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Late one gloomy winter afternoon in 1980, New York sociologist Robert Martinson hurled himself through a ninth floor window of his Manhattan apartment while his teenaged son looked on from across the room. An articulate criminologist, Martinson had become the leading debunker of the idea we could "rehabilitate" criminals. His melancholy suicide was to be a metaphor for what would follow in American corrections.
On January 18, 1989, the abandonment of rehabilitation in corrections was confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. In Mistretta v. United States, the Court upheld federal "sentencing guidelines" which remove rehabilitation from serious consideration when sentencing offenders. Defendants will henceforth be sentenced strictly for the crime, with no recognition given to such factors as amenability to treatment, personal and family history, previous efforts to rehabilitate oneself, or possible alternatives to prison. The Court outlined the history of the debate: "Rehabilitation as a sound penological theory came to be questioned and, in any event, was regarded by some as an unattainable goal for most cases." The Court cited a Senate Report which "referred to the 'outmoded rehabilitation model' for federal criminal sentencing, and recognized that the efforts of the criminal justice system to achieve rehabilitation of offenders had failed."
But had they?
Robert Martinson's skepticism derived from his role in a survey of 231 studies on offender rehabilitation. Entitled, The Effectiveness of Correctional Treatment: A Survey of Treatment Evaluation Studies, it was to become the most politically important criminological study of the past half century. Ironically, though the survey came to be virtually identified with Martinson's name, he had joined the research team only after they were well into their work. Senior author Douglas Lipton and co-author Judith Wilks found themselves eclipsed by Martinson's flamboyant personality and flair for the pithy in capsulizing his version of the meaning of an otherwise rather dry tome. His views were enthusiastically embraced by the national press, with lengthy stores appearing in major newspapers, news magazines and journals, often under the headline, "Nothing Works!"
Paradoxically, the idea that nothing worked in rehabilitating offenders appealed to Left and Right alike. In an unusual four part series in the liberal New Republic, Martinson wrote, "the represent array of correctional treatments has no appreciable effect - positive or negative - on rates of recidivism of convicted offenders." In the conservative magazine, the Public Interest, he wrote, ". . . rehabilitative efforts that have been reported so far have no appreciable effect on recidivism."
This was good news to civil libertarians concerned with the injustices of indeterminate sentencing. (In California, for example, offenders were routinely given "day-to-life" prison sentences with release dates tied to such vague rehabilitative criteria as "attitude"). But, if the idea that "nothing works" was well- received by liberals, it was even better news for conservatives who demanded tougher handling of offenders. But, to a nation emerging from the Vietnam War and an unruly youth and drug culture, "nothing works" was a slogan for the times.
The decade from 1963 to 1973 saw reported murders double from 4.5 per 100,000 to 9.07. Assault rose from 91.4 to 193.6, Robbery from 61.5 to 177.9, and Theft from 1,128.5 to 2,431.6. The idea that this explosion of street crime must be due to an attitude of permissiveness was particularly appealing. Barry Goldwater tried unsuccessfully to make crime an issue in the 1964 campaign. But as the crime rates rose, Richard Nixon, elevated the matter to a high art. The 1968 campaign made crime a major issue. Ironically, John Mitchell led the attack, successfully focusing on then-Attorney General Ramsey Clark, much in the fashion of the recent Presidential campaign. The implication was that the criminal justice system, and in particular, corrections, had grown soft by over-relying on such vague concepts as "rehabilitation." Curiously, if budgets were any measure, rehabilitation was a straw man. There has never been a rehabilitative era in American corrections. Most correctional systems had few, if any trained psychiatrists, psychologists, or social workers. Virtually all correctional budgets went to staff that operated traditional prisons, jails and reform schools. What looked to outsiders like permissiveness was more often neglect and chaos in a system overcome with an explosion of "baby- boomers."
Martinson cut a near prophetic figure as he criss-crossed the country debating criminologists, cajoling prison wardens, and advising legislators and policymakers that rehabilitation had had its day. And as the issue got hotter, others took it up.
Neo-conservative Harvard management professor, James Q. Wilson added mans' nature to the equation. In his influential book, Thinking About Crime, Wilson wrote, "It requires not merely optimistic but heroic assumptions about the nature of man to lead one to suppose that a person, finally sentenced after (in most cases) many brushes with the law, and having devoted a good part of his youth and young adulthood to misbehavior of every sort, should, by either the solemnity of prison or the skillfulness of a counselor, come to see the error of his ways and to experience a transformation of his character." And, as Wilson would later conclude, that character was often more "wicked" than errant.
Martinson had a less Calvinistic view. Arrested as a civil rights "freedom rider," he had spent 40 days in the maximum security unit of Mississippi's Parchman State Penitentiary. He as reluctant to posit an offender's intransigence to fallen human nature, unduly heaped upon the poor and minorities who people our prisons. But others, particularly Wilson and conservative writer, Ernest van den Haag, soon moved the debate beyond Martinson's control. Since "nothing works" in rehabilitating offenders, we must deter and incapacitate them through harsher prison sentences and occasional use of the death penalty.
Because of the controversy in 1976, the National Academy of Sciences appointed a Panel to re-evaluate the Lipton, Martinson, and Wilks survey. The Panel's findings were subject to wide interpretation, but central to its conclusion was the comment, "When it is asserted that 'nothing works,' the Panel is uncertain as to just what has even been given a fair trial."
Most rehabilitative programs chalked up as failures, were heavy on rhetoric and slim on services. The classic 30-year "Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study" begun at Harvard in the late 1930s and used ever since by critics of rehabilitation as a premier example of the "nothing works" position, was summarized by Wilson in this way, "The differences in crime between those youth who were given special services (counseling, special educational programs, guidance, health assistance, camping trips) and a matched control group were insignificant: 'the treatment had little effect'." But Wilson ignored other realities.
Three hundred and twenty boys were assigned to ten counselors who were told to do 'whatever they thought best' for their clients. Counselors had no formal training in the mental health field, much less in psychotherapy. Each youth was seen an average of five times per year during the early years of the project in meetings directed at such things as arranging physical exams or interesting a boy in summer camp. Not surprisingly, the subjects showed no drop in criminal behavior at 10-, 20-, and 30-year follow-ups. It seems bizarre to have expected otherwise.
Some rehabilitative models have failed even in their own terms. Most research for example, suggests it is difficult to successfully rehabilitate offenders in prisons and reform schools. "Rehabilitation" in institutions is mostly a matter of mitigating the amount of debilitation. In a comprehensive "cohort" study, Ohio State University researchers found that the "velocity of recidivism" among young offenders actually increased with each institutionalization. "Our most important single finding emerges from an analysis of the impact of the court's disposition on the intervals between future arrests. . .the actual number of months during intervals between arrests when the offender was free to commit an offense, diminished dramatically after each commitment to an institution of the Ohio Youth Commission."
This experience has been confirmed in recent research by the RAND Corporation on adult inmates of state prisons. The implication is that the prisons are criminogenic - producing the very thing they claim to treat.
Approaches which give the offender a brief "taste" of prison also have a poor record. The much hyped "Scared Straight" model, wherein teenagers area brought to prison to be intimidated by inmates to scare them "straight," doesn't lower recidivism. Controlled studies show that teenagers subjected to the frightening experience tended to commit more crimes than a matched sample of non-participants. Likewise, "shock" probation, whereby an offender is incarcerated for a short time, (often led to think it will be for longer), and is then suddenly released back to the community, doesn't work. "Shock" probationers fared worse than matched samples not sent to prison. The debilitating aspects of prison life apparently outweighed their aversive effect.
There is also the matter of how one assesses "success" or "failure." Rather than making simple rearrest or reconviction the measure of failure, recent research has taken account of the winding down of an offender's criminal activity. This is a profoundly important issue.
In most fields, limited progress is seen as productive. A person with viral pneumonia who has been treated in a hospital is not labeled a "failure" and re- hospitalized at the first sign of a cough. But a rehabilitative program which lowers the number or de-escalates the seriousness of repeat crimes is usually seen as unacceptable.
As a result, one can have a "successful" program with high rates of recidivism. In one study of a family therapy program geared to hard-core delinquents, 30 adolescents (each with 20 previous adjudicated offenses), were matched with a control group of 44 delinquents with similar offense histories. At the end of a 15- month follow-up, 60 percent of the family therapy group had committed a new offense. This looked like failure. But then, we see that 93 percent of the control group which didn't get the therapy had been so charged.
If this were not a political arena, rehabilitation would be judged against the alternatives proposed by those who reject it. And to quote Canadian researchers, Paul Gendreau and Robert Ross, ". . .the (substantiated) claims for effective rehabilitation of offenders far outdistanced those of the major competing ideology, applied deterrence or punishment."
Measuring recidivism is further complicated by other contemporary events. Simply residing in some communities increases the likelihood of contact with the criminal justice system and being labeled a recidivist. Nearly half, (46 percent) of boys in some areas will appear in juvenile court during their teen years. Among young black men in certain parts of the country, seven out of ten can anticipate being arrested at least once. Though this may suggest failure, it is not necessarily a true measure of individual criminal behavior.
But the NAS Panel identified the elements it saw as crucial to successful programs. "(The) critical fact seems to be the conditions under which the program is delivered." Rehabilitation is less a matter of identifying specific treatment methods, than it is one of creating conditions which support a variety of intensive options. Where there is a wide adversity of strong alternatives, recidivism can be lowered. Where there is little choice, recidivism remains the same or increases.
This was what University of Southern California sociologist, Lamar Empey found in this famous "Provo Project" which showed that recidivism rates fell significantly for youthful offenders placed in community-based programs, when compared with youth in state institutions. It was reiterated a decade later by Harvard's Center for Criminal Justice, when researchers studied recidivism among youthful delinquents placed in community treatment as opposed to state reform schools. Serious delinquents placed in the community with no treatment showed no lower rates of recidivism than reform school youth, and in many cases did worse. Better performance wasn't simply a matter of maturation, but seemed related to the number and quality of treatment options. It was also what John Jay University sociologist, Jeffrey Fagan discovered with violent offenders. The intensity and integrity of the treatment was crucial to lowering recidivism rates.
Though this may seem self-evident, it's foreign to corrections. The corrections establishment made up, for the most part, of administrators, former guards, or political appointees with little background in such arcane subjects as social deviance and recidivism, has never been more than faintly interested in rehabilitation. Even programs ballyhooed as rehabilitative, such as the much maligned "furlough," are tolerated not so much for their rehabilitative effect, as for the fact that they provide incentives which lead to smoother prison management.
Corrections is a system of extremes - debilitating prisons vs. ineffective probation/ parole. To use a medical analogy, it would be like asking a doctor for relief from a headache, and being told there are only two treatments - an aspirin or a lobotomy. More often, it's like going to the same doctor with a broken arm or an acute appendicitis and being told the same two treatments, an aspirin or a lobotomy, are all that's available. Criminal behavior is no more unitary than any other individual or social malady. If the treatment options are so narrow as to be irrelevant, the likelihood of success is diminished. The simple mathematics along suggest that the chances of fitting the treatment to the individual offender are enhanced when there are more choices.
In Massachusetts, for example, recidivism fell among former reform school youth in those regions of the state where a wide range of community-based alternatives were created, . . .from group homes, to on-the-street advocates and monitors, specialized foster homes, family therapy, supervised independent living, individual therapy, in home family support services, "wilderness survival" programs with strong community follow-up services, arts and vocational programs, job finding, and an intensive one-to-one contact and support. Where there was no such array of services, recidivism remained the same or increased. It was not a matter of identifying any single regimen which worked for all offenders. Rather, success was in the mix of models. The common thread which wound its way through the most effective programs of whatever type, was whether or not they had close ties to the community. Interestingly, such services, alone or in combination, were no more expensive than state reform schools.
In 1988, Gendreau and Ross published a survey of over 200 studies on rehabilitation from 1981-1987, many of which used mathematical methodology not available to earlier researchers. They concluded with no equivocation:
Our reviews of the research literature demonstrated that successful rehabilitation of offenders had been accomplished, and continued to be accomplished quite well. . .reductions in recidivism, sometimes as substantial as 80 percent, had been achieved in a considerable number of well-controlled studies. Effective programs were conducted in a variety of community and (to a lesser degree) institutional settings, involving pre-delinquents, hard-core adolescent offenders, and recidivistic adult offenders, including criminal heroin addicts. The results of these programs were not short-lived; follow-up periods of at least two years were not uncommon, and several studies reported even longer follow-ups.
What specific techniques worked best? They run the gamut from family therapy, cognitive problems solving, and supported independent living, to on-the-street "tracking" and monitoring, negotiation skills, modeling, training in interpersonal skills, behavior contracting, individual and group therapy, reading, job training, and intensive residential treatment for violent offenders. Though many of these models were toward classic rehabilitation, other concentrated on teaching skills for survival in an increasingly hostile economic environment. In short, many things worked. A year before his death, Martinson anticipated this is an article in the Hofstra Law Review, pointing to a plethora of rehabilitative models which had proven effective with offenders, he wrote, ". . .such startling results are found again and again. . .for treatment programs as diverse as individual psychotherapy, group counseling, intensive supervision, and what we have called individual help." As one observer commented, this was "probably the most infrequently read article in the criminal justice debate on rehabilitation." In the course of debate, the man who started it all had come full circle. But by now, no one was listening. He had served his purpose and his own issue was wrested from his grasp.
The final irony was that Martinson thought his well-publicized skepticism about rehabilitation would empty most prisons. "The long history of 'prison reform' is over," he wrote. "On the whole, the prisons have played out their allotted role. They cannot be reformed and must be gradually torn down." but he misjudged the politics of the rehabilitation debate. Rehabilitation is, for the most part, now absent from contemporary American corrections. Harsher sentences, warehouse prisons, and corrections establishment which militantly rejects the idea of salvaging offenders has become the rule of the land. We must now wait for the swing of the pendulum. I fear it will be a long wait.


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|VATIKAM is the land in web space
and it's borders are defined by genius
|The international association
of designers VATIKAM
Dear Friends!
From 1 March we are starting a new contest called "House of the Future". If you believe yourself to be a talented architect or designer, do use this opportunity to take part in it! And be sure not to forget about our new contest "Best Projects of the Year – 2015." For details, go to Contests.
Here's a list of the best authors of the February:
Interior Design:
ARCHIplus (Voronezh, Russia);
Elena Belyeva (Yoshkar-Ola, Russia);
INT2 (St Petersburg, Russia);
Marina (Moscow, Russia);
Radjab (Moscow, Russia);
Aleksandrа (Krasnoyarsk, Russia);
Aleksey (St Petersburg, Russia);
Sergey Vladimirovich Belyanchikov (St Petersburg, Russia);
Kristina Tsyk (Kaliningrad, Russia);
Mariya (Odessa, Ukraine);
Elite House (Novosibirsk, Russia);
Industrial Design:
Sergey Vasilyev (St Petersburg, Russia);
Branding and Trademark Style:
Levonella El!(Россия, Краснодар);
Graphic Design:
Aleksandr Ganzhenko (Samara, Russia);
Logo Design:
Lyubov (Kiev, Ukraine);
Web Design:
Надежда Nadezhda (Dubna, Russia);
3D Modelling:
Lilya (Mariupol, Ukraine);
Elena Senichenko (Kharkiv, Ukraine);
Leya73 (Dunayevtsy, Ukraine);
Marina Nowikova (Glazov, Russia);
Nina Syachina (St Petersburg, Russia);
Rakitina Rootova (Moscow, Russia);
Renee Augustine von Morren (Yekaterinburg, Russia);
Diana Kuznetsova (Moscow, Russia);
Igarez Naumov (Kstovo, Russia);
RangEmotions (Moscow, Russia);
Toy Design:
Natali (Kharkiv, Ukraine);
Applied and Decorative Arts:
ArtStudio MalinoDesign (Moscow, Russia);
Natalia Dakota Otus (Minsk, Belarus);
Валерий Окарский Valeriy Okarskiy (Volgodonsk, Russia);
Vladimir (Yekaterinburg, Russia);
Irina Bast (St Petersburg, Russia);
Nataliya (Malin, Ukraine);
Nataliya Vasilyevna Svetnenko (Abakan, Russia);
Visem456 (Kiev, Ukraine);
Sergey (Tula, Russia);
Aleksandr Komissarov (Yekaterinburg, Russia);
Kretov Mikhail Gavrilovich (Tver, Russia);
Albert Belyayev (Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia);
Yelena (Yekaterinburg, Russia);
Yuriy Aleksandrovich Shuvalov (Moscow, Russia);
Pictural Arts:
Andrey Domani (Voronezh, Russia);
Budanov Valeriy (Moscow, Russia);
Bulgakova Olga (Vladivostok, Russia);
Horyayev Viktor (Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine);
Maya Bukhinа (Ashkelon, Israel);
Natali (Kharkiv, Ukraine);
Vasil_Burov (Molodechno, Belarus);
Vera (Stakhanov, Ukraine);
Valentina Sviridova (Moscow, Russia);
Yeva Levi (Vladivostok, Russia);
Inna Zhulavskaya (Kryvyi Rih);
Mikhail (Kiev, Ukraine);
Nastya Rodygina (Yekaterinburg, Russia);
Suzanna (Kiev, Ukraine);
Yuriy (Novokuznetsk, Russia);
Irina Yakubik (Moscow, Russia);
In February 2015 the number of participants registered at our website reached 7.435, with more than 6.803 portfolios and 56,393 pictures uploaded, as 56.530 users from 135 countries and 2534 cities and towns have visited our website, having viewed more than 1.193.966 pages.
The Best Projects – 2015 contest continues. Upload your new portfolios, vote for your favourite authors!
Administration VATIKAM Project
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subset: commoncrawl


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<< Back to the fan club
Yesterday's News:
A Very Important Announcement
Tue., Oct. 2. 2007 12:59am EDT
Karl from ApologetiX here.
After 15 years and nearly 1000 concerts, I left the band four weeks ago to focus on my family, and I'm planning to pursue other interests. The guys have done a bang-up job playing the last 10 concerts without me, and I'm sure a whole great new chapter is opening for the band.
Bill Hubauer has taken over as lead guitarist and producer, and he's well suited for both roles. I've told J. many times over the years, "If I ever die or leave the band, get Bill Hubauer to replace me."
The guys eventually plan to add a new guitarist and make it a five-piece band again, but ApologetiX has been a four-piece band for most of its history (including many shows in the last few years), and now they're a four-piece band with guitars AND keyboards.
J. has taken over the booking responsibilities, and he's already booked a number of new concerts you'll be hearing about soon. If you'd like ApologetiX to include your venue in their 2007-08 schedule, talk to the powers that be and have them go here: http://www.apologetix.com/rockmychurch
As I've turned over all my responsibilities with the band, I've shut down my email@example.com email address. I'll leave open my email@example.com for a week or two.
God bless, and thanks for 15 great years!


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Latest Job Vacancies In Air Canada. Air Canada is Canada's largest airline which was established as long ago as 1937. Providing charter and schedule air services for cargo and passengers to over 180 destinations all over the world, it is the 8th largest passenger airline in the world by its fleet size.
Headquartered in Quebec, Air Canada's biggest hub can be found in Toronto at the Pearson International Airport. Well over 30 million passengers fly with this airline every year in its fleet of modern aircraft and there are over 1500 flights every day. Air Canada is an extremely large and prestigious employer, so if you are interested in the latest job vacancies in Air Canada you will need to know more about the types of vacancies available and also how to go about applying.
Types Of Jobs At Air Canada
There are many different types of jobs available to apply for at Air Canada, so whether you are a new entrant to the job market or whether you are a highly experienced professional there is sure to be a position to suit you. The latest job vacancies in Air Canada include the following sectors:
Cabin Crew
Customer services in the airport
Customer services in the call center
Building and facility maintenance
Airport and cargo ground services
Aircraft maintenance
Cabin Grooming
There are positions available all across Canada as well as elsewhere in the world, so there are many exciting opportunities to suit a range of candidates. There are both full time and part time positions available as well as temporary and permanent roles.
Where To Find The Latest Job Vacancies In Air Canada
The best place to search for the latest job vacancies in Air Canada is on the airline's own website. Here you will find their Careers section which lists all of the current vacancies across the world and in all of the available sectors. You can perform a search using a range of criteria including location, job field, posting date and language.
What Skills And Experience Are Necessary?
The level of experience and skill required for jobs at Air Canada will vary depending on the position applied for. For an entry level position such as a cabin cleaning operative, no formal educational qualifications are necessary and although relevant experience would be beneficial it is not necessarily required.
Bilingual candidates who can speak both French and English fluently are often given priority, however in any case good communication skills are essential. For more senior roles such as a management role, a relevant degree will be required as well as relevant significant experience.
Depending on the position, candidates may need to have good computer skills, an ability to lift heavy objects, a driving licence and an ability to work well in a group. Many roles require the applicant to be a Canadian citizen. A high standard of appearance and grooming may be required for some customer contact roles and for positions such as cabin crew, applicants must be able to reach a certain height without shoes and must have no visible piercings or tattoos.
How To Apply For Vacancies
It is easy to apply online for vacancies at Air Canada through the airline's own website. You simply need to set up your own application account and then submit your personal details along with your current CV. An airline representative will review your application and will invite you to interview if you meet the relevant criteria.


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Industrial Tape Application Systems (Tear Strip option)
The EMWI FF-Tape or SFF-Tape Systems are complete industrial feeding and tape application systems for the bi-adhesive tape and tear strips (option) on envelopes, open boxes, glued boxes, cardboards, tickets, plastic cards, leaflets and so on.
- One controller allows up to four Tape Application Units
- They can use low pile air vacuum/blowing feeders, high pile friction feeders or high pile vacuum feeders
- They can use our RB normal rubber or VB total vacuum belt conveyors for transporting the objects.
- They can be used in-line together with our Xaar and HP inkjet printers.
- The exit can be low pile inclined fix trays, helped by an air blowing system for objects separation, or high pile stackers
- Standard Tickets, Envelopes, Plastic Cards feeding and tape application.
- Closed and open cardboards, irregular shape objects feeding and tape application.
- Reviews, standard and folded leaflets feeding and tape application.
- Highly modular design.
- Universal feeders for inkjet, inspection and tape application systems
- Easy operating and maintenance.
- Robust system parts and design.


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Poliakoff was an untidy male Durmstrang student who came to Hogwarts in 1994 as a part of his school's delegation for the Triwizard Tournament (GF16).
Gender Male
Dates fl. 1994
Species / Race Wizard
Distinguishing Features messy (GF16)
School Durmstrang - Student
Affiliations Durmstrang students
First Introduced GF16: The Goblet of Fire
Pensieve (Comments)
Tags: students


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United Furniture Co Tall Chest Dresser Carved Handles Four Drawers
Sold Out
Product Details
Creator: United Furniture Co.
Period: Mid Century Modern
Place of Origin: USA
Materials: Walnut, Solid Wood Core
Wear: Excellent, light wear as detailed in photos.
Reason why we love it, design details:
Beautiful Carved Handles.
Lovely subtle design details, like the sides kicking out at the bottom ever so slightly. Notice the line is not straight up and down.
Lovely legs.
Small footprint and good storage.
Three compartment separation on the top deep drawer.
Drawers: Wooden runners. Dovetail drawers. Clean interiors as detailed in photos with the exception of the top drawer which has light oil staining as documented.
Overall Measurements: 38.2L x 17.75D x 39.2H


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Brand: Shimano
Color: Gray
- Material: [hoods] dual-compound rubber, [lever body] CFRP
- Type: STI
- Crankset Compatibility: double
- Compatible Components: Shimano 11-speed road
- Claimed Weight: 440g
Publisher: Shimano
Details: Shimano's Ultegra is often thought of as a budget racer's group or one that was worthy to put on a top tier frame helping to bring the total price down. This latest version performs so flawlessly that unless you are just dead-set on Dura-Ace, you should seriously consider the Ultegra 8000 group. Because it's a serious drivetrain for serious cyclists. The Ultegra ST-R8000 STI Shifters have enough DNA from the new 9100 shifters--themselves perhaps the pinnacle of mechanical shifting--that you will have a hard time separating them as twins. An all new look, larger gear range, and smoother, more precise shifting are the hallmarks of the redesigned Ultegra group. We've always felt like the control levers on a road bike are akin to the central nervous system and must perform complex and precise tasks such as firing off shifts with proper indexing to provide just enough cable tension or slack to initiate a clean shift or pulling the right ratio of cable for controlled braking and rider feedback. This group is damn good at both. A group is only as good as the sum of its parts; however we've put enough miles on this new Ultegra group to realize that it is the best version we've ridden,. The improved ergonomics and super-light-shift and brake action make these Ultegra ST-R8000 STI shifters a perfect perch for Tuesday night worlds or a weekend double century. Shimano's mastery of shift indexing allows it to create shifting action that is more positive yet feels lighter and requires less effort. The new 8000 group is backward-compatible with Ultegra 6800, but to reap the most benefits of the new control levers, we recommend pairing them with the new series derailleurs and brake calipers. Most of the 8000 control levers share material makeup with the 9100 group. A slight increase in weight and a few bearings substituted for bushings are the most notable exceptions. We would place some heavy bets that most riders wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two in back-to-back ...


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Friday, 9 June 2017
Just Add Ink Challenge # 363
With it being Friday it also means we have a new challenge theme for you at Just Add Ink:
This can be a project to celebrate any anniversary you like. Maybe a wedding anniversary, maybe the anniversary of when you started your blog or maybe the anniversary of when someone started their job?? Its totally up to you!!
This past weekend it was the anniversary of my father dying, 4 years has gone by so quickly. I still look out for him here and there and think I must remember to tell him a funny thing that happened, only to remember he isn't around anymore. It was too hard to make a card for this so I decided to go happy and floral instead:
It's been hard finding time to colour lately, which is even more frustrating after I now have the ink and CS to colour with my alcohol inks without them bleeding etc. I snuck off to bed early the other night to watch some more of the latest season of House of Cards (its so good!!!) on Netflix and colour these flowers. I love using my Altenew alcohol markers and can totally understand why people are so obsessed with their Copic markers.
I cut a panel of Strathmore Bristol Smooth CS and stamped the flowers and leaves using Memento ink. After colouring them in I decided to try out something I've seen a lot of people do and outlined each image with a light blue marker. Boy does it make a difference!!!
After die-cutting the 'happy' from the panel, I adhered it to the card front. I also die-cut the 'happy' from black CS and a light blue paint chip. I inlaid the blue one first and then glued the black one slightly higher and then the coloured one slightly higher again. This way you can see the different colours underneath.
To finish off I heat embossed the 'anniversary' in white on a strip of black CS, adhered it in place and glued on a few peach and gold sequins.
The flowers and leaves are from Altenew 'Adore You'. The 'happy' die is from Winnie and Walter, as well as the sentiment from 'The Big, the Bold and the Happy'. The sequins are from Neat and Tangled.
You have until next Wednesday 14th June to link your projects to the Just Add Ink challenge. And if you need any inspiration, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created for you. Look forward to seeing you in the Gallery!!
Take care
9 comments:
Beautiful card, Shona, and I must give the blue outlining a try. Those pink flowers are lovely, and wonderfully colored. The camouflaged 'happy' really works well here; it doesn't detract from those amazing blossoms. Such a wonderful card. I know what those 'hard' anniversaries are like, too. May you find comfort in the arms of your family, and peace in all your precious memories. BevReplyDelete
So beautiful Miss Shona...love all your gorgeous flowers!ReplyDelete
This is gorgeous! I love the way you've die cut and inlaid the 'happy'.ReplyDelete
Dear heaven...you are so prolific and each one of your cards is better than the last. You, apparently, have an unlimited supply of creativity and imagination. Plus you're funny and kind. Guess you have it all.ReplyDelete
Shona this is gorgeous! Its like a wonderful floral wallpaper! I love that almost peekaboo effect of the happy too. xReplyDelete
This is so pretty Shona! I love the colouring details that you've added to these lovely flowers and the die cut happy is such a great effect too.xxReplyDelete
I think I need to get onto this marker band wagon so I can try out some pretty colouring! Stunning background, but that sentiment panel - wow, so effective! Love the pretty & happy! Kelly xReplyDelete
This is one of my fav techniques at the moment and yours is amazing Shona. Sorry to hear about your father's passing, but this card really is beautiful, Chlo xxxReplyDelete
I'm glad you found a beautiful way to cope with this painful anniversary~this is amazing!ReplyDelete


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Mill Spring, NC Less than 2 hours from Davidson on Lake Adger nestled in the mountains is this stunning arts and crafts home. Fishing is rumored to be outstanding and this house boasts deep water, a private dock, and lovely outdoor spaces. Vistas are everywhere in this neighborhood.
Picture your family enjoying weekends and vacations in one of the most beautiful spots in NC.
3 bedrooms 3 bathroom approx 2840 sft 1.38 acres with 161 of shoreline and a dock. Tons of space to host friends
MLS # 3434947 Price $675,000 More detail in MLS – click here
Enjoy your wood burning stove and gourmet kitchen while your family joins for quality time. Unmatched finishes and materials make this home one to enjoy immediately. Spend quality time with family and friends in your mountain/lake front paradise.
This video tells the story!
For a private showing please contact Clark Goff – Allen Tate Davidson 704 996-0948
Listing Courtesy of Claussen Walters LLC
Clark's website – click here


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In a recent shopping trip, Teri Gault with thegrocerygame.com explained how great deals are possible, and it starts with the cheddar.
"When you first come into the store you usually bump into this great gourmet cheese section and they're great for parties, but for your everyday cheese, 8 ounces for $5.99," she said. She grabbed four for a toal of 2 pounds and ventured across the store to see what else she could find.
As it turned out, the two pounds of medium cheddar cheese from the gourmet cart costs $24. But 2 pounds of medium cheddar from a different department came out to $10 for a savings of $14.
In the produce aisle, 2 pounds of cut and peeled carrots are $3. But 2 pounds of whole carrots were about half the price at $1.59. And for those who appreciate staying-power, whole carrots usually last about four times longer in the refrigerator.
Gault then gave some lessons in bread. While she says her kids are crazy for sub sandwiches, she isn't always crazy about the $3.69 per package price tag.
"Here we just went to the other side of the store, half price, nice big fresh French loaf," she said.
And for half the price, you can cut the loaf into smaller, sub-sized portions.
Some shoppers think larger sizes are always cheaper than smaller sizes, but that's not so. One example is a large size of Dial hand soap, which costs about $6. But six of the smaller-sized dispensers equal the size of the large dispenser, and those also come out to $6. If you really think about using coupons, in this case you could by the six small dispensers for $4, and you'll get an extra one for free for a savings of $3.
Another shopping myth is that fresh produce beats frozen in terms of price, but Gault says that isn't always so. For example, a 12-ounce pack of fresh spinach goes for $8, but a 12-ounce frozen pack of spinach can be found for $1.
Using these tips, Gault saved $37 during the course of one shopping trip -- that's real money.


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Release Day Blitz: Halloween is Murder (McKinley Mysteries #11) by Carolyn Arnold
Halloween is Murder (McKinley Mysteries #11) by Carolyn Arnold
Published by: Hibbert and Stiles
Publishing Inc.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 154
Word Count: 38,534
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Book Description:
Beware of all that goes bump in the night…
Sean and Sara McKinley are excited about the haunted house they've set up as a Halloween charity fund-raiser, but things take a ghoulish turn when the reporter covering their story is found dead. With the media keeping mum about how she died, Sara's curiosity is piqued, and she convinces Sean to take on the investigation through their PI firm.
But this case is not without its challenges. The police are actively investigating it, as well, and it's not even clear that the woman was murdered. It will take a little cloak-and-dagger, dress-up, and finesse for the McKinley's to get to the bottom of it, but they aren't the kind to give up.
As they troll for leads and work through the skeletons in the reporter's closet, they unearth a few suspects, but they'll need to carve out the whole truth if they're going to find her killer. If they do so fast enough, there might even be time for a little trick-or-treating.
Amazon | Amazon Universal | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads
What to Expect from the McKinley Mysteries
Romance. Humor. Murder. Are you looking for a murder mystery without all the graphic violence and foul language? Something that you can enjoy in an afternoon and walk away feeling good about afterward? How about a dash of humor and romance? If so, meet former detectives Sean and Sara McKinley. When a billionaire leaves them all his money, they no longer have to work, but they find themselves sticking to what they're good at—solving murders. Undercover, off the books, and around the world, they'll get to the bottom of things…and romance it up along the way.
About the Author:
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.
Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:
And don't forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters .


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Redeeming a coupon has never been easier with the Restaurant Logic Dashboard. You have essentially 3 options when redeeming a coupon:
1) Redeem from customer's phones
Your customer shows the coupon on their phone and your staff gives the customer a code to enter.
2) Instant coupon lookup and redemption
Use a tablet or computer at your restaurant to look up and redeem offers.
3) Collect codes or printed coupons and redeem when convenient. Have your servers collect the printed coupons or write down codes from coupons shown on a smartphone and redeem at the end of the night (or whenever convenient).


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School News
The Whitwell Fishing Team will be holding registration in the WHS Auditorium at 6 pm on 8/3 for the Junior Team (7yrs to 8th grade) and 8/4 for the High School Team (8th to 12th grade). **Please note** 8th graders have the choice of fishing with the Jr team or the HS team but must pick which team. Once I send the roster to BASS you can't change teams. We will go over the requirements for the team and answer any questions. We will be social distancing during the meeting.
Mon Jul 20 08:47 PM
In case you missed Dr. Griffith's address concerning the reentry plan, you can view it here.
Wed Jul 15 01:05 PM
The MCHS Pride of the Valley Band names officers for 2020-2021
Wed May 13 01:26 PM
Westin Moss and Josh Willis earned the right to fish in the 2020 Bassmaster High School Classic on Lay Lake in Alabama on March 7th. The pair finished in 8th place with two fish weighing in at 6 lbs 6 oz. Both MCHS students participate on our co-op fishing program with Whitwell High School.
Mon Mar 09 09:11 AM
Active Duty and Retired military personnel receive free admission to all sporting events at MCHS.
Tue Sep 03 02:10 PM


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President Donald Trump's nominee to be the next Supreme Court justice – Judge Brett Kavanaugh – will start his Senate confirmation hearings on September 4, the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley announced Friday.
"He's met with dozens of senators who have nothing but positive things to say," Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in a statement. "At this current pace, we have plenty of time to review the rest of emails and other records that we will receive from President Bush and the National Archives. It's time for the American people to hear directly from Judge Kavanaugh at his public hearing."
Grassley said he expects the hearing to last three or four days.
Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the high court last month to fill the spot of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Kavanaugh needs just 50 votes to be confirmed. Given the slim 51-49 majority that Republicans have in the chamber and the fact that Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain has been receiving cancer treatment in his home state Republicans cannot afford to lose any votes and hope to advance Kavanaugh's nomination if no Democrats support him. That said, Kavanaugh supporters are targeting several Democratic senators up for re-election this year from states Trump won in 2016 as possible "yes" votes.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier Friday in a radio interview that he hopes Kavanaugh would be confirmed by the Senate "before the first Monday in October."
"The President's hit a home run again, just like he did with Neil Gorsuch last year," McConnell told WKDZ Radio. "He'll get confirmed. It won't be a landslide, but he'll get confirmed."
Democrats have pushed for access to government records associated with Kavanaugh, who served as White House staff secretary under George W. Bush as well as an associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel during the investigation into President Bill Clinton's conduct. Democrats have demanded all the documents from Kavanaugh's time at the White House for review ahead of his confirmation, which Republicans have called a "fishing expedition" and a "delay tactic" for a nominee who some Republicans say some Democrats have no intention of considering.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday did begin releasing a small slice of documents related to Kavanaugh's work in the early 2000s for Bush, including the administration's response to the September 11 attacks. The committee acknowledged that the Bush screening team decided which records to disclose for public review, a move panned by Democrats.
"Every day, Republican obstruction of Kavanaugh's record gets worse and worse," said Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader on Thursday. "Not only is a massively conflicted Republican lawyer, who previously worked for Judge Kavanaugh, cherry-picking what documents the Senate Judiciary Committee can see, he is now telling the Committee what the rest of the Senate and the American public can see – and Republicans are playing along."
White House spokesman Raj Shah said Kavanaugh is looking forward to speaking with Congress.
"With the Senate already reviewing more documents than for any other Supreme Court nominee in history, Chairman Grassley has lived up to his promise to lead an open, transparent and fair process," Shah said Friday. "Judge Kavanaugh looks forward to addressing the Judiciary Committee in public hearings for the American people to view."
CNN's Daniella Diaz and Joan Biskupic contributed to this report.


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If you are looking for a mortgage payment calculator, be sure to read our post on mortgage calculator as it provides useful tips on how to find the best mortgage payment calculator and not waste time by providing your personal information just to be able to determine what your payment will be based on a simple loan term input.
Here is the simplest tip we can offer you:
When using a mortgage payment calculator, be sure to factor in your home insurance, property tax and HOA dues. Often first time home buyers are too excited about the idea of buying their new home, that they forget that they need to factor in escrows and HOA dues into their monthly budget.


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Royal canin kitten instinctive(1.02 kg) comes in the form of pouches which contain wet cat food. This is ideal for the macro-nutrient profile suited for second age kittens( 2nd growth period). This is also suitable for the gestating mother cat. The delicious gravy will surely be liked by your cat and the thin slices in the gravy are very easy to chew and digest.
1)Wet(thin slices in gravy) ready to serve.
2)Easy to chew and digest. Better feline health nutrition.
3)Promotes immunity and improves natural defenses(Contains Vit E,C , taurine and lutein).
Ingredients:meat and animal derivatives, vegetable protein extracts, minerals, milk and milk derivatives, derivatives of vegetable origin, oils and fats, yeasts, various sugars.


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The box in each T1-weighted image shows the single-voxel placement centered on the pons in the sagittal (A) and axial projections (B), on the left motor cortex in the sagittal (C) and axial projections (D), and on the left subcortical white matter located caudal to the motor cortex in the sagittal (E) and axial projections (F). A representative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy spectrum was obtained from the pons using the conventional PRESS technique (G). A representative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy spectrum was obtained from the left motor cortex using the MEGA-PRESS editing technique (H). The combined measure of glutamine and glutamate (Glx) is resolved at 3.8 ppm, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is resolved at 3.0 ppm with an inverted N-acetylaspartate (NAA) peak at 2.0 ppm. Cho indicates choline; Cr, creatine; mI, myo-inositol.
The diamonds represent GABA levels in the left motor cortex (A) and subcortical white matter located caudal to the motor cortex (B) for individual healthy controls (open diamonds) and patients with ALS (filled diamonds). The horizontal bars indicate the mean. Patients with ALS have reduced levels of GABA in the left motor cortex compared with healthy controls. There is no difference in GABA levels in the left subcortical white matter between patients with ALS and healthy controls.
The diamonds represent the respective brain metabolites of creatine (Cr [A]), glutamate and glutamine (Glx [B]), and N-acetylaspartate (NAA [C]). Riluzole-naive patients with ALS have elevated levels of Cr, Glx, and NAA in the left motor cortex compared with riluzole-treated patients with ALS.
Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
Foerster BR, Pomper MG, Callaghan BC, et al. An Imbalance Between Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurotransmitters in Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis Revealed by Use of 3-T Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. JAMA Neurol. 2013;70(8):1009–1016. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.234
© 2023
A lack of neuroinhibitory function may result in unopposed excitotoxic neuronal damage in
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
To determine whether there are reductions in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels and
elevations in glutamate-glutamine (Glx) levels in selected brain regions of patients with ALS by use
of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Case-control study using short echo time and GABA-edited proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy
at 3 T with regions of interest in the left motor cortex, left subcortical white matter, and pons;
data analyzed using logistic regression, t tests, and Pearson correlations; and
post hoc analyses performed to investigate differences between riluzole-naive and riluzole-treated
patients with ALS.
Tertiary referral center.
Twenty-nine patients with ALS and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
Fifteen patients were taking 50 mg of riluzole twice a day as part of their routine clinical care
for ALS.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Levels of GABA, Glx, choline (a marker of cell membrane turnover), creatine (a marker of energy
metabolism), myo-inositol (a marker of glial cells), and N-acetylaspartate (a
marker of neuronal integrity).
Patients with ALS had significantly lower levels of GABA in the motor cortex than did healthy
controls (P < .01). Patients with ALS also had significantly lower
levels of N-acetylaspartate in the motor cortex
(P < .01), subcortical white matter
(P < .05), and pons (P < .01) and
higher levels of myo-inositol in the motor cortex (P < .001) and
subcortical white matter (P < .01) than did healthy controls.
Riluzole-naive patients with ALS had higher levels of Glx than did riluzole-treated patients with
ALS (P < .05 for pons and motor cortex) and healthy controls
(P < .05 for pons and motor cortex). Riluzole-naive patients with
ALS had higher levels of creatine in the motor cortex (P < .001 for
both comparisons) and subcortical white matter (P ≤ .05 for both
comparisons) than did riluzole-treated patients with ALS and healthy controls. Riluzole-naive
patients with ALS had higher levels of N-acetylaspartate in the motor cortex than
did riluzole-treated patients with ALS (P < .01).
Conclusions and Relevance
There are reduced levels of GABA in the motor cortex of patients with ALS. There are elevated
levels of Glx in riluzole-naive patients with ALS compared with riluzole-treated patients with ALS
and healthy controls. These results point to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory
neurotransmitters as being important in the pathogenesis of ALS and an antiglutamatergic basis for
the effects of riluzole, although additional research efforts are needed.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive degenerative motor neuron disease involving the motor cortex, corticospinal tract, brainstem, and spinal anterior horn neurons.1 The disease is uniformly fatal, although the clinical presentation and course are heterogeneous, with median survival times between 2 and 4 years.2 Patients present most commonly with combined upper motor neuron (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) features, although, earlier in the disease course, only UMN or LMN signs may be present. Although electromyography confirms LMN signs in ALS, UMN signs are solely assessed on clinical grounds that can delay diagnosis. This is due in part to the fact that UMN signs in ALS can be masked by LMN weakness and secondary hyporeflexia rather than hyperreflexia.3 Riluzole, the only medication for ALS approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, has limited efficacy, extending average life expectancy by only 3 to 6 months.4,5 Riluzole is postulated to modulate excitatory neurotransmission, although the exact in vivo pharmacologic actions are not well understood.6
To further the understanding of the disease process and perhaps to diagnose the disease at an earlier stage, advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques have been applied to the study of ALS. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is one such imaging technique that has been used in a number of studies to investigate ALS.7 The techniques of 1H-MRS require the placement of a voxel or region of interest to specify a volume of brain tissue in which to measure brain metabolites. Conventional in vivo 1H-MRS at 3 T can quantify various brain metabolites, including N-acetylaspartate (NAA; a marker of neuronal integrity), choline (Cho; a marker of cell membrane turnover), creatine (Cr; a marker of energy metabolism), myo-inositol (mI; a marker of glial cells), and glutamate-glutamine (Glx).8 γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, is difficult to quantify using conventional 1H-MRS but can be measured using spectral-editing techniques.9,10 There is increasing evidence that reduced inhibitory function may play an important role in the pathogenesis of ALS.11 Given our limited prior knowledge of in vivo GABA changes in ALS, direct interrogation of GABA may lead to a new understanding of this complex disease and may provide opportunities for the development of new disease-modifying treatments.
The most common finding reported in 1H-MRS studies of ALS is reduced NAA in the motor cortex, which is generally interpreted as neuronal loss.12 Although riluzole is thought to modulate excitatory neurotransmission, only 2 published 1H-MRS studies13,14 have explored the effect of riluzole on brain metabolites and measured only Cho, Cr, and NAA. We recently published the first 1H-MRS study15 reporting a decrease in GABA motor cortex levels in a small ALS cohort (n = 10), which suggested reductions in inhibitory neurotransmission. However, our prior study15 did not consider the excitatory contribution of Glx. The aim of the present study was to study both inhibitory neurotransmission, as measured by GABA, and excitatory neurotransmission, as measured by Glx. Our hypothesis is that there is an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in ALS. The GABA and Glx levels were measured in the left motor cortex and left subcortical white matter, and Glx levels were measured in the pons as well. A secondary aim was to determine differences between brain metabolite profiles of riluzole-treated vs riluzole treatment-naive patients with ALS.
Twenty-nine patients with ALS were recruited from our institution's ALS clinic. Thirty age- and sex-matched healthy controls were also recruited. The patients with ALS met the El Escorial Criteria for probable (n = 15), probable laboratory-supported (n = 10), or definite (n = 4) ALS.16 Participants were excluded if they had a history of central nervous system infection, head injury, or cerebrovascular disease; were active substance abusers; or had a contraindication for magnetic resonance imaging. All participants were right-handed. Our institutional review board approved all study protocols, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. The UMN scores were graded by combining the Ashworth Spasticity Scale (range, 0-8)17 with the presence of pathological reflexes (range, 0-24)18,19 and a scale for measuring the pseudobulbar affect (range, 0-1),20 with a total scale ranging from 0 to 33 (a higher score reflecting higher disease burden). Participant characteristics are presented in Table 1.
Nineteen participants (10 patients with ALS and 9 healthy controls) were imaged on a Philips Achieva 3T system using an 8-channel receive head coil; the GABA results from this cohort have been previously published.15 In addition, 40 participants (19 patients with ALS and 21 healthy controls) were imaged on a Philips Ingenia 3T system using a 15-channel receive head coil. T1-weighted 3-dimensional magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo images were used to place 3.0 × 3.0 × 2.0-cm voxels in the left motor cortex and left subcortical white matter located caudally to the motor cortex for single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) and Mescher-Garwood PRESS (MEGA-PRESS) data acquisitions.9 A 1.4 × 1.4 × 1.8-cm voxel was placed centrally in the pons for PRESS data acquisition (Figure 1).
The PRESS spectra (with a repetition time [TR] of 2000 milliseconds and an echo time [TE] of 35 milliseconds) were acquired using VAPOR (variable power and optimized relaxation delays) water suppression: 32 averages were performed for the motor cortex and subcortical white matter voxels, and 96 averages were performed for the pons voxels. Conventional PRESS data were analyzed using LCModel version 6.1-4A.21 Metabolite concentrations from LCModel were only used for statistical analysis if the Cramér-Rao lower bounds were less than 20% for the motor cortex and subcortical white matter voxels and less than 25% for the pons voxel. Cerebral spinal fluid correction was performed for each voxel using magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo images and Statistical Parametric Mapping version 5 (Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging).
The MEGA-PRESS experiment for editing GABA was performed with the following parameters: TE = 68 milliseconds (TE1 = 15 milliseconds and TE2 = 53 milliseconds); TR = 1.8 seconds; 256 averages; and frequency-selective editing pulses (14 milliseconds) applied at 1.9 ppm (on) and 7.46 ppm (off). Slice-selective refocusing was performed using amplitude-modulated pulse "GTST1203" (length, 7 milliseconds; bandwidth, 1.2 kHz); MEGA-PRESS was analyzed using in-house postprocessing software in Matlab 2012a (Mathworks) with Gaussian curve fitting to the GABA and inverted NAA peaks. The GABA levels were expressed relative to the NAA signal in the edited spectra.22 The GABA:NAA ratio was then multiplied by the NAA concentration determined from LCModel analysis of a short-TE PRESS spectrum of the same voxel to provide an estimate of GABA concentration. Note that the metabolite concentration is in international units (IU) because various factors are not corrected, including editing efficiency and relaxation times.
Logistic regression analyses were performed between disease status and individual metabolites using scanner type (Achieva or Ingenia) as a covariate to determine if there were significant differences between the Philips Achieva 3T and Ingenia 3T systems. Two-tailed independent-sample t tests were performed to determine differences in brain metabolites between patients with ALS and healthy controls. Pearson correlations were performed for associations between brain metabolites and clinical status (using UMN scores, disease duration, the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale [ALSFRS-R], and the rate of disease progression [defined as (48 − ALSFRS-R score at evaluation)/disease duration from symptom onset to evaluation]). A subset analysis was also performed to compare riluzole-treated vs riluzole-naive patients with ALS. We also compared riluzole-naive patients with ALS vs healthy controls. Stata version 11 (StataCorp) was used for statistical analysis. The significance threshold was set a priori at P = .05.
For the conventional PRESS spectra, 2 patients with ALS had an inadequate signal to noise ratio from the pons voxels and were excluded, and the pons Glx value from 1 patient with ALS was excluded owing to a high Cramér-Rao bound. For the MEGA-PRESS spectra, the GABA spectra in the motor cortex of 2 patients with ALS and 1 healthy control and in the subcortical white matter of 1 patient with ALS had an inadequate signal to noise ratio. Four of the patients with ALS were unable to complete the entire imaging protocol and did not undergo 1H-MRS of the subcortical white matter. The logistic regression analysis showed no significant effects of scanner type (z > 0.05) for all of the metabolites, which indicates that the data from the cohorts scanned on the different machines are comparable.
As shown in Figure 2, patients with ALS demonstrated significantly lower levels of GABA in the motor cortex than did healthy controls (P = .002). There were no significant differences in GABA levels in the left subcortical white matter between patients with ALS and healthy controls (P = .30). There was a significant correlation between GABA level in the motor cortex and disease duration (r = −0.39; P = .05). The patients with ALS who had the 5 lowest GABA levels had a disease duration (33 months) that was almost double that of the patients with ALS who had the 5 highest GABA levels (18 months), although the ALSFRS-R and UMN scores were close (ie, the ALSFRS-R score was 5 points lower, and the UMN score was 2 points higher, for the lowest GABA levels).
Results are summarized in Table 2. The levels of NAA in the motor cortex (P = .008), subcortical white matter (P = .02), and pons (P = .003) were significantly lower in patients with ALS than in healthy controls. The levels of mI in the motor cortex (P < .001) and subcortical white matter (P = .002) were significantly higher in patients with ALS than in healthy controls. There were significant correlations between NAA level in the motor cortex and ALSFRS-R score (r = 0.39; P < .05), between mI level in the subcortical white matter and disease duration (r = 0.43; P < .05), and between Glx level in the pons and UMN score (r = −0.63; P < .001). There was a significant correlation between NAA and GABA levels (r = 0.57; P = .002). There were no significant correlations between GABA and Glx levels within the same voxel location or between voxel locations.
Subgroup characteristics are presented in Table 3. As seen in Figure 3, there were significantly higher levels of Cr, Glx, and NAA in the motor cortex of riluzole-naive patients with ALS compared with the riluzole-treated patients with ALS. There were also significantly higher levels of Glx in the pons (P = .01) and higher levels of Cr in the subcortical white matter (P = .05) of the riluzole-naive patients with ALS compared with the riluzole-treated patients with ALS. There were no significant differences in the levels of GABA or other metabolites between the 2 subgroups. The levels of Glx in the motor cortex (P = .03) and the pons (P = .04) were significantly higher for riluzole-naive patients with ALS (mean [SD] levels of 6.49 [1.52] IU and 8.28 [2.53] IU, respectively) than for healthy controls (mean [SD] levels of 5.62 [1.00] IU and 6.83 [1.77] IU, respectively). The levels of Cr in the motor cortex (P < .001) and the subcortical white matter (P = .03) were significantly higher for riluzole-naive patients with ALS (mean [SD] levels of 5.46 [0.58] IU and 4.47 [0.30] IU, respectively) than for healthy controls (mean [SD] levels of 4.93 [0.33] IU and 4.21 [0.35] IU, respectively).
Our study demonstrates reductions of GABA levels in the motor cortex of patients with ALS compared with healthy controls. In addition, it was found that Glx levels were elevated in riluzole-naive patients with ALS compared with riluzole-treated patients with ALS and healthy controls. The inclusion of an additional 19 patients with ALS augments the significance of our prior study15 that found lower levels of GABA in the motor cortex of 10 patients with ALS. To our knowledge, this is the first report of in vivo measurements of both GABA and Glx in patients with ALS, thereby investigating both the GABAergic (inhibitory) and the glutamatergic (excitatory) neurotransmitter systems in the same patients.
The cause of ALS remains elusive, although excitotoxic neuronal injury is thought to play an important role, which is primarily mediated through glutamate toxicity.2,23 There is increasing evidence that an "interneuronopathy" may be a central player in the pathophysiology of ALS.24 Interneuronopathy is the hypothesis that inhibitory or GABAergic dysfunction results in relatively unopposed excitotoxic neuronal damage. Neuroimaging, animal, histochemical, genetic, and clinical studies support the role of an interneuronopathy in ALS.11 An ALS functional magnetic resonance imaging study25 demonstrated increased functional connectivity in ALS, suggesting a loss of inhibitory neuronal tone. An animal model of ALS demonstrated that cortical excitability is explained by reduced GABAergic inhibition.26 In addition, human histochemical and positron emission tomography studies have implicated GABA receptor alterations in the motor cortex of patients with ALS.27,28
A significant barrier to further supporting the interneuronal hypothesis has been the challenge of directly measuring in vivo GABA concentrations. γ-Aminobutyric acid has chemical shift overlap with other brain metabolites such as Cr, Glx, and NAA, which are present in brain tissue at higher concentrations than GABA.29 The 1H-MRS editing techniques allow for improved differentiation of metabolites and quantification of GABA by editing out the overlapping Cr peak at 3.0 ppm.10 The current result of decreased levels of GABA in the motor cortex provides further in vivo evidence of reduced inhibitory function in the pathophysiology of ALS and suggests the possibility of the development of new ALS disease-modifying treatments aimed at increasing inhibitory neuronal tone.
Higher levels of Glx were also found in the motor cortex and pons of riluzole-naive patients compared with riluzole-treated patients and healthy controls. Glutamate and glutamine are difficult to resolve independently at field strengths of 3 T or lower, and are usually reported as a combined measure (ie, Glx); however, in a normal brain, glutamate is the larger contributor to this peak by about a 4:1 ratio.30 Owing to concerns of a potential relationship between NAA and Glx, we confirmed that there was not a significant correlation between the NAA levels and the Glx levels for the overall group or the treatment subgroups. Riluzole is thought to act on both the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems.31,32 Riluzole has been shown to decrease glutamatergic neurotransmission by acting as an antagonist of presynaptic N-methyl-d-aspartate and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid glutamate receptors, as well as by increasing glutamate transporter uptake.33-35 Riluzole has been shown to increase GABA levels in cell cultures, although the levels required for GABA modulation are thought to be higher than those required for glutamatergic inhibition, which may explain the lack of effect of riluzole on the GABA levels seen in the present study.36,37 Reduced motor cortex excitability has been demonstrated after riluzole administration in healthy subjects, as well as partial normalization of increased cortical excitability in patients with ALS, which is thought to be mediated through glutamatergic rather than GABAergic interactions.38,39
A moderate negative correlation between GABA levels and disease duration was found. The patients with ALS who had the lowest GABA levels had longer disease durations than did the patients with ALS who had the highest GABA levels. It may be that patients with ALS who have a more rapid course have a reflexive increase in inhibitory tone relative to those with a more prolonged disease course. There may be a release of GABA from rapidly denervated interneurons resulting in higher relative levels in patients with ALS who had a short disease duration. Interestingly, both Filippini et al40 and Iwata et al41 found in their cross-sectional studies that fractional anisotropy, a measurement of white matter integrity, was paradoxically higher in patients with ALS who had the longest disease duration. Fractional anisotropy is a different advanced neuroimaging metric, but, taken together, these findings suggest that long-term survivors have different pathophysiologic processes. Although there was no significant direct correlation between GABA and Glx levels, it is possible that there may be a relative GABA threshold for each respective patient, allowing for the excitotoxic effects of glutamate rather than a linear relationship between GABA and glutamate. It is interesting to note that there was a significant correlation between NAA and GABA levels, which suggests an association between neuronal integrity and neuronal inhibitory tone. A longitudinal imaging trial is required to address these issues.
The riluzole-treated patients with ALS had lower levels of Cr than both the riluzole-naive patients with ALS and the healthy controls. It has been proposed that an energy-depleted state may be an inciting factor in ALS31 and that riluzole may reduce neuronal cellular energy demand.42 A potential confounding factor to these findings is that the riluzole-treated patients with ALS had lower levels of NAA than did the riluzole-naive patients with ALS. There was a moderate correlation between NAA and Cr levels in the motor cortex (r = 0.49; P = .01) for the 29 patients with ALS. Two prior studies13,14 have reported a longitudinal increase in the NAA:Cr ratio of patients with ALS after short periods (≤3 weeks) of riluzole treatment; however, these 2 studies13,14 did not report absolute concentrations of the NAA and Cr metabolites, which makes direct comparison difficult. However, overall, these results do suggest the potential of 1H-MRS measurements of GABA and Glx as surrogate markers of disease progression and treatment response, which might be useful in future pharmacological trials.
As in our study, almost all prior 1H-MRS studies have reported decreases in levels of NAA or NAA:CR ratios, particularly in the motor cortex. The finding of elevated mI levels in the motor cortex and subcortical white matter is thought to represent increased numbers of glial cells.8 Although mI has not been investigated to the same extent as NAA, prior studies43-45 have reported mI (or mI:Cr ratio) elevations in the motor cortex. Interestingly, only a few studies have measured Glx, with 2 studies reporting elevations in Glx as reported by increased Glx:Cr ratios in the medulla in the study by Pioro et al46 and increased Glx:Cr ratios in the motor cortex in the study by Han and Ma.47 Of the prior studies that measured Glx, it is important to note that riluzole status, which is a potential mediating factor (as the present study would indicate), was either not mentioned43,46-48 or unclear.44
As reported before, the limitations of 1H-MRS (including the MEGA-PRESS technique) include its inability to differentiate between the intracellular and extracellular contribution of the metabolites, its potential macromolecular component contributions, and the relatively large voxel sizes required. Our study includes the GABA data of 10 patients with ALS and 9 healthy controls from previously published results. We did not perform a statistical correction for multiple comparisons, which can result in type I errors. As such, subsequent studies are needed to confirm our findings. We were not able to implement the MEGA-PRESS sequence to measure GABA levels in the pons given the relatively small volume. The riluzole-treated group of patients with ALS had, on average, a lower ALSFRS-R score than did the riluzole-naive group of patients with ALS, indicating greater disability, although the UMN disease burden was not significantly different between these 2 groups. Direct causality between riluzole treatment and effect on brain metabolites cannot be established given the cross-sectional nature of our study. A longitudinal imaging trial enrolling patients at initial diagnosis would be required to better establish the response of brain metabolites to treatment, as well as to probe ALS central nervous system changes, including the direct relationship between GABA and Glx over time.
In conclusion, reductions in GABA levels in the motor cortex of patients with ALS were observed, as well as elevations of Glx in riluzole-naive patients with ALS compared with riluzole-treated patients with ALS and healthy controls. The results support the hypothesis that an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters is an important factor in the pathogenesis of ALS, as well as the antiglutamatergic basis for the effects of riluzole. These findings also support the potential of 1H-MRS to establish Glx and GABA measurements as clinically relevant markers of disease, although additional research efforts are needed to better understand the findings reported herein.
Accepted for Publication: January 25, 2013.
Corresponding Author: Bradley R. Foerster, MD, Department
of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 E Medical Center Dr, UH B2 A205H, Ann Arbor, MI
48109-5030 (email@example.com).
Published Online: June 24, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.234.
Author Contributions:Study concept and design: Foerster, Pomper, Mohamed, Carlos, Barker, Feldman.
Acquisition of data: Foerster, Callaghan, Petrou.
Analysis and interpretation of data: Foerster, Pomper, Edden, Mohamed, Welsh,
Carlos, Feldman.
Drafting of the manuscript: Foerster.
Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Pomper,
Callaghan, Petrou, Edden, Mohamed, Welsh, Carlos, Barker, Feldman.
Statistical analysis: Foerster.
Obtained funding: Foerster, Mohamed, Feldman.
Administrative, technical, and material support: Edden, Mohamed, Welsh.
Study supervision: Foerster, Pomper, Feldman.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Dr Carlos has
served as a consultant for Philips Healthcare.
Funding/Support: This study funded by the
A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute.
Additional Contributions: We thank Andrea Smith, MS, for her assistance in the
coordination of the study.


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Blue Subway Tiles Bathroom
Subway tiles bathroom – When planning your bathroom remodeling project, consider using blue subway tiles. They give space to your home for an expensive facelift in half the cost. In fact, subway tiles are the only cheap tile with an edge of fashion earrings as you go from contemporary to modern bathroom remodeling issues. In addition, Metro blue tiles also cut down on time project work that allows you to immediately see the results.
Prepare all your tools. Wear safety glasses and gloves appropriate work shoes and work clothes. If you need to work on the bathroom walls and floor, making the first walls. Prepare the area. If there is an existing ceramic subway tiles bathroom wall or floor, use a chisel, mortar and hammer to knock down the tiled walls and floor.
12 Photos Gallery of: Blue Subway Tiles Bathroom
After the demolition of the old shingles, clean the concrete subfloor. Remove dust and dirt in preparation for installation in its underground dry blue tiles. The subfloor must be rough, with a sander for adhesive mortar thin layer cling to the concrete floor when installing the new subway tiles bathroom begins. Prepare the tiles; take all necessary measures for a precise fit.


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"We live in a world where lemonade is made from artificial flavoring and furniture polish is made from real lemons." — MAD magazine
My hubby recently went to Nevada for work. I asked him to get me one thing, and one thing only: a gray (or "grey" if you're from the UK), Hard Rock Cafe T shirt. He went out of his way to go to Las Vegas, find the Hard Rock Cafe, and get me a gray, Hard Rock Cafe T Shirt. He brought that shirt all the way back to me, here, in Virginia . . . and lo and behold . . . it was the wrong size. I was so frustrated. Not only was this the only thing I had asked for, but I had written it down, texted him, and asked again and again until I was sure he had the correct size memorized.
So I decided to write to the Hard Rock Cafe, assuming that I would probably never hear back. I figured maybe my son's teddy bear could wear the child sized shirt that Hubby grabbed, accidentally. Amazingly, someone from the Hard Rock wrote me back, graciously offering to exchange the shirt, by mail, if I would send the wrong size back to them.
So on a scorching hot summer day in Virginia, I gathered my 4 year old and my 1 year old and packed the *few* things a Mom with kiddos needs: enough food and snacks and juice boxes and water for at least 3 months, enough diapers to stuff the entire inside of a small Volkswagen, toys, tablets, rattles, bottles . . . clothes for both cold and warm weather . . . and a partridge in a pear tree. You get the idea. We were loaded down with supplies. It was hot. The kids were grumpy. Almost immediately they started plotting WWIII in the back seat.
By the time we got to the post office, a storm was definitely brewing in Baltimore Baby land. When I took them out of their seats, my son took off in a fun little game of "run around the car to see if Mommy can catch you," while the baby screeched and didn't want to sit in her stroller, since she had now tasted sweet freedom after her odious carseat bondage. As I struggled to wrestle a suddenly "still as a board," tantrum-throwing baby into her straps, I was also shouting at my son to stop running, and randomly darting around like a crazy person grabbing at him to keep him from running into the street. Finally we got to the door of the post office, just in time for the old man in front of us to let the door slam in our faces. So, with one hand gripping my toddler who was wrestling to get away, and the other grabbing my package, diaper bag, purse, and stroller, I somehow wrestled open the door, jammed it open with my foot, and wedged the stroller through. The post office line was long, and I tried in vain to keep the troops happy by passing out goldfish and juice boxes at the speed of light while the old man ahead of me tried to decide whether he should get the Rose Garden or Farmer's Market stamps. In his own words: "I don't want to rush this decision. But it's OK. I'm not in a hurry. I have all day." All I could think was, "My juice is running out! Please hurry! I'm not made out of lollipops, here!"
We finally got the tiny T shirt mailed, after a very hectic and embarrassing morning. We got back to our own house, sweating and grumpy from the scorching day. And I waited, content in the knowledge that my shirt was on its way back to the sweet people at the Hard Rock Cafe. My shirt was "goin' to Vegas," even if I wasn't lucky enough to join it. Dear Shirt: I hope you have fun.
Today, a package arrived for me from the Hard Rock Cafe. I smiled. The entire, horrible ordeal had all been worth it. Eagerly, I cut the package. A perfect, medium sized T shirt fell out onto my lap . . . it was gray; it was perfect; it was beautiful. And it had . . . a hole in it.
Yesssss. When I cut into the package, I had accidentally cut a hole in the shirt. I had CUT A HOLE in the shirt with the scissors that are so dull they can't even cut a piece of paper. Somehow, some way, those scissors decided to rise to the challenge TODAY and cut the living daylights out of that gorgeous, gray T shirt that I worked so hard to get. I stared down at my beautiful, ruined shirt, stunned.
And I did what anyone else would do. I had a good cry, and I shouted, "How in the world could you be so stupid???" to myself. I kept holding the shirt up, hoping that maybe THIS time that hole wouldn't look so bad . . . so . . . gaping. And I mentally kicked myself, again.
And I got out my sewing machine, and I fixed it.
Sure– the shirt has a little scar where I nicked it. Sure– it may not be perfect. But at the end of the day, we keep going. We do the best we can, and we keep going. When life hands us lemons . . . we use those lemons– zest and juice and all. And we make lemon poppyseed scones.
And we do it wearing a slightly puckered, but perfectly sized gray Hard Rock Cafe T shirt. And we do it . . . like a BOSS.
What are we waiting for? Let's do this!
Lemon Poppyseed Scones
(My adaptation from a basic scone recipe)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter or margarine
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
Lemon Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, juiced (reserve zest for garnish)
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
To make the scones, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together, in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut in cold butter until the butter chunks are about the size of peas. Stir in your poppy seeds, lemon juice and zest, sour cream, and beaten egg. Stir just until wet ingredients are combined. Form dough into a circle on a lightly floured surface and gently roll just to flatten dough, slightly (it will still be very thick– don't flatten it too much). Use a pizza wheel to cut dough circle into 8 equal triangles. Bake triangles on a silpat-lined baking sheet at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes until they are nice and toasty brown on the bottoms and slightly golden on the edges (tops will not be brown). To make glaze mix all ingredients together with a whisk until lumps are removed. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones and garnish with reserved lemon zest, if desired.
Now, in pictures! 🙂
Scones are one of those beautiful foods. You know the ones . . . they come together in a flash, look beautiful, keep fresh for days, and are the perfect "quick and easy" thing to throw together when you have unexpected company. That's because scones, at their heart, are really a "quick bread," which basically means that, like biscuits, they are mainly flour, some kind of fat (I'm using butter), and liquid. We want to get our flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt whisked together so they'll be ready to start dancing and prancing with the cold butter.
And if you've ever tried to "cut" cold butter into flour with 2 knives, or 2 forks . . . or your fingers . . . you know that it's a real pain. Voila! Enter the Perfect pastry blender, here. This little baby changed everything, for me, about scones, biscuits, pie dough . . . you name it. Unlike a traditional pastry blender, this one has a flat bottom, which makes it ten times easier to "squish" the butter against the bottom of the bowl.
Mind if I . . . cut in?
When your butter has been cut down to size (pieces roughly the size of a pea), it's time to start the tango with the other ingredients. Add in the rest of your ingredients and mix them together gently with a wooden spoon. This process takes some muscle– I'm not gonna' lie. But just think how many calories you're burning as you muscle this dough into submission. Try to avoid the temptation to add more liquid– just scrape your spoon and the sides of your bowl, and keep working. Eventually you'll get a super thick, play-dough-esque dough.
Dump your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently 2-3 times. We don't want to overwork the dough– just massage it a little bit into a nice, soft dough. Mold your dough into a rough circle and use a rolling pin to gently flatten the top. I like to use a pizza cutter to cut my "wedge" into 8 triangles, but you can use a scone pan (like this one, here), if you prefer. Scone pans make it easy just to dump in your dough and run. But the cutting wedges thing works fine, too. Some people just like to make little indentions where the scones will be and put the whole 'shebang into the oven, like that, to get soft, "pull apart" sides. There are many ways to do this, folks. Choose your path and run with it. 🙂
Place your scones on a silpat-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes until they are a little golden around the edges and nice and toasty on the bottom. The tops of the scones won't be super brown– you need to check the sides and bottoms to tell when they're done baking.
When the scones have cooled, drizzle them with the deeeeelicious lemon glaze. The glaze is simple– just whisk all the ingredients together to combine. Yep. That's it. Don't you wish life were that easy?
If you want, sprinkle a little lemon zest and a few poppy seeds on top, just to look PURDY.
And then . . . the best part . . . pour yourself a nice, big cup of steaming coffee or tea. Grab a good book and a comfy seat on the porch. Read. Think. Feel the fresh evening breeze on your face. And your scone . . . don't forget to have one of those crisp, citrusy beauties. Heck . . . have two of them. You did use up all those calories mixing that dough. 😉
And sit back and toast the good 'ole Hard Rock Cafe.
You did it. And I'm just so proud of you.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which just means that we get a few pennies if you purchase through our link. I never recommend products that I don't personally use and love. Thanks!
5 Comments
i can never go past a good scone. they would have to be one of my favourite things to make! never tried lemon and poppyseed ones before though…they look and sound amazing.
Having been born and raised in England, I'm sure that these lovely little scones would give me this little taste of home away from home that I've been craving! I know what I'll be doing this weekend 🙂
Thanks for sharing!


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To Lose Body Weight, You Need to Change Your Nurtritional, Exercise and Lifestyle Habits
Does Exercise Help Manage Body Weight?
Regular physical activity is an important part of effective weight loss and weight maintenance. It also can help prevent several diseases and improve your overall health. It does not matter what type of physical activity you perform--sports, planned exercise, household chores, yard work, or work-related tasks--all are beneficial. Studies show that even the most inactive people can gain significant health benefits if they accumulate 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day. Based on these findings, the U.S. Public Health Service has identified increased physical activity as a priority in Healthy People 2000, our national objectives to improve the health of Americans by the year 2000.
Research consistently shows that regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating habits, is the most efficient and healthful way to control your weight. Whether you are trying to lose weight or maintain it, you should understand the important role of physical activity and include it in your lifestyle.
How Can Physical Activity Help Control My Weight?
Physical activity helps to control your weight by using excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat. Your body weight is regulated by the number of calories you eat and use each day. Everything you eat contains calories, and everything you do uses calories, including sleeping, breathing, and digesting food. Any physical activity in addition to what you normally do will use extra calories.
Balancing the calories you use through physical activity with the calories you eat will help you achieve your desired weight. When you eat more calories than you need to perform your day's activities, your body stores the extra calories and you gain weight (a).
When you eat fewer calories than you use, your body uses the stored calories and you lose weight (b). When you eat the same amount of calories as your body uses, your weight stays the same (c).
Any type of physical activity you choose to do--strenuous activities
such as running or aerobic dancing or moderate-intensity activities such
as walking or household work--will increase the number of calories your
body uses. The key to successful weight control and improved overall health
is making physical activity a part of your daily routine.
"3 Habits to Lose Weight: Nutrition, Exercise, Lifestyle"
Information presented on Lose Body Weight website is considered public information. This website is for informational and educational purposes only. The information provided is not intended as a substitute for the care of a doctor or medical professional. If you suspect that you have a health problem, we urge you to contact your physician or local hospital for care. Weight Loss ideas are not proven.


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Places Of Work Archive
Settlement Reached In Lawsuit Difficult Situations In Santa Barbara County Jail
Worldwide, associate retirement ages can be tough to estimate and often range broadly, significantly as a result of in many international locations it's illegal to mandate a retirement age. While there have been many potential external elements, we believe that speaking in regards to the attorney as an individual, as opposed to the agency, creates a feeling of smallness and impermanence which can affect the belief and expertise factor. It created an expectation that the named attorney wouldn't be the one person working on the consumer's case. Different names had completely different results on the perceptions of shoppers and potential clients.
Basic Workplace Management
Sometimes the most qualified candidate isn't the best option, as much of what determines their long-term success is how they get on with the rest of your team and your shoppers. Hiring with out listening to cultural match is a one-method ticket to a excessive worker turnover fee. Law corporations are ranked both objectively, corresponding to by earnings per partner, and subjectively, by varied legal publishers and journalists.
Newly qualified associates at main firms in Hong Kong typically make HK$840,000 to HK$948,000, with partners within the HK$1.6 million to HK$four million+ vary; many companies pay New York salaries with price of living adjustments. It is rare for a companion to be compelled out by fellow companions, though that may happen if the companion commits a criminal offense or malpractice, experiences disruptive psychological sickness, or is not contributing to the agency's total profitability. However, some giant corporations have written into their partnership agreement a compelled retirement age for partners, which could be wherever from age 65 on up. In contrast, most corporate executives are at much higher danger of being fired, even when the underlying cause isn't instantly their fault, similar to a drop in the firm's inventory value.
Enterprise Websites
If something happens relating to their security then you're accountable, so going above and beyond the minimum requirements of your moral obligations and customary legislation duties is significant. I won't go into too much detail here, however take a look at our free enterprise process management information for more information.


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Artists Support Asia - A Call For Help
Artists Support Asia - A Call For Help
By now, everyone will know of what happened in Asia. An earthquake followed by tsunamis has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of wounded people and millions of homeless. Now, two days after it happening, help is getting started. And those organisations involved in this need our help. They need money to buy food and whatever other material that is necessary to help people.
Artists Support Asia is calling out for artists to help in their own way. Donate a track, one of your old tracks, one of your unreleased new tracks, or a track especially written for this project, to Artists Support Asia. We will be compiling these tracks into compilation cd-r's and sell them. All proceeds will be donated to the International Red Cross.
Artists! Want to help out? Join us now! Go to http://www.artistssupportasia.org/forum/ to show your interest in joining this project. Let's make a statement! Let's tell the world that independant artists can also show they care! Let's raise money to help all those affected by this terrible disaster.


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Pandit C.R. Vyas
This album is a special release that coincides with the 75th birthday of Pandit Chintaman Raghunath Vyas one of the
foremost vocalists in Hindustani Classical Music today.
Born into a family of Sanskrit pandits and keertan singers in Osmanabad in 1924, Pt. CR. Vyas' musical journey spans four gurus and three Gharanas - Pandit Govindrao Bhatambrekar of the Kirana Gharana, Pandit Rajarambua Paradkar and Pandit Mirashibua of the Gwalior Gharana and most notably Pandit Jagannathbua Purohit of the agra Gharana. His assimilation of the Khayal traditions of these three leading gharanas combined with his own musical talents has resulted in a distinctive individual vocal style that has truly enriched Indian classical music.
Pt. C.R. Vyas has also composed several ragas and bandishes under the penname "Gunijaan'. He is the winner of the Sangeet Natak Academy award in the 1987, the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar in 1990 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992. His sons Satish Vyas – a noted santoor player and Suhas Vyas – a vocalist are outstanding musicians in their own right and are proudly carrying forward the musical legacy handed over to them by their father.
Raga Raamkali
Raga Raamkali is derived from the Bhairav That and is a morning raga. There are two to three varieties of Raga Raamkali but the most commonly heard is the type in which both madhyams (natural/flat as well as the flat 4th note) and both mishads are used. Teevra madhyam (sharp 4th note) and komal nishad (flat 7th note) are used in a typical way. The vadi (dominant note) is pancham (5th note) whereas the samvadi (sub-dominant note) is komal rishabh (flat second note). There is one more musical school of thought that treats the komal dhaivath (flat 6th note) as the vadi.
The aroha (ascent) and avroha (descent) is as follows -
In 1989, leading Hindustani classical musicians gave life performances to celebrate the 150 years of the Times of India. These historic performances were recorded live exclusively by us and are released as the Golden Raaga Collection.
Other albums in the Golden Raaga Collection
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Raga Malkauns, Raga Bhairavi
Pandit Jasraj Raga Behag, Raga Basant
Shobha Gurtu Raga Mishra Khammaj, Raga Yaman,
Raga Piloo, Raga Sindhu Bhairavi
Girija Devi Raga Behag, Raga Mishra Behag,
Raga Mishra Pilu, Raga Mishra
Khammaj, Raga Mishra Gara
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Raga Bageshwari
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasiya Raga Lalit
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Raga Haripriya Kanhra, Raga Lalita Gauri
Ustad Bismillah Khan Raga Madhuwanti
1. "Darbar Laa"
Raga Raamkali
Vilambit Tilwara Taal
2. "Maan maan ab to"Raga raamkaliDrut Ek Taal
Harmonium : Shri Purushottam Walawalkar
Tabla : Ustad Ramzaan Khan
Vocal Support : Subhash Vyas
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Oprah Winfrey is known for succeeding at just about everything she tries: talk show host, actor and, despite a somewhat bumpy start, now as a network owner. But she might just deserve her greatest credit for the one feat she has not tried yet: parenthood.
In a revealing interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Winfrey said, "If I had kids, my kids would hate me. They would have ended up on the equivalent of The Oprah Show talking about me, because something [in my life] would have had to suffer and it would've probably been them."
Winfrey deserves credit for acknowledging something publicly that few people do: Not everyone is meant to be a parent. Though child-free people have begun to gain traction in society in the last two years, with articles in Time and the Daily Beast highlighting their growing numbers, people without children are still in many ways viewed as societal oddities, though they should not be. Based on the number of children who suffer from physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect—across racial and class lines—a strong argument can be made that far too many people have children who should not, meaning the decision not to have kids should theoretically be viewed as the default position, as opposed to the position that needs to be justified, defended or explained.
I have lost count of how many people have been stunned when my friends or I have said we are not sure if our lives are compatible with being a good parent or frankly have the desire to become one at all. The usual reactions toward anyone who questions the idea of pursuing parenthood even today are as follows:
1. That's selfish.
2. Who's going to take care of you when you're old?
3. You'll change your mind.
But what Oprah nailed so eloquently is that there is nothing more selfish than bringing a child into the world you can't or won't care for properly. If you are not financially stable, in a stable relationship, emotionally stable or simply not selfless enough to put someone else first, you can certainly become a parent if you have the right biological equipment to do so. But you probably won't be a very good one.
Additionally, the notion of creating another person not so you can take care of him but so he can one day take care of you is an inherently selfish argument. And the odd thing about when people tell child-free people "you'll change your mind" is that if someone doesn't want pets, no one says, "you'll change your mind," because no one wants a poor puppy stuck with someone who may not really want it. Yet when it comes to children, people seem to think a child should be stuck with anyone who is capable of procreating.
I disagree, and apparently Oprah does, too.
If only more people followed her lead, just think of how different our world would be: a world in which every child is raised by someone who loves him, wants him and wants to put him first. Not raised by someone who has a child because society expects her to, or her parents expect her to, or because she is looking for fulfillment.
As Oprah has proved through her school in Africa, fulfillment can come in many different ways. For some it may come from raising one child of your own. Or as Oprah has shown, it can come from changing the lives of hundreds of children, something she is able to do through her career and philanthropy.
All of which she would likely have not been able to accomplish had she become a mother herself.
The clarity with which Oprah Winfrey views the commitment required to be a good parent shows she is an incredibly self-aware and selfless person.
There are some parents who could probably learn a thing or two from her.
Keli Goff is The Root's special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter.
Keli Goff is The Root's special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter.