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Live-blogging Philadelphia's 2010 Census hearing…Monday, May 11th, 2009
12:57 – 25 people at this meeting…poor turnout…90% work for the Census Bureau…Sen. Carper not here…will it start on time?
1:04 – Sen. Carper doing introductions…he shook my hand and introduced himself earlier.
1:05 – Sen. Carper discussing stats about 1.4 million Americans working for Census Bureau (largest peacetime hiring effort)
1:06 – 6 million people missed in 2000 count. 1.3 million people counted twice.
1:07 – Hispanics miscounted 4 times as often as whites in 2000 says Carper
1:08 – Mayor Nutter going to speak…he's in a rush and has to leave in 10 min.
1:10 – Michael Nutter says Philly will lose $2,300 per person not counted in 2010 Census
1:12 – Challenges for Philly: Locating households, encouraging people to return their forms…accurate address listings from US Postal service very important.
1:13 – Nutter: Master list doesn't have 56,000 addresses that Philly City Gvnt reviewed and updated for Postal Service
1:15 – Nutter: Afro-Americans disproportionately represented in economically disadvantaged and Latinos in linguistically challenged areas
1:15 – Linguistic issues must be addressed by Census Bureau. INS and deportation issues must be addressed.
1:16 – improve response rate: 1. issue exec order 2. city-wide campaign 3. establish multicultural network
1:17 – Only through raising public consciousness that we can make this work – Nutter says his office will help out.
1:17 – Nutter leaves, Sen. Carper thanks Nutter
1:18- 3 minute video will be shown now…forgot my popcorn
1:19 – This is the same propaganda video stuff that's available on YouTube on the Census Bureau's channel…but informative!
1:21 – Still awake, still here…they're playing sentimental "a photograph, a portrait of hopes and dreams" theme song…is Sen. Carper shedding a tear?
1:23 – De. Congressman Castle talking…discussing differences between allocating $ based on population rather than earmarks and pork legislation etc.
1:26 – Boring Del. Congressman Castle talking about why people don't respond…this is called preaching to the choir, everyone here works for the Census Bureau
1:30 – Now Mayor Baker of Wilmington is speaking…making jokes, got no laughs
1:33 – 50% of Wilmington residents live in rented homes…this=bigger problems for counting.
1:34 – Mayor Baker thinks door to door messaging is important…like political campaigns.
1:36 – They make Joe Biden jokes about talking off the cuff…
1:37 – Baker says, "Who cares what Rush Limbaugh and FoxNews think" now that they're in the minority…
1:38 – Baker makes more jokes and finishes his statement. Back to Sen. Carper…
1:39 – Philadelphia Managing Director Camille Cates Barnett is speaking…really sad story about her: http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/1430697.php?
1:40 – Barnett: Census data helps draw City Council districts…she cites 2007 Brookings study – $377 billion allocated based on 2010 Census
1:41 – Barnett: For every person we miss counting, $2,263 in funding lost…
1:44 – Barnett whips out 1 page strategic plan for Philly census…
1:45 – Add 75,000 residents in the next 5-10 years=Goal for City of Philly
1:46 – Since 2000 Philly has added 22,000 converted housing units…56,000 additional addressees have been handed over to Census Bureau from Philly.
1:48 – Economic downturn=people get displaced…complicates counting process.
1:49 – Only 23% of AfroAmerican Philadelphians have high school diplomas and 13% have college degrees.
1:52- Barnett repeats every single thing Mayor Nutter already said…eyelids shutting…
1:53 – Barnett finished with positive message…back to Sen. Tom Carper
1:55 – Carper asks Barnett what she learned from 1990 and 2000 Census.
1:56 – Barnett says major issue in previous Census operations=accurately ensuring population growth is properly recorded
1:59 – Congressman Castle talking about working with clergy…he references US Marshalls getting ministers to have criminals confess.
2:01 – Castle asks if clergy can be of help to get people out…Barnett talks about faith-based groups for outreach.
2:03 – Congressman Castle asks how landlords can help w/ Census. He admits he doesn't know the legality of this.
2:05 – yadda yadda yadda – hopefully MyTwoCensus gets to ask some HARD-HITTING QUESTIONS. EVERYONE is falling asleep (woman next to me)
2:13- Carper's aide just passed him a note…he's now ending with Barnett and Baker…maybe abruptly ending mtg?
2:16 – New panel now on the Dais — Tom Mesoundbourg (acting Census Director) speaking…invoking founding fathers. Also on the Dais now: – Pat Coulter, Executive Director, Philadelphia Urban League
– Norman Bristol-Colon, Executive Director, Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, State of Pennsylvania
– Wanda M. Lopez, Executive Director, Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs, State of Delaware
2:20 – Mesounbourg LIES! he says operations are going smoothly and address canvassing in philly almost done! – (THE INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT FROM MAY 09 DISAGREES) READ THE MOST RECENT UPDATE: http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/census_bureau/
2:25: Mesounbourg concludes "Our operations are not intended to count many of us, they are intended to count all of us."
2:26 – Norman Bristol Colon now talking…he has a heavy Latino accent…hard to understand!
2:27 – More Puerto Ricans living in USA than in Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
2:30 – Colon urges Census Bureau to have a plan to count undocumented and documented residents in the same way and counts EVERYONE.
2:31 – Colon insists that Census data remains private and is not released to the INS or other immigration officials.
2:33 – This is pretty much turning into a pro-immigration rally…Colon passionately speaking…only 20 people remain in the room here.
2:34 – Colon says that redistricting will help Latino populations so they can have more representation in gvnt.
2:36 – Colon finished speaking…now hearing from Pat Coulter, head of Urban League Philly – Urban League and Census Bureau have worked together since 1970.
2:37 – Coulter just quoted Dick Polman, my journalism Professor at Penn!
2:38 – Here's the article Coulter quoted from: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/americandebate/Head_counts_and_head_cases.html
2:42 – Coulter finished speaking, now last but not least, Wanda Lopez, Executive Director, Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs, State of Delaware
2:46 – Wanda Lopez is very well spoken, but unfortunately no new information added.
2:49 – Congressman Castle asking questions then "calling it a day" as Sen. Carper put it.
2:53 – Congressman Castle asks if celebrities can do public announcements to promote the Census…Director Mesenbourg says the Bureau is pursuing this.
2:54 – Mesenbourg says a PR firm has been hired to do this…which firm is this? Coulter mentions Oprah as possible spokeswoman.
2:55 – Wanda Lopez suggests using local radio in addition to ads on Univision.
2:56 – Castle thanks panel. Carper ending mtg. now…NO HARD-HITTING ISSUES ADDRESSED!
2:57 – Carper says President and First Lady and possibly Sasha and Malia could be used to promote 2010 Census…Wondering: Will they be counted in Chicago or DC?
2:58 – Carper acknowledges problems with handheld computers and asks Mesenbourg to weigh in on correction of problems.
2:59 – Mesenbourg: Handheld only used for address canvassing NOT the non-response follow-up operation in May 2010. Too risky to do that he says
3:01 – 8 million addresses given to Census Bureau from state/local gvnts says Mesenbourg
3:02 – "introduced risk mitigation strategies" – aka 5 different strategies to reduce risk for address canvassing…
3:03 – Mesenbourg says in this economy only 12% of hired applicants didnt show up once they were hired.
3:03 – This explains why we are so far aheadin our address canvassing operation…"highly skilled work force" enables us to finish operation earlier than planned.
3:04 – Carper addresses the Inspector General's report from earlier to Mesenbourg about failures that we mentioned earlier (top article on http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/census_bureau/)
3:05 – Mesenbourg acknowledges that in 6 out of 15 locations that Inspector General visited, the Census Bureau employees were not following orders.
3:06 – Mesenbourg deflects the criticism that Carper addressed — saying that all employees received a text message on their handhelds to follow procedures more closely.
3:08 – Sen. Carper asks more hard-hitting questions (finally)! Impressed that he addressed these issues, though not satisfied w/ responses…
3:13 – Closing statements from Castle and Carper before they "call it a day."
3:14 – Carper quotes Richard Nixon: "The only people who don't make mistakes are the people who don't do anything."
3:15 – Carper says his office was originally worried about lack of technology used in this headcount, but his fears have now been alleviated.
3:17 – Carper thanks everyone who joined us and Census Bureau staff. Carper quotes Lamar Alexander "hearings should be called talkings."


text:
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Open-heart surgeries have given way to gastric bypasses. Newborn intensive care units to larger labor-and-delivery suites. Trauma services to disaster-preparation classrooms.
Five years after Intermountain Healthcare moved its flagship services from LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City to the then-new Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, the hospital has forged a new identity.
It will celebrate its grand re-opening Monday, though it never closed during its $32 million renovation.
"I tell people I felt like we were trying to change the tires of the car while we were going down the freeway at 55 miles per hour," said hospital administrator Jim Sheets. "It's taken us five years to get comfortable in our own skin and find out what our identity is."
He defines it as an "elite community hospital."
LDS Hospital has the bread-and-butter staples of general surgery, labor and delivery, and imaging. But it also has niche services that have expanded or were created after the number of hospital beds dropped from 450 to 212.
While organ transplants moved to Intermountain Medical Center, LDS Hospital kept and expanded its bone marrow clinic for patients with leukemia. That's also one reason it kept its larger 16-bed intensive care unit to care for the severely ill bone marrow patients.
It added a weight-loss surgery program because it had extra operating rooms.
Labor and delivery rooms are double the original size to accommodate large family gatherings; they are more common among Polynesian and Latino families, Sheets said.
To compete with surrounding hospitals, including at the University of Utah and Salt Lake Regional, Sheets said LDS Hospital wants to excel in personalized care.
"With the exception of having a baby, no one wants to be here," he said. "People are not happy. They're vulnerable. They're scared."
The hospital now offers room service, writes thank-you cards to each patient and lets them check out laptops. It plans to roll out massages, manicures and pedicures next year.
The extra space also means more room for psychiatric services. The inpatient unit, mainly for people who are suicidal, added six beds for a total of 39. The unit is a regional center for Intermountain, treating patients from IMC, Alta View and Riverton hospitals.
It now includes a six-bed geriatric unit for patients ages 65 and older.
Mark Foote, a psychiatrist and medical director of the behavioral health center, said the geriatric unit can focus on problems common to aging, such as loss.
He said it also is doubling its medical detoxification unit to 12 beds. The unit mainly treats patients addicted to alcohol or pain pills, Foote said. "We recognize there's a big problem, and we need to have the access."
That also means Intermountain will expand its outpatient substance abuse treatment program, he said.
Noting that psychiatric patients account for one-quarter of LDS Hospital's admissions, Foote said the opening of IMC gave his department the opportunity to have a bigger role.
The hospital also converted the respiratory ICU rooms, which were oversized to accommodate ventilators and guests, into a new sleep lab for the Sleep Disorder Center, which treats patients for sleep apnea, insomnia and restless leg syndrome.
The five rooms use Sleep Number beds to be more comfortable. The lab can also do sleep studies for patients in other parts of the hospital, such as those in heart failure.
According to its director and sleep medicine physician Robert Farney, the center pioneered screening psychiatric patients for sleep apnea, a breathing disorder.
Part of the need to expand sleep services is Utah's expanding waistline. Obesity is linked to sleep apnea because fat deposits around the upper airway can obstruct breathing.
"The numbers are greatly increasing, and probably the biggest factor is obesity," he said.
Going to the re-opening?
LDS Hospital's grand re-opening celebration runs from noon to 12:30 p.m. at the hospital lobby, 8th Ave. & C Street. After speeches, tours will be given. A new exhibit on the history of the hospital is also on display.
About LDS Hospital
Built in 1905, it was originally called the William H. Groves LDS Hospital, named for the dentist and the church that donated money to build it.
It was built high in the Avenues because Groves had difficulty breathing and wanted to be above the soot from the coal burning industries and homes.
The hospital's new historical exhibit includes a bill from 1907 and newspaper clippings from when it opened, with pictures of patients smoking in their beds.

subset: commoncrawl


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The lowest bid Sarasota County received Jan. 23, for the Beach Road drainage improvements was $4.3 million, which is more than double the county's $1.5 million estimate for the capital project.
Sarasota County Engineer Jim Harriott in an email to commissioners explained that staff would investigate the discrepancy, and issue a detailed report, the week of Jan. 28.
"Ouch!!!" said Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta in an email response to Harriott.
For more on this story pick up a copy of the Jan. 31 issue of the Pelican Press.


text:
HDS is The No. 1 Choice For Top Anglers
Tulsa, Okla. – Lowrance, a world-leading brand in marine electronics since 1957 and GPS navigational systems since 1992 — announced today the overwhelming success of its High Definition System (HDS) at the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, held recently in Tulsa, Okla. In total, 66% of the Classic competitors – including the top five finishers and Classic Champion Cliff Pace – used Lowrance HDS Gen2 and HDS Gen2 Touch fishfinder/chartplotters to find, navigate and dominate the 43rd annual Classic, commonly referred to as the "world championship of bass fishing."
The percentage of Classic competitors using Lowrance HDS increased by 16% in 2013, year over year. Along with the top five finishers, 8 of the top 10, and 18 of the top 25, Classic anglers relied on Lowrance HDS displays and StructureScan sonar imaging to identify fish-holding structure and transitions, as well as locate fish on Oklahoma's Grand Lake.
"The growing percentage of Classic anglers who depend on Lowrance as their electronics of choice and the impressive number of top finishers in 2013 is a fantastic testament to our No. 1 position for the inland fishing market," said Louis Chemi, COO Americas, Navico. "Our solutions give anglers the tools they need to locate fish, and our new HDS Gen2 Touch has made our proven technology even easier to operate. We are committed to redefining ease of use with the best fishfinding technology for both professional and recreational anglers in fresh and saltwater."
For more information on Lowrance and its award-winning fish finding technology, or to locate an authorized dealer, please visit www.lowrance.com.
For imagery and other editorial requests, please contact:
Andrew GoldenRushton Gregory firstname.lastname@example.com
About Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G: The Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G brands are wholly owned by Navico, Inc. A privately held, international corporation, Navico is currently the world's largest marine electronics company, and is the parent company to leading marine electronics brands: Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G. Navico has approximately 1,500 employees globally and distribution in more than 100 countries worldwide. www.navico.com


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Biology Professor Receives Teaching Award
Martín Gonzalez, associate professor of biology at Southwestern University, has been selected to receive the 2011-2012 Exemplary Teaching Award from the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. Each year the Board allows Southwestern to designate one teacher to receive this award, which includes a $500 cash prize.
Criteria for receiving the award include excellence in teaching; civility and concern for students and colleagues; commitment to value-centered education; and service to students, the institution and the community.
Gonzalez has been a member of the Southwestern faculty since 2003. He teaches courses on Microbiology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics. His research focuses on how antibiotic resistance is established in bacteria.
"Dr. Gonzalez is an outstanding teacher-scholar whose passion and enthusiasm for his subject matter are evident in everything he does," said Provost Jim Hunt. "Whether in the classroom or the laboratory, he is an outstanding teacher, mentor and role model for our students. We were delighted to have the opportunity to recognize his work in this way."
Gonzalez earned his Ph.D. from the University of California – Berkeley. He earned a B.S. and M.S. from The University of Texas at El Paso and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for UTEP's College of Science.
This is the second time Gonzalez has been recognized as an outstanding teacher. He also received Southwestern University's Teaching Award in 2008.


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Judging by some signs placed on the windows of a strip club in San Diego, embattled Mayor Bob Filner is not welcome at the adult entertainment business.
On Wednesday, signs featuring Filner's face with a red slash across it were posted on the windows of the Body Shop strip club in the Midway District.
This latest public boycott against Filner comes on the heels of a similar display by San Diego Hooters restaurants.
Earlier this week San Diego Hooters locations placed signs in their restaurants saying Filner will not be served in their establishment. The signs appear in Rancho Bernardo, Oceanside, Gaslamp and Mission Valley restaurants.
"Our Hooters Girls in San Diego have spoken. Not a corporate gig, but we support our girls. #StepIntoAwesome," Hooters tweeted.


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© 2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Kazmir remembers Morales, the pitcher
Angels teammates recall '01 junior-tournament matchup
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
ANAHEIM -- Scott Kazmir, with the Angels for barely a month, goes way back with teammate Kendry Morales, to the summer of 2001.
Kazmir was 17 and Morales had just turned 18 when Cuba turned away Team USA, 3-2, in the July 12 title game of the Junior Pan American Championships in Camaguey, Cuba.A high school sensation from Houston, Kazmir didn't pitch for his team in the finale. But Morales -- known now as one of the Majors' premier first basemen -- did. "Morales was a pitcher and also played in the outfield, I think, in that junior national tournament," Kazmir recalled. "I didn't hit against him, but he threw pretty hard. "He also was the big threat in their lineup. In the scouting report, he was the guy they identified as the one you didn't want to beat you." Morales, wrapping up his first full Major League season as a pivotal member of the American League West champion Angels' cast, smiled when he was asked about his days as a pitcher. "Sure, I remember that [tournament]," he said in Spanish. "I won the championship game. I went all the way, nine innings. I could throw a good fastball, and I had some other stuff." With hand gestures, he indicated several brands of offspeed deliveries. "I just remember that they beat us, and it was a wild crowd," Kazmir said. "They had a big home-field advantage, let's put it that way. And I do remember Morales. He kind of stood out." Kazmir was a power-armed lefty destined to be taken by the New York Mets with their first-round pick, No. 15 overall, in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. He'd emerge as a two-time All-Star in Tampa Bay before coming to the Angels on Aug. 28 for three prospects. That summer of '02, when Kazmir was drafted, Morales was making a name for himself playing for Industriales, a Cuban powerhouse. He earned Rookie of the Year honors for 2001-02 in his native land. Morales became the first teenager since the great Omar Linares to start for the Cuban national team, playing right field and some infield in 2002. "I stopped pitching when I was 18," Morales said. "I enjoyed it, but I liked hitting more." He said he took up switch-hitting at age 12 and adapted quickly to batting from both sides of the plate. Morales defected to the U.S. on a boat in June 2004 after a dozen unsuccessful attempts, by his count. The Angels signed him to a six-year deal six months later after he'd established a residence in the Dominican Republic. He now calls Santo Domingo home -- along with first base, where he is turning double plays and heads with ever-improving glove and foot work. Settling into the heart of manager Mike Scioscia's lineup, his booming bat has produced 33 homers, 105 RBIs and a .303 average. One of Morales' strengths defensively is his ability to make quick, accurate throws to second with force. He started two double plays turned by shortstop Erick Aybar behind Ervin Santana in Monday night's 11-0 division-clinching rout of the Rangers. Morales also created a big bang with his bat in the clincher, pounding a two-run homer in the first inning. Approaching third base in one of the fastest home run gallops in the game, he clapped his hands together in a rare display of emotion. "It was a great feeling," he said. It took Morales just two seasons to make his Major League debut in 2006, but it wasn't until Mark Teixeira's departure for the Yankees' riches last winter that a steady job surfaced in Anaheim. Morales answered opportunity's knock with the same brand of confidence and authority he took to the mound eight summers earlier in central Cuba, beating a team that included a future Angels teammate. "That was a good time," Kazmir recalled of the two-week trip to Cuba. "Except for the final game." Team USA had outscored the opposition, 118-14, in 10 games before Morales slammed the door on the Americans. Kazmir couldn't have imagined that the Cuban pitcher who sent his team home with a silver medal, not gold, would someday be his teammate in Southern California -- and that they'd be panning for a different brand of gold together in October.
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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2, 2011
of The Attorney General
Paula T. Dow, Attorney General
of Consumer Affairs
- Thomas R. Calcagni, Acting Director
Lamm or
Neal Buccino
– The Office of the Attorney General
and the Division of Consumer Affairs have
filed suit against a Mendham-based work-at-home
company and its principal, alleging that
they defrauded consumers through offers
to earn income by stuffing envelopes or
assembling booklets.
state's lawsuit is part of "Operation
Empty Promises," a nationwide crackdown
against work-at-home scams announced today.
Operation Empty Promises is a multi-agency
law enforcement initiative which includes
ten FTC actions, forty-eight criminal actions
by the Department of Justice (many of which
involved the assistance of the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service), seven additional civil
actions by the Postal Inspection Service,
and twenty-six actions by state law enforcement
state's five-count Complaint, filed
in State Superior Court in Essex County,
alleges that David S. Brookman, 40, and
his company, Capital Enterprises, Inc.,
violated the state Consumer Fraud Act and
Advertising Regulations through bait-and-switch
tactics in advertisements that stated consumers
could earn "up to $5,000 or more weekly"
by stuffing envelopes and mailing letters,
and "$2,500 or more weekly"
by assembling booklets.
state alleges that after consumers paid
registration fees to Brookman and Capital
Enterprises, defendants then changed the
terms and conditions of their work-at-home
programs to require additional undisclosed
payments and fees. Capital Enterprises does
business as Maxwell Scott Enterprises, Maxwell
Scott, David Gates Enterprises, and Warner
Daniel. The state's Complaint alleges
that David Gates is an alias used by Brookman.
utility poles across New Jersey are covered
with offers to earn money while working
at home. These offers sound too good to
be true, and as our investigation and others
across the country found, they often are
scams that only enrich the con artists who
perpetrate them," Attorney General
Paula T. Dow said.
state is seeking restitution for consumers,
along with imposition of civil penalties
and reimbursement of attorneys' fees
and costs and defendants' compliance
with the state's consumer protection
laws and regulations.
lawsuit, which is being transferred to State
Superior Court in Morris County, alleges
that the defendants engaged in unconscionable
commercial practices and used deception,
false pretenses, false promises and misrepresentations
to defraud consumers. The defendants allegedly
also knowingly omitted material facts when
soliciting consumers and engaged in bait-and-switch
example, the defendants allegedly failed
to disclose to consumers prior to their
payment of the registration fee for the
booklet assembly work-at-home program that
the stated income potential for assembling
booklets only applied if the consumer, at
his or her own expense, advertised and marketed
the very booklets they were to assemble.
caught in the current economic downturn
are particularly vulnerable to supposed
money-making opportunities, such as the
work-at-home scheme alleged in this case,"
said Thomas R. Calcagni, Acting Director
of the State Division of Consumer Affairs.
"The consumers ended up worse off,
with money out of their pockets that ended
up in Brookman's wallet. We're
committed to stopping scam artists who perpetrate
work-at-home schemes from preying on New
Jersey residents."
can file complaints with the Division of
Consumer Affairs by using the forms available
at www.njconsumeraffairs.gov
or by calling 1-800-242-5846
(toll-free within N.J.) or 973-504-6200.
Attorney General Jah-Juin Ho in the Consumer
Fraud Prosecution Section is representing
the state in this action. Investigator Kelly
Fennell in the Office of Consumer Protection
conducted the investigation.
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the activity that happens inside a cell in a living organism can be
done today. However, the methods used to gain access to the inside of
the cells are relatively crude and destructive. Often accessing the
inside of the cells using today's methods kills the cell within only
a few hours, if the cells survive the initial insertion of
probes.Scientists at Stanford University have developed a new
nanoscale probe they have dubbed the "stealth probe"
which can monitor the inner workings of a cell without causing damage
to the cell. The probe can be used to capture the signals used by
cells to communicate with each other and to monitor the so called
"digestive rumblings" of the cells as they react to
medications for up to a week.The breakthrough came when the
researchers developed a nanoscale probe that mimics the natural
gateways within a cell that allows materials in and out of the
cellular membrane according to one of the researchers , Nick Melosh.
The team believes that with some modifications, their stealth probe
could be used to insert medications directly inside the cells of the
human body.Another possible use would be in interfacing a new
generation of prosthetic limbs with muscles that would allow direct
control of the prosthesis just as the muscles controlled the natural
limb. For instance, the muscles of the chest could be connected to an
artificial arm using the probes.The team used metal-coated
silicon probes about 600nm long to develop their stealth probe. The
tricky part of the design according to the researchers was developing
a hydrophobic band that could be applied to the probe tip that was
only a few nanometers thick.Melosh said, "Getting that
hydrophobic band just a few nanometers in thickness was an incredible
technical challenge." The hydrophobic band was a very important
part of designing a functional probe and getting the probe to be able
to transfer materials in and out of the cell.The probe is an
artificial version of the transmembrane protein gateways that
naturally occur inside cells. Melosh said, "What we have done is
make an inorganic version of one of those membrane proteins, which
sits in the membrane without disrupting it. Now we can envision using
it for doing our own gate keeping." The next step
in the research is to demonstrate a functional probe in living cells.
The team is currently working with human red blood cells, cervical
cancer cells, and ovary cells from a specific hamster
species."Ideally, what you'd like to be able to do is
have an access port through the cell membrane that you can put things
in or take things out, measure electrical currents … basically full
control," said Melosh. "That's really what we've shown –
this is a platform upon which you can start building those kinds of


text:
Calling On All Positive Umpire Vibes
"An Umpire is a loner. The
restraints of his trade impose problems not normally endured by
players, coaches, management press and other connected with organized
baseball. He is a friend to none. More often he is considered an
enemy by all around him-including the fans in the stands who threaten
his life." – San Francisco Chronicle writer Art Rosenbaum.
I have to agree wholeheartedly with the
above quote. It is a very unenviable job to try and portray a equally
measured balance with the bang-bang action and speed of a Major
League Baseball game. An Umpire has to make a vital split-second
decision and have the resolve to stand there like a statute even as
video replays and radio voices echo around him scalding them for
their mis-deeds.
I wanted to originally write a post
exposing the mistakes and errors of last night's Tampa Bay Rays
versus Toronto Blue Jays match-up, but thought maybe venturing
towards the sunlight instead of the darkness of the job was more
"One of the really wrong theories
about officiating is that a good official is one you never notice.
The Umpire who made that statement was probably a real poor official
who tried to get his paycheck and hide behind his partners and stay
out of trouble his whole life. Control of the ballgame is the
difference between Umpires that show up for the players and
Managers." – former National League Umpire Bruce Froemming.
More often than not, a MLB game can go
without an Umpire stamping his personality on a contest or providing
their personal agenda by instituting a wobbly strike zone that
changes every inning, or blatantly missing a call, then becoming
wishy-washy for a moment before barking your original judgment.
It is not a job description I could
maintain with any regularity since I do have a temper, and choice
words do spill out of my mouth with regularity. Also the constant
badgering of verbal abuse, even before the First Pitch has been
thrown would wear me down in time. It is a job only those strong in
their convictions, and who love the game without malice can endure.
"Umpires have the toughest job in
baseball. Ever since the birth of boos, they have suffered more abuse
than a washroom wall." – late Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster
Ernie Harwell in the book "Tuned to Baseball".
Most MLB Umpires try to put their best
intentions out daily in retrospect to following the rules of this
great game. The majority of those wearing the Umpire's black uniform
do their best, to bring their integrity and honor within the chalk
lines every night. Some have moments of regret, haste and maybe even
mis-guided motives, but strive to be right in the end.
But then comes a common play within the
scope of the game that is instantly dissected and re-hashed by slow
motion technology to where a split second can be trimmed into
multiple frames to show flaws and a moment of injustice towards a
team. Technology is the enemy of these souls who travel just as much
as the MLB players, but have to remain incognito while the MLB
players are revered when they venture out after games.
"I couldn't see well enough to play
when I was a boy, so they gave me a special job-they made me an
Umpire"- President Harry S. Truman.
A MLB Umpire main contribution to the
game is to be an enforcer of the rules. Using pre-determined Major
League Baseball guidelines and wordage that has been provided in
black and white then use the human element to constantly fill in the
gray area that comes up in games, then effectively promote a
stabilizing force on the field of fairness and consistency.
With the game getting faster by methods
employed by Umpire crews and MLB, Umpires have to make decisions in
the heat of the moment with no show of remorse or emotion, even if
they know it was a mis-cue. Keeping that stoic character in place is
sometimes more important than correcting the mistake.
"Umpires, you see, have a flashing
button. They don't like to be shown up. Push that button and you're
pushing the button on your own ejection seat." – Jay Johnstone in
"Temporary Insanity".
Worst thing you can do sometimes is
question a man who is blinded by his own sense of righteousness.
Umpires have a short attention span by their own design. Within
seconds of the end of a play they have to reconfigure their brain for
the next situation, possibility, plus set themselves in a formidable
field position to see the next play unfold with total clarity…. or
hope for that to happen.
Mistakes do happen upon the playing
surface. Things do get missed and sometimes angles muck up the visual
integrity of the situation. Phantom tags, mis-played sweeps of the
bag on a double play and even a moving strike zone are by-products
of a non-perfect game.
How the Umpire reels in these errors in
judgment can be more important than the initial call. But then there
are those who want more electronic /robotic measures put in place to
solidify the equality for both teams. Some have suggested more
evasive measures as machines or superimposed laser grids within
Umpires headgear to bring more stability to signal calling.
"If they did get a machine to replace
us, you know what would happen to it" Why the players would bust it
to pieces every time it ruled against them. They'd clobber it with a
bat." -former N.L. Umpire Harry Wendelstadt.
Even with the anticipated addition of
MLB adapting for the 2012 season possible play review options on the
validity of struck balls down the chalk lines, or on whether a ball
was trapped or caught, the decision will still hinge on the Umpire
crew's honest conception of the play, and then their agreement to
take an additional moment to clarify.
It might be a move in the right
direction, but also might be one loaded with potential land mines as
machines and equipment gain a foothold in taking officiating to
another extreme. We have seen it employed in other sports with a
mixed bag of reviews and questionable applications. Human element and
participation has to be employed within the game to keep both side
honest and within the scope of the guidelines.
I might not agree with their calls.
Might be more inclined to want to rant and rave their directions
instead of agree with them on a nightly basis, but they are a evil
luxury of the game. Nightly as they saunter out of their hidden
Umpire's Room we hope for equality, integrity and most of all a hint
of humanity. That is until the first close play or borderline
disparagement…then it is game on for the men in black!
6 Comments
As much as I hate the umps sometimes, life with a machine doing their job would be very lacking. As with all sports, the human element is part of what makes the game so endearing. For example, if Armando Galaragga got his perfect game, we wouldn't have gotten the touching embrace between him and Joyce after Joyce's mistake.
I actually like the idea of a replay option for balls down the line or to see if it was caught or trapped possibly for 2012.
But will there be a penalty added, or will it still be at the discretion of the Umpire crew chief?
A machine would work possibly for foul/fair signals down the lines, but the plate will still have to have that " human touch".
Still think that MLB Umpires make less mistakes than most other professional leagues, but I do not have a stat to quote….Either way, Umpires are either Gods or goats. Guess that depends on if you team won or lost that night.
Rays Renegade
The times are changing and replay is badly needed in baseball. I still think Armando should be credited with the perfect game. On another note, Congratulations on the Bolts winning. Well done. Gotta love Marty St Louis!
—Mark Gauthier
St Louis, Stamkos and Vinny are clicking right now…On to Boston for the Bolts.
Some replay can be added, but other segments can not be touched to take the human element out of the game. The Quest system is still in place to grade MLB Umpires, including the system already at the Trop.
Still, some things have to be tweaked without damaging the integrity of the game.
Rays Renegade
Amen. Umpiring a baseball game at any level is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. The amount of abuse I've taken umpiring at Little-League games is well beyond ridiculous. Over the course of a long season, these things tend to even themselves out… which doesn't make anyone feel better when your team loses a critical game because of a call. :)
I'm all in favor of expanded replay – if it is quick and only initiated by the umpires if they feel they need it. I don't want to see challenge flags, like the NFL – that only serves to highlight the umpiring. The focus needs to be on the game, not the umpires. And most of the time, unlike the NFL/NBA/NHL, baseball manages to get that right.
What a horror it would be if there was a challenge flag. Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen would possibly wave it like a "Terrible Towel" during the entire game.
I have never umpired a game, but I did do a lot of indoor soccer referee action eons ago.
Some times the money doesn't justify the action by those within the game….But the MLB Umpires do make a pretty good living….That might make the abuse tolerant at times.
Rays Renegade


text:
21st Church Assembly Sabor - Day Three
- Created on Thursday, 07 August 2014 11:50
21st CHURCH ASSEMBLY SABOR DAY THREE
Alhambra, CA - The third and final day of the Sabor began with the Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy served by His Grace Bishop Mitrophan of Eastern America with the concelebration of a number of clergy.
The fifth and final plenary session began after breakfast. During this session the current members of the Central Council were released and the newly elected members were sworn in. Closing remarks and miscellaneous items were discussed and the Sabor was adjourned with a prayer.
Source: serborth.org


text:
The City Council's three official priorities for the year are "infrastructure strategy and funding," "future of downtown and California Avenue" and "technology and the connected city."
The "State of the City" speech will be held at 7 p.m. at Tesla headquarters, 3500 Deer Creek Road, Palo Alto. The event is open to the public.
Nonprofit gives $33 million in science prizes
A group of executives that includes local names such as Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki awarded $33 million in prizes to recognize research in life science aimed at curing disease and lengthening human life.
The group, which awarded 11 researchers $3 million each, makes up the board of directors of a new nonprofit called the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, according to a statement from the foundation.
Winners came from institutions such as the Hubrecht Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College and Princeton University. They made discoveries in cancer genomics, mechanisms of angiogenesis that led to therapies for cancer and eye disease, and research on telomeres.
"We are thrilled to support scientists who think big, take risks and have made a significant impact on our lives. These scientists should be household names and heroes in society," said Wojcicki, the co-founder of Mountain View-based 23andme, which provides individualized genetic testing.
The board also includes Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan; Art Levinson, member of the boards of directors for Apple and Genentech; and Yuri Milner, the founder of Mail.ru.
In the future, the foundation will award five annual prizes of $3 million each to winners who are chosen by a selection board that includes the previous year's winners.
The foundation touted its "transparent selection process" in which anyone will be able to nominate a candidate online. Also, prizes can be shared between any number of deserving scientists and can be received more than once, and there will be no age restrictions for nominees.
Old oak in Rinconada Park to be felled
An inspection of oak trees at Rinconada Park in Palo Alto after a large tree fell onto Walter Hays Elementary School grounds last month has found one more tree that must be removed, City of Palo Alto's urban forester said.
The city conducted root inspections of similar oaks as the one that fell on Jan. 4 and discovered that the roots of another coast live oak on Embarcadero Road were compromised, Urban Forester Walter Passmore said in a statement. City crews are scheduled to remove the tree on or after Feb. 22. Replacement trees will be planted in March.
Crews inspected the trees by excavating and temporarily removing soil to assess below-ground root conditions. The majority of the root systems of the park's large coast live oaks are in fair to good condition. The Rinconada Oak, a designated heritage tree, has a healthy root system and is likely to live for many more years, inspectors found.
One oak, however, is in poor condition, poses a safety hazard and must be removed. The tree has severe root decay that has rotted 40 percent of the exterior of the base of the trunk and compromised large anchor roots. The tree is the nearest neighbor to the one that fell in January.
Tree decline is often caused by an accumulation of stressors, Passmore said. Old age reduces a tree's tolerance to changing conditions and reduces resilience to insects and disease. The root rot on the tree outpaced the tree's ability to grow new roots, which has reduced the ability of the roots to anchor the tree to the soil, he said.
"Trees are living organisms with a finite life span, and after careful consideration of the inspection results, we recommend that this tree be removed due to advanced decay in the root system. This tree has a high risk of failure due to its condition and no treatment is available that will allow new growth to outpace the decay," Passmore said in a statement.
City crews will recycle the tree, and the wood will be used as mulch to sustain other trees, he said. A planting plan has been developed to replace the fallen tree and the tree proposed for removal.
Passmore said the goal is to plant more than 10 large-growing oak trees with compatible shade-tolerant smaller trees in the next two months. New trees can be established this planting season prior to mid-March, he said. Many of the established trees in the park will receive maintenance pruning and mulching to improve their health and safety, he added.
This story contains 776 words.
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text:
United Airlines, the world's largest passenger carrier, was slapped this week with a lawsuit charging that the gigantic, international partnership refuses to promote black pilots and operations supervisors.
The suit is the third attempt within three years to seek legal redress for what plaintiffs say are a long series of workplace abuses predicated on skin color.
In the suit filed in United States District Court in San Francisco, 24 African Americans contend that they have been systematically denied promotions, despite their performance and demonstrated excellence, because they are black. This is a practice, they allege "which historically has taken place across half of the nation's states."
All 24 plaintiffs contend that they have been passed over for promotions because of their race. Half of them participated in a federal equal employment discrimination case filed against United in 2010. Those complainants allege that United retaliated against their action by refusing to promote them and by withholding special assignments as well.
A spokeswoman for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C., (EEOC), told BlackAmericaWeb.com, "we are not at liberty to discuss or comment on plaintiff involvement in a complaint or other action taken by the commission."
The suit, filed by attorney Erick C. Van Hespen, demands that United cease its alleged discriminatory practices and correct them by promoting the plaintiffs.
BlackAmericaWeb.com repeatedly attempted to contact Van Hespen, but without success.
United, with headquarters in Chicago and its hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Dallas, is a founding member of the Star Alliance, the world's largest airline partnership. United operates 702 aircraft and serves more than 1,000 destinations in over 1780 countries.
Its 702 aircraft give United the second spot among all aircraft owned by airline companies worldwide.
The partnership, legally known as United Continental Holdings, Inc., counts 86, 852 employees.
BlackAmericaWeb.com asked a spokesman for United, Rahsaan Johnson, the partnership's director of public relations, for figures on the number of black pilots who steer the corporation's aircraft. A requested a figure for the number of African Americans at the highest levels of the partnership's command also went unfulfilled.
Johnson, in his comment e-mailed to BlackAmericaWeb.com, said, "Because litigation is pending, I'm not able to reply questions specifically. However, United does not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind. We believe this lawsuit is without merit and will vigorously defend ourselves."
One of the 24 pilots, Captain Leon Miller, in a statement for news media released this week, said, Tthe struggle for inclusion at United Airlines is a long-standing issue that many have tried to address over long period of time."
The plaintiffs, whose battle against United's alleged discriminatory practices began in 2009, say the partnership's managers and supervisors are "highly subjective" judging African Americans vying for promotions.
As such, according to the plaintiffs, "the company's employment policies involve uncontrolled, subjective criteria that are applied in an arbitrary manner, further promoting racial biases and stereotypes to the detriment of many extremely qualified management candidates."
These judgments, black employees maintain, are based on rationals which, in effect, build much higher barriers for them to hurdle, as opposed to the ones used to select whites for promotions.
United's tolerance of these alleged practices place blacks at a distinct disadvantage, they're unable to circumvent through excellent performances, the plaintiffs contend and "violate state and federal laws."
The plaintiffs also allege that "nearly all black employees hold non-managerial positions." African Americans having some of them, they say, "are left out of critical e-mail communication and social gatherings in which important issues and advancement opportunities are discussed."


text:
Boy burned by overhead power cable
A teenage boy has been badly burned by a live overhead power cable while playing in a railway yard.
The boy, 17, was with a group of friends inside the depot in Hunters Lane in Rugby, Warwickshire, at about 9.55pm yesterday when the accident happened, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said.
It is understood the youngster had been on top of a freight train container carriage and made contact with the power line with his neck as he went to turn around, according to the initial emergency call.
Medics said the injuries to the boy, who did not have permission to be in the yard, highlighted the severe dangers of playing on the railway.
A WMAS spokesman said: "The teenage boy was reportedly playing with friends when he came into contact with an overhead cable.
"He had serious burns to his neck and slighter burns to his shoulders and feet.
"His burns were treated and dressed at the scene."
The injured boy was taken to the University Hospital Coventry in a stable condition.


text:
Chiva-Som Cookbooks
Chiva-Som has been named the Best Overseas Spa Retreat in the world no less than six times by Conde Nast Traveller UK reader and is consistently ranked in the world's top three spas.
Chiva-Som's Thai Spa Cuisine
Softback, 135 page, full color. Contains over 50 lavishly illustrated and award-winning recipes from Chiva-Som's Taste of Siam restaurant that will help to improve health, achieve weight loss and alter lifestyles.


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