text:
Actifio delivers Enterprise Data-as-a-Service to hundreds of global enterprise customers and service provider partners in more than 30 countries. Actifio helps hundreds of global enterprise customers and service provider partners in more than 30 countries around the world virtualize their data, just as they virtualized their servers and networks. Their Virtual Data Pipeline™ technology decouples data from infrastructure, enabling dramatic improvements in business resiliency, agility, and access to the cloud. Actifio replaces siloed data management applications with a radically simple, application-centric, SLA-driven approach that lets customers capture data from production applications, manage it more economically, and use it when and where they need. The result is enterprise data available for any use, anytime, anywhere, for less.
Lyft, Airbnb, Magic Leap, Slack, Pinterest, Dollar Shave Club, Instacart, Jawbone, Affirm, Box
AppDynamics, Airbnb, Dropbox, Pure Storage, Cloudera, Domo, Okta, Lookout, Redfin, Nextdoor
Palantir Technologies, Avant, Flipkart, Pure Storage, Square, Grab, Ola, JUUL, ShopClues.com, Adaptive Biotechnologies
Spotify, Vice Media, AppNexus, Avalara, JustFab, Payoneer, Liquidnet, Rent the Runway, OneSource Virtual
Some data provided by Crunchbase
EquityZen does not have an affiliation with, formal relationship with, or endorsement from Actifio or any companies featured above.
This profile is based on publicly available information and is intended to be informative in nature.
To learn more about whether you're eligible, typical investment size, company valuation, and share price, request access here.
We're here to help! Check out our FAQ, Investor Step by Step, and Shareholder Step by Step for answers to common questions. Still have a question or need support? Send us a quick message and we'll get right back to you.
Thank you for your message - we will contact you shortly.


text:
Some financial hardship grants include food assistance, housing assistance and cash assistance. Both government organizations and private charities offer hardship grants, and eligibility depends on the income of the recipient, the needs of the recipient, the number of minor children and adult dependents that depend on the recipient, and the number of applicants seeking the resources.Continue Reading
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offers financial hardship grants in the form of debit cards to purchase food. Eligibility depends on income, available family savings and resources, personal expenses, and the number of people dependent on the household income. Alternatively, most communities have at least one private charity that offers hardship grants in the form of directly distributing food, clothing and toiletries.
Government organizations also offer cash assistance in certain situations. This type of assistance is called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and governments offer this cash for low-income households with minor children. The money helps secure immediate housing, clothing and childcare needs as well as long-term services that foster financial independence such as vocational training and English instruction. Universities and other educational or job-training institutions often provide financial hardship grants to low-income students in the form of scholarships or tuition waivers.
Rather than provide housing assistance directly to individuals and families, many states such as California give housing funds to charities and not-for-profit organizations. These organizations then either disburse the funds so recipients can secure housing or they build housing projects that provide housing to needy clients.Learn more about Social Services

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Fitbit's biggest 'pro' was something I didn't expect
If you're anything like me, you've spent every second since news of the gorgeous new FitBit Blaze was announced wondering feverishly if you have a good enough reason to get one.
For years, I Googled "Should I buy a Fitbit?" weekly and devoured every list of pros (see in an instant how many steps you've walked, how many calories you've burned) and cons (the pedometer isn't that accurate, it'll give you impetigo) I could uncover. When I finally decided that yes, I could deal with being one of those people wearing a weird matte rubber bracelet all the time and the judgment that would justifiably incur, I went all in with the Fitbit. (The Blaze doesn't have that hideous rubber bracelet, but I think we can all agree it's no Cartier Baignoire.)
More: Meet the Fitbit Blaze — the Apple Watch's worst nightmare
The real reason I love my Fitbit (I have a Fitbit Charge HR, the fanciest non-watch one you can get) has nothing to do with its bells and whistles. It has to do with the way it makes dieting feel achievable, scientifically measurable and—I'm not kidding—fun.
As anyone who's ever thrown her hands up in frustration because there is no Weight Watchers Points deduction for "I'm eating my feelings" knows, dieting is a frustrating combination of control, bargaining and patience. It's estimating the number of calories in a given meal, rationalizing that extra glass of wine because you took the stairs, wondering if your jeans are getting tighter or it's just mysterious mid-afternoon bloat. There's a suspicious amount of trust you must have when embarking on a new diet: I am not going to know for months if this is actually working, but it worked for that friend of a friend, so fingers crossed, pass the gluten-free fusilli.
More: My fitbit is making me fat — ridiculous claim or actually true?
The Fitbit puts dieting's tired, guessworky balancing act to rest. It really is a revelation to have something on your wrist that's tracking how many steps you've taken, calculating how many calories you've burned, and reporting your progress. It's data. It's irrefutable. It puts an end to estimating and rationalizing food intake. Instead of feeling guilty for eating a big dinner when I didn't make it to the gym, I can check the daily stats on my Fitbit and say, without any self-judgment, "I know if I eat more today, I'm not going to lose weight."
There are zillions of pros and cons lists proliferating around you right now that will give you all the information you could wish for on the Fitbit's tech specs and fancy capabilities The only "pro" of owning one that really matters to me, however is that the Fitbit helps me to have a less emotionally freighted relationship with food. That isn't one of its fancy selling points, like the automatic sleep tracker or color touchscreen, but it really should be.
This article originally appeared in different form on Scary Mommy.


text:
Use the search boxes Where and Position, found at the top of the page, to see our current openings and apply for an exciting career with Hyatt.
If you are unable to find a current open position that seems like a match, please share your information with us and you may choose to be alerted of future openings that might be of interest to you!
We encourage you to apply directly to an open position, or to create a profile and elect to receive email notifications of future opportunities that match your interests. However, you may also forward a resume or cv to Hyatt to begin the profile creation process. You must attach a document to the email in order for the system to recognize your information. Attachments can be sent in the following formats: (.doc, .rtf, .pdf, .txt, .html, .htm) and must not exceed 500 kilobytes. You will receive a confirmation email inviting you to review your preliminary profile; we recommend you visit the profile to ensure it reflects your interests, and to request email notifications of future opportunities that match those interests.
Please note: Sending in your resume or c/v does not constitute an application. You must apply directly to an open position to ensure Hyatt Human Resources will consider your application for an opening.
|Site map


text:
Kevin Struss looks over more than 4,000 acres of sunflowers and breaks into a grin. "They look like bonnet ladies with full dress on," he says. Today, as demand for healthy oil boosts their value, "bonnet ladies" appear poised to become the belles of the ball.
These gorgeous gals add mileage to Struss's 21,000-acre dryland farm near WaKeeney, Kansas, about 240 miles west of Topeka. Their wide window for planting allows him to squeeze four crops (wheat, corn, sorghum, sunflowers) into what previously had been a three-crop, two-year rotation.
"I'm a firm believer in diversification," Struss says. As an added benefit, he's found that the sunflowers' deep roots loosen soil for his wheat. That's important because, to save moisture, he never works the ground. "We're 100 percent no-till," he says.
Struss loves sunflowers for more than the cash they add to his pocket. He loves eating seeds raw from the field, the sweep of gold. "Isn't that a happy color?" he says. "It just makes you feel good."
Sunflowers can add value to all sorts of farms, says Larry Kleingartner, executive director of the National Sunflower Association. "It depends on location and how entrepreneurial you are." Small growers, for instance, might find ready opportunities for birdseed, perhaps even "bag your own off the farm" operations.
In mid-August, northwest Kansas is awash in sunflowers, and Struss, with an early start to his crop, keeps busy in his fields.
Kleingartner has traveled from North Dakota to attend the annual Sunflower Celebration in Goodland, about 110 miles west of WaKeeney, where three area processing plants and energetic farmers have turned sun-
flowers into big business.
The event – for farmers, seed dealers, industry leaders, and anyone interested in sunflowers – has drawn participants from Chicago to Texas. "Today is a learning opportunity," Kleingartner says. "We're all learning, because things are changing."
After a decade of transition, the sunflower industry is working to reintroduce itself. With a solid new hybrid, a significant new buyer and an increasingly health-conscious public, Kleingartner thinks farmers ought to rethink the sunflower.
We've known this plant forever. Native Americans cultivated sunflowers as early as 3000 B.C., grinding the seeds to make cake, mush and bread. They used sunflowers for dyes, medicines and building materials.
Spanish explorers carried the plant to Europe, where Russians developed it commercially. After immigrants toted the large Russian hybrids into Canada, crops spilled across the border into the Dakotas and Minnesota. The sunflower has been working its way south ever since. A large export market fueled the growth.
Over the past decade, however, the industry has been shifting from export market to domestic market while working to develop NuSun, a heart-healthy hybrid. Statistics reflect the transition. In 2006, the United States harvested 1.8 million acres of sunflowers compared to 2.5 million in 1996, a drop of 28 percent.
Now it's time to ramp up.
"We've been revolutionizing the sunflower," Kleingartner says. Pausing to restructure was a gamble, he knows, but one he hopes will pay off. Today, the industry claims one of the world's gold-standard oils: low in saturated fat, with excellent stability for cooking.
As all this transpired, Goodland gained a foothold as one of the nation's major market centers. Area processing plants have been aggressive in developing local elevator delivery points, Kleingartner says. That's important, as the industry tries to woo back growers who've become enamored with corn and soybeans.
An air of optimism fills the August celebration. A commitment by food giant Frito-Lay to use sunflower oil in its Ruffles and Lay's potato chips has industry officials smiling. "It's a huge first step, it's a leap, it's a bound," Kleingartner says.
Now, the challenge is convincing farmers to meet the demand. Their planting decisions, says Kleingartner, will hinge on price and rotation. Demand is already boosting price, he says. "Markets are very strong and getting stronger." Now it's time to demonstrate how they can fit individual crop rotation needs.
Piling into air-conditioned buses, participants move out to tour farms, test plots and processing plants. They learn that sunflowers tolerate drought and heat, respond to timely watering, and don't require lots of equipment. On the other hand, native plants attract native insects, Kleingartner admits. "Insects see hundreds of acres of beautiful sunflowers and say 'gosh, this is heaven.'"
J.P. Michaud, insect management specialist from Kansas State University, Manhattan, tells farmers how to protect their crop: Don't plant too close together. Increasing density doesn't increase yield, only competition for moisture. Keep a watchful eye, he adds, and don't spray if there's no need.
The event draws a diverse group with a common interest. Among them:
Although these "bonnet ladies" occasionally end up in bouquets, they are primarily a food crop. Folks who grow specifically for the flower market, or who plant home gardens, use a different kind of seed, Kleingartner says. And with more than 60 species of sunflower available, that's another story.
Freelance writer Carol Crupper likes her sunflowers in bouquets and baked into tasty breads. Her husband prefers the ballpark "spit and chews."
Sit in on dozens of practical workshops from the leading authorities on modern homesteading, animal husbandry, gardening, real food and more!LEARN MORE


text:
(Reuters) - Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was named to his 12th All Star team on Thursday while Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh was selected for his ninth appearance at the NBA's mid-season clash in New Orleans on February 16.
With no out and out centers in the starting lineups for this year's game, three specialist big men were among the players joining Nowitzki and Bosh on their respective team's benches.
Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard was added to the Western Conference team while Indiana's Roy Hibbert and Chicago's Joakim Noah were named to the Eastern Conference bench.
Unlike the starting lineups, which were finalized last week after a fan vote, coaches in each conference voted for the reserves.
James Harden (Houston), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers) and Portland Trail Blazers duo LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, who was named for the first time, fill out the Western Conference roster.
Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap, Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will make their first All Star appearance from the Eastern Conference bench.
Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson completes the Eastern Conference team.
Starting lineups:
Western Conference - Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kobe Bryant* (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), Kevin Love (MInnesota Timberwolves)
Eastern Conference - Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), Dwyane Wade, LeBron James (both Miami Heat), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks).
* Bryant is injured and will be replaced by a player chosen by the NBA.
(Reporting by Ben Everill; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)


text:
Category Archives: food
Chicken Dinner
You may recall that some time ago, our long-time vegetarian family made the decision to eat some of our chickens. We love our birds, and are so grateful for the eggs they provide our family, but the truth is that sometimes some of the birds have to go. It's not possible to maintain a closed-loop system without eliminating some of your animals from time to time, and after a lot of discussion we concluded that it would be easier on our consciences to slaughter our chickens here at home as humanely as possible than to sell them and have no idea what their fates would be.
I will admit it was hard for me to come to terms with slaughtering our chickens, at first. Equally hard to come to terms with was how much I loved that first chicken dinner we had. I was not expecting to enjoy chicken so much! Now that chicken has become a somewhat regular part of our diet, I decided it was time for me to help Jae with the slaughtering process, to take responsibility for the birds I raised and the food on my plate. Until now, Jae has done the "dirty work" without me, often with a friend lending a hand. This was weighing heavily on my conscience.
So, with rations dwindling in the kitchen and a rather tight budget for the week, it became apparent that it was time for another chicken dinner – and it was time for me to help Jae with the slaughter.
When I first stepped outside and saw the chosen hen sitting calmly on the porch, I nearly lost my nerve. A panicky feeling settled in on me and I thought, "I can't do this! I'll have to go back to being veg!" I took a deep breath and held the chicken in my arms. She looked at me, calm as can be, and I stroked her feathers. I thanked her for the eggs she's given, spoke words of gratitude to her, and as I looked into her eyes I felt myself calming down. The hen wasn't panicking, why was I?
I held the hen out in front of me, her head resting lightly on the chopping block. Still she was calm; I could feel her heart beating steadily, not racing, not alarmed. A split second later, Jae's axe came down on her neck and it was done. No squawking, no panic, no distress. Just a calm bird who was with us one moment and gone the next.
Jae told me he'd be alright to finish the job if I felt I needed to go back into the house, but I wanted to see the whole process through from start to finish. I was surprised by how very OK I felt about what had just happened (truthfully, I had thought I'd be a mess of tears). It felt good to take responsibility for my dinner, and I was so relieved to see first-hand that the hen had not had one moment of distress or suffering.
So now I know how to slaughter, clean, gut and butcher a chicken – and if you have the stomach for it, you can see the process for yourself. If you're a staunch vegetarian or someone who hasn't faced the reality of what it means to eat animals, you might want to skip past the following photos.
Morning Oatmeal
What better breakfast to enjoy on a cold Winter's morning than a hot bowl of oatmeal? We certainly do enjoy our oatmeal around here, and with Spring on her way, I know our oatmeal mornings are numbered – my kids prefer cooler breakfasts when the weather turns warm. So, we've been gobbling up plenty of oatmeal lately, savouring it while the weather is still somewhat cold.
The thing with oatmeal is that is can be totally BLAH, or it can be completely awesome. Anybody can throw some oats in boiling water and have a plain and boring bowl of oatmeal within a few minutes. But with a little extra effort, that boring bowl becomes a delicious way to start the day.
We soak our oats overnight. I originally started doing this in an attempt to neutralise the phytic acid in the oats, to make them more nutritious and digestible. Several sources had recommended this. Then I read an article from the Weston A Price Foundation that enlightened me – oats are relatively low in phytic acid to begin with, compared to other grains, and soaking them does little to reduce the phytic acid that is present. Still, we continue to soak our oats. Why? Soaked oats cook MUCH faster and have a nuttier flavour to them. The resulting oatmeal is smoother. Also, we add kefir (cultured/fermented milk) to the soaking jar to infuse the oats with probiotic cultures that our bellies and immune systems just love.
In this house, I almost always add freshly-ground flax seeds to a nearly-finished pot of oats (always use flax freshly-ground; it rapidly loses nutritional quality and becomes rancid soon after being ground. We use a coffee grinder). I also add several heaping tablespoons of hemp seeds after I have turned off the heat. In addition to these things, I will sometimes add chopped apple & cinnamon; sliced peaches; mashed banana; raisins and pre-soaked cashew pieces; some mulberry preserve from the summer; or other yummy things as they are available. Each bowl gets a swirl of raw honey on top before being served, which the kids delight in mixing in themselves.
On mornings when we are in a hurry, I stick to the basics – flax & hemp seeds with raw honey on top. Basic, yes, but still deliciously yummy.
Oh, and I'm sure you're admiring the beautiful wooden bowl in the photo. Our oatmeal bowls are from The Wood Garden, a local family who creates beautiful wooden toys and dishes. Check out their Etsy shop!
Circle of Life
Some time ago, I mentioned that our vegetarian family was making some big decisions about eating more sustainably and providing for ourselves in an effort to reduce our dependency on the grocery store. Our goal is to become self-sufficient, and let's face it: eating grocery store food is not self-sufficient. It's not Earth-friendly, it's not wallet-friendly, and it's not sustainable in the long term.
So we had to make some choices. Remain vegetarian and rely on the grocery store when the garden is out of season, or eat some of our birds & locally-caught fish and put a huge dent in the number of grocery trips we need to make.
We went with the latter.
Jae and I had many reasons for being vegetarian and raising vegetarian children, including a concern for the welfare of farm animals. We weren't interested in sending our birds to the local abattoir, knowing that they'd be stressed out the entire drive there, stressed out moments before death, and killed by a stranger. The only way to ensure that our birds were treated with respect and given a stress-free death was to do the killing here at home.
And so, with a sharpened ax and a friend to lend a hand, Jae slaughtered several of our birds. He feathered them, gutted them, and put them in the freezer. The kids and I said words of gratitude and respect to the birds, talked about the Circle of Life, and had a very lengthy discussion about why we had chosen to kill & eat some of our chickens. Each time we have a chicken dinner, we say a few words of thanks for the life that was given to sustain our own lives. We eat with consciousness and awareness. We take nothing for granted.
I don't really know what to say when people ask me why we've started eating our birds – the answer is too complex and emotional to sum up in a short conversation. Our reasons for NOT eating meat were very long, and our reasons for eating our birds are just as many. There are the issues of food security, animal rights, environmental degradation, industrial agriculture, economic freedom, health and well-being… and how each of those things ties into the next. The world we live in is so complicated and corrupted, and we're trying to do the best we can for our family and our planet. A few years ago I wouldn't have thought that would mean eating meat, but now I'm in a place where it just makes sense to do so. Life is funny like that – nothing is absolute, nothing is certain.
It was not easy to make the choice. It wasn't easy to confront death, to become the bringers of death. But once we made the leap, we knew we had made the right choice for our family. In every ecosystem, there is a predator. Our farm is an ecosystem in itself, and we are at the top of the chain. That's just life – everything in balance, everything a circle of birth and death. The great Circle moves us all.
Thoughts on Dog Diet
A little while ago, I posted about replacing commercial dog food with homemade meals for our dogs, and included the recipe that I started out with. After receiving some great advice from readers and friends, reading up a bit more about canine nutrition, and paying close attention to my dogs, I've made a few changes to that first recipe of mine.
To begin with, now I use more sweet potato and less potato, more carrots and less apple, and more raw meats/fish. I cut out tuna due to concerns about mercury, and have replaced that with salmon, sardines, sole and herring. I was feeling that fish alone wasn't enough animal protein, so I checked out the meat aisle in the grocery store (I have never in my life shopped in the meat section of the store! It was a strange experience…). There is a section of the cooler that is full of deals, 30% off and so forth, so I stocked up on some chicken legs and ham. Now, in the morning the dogs will get a raw chicken leg with bone or a chunk of raw ham. In the evening they get their rice mix (with the tweaks I mentioned above), topped with fish, flax oil, and a scoop of cottage cheese. I still throw a raw egg in there from time to time, as well, and mix in the broken shells for added calcium.
On their new diet, the dogs have shown some awesome changes. They have more focused energy (as opposed to hyperactive, unfocused wildness), seem better able to follow through on commands, and have brighter eyes. Their fur is shining and so soft. Oddler, 11 years old next month, had been suffering from a bad arthritic limp that has now completely disappeared (he had been nearly unable to walk some days, before the diet change). They sleep better and poop less – and, speaking of poop, their stools are smaller than they've ever been, not much bigger than our cat's poop! This tells me they are absorbing most of the nutrition from their food, instead of taking in lots of fillers that pass right through them and come out as large stools.
So, I think it's safe to say that the dogs are thriving on their new diet. They exude health. It's easier on our wallets and life is just all-around better for everyone!
It's a Dog's Life
Before Jae stopped working his office job, we purchased middle-of-the-line dry food for our dogs. With two medium-large dogs who really know how to run all day, middle-of-the-line food could become a fairly significant portion of our grocery bill. When Jae left the office behind and our income became casual, we downgraded to bottom-of-the-line dry food for the dogs. Yes, the nasty, full of filler, no name kibble. We couldn't justify spending so much money on dog food. I justified the crappy food by including a raw egg on top every morning, but every time I glanced at the ingredients list on the bag, I felt a wave of guilt. Mainly grains, full of fillers, plenty of preservatives, chicken meal by-product (I'm guessing ground feet & beaks? Yuck!), chemicals and unpronounceable additives. I don't feed my kids such poor food, or my livestock, or my poultry. WHY was I feeding garbage to my beloved furry friends?
Soon enough, Molly started showing typical behaviour changes, mainly hyperactivity. I've known for a long time that poor-quality food can negatively affect a dog's behaviour, but the changes in Molly still caught me by surprise. She needed to poop more often and had a couple of accidents in the house. I knew within a week of the diet change that the crap food was just not cutting it.
This morning that first bag of crappy food finally ran out. I knew it wasn't in the budget to switch back to the decent food we used to buy, but I was not about to buy more low-grade junk. So, I looked up the ingredients on the premium food (the kind that sells for $75 per bag – yikes!), read a few dog nutrition websites, and decided I'd make good food for my dogs at home.
After costing it out, homemade dog food works out to less than the cheapo crap food, and about 10000x healthier!
Here's what I did tonight for my dogs:
1 sweet potato
2 potatoes
2 apples (simply because both dogs LOVE apples and go nuts for them)
2 cups of brown rice cooked in chicken broth
2 Tbsp flax oil
1 can of tuna
Handful of chopped carrots and broccoli
I cooked the sweet potato and the potatoes, stirred in the rice, apples, carrots and broccoli. There seemed to be enough for at least a few days, so I doled out each dog's serving, and added the tuna and flax oil on top. (I also poured the water from the tuna can into the bowls.)
The dogs devoured it. I have never seen them so eager to eat their dinner before.
Each morning they will still get their raw egg (with crushed shell), and on Sundays when we have our chicken dinner the dogs get all the scrapings. I'm also going to experiment a bit with higher ratio of meat to veggies/rice (always raw meat), and try including things like cottage cheese or kefir.
All in all, it took me hardly any time to prepare the dogs' food tonight, and I won't have to do it again for at least three days – there is plenty still in the fridge. The cost can't be beat, my feelings of guilt were taken care of, and Oddler & Molly loved their first homemade meal. I think we're on the right path!
Preserving the Harvest
The last week has been cool and rainy, rainy, rainy, rainy. I was lucky to have my sister home from Guelph on the weekend, and we decided to get some canning done. It's been a while since I've been in the garden – Jae has taken to the gardening while I lay in bed with some rotten pregnancy sickness – so I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw when sister and I went out to harvest tomatoes for canning.
Endless rainy days destroyed a LOT of my lovely heirloom tomatoes. Many hadn't ripened in the cool, sun-less weather, but those that had ripened too fast, split, and fell to the ground to rot. I had planned on making salsa verde with tomatillos, but the dreary weather meant that none of those sweet little fruits were ripened, either.
Still, we ended up with enough good tomatoes to make a batch of salsa. We used all the good tomatoes we were able to find, ending up with about 6lbs after seeding and stemming. Not too bad. I borrowed the basics from the book "Put 'Em Up!", but changed the recipe a little to suit my tastes. Here's what we did:
Heirloom Tomato Salsa
1 Cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
Splash of vinegar
1/4 Cup organic cane sugar
1 Tbsp salt
4 lbs heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced
3/4 lbs onions, diced
2 hot peppers, finely diced
1 cup chopped cilantro
Bring the lime juice, splash of vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Add the tomatoes, onions and hot peppers. Return to a boil for about five minutes. Add the cilantro and remove from the heat.
Ladle into clean, hot canning jars, leaving 1/2″ headspace. Release trapped air, wipe rims clean, add lids. Process in boiling water bath for 15 mins. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, let jars rest in water for 5 mins. Remove jars, set aside for 24 hrs, check seals. Keep for up to one year.
Our salsa was almost entirely local. The only ingredients that weren't locally sourced were the lime juice, sugar and salt. The tomatoes and hot peppers were straight from our garden, picked that morning. The onions were from a neighbouring farm (ours did poorly this year, unfortunately). The cilantro was from my friend Lesley's organic farm about 20 mins away. The vinegar was from our local Heinz factory (hey, that's gotta count for something!).
My sister and I couldn't resist – we had to eat some of the salsa fresh out of the pot. There were no tortilla chips to be found in my cupboards, so we dipped pita bread instead. The salsa was absolutely delicious! Amazing! The best salsa I've had yet. I'm pretty thrilled to have plenty stored away to enjoy this winter.
Since I wasn't able to do the salsa verde I had planned, I moved onto another project instead: wild grape jelly. Again, I used a recipe from the book "Put 'Em Up!". We had about 8lbs of wild grapes that Jae harvested on a recent foraging excursion. I boiled them down, crushed them, and strained the juice through cheesecloth overnight. The next morning, I boiled the juice with sugar and pectin, as per the recipe directions, and canned it. Twenty-four hours later, I checked to see if it had set… and, it hadn't. I'm not sure what went wrong there, but I now have 8 jars of grape juice, NOT grape jelly. I'm going to have to do some searching on the webz to find a solution. Perhaps I can pop those jars open and use that juice to try again? Or is that a no-no? I have some learning to do…
It looks like we might have some clear days ahead of us, so I have my fingers crossed that my tomatillos will ripen, the last of the tomatoes will turn red, and I can get some more canning done. We also have to pay a visit to my in-laws (about 15-mins away) to harvest the fruit hanging on their apple and pear trees.
There's nothing more satisfying than opening the cupboards to see rows of homegrown food preserved for the winter!
(I wish I had photos of our lovely canning day and jars full of goodness to share with you, dear readers, but alas! My camera is lost and so is my cell phone. Photos will have to wait for another day…)


text:
About Us
Parapsychology Principles
Classes and Workshops
Suggested Reading
Parapsychology Certificate Course
Andrew Nichols
Support the AIP
People in Parapsychology: XXIV: Fatima Regina Machado
Posted by
Dr. Andrew Nichols
on Aug 31st, 2015 in
0 comments
Carlos S. Alvarado, PhD, Research Fellow, Parapsychology Foundation I am glad to have an interview with Dr. Fatima Regina Machado, who I have visited in her country, Brazil, as well as her husband and colleague Dr. Wellington Zangari. I first met Fatima in 1993 when she came to Durham, North Carolina, to participate in the now defunct parapsychology Summer Study Program at what was then known as the Institute of Parapsychology. I was lecturing there at the time. Dr. Fatima Regina Machado For many years Fatima has been workingâsometimes with Wellingtonâon behalf of parapsychology in an academic...
Note on the Importance of Mediumship for Psychical Research*
Posted by
Dr. Andrew Nichols
on Aug 20th, 2015 in
0 comments
Carlos S. Alvarado, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Parapsychology Foundation Historically few topics have been so important for the study of psychic phenomena as mediumship (both mental and physical). Spiritualism was spread mainly through the performances of early mediums who fostered both belief and skepticism in such phenomena as spirit communications and materializations. In addition, the communications produced by mediums presented teachings about life after death and other topics that provided the philosophical background for the movement. An example of this is the importance of such teachings in...
2015 PA Book Award Winner: Beyond Physicalism
Posted by
Dr. Andrew Nichols
on Aug 19th, 2015 in
0 comments
The rise of modern science has brought with it increasing acceptance among intellectual elites of a worldview that conflicts sharply both with everyday human experience and with beliefs widely shared among the world's great cultural traditions. Most contemporary scientists and philosophers believe that reality is at bottom purely physical,...
2015 PA Book Award Winner: Parapsychology: A Handbook for the 21st Century
Posted by
Dr. Andrew Nichols
on Aug 19th, 2015 in
0 comments
Many people have experienced such unusual phenomena as dreams that later seem to correspond with unforeseeable events, thinking of a long-lost friend just before he or she unexpectedly calls, or the ability to "feel" the presence of deceased loved ones. What many do not realize is that these types of experiences have been researched for more than a century by eminent...
2015 PA Book Award Winner: Experimentelle Parapsychologie
Posted by
Dr. Andrew Nichols
on Aug 19th, 2015 in
0 comments
Is there scientific evidence for extrasensory perception, psychokinesis or precognition? These questions systematic have feuled experiments that have been carried out for over 100 years. Experimentelle Parapsychologie: Eine...
« Previous Entries
Please, activate plugins that come with the theme.
online pharmacy
Recent Posts
"Feeling the Future" Experiments: A New Meta-Analysis
Parapsychology Foundation's Online Book Expo
2013 PA Convention: Abstracts of Present Papers
2012 Abstracts of Presented Papers
Historical Notes About Out-of-Body Experiences: II. D.D. Home's Experience
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
Gainesville Psychic Studies
Gainesville Psychic Studies
Log in
Powered by
| Designed by
Elegant Themes
Send to Email Address
Your Name
Your Email Address
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
bloggers like this:


text:
What is it About Swim Meets?
It's Tuesday and it is June and that means swim meet night. I feel like such the odd bird, in that unlike other parents who don their gator green clothing (Go Gators!), I forget that it is even Tuesday, let alone remember to wear green. Truth is, that when I do realize that it is Swim Meet night, my heart sinks and I feel great dread. No one loves their kids more than I, and these are my fifth and sixth sons, but I hated it for all kids before and I still do.
Is it the "whiteness" of the crowd? The blondness of the moms? The youthfulness of the parents? Is it the cheering and yelling for the kids when they are swimming that I question, knowing there is no way the kiddo can hear their daft parent's screams? Do any African American kids do competitive swimming? Why do I never see them? Do any other ethnic groups between blond and white participate anywhere? Is it the pure and adultered junk that everyone eats and drinks when they are at the meet that makes me cringe? The bright blue and green drinks, the corn dogs, and nachos bathed in orange slime are enough to make Jamie Oliver crawl under a rock never to emerge again. Hideous food. Am I too much of a food snob with my juice spritzers for kids and meals I make them eat at home before they go to the meet?
There is a long and tedious wait until you get to watch your kid swim and after all these years, I still have no idea what anyone is talking about when they refer to "heats" or "fly", etc. Everyone else seems to understand just fine. Then too, I can only imagine how lame and unhelpful they all must find me, because I do nothing at these meets. Some moms are "pushers," some timekeepers, some ribbon givers, some "spacers." Not only do I not understand these "jobs" I never apply for them, and interestingly, my kids never win.
Then too, it is about 95 degrees or more at the meet and mosquitos and biting flies swarm during the entire three or more hours. There you are, standing at the foot of a pool, watching kids swim fast but you cannot so much as dip your toe in for relief from the North Carolina heat. Torture. If it rains, it is worse. They never call the meet. Instead, kids have to wait 30 minutes after it lightens before getting back in the water. Thus, if it lightens twice, that is 60 minutes. As if the meet isn't long enough, now it is longer still.
I don't feel good about my attitude at all, believe me. I am mortified that I feel this way, but I do. It all seems so silly and so pretentious in a way — like cuteness or something. The little girls in their tight Speedos and headbands and the boys dying from their Speedos that they only reveal for the swim and then jump back into their regular swimsuits. The numbers drawn on their arms with Sharpee that I question as a carcinogen and the sayings that kids write on their backs as well, all still irritate me more.
Maybe it is because I am not a swimmer and never was one, that I just don't get this. I am not a complete grinch because I do enjoy the boys baseball games, basketball games, shows at school and more, but swim meets–not so much. I wonder if there is a punishment for moms who do not yell and cheer and wear green. If so, I am in deep trouble.


text:
As is true with all physicians, radiologists have a duty to ensure that only the appropriate and optimum level of care is provided to patients. Achieving this level of care is likely to require continual oversight and review by members of the radiology practice. Although the practice of medicine is associated with varying levels of diagnostic uncertainty, many clinical problems have been studied extensively, with generally accepted ways of arriving at the best diagnosis and treatment. Physicians who follow the tenets of evidence-based medicine will tend to be aware and conscientious about the need to ensure appropriate utilization of health care services, including the use of expensive imaging technology.
In this vignette, you have already identified at least one physician whose test-ordering practice appears to lead to overutilization of imaging services, including expensive MR imaging studies. However, sudden confrontation of that referring physician about his or her test-ordering practice may be highly counterproductive, especially in the absence of evidence. Therefore, answer B is incorrect.
Clinical decision support has been shown to reduce the frequency of inappropriate utilization of advanced imaging tests (1). While the introduction of a computerized physician order entry system may prove to be a wise investment over the long term and can be accepted clinically (2), it will represent a sizable short-term cost and may be associated with initial difficulties by the end users. The system also does not directly deal with the specific short-term issue of overutilization of imaging technology by a single provider. Therefore, answer E is incorrect.
Upgrading the skills and knowledge of administrative staff about the intricacies and complexity of coding and billing may often be helpful to the welfare of the radiology practice. However, such upgrading likely would not address the specific issue of inappropriate utilization. Answer A is incorrect.
On the other hand, warning the insurers about the possibility of legal action if they refuse payment for imaging studies deemed to be clinically appropriate is likely to go nowhere and could be counterproductive. Answer D is incorrect.
Since you are aware of a set of imaging studies that are at risk for being deemed medically unnecessary and therefore not reimbursed, your practice is likely to benefit from discovering key pieces of information. This information includes the percentage of imaging studies that fall into this category, the identity of the referring physicians who request the majority of these studies, and the kinds of operational processes that allow these imaging studies to be scheduled without a high likelihood of reimbursement. In discussion with the referring clinician, you may be able to use published guidelines to arrive at a better evidence-based approach, including the appropriateness guidelines of the American College of Radiology (ACR) (3–6).
The correct answer is C (review the previous month's MR imaging orders, tally the potentially problematic cases, and arrange a discussion with the local physician about the upcoming changes and these potential "problem" cases).


text:
On Friday night, with the help of 7 Action News and WOMC, Brett Werner, a 22-year-old nonverbal young man with autism, met his idols The Beach Boys at the Freedom Hill Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Brett, whose only words spoken are "Beach Boys," and his father found a special bond listening to their music and traveling to see the band play. The Beach Boys' Mike Love said it was an "ultimate compliment" and "tribute" to their music.
Check out 7 Action News video clip of Brett's story below


text:
Justin Bieber Dolls to Hit Stores for the Holidays
Justin Bieber dolls are coming to a toy store near you this holiday season, as merch company Bravado and The Bridge Direct, Inc. announced Tuesday (Sept. 28) that they've partnered to launch a line of collectible figures styled in the pop star's best-known looks.
Slated to hit mass retailers "on or around" Dec. 4, the Bieber toy line will feature Justin Bieber Music Video Collection Singing Figures that play 30-second clips from his songs "Baby" and "One Less Lonely Girl." The dolls are also dressed in the singer's signature looks from those music videos, from a leather jacket and microphone to a green hoodie and guitar.
Another set of dolls, dubbed The JB Style Collection, features Bieber figurines dressed in some of his memorable "street style," "awards style" and "red carpet style" looks.
The JB Style Collection will retail for $17.99, while the Music Video Collection will retail for $27.99. The toy line will also include a microphone that plays clips of "One Time" and "Somebody to Love" along with concert sound effects ($14.99), and plush bears dressed in hoodies, fitted caps and "Team Bieber" T-shirts ($7.99).
The toys are available for pre-order starting this week at justinbiebertoys.com.
In addition to branching out with a toy line, Bieber will release his first book, "Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story," in October, and a 3-D biopic on Feb. 11, 2011.


text:
Be the First to Know. Enter your e-mail and subscribe to our newsletter.
The Concept2 SkiErg makes the sport of Nordic skiing available to everyone. Long recognized as delivering one of the toughest workouts around, Nordic skiing develops both strength and endurance and exercises the legs as well as the arms and core.
As the best-selling indoor rower in the world, the Concept2 Model D indoor rower delivers an effective cardiovascular workout that will increase your fitness level and tone your physique at a fraction of the cost of other home fitness equipment or a yearly gym membership.
Packed with features and easy to operate, the PM5 provides accurate, comparable data that will take your training to the next level.


text:
Luxurious bathrooms.
Beautiful dining and tablescapes.
Even their China Cabinet is beautiful
and has a homey feel to it.
I love how each room is distinctly different.
More luxurious bathrooms. The bathrooms
are as big as my room I think!
The furnishings are to die for!
So what do you we all think of La Residence?
Ready to pack your bags? I am!
Photos courtesy of House & Garden
South Africa and various travel sites.


text:
Articles by Richard L. Bakst
Other Publications (15)
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Molecular Cancer Research : MCR
- Case Reports in Hematology
- Case Reports in Oncological Medicine
- PloS One
- Case Reports in Radiology
- The Journal of Clinical Investigation
- Journal of Neurological Surgery. Part B, Skull Base
- Case Reports in Hematology
- Anticancer Research
- Case Reports in Hematology
- PloS One
- Case Reports in Hematology
- Practical Radiation Oncology
- Practical Radiation Oncology
Articles by Richard L. Bakst in JoVE
Un modelo de nervio ciático murinos In Vivo de invasión Perineural Sylvie Deborde*1, Yasong Yu*1, Andrea Marcadis1, Chun-Hao Chen1, Ning Fan2, Richard L. Bakst3, Richard J. Wong1 1Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 3Department of Radiation Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital Describimos un modelo murino en vivo de invasión perineural por células de cáncer pancreático syngeneic de inyección en el nervio ciático. El modelo permite la cuantificación del grado de invasión del nervio y apoya la investigación de los mecanismos celulares y moleculares de la invasión perineural.
Other articles by Richard L. Bakst on PubMed
GFRα1 Released by Nerves Enhances Cancer Cell Perineural Invasion Through GDNF-RET Signaling Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. | Pubmed ID: 24778213 The ability of cancer cells to invade along nerves is associated with aggressive disease and diminished patient survival rates. Perineural invasion (PNI) may be mediated by nerve secretion of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) attracting cancer cell migration through activation of cell surface Ret proto-oncogene (RET) receptors. GDNF family receptor (GFR)α1 acts as coreceptor with RET, with both required for response to GDNF. We demonstrate that GFRα1 released by nerves enhances PNI, even in the absence of cancer cell GFRα1 expression. Cancer cell migration toward GDNF, RET phosphorylation, and MAPK pathway activity are increased with exposure to soluble GFRα1 in a dose-dependent fashion. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) release soluble GFRα1, which potentiates RET activation and cancer cell migration. In vitro DRG coculture assays of PNI show diminished PNI with DRG from GFRα1(+/-) mice compared with GFRα1(+/+) mice. An in vivo murine model of PNI demonstrates that cancer cells lacking GFRα1 maintain an ability to invade nerves and impair nerve function, whereas those lacking RET lose this ability. A tissue microarray of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas demonstrates wide variance of cancer cell GFRα1 expression, suggesting an alternate source of GFRα1 in PNI. These findings collectively demonstrate that GFRα1 released by nerves enhances PNI through GDNF-RET signaling and that GFRα1 expression by cancer cells enhances but is not required for PNI. These results advance a mechanistic understanding of PNI and implicate the nerve itself as a key facilitator of this adverse cancer cell behavior.
The Chemokine (CCL2-CCR2) Signaling Axis Mediates Perineural Invasion Molecular Cancer Research : MCR. | Pubmed ID: 25312961 Perineural invasion is a form of cancer progression where cancer cells invade along nerves. This behavior is associated with poor clinical outcomes; therefore, it is critical to identify novel ligand-receptor interactions between nerves and cancer cells that support the process of perineural invasion. A proteomic profiler chemokine array was used to screen for nerve-derived factors secreted from tissue explants of dorsal root ganglion (DRG), and CCL2 was identified as a lead candidate. Prostate cancer cell line expression of CCR2, the receptor to CCL2, correlated closely with MAPK and Akt pathway activity and cell migration towards CCL2 and DRG. In vitro nerve and cancer coculture invasion assays of perineural invasion demonstrated that cancer cell CCR2 expression facilitates perineural invasion. Perineural invasion is significantly diminished in coculture assays when using DRG harvested from CCL2(-/-) knockout mice as compared with control CCL2(+/+) mice, indicating that CCR2 is required for perineural invasion in this murine model of perineural invasion. Furthermore, 20 of 21 (95%) patient specimens of prostate adenocarcinoma with perineural invasion exhibited CCR2 expression by immunohistochemistry, while just 3 of 13 (23%) lacking perineural invasion expressed CCR2. In summary, nerve-released CCL2 supports prostate cancer migration and perineural invasion though CCR2-mediated signaling.
A Case of a Laryngeal MALT Lymphoma in a Patient with a History of Gastric MALT Case Reports in Hematology. | Pubmed ID: 25664189 We are reporting a case of a 62-year-old African American woman with a history of gastric MALT lymphoma successfully treated with radiation who presented with a laryngeal MALT lymphoma 4 years after her original diagnosis. She received definitive radiation with a complete response. The case presented is unique for the rare presentation of a MALT lymphoma in the larynx, especially in light of the patient's previously treated gastric MALT lymphoma years ago.
A Unique Presentation of Occult Primary Breast Cancer with a Review of the Literature Case Reports in Oncological Medicine. | Pubmed ID: 25866689 We are reporting a case of a 34-year-old woman with occult primary breast cancer discovered after initially presenting with neurological symptoms. She was successfully treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by definitive axillary lymph node dissection and ipsilateral whole breast radiotherapy. The case presented is unique due to the rarity of occult primary breast cancer, especially in light of her initial confounding neurological signs and symptoms, which highlights the importance of careful staging.
Lhermitte's Sign Following VMAT-Based Head and Neck Radiation-Insights into Mechanism PloS One. | Pubmed ID: 26448647 We observed a number of patients who developed Lhermitte's sign (LS) following radiation to the head and neck (H/N), since instituting volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). We aimed to investigate the incidence of LS following VMAT-based RT without chemotherapy, and determine the dosimetric parameters that predict its development. We explored whether the role of inhomogeneous dose distribution across the spinal cord, causing a "bath-and-shower" effect, explains this finding.
Radiographic Thrombus Within the External Jugular Vein: Report of a Rare Case and Review of the Literature Case Reports in Radiology. | Pubmed ID: 26550513 We are reporting a case of a 91-year-old male with a primary malignancy of the right parotid gland with radiographic thrombus extension within the right external jugular vein. He was treated with palliative radiation therapy to the right parotid mass with a marked clinical response. The rarity of this occurrence as documented in the review of the literature provides for uncertainty with regard to proper management. Radiographic evidence of thrombus in the absence of clinical manifestations, the role of anticoagulation, and the proper radiation target delineation were all challenges encountered in the care of this patient. Our case represents a rare occurrence with unique radiologic findings that has implications for management.
Schwann Cells Induce Cancer Cell Dispersion and Invasion The Journal of Clinical Investigation. | Pubmed ID: 26999607 Nerves enable cancer progression, as cancers have been shown to extend along nerves through the process of perineural invasion, which carries a poor prognosis. Furthermore, the innervation of some cancers promotes growth and metastases. It remains unclear, however, how nerves mechanistically contribute to cancer progression. Here, we demonstrated that Schwann cells promote cancer invasion through direct cancer cell contact. Histological evaluation of murine and human cancer specimens with perineural invasion uncovered a subpopulation of Schwann cells that associates with cancer cells. Coculture of cancer cells with dorsal root ganglion extracts revealed that Schwann cells direct cancer cells to migrate toward nerves and promote invasion in a contact-dependent manner. Upon contact, Schwann cells induced the formation of cancer cell protrusions in their direction and intercalated between the cancer cells, leading to cancer cell dispersion. The formation of these processes was dependent on Schwann cell expression of neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) and ultimately promoted perineural invasion. Moreover, NCAM1-deficient mice showed decreased neural invasion and less paralysis. Such Schwann cell behavior reflects normal Schwann cell programs that are typically activated in nerve repair but are instead exploited by cancer cells to promote perineural invasion and cancer progression.
Mechanisms of Perineural Invasion Journal of Neurological Surgery. Part B, Skull Base. | Pubmed ID: 27123385 Perineural invasion (PNI) is the neoplastic invasion of nerves. PNI is widely recognized as an important adverse pathological feature of many malignancies, including pancreatic, prostate, and head and neck cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. Despite widespread acknowledgment of the clinical significance of PNI, the mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Recent theories of PNI pathogenesis have placed a significant emphasis on the active role of the nerve microenvironment, with PNI resulting from well-orchestrated reciprocal interactions between cancer and host. Elucidating the mechanisms involved in PNI may translate into targeted therapies for this ominous process.
Primary MALT Lymphoma of the Breast Treated with Definitive Radiation Case Reports in Hematology. | Pubmed ID: 27247809 We are reporting a case of a 59-year-old woman, with a family history of breast cancer, who presented with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MALT) of the left breast. She received definitive radiation therapy and remains without evidence of disease. Here, we present a case and review the current literature to determine the optimal treatment of this rare presentation of MALT.
Adjuvant Therapy for Salivary Gland Carcinomas Anticancer Research. | Pubmed ID: 27466526 We compared the clinical outcomes and toxicity profile among a retrospective cohort of patients with primary major salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs) treated with surgery followed by adjuvant radiation therapy (S+RT) versus surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (S+CRT).
Radiation for MALT of the Submandibular Gland Case Reports in Hematology. | Pubmed ID: 28163943 We are reporting a case of a 27-year-old woman with a history of swelling in the left submandibular region. This swelling was associated with a mass, and this was pathologically confirmed to be an extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MALT). The patient underwent surgical excision and postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy. The patient tolerated treatments well and remains free of disease. Here, we describe the case and management described in the current literature.
The Prognostic Impact of Human Papillomavirus Status Following Treatment Failure in Oropharyngeal Cancer PloS One. | Pubmed ID: 28732044 Despite the human papillomavirus conferring a better prognosis in the primary treatment setting, the prognostic impact of viral status after treatment failure in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients is poorly understood.
Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature Case Reports in Hematology. | Pubmed ID: 29607225 We are reporting the case of a 58-year-old woman with history of bilateral silicone breast implants for cosmetic augmentation. At 2-year interval from receiving the breast implants, she presented with swelling of the right breast with associated chest wall mass, effusion around the implant, and axillary lymphadenopathy. Pathology confirmed breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (stage III, T4N2M0, using BIA-ALCL TNM staging and stage IIAE, using Ann-Arbor staging). The patient underwent bilateral capsulectomy and right partial mastectomy with excision of the right breast mass and received adjuvant CHOP chemotherapy and radiation to the right breast and regional nodes. Since completion of multimodality therapy, the patient has sustained remission on both clinical exam and PET/CT scan. We report this case and review of the literature on this rare form of lymphoma.
Radiation Therapy for Leukemia Cutis Practical Radiation Oncology. Jul-Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 24673948 Leukemia cutis (LC) is the infiltration of the epidermis, dermis, or subcutis by neoplastic leukocytes, resulting in clinically identifiable cutaneous lesions. Electron-based radiation therapy (RT) is often used in the treatment of LC; however, modern studies of RT are lacking. We reviewed our experience to analyze treatment response, disease control, and toxicity associated with RT in order to develop treatment recommendations for patients with LC.
A Contouring Guide for Head and Neck Cancers with Perineural Invasion Practical Radiation Oncology. Nov-Dec, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25407876 Perineural invasion (PNI) is a frequent pathological finding in head and neck cancers. When adjuvant radiation to cranial nerves at risk in head and neck cancers with PNI is considered, there is a need for consensus on which nerves are at risk and how to contour these nerves. This contouring guide attempts to address this need.


text:
175 templates and over 500 UI elements for web, tablet and mobile devices to help speed up your UX workflow. Delivered in .AI vector format, and now for Sketch as well! Templates include iPad (1536x2038px), iPhone (640x1136px), and Web (1355x764px).
- 175 Templates
- 500+ Elements
- 50 iPhone/iPod Templates
- 100 iPad Templates
- 25 Web Templates
- Templates grouped by device
Compatibility{{::'41100000' | ui8Filesize}} in 2 {{::'File' | ui8Pluralize:2}}
{{discussion.total_comments}} Comments1 CommentBe the first to join the discussion


text:
The Green Leaf is a MUD in BETA stage, but already playable.
It is classless, so you can do what you want. Be a fighter today, tomorrow a harvester or trader, it's all up to you.
Level your skills, chat with other players, do quests, play with bots, make money by selling stuff to NPC's, go exploring or participate in contests run by the server.
There is now a leprechaun you can hunt and win some coins from his pot. Ask Padraig (NPC) for more infos.
Now there are hidden treasures you can identify with a wiggle stick. Ask the NPC Catweazle for details.
Dungeon raids are run by the server from time to time.
A Last Man Standing contest is now available.
Latest changes:
26-01-2013 Bugfix of the Newbie Quest
05-01-2013 Lottery and Last Man Standing contest in game
Host Name:the-green-leaf.de
Host IP:18.104.22.168
Connect:Click Here
Game is unranked (no votes yet)
Copy and paste this text to make a link to vote for your game.


text:
Monday, 4 February 2013
Farewell flickr friends – I'm taking a break
It's been creeping up on me for a while – tiredness, a sense of malaise around posting my photographs on flickr. Why do I continue to do it? The familiar cycle of taking photographs, editing, uploading and waiting to see what happens – will anyone 'favourite' them or leave a comment? Shall I spend some time favouriting and commenting back on photographs from my 'flickr friends' or flickr strangers whose images intrigue me? There's a lot that keeps me doing it: the joy of taking pictures nearly every day, making decisions about them and watching them change over time, the grit of practice, of mining away at ideas and having something to do with the images, the inspiration from other photographers work. But the flip side is what's become a borderline addiction, endlessly checking who's commented or favourited on what – and then doing the same back. As an activity it's starting to feel like a distraction – from what I'm not yet sure, but I hope to start to find out. So for the moment it's farewell flickr friends – I'm taking a break –
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Most people go to Las Vegas to party and gamble. Neither of those interest me and so of course, I researched what we could eat that you can only get in Sin City.
Yes, there are the gluttonous buffets and various American chains that have not yet made their way to Canada, but one suggestion from my Facebook friends stood out.
"The oxtail soup at the Market Street Cafe at The California near Fremont is amazing!" wrote Mika Inokoshi (who is also a talented photographer that you should hire).
I looked it up. The California Hotel and Casino is not only not on the glitzy Strip, it's not even on the old Vegas strip. The Cal is a few blocks from Fremont and has certainly seen better days.
I easily found info on this famous oxtail soup on the cafe's website. Stewed for hours, then tossed in a slowly simmered broth yadda yadda, served from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. Wait, what? I messaged Mika to ask if it was a typo. It was not. So I asked my globe-hopping parents and sister if they wanted to pay US$20 (so, like a gazillion Canadian dollars with the current sucky exchange rate) to cab to old Vegas after dinner, stay up til 11 p.m., and line up for oxtail soup. "Definitely," they said.
We wandered around the old Strip to kill time until about 10:30 p.m. We trooped over to The Cal, past signs on the slot machines that boasted "3.5 million pounds of oxtail soup served!" and found the Market Street Cafe in a back corner of the casino.
Then we spotted this sign at the restaurant's entrance:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Panic panic panic. Everyone else walking up had the same look on their face too. The manager reassured us that the famous oxtail soup was still available when the adjacent restaurant opened at 11 p.m. WHEW. We got into line, snagging second spot behind a family of regulars. We asked them what else was good, and they recommended the $9.99 prime rib special from 4-10 p.m. Too bad we already ate dinner. As we waited, I noticed two things: the smell of stale cigarettes, and a lot of Hawaiian people. Turns out a tour company runs several non-stop charters every week from Hawaii to Vegas which includes packages at The California. So it only makes sense that Hawaiian (and Filipino) favourites like kaulua pig with cabbage and chicken adobo are woven into the Market Street Cafe's diner menu of bacon, eggs, and burgers. There's even a Hawaiian breakfast featuring Portuguese sausage. Ninety-five per cent of the cafe's guests are from the islands, according to USA Today!
By 11:15 p.m., the lineup had grown, the alternate restaurant was still not open, and we were getting restless. This was going to be superb or awful.
We finally got seated and were handed photocopied menus. Because of the cleaning in its regular area, the cafe was offering a shortened list of dishes. But damn if we weren't going to finally taste the oxtail soup.
Oxtail is bony and gelatinous, but stewed for hours, it takes on a soft, rich meatiness. It used to be a cheap cut — probably one reason why immigrant families liked it so much — but now everyone's discovered how delicious it can be. But it can be an acquired taste because of the texture, and to get the full experience, you have to get in there with your hands and suck everything off the bone. (Get your mind out of the gutter.)
Our soup arrived in large bowls with FIVE GIANT PIECES of oxtail each. My parents could NOT STOP talking about how big they were and how many there were, because "oxtail is expensive, you know." This oxtail soup is $9.99. So yah, they were impressed.
The broth had a beautiful dark brown hue, and was a satisfying change to the cheap, MSG-laden soups at so many nameless restaurants.
Weirdly, what took this over the top for me were the vegetables mixed into the broth. Still slightly crunchy onions, carrots, celery made for a lovely combo with the oxtail and some shiitake mushrooms.
Each soup comes with a small side of minced ginger and white rice. It was a lot of food.
My mom opted to try the Saimin ($6.29), a "traditional Hawaiian favourite." Also a familiar Chinese dish: ramen noodle soup with Chinese barbecue pork and slices of processed fish cake. I think it was OK. I was too busy slurping on oxtails.
The servers were pretty nice, but disappeared once the food arrived.
In the end, I wouldn't say we were blown away by the oxtail soup. It was quite good. But for $9.99 and a bit of a food adventure, it was fun.
Market Street Cafe inside The California Hotel & Casino, 12 East Ogden Ave. (off Fremont), Las Vegas. Open 24 hours.


text:
A bitch having a conniption. Conniption meaning a display of bad temper or having a tantrum. Bitch goes ape shit. Slang terms can be used of the word "Bitchniption" "Bitch-Connips" ect.
Lindsay had a bitch-conniption last night and yelled and threw things out her window at some rude ass loud neighbors.
by QueenofDenile February 27, 2011


text:
HARTFORD — Windsor withstood a furious third-quarter scoring assault from East Hartford's Kahari Beaufort to triumph 88-80 in a CCC tournament semifinal Wednesday night at Bulkeley's Babe Allen Field House.
Windsor, which led 45-23 at halftime, watched Beaufort pour in 21 points in the third quarter.
"We didn't have one guy who said, 'I'll get him [Beaufort];' we watched," Windsor coach Ken Smith said.
Still, the Warriors, the two-time defending champion, advanced to the title game Friday (7 p.m.) at Babe Allen Field House. Their opponent will be No. 8 Glastonbury, which rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat No. 5 Hartford Public, 59-52.


text: John W. Peterson, age 71, of Prospect Heights, beloved husband of Kennedy O'Grady and the late Judy; caring son of Alice and the late Walter and stepson of the late Maurice "Bing" Benson; loving father of Karin (Ted) Hopf, Mike (Delia) and Scott (Ana Amourin); dear brother of Joyce (Ben) Jackson and Richard; cherished grandfather of Alyce, Hope, Ben, Angie and Johnny. Jack served as the Vice President of Lakewood Engineering and Manufacturing Corp., where he worked for 43 years. Those who knew him best would describe him as a fair, honest and loyal person. A private and humble man, who did not like to blow his own horn. A memorial visitation will be held Saturday from 2 p.m. until the memorial service at 4 p.m. at the Hanekamp Funeral Home, 385 Waukegan Rd., Northbrook (1/2 mile North of Dundee Rd.). Inurnment private. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Jack's name would be appreciated to American Cancer Society, 820 Davis St. #206-A, Evanston, IL 60201-1445, or Maryville Academy, 1150 N. River Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60016 or The Cradle, 2049 Ridge Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. Funeral Info 847-272-3890 or www.hanekampfuneralhome.com


text:
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
provides quality Carrier heating and cooling products, plumbing, and home interior services to businesses and residents in Central Illinois
Be the first YellowBot user to add photos or videos of Houston Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning
Geothermal, Waterfurnace Dealer, Room Units, High Efficiency, Heating Equipment, Heat Pumps, Fast Reliable Service On All Brands, Central Air, Carrier Sales & Service, Authorized Carrier Dealer, Waterfurnace, Water Heater Service & Installation, Sales & Service for Over 70 Years, Repair On All Makes & Installation, Insured, Il Lic. No. 058-105941, Heating & Cooling Repairs/Replacement,...
If you don't see your business listed on YellowBot, please add your business listing.
YellowBot wants to get your input! If you have a comment, find a bug or think of something neat we should do, let us know by emailing us.
© 2007-2018 Solfo, Inc. – All rights reserved


text:
First BEST WESTERN PREMIER Hotel Opens in Kansas
BEST WESTERN PREMIER KC Speedway Inn & Suites has Prime Location Near Kansas Speedway, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park and Legends Mall
Aug 02, 2011, 05:00 ET
PHOENIX, Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The first BEST WESTERN PREMIER hotel in Kansas opened last month in Kansas City. With 82 guestrooms, an on-site lounge and Pause... The Spa, the newly-built BEST WESTERN PREMIER KC Speedway Inn & Suites is located in the heart of Village West, at the entrance to the Kansas Speedway and across from LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110111/LA27838LOGO)
To view photos or book a room, visit www.bestwestern.com.
The hotel is the eleventh BEST WESTERN PREMIER hotel to open in the United States. First introduced in North America in early 2011, BEST WESTERN PREMIER hotels offer travelers an upscale travel experience. Guestrooms feature guestLINK, which lets travelers plug in their laptops, camcorders, digital cameras, game systems, DVD players, iPods, iPads or other device to surf the internet or look at photos or videos on the rooms' 42-inch HDTVs. Guests also can listen to their music on surround sound speakers.
"We are excited to welcome the BEST WESTERN PREMIER KC Speedway Inn & Suites to our hotel portfolio," said David Kong, Best Western International president and CEO. "Its location is second-to-none, and the hotel has the upscale features that make travelers' stays both comfortable and efficient."
Amenities at the BEST WESTERN PREMIER KC Speedway Inn & Suites include high-end linens, pillow top mattresses, free high-speed wireless internet access, free full breakfast, in-room microwaves and refrigerators, and in-room bottled-water quality water filtration system. Hotel guests and non-guests can book appointments for massages, facials and other spa treatments at the on-site "Pause... the Spa."
Hotel decor is influenced by its racetrack location, including black and white photos of the Kansas Speedway in each guestroom.
Contact the hotel at (913) 334-4440 for rates and information on special spa, shopping and sports packages.
Best Western International, Inc. is THE WORLD'S BIGGEST HOTEL FAMILY(SM), providing marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in 90* countries and territories worldwide. Each Best Western-branded hotel is independently owned and operated. Now celebrating 65 years of hospitality, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand that hosts hundreds of thousands each night. Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western has embarked on a mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. World Vision is the charity of choice for Best Western in building the world's biggest family, with our hotels and staff sponsoring children in need around the globe. Our partnerships with AAA/CAA, Michael Waltrip Racing™ and Harley-Davidson® help guests make the most of every trip. For the fastest way to a free night globally, join Best Western Rewards®. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com.
*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.
Marie Yarroll
Teri Morris
Best Western International
Allison & Partners
SOURCE Best Western International


text:
President Obama Will Be on Marc Maron's 'WTF' Podcast
<span>"I had a very relaxing week, other than knowing the president of the United States is going to be in my garage."</span>
Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast will welcome its least seasoned comedian yet on Friday: Maron today announced that President Barack Obama would be his next guest, in an episode that will debut online Monday. As always, the interview will take place in Maron's garage, a fact that has resulted in some unusual attention from the Secret Service. "Oh my God, I hope my bathroom's clean," Maron joked on Friday's episode. "We let the neighbors know. My producer has been at the house dealing with Secret Service. My street is going to be incredibly safe for the next few days." President Obama is expected to discuss his political career, the challenges of office, and the time he opened for Sam Kinison at the Comedy Store in 1989.


text:
Mendonca And Madramootoo Lead Liberty SC To First Big 4 Berth
Self-described as the best inning of his career, Francis Mendonca, under immense pressure, put on a show in calculated run
Self-described as the best inning of his career, Francis Mendonca, under immense pressure, put on a show in calculated run
NY climbed all over Hillside Sports Club last Sunday in a nine-wicket triumph at the 108/Seaview Cricket Ground
Weather gods were all in favor of cricket as Phantoms and East Side Warriors clashed in the EACA Division B semi-final
On the perfect day for cricket at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Phantoms and Enmore Cricket Club locked horn
The spin attack did the damage, and the batsmen then rubbed it in, despite a stutter or two—as Richmond Hill
On a hot summer Sunday, Meten-Meer-Zorg (MMZ) Cricket Club made the trip to Brentwood blooming with confidence
Francis Mendonca stroked a brilliant 89 but found little support from his Liberty Sports Club teammates in their EACA match against Hillside
New York Centurions made a trip to the Hecksher State Park and took on Victory Cricket Club. The Red Squad
On a rain affected Sunday Meten Mere Zorg (MMZ) Cricket Club made a trip to Lido Beach to take on Liberty Sports Club
A soggy Lido Beach wicket combined with a poor batting display from Liberty Sports Club and a spirited bowling effort
On a bright sunny day at Lido Beach Meten-Meer-Zorg Cricket Club (MMZCC) took on an experienced Everest/ACS
Dilly Khilawan stroked a patient 62 before Trinson Carmichael scalped 4 for 16 to ensure a 47 runs Liberty Sports Club victory
Atlantis Cricket Club's all-rounder Keon Lake put in an (what else) all-round performance as his club walked all over
Live scorecard of the match-up between Richmond Hill and Atlantis in the Eastern American Cricket Association.
New York Centurions hosted All Stars C.C. at the Flushing Meadows Park on a beautiful summer day. The Red Squad were still savoring the victory
Richmond Hill Cricket Club (RHCC) had the best of Victory Cricket Club (VCC) in a lackluster contest on a slightly demanding pitch
New York Metropolitan District Cricket Association (NYMDCA) stayed on course for another New York Cricket Region (NYCR) Inter-League
Trinson Carmichael struck a charismatic century leading Liberty Sports Club to a crushing 221 runs victory over Arsenal Cricket Club
It was an excellent day for cricket at Marine Park in Brooklyn with a nice breeze blowing across the picturesque
On a Sunny day with the wind blowing ferociously at beautiful Bay Park Long Island, host Hillside won the toss


text:
Floral aisle markers are a lovely way to pave the way to the altar. This Fall inspired design features
Terra Cotta Roses and Orange Mokarra Orchids tied with a beautiful Chocolate Satin ribbon.
Aisle markers are repurposed at the reception; cake table, head table, centerpieces enhancements
or any way you can imagine. Our professional staff will take them from ceremony aisle to reception.
Church pews, Whitewood folding chairs or banquet chairs we have an non-marring attachment
method for any situation.


text:
You may or may not have heard about about the latest craze to take over the soup scene, but it's called Pizza Soup. I discovered it after reading about it in the Metro and thought I'd give it a go.
I don't often eat pizza and when I do, I rarely admit to it. My main way of consuming it is one or two bites at a time from the ones my brother leaves in the fridge over a series of 3-4 nights and then blame it on a burglar. So hiding it within a soup, seemed like perfection. I thought I'd try something different this week as well and try out making a little video.
Serves 6
250g lardons (or smoked bacon)
2 large carrots
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp of plain flour
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
900ml of chicken or veg stock
1 big tsp of thyme
200ml of double cream
Sliced chorizo or pepperoni
A mini french stick
Mozarella and cheddar grated (as much as you can handle!)
- Fry the lardons up nice a crispy. Add the carrots, onions and garlic in a pan for 5-10 mins.
- Add the tomato puree and then flour to thicken
- Once thickened, add in tomatoes, chicken/veg stock and thyme
- Simmer for a further 25 minutes and then add cream
- Blend
- If you own oven proof soup bowls (fancy pants), you can add the bread and LOWDS of cheese to the soup and grill until browned
- Add on any toppings you like. I chose chorizo.
So, a health food this soup ain't. It definitely feels like you've eaten a pizza after you've consumed. Really rich and creamy, it leaves a fine layer of grease throughout your mouth to remind you it stopped by before heading straight to the bottom of your stomach like a ton of fatty briquettes. Very easy to make, the only problem is you need over proof bowls to add the toppings and grill. If you don't though, you can do it the way I did: a kind of cheese on toast style. In summary, if you judge this soup as a soup, it's pretty disgusting. BUT, if you hold it to its initial brief a PIZZA SOUP, it's definitely winning. If I could make it again, I think my heart would like me to would cut down the amount of double cream added.
Cost: 💰💰💰💰/10 – This could change depending on your toppings
Tastiness: 👅👅👅👅👅👅/10 – The tomato zing and chorizos made this soup
Complexity: 🤔🤔🤔🤔/10 – No problemo for soup beginners
Overall: 👌👌👌👌👌/10 – Fun to try but not going to make it into the regular repetoire


text:
$ 79.00
ZAKKIA Terrazzo Candle - Black
Limited edition!
Our Terrazzo Candle in Black features a golden lid and has been handpoured with a beautifully fragrant soy wax in Australia. The candle is a beautiful statement on its own or grouped together with your other favourite homewares. The lid should be placed away from or underneath the candle as a coaster while lit, and we have left a small hole in the middle so you can replace the lid without damaging the wick.
This candle has an elegant and moody scent of woodlands and deep pine, creating a warm masculine scent for the home.
Terrazzo is a classic material that was hugely popular in interior design during the 1970s and was often used as a flooring. We designed our terrazzo candle range to present a modern interpretation that redefined the way terrazzo is traditionally used in the home.The simple, minimalist form works to highlight the striking features of the natural material, and the brass lid adds an extra touch of elegance.
Burns for up to 80 hours.
The vessel can be reused as a pen holder, succulent pot or small vase once you have finished burning the candle.
8.3cm Ø x 10cm H


text:
Year 5 Mr Paylor
Reception Miss Jordan
Year 1/Reception Miss Wells
Year 1 Ms Wright and Mrs Daynes
Year 2 Mr Bosher
Year 2 Miss Hall
Year 3 Mrs Molenaar
Year 3 Mrs Chadwick and Mrs Hadlow
Year 4 Mrs Tibbenham
Year 4 Miss Carr
Year 6 Mrs Jinks
We hope that you all had a lovely Easter holiday - despite the weather! Amazingly, we are now heading into the final term of Year 1 and we have lots planned this half term to help the children continue to make progress and enjoy their learning...
Maths: Multiplication, Division and Fractions.
English: We will be using anew book this half term, Lila and the Secret of Rain, to develop our writing and reading skills. We will be focusing on checking the accuracy of our writing - being careful with our spelling, remembering our finger spaces and using different punctuation at the end of our sentences (. ? or !). We will also continue to practise our handwriting, making sure we form our letters correctly and at an appropriate size.
Topic: Once Upon a Seed: We will be learning lots about plants - the parts of a flower, the types of wild and garden plants, the different types of trees and how to look after a plant. We will be using art (printing), Computing (changing images), Design and Technology (levers and linkages) to explore our topic thoroughly.
PE: We are lucky to be having a professional dance teacher in each Tuesday afternoon this half term...please make sure that your child has a full PE kit in school.
For the summer term we are aiming to increase the children's independence when coming into school in the morning, preparing them for Year 2.
Children will be responsible for organising their own reading books and letters and placing them in the correct boxes outside the classroom. They will then be put in their trays and children will collect their own belongings at the end of the day.
We will remind and support them with the new routine initially but ultimately we are expecting them to be fully responsible for themselves. It is important that the children have their book bag and reading book with them every day, whether they have read or not.
We will also be continuing our reading reward scheme for the next half term. Thank you for all the effort that went into last half term, the impact that it had on the children's progress was really positive. You can now keep track of your child's progress on the playgrounds notice board.
The reward afternoon will be on Thursday 24th May and the rewards will be as follows:
Bronze (read 0-10 times): DVD
Silver: (read 10-20 times): Crisps/Popcorn and Ice Cream
Gold: (read 20-30 times): Dress up/own clothes afternoon.
If you have any concerns please feel free to chat to either one of us.
Many thanks for your support.
The money raised from our Christmas Enterprise stall has been used to buy new cushions, storage and books for our reading area. The children have been enjoying exploring the chance to sit in the comfy corner and explore the new books.
The children showed great teamwork and perseverance whilst trying to solve the tangram puzzles in Maths.
We had a brilliant day learning about space travel in a giant inflatable dome! It was very dark inside and we were amazed at how it felt like we were actually in space!
We also had great fun star-gazing! Despite the poor weather we enjoyed using IPads to explore the night sky, reading books, finding space facts, drinking hot chocolate and eating marshmallows!
We hope that you all had a good Christmas and that you are ready to get learning this half term! We have lots of exciting things planned and keep an eye out on this page for photos and examples of all the excellent learning that your children are doing!
Key Topics to be covered this half term:
Maths: Addition and Subtraction using numbers to 20, Place Value of numbers up to 50 and counting... lots and lots of counting! Please practise counting as much as you can with your children, forwards/backwards up to 100, in jumps of 2, 5 and 10...this will really help them with all the areas of Maths they need to learn!
English: We continue with our Power of Reading scheme, looking at a new book linked to our topic... we will reveal the title at a later date as part of the plan is to keep it a secret from the children so they can make their own deductions. We will be aiming to write our own stories as well as other topic based writing. We will also be learning all the letter names, not sounds, and how to ask and punctuate questions correctly.
Reading: PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ WITH YOUR CHILD REGULARLY - We cannot stress enough how important it is to read with your child regularly as this is the best way to build their confidence and fluency. Reading journals are checked and changed daily if they have been signed by an adult.
Science: Materials - We will be looking at common properties of different materials and making simple comparisons between them,
Topic: Space and exploration - We will be learning some key facts about Space, and about the life and impact Neil Armstrong and the first moon landing had on society.
Art: Painting - focusing on the work of Vincent Van Gogh
Computing: Finding images on the web.
PE: Continues to be on a Tuesday and Wednesday, this half term they will be learning about football and netball.
PSHE: People who help us...
This half term our learning will focus on the following areas:
We will be exploring the book 'Pattan's Pumpkin' this half term. All our writing, spelling and grammar objectives will be based around this book. The learning is done step by step so we can explore each stage of the story in depth. Learning about characters, plot, settings, description and motivations as well as our own likes and dislikes.
Our focus this half term is addition and subtraction. This includes number bonds to 10 and 20 and the related subtraction facts; addition and subtraction using numbers up to 20. We will also be using these skills we learn to plan and budget for a stall in our Enterprise week, as well as counting up the profits we make!
Wild Weather - We are weather watchers this half term! We will be measuring and tracking the weather using our own equipment, thinking about the different types of weather we have in this country and around the world and the impact it can have on people's lives. We will also be having a 'science' day where we will be experimenting with the different weather types.
Each group will continue to learn their 'special friends' this half term and use these in our daily reading sessions. Please continue to support their learning by practising the red and green words that are sent home each week. Thank you.
Thank you to all that were able to make the parent's meeting on Wednesday. We hope that you found it useful. For those who were unable to make it we have uploaded the pack that was sent home onto this page. Just click on the link below to view it. It explains exactly what phonics is, how we teach it and some useful resources and ideas. We will be sending a paper copy home in book bags as soon as possible. If you ever have any questions or concerns about phonics or reading then please ask either of us.
Phonics Play website
ICT games website
Sound pronunciation video... a useful guide on how to pronounce the different sounds that are taught to your children.
I Pad games -
Hip Hop Hen
Phonics Street
Week 2
This week we have continued having fun while learning to work with all our classmates. In maths we have been challenging our partners to count out up to 20 objects.
We've had lots of fun playing with the "gloop", exploring how it feels and talking to our friends about it.
We hope you all had a great summer break - We have already been busy settling into new routines and exploring our new class. Please find below some general information about our class...
Ms Wright teaches on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and Mrs Daynes on Thursday and Friday. We also have additional learning support given by Mrs Littler who is in class every day and Mrs Linsell who works with us every morning and on a Friday afternoon.
Class 12 have PE twice a week. This is on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Please ensure your child has the full PE kit to enable them to participate fully in the activities. If your child wears earrings, for health and safety reasons, please ensure they remove them for PE or they are covered with tape, provided by home. PE kits will be sent home at the end of each half term.
Your child reads in class with an adult every day as part of their phonics programme. They also take home a book to share with parents and carers. Please read this with your child as often as you can, preferably at least 4 times a week. Regular practise in extremely important in helping your child develop their recognition of sounds and letters and an understanding of stories and non-fiction books.
Books will be changed when they have been read, so please remember to write a comment in the journal so we know the book has been finished. Please feel free to write in any other comments as your input is invaluable to us.
Also, if any parents or carers can spare the time, we would love to have some helpers in class to hear readers. Please let Ms Wright or Mrs Daynes know if you are able to offer your time.
Children will take home a set of words to practice every week. These are words that appear in their class reading books. Practicing their recognition will really help children with their sight vocabulary, speed and fluency in reading.
As well as a termly homework project, children will also have weekly homework tasks. These may be maths, spelling or topic based activities. Homework will be sent home on a Friday and should be returned to school by the following Wednesday.
Our whole school behaviour policy encourages children to take responsibility for their behaviour and make positive choices. Good behaviour and effort are rewarded with credits, certificates and special events, such as non-uniform and activity days throughout the year. Every week one child from each class will be awarded a learning leaf for conduct, perseverance, progress or attainment in our whole school celebration assembly. In class we use a sun-cloud-rainbow system where the children's name will be put depending on their behaviour choices (cloud if they are given a warning, rainbow if they have done something exceptional). We would like to share their successes with you so if your child brings a rainbow slip home please ask them how they got it and celebrate it with them. We also have our class pet "Leo the Lion" who goes home with a different child each night to reward their behaviour in class.
Our curriculum is topic based so each half term activities and learning in English, Maths, Science, Art etc will all be related to a specific theme. In this way, we hope the children will become immersed in their learning and be motivated to achieve the high standard of work we know they are capable of.
In English, we will be concentrating on forming and writing sentences, remembering to use capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. We will also practice our letter formation and handwriting.
In Maths, we will be working hard to investigate and understand numbers… learning about the value they have, how to read and write numbers in numerals and words up to 20, how to count forward and backwards to 100, how to find 1 more and 1 less than any number up to 100 and investigating patterns with odd and even numbers.
We will be having a curriculum launch day, on Monday 18th September, where parents are invited to come into school between 2 and 3pm to explore our new topic and complete some challenges with your child. More details will follow.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to speak to us on the playground, or if you need a little longer we can arrange an after-school meeting. Thank you for your support,
Ms Wright and Mrs Daynes
Our First Week...
We have been doing lots of PSHE activities, exploring friendships, learning to work together as a group and how to stay calm and relaxed. Here are some photos of what we have been up to...
We worked as groups to feel, discuss and guess what objects had been hidden by the foil. We learned to listen to each other's ideas and take turns.
We all challenged ourselves to eat a chocolate button, without using our hands! We all got a bit messy but learned how to have fun and not worry about how silly we all looked - even Mrs Daynes, Mrs Littler and Miss Linsell joined in! :-)
We created our own criteria to sort a selection of random objects - some of us chose colour, some of us by size and some by shape. Amber and Maisie even challenged themselves to measure the objects with a ruler to check their predictions were right! Well done girls!
We also learned how to relax and be calm by doing whole class yoga and mirroring activities.
Finally, we ended our week by watching the Men's Tour of Britain race... we made flags to show our support and it was very exciting to watch and cheer all the riders!
Year 1 have been thinking about our lifestyles this term and what makes a healthy diet. We enjoyed designing, making and then eating our own healthy sandwiches in our pop up cafe!
The children had a great morning learning with their parents about 'changes' - thank you to all those who were able to come along and join in and for the great feedback.
The children have been designing and making soft toys, following our theme of healthy foods. The children in Year 3 came to share what they had learned by making bunting and help the Year 1s learn how to sew using a running stitch.
Welcome back to our final half term! We will be thinking about "Food, Glorious Food!" We will learn about healthy food and make our own healthy snacks. In DT we will be making soft toys based on fruit characters and in Art we will be printing fruit designs. In Literacy we will concentrate on instructional writing (recipes) and in maths focusing on measuring height, length, mass/weight, capacity and time. In Science we will think about different types of weather and we'll consider sun safety.
We have lots of important dates for your diaries -
Wednesday 21st June 2.45 Homework share in class
Friday 23rd June 8.45-10.00 parents and carers are invited in to class to take part in a Learning Together session with their children focusing on "Changes" that take place as we grow.
Friday 30th June - Sports Day
TBC parents and carers invited into our "Healthy Eating Cafe".
Class 12 have been learning what plants need to grow. They planted and cared for their beans and then took home a bean plant. Quite a class of gardeners!
Congratulations - you have won the tick tock challenge for this week! Everyone has done really well and made a huge effort to be in school on time! Your reward is a non-school uniform day next Friday (12th May). Keep up the hard work!
As part of our 11 experiences before 11 promise, Class 12 went to the Lowestoft Marina Theatre to watch a play based on the book 'The First Hippo on the Moon' by David Walliams. They loved the puppets, songs and audience participation! Afterwards they went to the beach to have lunch and play in the sand! They even showed great team work when burying Logan's mum in the sand!
Look at some of the amazing writing we did the day after the trip...
Leandra Alfie Rio
Evie Charlie S Ellie-Mae
Today (20th April) the children visited the Long Shop Museum. We learned lots about planting, growing, seasons, and the history of farming. They loved seeing all the old machinery and learning how farming has changed. They even got to plant our own seeds. They are now really looking forward to their topic this half term - 'Once upon a seed...'
We hope that you had a great Easter holiday and you are rested and ready for the busy term ahead!
Thursday 20th April - Long Shop Museum Trip
Thursday 27th April - Marina Theatre Trip - First Hippo on the Moon - Please make sure you bring a suitable warm and weatherproof coat as we will be walking to the beach after the performance to have our lunch.
Homework is given out on a Friday and due in on a Wednesday.
New phonics words will come home every Friday - please make sure you practise these regularly as well as your speedy sounds.
Please read and sign your reading record at least 3 times a week.
Maths: Fractions, 2D and 3D shapes, time, measurement and practical problem solving!
English: Traditional tales (The Enormous Turnip) and instructional writing (recipes)
Science: Plants (The parts of a flower, wild and common garden plants, types of trees and what plants need to survive), weather
Topic: Once upon a seed... and Food, Glorious Food
Including: Where does our food come from? (Where in the world, when were they discovered and is it from a plant or animal?) How can we stay healthy? (Filming exercise routine and writing instructions) Design and Technology (Hand puppets and a healthy cafe - look out for your invitations to help sew and also visit our cafe!) Art - Observational drawing and printing repeated patterns...
The class worked in teams to find plastic eggs containing word problems to solve. They showed great team work, encouraging each other when searching for the eggs and working together to use what they had learned this term in maths to find solutions to the problems.
Year 1 learned about the Easter Story and also about the history of Easter Eggs. Paul from Tesco's came into class to talk to the children about the history behind the Easter egg tradition. The children designed and made their own decorative eggs
The children really enjoyed being Scientists when they went up to Alde Valley Academy for the afternoon. They were able to participate in lots of different experiments and activities. They separated colours in pen ink, thought about insects and even mixed ingredients to make and then test their very own bouncy ball! It was great and the children all came back thoroughly inspired.
This half term we have been looking at early multiplication. We have been practising counting in 2s, 5s and 10s and have got really good at it! (Ask your child to show you!) We then started by grouping objects in different ways and then adding up the groups to see how many there were in total.


text:
Fulham manager Martin Jol has warned his former club Tottenham that Moussa Dembele is not for sale.
The 24-year-old forward is understood to be a target for Spurs and said this week he regarded a potential move to White Hart Lane as a "step higher". Dembele has since insisted he is happy at Craven Cottage and Jol, who was sacked by Spurs in 2007, maintains the Belgium international is going nowhere.
"Maybe someone told you about Tottenham, I don't know. But there is a lot of interest in good players, and I've got a few," said the Dutchman.
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2011, All Rights Reserved.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms