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2 Chainz has become an in-demand guest rapper, linking with a wide range of artists from Nicki Minaj to Kreaysawn to Justin Bieber. Now a seasoned guest-verse contributor, the artist formerly known as Tity Boi reveals his strategy for spreading his around sixteens without spreading himself too thin.
"My whole theory behind doing guest features was to remain hot in the streets," he told CBS Local, "actually being a part of everyone's google. When you google them, my name would pop up.
To a great degree, 2 Chainz's strategy worked. With his debut album, Based On A T.R.U. Story due out August 14, he's built a buzz with appearances on the G.O.O.D. Music record "Mercy"; Nicki Minaj's "Beez In The Trap"; and most notably, Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend" remix. The Bieber connection, while a surprise to fans, was a welcomed challenge for 2 Chainz.
"The Justin Bieber verse was something I could do," he said. "The challenge was doing a clean witty verse without cursing, and to know the fan base and the crowd I was catering to. It was fun. I would love to do more records like that."
Form this point, 2 Chainz has moved into phase two in his featured artist strategy. Now, he stresses a certain quality over quantity.
"Now it's about doing features that matter or can help catapult my campaign or doesn't make sense any more," he said. "A feature that's worth me doing would be something that's outside my genre, something outside my comfort level, outside my box. Pop rock, R&B. Something that's not a normal 16 [lines] that I feel like I can do ion my sleep."
Apparently, he's looking for more opportunities like his guest verse on Pop singer Dev's "In My trunk." And musicians from other genres are just as happy to oblige.
"He liked my record enough to bless it with a remix," Dev recently told Billboard. "Probably one of my favorite verses…his verse is awesome."
"I like challenges," 2 Chainz said, "and I welcome those to take me to the next level as well."
Below, check out 2 Chainz's three (or more) reasons why you should by Based On A T.R.U. Story, which is due in stores August 14. —Erik Parker, CBS Local


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Sefko: Shot-making beast Chris Kaman carries Mavs past Portland, 96-91
PORTLAND, Ore. — Before the Mavericks' 96-91 victory over Portland on Sunday, the Mavericks' locker room was interrupted by a bothersome moth that was flying around.
"Maybe it came out of Dirk's beard," one staffer quipped.
The eviction notice for any critters or insects that might be holing up in those scraggly growths might be posted soon. For the third time in the last two weeks, the Mavericks climbed within one win of the .500 mark, the magic mark they established more than two months ago, when they vowed not to visit their razors until they reached their goal.
At 38-39, they will go for even par on Wednesday against Phoenix at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks led by 26 points with less than 2 minutes left in the third quarter against the Blazers. They ended up struggling to stop Portland's Will Barton down the stretch as the rookie finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
But the Mavericks made enough shots and enough plays not to repeat their January visit to Portland, when they blew a 21-point lead and lost.
Dirk Nowitzki sat out the fourth quarter after he said he hurt his left foot coming down after jumping for a rebound. He didn't twist or sprain it, but it stiffened up at halftime, and he played less than eight minutes in the third quarter and was unproductive while on the floor.
"It's a little stiff, and I decided to just sit this one," Nowitzki said. "Obviously, it got a lot closer than we were hoping for so we had to grind it out down the stretch. I think I jumped for a rebound in the second quarter and must have landed wrong or something. I must have irritated my bone spurs or something.
"I got really stiff and couldn't really move much in the third quarter. I tried, got it retaped at halftime, but it didn't help much."
Nowitzki said he "definitely" will play Wednesday.
"I could probably play tomorrow," he said. "I'll get some of those good meds. I'll be fine. We only got five games left, we got a chance to see .500 for the first time since December. I'll definitely play Wednesday."
The Mavericks were taking care of business in the first three quarters against the Blazers.
They got a huge night from Chris Kaman, who finished with a season-best 26 points and 11 rebounds. He missed his career-high scoring mark by three points.
"Kaman was great from the beginning of the game," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Real active on defense, rebounded like crazy and just gave us a terrific all-around game."
Kaman's season has been a rocky one, but the way he played against the Blazers probably is what the Mavericks envisioned when they signed him to a one-year, $8 million deal in the summer.
Kaman had 16 points and 6 rebounds — at halftime, when the Mavericks were ahead 56-32.
Of course, it's important to know that the Blazers' starting center was J.J. Hickson, who is generously listed at 6-9. They also played rookie Meyers Leonard at center.
"I think people know what I'm capable of doing," Kaman said. "We have a different style than other teams I've played on. I'm willing to do whatever I can do.
It's not always going to be perfect. But you got to roll with the punches."
The Blazers had all the appearances of a team ready to go quietly. They have lost eight games in a row and the first seven were by an average of 17 points.
It got interesting at the end.
The Mavericks went 4:47 without a point. The Blazers tossed in 12 consecutive points, and when Damian Lillard converted a fast-break layup, the Mavericks' advantage was down to 88-80 with 4:45 to go.
The Blazers closed to 94-91 with 39 seconds left.
O.J. Mayo missed a 3-pointer, and Portland rebounded and had 12 seconds to try a potential tying 3-pointer.
They instead tried for a quick layup.
Lillard missed, and the Mavericks got a breakaway by Shawn Marion to end it.
Follow Eddie Sefko on Twitter at @ESefko.

subset: commoncrawl


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Cardinals agree to one-year deal with Cedeno
Infielder expected to back up Furcal at shortstop, provide depth at second
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- Seeking a veteran middle infielder to provide depth and insurance behind shortstop Rafael Furcal, the Cardinals, after sifting through a thin free-agent market, have signed Ronny Cedeno to a one-year deal.
The free-agent acquisition was the third made by the Cardinals this offseason. Cedeno joins reliever Randy Choate and utility man Ty Wigginton as new additions to the 2013 roster. According to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, Cedeno will earn a base salary of $1.15 million with incentives that could push it as high as $2 million.
Cedeno is likely to jump Pete Kozma on the depth chart, putting him in position to play the shortstop position should Furcal have lingering health issues. Though the Cardinals have expressed satisfaction with Furcal's recovery from a season-ending elbow injury, no one is sure how his arm will respond when he returns to games this spring.
Of Cedeno's 615 career starts, 531 of them have come at short. He has a career .970 fielding percentage at the position.
Cedeno could also work himself into the mix for playing time at second base, a position the Cardinals plan to sort out during Spring Training. General manager John Mozeliak said a week ago that second base remains Daniel Descalso's "job to lose," but the Cardinals are leaving a window open for someone else to make a push for the job.
Cedeno is plenty familiar with playing in the National League Central. He was with the Cubs from 2005-08 and then joined the Pirates at the '09 Trade Deadline after a brief stint with Seattle. Cedeno remained in Pittsburgh through the 2011 season, after which he signed with the Mets.
The Pirates utilized Cedeno as an everyday shortstop, though Cedeno took on a backup role with New York last season. He hit .259 with a .332 on-base percentage in 186 plate appearances. Over his eight-year career, Cedeno has a .247 batting average and .290 on-base percentage.
Taveras, Wong, Wacha among Cards' 16 NRIs
ST. LOUIS -- Outfielder Oscar Taveras and a pair of recent first-round Draft picks -- second baseman Kolten Wong and right-hander Michael Wacha -- highlight the group of 16 non-roster players that the Cardinals have invited to participate in big league Spring Training.
Taveras, a 20-year-old who was just ranked by MLB.com as baseball's top outfield prospect heading into 2013, made periodic appearances in Grapefruit League games last spring, but this will be his first time participating in workouts alongside Major Leaguers. The reigning Texas League Player of the Year is likely to begin the season in Triple-A, though he could be ready to ascend to the Majors before the end of the year.
Wong, the team's top pick from the 2011 First-Year Player Draft and ranked by MLB.com as the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals' system, is in a similar spot. He, too, is slotted in to begin 2013 with Triple-A Memphis but is not seen as needing too much more seasoning before ascending to St. Louis.
Wacha (ranked No. 7 in the Cards' system) is one of three highly touted young right-handers on this list of non-roster invitees. Joining him in big league camp will be Carlos Martinez (No. 3) and Seth Maness, the organization's pitcher of the year in 2012. All three ended the season with Double-A Springfield, which captured the Texas League championship.
During his stops in high-A and Double-A, Martinez, 21, posted a 2.93 ERA in 22 games. Maness went 14-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 27 starts. He led the Cardinals' farm system with 169 2/3 innings pitched.
The Cardinals kept Wacha's Minor League exposure brief since he pitched a full year at Texas A&M University before being drafted, but Wacha still dazzled in his first 21 professional innings. He struck out 40, while walking only four.
The full list of 16 non-roster invitees includes the following players:
Pitchers: John Gast, Tyler Lyons, Maness, Martinez, Wacha
Catchers: Adam Ehrlich, Rob Johnson, Jesus Montero, Audry Perez, Cody Stanley, J.R. Towles
Infielders: Greg Garcia, Starlin Rodriguez, Wong
Outfielders: Justin Christian, Taveras
Johnson, Christian and Towles all signed Minor League contracts with the Cardinals earlier this offseason.
The Cardinals' report date for pitchers and catchers is Feb. 11, with the first team workout in Jupiter, Fla., scheduled for the following day. The organization's first full-squad workout will take place on Feb. 15.
Worth noting
• In order to create space on the 40-man roster for Cedeno, the Cardinals designated left-hander Barret Browning for assignment. Browning made his Major League debut in 2012 and went on to appear in 22 games. He allowed 11 earned runs in 19 1/3 innings.
• Though the addition of Bengie Molina to the Cardinals' coaching staff has been known for several weeks, the Cardinals officially announced the hiring on Monday. Molina will serve as the team's assistant hitting coach to John Mabry, who was promoted to the top position after Mark McGwire's departure.
• The Cardinals have called a news conference for Tuesday, during which the organization will announce a multi-year partnership with St. Louis-based Mercy Health.
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, By Gosh, It's Langosch, and follow her on Twitter @LangoschMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Will the Rays Fan Support Flat Line in 2009?
Here in Tampa Bay, the Rays fans are a bit new at this winning tradition thing. Our fellow brethren in the American League East, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have established these traditions that we are striving for after a successful 2008 campaign. I can admire the courage and the determination it takes to follow a team with such traditions, but how is a team only around for 11 years to fight such a monster wall of expectations.
Heck before 2008, the Rays faithful had only one season where we could cheer and find success, and even that was only a 70 game winning season. And because of that lack of solid confidence at times, I am tempted to remind people that there might be a short lived backlash into the past ways for fans if the Rays do not get off to a great start in 2009. This area has always craved a winner. We have won Super Bowl trophies and Stanley Cups, but that World Series trophy was being salivated over by the millions who live in the Tampa Bay area.
So are we to believe that the hysteria and the mass explosion of excitement will be in the air in April when we first open the 2009 season after a short road trip through Boston and Baltimore? As fickle as that might sound, the team has only had that one brief practice into the realm of respectability. And because of that, there might be a slide or two in 2009 due to the increased awareness that this team is coming to play every night or day now.
No more will there be teams that will be surprised or caught unaware of this teams potential. Teams around the American League will not be resting players or even expect to sweep a series against the Rays any time soon. The air of uncertainty is gone from the Rays sails and they are on course to come into each contest as a stepping stone back to the promised playoff lands. The Rays will come out hungry in 2009, because they have been in the classic, and they want to get back there as soon as possible.
But can this team battle day in and day out with a huge expectation on it from the start of even Spring Training games? That sense of responsibility comes with the success of winning a A L Pennant. You get a huge target set straight on your back and you either back up your claims, or fall by the wayside and let the winners' pass by waving at you.
In the past, the Rays fans and the team have done a lot of waving at losing streaks and misplays in games. But with the increased defense and the Rays Bullpen coming to win every night, it made for a more interesting 7-9th inning in games in 2008. Can they build upon that experience and step it up a notch or two and finally contend nightly with everyone at anytime, or will 2008 just be a case of catching some teams napping and the Rays feasting on their downward seasons.
But what if the Rays do not get off to a monster of a start in 2009 ? Will the "boo" birds be ringing in the papers and from the stands even if we start off near .500 in April. Will the once vocal and energetic fans still come in bunches to every game, or only for the "Prime" games against the likes of the Red Sox and Yankees. Will a losing streak silence the cowbells and hide the home made signs for the blue and white clad Rays, or will the fan base again convert back to whoever is winning more games at the moment.
That is the problem with living in a region that boasts only 10 percent population over 30 years of age who were born in the area. Everyone is from somewhere else in the country, or the northeast. And with that move came a sense of tradition in following your old team no matter what. But just because you have a relative or even a parent who is entrusted to another team, do you feel obligated to support your new local team.
I have always wanted to ask any of the Boston or New York faithful who come here if they support any of the other local NFL or NHL teams. Do they still hold a traditional place in their hearts for the Rangers or Giants. Or maybe even the Jets and the Islanders if you are from the Gotham city. And do all Boston fans still cheer for the Bruins and Patriots even if they might have down seasons.
The pitiful thing here is I think the region is still polarized and not committed to the Rays even after posting one of the best turnarounds in the annuals of baseball period. I hate to say it, but after years of other sports teams in the area not living up to expectations, could the Rays be bunched into that bushel of apathy after just a short time again. I think it is the Rays responsibility to keep a good product on the field and in the stands.
Fans will come for the games, but they also come for the entertainment before and after the contests in Tampa Bay. Some of the best attendance marks in 2008 came during the Concert Series on Sat night, when the team regularly sold out the entire Trop. so people could sing and dance in the aisle after the games. But do we have to be as gimmicky in 2009? I hate to say it, but we still have about a year before the rest of the Tampa Bay area can trust that the Rays are on the right path here.
I think a good barometer of the support factor might come in a few weeks at the Rays 2009 Fan Fest. That is usually a good sign of the type of support and the excitement about the upcoming season. But could that even be a bit more downplayed this year because of the team being based in Port Charlotte instead of here in St. Petersburg. It will be interesting to see how the distance and the Fan Fest will be changed because of the long commute for the event.
I know, I know, what else does the team have to do to show it wants to be winners, well it does go beyond the field. In the next few months the Rays marketing department will have ample chances to remind and entice the area's fan to again come and support the team. Now you know that the Opening Day game against the New York Yankees will be sold out, but is that because of the pennant raising before the game, or because of the Yankees.
Fans in this area may have to make a choice in 2009. They might have to decide if the bandwagon effect works for them, or they might just want to hop on board and be a full time supporter of the local team. Who knows what is going to happen in 2009, but you can bet the team will fight until the last out in October in the 2009 season. I not expecting a huge turnaround in 1 season after our greatest success on the field to translate into huge attendance numbers.
The team might be expecting a large increase, but that will come with the team winning again. I hate to say this, but this region is like a lot of small market teams, there is a lot to do besides baseball on any given weekend or even weeknight. But if the support is there, the team will again do everything in it's power to showcase themselves again as the team to beat. But the crowd as a 10th man has been instrumental in the past in making the difference late in a contest.
So as I am again getting ready to go cowbell shopping for 2009, and buying 2 dozen fresh white balls for the upcoming Fan Fest. I truly think that 2009 will be a closer contested divisional series than ever before in the A L East. There are three team poised to fight for the title, and 1 sitting back and might jump over the heap if we forget about them. I am looking forward to the first game, and cheering for my hometown team again.
The boys' played longer into the season in 2008 that ever before, and might still be a bit shell shocked at the result, but the area is proud of them and want to again show their spirit and energy to the team. 40-some days and the guessing game starts all over again. It seemed like just yesterday I was writing about the World Series match ups and the rain delays. And the Rays and the Phillies get to relive it all again a few times during Spring Training, both in Clearwater, and in Philly.
Let's Go Rays!!!
4 Comments
I will not be sad if there aren't cowbells at your games! Sorry – but when I watch it in surround sound at home it is really annoying! I think, as a Red Sox fan, the gimmicks at other ball parks are a little hard to understand. Yes our park is small so it is easier to fill, but I think people come to Fenway for the game and not for the give-a-ways. You are right to be concerned about whether fans will continuing coming to the games if the Rays don't start on a hot streak. The Trop, for several years, has been thought of here as one of the Red Sox "other" home stadiums. (Baltimore comes to mind also.) There are a lot of retired New Englanders in FL and many families visit on vacation and it was always a lot easier to get tickets in Tampa then it was at home. Because of the long tradition that baseball has here I think people continue to support the Boston teams no matter where they live – I know I would. I really hope that the success that the Rays had last year carries over with your fans this year. As much as we may joke about it, I really do feel sorry for the home team when there appears to be more people at their games cheering for the Red Sox. With fans like you I'm sure the Rays will be fine!
I do understand the mentality of the Northeaster transplants still holding in to their old traditions and teams. I had to spend a year out in Seattle in 2007 doing some sub contractor work on my proposed retirement home on Puget Sound.
While I was there, I became a season ticket holder of the Mariners for that season and did wear my Tampa Bay gear during their two series in the city that year. I was not going to throw 9 years of loyalty away in just a flash. But, if I lived there for over maybe a 4 year period, I might consider toning it down more and more until i was a local supporter……..but that is just me.
We will see what will happen in the Rays situation in 2009. I do know that repeating at something is more difficult than winning it the first time. Expectations will be high, and the threshold of misery will be extremely low…but the true fans of not just the Rays, but of baseball will still fill the blue seats.
Rays Renegade
True baseball fans will continue to stand behind the Rays! I drive from Georgia to see the Rays play frequently. Also, I subscribe to MLB online games to watch the Rays. They are a real team that works as a unit rather than an overpaid display as are the other two primary contenders in the AL East.
I can't wait to go to fanfest. Do you have any info on when this great day will take place?
The Tampa Bay Rays Fan Fest will be held on Feb 14th. That was the date I was given a few weeks ago by someone on the third floor.
It should be interesting this year since the Spring Training complex is about an hour and a half south instead of in St. Petersburg. I am also looking forward to it to meet a few of the new guys like Pat Burrell and reliever Randy Choate.
See you there……….. I can usually be found near the huge Pepsi display behind third base. I am told we are going to have a great speaker at the event this year, but they are not releasing that information yet.
Rays Renegade


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They've told you that they're for this and against that.
They've told you that their opponents are for something else and against what you hold dear.
They've told you what they'll do and have sworn to things they won't do.
They've told you that they'll uphold this principle and run that concept in the ground.
They've told you that they'll fight for you and against your enemy.
They've told you they'll accomplish this and that but won't ask for another penny of your hard-earned money.
Most of these things, they've told you while God Bless America has played in the background. They've been holding small kittens and lollipops while children and senior citizens surround them lovingly.
Will any of that matter on Wednesday?
Maybe not.
So, when you pull a lever or check a box or dimple a chad, don't vote because of a campaign promise.
Vote for candidates with whom you have kindred ideals.
Vote for men and women you want to represent you - when they're in the chambers for which they're running and when they're out of the public's eye.
Vote for the person, not the party.
Vote for someone who shares your thoughts and views and who won't change those when the political winds flow in a different direction.
Vote in those ways, and then hope you made the right choices.
Even if you didn't, you'll get a chance to correct that in a couple years.
- Rick Fahr


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Norphlet at Danville
Class AA state playoffs, 2nd round
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Little John Field, Danville
Records: Norphlet 7-3-1, 4-2 7AA-East (No. 3 seed); Danville 8-3, 4-1 5AA (No. 2 seed)
Coaches: Dennis Steele, Norphlet (12-9-1, 2nd season); D.J. Crane, Danville (29-15, 4th season)
Radio: KYEL-FM 105.5 Quinton Bagley Assistant Sports Editor
It could look like a track meet Friday night as Norphlet travels to Yell County to face Danville in the second round of the Class AA state football playoffs.
Both the Leopards (7-3-1, 4-2 7AA East) and the Little Johns (8-3, 4-1 5AA) boast plenty of speed, and both are coming off decisive wins. Norphlet pounded Magazine 54-0 last week, while Danville overcame its own mistakes to polish off Clarendon 32-7.
"I think Danville is an awfully good football team. They have speed at the skill positions and a good offensive line," Norphlet coach Dennis Steele. "Defensively, they fly to the football and can force teams into some bad situations. It is going to be tough for us to travel 5 hours and get the win, but we are going to do our best."
With the exceptions of turnovers, the Little Johns are coming off one of the better offensive games of the season, according to Danville coach D.J. Crane. Danville moved the ball with ease against the Lions but also turned it over six times.
"We had 508 yards of total offense last week against Clarendon, but we also had six turnovers," Crane said. "We were lucky to win that game. You can't have six turnovers and expect to win. We have got to protect the football better than we did last week."
Injuries at this point in the season could spell disaster for any team but Steele and Crane are fortunate to have kids coming back from injuries and not missing time because of them.
"We are pretty healthy for this point in the season," Steele said. "We have two kids, Tim Taylor and Dustin Goodwin, who are questionable for Friday night's game. But if they can go, we will get them in there, even if it is in a limited role."
Crane is happy his team is getting healthy at this point in the season and looks forward to staying that way.
"We are getting healed up. T.J. May is getting back from an ankle injury and had a really good defensive game against Clarendon," Crane said. "It is nice to say that your team is 100 percent this time of year. That is a luxury few teams in the state have."
Steele is pleased with the energy and excitement exhibited at Leopard practices this week. One reason for this excitement is the recent success of the program.
"The win against Magazine last week was the first playoff win this program has had since 1976," Steele said. "That is a span of 30 years, so the kids and the community are all real excited. All the excitement has been good for practice. We don't have any kids dragging around - they run from drill to drill."
In rural Yell County, Crane is happy buck fever has not plagued his team just yet.
"I expected with deer season starting that we would lose some of our focus (in practice)," he said. "But for the most part it has been a really good week. The kids are really focused. They have their ears open and are ready to learn and prepare for the game. I can't say enough about their dedication."
Steele has a basic philosophy on high school football, one he believes will hold true for Friday night's game.
"My philosophy is the team that makes the fewest mistakes is the team that will win," he said. "That is especially true at this point in the season where every team is good or they wouldn't be here."
As for Crane, he just hopes his players got all their mistakes out of the way last week.
"If we play offense like we did last week and eliminate the turnovers, then I really do like our chances," he said. "If we turn the ball over six times though, Norphlet has the speed and quickness to turn it into six points.
"We also need to have a good defensive game. I feel like we matchup well against them, we just have to continue to do what we do best."
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Little John Field in Danville.


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Care providers struggle following closure of Vermont State Hospital
Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part series on the state of
Vermont's mental health care system since the closure of the Vermont State Hospital in August 2011.
BRATTLEBORO -- Finding treatment space in Vermont for a person with a serious mental illness was difficult before Tropical Storm Irene wiped out the Vermont State Hospital and its 54 beds.
Since then, it's only gotten worse.
"We are in a crisis. I cannot stress that enough," said Mary Moulton, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health. "We do not have enough capacity."
On a bad day in the Green Mountain State, there might be eight people in hospital emergency rooms around Vermont, waiting for a bed in a psychiatric facility, she said.
"We occasionally have seven- or eight-day waits, but it's not standard," said Moulton, adding it is not a problem that is exclusive to Vermont. "In New Hampshire, they've had up to 30 people waiting for up to two weeks, waiting for a psychiatric bed."
Moulton recently told WCAX that 65 percent of the patients in need of a secure treatment facility are placed within 24 hours. But for those requiring involuntary commitment, she said, the wait can take days and often requires 24/7 supervision by security or law enforcement.
"It's very stressful when someone can't get into a bed," said Moulton. "Every day, it's like a virtual hospital, and every day we have rounds. We work to move them."
Dr. Richard Meyer, emergency room director and chief medical officer at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, said finding beds for psychiatric patients wasn't easy even when the state hospital was open.
Grace Cottage hasn't seen a spike in the need for acute care since the state hospital closed, said Meyer, but in the last quarter of 2012 and in the beginning of 2013, he did see an increase in need for overnight stays.
"Maybe it was a random cluster," he said. "Things seem to have petered out in terms of psychiatric patients needing admission who couldn't find a bed."
In those cases, Grace Cottage provided its own security, said Meyer.
"When we have to keep somebody overnight, we move them out of the ER and get them into a hospital bed," he said. "However, it's not the best care for the patients. If someone with a decompensating psychological condition is in an ER or a non-psychiatric hospital for a day or two, they may be getting worse, instead of getting better. They're not getting the specialty care they would get at a psychiatric hospital."
At Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, the emergency department gets, on average, 14,450 visits a year, said Steve Gordon, BMH's president and CEO. In the past two years, admissions for substance abuse or mental health issues rose 2.3 percent, not a significant increase, he said. But the number of patients needing a bed in a psychiatric facility actually increased 16 percent last year.
"And the number of patients going to the Brattleboro Retreat or the Windham Center has increased 46 percent," said Gordon. "Though the Retreat is taking the lion's share."
The Windham Center, in Bellows Falls, is a 10-bed inpatient unit of Springfield Hospital.
When a facility such as the Retreat or the Windham Center doesn't have a bed, hospitals such as BMH and Grace Cottage have to make do until one can be found, increasing demands on medical and security staff that may not be trained to respond to the mental health issues.
"We have had an increase in one-to-one staffing," said Gordon. "It depends on the patient."
The hospital has to pay out of pocket to deal with issues raised by caring for mental health patients, including training for security and medical staff, meetings to address the issues and the creation of policies, said Dr. Kathleen McGraw, BMH's chief medical officer.
"Financially, it's definitely a burden. If we didn't have to spend the money on extra security, it would be available elsewhere."
But the added costs are not stopping BMH from what it needs to do, said Gordon.
"We are adding more educational opportunities for staff to deal with psychiatric emergencies and de-escalation," he said.
BMH is in the process of renovating its emergency department, adding two secure rooms to address the needs of patients with acute mental health issues.
Jill Mazza Olson, the vice president of policy and legislative affairs for the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, said until a 25-bed hospital in Berlin is open, hospitals and their ER staff will continue to be the frontline for what she called "the ongoing crisis."
"The hospitals that have inpatient psychiatric care are continuing to be very stressed," said Olson. "Some hospitals have had to reduce the total number of patients they can care for in a unit due to the complexity of the patients."
Many of those patients have medical needs in addition to their psychiatric needs, said Olson, and hospital staff also has to be aware of behavioral issues with certain patients.
"We are not going to see less stress in the system until we see more beds," she said. "And we will not know if we have the right number of beds in the system until we have those beds up and running and see how well the system is working."
In Monday's Reformer: Health Care and Rehabilitation Services, based in Springfield, staffs the front line of the battle against mental health illness in Vermont.
Bob Audette can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com, or at 802-254-2311, ext. 160. Follow Bob on Twitter @audette.reformer.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Unfortuneately I'm having to sell my lovely Ridgeline SS frame - it's in excellent condition and hasn't really seen as much use as it should have. No scuffs or dents - decals unmarked.
Size XL (21"), effective top tube 24.5, head tube 140mm.
It has sliding drop-outs and comes with a almost new FSA headset and Hope seat clamp.
Please note it only has guides for rear brake hose and no fittings for gear cables - so single speed only. This does mean that it looks loverly and minimal when built up with none of those ugly unwanted guides and (god forbid) tensioners!
Nice big shaped downtube, so stiff where it counts (Ooow Matron!) but still comfortable.
Sorry about the crappy photo's!
Based near Guildford £400 or £425 with an as new 400mm black Thomson post to fit. Please see email address in profile.


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QUEENSLAND'S Christmas holiday road toll has risen to three after two fatal crashes in 12 hours.
Police said a 25-year-old Coorparoo man parked his car, possibly broken-down, on the side of the Logan Motorway at Berrinba on Thursday night.
A truck hit the man as he was standing on the road.
The man died at the scene.
Twelve hours later, a 19-year-old man died after a quad bike and a four-wheel-drive collided on Amamoor Creek Rd south of Gympie.
The State's first fatality was on a North Queensland road death earlier this week.
On Thursday, police caught 51 drink-drivers and 897 speeding motorists.


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Excellent phos and other Vietnamese foods. Fast and friendly service as well. I always try to eat at Halong Bay whenever in Tucson.
The best pho in town that I've had and we're always treated well. The other dishes that I've tried were also good, which were mostly more Chinese style dishes that tend to work well for our kids.
Consistently great food. Be it the Pho or any of the other choices from the menu. Have not found anywhere else which comes close in Tucson.
Love it, love it, love it! Favorite place since 3 Sisters closed--the tastes are as good or better and the service is way better & faster. Crispy spring rolls, lemongrass chicken or beef & rice noodles, lots of mint & cilantro...wonderful!


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The recycling movement has finally become an official religion. Have you ever felt guilty for throwing that glass bottle into the trashcan, instead of the recycling bin? I believe the emotion of guilt should be reserved for higher level trespasses such as those of a religious or moral nature. But we've all felt it in regard to a single instance of non-participation in the recycling mania.
In Chapel Hill and other progressive thinking places, including workplaces, there are literally signs labeling trash cans. When I was in the Chapel Hill Public Library, I saw such as sign.
It's so confusing at the grocery stores or workplaces when you're ready to bus your own table, you want to throw up your hands and just throw it all away. Who can know what can be composted, sent to the landfill or recycled? If you think this act will save the earth, I suppose you would be willing to obey orders. And don't you feel that guilt when someone sees you throw something into the wrong bin?
How much energy does it take to turn recyclables into useable items? And do the environmental transgressions by China in just one day, erase all our efforts?
I think we're still free in America, but I don't feel very free being pushed around by those with Ph.D's in composting.
If you fly over Orange County, you'll see vast amounts of open land; yet we're told there's no room for another landfill. Sure, there are complex political decisions involved, but there's no shortage of space.
So, the next time I rebelliously throw that bottle into the trashcan and let the water run while I am lathering (yes I saw such a sign!), am I committing a sin against the environmental religion? Does Al Gore need to write me a ticket? Oh, to feel free is a glorious feeling and occasionally I indulge myself!


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Collectible Digital Card Game Minion Master Out Now
Berkeley, CA – December 10 th, 2012. – Independent micro studio BitFlip Games today confirmed that its debut tactical collectible card game Minion Master is now available through digital portal Desura and through the official Minion Master website priced at $20.00. Combining the moment-to-moment tactics of Collectible Card Games with the long-term strategy of Miniature War gaming, Minion Master is a digital board game like you've never seen before.
"We're ecstatic to finally release Minion Master to the public," said BitFlip Games Producer David Steinwedel. "We've worked hard with our community to take the table-top tactics genre and bring it to life on the PC."
Minion Master is a Digital Board game that brings together the moment-to-moment tactics of collectible card games with the long-term strategy of miniature war gaming. Players' battle with armies of figurines on a hex based board. Minions are summoned and controlled using a custom built deck of cards. Minion Master boasts 6 player co-op and versus multiplayer, a Level Editor, a Deck Builder, fully customizable match setup, and a constantly expanding universe of Minions to control. Inspired by physical RPG board and card games Minion Master simultaneously adding in elements that are only possible in a virtual world.
The Minion Master release update includes a host of new features to expand the universe. New micro-management tools allow players to command individual units, groups, or their entire army at any time. For additional details visit the official Minion Master web site: http://www.minionmaster.com/
About BitFlip Games
BitFlip Games is an independent game studio based in Berkeley, California. At two years old, the team has released a number of iOS games, as well as having played supporting roles in yet to be released AAA games. Formerly, members of the team worked on the Bioshock & XCOM series at 2K Marin, as well as Hellgate: London & Mythos with Flagship Studios.
For more information, contact email@example.com
|[View All]


text: "[Miyeko] Murase, a Columbia University professor and research curator at the Metropolitan Museum, advised Burke in her nearly four decades of collecting activities. Following a chronological organization, he explores and demonstrates the impact of Buddhism and Chinese literati painting on the formation of the Japanese artistic tradition. Extravagantly illustrated ... and supported by a glossary are a list of selected readings, this book lives up to the Metropolitan Museum standard."Library Journal


text:
Team America Blowout: Minneapolis–Saint PaulPosted by Bradley L. Garrett on Saturday Jan 28, 2012 Under Arrivals, Celebration, Departures, Digging, Drains, Freedom, Infiltration, Infrastructure, Recreational Trespass, Skyscapers, Underground Parties
"Revolutionary movements to not spread by contamination but by resonance." – The Invisible Committee
There is one primary reason why the London Consolidation Crew has been so successful. Group dynamics. When the urban exploration scene in London started heating up in the past few years, we went through some growing pains as a crew: people getting left behind, bad publicity, jealousy, bad luck that led to busts. But we came out the other side and the result is that we are now more efficient and cohesive than ever. The stuff we're doing now looks different than our 2010/2011 tube onslaught, but it's no less ambitious.
We get messages constantly from people wanting to get involved – I guess it's obvious how much fun we're having! We appreciate that – please continue commenting and emailing, it's good encouragement to keep us out there climbing skyscrapers in subzero temperatures, sinking anchors into walls at 4am and hiding from Metro drivers in Paris while we run the tracks. But we don't do these things simply to entertain you sitting in front of your computer screen at home. We want to inspire you to build your own group of explorers and start cracking the place you reside. You don't need us, you just need a couple of solid mates and a bit of overflowing angst or desire. Easy.
Eventually you may want to hit some bigger targets. In regards to group dynamics of a growing crew, here's a lesson we've learned. Urban exploration is often perceived as a relatively solitary activity, something that we accomplish on the back of research, scoping, surveillance and execution in small groups. But in reality, the urban exploration crews that get the most high profile locations done (Holy Grails) are the ones that operate not on an ethic of one-upmanship but as a group – the Cave Clan learned this a long time ago and QX, Dsankt and Sergeant Marshall proved it again when they demolished the Paris Métro a few years back as a loose infiltration collective. And while it's true that the UK "scene" is, as Siologen says "all fucked up and weirdly political", more fragmented than the current US Republican Party, our London crew is one of the tightest knit groups out there right now. Save one.
"Many such subterranean places are said to be found in Minnesota."
– Fredrika Bremer
I woke up in a basement at Shotgun Mario's house surrounded by a massive pile of drippy waders, clutching a glass that was recently full of John and Becca's heavenly homebrew ale on tap in the next room. I scratched my head and a host of sand particles dislodged themselves and sprinkled into my glass, salting my sleeping bag. My eyes hurt. Witek was drooling on a pillow next to me dreaming of train engines and Marc Explo, as usual, was naked in his sleeping bag snoring like a baby. I stumble upstairs and Mario is on the phone, editing maps and listening to heaving dubstep simultaneously. He looks eager and I'm pretty sure, after being here for 24 hours or so, he doesn't sleep at all. We all slowly made our way over to DarlinClem's and her pad was full of even more explorers, including Moses Gates, whom I had wanted to meet for years. It was all happening – we had finally made it to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP). It was a stupendous welcome party at DarlinClem's the night before and now it was time to get busy – the crew had assured us they were going to put us to work before we arrived and Marc wanted to dig.
The reason MSP is our favorite sister crew, and arguably the world's most famous UE collective, is not just because they party in sewers wearing spandex and swigging champagne. Nor is it just because they stage mass boat infiltrations in drains. It also isn't just because they throw awesome illegal parties. It's because they're a huge, solid group of exceptional explorers that have accomplished an unimaginable amount in their city and love it as much as we love London. We have a lesson to learn from MSP where rinsing the city of locations didn't stop them – it simply caused them to start thinking even more critically about what was possible, spinning off iterations of playful urban interaction through a relentless desire for more. They work through doldrums and always re-emerge into a new Golden Age. Just as we are doing now. That, I argue, is no coincidence.
In short, the crew in MSP constantly rework the city through desire – a rather fluid proposition; desire is radically intransitive, not a thing in itself but that which enables us to desire. Both our crews are consumers and producers of that serotonin seepage, in the same way we might manufacture fear to increase adrenaline levels while exploring, in the same way I have helped manufacture the LCC, in the same way we take the bait to be the only one ever to drive a Mail Rail train. Urban exploration, while it may be viewed externally as a transgressive tactic, working to undermine closed systems, is also full of moments of comprehensive engagement with social life, triggering neural flashes where the husk of alienation is shed to reveal fruits of collective activity. The level of organisation, time and effort invested and sheer brilliance of group efforts and accomplishment (the fruit) in MSP is unmatched anywhere else in the world. Their consistent discoveries, especially in the fertile, porous, excavatable subterranean sandstone environment, reveal them to be the global rockstars of our little pastime.
Rewind to a revelation Winch came to last year when he told a herd of us in the Paris Sewers, "there are only two types of barriers we face – the physical, which we have little problem with now, and the social. Social barriers can be overcome too, we just have to hone our skill." The kids in MSP are pros at this. In Chicago, when we set our sights on doing a live infiltration of the Legacy Tower, Shotgun Mario and Tony walked in with our group of 8 and pulled aside security with an errant question while we followed a resident to the lifts and made our way to the roof. Mario and Tony sacrificed their personal enjoyment for the benefit of the group. No one has gotten up there since. In our most successful infiltrations of the London Underground, we often had somebody "on top" to keep an eye our our access point, ferry ropes and distract civilians, both LutEx and Dicky have played that important part on major missions. This is an essential role in any successful infiltration crew.
As Marc Explo suggested to me, place hacking is perfectly complimented by mind-hacking techniques by people such as Derren Brown (cheers to Katie Draper for introducing us to that sociopath). While we have subverted almost every type of physical barrier possible, we have largely failed to attempt to alter people's perceptions of situations (the psychology hack). Which in many cases is easier, such as convincing hotel staff that you have lost your room key and need to get your stuff from the pool rather than sleeping on the roof and abseiling to the pool at 2am. So here was our second lesson learned from MSP – walk the shit and talk it, use all the tools at your disposal.
Time for me to assert my favorite trope! Urban exploration is a place hack. Both virtual hacking and place hacking are elective procedures of participation in otherwise closed objects (proprietary cyberspace or off-limits architecture). In the same way hackers wouldn't use a DDoS attack to achieve every goal, we also have a range of tactics, both distal (visual representations, smoke screening, misinformation campaigns) and proximal (sneaking, social engineering, brute force) at our disposal to hack our way into and rewrite places so that they feed into our manufactured identities (undercutting imposed identities). The explorer, by stratigically applying a fuller range of tactics, multiplies stories of places to create myths, dreams and visions of a present moment of possibility available to those harbouring desires to make them manifest. Once those stories are rewritten, they can then be restacked to add weight, contributing toward the collective breaking point. If we consider hacking as a constant arms race between those with the knowledge and power to erect barriers and those with the equal power, knowledge and especially desire, to disarm them, it is a logical step to begin considering ways beyond sneakiness and brute force to disarm closed architecture. Take for instance the following photos. There is only one way to get them and it had nothing to do with being sneaking past security or brutalising a keycode panel. It was a Trojan horse attack, plain and simple.
Just as the hacker ethic cannot be simplistically reified, categorised or bounded, neither can explorers themselves. While I may point to an overarching impetus behind exploration as I see it, and bound explorers according to primary friendship groups or geographic location for analytical convenience, it is problematic to attempt to define a coordinated explorer ethos; individuals simply follow their desires, do their own edgework. But in a (loosely) coordinated group, individual desires can be channeled into the collective. Exemplar are the infamous Futtslutts Thelma and Towanda of MSP. These two don't explore by anybody's rules. They are, by and far, two of the most accomplished and daring explorers anywhere. Their courage incited Marc Explo and I to charge headlong into a tiny stoop filled with raw, black sewage like molasses, packed with cobwebs and little white subterranean spiders, fending them off with a stick and a bottle of Uncle Andre until the fumes almost took us down for good. It was a hot moment. But also, through their radically impractical assault on that poo den, another tunnel was crossed off the list. Individual desire fed into group accomplishment.
With larger groups also comes increasing specialisation. Where the Futtlslutts may form a frontline assault, Mario is behind the scenes drawing up plans, Tony is in a tie opening places easier than a ninja, Slim Jim is mapping every inch of the process with exacting detail and Clem is the glue holding it all together. It was inspiring watching the team go to work on a problem and it's something we brought back with us from MSP. I think it has helped the LCC gel even more, taking us again back to my initial observations. Urban exploration is a team sport, straight up. If your team sucks, you're not going to nab a Grail. And seriously folks, drop the politics, when you find someone out there in the world operating alone who brings something exceptional to the team, they deserve your respect and should be brought into the fold.
Our process in London of increasingly trying to work social angles, as a group, was partially inspired by what we saw in MSP at the end of our summer of mayhem. Exploration is about doing exceptional things that challenge and provoke us day after day with a community of close friends; it's not just the places or the process of exploration that makes this worth doing – it's the friendships behind it. So in terms of the emails we keep getting, thanks again for those but we'd rather you make move from talking about what could or should be done, pitching possibilities and asking for help pulling your group together and creating those possibilities. We, like the crew in MSP, undertook the research to find out what had been lost to time and then went out and found it in the world – real work that took place with our hands, bodies and minds as a community we built together. As "Gary" once said to me "if you're in, you're in, you can't fake this." And for diving in head first we earned an invite to visit a crew older than us that we respected immensely. So what now? Well friends, a global community reformation is taking place in front of your eyes. So if you're ready to give up faking it and start making it, join us.
Thank you to everyone in MSP who let us stay on your coaches and floors, fed us fine food and ales and for showing us the wonders of your city – it was spectacular! With the 2012 International Drain Meet coming up soon, I look forward to seeing many of you again.
By the way, you were always our favorite, just don't tell the others.
This seems a fine time to mention that the London Consolidation Crew, in collaboration with the MSP Hard Hitters, are going to drop a massive media bomb tomorrow. Keep an eye Silent UK and Place Hacking and wait to feel the shrapnel spray into your retina.


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Back to Previous Page | All News Items
Stars & Stripes
CAMP WALKER | February 11, 2013
As he prepared to perform for more than 100 Daegu High School students, singer-songwriter Wesley Cook admitted that coming home wasn't quite as easy as he had expected.
"I'm surprisingly nervous," he said. "Over the course of a year, I stand in front of thousands of people, but this is a very unique thing."
Gesturing to the notes he had prepared after a combination of nerves and jet lag awoke him at 4:30 a.m., the performer said, "I feel the magnitude of what I have to say." (Read more...)


text:
I accidentally installed TF700 recovery on my TF300 (yes I know, I'm a tool), so as you expect, with it being made for a higher resolution screen, it only shows a small portion of the recovery screen on my TF300, so I can't flash any other recovery images or ROMs as I can't access the slide to flash function on TWRP. To top it off, the fastboot USB logo does not show up, just the RCK, Android and wipe data options.
Any help would be much appreciated.


text:
The radical poetry of 100 years ago was not radical in terms of style. It was conventional in terms of style and this doomed much of it (though not all of it) to being forgotten and rightfully so, but note that the folk songs and protest songs and blues songs of that period were not forgotten and still matter and register with intelligent and artistic peoples. Why? Because they were not written in the language of one's betters, and therefore not some cheap and clumsy knock off of the prevailing aesthetic of the most middle brow literary magazines.
In point of fact, it was the urban decadence of cabaret, parlor music, vaudeville, and fast talking medicine show sharpies, but most of all, of the "othered" in terms of Blacks, Jews, and Irish that reinvigorated the pastiche and cut up sensibility of the high modernists, and this wave of influence has not yet abated.
In that sense, the accidental poetry of the people, that which is not striving to sound "good," but is in love with its own sound productions is still the most pervasive influence on every form of poetry with the possible exception of surrealism, and one could make a very good argument that French surrealism, its particular zeitgeist, was made possible and viable by cabaret and circus performers, and then silent film performers (harlequin to Laurel and Hardy) who performed the surreal in their acts and on film.
Freud and Jung were after thoughts to give the surreal acceptable "forefathers." A poem is first and foremost an organization and shaping of words that allows consciousness to escape its own worst grooves–both for good or ill (since some grooves are actually beneficial) or which makes those grooves refined to the point where they are strong and supple, and energy enhancing–the organized energy of life itself–what Blake meant when he privileged the imagination over nature and said that exuberance is beauty–the current of how one moves through one's very being.
For all my ranting, and cynicism, and anger at my age, I have never not wanted to be alive–and to enter this current of being alive is my language. So for me: not perfection, but the force that moves through nature–not the mirroring of nature, but the homage to its storms and vital ugliness/beauty through words–the way mirrors would break if left in the wilderness–but the wind in their breakage, the weather of time and water in their distortions: I still want to write a poem that gives me the pleasures of walking on the shore of the sea in the fall when all the tourists have gone home, and the air is cool but not unbearable, and I am with my Emily and my daughter Clare (I have read poems by Vallejo that did that for me).
I want the word "my" to be as selfish and as unapologetic as an animal–my, my sun, my jacket rifled by the wind, my wife and daughter with me–my tribe, and on the 100th reading, the thousandth reading, salt in my spit and, if I am alone, fiercely alone with a whole congregation of stars.
I want to write a poem that takes on not the semblance of life, but its full and necessary ferocity, and on the last reading, is worn, eroded, impacted by the years, but far from being worn out–anciently sudden, and suddenly ancient: I want that broken music.
This is a political desire–if by political we mean to procure the necessary justice, and peace and compassion for such a life and aesthetic to exist. I want all of human life to be able to rest long enough to swallow its own spit and stare up at the stars, and hear the promise of some covenant–anything other than the drowning out of the soul by this twaddle we call the contemporary world. This is the extension of my own right to be fiercely and troublingly alive to every man, woman, and child.
I don't want to save anyone: I want them to live. There is a big difference between wanting to save someone and wanting them to live. Those who save, kill all but what they will to be saved. Fuck that: I want everyone to live, and that is truly radical–to want even the mosquito on that beach, and the black fly, and the stranger's dog who comes up and sticks its nasty wet snout in my equally nasty crotch and slobbers on me to be alive, and for me to be alive as I get royally pissed off–but in the full brio of being this animal who prays. I don't want perfect conditions. I don't want constructs. My poems will provide the leash on which the fierce love and sprawl of my life is lead. I want to be walked well by the tongue of speech–until I am dead.


text:
Benjamin LaBelle, 30, faces extradition
NH Man charged with sexually assaulting 4-year-old
Benjamin LaBelle, 30, faces extradition
Vermont police have arrested a New Hampshire man they say sexually assaulted a four-year-old after giving her drugs and alcohol.
Police said 30-year-old Benjamin LaBelle of Lyme was taken into custody last week in Enfield, where he was working.
LaBelle is being held on $75,000 bond pending extradition to Vermont, where police say the crimes occurred.
LaBelle is charged with aggravated sexual assault and giving drugs and alcohol to a minor.
It is not known whether LaBelle has an attorney. He will be prosecuted in Windsor County Superior Court in Vermont.


text: "The siblings' problems meeting their basic needs ring true, and their relationships with one another add depth to the story. There's much here to appeal to both Maguire's younger and older fans, and the immediacy of the story and combination of fantasy and reality will grip even reluctant readers."School Library Journal


text:
Because Mili's heart defect was diagnosed during pregnancy, the team at Children's was able to prepare a plan of care for Mili's family. Andrea Jedwab and Adrian Breitfeld are the proud parents of a lively baby girl who fills their life with joy. But little Mili Breitfeld, who joined her then- 20-month-old brother Liam in May 2012, is very lucky her mom believed in getting good prenatal care.
Andrea and Adrian were preparing to move to the Bay Area from Los Angeles when her obstetrician's office called to say there was something unusual about the prenatal ultrasound they had performed early in Andrea's pregnancy. "They wanted me to come in for another ultrasound in L.A., but we were moving to Emeryville that following weekend," she recalls. "So as soon as we could, we found a local obstetrician at Alta Bates, who ordered the follow-up ultrasound."
Her new doctor also saw something that "wasn't right." He referred Andrea to the Pediatric Cardiology Division at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, where they performed a fetal echocardiogram when she was 18 weeks pregnant.
"A fetal echocardiogram is a type of ultrasound that provides a moving picture of the developing baby's heart," says Children's Chief of Pediatric Cardiology Howard Rosenfeld, MD, an expert in fetal echocardiography. "In this case, the 'echo' showed a serious defect called 'transposition of the great arteries,' in which the two large blood vessels that carry the blood out of the pumping chambers of the heart—the pulmonary artery and the aorta—were 'transposed,' or switched, during the development of the heart."
Children's cardiologists and cardiac surgeons are an integral part of the Fetal Medicine Center at Children's. This center cares for the fetus before birth and provides rapid diagnosis and management of fetal abnormalities by a team of pediatric specialists. Because Mili's heart defect was diagnosed during pregnancy, the team at Children's was able to prepare a plan of care for Mili's family.
Children's Fetal Medicine Center has had an association with Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley and John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek for many years. The program is expanding. "Our goal is to provide a fetal medicine program that responds to the needs of families, obstetricians, and perinatologists throughout the East and North Bay," says Dr. Rosenfeld. "By working closely with families and care providers in complex pregnancies, we can safeguard fetal health while honoring parents' desires to deliver their babies close to home. We also can provide families and their physicians with appropriate information so they can prepare themselves for what to expect."
Andrea and Adrian were frightened by the diagnosis of their baby's heart defect, as any parent would be, but they did appreciate the time they had to prepare.
Andrea agrees: "It was definitely scary to get the diagnosis and learn something was wrong with our baby's heart. Then we had our first follow-up appointment with Dr. Rosenfeld, who explained everything very carefully and clearly. I was grateful to learn about the defect early in my pregnancy so I could be prepared for what would happen. The people at Children's and my obstetrician at Alta Bates were prepared and knew what to do, too. That wouldn't have happened if we hadn't known about the heart defect ahead of time."
The Children's medical team was notified as soon as Andrea went into labor, and baby Mili was transported from Alta Bates to Children's within hours of her birth. Adrian and his brother went to Children's to be with Mili while Andrea recovered overnight at Alta Bates.
Mili's father noticed the difference right away. "The attention and care Mili received from the doctors at Children's was evident from the get-go," Adrian says. "Dr. Patel's optimism helped me relax. I was concerned because when she went in to the catheterization lab, she was blue. When she came out about an hour later, she was pink!"
That first night, Mili needed some assistance with her breathing, and for the following two nights, the staff at Children's kept a close watch to make sure she was ready for corrective surgery three days after her birth.
"Basically, we take the aorta and the pulmonary artery off the places where they connect to the heart and move them to the proper position," says Dr. Reinhartz. "We also have to switch the smaller coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle itself. This is technically the trickiest part of the surgery because the coronary arteries are much smaller blood vessels that require microsurgical techniques that were not available until about 20 years ago."
After surgery, Mili's blood-oxygen level went up to 100 percent right away. She spent only 12 days in the hospital after surgery, and Dr. Reinhartz notes it is very unlikely she will need another surgery. "It's a great advantage to have a prenatal diagnosis for conditions like Mili's, and to schedule the birth near the hospital where surgery can be performed," he adds. "This type of surgery could not be performed in a hospital without pediatric cardiac surgery specialists. Having a prenatal diagnosis can make a big difference in the baby's chances of survival."
During the five-hour surgery, Mili's mom and dad paced the floor, but they note that they received great care, too. "Everyone was so attentive and caring," Andrea explains. "They gave us a pager, and people came out every hour or so to give us updates. We were very happy with all the care we received at Children's, and we have absolute confidence in the doctors. We were in good hands, and it was wonderful to be at a hospital close to home."
Mili's family recently moved again, this time to a larger home in Pleasant Hill, where they will still be close to the expert care they found at Children's in Oakland. Mili's cardiologist, Dr. Rosenfeld, who will continue to follow her case until she reaches age 21, expects her to lead a completely normal life.
"We've been blessed that Mili's surgery was successful and that she recovered so quickly," says father Adrian. "It's wonderful to be able to boast that Mili is a beautiful, healthy baby."
There are numerous conditions for which fetal MRI imaging may be indicated, according to Children's Director of Neonatology Art D'Harlingue, MD. Dr. D'Harlingue heads Children's Fetal Medicine Program which provides rapid diagnosis of abnormalities and cares for the fetus before birth and management of abnormalities after birth by a team of pediatric specialists.
"An obstetrician or perinatologist may detect a potential birth defect with ultrasound, but there may not be enough detail to differentiate between conditions that may look alike on a sonogram," says Dr. D'Harlingue.
"Current data show that the magnetic field and the radio waves used in fetal MRIs are safe for the mother and the unborn baby," says Pinar Karakas, MD, a board-certified pediatric radiologist at Children's Hospital who has substantial experience in analyzing fetal MRIs. "Fetal MRIs have been used for more than 15 years without a reported negative effect on the imaged fetuses. Pregnant patients can be accepted to undergo MRI scans at any stage of pregnancy but are preferably performed in the second trimester after 20 weeks of gestation."
Erin Corbett, RN, PNP
Fetal Medicine Coordinator
Phone: 510-428-3156
Email: email@example.com


text:
DailyTech reported
earlier this morning that Microsoft
is in a bit of a pickle with regards to end-of-sale date for Windows XP and
the rise
of low-cost sub-notebooks. Microsoft needs an operating system to combat
the various iterations of Linux that come pre-installed on these machines and
Windows Vista won't suffice given current hardware requirements.
Sources close to Microsoft are now stating that the company
is expected to extend the
availability of Windows XP specifically for low-cost notebooks (i.e., Eee
PC, CloudBook, etc.). Although Microsoft declined to comment on the report, the
sources said that the announcement could come as early as this week during the
Intel Developer Forum (IDF) which is taking place in Shanghai.
An announcement at IDF would make perfect sense as the show
is a showcase for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and notebooks using Intel's
new Atom processors. Intel's Atom processors are targeted at MIDs,
sub-notebooks and even low-end desktop machines.
Already on display at IDF are a number of Atom-based
sub-notebooks from a little-known company, Thinno. Thinno displayed two
notebooks -- one of which appears to have a 7" screen, while the other
looks like an 8.9" unit -- at the show. The former was running Windows XP
while the latter is said to be running Red Hat Linux.
Both machines were equipped with 1.6GHz Intel Atom
processors and 512MB of memory. Another, nameless Atom-based machine was also
captured by Register Hardware running
Windows XP.
If an XP announcement is indeed coming later this week, it
appears that Microsoft will dodge a bullet when it comes to the exploding
low-end, sub-notebook market.


text:
Andrew E. Gelman; Jennifer Hill; Masanao Yajima
- Title:
- Why we (usually) don't have to worry about multiple comparisons
- Author(s):
- Gelman, Andrew E.
Hill, Jennifer
Yajima, Masanao
- Date:
- 2009
- Type:
- Articles
- Department(s):
- Statistics
- Persistent URL:
- https://doi.org/10.7916/D84X5FHK
- Abstract:
- Applied researchers often find themselves making statistical inferences in settings that would seem to require multiple comparisons adjustments. We challenge the Type I error paradigm that underlies these corrections. Moreover we posit that the problem of multiple comparisons can disappear entirely when viewed from a hierarchical Bayesian perspective. We propose building multilevel models in the settings where multiple comparisons arise. Multilevel models perform partial pooling (shifting estimates toward each other), whereas classical procedures typically keep the centers of intervals stationary, adjusting for multiple comparisons by making the intervals wider (or, equivalently, adjusting the p-values corresponding to intervals of fixed width). Thus, multilevel models address the multiple comparisons problem and also yield more efficient estimates, especially in settings with low group-level variation, which is where multiple comparisons are a particular concern.
- Subject(s):
- Statistics
Bayesian statistical decision theory
Multilevel models (Statistics)
Statistical hypothesis testing
- Item views
- 229
- Metadata:
- text | xml
- Suggested Citation:
- Andrew E. Gelman, Jennifer Hill, Masanao Yajima, 2009, Why we (usually) don't have to worry about multiple comparisons, Columbia University Academic Commons, https://doi.org/10.7916/D84X5FHK.


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Good old Alex Kovalev, the man who could dazzle us for one game and stink for the next five, is back in Montreal tonight wearing a Florida Panthers uniform. Kovalev, who was with Atlant Moscow Oblast of the KHL for the 2011-12 season, returned to North America and just after the lockout ended, signed with the Panthers.
I remember that night against Boston when he had his hand slashed by a Bruin, gave up on the play because it hurt a little, ran into Sheldon Souray as he was feeling so badly, and when all this was going on, a Bruin player took the puck, waltzed in, and scored the winner in overtime. I was embarrassed by Kovy's antics that night.
In fact, for as long as he was a Montreal Canadien, which became five years ending in 2008-09, often he could embarrass with his fakery. He could also play like he didn't care, and then sometimes, out of the blue, he'd be sensational, the best guy on the ice, a magician with the puck, and we'd cheer like crazy. But we never knew which Kovalev would show up, and for me personally, it was good when he finally hung up his Habs sweater.
Here's the hand slash episode, and other moments in Kovalev's career when he was less-than-stellar.


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Commentari is a Disqus like commenting written in Java/Spring. It uses JavaScript/Ajax to fetch, add, and page through comments. Progressive enhancement is used. The demo interface uses Zurb Foundation, and adapts to tablets, mobile devices, etc. using HTML media calls. Comments are stored in a disk backed treap store, a fast binary tree.
Diladele Web Safety is an ICAP server that integrates with an existing Squid proxy server and provides rich content and Web filtering functionality to sanitize Internet traffic passing into an internal home/enterprise network. It blocks pornography and explicit (adult) content by deep inspecting HTML content and URLs, blocks file downloads, performs filtering based on groups, controls Web usage by categories, removes annoying Web ads, and protects online privacy by disallowing access to Web trackers. It runs on any FreeBSD derived platform, RedHat, CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu Linux, Raspberry PI, and Apple OS X, providing a comprehensive Web filtering solution easily manageable via a Web UI.
Nfsight is a Netflow processing and visualization application designed to offer a comprehensive network awareness solution. Developed as a Nfsen plugin, it constructs bidirectional flows from unidirectional flows and leverages these bidirectional flows to provide client/server identification.
A mature implementation of a SIP server/proxy.
An image SEO rating tool.


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I Ghiri
I Ghiri is a lovely 3 floor family house.
Two floors are used by the family, the last floor is dedicated to our guests.
It's a beautiful house made with old stones with a stunning view in the middle of a green area but just a few minutes from the historical centre of Bergamo.
We have 3 bedrooms with 2 shared bathrooms, it's possible to have a private bathroom outside the bedroom
One of the bedrooms has a double bed and a single bed, with the opportunity of a spare camp bed. This room has a balcony.
The other two bedrooms have a twin bed each, a desk with its chair and a wardrobe. One of them has the balcony too.
The kitchen is large and cosy, with a full breakfast, with fresh bread and croissant every morning, fruit, ham, cheese, cereals, toast, tea, coffee and so on.
Payment: Cash only, on arrival.
Check-in: 2pm to midnight.
Check-out: before 10am.
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
B&B Facilities & Policies
- Airport Transfers
- Free Breakfast
- Cots available
- Credit Cards Not Accepted
- Free Internet Access
- Free WiFi
- Hair Dryers
- Laundry Facilities
- Parking
- Tea & Coffee Making Facilities
- Towels Included
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 1 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
If you arrive by plane, just outside the airport there is a bus coming straight to Citt Alta. It's number 1a,easily recognisable by the airport sign on the front of it. At the very last stop, go toward Via Colle Aperto, walk 10 minutes and you will find the place on your left hand side.
From the bus/coach and train stations get bus number 1a and follow the indications above.
There is the opportunity to have a ride from the airport or from the bus/train station for 15.


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Web Link
Web Link
Where have all of these awful OTS staff that did not perform actual oversight or financial management governance of the industry go? Are they still somewhere in the government? I hope not!!!
Original post made by JL, Del Prado, on Dec 14, 2011
JL....OTS did not "cause" the failures. Our politicians did. Washington is looking for a fall guy of sorts and OTS was it.
Actually, according to the Washington Post article cited above, the employees and management of the OTS who failed to regulate the industry are those who failed. Where is their any mention of politicians?
Politicians may have had a hand in the S&Ls failures with their meddling via the Keating Five scandal from over 20 years ago, but this time, with this magnitude of failures and the resulting economic effects, the fault lies only with OTS's incompetent employees who failed to do their duty as regulators, but instead decided to become buddy buddy with the S&Ls they were charged to regulate.
JL, I read the article. I am not saying the OTC is not culpable. I am saying they did not cause the meltdown. The financial mess we live in and suffered threw in 2008 began back in the Clinton era. The repeal of Glass Steagall put the ball into play. There have been many greedy elements to this mess, everyone of them backed by a politician.
Have you read "Street Fighters"? I think you would find it interesting. Do you know anyone in the brokerage industry? Talk to them, get their take.
The repeal of the Glass-Stegall Act and the passage of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 did help create the large institutions that led to the housing market collapse and financial crisis, but in fact the fundamentally flawed Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS...not the OTC as you refer to it) failed to regulate the industry at all. In the 1980s, much earlier than that, when OTS was initially called the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, it failed to regulate it as well. And this was way before the repeal of the Glass-Stegall Act.
Maybe it is because their hiring practices (OTS) did not screen out incompetent regulators or maybe it is because their culture did not foster saying 'No' to any wild speculative investment strategy that a savings and loan wished to pursue, including sub-prime mortgages.
Needless to say, regardless of its root cause, having no checks and balances and having a bunch of incompetent OTS 'Yes' people that rubber stamped everything caused this country's latest financial meltdown.
Obviously, "OTC" was a typo. I used the correct acronym in my first reply to you. I think we can agree that regardless of the root causes, as you stated, the lack of check and balances caused the mess we are in. Could it be JL, that we play for the same team, just different positions? May I ask what your profession is?
Team? Not into sports. Profession? Many. Are you going to ask me what my 'sign' is too? Geesh. Aquarius.
You are all about the word game, aren't you? That invalidates your authenticity in my opinion.
I don't know what you are talking about, inquiring message board user, but anyway....back to the original question.
Most of the savings and loans are shut down so none of those OTS staffers could escape there - so back to my original thread question - the agency has been shut down so where are all the ex-employees (hopefully not still employed doing any regulatory function). So the original question was and is:
"Where have all of these awful OTS staff that did not perform actual oversight or financial management governance of the industry go? Are they still somewhere in the government? I hope not!!!"
As a former community banker who was regulated by OTS I can say that OTS was a major cause of the meltdown. The management and staff at OTS were concerned with doing whatever it took to keep their jobs including advocating risky lending and turning a blind eye to the practices of its regulated institutions. Unfortunately many of the ex OTS employees are employed by the OCC, the others are collecting fat government pensions and benefits while millions of working families suffer because of the OTS employees concern with thmeselves.
Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?


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Seminole Farmers Market
Seminole, OK 74868
Gather at First United Methodist Church in Seminole to pick up prime produce grown locally. With deep purple eggplants...Learn More
Gather at First United Methodist Church in Seminole to pick up prime produce grown locally. With deep purple eggplants...Learn More
Keep it local with a sip of wine crafted in Seminole Nation. At Seminole Nation Vineyard & Winery, take your group...Learn More
The LDS Family History Center in Seminole provides visitors access to genealogy records stored in the main Family...Learn More
Explore wooded hills and rocky outcroppings on the Sportsman Lake Trail System. Located east of Seminole, this...Learn More
Sportsman Lake in Seminole is a beautiful 354 acre lake with 15 miles of shoreline. The lake's facilities include 69...Learn More
Anyone with a child knows the importance of hands-on activities in order for children to learn. The Jasmine Moran...Learn More
The original Jimmie Austin Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course located in the heart of Seminole. It is virtually...Learn More
The Oklahoma Oil Museum in Seminole features oil field equipment from the 1920's and 1930's, including large...Learn More
Conveniently located off I-40 in Seminole, the Seminole Nation Casino offers all your favorite electronic games as well...Learn More


text:
In this thread, which was unfortunately closed, brewbuck states:
What's the difference between a segment and a page? And what kind of access controls do we have? Read/write? Anything else? How is memory protected?Speaking of page tables and memory protection, some processors (e.g. x86) also have a memory protection mechanism called "segmentation" which uses segments instead of pages for access control. This shouldn't be confused with the kind of "segments" we are talking about here, although the two things are not entirely unrelated.
Thanks, guys.


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Facebook Timeline Apps
The Pros and Cons of Facebook Timeline Apps (and Which Ones You Need Now)
Facebook is an ever-evolving thing. One minute you love it, the next minute it goes and changes something and you're back to learning how to use it all over again. Such is life, I suppose. This time, Facebook has added even more ways for you to share what you're doing and when with Timeline apps. Timeline apps connect with some of your favorite websites and mobile apps to share your activities.
As we've learned to expect from Facebook, all changes come with some pros and cons. Pro: Facebook believes that in this time of openness and sharing, you can discover more awesome things by seeing what your friends are reading, eating, drinking, watching, and doing. Apps help make this a reality. The con? You already have friends that overshare about their bodily functions, babies, and daily to-do lists — do you really need to know the route they took on their 4.6-mile run today, or which vacation spots they've been to? It could be overkill. Thankfully, you have options. The new Activity Log on your timeline allows you to see all of the apps you've installed on your Facebook page, and select whether or not to show them in your timeline. If you choose not to show any apps in your Timeline, they'll still show up in the Ticker (on the top right of your news feed page), but you won't be mucking up your friends' pages with stuff they may not care about.
So now that you know what happens when you install apps into your Timeline, which apps could be beneficial to you (and your friends') lives? I'll tell you about a few in the slideshow.


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- 2700K (Warm White)
- Model: LED13PAR30LN/DIM/827/FL40 (78432)
- For Indoor/Outdoor Use (see spec sheet for details)
- 50W Equivalent
- Light Output: 790 Lumens
- Beam Angle: 40 Degrees
- Base Type: Edison Base
- Dimmable
- Life: 25,000 Hours
- Diameter: 3.78"
- Length: 4.56"
- Input Power: 13 Watts
- Input Voltage: 120V
- Warranty: 3 Years
- UL Listed
- ENERGY STAR Qualified
Additional Info
Application flexibility thats what you get with OSRAM SYLVANIAPAR30 LED Retrofit lamps. With a high CRI for greater color definitionand a choice of soft white (2700K) or white (3000K) CCT, the lamps canbe used in many applications from home to hospitality to art galleriesand museums. Our 10W PAR30 lamps, with beam angles at 10, 15,and 25, provide the ultimate flexibility. With these lamps you are ableto mix and match optics and drivers to find a unique solution for anyapplication. All lamps are RoHS compliant, contain no mercury, lead orother hazardous materials and emit no UV or IR radiation. Along withbeing environmentally friendly, these lamps are available in 10W PAR30and 15W and 18W PAR30LN, saving considerable energy compared tohalogen lamps with similar light output.


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BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's boys' varsity baseball team dropped a pair of games this week against Bayside South rivals Parkside and Bennett to fall back to .500 on the young season.
The Seahawks started the season with a 3-1 record after wins over Pocomoke, Washington and Snow Hill last Thursday, their only loss coming to Crisfield in the second game of the year. However, Decatur lost two straight this week to Parkside on Monday and Bennett on Tuesday to drop back to 3-3 on the year.
On Monday, the Seahawks fell 12-5 to Parkside on the road. Back at home on Tuesday, Decatur ran into a buzz saw on the mound and got little going offensively against the Clippers in a 7-0 loss. Decatur's best scoring opportunity came in the fourth when Chase Coursey and Justin Meekins led off with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with no outs.
The runners were stranded, however, and the Clippers went on to cruise past the Seahawks, 7-0. Decatur will attempted to get back in the win column yesterday in at Wicomico in a game played too late to be included in this edition. The Seahawks will face Mardela at home on Saturday.


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Welch: Towns frustrated by FEMA process
BRATTLEBORO -- More than 13 months after Tropical Storm Irene swept through Vermont, some towns still are struggling with the federal government's complex -- some say flawed -- disaster-aid program.
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has been hearing from those towns, and he believes the Federal Emergency Management Agency can improve its handling of a sometimes drawn-out reimbursement process that can leave local officials fed up and bewildered.
"There's a lot of frustration with specific applications from towns," Welch said Friday in an interview at the Reformer.
Welch, a Democrat seeking his fourth term as Vermont's lone representative in the House, noted that many Selectboards had to immediately undertake repair work after Irene's flooding devastated the area on Aug. 28, 2011.
"A lot of towns had to make quick decisions to protect the infrastructure. They had to act immediately," Welch said.
But now that those town officials are seeking reimbursement of eligible expenses from the federal government, some are "just getting a lot of hassle, a lot of bureaucratic runaround from FEMA," Welch said.
He outlined one scenario: Towns are receiving very different answers from different FEMA representatives, leaving local officials unsure of how to proceed and how much money they'll receive.
"What they've found is, they're working with an administrator, they reach agreements, suddenly that administrator is transferred, the new administrator comes in, tears up the old paperwork, starts all over," Welch said. "What they thought was one project becomes four or five projects. What was a 'yes' now becomes a 'no.' What was a 'maybe' becomes a 'no.'"
Newfane officials recently have found themselves in a similar predicament. They've repeatedly received contradictory deadlines from FEMA as they seek approval of alternative uses for up to $455,220 in federal bridge replacement money.
Welch said he and Vermont's U.S. senators, Democrat Patrick Leahy and Independent Bernie Sanders, have been "doing all we can to intervene" in such situations.
"But it's not going fast enough," Welch said. "Our towns and our citizens should be entitled to an answer in a timely way. It may not always be the answer we want, but it should be delivered in real time."
The process, he said, has shown that there is a "flaw in the system" that must be addressed by FEMA, Welch said.
"There are lots of managerial issues," he said. "It certainly raises that."
Welch said he also has sought to make it easier for small business owners to receive storm-related aid.
"The application process treated them like Fortune 500 companies with the information that they were required to present," he said. "So I've talked to the Small Business Administration about that to see whether Vermont can get in a pilot program that would simplify things."
Welch, who is facing Republican Mark Donka and three others in the November general election, addressed a variety of other issues during a stop in Brattleboro:
* With a gallon of regular unleaded hovering just below $4 in the Brattleboro area, Welch said high gas prices are a major constituent concern.
Welch believes the federal government must work to rein in market speculation that, he says, can account for 20 percent of the cost of the barrel of oil.
"It takes governmental action to stand up for the consumer, for the farmer, for the family," he said. "And the battle in Congress is about whether we're going to allow government to work on behalf of average people or basically put the fix in for folks who are doing really well already."
* Welch warned that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act -- known to Obama administration opponents as "ObamaCare" -- could cripple Vermont's efforts to move toward a centralized, single-payer health-care system later this decade.
The Affordable Care Act "is critical to Vermont's efforts to do a single-payer (system), because this would bring funding in to achieve that goal that we as taxpayers in Vermont . . . wouldn't be able to afford on our own," Welch said.
He was critical of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's pledges to work to repeal the act if he is elected.
"It's really pretty outrageous what Romney's doing because, No. 1, he's trashing a program that was modeled very significantly on what he did in Massachusetts," Welch said. "And why is he running away from that? And No. 2, he has no alternative - he just wants to repeal."
* Defense spending cuts must be a big part of any plan to reduce the federal budget deficit, Welch said. He advocates a thorough review of Pentagon spending and strategy.
"Start with, what's our core mission? What do we need to do? Do we need as many troops as we have in Europe?" Welch said. "The Homeland Security expenditures that we're making, with these fusion centers where it's being now documented that they're wasting money and not getting us intelligence that's actionable or helping make us more secure."
He added that expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan "have made us less secure, not more."
"These are all raising fundamental questions about, what's our strategic approach to national security?" he said.
Mike Faher can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 275.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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This interdisciplinary database offers abstracts and citations to research in biomedicine, biotechnology, zoology and ecology, and aspects of agriculture and veterinary science. Biological Sciences is a collection of over 25 databases including Ecology Abstracts, Neurosciences Abstracts, Plant Science, and TOXLINE.
Resource URL: http://search.proquest.com/biologicalsciences?accountid=7286
Vendor: ProQuest
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text: For the road quality in the rainy season, I'll tell in a few weeks, it's going to start to rain here soon. As for my purpose here in Haiti, I oversee/supervise road works. it's a government grant from ACDI and BID. The works started before the quake, so we have nothing to do with disaster work. It's funny because 95% of Americans I encounter here are missionary! I don't mingle with them too much, they never stay too long anyways! As for the situation here, I try really hard to show another side of Haiti, it would be too easy to take pictures of all the stuff that is wrong with Haiti, but i'll leave that to FOX news and co.


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Facebook Slowly Scrubs Off the Stink
Jun 21, 2012 10:35 AM PT
Facebook shares are rallying after their post-IPO slump, climbing 22 percent over the past two weeks.
Besides a slight downturn on Wednesday, the stock has slowly climbed closer to its initial value of US$38 on May 17. After its botched opening, the stock had fallen by as much as 32 percent to $25.52.
As of mid-day Thursday, shares were still trading about 17 percent lower than their debut value, but some of investors' initial distaste for the stock seemed to have disappeared.
Last month's Facebook IPO, already in the spotlight due to optimists' lofty expectations, drew even more attention after a fumbled opening. The social network, the Nasdaq and the lead underwriter, Morgan Stanley, faced harsh criticism as prices quickly sank soon after shares went on sale.
Going into Thursday afternoon, the stock was trading around $31.90.
Facebook didn't respond to our request for comment.
Initial Doubts
Facebook's debut on the public market was long anticipated, but as its big day drew closer and Facebook released more of its financial information, investors voiced concerns about the site. Facebook disclosed that even though the site had 900 million active users, growth had slowed slightly in the months leading up to the IPO.
Some investors also worried that Facebook was overvalued and would have trouble sustaining growth, especially in the mobile space.
"It's hard to say exactly why Facebook's stock dropped after the IPO," said Internet marketing expert Brian Carter. "One of the biggest concerns was that there was so much mobile and smartphone use of Facebook, yet Facebook had not monetized all that mobile traffic."
Give Them Something to Talk About
In response to investor concerns, Facebook has been making moves to help sustain growth, said Laura Martin, analyst at Needham & Company.
"We think they're only going to go up from here," she told the E-Commerce Times.
The company announced earlier in the week that it will revamp its in-app purchasing system, potentially helping drive revenue from third-party app developers such as Zynga.
The social network is also working to stay attractive to advertisers. It introduced a bidding platform that could help better target ads, and some investors might have been swayed by a recent ComScore report that found targeted marking on the site can be effective.
"They've released mobile and mobile-only ads, and the news about them is very positive," said Carter. "Some reports say that mobile ads [are] more more effective than desktop ads. So for those people who doubted Facebook's future in mobile monetization, it appears right now that problem has been fixed."
With its global network of 900 million users, Facebook certainly has the infrastructure in place to set up a worldwide market, said Martin, and it's being active in doing so.
"They have the platform built, and now the stuff they're working on is revenue," she said. "So far their only revenue is in advertising, but they have multiple opportunities going forward. They have a lot of options in the e-commerce business, and they're moving forward with those."


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Here is a video ad from President Barack Obama's Inaugural Committee encouraging people to take part in Obama's Inauguration to a 2nd Term as President. The official inauguration will take place on January 21, 2013, because January 20 falls on a Sunday this year. Obama will take the oath on the 20th as proscribed by the U.S. Constitution, and will do so again at the public ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on January 21.
It's interesting that this ad features Obama speaking at his first Inauguration in 2009, calling for a "new era of responsibility!" In his first term as President, Barack Obama has added $5.8 Trillion of debt to the National Debt, and just pushed through a "Fiscal Cliff" Deal that will add another $4 Trillion over the next 10 years! I'm sure that's just for starters. We have much to look forward to as Obama continues this "new era of responsibility."


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Im wondering if its possible to do what I want to do all in one query - Im guessing it is because i dont think its that complicated but its too complicated for me to figure out anytime soon.
I've got two tables, equipment and services:Each equipment may have several services, and these services might be past services or upcoming services. There is a column in the services table upcoming which if set to 1 tells you that it is an upcoming service and if 0 a past service.
I want to select all from equipment, and along with each row select the date of last service and the date of the next upcoming service.
table `equipment`
`equipmentid`, `name`, `otherdetails`
table `services`
`serviceid`, `equipmentid`, `date`, `service_description`,`upcoming`
Bear in mind though that a certain equipment may not have any past services or it may not have any upcoming services.
SELECT equipmentid
, name
, otherdetails
, ( SELECT MIN(date)
FROM services
WHERE equipmentid = equipment.equipmentid
AND upcoming = 1 ) AS next_service_date
, ( SELECT MAX(date)
FROM services
WHERE equipmentid = equipment.equipmentid
AND upcoming = 0 ) AS prev_service_date
FROM equipment
Thanks so much, works perfectly!!
Randy, I have a question after seeing your response. I've read that inner selects are more intensive than normal queries. I also see from your posts that it isn't something you usually do. When do you decide when and when you should not use them?
randy? no, i'm not, not at the moment...
ok, i gotta go lie down from laughing so hard...
LOL, meant to say Rudy, not even sure why I said Randy, my apologies.
scuze me, i just want to clarify, i was not laughing at you, but at my joke about being randy
inner selects are more intensive? actually, no they aren't
are you talking about the "comma style" join like SELECT ... FROM x , y WHERE ...
Maybe nested selects are the better phrase...maybe, lol. Is there a general rule of when and when they shouldn't be used?
ah, you mean subqueries
they can be efficient, and also not
first thing would be to understand the difference between correlated and non-correlated subqueries
as a general rule, correlated subqueries can be stinkers
Okay, I'll look into those two types, thank you...Rudy!