutes, would that be useful?" Of course it was useful!!
Realizing that other quilters could benefit from their ideas, Andi and Dan decided to expand and improve their software into a fully featured website for Pixel Quilt Design. YouPatch was born!
Read all about the YouPatch team here.
Simply upload your image and follow the step-by-step instructions on the website to create an image you would like to stitch into a quilt.
This process can be a lot of fun! You get to play with different images in a variety of colors and styles until your image is 'just right'.
Up until now everything is free. Once you have a quilt-worthy image, YouPatch will — for around the price of a regular commercial pattern (pricing) — provide you with a detailed, personalized PDF of your quilt pattern, complete with:
Fabric yardage matched to the Kona Cotton Solids range
Precise cutting instructions
Detailed piecing instructions
Full color diagrams that make quilt construction incredibly straightforward


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MASS PANIC: Engine Failure Shakes AirAsia Flight Like Washing Machine
Terrified passengers capture moment on Airbus A330
An AirAsia flight was forced to divert not long after take off due to a loud bang and shaking caused by engine failure.
Terrified passengers captured the nightmare moment as vibrations shook the entire plane.
T|he Airbus A330 which was flying from Perth to Kuala Lumpur took off at 7 am local time, but not long into the flight, the engines started to violently malfunction causing mass panic.
"He [the flight captain] said 'I hope you all say a prayer; I will be saying a prayer too and let's hope we all get back home safely,'" passenger Sophie Nicolas told watoday.
"It was essentially the engine seized up I think, that's what they told us anyway," passenger Brent Atkinson explained to ABC News.
"It was literally like you were sitting on top of a washing machine. The whole thing was going. We could see the engine out the window which was really shaking on the wing,"
rt.com reports: "No-one was freaking out too much. It was a bit nervy. [The crew] handled it really well… After the explosion it started to shake, it started to bounce, but overall the captain did a very good job," Atkinson concluded.
The plane, carrying a total of 359 passengers, landed safely at Perth International Airport at 10am local time, just over three hours after takeoff. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Emergency services were put on standby for a possible water landing but the measures were only precautionary.
"I was crying a lot, a lot of people were crying, trying to call their mums and stuff but we couldn't really do anything just wait and trust the captain," passenger Sophie Nicolas told ABC.
"He delivered us home safely which is amazing, everybody burst into applause when we landed," she said.
"Of course we were a bit worried but at the end of the day ... we safely landed. I think that is the most important thing," Passenger Tzeyau Chung said.
Dave Parry told ABC that passengers were told to brace for impact on landing.
"Passengers are being attended to by our ground staff upon landing and all necessary assistance are being provided," an AirAsia spokeswoman said, as cited by WA Today.
"Flight crew are taking precautionary measures to check the aircraft and some guests on board the flight will be transferred to the next available flight today."
The strong turbulence reportedly lasted 20 minutes & put at least 3 #UnitedAirlines passengers in the hospital https://t.co/MSLEz3Nhsk— RT America (@RT_America) June 21, 2017


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Church of the Immaculate Conception
Roof Structure Evaluation
Boston, MA
Constructed in the 1860s, the slate roof of the Church of the Immaculate Conception is supported by a structure of dimensional lumber roof framing supported by a series of heavy timber scissor trusses spanning the width of the church. Within the church nave, two lines of timber frames and columns support the roof scissor trusses. These trusses and frames used traditional construction methods, mortise and tendon wood joints secured with wood pegs. Gale evaluated the roof structure to determine the condition of all framing elements and to identify any observed deficiencies or damage. We also performed a series of structural analyses on the framing systems to determine the capacity of the roof framing system in its present condition. These analyses were also used to determine the extent of deficient framing when modern building load conditions were applied.


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Ok, I have a confession to make. I drink Nespresso pod coffee. Don't judge me too harshly all you hipster cold filter dudes and dudettes.
Anyway, Nespresso sent me its latest promotional material for Christmas, and here it is, or at least here is a picture of the envelope:
Joy is the greatest gift of all. Well at least it is since we're no longer capable of eulogising Jesus in the public domain, even at Christmas. So the next best thing to do is to eulogise the gift that Jesus brings – joy.
Close, but no cigar as we might say.
So all sounds okayish, except for the fact that it's a classic case of worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator (who is, by the way, forever blessed. Amen). And since that is the root of all of the icky sins that Romans 1 talks about; you know stuff like slander, sexual sin and greed.
So what's wrong with joy being the greatest gift of all? Simply this. Without Jesus, joy keeps changing up. It just does. What brings you joy at one stage fails to do so at the next stage.
Coffee is a good example. In days gone by (1987) Nescafe blend 43 used to do it for me. That's before I discovered Moconna's rich flavour. But then I chanced upon those sachets of caffeine goodness. But then, finally, a pod machine. But surely all of that pales beside a machine worth a couple of grand that can crank out coffee of a heavenly standard!
If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let crema come into your life. Until the next thing that is.Then we need to change up.
Crusty Puritan Thomas Chalmers, put it brilliantly like this in his sermon The Expulsive Power of a New Affection:
It is thus, that the boy ceases, at length, to be the slave of his appetite, but it is because a manlier taste has now brought it into subordination – and that the youth ceases to idolize pleasure, but it is because the idol of wealth has become the stronger and gotten the aseendancy and that even the love of money ceases to have the mastery over the heart of many a thriving citizen, but it is because drawn into, the whirl of city polities, another affection has been wrought into his moral system, and he is now lorded over by the love of power. There is not one of these transformations in which the heart is left without an object. Its desire for one particular object may be conquered; but as to its desire for having some one object or other, this is unconquerable.
Which simply means we change up. Unless of course we find something so utterly brilliant, so utterly joyous, so utterly fulfilling that we just don't want to replace it.
Which is of course, what Jesus is. And that's Chalmer's point. Jesus the One for whom we are made and in whom all joy is found and from whom all joys emanate.


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Embark your taste buds, perfectly paired Wild Encounter of flavors, Wild Boar Summer Sausage and Sharp Cheddar Cheese, the dynamic duo of deliciousness. When classic sweet savory Wild Boar pairs with bursting Sharp Cheddar Cheese, open your lunch box with an adventure you can taste. 4 oz. of Wild Boar Summer Sausage, packed with 12 grams of protein, gluten, nitrite and MSG free with no artificial flavors. 4 oz. of Sharp Cheddar Creamy & Smooth Wisconsin Cheese, bursting with that sharp cheddar goodness, all natural, gluten free, non GMO. USA MADE.
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Apart from a work desk, a comfortable chair, a great view to inspire and of course, a brilliant machine to work on, there are a few things that a content hacker needs to be equipped with for maximum productivity.
The bad news? Most of you out there might not be aware of these needs.
The good news? They are mostly FREE or come at a cost that no boss can say no to!
Whether you're an experienced content hacker or one in the making, here's your new list of must-haves:
Keyword researchers
It is impossible to create a piece of content with the purpose of SEO and marketing without having a list of at least 10 keywords that you would like to be known for. Even though most of us are aware of what keywords are, how they affect a piece of content and what frequency needs to be maintained, the knowledge is pretty superficial.
Before you jump on to using the tools I list down for your keyword research, here's the Beginner's Guide To Do Keyword Research that you 'must' go through. Once you're through, here are 5 tools that I make use of on a daily basis:
Google — do you need an introduction?
Wordpot — Keyword suggestion tool
SEO Book — Guide for web visibility and Keyword search tool
Keyword Eye — Keyword and competitor research tool
Wordstream — Keyword search
Social inspiration
And by that, I don't mean those motivation quotes being shared on different social platforms. Every writer needs to be inspired and for inspiration, he needs to know what's happening around the world. The case in point being, digital marketing.
Here are a few (my favorites) must follow blogs if you want to stay (and write on) up-to-date trends:
Mashable Social Media — Topics trending on social media and social media marketing trends
Buffer Social — Thoughts on sharing, creating, analyzing and converting with social media
Jeff Bullas — Social media marketing, social strategising and trends
Jon Loomer — Facebook marketing
Social Media Today — Digital and social media marketing
Social Media Examiner — Social media marketing
Pulse | LinkedIn — News and insights you need to know
Title Deity
The success of a piece of content depends majorly on the title!
Even though I'm all about the breaks (bass), your post is going to need a title. Here are my favorite topic/ title generators that you can use in times of dire need:
HubSpot's Blog Topic Generator — Topic generation based on the keywords you're focusing on
Portent's Content Idea Generator — Content idea generation based on the subject you're covering
If nothing else, they'll just surprise you with the sometimes 'oh-so-funny' suggestions!
If nothing works, get back to reading your copy of 52 Headline Hacks: A "cheat sheet" for writing Blog posts that go viral by Jon Morrow of Copyblogger. If you don't have it, what are you waiting for?
Plagiarism Checker
Copied lines are not really copied! It's okay if a line or two already exist somewhere on the internet. It is impossible to not use certain lines or phrases that we have read about a million times while doing our research. So, instead of looking for alternatives, give due credits!
Just to be sure not all lines are plagiarized, here's a simple free tool:
Plagiarism checker — Small SEO tool that requires only copy pasting of the piece of content in the box provided
No designer images
One thing that I have realized in about 2 years of my career as a content marketer is that, you don't get a designer when you need one! There are dozens of them out there waiting to show their creativity, just not when you desperately need one.
It goes without saying, a content piece needs images. They don't just give your content a 'prettier' look, they make it 10 times shareable on social media. And I think at the end of the day, that's the whole idea behind content marketing!
If you're someone who'd like to make an exclusive image for your post, you should definitely try one of these:
Canva — Create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook covers, flyers, posters, invitations, etc.
Pablo (by Buffer) — Design engaging images for your social media posts in under 30 seconds. (PS. It really does take only 30 seconds!)
But if you're someone who'd rather source the image, here are 53+ Free Image Sources For Your Blog And Social Media Posts.
If you're keeping up with the times, you probably already know that retargeting is the most effective way to increase your sales and conversions on site.
While Facebook allows you to retarget while setting the audience for a campaign, there are those visitors on your website that need to be focussed on as well. So how do you bring those people back?
Exit Bee — Exit Bee uses behavioural analysis to convert your visitors with highly targeted messages and offers the moment they are about to leave your website.
You didn't have a designer when you needed blog images, what makes you think one of them is going to be free when you need to create a quick how-to-guide as a part of your content strategy? Tch tch.
What if you could create one on your own, without even having to take screenshots? Here's an online tool that makes it possible:
Whatfix — Create interactive how-to's for the web
Social schedulers
If your boss expects you to manually calculate the best time to post on different social platforms and then execute the 'posting' too, it is time to have a sit down with him.
The idea of content marketing isn't to get at least 2000 views on a blog post in a week's time, irrespective of the nature of the piece of content. The whole concept of content marketing is to be able to convince a reader to give a try to the product you're marketing — without sounding like a salesman!
Having worked as a content marketer for sometime now, I have realized Tuesdays are a great day to publish new posts on your blog. The reasons being, Mondays are far too busy for everyone as they have a sleepy head to nurse after a great weekend and that's usually the day everyone has a stand up meeting (stand up comedy) for discussing weekly goals.
Apart from the above, here are the best tools for social media scheduling to get your piece of content the exposure it deserves:
Buffer – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest
Hootsuite – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and a lot more
Number Crunchers
If you thought your work ended right after scheduling your content on different social media platforms, you're wrong!
Like any other marketing field, it is a must to keep an eye on the numbers to gauge how effective your content marketing strategy is. Apart from the analytics offered by the social platforms themselves (like Facebook and Twitter), here are some of the tools that I have been making use of:
Buffer — Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+
Iconosquare — Instagram
Google Analytics — Website traffic
Keyhole — Hashtag campaign tracking
Klout — Social media influence
Growth hacking
Now that everything related to content creation and content marketing is taken care of, it is time to move on to growth hacking it! Because those hours of hard work behind each of those blog posts deserve something, right? And then of course, you don't want to continuing with a strategy that isn't bringing in the desired results (conversions).
Now every marketer need not be from a technical background and even if he/ she, it isn't mandatory for him/ her to know how to code. At least not enough to create your own growth hacking tool! So, here's a list of tools to make your job a bit easier:
Unbounce — Building effective landing pages
Optimizely — A/B testing
MailChimp — Email marketing
Survey Monkey — Creating surveys and getting effective answers
Social Mention — Measuring social traction
Crazy Egg — Customer's on-site behavior
And, that's all!
Now that you have everything in place, I'm pretty sure next week is going to be the 'content hacking week'. So, have fun!


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Yulius is a large, human-centered mental health institution with 2,100 employees and 70 locations within the triangle Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Gorinchem, in Holland. In this region, Yulius provides assistance to more than 26,000 clients. At least 95 percent of them receive services at a clinic or at home. A small percentage is taken for a short time on one of the treatment units or stays longer in an assisted living location.
On its own special education locations, Yulius supervises more than 1,100 students with psychiatric or behavioral disorders. It also advises regular education about the supervision of children with similar problems.
Yulius is an innovative organization that is responsive to new initiatives in the health care needs of clients.
Its mission is to focus on providing care at every stage of life of clients with complex psychiatric disorders and children with psychiatric problems (special education). Yulius provides customized care and assistance in all stages of life of its clients. Whether it is a child, parent or grandparent, a student, employee or self-employed, in any circumstances Yulius will assist them.
It is an organization that works with the bio-psycho-social model complemented with life care, providing customized care and education.
The specializations of Yulius are many. The psychological problems, which one can go to Yulius, are, for example, ADHD, depression, trauma, phobias, anxiety disorders and autism spectrum disorders.
Their website is also intended for people whose child has mental health problems and for people whose parents / guardians or relatives need psychological help, which happens in various cases. The whole family is important to the treatment of a patient. That is a fact often neglected, whilst so relevant. To treat a patient without including his/her family is not as productive as it could be otherwise – the way the institution works.
As we here now focus on Autism, let's talk about a center within the organization Yulius, for the specific group of the Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Directed towards infants, children, adolescents and (young) adults with autism, the Yulius Autism Expertise-center is a knowledge center where care professionals can track and collect their knowledge about diagnosis, treatment and support of people with autism. This new research institute is the result of intensive collaboration between Yulius Autism, Yulius Academy and the Erasmus Medical Center Hospital, and promises to give a new bust to the care of people with autism.
Within this expertise centrum, professionals can expand and maintain their knowledge in the field of autism. For example, by taking a course or customized workshop. These trainings may range from short workshops to multi-day training sessions on specialized methods for screening, diagnosis, treatment, education and work of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For many foreign countries, a specific Autism Expertise Center, like Yulius, is a dream all of them wish to concretize. A center where all aspects of the syndrome is taken care of, from diagnose and treatment to schooling for children and young adults with autism. Besides that also the often forgotten group of adults can get help from this center, as well.
Under the efficient supervision of its renowned scientific director dr. Athanasios Maras , Yulius has been turning into an international model of Lifelong guidance – Yulius philosophy – to many people who are challenged by psychosocial disorders. Especially countries that do not yet possess the necessary expertise needed with regards to diagnosis, treatment and education of children and (young) adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, would like to learn from Yulius.Excelling not only for his experience and expertise but also for his amiability, the director of Yulius Academy talks with pride about his organization: "We believe a psychosocial disorder should be assisted throughout the patient's life. It is very important that clients count on good care in all stages of their lives."
Autism is not (yet) curable. However, it is of great importance to obtain a diagnosis as early as possible, so that a treatment can start quickly. That can be done by taking autism into account and stimulating the development in the right way so that the negative development can get reversed. There is strong evidence that early treatment improves the prognosis significantly. It is important to involve the whole family in the treatment, but also the wider environment in which the child functions, such as preschool and school. The evolution in the long term is greatly affected by the language development, intelligence and opportunities for gaining new learning experiences in the social and emotional fields.
Doctor Maras says: " We want people with autism to receive the best possible care they need in order to develop. The ultimate goal is that they can participate in the society and give a meaningful contribution to it. We intend to provide them the tools to stand independently as much as possible."
The first of the development groups working through all the phases of the development of a child with autism is called the baby- toddler unit.
Early notices of signs that may indicate stagnation in development are very important. The baby toddler unit, therefore, focuses both on the prevention of problems, as an intervention by developing problems in infants and toddlers aged zero to four years. Although Yulius Autism has initiated this program, babies and toddlers with various other problems can also be attended at the unit.
The care service at this infant program includes specialist research and diagnosis of various development problems. It also includes research involving the development of the child together with the parent, parental guidance and various forms of parent-child treatment in which the relationship and bonding between parent and child are central.
Usually, parents come into the clinic with a recommendation of their primary doctor or pediatrician. The reasons are diverse, combining physical and psychological symptoms, most of the time. For instance, a child who comes in with a sleep or eating problem, while the underlying problem seems to be the difficult interaction between parent and child. A thorough research is done – observations, the ADOS (a developmental test that reveals the interaction between parent and child) and second-hand information, for instance, from a speech therapist, a physiotherapist or kindergarten teachers.
At the end of this first phase (four years), the baby-toddler unit team helps the parents to find a suitable school to the child – regular or special education. Besides that, the parents may be further assisted at the second phase, the children and youth-unit. Sometimes the assistance will also end up there.
Sometimes a child will present strong (er) symptoms of autism spectrum disorder at a later stage. For those children or adolescents, Yulius also offers diagnose, treatment and education. They may be assisted at home, at the clinic (both internal or not) or through a part time treatment. The clinic also provides trainings, workshops and courses for parents, siblings and other caregivers with the intention to involve them in the treatment of the child/adolescent.
There are many possibilities to treat this group of young people, regardless their age or functioning levels.
From 16 to 25 years, an adolescent may even live and receive education on particular units. Other units lodge (young) adults with autism from 18 to 55 years old.
Housing, Learning and Working are very important points that are taken into consideration in Yulius' Lifelong plan.
Autism is not limited to childhood, but mainly persists into adulthood. Also at this phase, people can come to Yulius for support. Professionals who specialize in autism provide the treatment. It creates perspective for clients in the areas of living, employment, education, relationships and leisure. People with autism may learn in a different way than the regular. Attention to possibilities instead of limitations is what Yulius try to focus on. Quite often they are unaware of talents they might have. During treatment, the assigned therapists work towards these talents, helping the clients to find out what they're good at, where do they get satisfaction and how they can use it in their lives. Stimulating (unknown) talent is an important principle of the treatment.
Yulius provides a number of courses and workshops throughout the year, in order to meet the demand that comes in from the Health Care. The intention is to play a prominent role with regards to educating professionals who (will) work in the field. One of Yulius' goals is to optimize the level of provided help by sharing their knowledge, trying to raise the quality of Autism care in the country.
In June, 26-28 Yulius will be hosting the International Conference of the year 2014, in the city of Rotterdam, Holland. The conference will gather some of the best autism specialists of the world, aiming to provide a platform for experts from different fields to promote a constructive dialogue. Anyone related to autism can attend the conference. More details through the special website: http://www.cdscs2014.org/en/Home_10_6_12.html
This article has focused on autism. For further information on the subject and other psychosocial disorders, a look at Yulius' websites is recommended: