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Saturday, 31 December 2011
research: sleep
MS life 2012
Come and See Familiar & New Faces and the Science Trilogy From Holland
Meet the Scientists and Members of Team G. Hopefully the T shirts won't be such a tight fit.
Friday, 30 December 2011
Cost of Neurological Disease in Europe
Background and purpose: In 2005, we presented for the first time overall estimates of annual costs for brain disorders (mental and neurologic disorders) in Europe. This new report presents updated, more accurate, and comprehensive 2010 estimates for 30 European countries.
Methods: One-year prevalence and annual cost per person of 19 major groups of disorders are based on 'best estimates' derived from systematic literature reviews by panels of experts in epidemiology and health economics. Our cost estimation model was populated with national statistics from Eurostat to adjust to 2010 values, converting all local currencies to Euros (€), imputing cost for countries where no data were available, and aggregating country estimates to purchasing power parity-adjusted estimates of the total cost of brain disorders in Europe in 2010.
Results: Total European 2010 cost of brain disorders was €798 billion, of which direct health care cost 37%, direct non-medical cost 23%, and indirect cost 40%. Average cost per inhabitant was €5.550. The European average cost per person with a disorder of the brain ranged between €285 for headache and €30,000 for neuromuscular disorders. Total annual cost per disorder (in billion € 2010) was as follows: addiction 65.7; anxiety disorders 74.4; brain tumor 5.2; child/adolescent disorders 21.3; dementia 105.2; eating disorders 0.8; epilepsy 13.8; headache 43.5; mental retardation 43.3; mood disorders 113.4; multiple sclerosis 14.6; neuromuscular disorders 7.7; Parkinson's disease 13.9; personality disorders 27.3; psychotic disorders 93.9; sleep disorders 35.4; somatoform disorder 21.2; stroke 64.1; and traumatic brain injury 33.0.
Conclusion: Our cost model revealed that brain disorders overall are much more costly than previously estimated constituting a major health economic challenge for Europe. Our estimate should be regarded as conservative because many disorders or cost items could not be included because of lack of data.
Long-acting interferon beta
Biological therapies, such as interferon beta, can be hindered by the rapid clearance of the drug requiring frequent dosing. One strategy for addressing this problem is drug modification through PEGylation, a well established process by which one or more molecules of polyethylene glycol (PEG) are attached to a biological or small-molecule drug, effectively transforming it into a therapy with improved properties (pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic) that increase its life in the body and hence its duration of action.
|A pegylated protein
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Research: Fingolimod in Volunteers
This study investigated if this pharmacodynamic effect impacts humoral (antibodies and B cells) and cellular (T cell) immunogenicity. In this double-blind, parallel-group, 4-week study, 72 healthy volunteers were randomized to steady state, fingolimod 0.5 mg, 1.25 mg, or to placebo.
The authors compared T-cell dependent and independent responses to the neoantigens, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH. Limpet blood protien), and pneumococcal (pneumonia bacteria) polysaccharides vaccine (PPV-23), respectively, and additionally recall antigen response (tetanus (lockjaw) toxoid [TT]) and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to KLH, TT, and Candida albicans (Thrust, yeast).
Fingolimod caused mild to moderate decreases in antibody response to anti-KLH and anti-PPV-23 IgG and IgM antibody levels versus placebo. Responder rates were identical between placebo and 0.5-mg groups for anti-KLH IgG (both greater than 90%) and comparable for anti-PPV-23 IgG (55% and 41%, respectively). Fingolimod did not affect anti-TT immunogenicity, and DTH response did not differ between placebo and fingolimod 0.5-mg groups. Expectedly, lymphocyte count reduced substantially in the fingolimod groups versus placebo but reversed by study end. Fingolimod was well tolerated, and the observed safety profile was consistent with previous reports.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Planning MS: It just takes a little longer
Studies of planning ability typically involve some version of the Tower of Hanoi or Tower of London tests. When these tests are administered to patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the findings pertaining to planning "performance" have been conflicting.
Possible reasons for failures to find deficits in planning performance among MS patients are: (a) the patients typically have relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) of mild severity and short duration and thus little cognitive impairment relative to those with more advanced disease; (b) the problems composing the tests are too simple and differences between patients and controls are therefore obscured by ceiling effects; and (c) the scoring system typically used permits participants to earn points for successful solutions on later trials after failing the initial attempt on each problem, thereby further diluting the difference between patients and controls.
The present study compared the performance of patients with both relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive disease with that of healthy controls on a more challenging version of the Tower of London test. Patients exhibited lengthier planning times on the test, greater disparity in their average planning times from those of controls as the difficulty level increased, and greater individual variability in their planning times across the full set of problems. However, no differences in planning performance were found between patients and controls or between RRMS and secondary progressive MS patients. Performance differences in other studies may be attributable in part to the imposition of time limits for solving each problem and the disproportionately adverse effect such time limits have on patients' performance.
Tower of Hanoi. The objective of the puzzle is to move the entire stack to another rod, obeying the following rules: Only one disk may be moved at a time. Each move consists of taking the upper disk from one of the rods and sliding it onto another rod, on top of the other disks that may already be present on that rod and No disk may be placed on top of a smaller disk.
The results say it all, it means that sometimes you may need a little longer to do things. This sort of shows that the brain can be plastic (abilty of nerve circuitary to adapt to change) during MS. For example whilst there may damage to some circuits to get message (nerve impulses) from say A to B, it adapts to go from A to C to D to B so it gets there in the end but may be abit slower.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Balance and mobility impairments are common in MS'ers. The primary purpose of this pilot program was to evaluate the feasibility and the effects of group kickboxing on balance and mobility in individuals with MS.
METHODS: Four individuals with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS participated in a group kickboxing program two times per week for 8 weeks. Outcome measures included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Timed Up and Go (TUG), walking speed and the Activities Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC).
RESULTS: Following training, 3 of 4 participants had improvements in BBS performance. All participants demonstrated improvements in the DGI. Changes in the TUG, ABC, and walking speed were more variable.
CONCLUSION: Group kickboxing appears to be a feasible exercise activity for individuals with MS and may lead to improvement in select measures of balance. Further investigation is warranted.
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Cognitive testing for all
Background: Cognitive impairment in MS impacts negatively on many MS'ers at all disease stages and in all subtypes. Full clinical cognitive assessment is expensive, requiring expert staff and special equipment. Test versions and normative data are not available for all languages and cultures.
Research: Spinal Lesions at First neurological signs increase risk of MS
J Neurol. 2011 Dec [Epub ahead of print]
The purpose of this study was to determine the value of spinal cord lesions as a predictive factor for conversion in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) patients.
Patients with CIS and without immunomodulatory treatment were prospectively included. Age at onset, sex, clinical syndrome at onset, oligoclonal bands, and presence, number and location of lesions on brain and spinal MRI were analyzed. Conversion to multiple sclerosis (MS) was the primary endpoint.
A total of 75 patients were included: 53 (71%) women, mean age at onset 32.7 years (SD ± 7.5), mean follow-up time 72.5 months (SD ± 9; range 17-104 months). There were 11 (14.6%) patients with one focal spinal cord lesion, while 13 (17%) patients had two or more spinal cord lesions at the first scan during the onset of the disease. Of the 23 patients (30.6%) who converted to clinically definite MS (CDMS), 2 had a normal spinal cord MRI, 8 patients had one spinal cord lesion, and 13 had more than one lesion on MRI (p < 0.001).
In multivariable analyses, one focal spinal cord lesion was significantly associated with increased risk of conversion to MS (p = 0.01, Hazard ratio (HR) 3.5, CI 95% 2.1-6.9), while the presence of two or more focal spinal cord lesions was independently associated with a higher risk of conversion to MS (p < 0.001, HR 5.9, CI 95% 3.2-10.8). CIS patients with an abnormal baseline spinal cord MRI have a higher risk for developing clinically definite MS, independent of brain lesions as well as the presence of cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal banding
This adds further confirmation that additional MRI lesions in the CNS during the development of the first signs of neurological disease increases the risk of developing MS......but you know this already.
Monday, 26 December 2011
Research: Predicting MS from Genes
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genotype data on 6 MS risk genes in 591 MS patients and 600 controls were used to investigate the predictive value of combining risk alleles. Next, the replicated and novel MS risk loci from the recent and largest international genome-wide association study were used to construct genetic risk models simulating a population of 100,000 individuals. Finally, we assessed the required numbers, frequencies, and odds ratios of risk SNPs for higher discriminative accuracy in the future.
RESULTS: Individuals with 10 to 12 risk alleles (genetic variants) had a significantly increased risk compared to individuals with the average population risk for developing MS (Odds Ratio 2.76 (95% CI 2.02-3.77)). In the simulation study we showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for a risk score based on the 6 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs pronounced snips) was 0.64. The area under the curve increases to 0.66 using the well replicated 24 and to 0.69 when including all replicated and novel Single nucleotide polymorphism (n = 53) in the risk model. An additional 20 SNPs with allele frequency 0.30 and Odd ratios of 1.1 would be needed to increase the AUC to a slightly higher level of 0.70, and at least 50 novel variants with allele frequency 0.30 and Odds ratios of 1.4 would be needed to obtain an AUC of 0.85.
CONCLUSION: Although new MS risk SNPs emerge rapidly, the discriminatory ability in a clinical setting will be limited.
However by investigating more and more of these risk alleles, using such models, it does not dramatically increase the ability to predict whether one will get MS and so simply adding in more and more low risk alleles into the equation does not make it more useful in clinical practice.
Therefore the genetic analysis has so far cost considerable funds but has yet to provide valuable practical information that has therapeutic application.
Another approach to improve MS prediction could be combining genetic with nongenetic risk factors such as infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), smoking, and serum vitamin D concentrations but I'll leave this for Prof G to discuss.
Predicting disability in MS on DMTs
Background: Evaluating the long term benefit of DMTs in MS is challenging. Although randomised controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate therapeutic benefits on short term outcomes, the relationship between these outcomes and late disability is not established.
Sunday, 25 December 2011
Happy Holiday
Whether it be: Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or CCSVI and Others
Hoping SantaMouse Delivers Effective Treatments to You
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Research:EBV activating the Immune Response
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the activation of innate immune responses, which can be elicited by pathogenic and endogenous triggers, is associated with the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in the multiple sclerosis (MS) brain.
METHODS: White matter postmortem MS (n = 10) and control tissue (n = 11) was analyzed for the expression of the proinflammatory cytokine interferon α (IFNα) by immunohistochemistry and for EBV by using the highly sensitive method of EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization.
RESULTS: We detected overexpression of IFN alpha (an immune protein that prevents replication of viruses) in active areas of white matter MS lesions but not in inactive MS lesions, normal-appearing white matter, or normal brains. The presence of IFNα in macrophages and microglia is suggestive of local production as part of an acute inflammatory process. Interestingly, EBERs were also specifically detected in areas where IFNα was overexpressed in these preselected active MS lesions. EBER+ cells were also found in CNS lymphoma (white blood cell tumor) and stroke cases, but were absent in other control brains. We next addressed a potential mechanism for a role of EBERs in eliciting IFNα production, and transfected EBERs into human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. We used HEK cells that stably expressed Toll-like receptor-3, which recognizes double-stranded RNAs, associated with many viral infections. EBERs elicited IFNα production in vitro.
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that latent EBV infection may contribute to the inflammatory milieu in active MS lesions by activating innate immune responses, such as IFNα production. Unraveling the underlying mechanisms may help in uncovering causal pathways and developing better treatment strategies for MS and other neuroinflammatory diseases.
The conclusions say it all, yet more evidence from Team G, implicating a role of EBV in the disease process.
24 MS Research Day Advent Calendar
Please remember to register your interests for the Open Day, You can do this if you Click Here.
NativityMice say come to our Research Day and...
- Meet and Talk to Members of Team G
- Hear the Trials & Tribulations of MS Drugs 2012?
- Review Stem Cells Trials for 2012 and Beyond
- Talk the walk about symptomatic therapy
- Speak to Prof G and the Other Neuros
- See who the MouseDoctors Really Are
- Hear About New trials for Progressive MS..Stopping MS?
- Enjoy the Lunchtime Food
- What's Beyond Cannabis for Treatment of Spasticity
- Image the Brain to Help Explain..MS
- Expose Bad Science
- Talk about Sex and MS
- Find Out What's new with CCSVI
- Digest Science with Coffee & Tea(m G)
- Can you Prevent MS?...the Risk factors
- Think about High Risk, High Gain Drugs
- Research MS
- Turn off the Immune Response & Avoid Side Effects
- Hear about the Charcot Project....What's that?
- Novel trials against the Cause of MS
- Aims to be the Cure
It's Free but Can you Afford Not to Be there?
Press the Link Click Here.
Friday, 23 December 2011
Research: Damaging Microglia
Neuroaxonal degeneration is a pathological hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) contributing to irreversible neurological disability. Pathological mechanisms leading to axonal damage include autoimmunity to neuronal antigens.
In actively demyelinating lesions, myelin is phagocytosed by microglia and blood-borne macrophages, whereas the fate of degenerating or damaged axons is unclear. Phagocytosis (engulfing by cells such as macrophages) is essential for clearing neuronal debris to allow repair and regeneration. However, phagocytosis may lead to antigen presentation and autoimmunity, as has been described for neuroaxonal antigens. Despite this notion, it is unknown whether phagocytosis of neuronal antigens occurs in MS.
Here, we show using novel, well-characterized antibodies to axonal antigens, that axonal damage is associated with HLA-D/ MHC class II (a protien that is used to activate T cells) expressing microglia/macrophages engulfing axonal bulbs, indicative of axonal damage. Neuronal proteins were frequently observed inside HLA-DR(+) cells in areas of axonal damage. In vitro, phagocytosis of neurofilament light (NF-L. A nerve scaffolding protein), present in white and gray matter, was observed in human microglia. The number of NF-L or myelin basic protein (MBP) positive cells was quantified using the mouse macrophage cell line J774.2. Intracellular colocalization of NF-L with the lysosomal membrane protein LAMP1 was observed using confocal microscopy confirming that NF-L is taken up and degraded by the cell. In vivo, NF-L and MBP was observed in cerebrospinal fluid cells from patients with MS, suggesting neuronal debris is drained by this route after axonal damage.
In summary, neuroaxonal debris is engulfed, phagocytosed, and degraded by HLA-DR(+) cells. Although uptake is essential for clearing neuronal debris, phagocytic cells could also play a role in augmenting autoimmunity to neuronal antigens.
Axonal bulb in MS occurs when axons are cut and molecules being transported down the axon accumulate in the bulb. Abit like a ballooon blowing-up as air is pushed down the spout.
We know that microglia and macrophages are vital in clearing up the debris that occurs during attack. This is important for repair and remyelination and there appearto be good-microglia. But they have the potential to be bad microglia and can act as antigen presenting cells to stimulate damaging white blood cell responses. When neural antigens are damaged they can be taken up by macrophages/microglia by a process called phagocytosis. In the cell the neural proteins are digested in the lysosome and then loaded into MHC class I/II to stimulate T cell responses. If they are stimulated in the brain they can cause damage to nerves, as we can show experimentally. They could also help generate damaging antibodies that could contribute to progression.
There are other ways that progressive nerve damage can occur.
CoI Prof Amor and Dr Puentes are part of Team G
23 MS Research Day Advent Calendar
ThreewiseMice (Did you know that the United Colours of Team G come from 5 continents? ) say come to our Open Day sorry Research Day and...
- Meet and Talk to Members of Team G
- Hear the Trials & Tribulations of MS Drugs 2012?
- Review Stem Cells Trials for 2012 and Beyond
- Talk the walk about symptomatic therapy
- Speak to Prof G and the Other Neuros
- See who the MouseDoctors Really Are
- Hear About New trials for Progressive MS..Stopping MS?
- Enjoy the Lunchtime Food
- What's Beyond Cannabis for Treatment of Spasticity
- Image the Brain to Help Explain..MS
- Expose Bad Science
- Talk about Sex and MS
- Find Out What's new with CCSVI
- Digest Science with Coffee & Tea(m G)
- Can you Prevent MS?...the Risk factors
- Think about High Risk, High Gain Drugs
- Research MS
- Turn off the Immune Response & Avoid Side-Effects
- Hear about the Charcot Project....What's that?
- Novel trials against the Cause of MS
Thursday, 22 December 2011
TeamG: Yule-Tide Greetings
for the Festive Season
We're off until 2012.
See you in the New Year
For those in Need of a Daily Blog-Fix
You will get a trickle of Posts on AutoPilot
and the End of the Advent Calendar but,
We will probably not be answering any comments until 2012.
MouseDoc is escaping the internet &
Prof G will be misbehaving if he posts.
He has been misbehaving already!
December:Unrelated Blogger Comments
I'll move it so that it is Visible &
Start a New One Every So Often
If you want a one-one with a Neuro,
Private Consultation is the Best Place For This
ADVERTS will be DELETED!
Basic Science: Forming B cell follicles in the CNS
Here we showed that in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of MS, Th17 ( a subset of white blood cell that produces interleukin 17 that is thought to drive autoimmunity) cells specifically induced ectopic (In this context not in the lymphoid organs) lymphoid follicles in the central nervous system (CNS). Development of ectopic lymphoid follicles was partly dependent on the cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17) and on the cell surface molecule Podoplanin , which was expressed on Th17 cells, but not on other effector T cell subsets. Podoplanin was also crucial for the development of secondary lymphoid structures: Podoplanin-deficient mice lacked peripheral lymph nodes and had a defect in forming normal lymphoid follicles and germinal centers in spleen and lymph node remnants. Thus, Th17 cells are uniquely endowed to induce tissue inflammation, characterized by ectopic lymphoid follicles within the target organ.
The B cell that make the antibodies are found in structures called "ectopic lymphoid follicle-like structures" in the coverings of the brain and spinal cord; the covering are called the meninges.
To date there is limited evidence that true B cell follicles, as opposed to B cell rich accumulations that are a normal component of EAE, occur in EAE and their role and occurrance in (progressive) MS is contentious. However some people think that they are important in driving progressive MS (so why does rixtuimab not appear to inhibit non-enhancing, progressive MS?), where many B cell rich aggregates accumulate in the sulci (foldings of the brain) of the brain, which mice lack.
Whilst it is known that some immune molecules such a lymphotoxin can influence B cell follicle formation and lymph gland development, this study implicates Th17 and a molecule called Podoplanin in this process. Podoplanin is expressed by lymphoid endothelium and importantly follicle dendritic cells in B cell follicles and so would be in a good location to influence ectopic follicles generation. Looking at the pictures presented in the paper they appear to be more B cell rich aggreates rather than true B cell follicles , but the same could be said for many of the claims in MS. These aggregates appear at the earliest stages of disease rather than something that seems to accumlate with progression. When similar studies were done by the same authours/pathologists two years ago they were only called the infiltrates aggreates and not follicles. However if this process is important to progression then this study is very interesting and this study starts to highlight a new target to inhibit this aspect and the "B cell hypothesis of progressive MS" may become more testable.
Whilst, I suspect this will turn out to be abit of EAEology (Science of EAE rather than MS) let us hope that it opens a new avenue that allows us to investigate B cell follicles....If correct then some people will need a rethink, as there is no Epstein-Barr Virus (doesn't infect mice) in sight.
There is an ongoing trial of inhibitors of Th17 cells that are recruiting in mainly Eastern Europe (NCT01051817) that would target this pathway. I suspect the result will be very interesting.
I am sure we will see and hear more on this aspect in the future as people try to recreate and explore this. Let us hope someone does this quick before Dogma sets in.
22 MS Research Day Advent Calendar
Please remember to register your interests for the Research Day, You can do this if you Click Here.
FlockMice say come to our Research Day and...
- Meet and Talk to Members of Team G
- Hear the Trials & Tribulations of MS Drugs 2012?
- Review Stem Cells Trials for 2012 and Beyond
- Talk the walk about symptomatic therapy
- Speak to Prof G and the Other Neuros
- See who the MouseDoctors Really Are
- Hear About New trials for Progressive MS..Stopping MS?
- Enjoy the Lunchtime Food
- What's Beyond Cannabis for Treatment of Spasticity
- Image the Brain to Help Explain..MS
- Expose Bad Science
- Talk about Sex and MS
- Find Out What's new with CCSVI
- Digest Science with Coffee & Tea(m G)
- Can you Prevent MS?...the Risk factors
- Think about High Risk, High Gain Drugs
- Research MS
- Turn off the Immune Response
- Hear about the Charcot Project...What's that?
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Guest Post: John Prineas
You wrote: "I wonder how your Prof Prineas wouls react to the manner in which you are using his work"
So as you want posts from Guest Experts I decided to ask "How Prof Prineas would react to the manner in which his work was being used"
so I wrote
I hope that you don't mind this intrusion but the reason I am writing to you is that I ( a basic scientist. We met in Cambridge once) contribute to a research BLOG for MS patients and their families. One of the things that often occurs in comments about postings is that your previous research on the findings that early lesions of MS appear to have oligodendrocytes damage and few immune cells, is often used as support for the concept of CCSVI or a (structural) vascular deficit. I was wondering if you have a few moments to write a few (lay words) words in support of or against the above thought. I am know that our readers would really appreciate your views on this topical matter.
Hoping to Hear from You".
John Prineas wrote
If oligodendrocyte injury with few inflammatory cells present was the only or main feature characterizing the MS lesion, perhaps such a possibility might be worth discussing.
However there is absolutely nothing else about the very complex pathology of the evolving MS lesion that even remotely could be considered to support the sort of vascular pathology that has been proposed.
The vascular pathology in MS is quite typical of inflammation as it occurs in any solid organ i.e. with respect to structural changes and upregulation of all of the mediators expected in an immune mediated disease. Also there is no experimental or naturally occurring type of vascular lesion known that can cause the extraordinarily selective and permanent loss of myelin typical of some inflammatory demyelinating diseases.
Also important is the fact that veins of all sizes in and around MS lesions look absolutely normal, or show changes only of a type seen as mentioned above in any inflammatory disease.
I must say that instead of supporting the idea that there is a structural change in veins anywhere that could contribute to lesion genesis in MS, the pathology of MS argues very strongly against such an idea.
Again , sorry for not replying sooner.
John Prineas"
Research MS
Research.ms is a project that Shift.ms and Prof G and Mouse Doc's teams are working on, to bring research to a younger audience of MSers and create a two-way conversation between the community and the researchers.
We've got research videos and articles on the Shift.ms Magazine, and we're working together to make the next Research Day more engaging and accessible for those who don't have a scientific background.
We want to get MSers' questions answered, for their ideas to inform the researchers and for researchers to be able to communicate their work in a brilliantly engaging way.
Have you watched any of the Research.ms videos (all on the Shift.ms Youtube channel)? Are you coming to the next Research Day? Let us know!
21 MS Research Day Advent Calendar
StarMouse leading the way says come to our Research Day, it's free and in Central London, and...
Today's Star is approriate to reflect the Post from a StarScientist
- Meet and Talk to Members of Team G
- Hear the Trials & Tribulations of MS Drugs 2012?
- Review Stem Cells Trials for 2012 and Beyond
- Talk the walk about symptomatic therapy
- Speak to Prof G and the Other Neuros
- See who the MouseDoctors Really Are
- Hear About New trials for Progressive MS..Stopping MS?
- Enjoy the Lunchtime Food
- What's Beyond Cannabis for Treatment of Spasticity
- Image the Brain to Help Explain..MS
- Expose Bad Science
- Talk about Sex and MS
- Find Out What's new with CCSVI
- Digest Science with the Tea(m G)
- Can you Prevent MS?...the Risk factors
- Think about High Risk, High Gain Drugs
- Research MS
- Turn Off the Immune Response to avoid side-efffects
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
MS in the Media: Scotland and Vitamin D
Prof E from Oxford wants to give Prof G a Christmas a present and has caught the media limelight with their desire to try and prevent MS by treating with vitamin D.
Prof E believes that the rates of multiple sclerosis are so "dire" in Scotland that essential foods should be fortified with vitamin D. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (should we really believe this?) he says the Scottish government could face legal action from people who go on to develop MS in future.
Prof Ebers' efforts to convince the Scottish government and its top health advisor, Sir Harry Burns, that the whole population needs to take vitamin D has so far come to nothing .
As Scotland has the highest levels of MS and the cost of giving enough vitamin D supplementation is a few pence a person a day. Surely it must be worth it to invest in this health issue, if only to just shut Prof E and Prof G up!
Cautious parents treating MS in Children
The optic neuritis treatment trial (ONTT) and subsequent studies have had a tremendous impact on the treatment and prognosis of optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis in adults. The results of these studies have been extrapolated to children; however, pediatric data are sparse.
After reviewing the hypothetical scenario, trial design, risks and benefits, and alternatives to the study, 21% of parents would enroll their children in the trial whereas 98% of medical professionals would enroll their patients. With medical professional recommendation, 43% of parents would enroll their children.
Whilst steroids are often used in Optic Neuritis in adults, people can still have vision problems even if they are given steroids. As such optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve) has been targeted for a number of innovative trials for new MS drugs aimed at targeting problems in relapsing remitting and progressive MS.
Prof G and Friends will be doing one of these studies in adults in the New Year. It will be interesting to see how this recruits, however it is clear that we will need to properly inform if we are to recruit a reasonable rate. It is clear that parents are cautious when issues relate to their children (or are they?).Prof G may comment on this
Research: Memantine is Neuroprotective
BACKGROUND: To determine the effect of memantine on axonal loss and visual function during the course of optic neuritis (ON).METHODS: Sixty optic neuritis patients in a single-center, institutional setting were randomly assigned to the memantine or placebo groups. Patients with first attack of acute unilateral optic neuritis, with visual symptoms of 8 days duration or less were enrolled in this trial.
No patient had known multiple sclerosis, and none had taken immunomodulatory agent prior to or at the time of presentation. For all patients, the following characteristics were recorded and compared at initial presentation and 3 months afterward: visual acuity (sight), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (measure of nerve (retinal ganglion cell) content in the retina, that can reflect changes in the optic nerve btween the eye and the brain), visual field parameters, visual evoked potential (measure of electrical signalling between eye and brain and shows nerve loss and demyelination), and contrast sensitivity (MSers have more problem seeing grey eye charts than black eye charts).
RESULTS: Fifty-four patients completed the 3-month follow up. There were no significant differences between the placebo and memantine groups for any of the characteristics at initial presentation. After 3 months, the only statistically significant difference between the two groups was in RNFL thickness. Memantine group subjects had higher thickness in nasal (P = 0.01), superior (P = 0.006), inferior (P = 0.01) quadrants and average (P = 0.01). However, temporal quadrant thickness was not different between two groups (P = 0.35). (Back of the eye [Fundus) is divided into quarters of a diagonal cross (nasal=towards nose temporal towards the temple/ears. Superior top and inferior bottom. The temporal and nasal regions have less nerve content than superior and inferior quadrants)Nerve fibre layer is the top red layer
CONCLUSION: Memantine was effective in reduction of RNFL thinning, although this structural difference was not associated with improved visual function
Memantine (marketed under a variety of trade names) is an glutamate (excitory neurotransmitter) receptor antagonist that is used in Alzheimers Disease, where it has a small positive effect on cognition. To date there is no evidence for an influence of memantine on memory in clinical trials in MS, although it may have some influence as a symptom control in conditions such as nystagmus.
Whilst it is perhaps disappointing that there was no obvious clinical improvement, this study is interesting because it supports some of our experimental findings for a neuroprotective (as RNFL thickness is correlated with nerve content) potential for memantine and importantly supports the thought that studies in optic neuritis may help to identify neuroprotective compounds that may useful for (progressive) MSers. So good news for Prof G & Friends (See comments on todays other research post) and the EyeDoctor.
20 MS Research Day Advent calandar
Please remember to register your interests for the Research Day, You can do this if you Click Here.
JackFrost Mouse says come to our Research Day and...
- Meet and Talk to Members of Team G
- Hear the Trials & Tribulations of MS Drugs 2012?
- Review Stem Cells Trials for 2012 and Beyond
- Talk the walk about symptomatic therapy
- Speak to Prof G and the Other Neuros
- See who the MouseDoctors Really Are
- Hear About New trials for Progressive MS..Stopping MS?
- Enjoy the Lunchtime Food
- What's Beyond Cannabis for Treatment of Spasticity
- Image the Brain to Help Explain..MS
- Expose Bad Science
- Talk about Sex and MS
- Find Out What's new with CCSVI
- Digest Science with Coffee & Tea(m G)
- Can you Prevent MS?...the Risk factors
- Think about High Risk, High Gain Drugs
- Research MS
Monday, 19 December 2011
Health Tourism: It is Not always Safe
However, whilst stem cells do offer massive potential their most challenging use will be in the repair of the nervous system.Therefore it is unrealistic to expect miracles too quickly, as there are many hurdles to climb.
In the New Year maybe we can expand on Stem Cell Research, but it is a field that has huge public interest...which can lead to alot of "in my opinion" unhelpful media spin. This is also not always helped by claims of researchers about the significance of the studies.
Whilst there has been progress in stem cell research there are many unknowns and it is our opinion that people recieving stem cell treatments should do so as part of registered clinical trials in reputatble places, until they are shown to work and be safe.
Stem cell is a a term used that can describe a number of things and whilst some stem cells have the ability to re-create every one of the individual cell types in the body. However, without understanding the biology of these stem cells they can sometimes become cancers or act as a buzz word on which to hang some unproven treatments/procedures by some unscrupulous individuals, who will often locate themselves to places where regulations controlling health care are lax. With this in mind I report on this new case study
Stem cell transplantation is an investigational therapy for multiple sclerosis. This study describe a case of catastrophic demyelinating encephalomyelitis following stem cell transplantation in a 17-year-old girl. Nine months after an initial diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, she underwent stem cell transplantation in Costa Rica.
Subsequently, she deteriorated and was transported back to the United States with headache and vomiting progressing to quadriparesis (movement of all limbs affected), locked-in syndrome (awake/aware but unable to communicate) and superimposed encephalopathy (Damge to brain) Magnetic resonance imaging and brain biopsy were consistent with fulminant demyelinating encephalomyelitis (EAE in human) with MRI enhancing lesions, with white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. The protracted illness required tracheostomy and gastrostomy. After methyleprednisone, intravenous immunoglobulin, and cyclophosphamide, she improved during 2.5 months to an ambulatory, functionally independent state. Subsequently, typical less severe multiple sclerosis relapses occurred.
This case demonstrates that stem cell transplantation may provoke life-threatening encephalomyelitis in patients with multiple sclerosis. This highlights the need to restrict transplantation to trials with appropriate safety controls.
Although it is difficult to know what triggered the attack and whether it was the stem cells and/or the procedure that caused the encephalomyetitis. As the cells were put in intrathecally (directly into the brain) there is a reasonable chance that they were causally related. It appears that unprorven procedures can go wrong with dramatic consequences and shows the dangers of travel to countires for reasons of health tourism.
This highlights the need to restrict transplantation to trials with appropriate safety controls. Whilst we all want stem cell therapy to work invariably these rogue treatments usually lack real science that provides a rationale for them to work.
Prof G may want to add to this.


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Just a few notes I'd like to make about the comic numbet 20.
First of, for it being the round numbet it is, I wanted to do something special. After some time I came up with this paticular design that may be a bit unconventional. However, it being the way it is, I am a bit curous about how people inturpit it. So, tell me. How did you see it?
Secondly, starting from the 20th comic, I decided to publis my works under Creative Commons. What does that mean? If you think you can modify any of my comics to something better (or even something worse), you are free to do so without even having to consult me. All you need to do is to credit me for making the original and not publishing the deriving work for profit.
You may also residtribute the original under the same conditions, if you want to, but I regard as less important aspect of the CC than the one mentioned earlier.
Also, while putting the comic together, I figured I might as well publish the images I used to make the comics under the same lisence. They can be found at my Deviant Art site at:
That means that if you feel inspired to remake the comic in any way, you now have just about every possible material available to do so.
Go on. Let you imagination fly. I ain't too picky on the results

subset: commoncrawl


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The Innovation Act (HR 3309) – a bill we support and recently blogged about — is headed to markup by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, November 20. The bill is designed to curtail patent troll lawsuits by making a number of changes to how patents are litigated. It is the single most comprehensive patent reform bill to reach a markup since the America Invents Act was passed in 2011. We commend Chairman Bob Goodlatte for his leadership and hard work to get this bill where it is. It is a big step forward.
The most important provisions in The Innovation Act would create heightened pleading standards; impose fee shifting (meaning the loser pays); make expensive discovery more manageable (and hopefully less expensive!); and give end users some relief by allowing upstream manufacturers and distributors to intervene in cases patent trolls bring against their end user customers.
The most concerning provision of the Innovation Act – and one we would like to see removed — is an amendment to the America Invents Act that would effectively take away Inter Partes Review and Post Grant Review proceedings which allow a relatively quick and inexpensive review of a patent's validity. Section 9(c) of the Innovation Act would require the PTO to perform the same claim construction analysis of the patent as used by district courts. This one is very technical and complicated, but suffice it to say that this would devalue IPRs and PGRs, which many companies are taking advantage of today. Rackspace uses IPRs extensively in cases where the patents are obviously invalid. The PTO is opposed to this change in law, and so is Rackspace. We believe Inter Partes and Post Grant reviews are effective methods of challenging a patent before the matter heads to court, and we hope that the Judiciary Committee will agree.
When it was filed a few weeks ago, the original bill also had an expansion of the Covered Business Method Program (CBM), which allows those accused of infringing a patent to have the US Patent and Trademark Office review its validity in an administrative proceeding in the PTO, rather than in federal court. Rackspace supports CBM expansion. Unfortunately, the Innovation Act's author is proposing to remove CBM expansion from the bill. We would like to see this kept in, as CBM expansion would help businesses battle patent shakedowns for far less money than defending a lawsuit in federal district court.
On the whole, the Innovation Act is strong medicine that should make patent lawsuits far less expensive and not quite as disruptive. It needs to pass, and we encourage all members of the Judiciary Committee to vote in favor. We also hope that members of the committee will vote for an amendment to remove Section 9(c), and that they will not remove the CBM expansion language that was contained in the original bill.
If you would like to join in that encouragement, the App Developers Alliance has an online tool that allows you to locate and send a customized message to your local Representative and two Senators. Members and their staffs check these messages, and they pay attention to what their constituents are saying. Please weigh in, it will only take a minute, and this issue is very much worth it.


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|2003-12-02, 04:24
|Link #1
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Japan
Age: 31
Do you know Mujin Wakusei Survive?
I am Mujin Wakusei Survive. It is favorite. Although it may be not broadcast yet in foreign countries, Doesn't it talk about it? I am not good at English, I am not told well. I'm sorry.
Last edited by NoSanninWa; 2004-11-17 at 06:39.
|2003-12-02, 10:31
|Link #5
Afflicted by the vanities
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fish-shape Paumanok
Age: 31
I am subbing Episode 5 right now, so be patient. I will also do Episode 4 if YoumaOtakus continues at their current pace, although there are no guarantees for later episodes because my main raw source (Winny) is shutting down, and I currently only have raws for 4 and 5.
Akane(>w<)JPN would you like to help me translate?
Last edited by Shii; 2003-12-02 at 12:29.
|2003-12-02, 22:08
|Link #6
Uber Coffee for da win!
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Middle of insanity
Well, we still need Ep 3. Don't forget that one.
Also, go bug one of the other raw groups. Maybe they'll provide you with raws. I don't want to see this series die like Mamotte Shugogetten did. Definately keep subbing it. (I also hope someone picks up Mamotte Shugogetten again too.)
EDIT: Fixed a name cause I can't spell.
Last edited by Lord Raiden; 2003-12-02 at 22:48.
|2003-12-02, 23:50
|Link #8
Afflicted by the vanities
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fish-shape Paumanok
Age: 31
Well, we still need Ep 3. Don't forget that one.
I am hoping YoumaOtakus will get to Episode 3. Actually, I just searched Winny and raws are nowhere to be found, so rather I am praying YoumaOtakus will get to Episode 3.
if you ok, I will help.(^w^)/
Great! Do you have the AV files on your computer? If not, I can send them to you. I currently need help with some of the noisy parts in Episode 5, like:
[spoilers snipped]
You can post to this thread or e-mail ( ゚∀゚)
By the way, whom is the most favorite character?
My favourite is Luna. She is cute (´∀`)
Actually, "Luna is cute" is the main reason I'm doing this sub; the secondary reason is for the whuffie.
Last edited by Shii; 2003-12-03 at 23:20.
|2003-12-03, 22:40
|Link #10
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Japan
Age: 31
Thank you for a reply.
I think that have maybe AV file in my PC.
Sorry I could't send mail to you,
Would you send me to mail ?
I am so poor at English,
and I won't help you.
But do my best, I will help.
So, you likes LUNA !! very cute!!
My favorite is KAORU and HOWARD.
they are popular in Japan.
Then, finally my mail address is written.
Please call me "Akane".
|2003-12-04, 04:10
|Link #12
getting in comps' heads
BTW, just spoke with ashibaka, I will probably be getting with him to do this series, and I already have raws of episodes 1-6 (all that's been aired so far) and a full staff (though many are novices, and the translator is MIA, hence working with ashibaka).
So, hopefully things will work out with ashibaka, and you'll soon be seeing more Mujin Wakusei Survive, aka Uninhabited Planet Survival for those of you who want english titles.
|2004-01-12, 13:29
|Link #16
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Middle of Atlantic Ocean
Age: 38
A real cliffhanger, can not wait to see the next episode.
As for favorite caracter, too soon to say, maybe the robot pet thingy .
|2004-01-12, 19:59
|Link #17
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Japan
Watching the first episode, I thought this show had potential for something big. After watching more, I decided this show was more of a "okay to watch, but nothing special".
The furry robot thing (can't remember its name).. yeah, it had potential too.. but its character development leans towards being your stereotypical sidekick pet, more than the "cool handy fuzzy robot that can actually be usefull" that I thought it would be.
Runa is the main reason I watch the show. Her and the magic water. Also, every episode I hope that they BBQ Howard.
|2004-01-15, 15:56
|Link #20
Rewrite of the Life
Do u guys still need episode 3? I thought it was dropped I'm glad it isn't I like Luna the best. Someone needs to sub Ojamajo Doremi the ppl r so lost 0_o there r like 200 episdoes and they have 4 0_o. and someone should sub Devil Children >.< I LOVE THAT SHOW
|Thread Tools


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PS Vita Jailbreak 3.35 - Steps and Instructions
There are some steps and instructions and following them you will be able to jailbreak your PS Vita in a few minutes.
Step 1 - First of all you will have to download the PS Vita Jailbreak Custom Firmware. You can download PS Vita Jailbreak CFW by clicking the download button below.
Step 2 - Once you will download PS Vita Jailbreak CFW, unpack the PSP2UPDAT.PUP file. Then you would have to follow the rest of steps as you did but we will reveal the best method for jailbreaking the device.
There are three methods for updating firmware version.
You can update your PS Vita system software by any of the methods described below.
After the update is completed, go to the PS Vita system home screen and tap (Settings) > [Start] > [System] > [System Information]. If the version number of the system update you used for updating the system is displayed in the [System Software] field, this means that the update was completed successfully.
Update by connecting to a PC (easiest method)
1. Turn off your PS Vita and attach the power adapter. Allow it to charge. The SONY PlayStation Vita should be charged at least 50% before you can continue hacking.
2. Now turn the PS Vita on and the LED light should be GREEN. Go over to the Settings tab and scroll to the System Settings then press "x". Inside the System Settings scroll down and select the "Format Memory Stick".
3. Connect a USB cable on your PS Vita to your PC and initiate USB Mode.
4. After copying the 3.35 cfw firmware update to your SONY PlayStation Vita "Game" folder, disconnect the USB cable and go to the game tab on your PSV. Select Memory stick then click update. Allow your PS Vita to update then it will restart.
5) Download Games, Homebrew and Have Fun!
6342 Votes for Yes/ 6 For NO


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About syzygy
What if the DJ stores their music on their own server and stream the tracks over the Internet? Then there wouldn't be any local mp3s, other than what is cached from the stream.
The IEEE is THE professional society for the electronics industry. Having the paper published in an IEEE journal carries much more weight. As a member of IEEE, I can say the only reason the membership is worth it to me is access to the many high quality publications.
With Verizon, and I'm sure this is the same with AT&T, once your 2 year contract is up, you automatically switch to a month to month plan. Since the two year term covered the subsidy of the cheap/free phone, you are not required to sign a new contract. Obviously the carrier wants you to sign a new contract, but you certainly are not required to. I had the same phone for almost 5 years, and after the 2 year contract, I could have canceled at any time without a fee.
I can understand where the police are coming from, but the thought of the police putting GPS devices on any car they want does not seem like a good outcome. If a warrant was not required, what would stop the police from putting GPS devices on every car? Requiring a warrant will prevent abuse and make sure that GPS tracking is only used when they have good reason to follow someone.
I imagine that this will become a bigger issue as other states start to do similar things, so I expect this to come up again.
I would never give up my IBM Model M keyboard. But it may be the one keyboard that would be louder than speech recognition...
The service that I use, Last.fm is available in the USA despite being based in the UK. I've used both last.fm and Pandora, and I like last.fm better. Its unfortunate to see the RIAA kill off great services, but I don't expect them to stop anytime soon.
For the general public, heart rate monitors will not be taken with any amount of enthusiasm. The only place where constant monitoring is useful in daily activities are law enforcement and military, which has been using vitals monitors in certain applications for some time now.
I loved The Dig as well, definitely one of the best games I played. The game also came with a book that followed a very similar storyline as the game (didn't reveal any solutions to the puzzles, heh). I was probably one of the few people that actually read the novel along with the game...
The Ubuntu and Kubuntu flavors of linux are MUCH easier to install than Windows. They are not quite as easy as Windows in certain aspects of day to day use, but installation of the OS itself is far easier.
My reason for using dialup at home is because its the only option available thats afforadable. Cable and DSL are not available (I live in a rather rural area), and satellite is simply too expensive. When I need a high speed connection, I do it from work on my laptop (we're allowed to use their internet for personal use after work if its on our own computers).
$700 for a job listing? That seems rediciously high compared to the cost of my local newspaper.
Perhaps what the newspapers should do is allow for more of their content to be put on their website. Charge a fee similar to Craigslist for an "online only" job ad, and have the regular job listing placed in both the paper and the online listing. Or provide an incentive to do both the paper and the online listing. I'm sure that the newspapers could come up with a system that allows them to retain the traditional newspaper job listings while forming a market online as well.


text: The EOTECH XPS 2-0 Holographic Weapon Sight, 65 MOA ring and 1 MOA dot Ret., CR-123 Bat. (XPS2-0) is shortest model sight yet! This sight is smaller than the former N-cell battery sight (511/551) and runs on a single 123 battery. It also has a longer battery life than the N-cell style sights. Smaller, lighter and always fast the Eotech XPS2-0 features the new single battery configuration. Also this Holographic Weapon Sight allows more rail space than ever, leaving more room for rear iron sights or NV mount. The battery compartment was completely redesigned to accommodate a single CR123A battery - an easy to open cover is held in place by a tethered o-ring, and the compartment is elevated so it hovers over the Delta Ring. Designed for today's modern battlefield, the Eotech sight XPS 2-0 is submersible to a depth of 33 feet, and the Picatinny/Weaver mount is repeatable to 2 MOA after re-mounting. The rear window is a 3/16" thick shatterproof laminate with anti-glare and scratch resistant coatings, and the front lens is 1/8" solid glass. Because the optical system is based upon transmission holography, parallax error is not an issue - this is an excellent feature that can save your hams when the mayonnaise hits the fan. WARNING: This Holographic Weapon Sight is controlled under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and may not be exported without proper authorization by the U.S. Department of State. Price: $509.00


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State champions
Canterbury's girls basketball team won the Class 1A Indiana State Title Saturday in Terre Haute. The team has five Whitley County natives, including Larwill's Darby Maggard.Pictured, Maggard reaches into the stands to hug her mother, Dee Dee, after earning her second state title as a sophomore. Maggard scored 11 points in Saturday's championship game.


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Toyota Camry Trade in Value is easy to find using our online used Toyota trade in calculator. As a leading Used Toyota Dealer in Johnson City, Tennessee, our customers come to us to get the value of their used Toyota Camry. The process is easy, fast and free. Simply fill out the form as accurately as possible, tell us about your Used Toyota Camry. Most customers will get an offer to buy their Used Camry in minutes. You can redeem this offer for cash at our Johnson City Dealership, or use it for trade in value on a new Nissan, or clean used car of your choice. We will buy your car today, even if you do not buy ours. We may even pay you more than the online offer if your car is highly desirable.
Take advantage of our Used Toyota Camry Vehicle Buy Back Program going on today at our Johnson City Dealership. We are always looking for popular used cars that have been gently used and well cared for. Want to sell your car, hassle free? We will buy your Used Camry today, no purchase required. Simply complete the short easy form, let our online Trade Value Calculator do the rest. Most customers will get a written offer to buy your car in minutes.
Tri-Cities Nissan is located 3602 Bristol Highway, Johnson City, TN 37601. We are minutes from anywhere in the Tri-Cities Tennessee area, including the cities of Bristol, Kingsport, and Limestone, Tennessee. Come in today!
Actual Used Car Value is determined solely by our General Manager after performing a Used Car Evaluation Inspection at our Johnson City Dealership. Cars that have a Salvage Title are not eligible for this offer. If your car has had paint or body work performed, it may take one business day to complete while we establish the quality of the repair. See Dealer for complete details.
Tri-Cities Nissan
3602 Bristol Highway
Directions Johnson City, TN 37601


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Mariah Carey debuts new pro-Obama song
The R&B superstar debuted the ballad, titled Bring It on Home, on Thursday (14Jun12) as she performed at a special fundraiser for the Democrat at New York's Plaza Hotel.
Carey, who also backed Obama in the 2008 election, took to her Twitter.com blog after the bash and wrote, "Just finished performing Hero, We Belong Together and BRING IT ON HOME - a song I wrote especially for the event."
The Plaza Hotel party took place hours after Obama mingled with guests at actress Sarah Jessica Parker's house for another political fundraiser, which was co-hosted by Vogue editor Anna Wintour and attended by Aretha Franklin and Meryl Streep.


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DDMSWCF teams up with NPH to support Haiti's quake victims
DDMSWCF teams up with NPH to support Haiti's quake victims
Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation (DDMSWCF) will join in a collaborative effort with the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) to provide the much needed medical support to Haiti's earthquake survivors.
NPH, literally meaning 'Our Little Brothers And Sisters', is an organization that has provided a home for thousands of orphans and abandoned children since 1954. Currently there are nine NPH homes throughout Latin America.
NHP has been offering charity service in Haiti for at least nine years, whose effort included the establishment of the state-of-the-art children's hospital, Saint Damien Hospital, to offer free medical service. The hospital is also providing medical care to the survivors following the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti.
According to NPH's liaison doctor in Taiwan, Dr. Jin-Ting Yeh, Saint Damien Hospital is now facing a bed shortage, with its existing 200 beds, it will require an additional one thousand beds in the hospital, as well as more medical supplies, in order to meet the current demand- this dire situation has impacted countless patients as their conditions have worsened; in some cases the condition may even become lethal if left untreated.
Following the arrival of the first batch of relief goods in Haiti on 12 January with the help of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DDMSWCF is now working with NPH with the aim of providing medical relief for the people of Haiti.
(translated by Jin Yang)
Copyright 2003-2007 Dharma Drum Mountain. All right Reserved. Best Viewed in 1024 x 768


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Berry's combination of excellence in the community, classroom, character and competition has earned her recognition as a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award nominee (Gil Talbot).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Women's basketball co-captain Brogan Berry has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Berry is a psychology concentrator who has shown true leadership and character by taking an active role in service initiatives designed to better the student-athlete experience at Harvard as well as the community in which she lives. Berry has held a position on the university's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years and served as the committee's community service co-chair during the 2009-10 academic year. In that role she was responsible for organizing the event Bench Press for Breast Cancer which raised over $1,700 for breast cancer research. Berry is also a member of Athletes in Action, an organization which works with athletes and coaches to use the unique platform of sport to help people around the world with questions of faith, and is a member of the Isis Club, an organization which seeks to enrich the lives of its members by bringing together a diverse group of Harvard women for the purpose of building friendships and a strong system of support on campus and in the world beyond.
Berry has involved herself in several community service projects centered around the Cambridge community. During the 2010-11 season, she and her teammates volunteered at the Playworks' Night Court Basketball League, serving as honorary assistant coaches, referees, and "cheer" leaders with the friends and family in the stands. Berry also went to the Mission Hill After School Program to tutor residents of the Alice Taylor housing complex, a low income section of Roxbury. Earlier in the year Berry and her teammates hosted 60 middle schoolers from the area community for a Q&A session and shooting competitions the night before their home opener. For the last two years, Berry has volunteered at the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk where she has helped to package over 20,000 snack bags for racers each year.
Berry will graduate in May as one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history. She was named First Team All-Ivy League in 2010-11, was a second team selection in 2009-10, and as a freshman was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, to the Ivy League All-Rookie Team and was an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention honoree. She has also been tabbed as the team's MVP in each of the last two seasons. Berry currently ranks 13th in program history with 1,071 career points and is sixth all-time with 397 assists. She has led the Ivy League in assists each of the last two years and ranked second in scoring in 2010-11.
From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select ten finalists for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in late January. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.


text:
Please read description carefully.
Do not base your order on the picture presented.
Features of the Harloff V-Series Four Drawer Keylocking Cart for Infection Control:
Harloff's V-Series Carts are value-priced for use in a variety of hospital departments. This drawer configuration is often a popular choice for treatment, procedure and isolation applications.
Key lock with two keys
Aluminum side rail / push handle
30" of vertical drawer space
Bumper frame with projected front casters and (4) corner bumpers
5" (12.7 cm) ball-bearing casters, all full swivel – two with brake
Pre-drilled threaded holes for V-Series side mounted accessories
Ball-bearing full extension drawer slides
Twelve year manufacturer's warranty
Latex free
Durable, hard-baked powder coat finish
V-Series accessories are customer installed
Drawer Configuration:
(1) – 3" (7.6 cm)
(3) – 9" (22.9 cm)
Internal Drawer Dimensions:
23" W x 16.75" D (58.4 cm W x 42.5 cm D)
Steel body and drawers
Overall Cart Dimensions:
40" H x 33.25" W x 22" D (101.6 cm H x 84.5 W x 55.9 D)
Cart weight: 105 pounds (47.7 kg)
Approximate shipping weight: 125 pounds (56.8 kg)
Medex SKU: HLF-V30-4K-MV


text:
Proudly Serving Mundelein, IL
We are a family owned professional window washing and gutter cleaning company servicing Mundelein and other Chicago Suburbs for over 10 yeas. We are committed to keeping your windows and gutters shiny clean throughout the year!
Call us (847) 510-5749 for a quick and free estimate.
Save with Our Fall Special!


text:
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LAS VEGAS -- The National Bulk Vendors Association's 64th annual convention and trade show are being hailed as unqualified successes by NBVA officials. The fourth bulk vending show to collocate with the Amusement Expo, the event was held at the Las Vegas (NV) Convention Center from March 25 through 27.
"I thought it was a great show, certainly comparable to last year," said newly elected NBVA president Judi Heston, Theisen Vending Co. (Golden Valley, MN). "The traffic on the show floor looked better than last year, the seminars were better attended, and the general meeting had its best attendance ever."
According to initial estimates, NBVA registered 233 participants, down slightly from last year's 250. There were 22 exhibitors in 43 booths in the bulk vending pavilion, compared with 18 exhibitors in 42 booths the year prior. Any minimal shortfall the show may have experienced was more than made up for by the enthusiasm of bulk industry visitors.
The success of this year's show was credited, according to one NBVA official, to several upgrades in format. These included a dedicated day of seminars on March 25 that attracted a record number of operators. Topics covered in the all-day seminar schedule ranged from Bulk Vending 101 to Where'd Da Money Go?, which offered operators an introduction to internal loss prevention through forensic accounting methods.
Highlighting the bulk vending meeting was the award for Most Innovative Operator. This year's honors, along with $300, went to bulk vending newcomer Raquel Thompson of Thompson Brothers Vending (Las Vegas). Thompson won the award for her use of a recycling bin for capsules, as well as paper cup dispenser positioned near her machines. According to Thompson, the recycling container for discarded capsules not only sends a "green" message to patrons, but also cuts down on litter in the immediate vicinity of the bulk machines.
As show organizers pointed out, although exhibit time on the show floor was reduced by a day during the three-day convention, exhibit hours were extended from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This resulted in a total loss of just a single hour, compared with last year's more traditional three-day exhibit schedule.
NBVA's annual banquet, held during the show, was themed to the 1980s. In a ballroom strewn with Rubik's Cube décor, the banquet mixed socializing and business. NBVA held elections of its new officers, announced scholarship winners and presented awards for the best bulk vending merchandise and equipment.
This year's estimable winners for the best in bulk vending were:
Best 1" Capsule » [tie] Sqwishland by Brand Vending & Jewelry Box by SSM Vending
Best 2" Capsule » NFL Buildable [Figures] by A&A Global Industries
Best Sticker » NFL Logo Sticker by A&A Global Industries
Best Tattoo » Pink & Black Sugar #6 by Flatline Corp.
Best Candy/Gum » Dubble Bubble Assorted 850ct. by Concord Confections
Best Machine » Super 80 (2" capsule config.) by Northwestern Corp.
Best Crane Mix » Ice Cream Candy Mix by A&A Global Industries
Amusement Expo is the embodiment of the long-running (and separate) coin-op trade shows sponsored by the Amusement and Music Operators Association and American Amusement Machine Association. The first Amusement Expo was held in 2010. The 2015 NBVA show and convention, again collocating with Amusement Expo, will be held from March 24-26 (Tuesday-Thursday) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The new format that features a day dedicated to educational seminars will be in effect, running on March 24, followed by a two-day exhibit.
Theisen Vending's Judi Heston Is Elected NBVA President
Amusement Expo Concludes Its First Show On Two-Day Program; Preliminary Numbers Show Sweeping Increases
photo | NOT FORGOTTEN: During the annual NBVA banquet, outgoing NBVA president, Steve Schechner, Capital Vending (Florence, AL), made special mention of Irvin G. Gardner, the former secretary/treasurer of Gardner & Lose Co. (Shively, KY). Gardner, who died on Feb. 1, was 90. In 1949 he founded Gardner & Lose, the nation's longest running privately owned bulk vending operation. A World War II veteran, Gardner attended the very first meeting of the NBVA. Although Gardner's family could not attend, the association created a special plaque to recognize his contribution to the industry.
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Much well-deserved drooling over the Kindle DX. The killer app is native PDF support: as Michael Trick pointed out, the earlier Kindles didn't do too well with math support (the native Kindle document format is not PDF). I could easily see myself using the DX at conferences, rather than lugging around my laptop, or (worse) printing out copies of papers I wanted.
The Kindle has a nice feature that you can email documents to a specific address and have them synced automatically to the device, but it comes at a price ($0.10/document). If you use a direct transfer over USB though, it's free of course.
What I don't understand is why this has taken so long to happen: it seems to me that the academic market is the killer market for the Kindle: can you imagine transferring ALL your PDF papers to the Kindle for reading ? not to mention books ?
p.s for those of you who will no doubt point out that other readers exist that can read PDF, and are puzzled by all the hype over the Kindle, I leave you to your Archos MP3 players and Opera browsers.
p.p.s I spotted my first Kindle in the wild a month ago at a conference. It was rather cute looking. the DX will be much larger of course.


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Greece's international lenders failed to agree on a deal to give the debt-ridden country the additional tranche of financial aid and said they will try one more time to seek an agreement next week.
"We are close to an agreement but technical verifications have to be undertaken, financial calculations have to be made and it's really for technical reasons that at this hour of the day it was not possible to do it in a proper way and so we are interrupting the meeting and reconvening next Monday," Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters.
"There are no major political disagreements," he said.
Nonetheless, the euro extended its fall against the dollar in response.
A document prepared for the meeting and seen by Reuters declared that Greece's debt cannot be cut to 120% of GDP by 2020, the level deemed sustainable by the IMF, unless eurozone member states write off a portion of their loans to Greece.
The 15-page document, circulated among ministers, set out in black-and-white how far off-track Greece is in reducing its debt to the IMF-imposed target, from a level of around 170% of GDP now.
The document set out various ways Greece's debt could be reduced between now and 2020, but concluded they would not be enough without eurozone creditors taking a hit on their own holdings – something Germany and others have said would be illegal.
The document did say Greek debt could fall to 120% of GDP two years later – in 2022 – without having to impose any losses on euro zone member states or forcing through a buy-back of Greek debt from private-sector bondholders.
But International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde rejected such an extension at similar talks last week.
"To bring the debt ratio down further, one needs to take recourse to measures that would entail capital losses or budgetary implications for euro area member states," the document says.
"Capital losses do not appear to be politically feasible and would jeopardise, at least in a number of member states, the political and public support for providing financial assistance."
Juncker said at a meeting a week ago that he wanted to extend the target date to reduce Greek debt by two years to 2022, but Lagarde insists the 2020 goal should stand.
The view of the IMF, which has played a role in both Greek bailouts so far, is critical since it provides international legitimacy and credibility for the efforts the eurozone is making. If the IMF were to withdraw its support for the bailout programmes, it could have a deeply damaging market impact.
The document appeared designed in part to convince the IMF that Greek debt could be made sustainable just two years behind schedule if only it would soften its stance.
It remains possible that Lagarde could provide further wiggle room, but she is believed to favour the idea of euro zone member states taking a writedown on some of the loans extended to Greece in order to stick to the 120% in 2020 goal.
Debt buyback
Among the main measures under consideration to bring Greece's debt burden down as rapidly as possible is a debt buy-back under which Greece would offer to purchase bonds from private investors at a discount to their nominal value.
Several options are under consideration, officials have said and the document makes clear, including using about €10 billion to buy back bonds at between 30 and 35 cents in the euro.
There are also proposals to reduce the interest rate on loans already extended by euro zone countries to Greece, to impose a moratorium on interest payments and lengthen the maturities on loans, all of which would cut the debt burden.
Pressure for the eurozone to come up with a solution is high not just because Greece is running out of money and financial markets want a dependable solution, but because Athens has initiated virtually all the steps demanded of it to cut spending, raise taxes and overhaul its economy.
"Greece has delivered. Now it's up to us to deliver," Juncker said.
Because of the latest delay, the ministers were unable to give a go-ahead for the next tranche of up to €44 billion of emergency funds to be paid to Athens.
The payment would provide short-term relief to Athens, but it is long-term debt that is the core issue.
The European commissioner for economic affairs, Olli Rehn, said as he arrived for the meeting that the eurozone should be ready to do more for Greece in the coming years, an apparent nod to the idea of government-sector debt writedowns.
"It's essential now that we take a decision on a set of credible measures on debt sustainability and, at the same time, we need to be ready to take further decisions in the light of future developments," Rehn said.
He did not elaborate, but the idea of a haircut on official loans is off the table for now because many countries, including Germany, see it as politically and legally impossible.
Greece's international lenders agreed on 12 November to give the country two more years to meet its debt-reduction targets, leaving a funding hole of €32.6 billion in the country's finances up to 2016.
>> Read: Greece wins two-year delay to reduce debt burden
A further meeting on 20 November will decide on how to fill that gap. Officials said more negotiations could be required the week after that to nail down a new deal.
EU lending to Greece was held up in June after Athens went way off track with reforms and fiscal consolidation that it promised in exchange for a eurozone-funded bailout.
- 26 November 2012: Eurozone ministers meeting
Further Reading
EURACTIV Slovakia: Veritelia sa na pomoci Grécku nedohodli


text: As I plan on learning how to setup a Linux server, I want to follow one of the tutorials of this site (Most likely Ubuntu Server as the distro is the one I'm most familiar with) how to setup a Linux server (most likely ISPConfig 3 too as where this question thread is posted). Problem is that I don't have a test computer in which I can just install the server to learn. I'm considering using Virtualbox for now as practice until I can get a new computer and use the older computer (most likely) when time comes. But I want to have an overview on how to fully set up a server from scratch. I don't really have any experience yet in setting up a server but I thought I have to start somewhere. My question is that what are the things you have to consider when you will setup a server in Virtualbox? Is it even possible? Can it also be accessed outside the network? Thank you in advance


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Mar 26, 2012
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Cobra women's golf team opened play at the 12th Annual J. Ralph Hargett Memorial Intercollegiate Women's Golf Tournament on Monday with a team score of 342 (+54). Coker is in 15th place, while Barry University leads the field, followed by Queens University of Charlotte in second and Carson Newman in third.
Sara Allen (Fort Mill, S.C.) leads the Cobra golfers. She shot an opening round 83, while Caroline Dula (Salisbury, N.C.) and Krista Thorpe (Bracebridge, Ontario) carded scores of 86 each. Mallory Thompkins (Georgetown, S.C.) shot an 87 and Jessi McKenzie (McBee, S.C.) shot 92.
The Cobras will complete the final round of play starting Tuesday morning.


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In November, T-Mobile told us that they were upgrading their 3G network to HSPA 7.2 before the end of the year (which would provide faster 3G data service). We watched and waited, but no changes were noticed in the first couple days of the new year.
On January 5th, I contacted T-Mobile to check on the status of the rollout and was given the following response.
"HSPA 7.2 (faster 3G data service) is now enabled across T-Mobile's entire 3G network."T-Mobile USA
We reported that the network upgrade was complete (as did many other news sites) and then asked our readers to test their 3G download speeds.
What did we find? Did the upgrade give T-Mobile the fastest 3G network in the U.S.?
For the majority of T-Mobile's customers, the answer was no.
After doing some more research it appears T-Mobile did in fact "enable" HSPA 7.2, but they have not increased the backhaul speeds to many of their 3G nodes. This would explain why many users reported some of the benefits of HSPA 7.2 like decreased latency (ping times under 199), but most of the download speeds remained in the same range.
CIO.com recently questioned T-Mobile about their HSPA 7.2 upgrade and was told:
"[W]e are continuing to increase backhaul in-line with our network upgrades to support these faster speeds. We have not released additional details at this time, but I'll keep you posted on T-Mobile network news as we have more details to share."T-Mobile USA
A few select markets like New York and Philadelphia do have increased bandwidth and those users reported download speeds between 3-5 Mbps. However, the majority of the responses in our testing did not see download speeds that exceeded 1 Mbps.
By comparison, AT&T is still advertising they have The nation's fastet 3G network and that claim is still valid. AT&T currently supports HSPA 3.6 in most markets and has started their own upgrade to HSPA 7.2. I have several friends with iPhones and they get download speeds of 1-2 Mbps.
What's next?
T-Mobile's new 3G network could still become the fastest in 2010. The carrier is already preparing for a nationwide upgrade to HSPA+ by mid 2010 (which supports download speeds up to 21 Mbps), but that means nothing without the adequate backhaul to provide the increased bandwidth for users.
We applaud T-Mobile for upgrading to HSPA 7.2, but it has been a letdown so far. Hopefully their work continues behind the scenes and we will see increased data speeds later this year.


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A veteran soldier I respect told me the story of receiving a care package, years ago, while serving in the jungle. Imagine his surprise and laughter when he noticed that the care package included bottles of bubble bath! No doubt, the giver's heart was in the right place; the gift just wasn't practical. While this is an exaggeration, there is some truth to it. For the intelligence professional who desires to provide timely, focused, and relevant products, there are some helpful questions to ask to ensure that all products are practical for use. All involve a little empathy—the ability to place oneself in the customer's position.
Questions every intelligence professional should ask:
- What is the customer's mission? Is he/she protecting a fuel delivery convoy, or pulling security at corps headquarters? Is this a humanitarian mission, such as a mobile medical team, or a raid to apprehend an enemy insurgent? This knowledge will help tailor the product(s) to the right audience.
- What kind of bandwidth can this customer support? A Special Forces team at a forward operating base (FOB) may or may not be able to receive sophisticated products such as detailed imagery, which requires excessive bandwidth. Meanwhile, a customer at a main operating base may have no bandwidth restrictions.
- How much time does the customer have? Selected Special Forces NCOs, called 18Fs, undergo excellent intelligence training. Still, in a tactical scenario, the team's 18F likely has other responsibilities. Intelligence is not a full-time job. The client cannot focus solely on intelligence matters. He/she may need simple, relevant, well-marked products that brief themselves. (For example, PowerPoint slides should include complete sentences instead of bulleted phrases.) In other cases, the customer may wish to cut and paste portions of the product into working products.
- What customer need does the product fulfill? Does it answer a question the customer is asking? Any intelligence product is useless without a "so what" purpose. Is it to inform the customer? Is it to allow a decision maker to make a choice or assume a risk? If the product does not answer this question, it is useless.
- It is always appropriate to contemplate security considerations. After all, legend tells us that the Mongols got over the Great Wall of China by simply bribing selected guards. What is the highest level of classification that the customer's computer can support? Can he/she move a classified product from one system to another? Does the client have a SCIF or tactical "TSCIF"? Does he/she have the ability to store any classified materials?
- What kind of enemy threat exists? Is the customer located on a secure compound, or forward under stealth in enemy territory? A customer on a secure base can make a lot of noise, hang products on the wall, and use multiple computers. A sniper or small tactical unit, on the other hand, might not even be able to "light up" a Tough Book, due to enemy threats.
- What kind of training does the customer have? Does it include intelligence training? Again, an 18F has excellent training and knows jargon and abbreviations like PIRs (Priority Intelligence Requirements), LTIOV (Latest Time Information of Value), OCOKA (Observation and Fields of Fire, Cover and Concealment, Obstacles, Key Terrain, and Avenues of Approach), and ICP (Intelligence Collection Plan). A coalition tactical element may need basic, clear products in simple English, with no slang.


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Doctors Increasingly Texting, But HIPAA Protection Lacking
Anne Zieger is a healthcare journalist who has written about the industry for 30 years. Her work has appeared in all of the leading healthcare industry publications, and she's served as editor in chief of several healthcare B2B sites.
A new study of physicians working at pediatric hospitals has concluded what we might have assumed anyway — that they prefer the use of SMS texting via mobile phone to pagers. What's worrisome, however, is that little if any of this communication seems to be going on in a HIPAA-secure manner.
The study, by the University of Kansas School of Medicine at Wichita, asked 106 doctors at pediatric hospitals what avenues they prefer for "brief communication" while at work. Of this group, 27 percent chose texting as their favorite method, 23 percent preferred hospital-issued pagers and 21 percent face to face conversation, according to a report in mHealthWatch.
What's interesting is that text-friendly or not, 57 percent of doctors said they sent or got work-related text messages. And 12 percent of pediatricians reported sending more than 10 messages per shift.
With all that texting going on, you'd figure hospitals would have a policy in place to ensure HIPAA requirements were met. But in reality, few doctors said that their hospital had such a policy in place.
That's particularly concerning considering that 41 percent of respondents said they received work-related text messages on a personal phone, and only 18 percent on a hospital-assigned phone. I think it's fair to say that this arrangement is rife with opportunities for HIPAA no-nos.
It's not that the health IT vendor world isn't aware that this is a problem; I know my colleague John has covered technology for secure texting between medical professionals and he's also an advisor to secure text messaging company docBeat. However, not much is going to happen until hospitals get worried enough to identify this as a serious issue and they realize that secure text message can be just as easy as regular text along with additional benefits.
In the mean time, doctors will continue texting away — some getting 50-100 messages a day, according to one researcher — in an uncertain environment. Seems to me this is a recipe for HIPAA disaster.


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Buy Item $9.99
In StockStock No: WW7734EB
FaithWords / 2009 / ePub
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In this insightful book, Dr. Creflo A. Dollar reveals the incredible power of God's love to transform your life. While Dollar acknowledges that all of your talents and abilities are important, none is as vital as learning to love God and others. When you choose to grow in love, you are choosing to make a difference in this world. And it is only through savoring and sharing love that you will find satisfaction to truly live and enjoy life.
|Format: DRM Protected ePub
Vendor: FaithWords
Publication Date: 2009


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product description
Related Products:
Lisch, David, M.S.
Fixed Blade Knives
Work by Journeyman Smiths
Artisan Made
Carbon Steel - Damascus
Chef Knives & Santoku
Integral Guard
Wood - Amboyna Burl
Kitchen Knives
Maker: David Lisch, M.S. (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 92056
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***Blade length: 6.75 in.Total length: 11.50 in.Blade height (at heel): 2.05 in.Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.12 in.Item weight: 6.65 oz.Blade: Damascus hand forged from 1080 and 15N20 carbon steelsBolster: Integral damascus bolster with silicon bronze and black G10 spacersHandle: Stabilized, side cut amboyna burl
Description: Journeyman Smith David Lisch is an knifemaker located in Seattle, WA. David has been focusing increasingly more attention on chef's knives and he is clearly becoming a maker to watch in this area. As well as being a bladesmith, David is a renowned blacksmith and teacher of knifemaking at the Studio 4 Knifemaking School, which he runs. David's control over damascus, as shown in this dramatic chef's knife, is amazing.
This high performance chef's knife is a perfect choice as a primary knife in the kitchen. The long, deep-bellied blade is well suited for slicing vegetables and meats. The gentle arch of the cutting edge is perfect for a rocking chopping motion with plenty of finger clearance over a cutting board.
David created the detailed random damascus and forged the blade to shape. The blade and bolster are all made from one solid piece of damascus. Though integral knives are regularly done in production work, creating an integral bolster in a custom setting is extremely difficult and shows the maker's skill at its best. The blade is beautifully distal tapered for a perfect balance.
The handle is formed from a single piece of amboyna. The workmanship is beautiful and the wood chosen is gorgeous! Stark contrast between the light and dark aspects are stunning. Contours ensure a comfortable and safe grip. Alternating silicon bronze and G10 spacers set between the handle and integral bolster assist the wood to adjust to temperature and humidity changes.
A gorgeous piece built for serious use, yet one of the more dramatic kitchen knives that I have come across.
Availability: Not currently available


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Cardiovascular Expertise—Medical Product Development
Matters of The Heart
Precision. Lives depend on it in the operating room. Phillips-Medisize engineers understand this in depth, after closely observing cardiovascular surgeons at work.
Surgeons, and their equipment, must be precise, and operate without fail.
Leverage Phillips-Medisize's expertise to augment your existing equipment development and manufacturing resources – every step of the way.
Achieve seamless transition from initial design concept to commercialization of your finished product.
You'll find our expertise in the cardiovascular market helps you meet high quality standards, reduce costs and achieve speed to market on your program.
Phillips-Medisize has helped leading medical device organizations create the following innovations:
- Access closure devices
- Hypertension therapy devices (Electronic Programmer)
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) stent deployment devices
- Steerable catheters
- Ablation catheters
- Vascular closure devices
- Cardiovascular hospital equipment


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Now that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez broke up (yes, again) right before New Year's Eve, no one will be surprised if they both appear to be a little bit down in the dumps for the next few weeks. After all, they were each other's first loves, and first love is hard, and getting over it can be kind of tough, to say the least.
But after seeing photos on TMZ of what appears to be Justin Bieber smoking pot at a party on January 2nd, it looks as though he's chosen to mend his broken heart by partying like it's, well -- 2013.
Yes, you read that right. Justin Bieber was caught red handed puffin' on somethin' -- which really looks like a blunt.
Huh. That's odd. The photographer who was killed last week while chasing Bieber's Ferrari, Chris Guerra, supposedly told someone on the phone that he saw the Biebs smoking pot in his car. But then sources close to Justin said that he was harassed by Guerra, and also said he lied about Justin smoking weed.
I guess we'll never know what Chris Guerra did or didn't see go down in Bieber's car, but one thing's for sure. Based on the photos, Justin does appear to be smoking something other than a cigarette.
And according to a source, Justin's pal Lil Twist was in attendance at the party, and he and his brother were "rolling all the blunts and smoking everyone up."
Man. So far the new year really isn't off to a great start for Justin. First he and Selena have an explosive fight and call it quits. Then a photographer dies while trying to nab a shot of his car. Top those two things off with pics of him possibly smoking weed all over the Internet and you've got yourself the ultimate trifecta of 19-year-old pop star drama.
Ok, so I guess we really can't fault the Biebs for trying to drown his sorrows a little after losing his girl right before New Year's -- but doesn't he realize that he's Justin Bieber? And since he's Justin Bieber, whatever party he happens to be at probably has a person or two in attendance with a cell phone camera, which is a recipe for disaster should he choose to partake in whatever antics happen to be going on.
(Better luck next time, dude. I'm just not sure how you're going to wrangle yourself outta this one.)
Do you think Justin is really smoking pot in these photos, or is it just some sort of fancy looking cigarette?
Image via Splash


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What is a Memorial Gift?
Honor the life of a loved one by making a Memorial Gift. When you make a Memorial Gift, Oklahoma Christian University sends a card to the honoree's family which notifies them of the gift. The gift is also acknowledged in Vision, Oklahoma Christian's alumni magazine.
To make a memorial gift in honor of a deceased loved one please send your check payable to Oklahoma Christian University Attn: Memorial Gifts PO Box 11000 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73136-1100. Please include a brief note with the name of the deceased person and contact information for the next of kin.
What is a Tribute Gift?
Celebrate the special occasion or accomplishment of a family member, friend or colleague by making a Tribute Gift. When you make a Tribute Gift, Oklahoma Christian University sends a card to the honoree that notifies him or her of the gift. The gift is also acknowledged in Vision, Oklahoma Christian's alumni magazine.
To make a tribute gift honoring a friend or loved one please send your check payable to Oklahoma Christian University Attn: Tribute Gifts PO Box 11000 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73136-1100. Please include a brief note with the name of the person you would like to honor.
Sponsor a Memorial Bench
Building community starts with a place, a place to ponder a professor's remark, think on theology, or share french fries with a friend. Building community is the inspiration behind the Memorial Bench Program at Oklahoma Christian University. Creating a more user-friendly, comfortable environment enables people to slow down between classes, appointments, and chapel. The proper time and space will foster the kind of valuable relationships that are found in community.
The goal is to place practical, yet handsome, park benches around the campus in places that complement the campus landscaping and pedestrian traffic.
Through the generosity of alumni, friends, and trustees, the first benches have already been placed on campus. In fact, the OC Board of Development sponsored nearly two dozen benches which grace Lawson Commons and honor OC's Faculty Emeriti. What a great way to memorialize those who have loved and served OC than to add beauty and practicality to our campus.
These six-foot benches exhibit classic proportions. The heavy teakwood from which they are fashioned is exceptionally durable and weather resistant. Furthermore, each bench will be fully endowed, having a home on campus for as long as the Lord chooses to bless OC with students. Through an attached bronze plaque, these elegant benches offer the opportunity to permanently memorialize or honor a loved one... or to simply reflect your love for OC.
Endowing a bench requires a tax deductible contribution of only $1,500. Contact Christine Merideth at 405.425.5094 or firstname.lastname@example.com to find out more details on placing a memorial bench on the campus of Oklahoma Christian.
Sponsor an Apartment or Dorm Room
You have a unique opportunity to enhance the OC experience of our students while making a gift that is recognized permanently. By choosing to sponsor an apartment or a residence hall room, your name or a name of your choosing will be affixed permanently outside the room. Your gift will be an endowment for the room, meaning your gift will be invested. Down through the years, the interest from your gift will ensure that the room is maintained for each new generation of students. It is all about good stewardship.
Sponsorships are offered at the following rates, which can be fulfilled through various pledge options up to five years:
- New four-person apartment: $18,000
- New two-person apartment: $12,000
- Refurbished apartment: $6,000
- New residence hall room: $6,000
- Refurbished residence hall room: $3,000
Please note that while you may choose a specific room to dedicate (perhaps one of your old rooms), these naming opportunities are offered on a first-come, first- served basis. To arrange the details of your room dedication, contact Christine Merideth at 405.425.5094 or email@example.com.
If you have questions or if you need more information about any of these programs, please contact the Advancement Office at 405.425.5094.


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Matrimonial Preliminary Conference Part - Part Rules
Preliminary conferences shall be held in Room 5002 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week.
Preliminary conferences will be conducted within forty-five (45) days after assignment of the action.
Calendar call is at 9:30 a.m., unless the matter is scheduled at a time certain. Please be prompt for all appearances.
Unless otherwise directed by the Matrimonial Preliminary Conference Part (MPCP) the appearances of Counsel, Plaintiff and Defendant are MANDATORY at all Preliminary Conference court appearances. Counsel are to submit two business cards to the MPCP.
Prior to the Preliminary Conference, all pleadings (Verified Complaint, Answer, Notice of Appearance, Affidavit of Service) must be properly filed with the Office of the County Clerk. Courtesy copies of all pleadings are to be provided to the MPCP at the Preliminary Conference.
Fully completed and acknowledged Net Worth Statements with required documents, including parties' recent pay stubs and W-2s, Attorney's Retainer Statements and Temporary Maintenance Guidelines Worksheets, are to be properly filed with the Office of the County Clerk ten (10) days prior to the Preliminary Conference date. Courtesy copies of all documents, including any pending motions or orders to show cause and prior and current Court orders from any and all courts, are to be provided to the MPCP at the Preliminary Conference.
Prior to the call of the Preliminary Conference calendar, counsel and/or self represented parties MUST complete the proposed Preliminary Conference Order to submit to the MPCP at the first appearance.
Adjournments may be granted on a limited basis upon request to the MPCP. The MPCP will not grant adjournments of Preliminary Conferences beyond the forty-five (45) day period unless good cause is shown.
Communication with the MPCP will be accepted through email only email@example.com.
Notification for Court Interpreter Services shall be made to the MPCP not less than five (5) business days prior to the first court appearance by email at email@example.com. At the time of calendar call or check in, Counsel and/or Parties shall remind the MPCP that Court Interpreter Services are needed.