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{{Gripe}}Parking cars often causes them to dissappear. If you have a particularly nice car, or you're driving a unique car (such as the black on black cavalcade that playboy gives you) this can be quite annoying. Perhaps either making cars not dissappear, or making designated parking spaces allover town, would remedy this problem.
{{Gripe}}Parking cars often causes them to dissappear. If you have a particularly nice car, or you're driving a unique car (such as the black on black cavalcade that playboy gives you) this can be quite annoying. Perhaps either making cars not dissappear, or making designated parking spaces allover town, would remedy this problem.
{{Gripe}}In San Andreas, you would be able to raise your driving skill. However in GTA IV you cannot do so, which makes driving hard and unrewarding. Obviously, if you do a lot of driving, you become more experienced in it. Not having the ability to raise your driving skill detracts from realism in the game.
{{Gripe}}In San Andreas, you would be able to raise your driving skill. However in GTA IV you cannot do so, which makes driving hard and unrewarding. Obviously, if you do a lot of driving, you become more experienced in it. Not having the ability to raise your driving skill detracts from realism in the game.
Revision as of 03:00, 28 September 2008
|This is a Community page on Grand Theft Wiki.
This is the official Grand Theft Wiki GTA IV Gripes list.
For now, this page is open to everybody. If there is any abuse of this page it will be locked, and all submissions will have to go through the Discussion page.
The "Gripes" on this page are intended to warn new players of things they may not like about the game.
The "Rebuts" on this page are intended to explain to new players why some gripes may not be a "gripe" for all players.
Please do not repeat other people's gripes. Also, no silly/stupid/idiotic/explicit/racist gripes or rebuttals.
How To Gripe
- Find the appropriate sub-page for your gripe.
- Make sure your gripe hasn't already been mentioned.
- Start a gripe with {{Gripe}}, then follow with your gripe.
How To Rebut Gripes
- Rebuttals to gripes should be directly underneath the gripe.
- Start your rebuttal with :{{Rebut}}, then follow with your rebuttal.
- Rebuttals should address reasons it is not a valid gripe, and should not accuse the gripe of being "silly" or "stupid."
Hotwiring cars takes a very short time, even if the car is expensive. Much rarer cars should take more time to hotwire, and crappier cars should take less time. Yet it's the same for every car.
Even the world's best car thief doesnt take 3 seconds to hotwire an expensive car.
Parking cars often causes them to dissappear. If you have a particularly nice car, or you're driving a unique car (such as the black on black cavalcade that playboy gives you) this can be quite annoying. Perhaps either making cars not dissappear, or making designated parking spaces allover town, would remedy this problem.
In San Andreas, you would be able to raise your driving skill. However in GTA IV you cannot do so, which makes driving hard and unrewarding. Obviously, if you do a lot of driving, you become more experienced in it. Not having the ability to raise your driving skill detracts from realism in the game.
Getting used to the controls is one thing, but GTA IV offers no way of *raising* your driving skill, which was one of the aspects that GTA SA was known for.
- Driving Skill was fun to others, but annoying to others. Looks like the annoyed won. You will get used to the driving system eventually, and will become a professional at it. GTA4 dropped the skill building system because the game was perfectly balanced without it, and if it was added, then GTA4 would be very glitchy.
Exactly, you would get better at driving a car. The way it was incorporated into San Andreas was to make it easier to drive vehicles. After a certain amount of time progresses, you would be able to drive like a real professional. However in GTA IV, you're still hitting curbs and slamming into other cars, regardless of how long you have played the game.
The feature of opening the trunk of a car and storing items in it is not in the game, and hurts the realism of the game when the player can't open the trunk of the car.
- If you stored a lot of weapons in the trunk of your Infernus and it would go up in flames in a police chase, you'd be pretty angry to loose a car AND some expensive weapons. Also, it would be pretty time consuming to put the weapons in the trunk and take them out a few blocks later.
Maybe not weapons, but you can store items in the truck that contains no weapons, like shopping bags. It's unrealistic how pedestrians gets to open the turnk and look for something, while the player can't.
Scarface The World Is Yours had a feature that stored weapons in the trunk. Granted, the cars were special vehicles that had to bought and phoned for, but the feature was helpful, and saved a lot of time. GTAIV lacking such a feature detracts from the longevity of the game.
The Packie bomb can only be put on certain cars, not motorcycles or trucks.
- There has to be a pretty stupid person not to notice a man sitting behind their motorcycle putting a bomb under the motor, don't you think so??
Yet people seem to ignore the same guy putting a bomb under a taxicab.
The feature of calling up a boss to "meet them here", etc. is not in the game, and the same goes for friends.
Minor clothing items are removed during some cut scenes and missions. (glasses, hats)
- This can be easily explained by Niko having manners... i.e. he would remove his hat or glasses before speaking with someone.
Still affects realism though because the items just disappear into thin air.
realistically a financially strapped person wouldn't just waste stuff like that they would put them in pockets or something then put them right back on after
The ability to hang from a helicopter, shown in trailers, isn't seen in-game, nor is the ability to ride in limos.
- The last mission requires you to do it. Also there's a glitch in MP that lets you hang on to the heli for unlimited amount of time.
But right after the mission, hanging a helicopter is no longer possible outside of missions. This feature strays away realism.
The feature should still be there, or R* shouldn't show it in a trailer if it isnt in the game.
No store hold ups for easy cash or burglary missions.
You can't buy real estate like in San Andreas and Vice City.
- The story features Niko and Roman being broke, and not able to be able to buy real estate. All safehouses are given to the player by other characters for free, because they don't need them. And buying an apartment isn't classified as real estate, its called renting.
Yes, you are broke for part of the story but eventually you do roll in the money, if the game wanted to keep the illusion of you being broke it could lock off buying things for awhile like how some things were not available for purchase in Vice City. At some point it\s silly to still consider them broke...
Why can't Niko own business, regardless of having all of your 50 grand?
You can't do home invasion like in San Andreas.
Still, it's stupid that you can't do something, so cool.
- Have fun spending 10 hours trying to get $10,000. It was taken out because of how little money is achieved for used TV's and Radio's. Also, Niko is a mercenary/hitman, not a house robber.
- Well, considering the game is set in the present day, i'm sure that there would be more than just cheap TVs and radios in houses - LCD/plasma widescreen TVs, DVD players, sound systems, games consoles, PCs, I-pods (if you can pick up a small brick off the street then stealing one of these should be possible), mobile phones etc etc, one 5-10 minute robbery session could easily earn you several thousand dollars - not that you'd have anything to spend it on of course, lol.
- Have fun spending 10 hours trying to get $10,000. It was taken out because of how little money is achieved for used TV's and Radio's. Also, Niko is a mercenary/hitman, not a house robber.
The semicircle health/armor system is weak, and can't be upgraded like in San Andreas.
- Lets see you take plenty of bullets and get stronger. This feature, like all stat building systems was removed.
Friends often call to do things at inconvenient times and are often on the other side of the city.
The sleep mode does help quite a bit. However, the friend system does get rather annoying when you're trying to do missions and sleep mode gets turned off. The feature is a decent start, but it definitely needs some overhauling for the next game. Less frequent calls, offering to meet you some place or maybe picking you up instead of you always driving them around, more places to go (Liberty City only has two places to see a show?), more benefits for keeping constant contact, mini-missions that occur while out and about, etc.
By pressing the Ignore button, the friendship will be decreased, thus rendering it irritating as you have to keep your friends entertained.
Your Rebut makes no sense. GTA IV has nothing to do with real life. Also, because he said that pressing the ignore button, this decreases your friend's favor, making it unrealistic since your friends (in GTA IV) demands to do something at inconvenient times, preventing the player from accessing missions.
Friends don't give you enough time to get to their location before they become impatient.
- You can Hail a taxi, get in it, and do the auto ride feature which gets you there in a matter of seconds, or take a helicopter.
You can't go out with multiple friends at once. I find it EXTREMELY unrealistic you cant go out with multiple friends at once.
The camera angle is too low with no way to change it, I spend all my driving time holding UP, same as San Andreas.
All of them are two low. The only two third person ones are two low to the ground and it is hard to see oncoming traffic/poles and stuff. The other two are cinematic and first person.
I agree--it's annoying that the right-stick camera positioning isn't sticky.
The "realistic" thing would be NO third person view so the last rebut is null. The bad non-sticky view makes driving annoying.
There is no riot cheat! No more chaos.
Well, until then, that's -1 point for GTA IV.
Without Riot Cheats, there is no possibility that GTA 4 can't be fun without good cheats.
Some missions are somewhat difficult to pass.
- Try harder.
Ordering items on TV or at Tw@ does not work. You can't even order vehicles by calling them, even though it says so at AutoErotiCar.com.
The internet site offered a lot of possibilities to expand the gameplay and give you so much more to do on the side. However, it ended up serving as primarily a huge repository of inside jokes...which isn't a bad thing, but there was a lot of missed opportunities. It was disappointing to see so many attractions listed, and finding out you could only make use of a very small portion of them.
Destruction of buildings isn't featured.
- Destruction of buildings would permanently(?) alter the area, and make it difficult for normal activities or activities to occur.
But we can destroy street lights, government property (mailboxes, etc.), drive to a different zone, come back, and it's like they were never hit, AND cops don't care. No consistency.
You can longer respond to random comments either positively or negatively.
It is still one more thing that detracts from the game's attempt at realism. And it has a fairly big impact on the free roam part of the game.
How does coming off a boat make you any less of a nobody to the general public then any of the other characters that start off as nobodies?
You must keep your 'friends' happy to retain their special perks. It would have been preferable to unlock their abilities once and then be left to the player to decide whether they wish to continue the 'friendship'.
But you don't drive them all over town like a soccer mom, especially if you are one of the most in demand hit men in the city. Roman owns a car service business, yet needs to be picked up and dropped off every time he wants to do anything. The friends feature becomes irritating because it lacks realism.
Even so it does take away from the "realism" they strive so hard to achieve in this game
Street Gang-Banging and generally street gang-related missions have been dramatically reduced, means, no point in shooting other gang members.
- Since Niko is not exactly in one of those 'gangs', I would see no point in earning anything for the deaths of gang members.
The 5 families are crucial to the storyline. Niko is involved heavily with gangland violence in the story, yet outside of missions there is no evidence of any gangland tension. Once again this detracts from the realism of the game. For example; Niko kills 10+ members of the Pavano family, yet there is no consequence what so ever. He can walk into the same mob owned car dealership he has just blown up hours before and nobody recognizes him. This badly affects the attempted realism in other areas of the game.
Only 9 street races available and difficult to access them through the phone system.
- GTA is not exactly a 'racing game'. The racing missions are practically just mini games, save for when they affect the storyline.
Racing is one of the few things left to do once the storyline has been completed.
While it isn't a 'racing game,' it's a feature that would've been nice considering this is the 4th installment of a multi-million dollar series.
For so much focus on the crappy "realism" in the driving you would think they should put some prefrence on that aspect of the game
No special races that unlock special cars (like Destruction Derby).
Still, it's pathetic that you don't earn special vehicles that you complete side racing missions, like the Bloodring Banger as well as the Dune truck.
With so little to buy Money is worthless.
After you complete Steve's missions you can sell cars as often as you want, even spawning them and selling them getting you hundreds of thousands of dollars that for all purposes are still worthless.
There is no need to buy guns because you can find them so easily.
Given that entire storyline is underpinned by the pursuit of money, from the minute Niko gets off the boat to the deal or revenge option at the end. The fact that money plays such a small part in the game outside of the cut scenes hurts the games attempt to provide a realistic experience.
There really does need to be more to do with the money in the game. Buying more safe houses, outfitting them with internet access, more clothing shops, more shows to see, parking spaces to keep cars in, revenue-generating businesses, etc.
But that can solve everything to spend expensive things, rather than eraning more money and do nothing about it.
- there are also, more or less, no aircraft to jump out of at high altitudes.
Yet another component that affects the longevity of this game. The fact that Niko can't base jump into Star Junction and start shooting up the area is just another shortcoming of IV in terms of action.
You can't order cars from Stevie's garage once the text message missions he gives you are completed.
A useless set of missions at that. You can't access Stevie's Garage after completing the missions, and there is no use for the money you made from the missions. Just another bland effort from GTA IV.
Autosave may not happen all the time. Whenever you complete missions, you are forced to save the game manually instead of having the game to automatically save for you.
It happens the same thing and much worse than the first one. It would have been better if Rockstar Games would fix this problem, rather than just asking you to save the game yourself too often.
The majority of the good cheats are gone (like chaos, citizens with weapons, cars fly away with hits etc etc etc).
- Rockstar never releases cheats they are found by the players most likely the same cheats are there, they just haven't been found yet.
The range of cheats is another source of disappointment. There is no more to be found.
There are only 2 pairs of glasses in the whole game, and both of them are ugly.
They are. Both are big "owl" style glasses from the 90s. No actual sunglasses or anything.
Badly affects the realism though. 2 pairs of sunglasses in the whole of Liberty City? Geez...gritty realism if ever I've seen it.
You never see people wearing sunglasses in the city? It is a complete sad selection of glasses and hats for that matter seeing as how you have to keep the same crappy hair the entire game, you can cover it up with a crappy trucker hat or a rediculus Russian hat to wear in the seeming Summer climate
Cheating blocks achievement points
- Cheating would destroy the challenge in getting achievement points. Besides, if you want to cheat, just make a separate save file.
The realism of the game seems extremely inconsistent, and if you want examples, just read over a good half of the previous gripes. It would seem to me that a game that sold for 500 million on the first day would have the budget (and let's face it, from the look of previous GTAs Rock* had the budget) to put some more effort and, dare I say, "polish," into the game. For me, it just felt like GTA III all over again--the exception being that some of the characters were more vivid and interesting, and the plotline kept me hooked. If there is a GTA V (and I'm assuming there will be) I really hope they put more time into it. GTA IV just felt half baked, which was a major disappointment. =/
- GTA4 has three delays, and a huge updates. Not the mention GTA4 is the first game to use the Euphoria system. GTA has had huge improvements here. All gripes on this page just complain about how little minigames there are. Most minigames in GTASA were ignored by most players.
Ignored by most players? where do you get that? GTA IV is a complete disgrace to realism by the sheer fact alone you kill about 100 people and the cops could never get you, even when you walk around in plane sight right afterwards.
Aiming is difficult when slow-mo is activated during driving and flying thanks to the cinematic angles.
Whenever a mission has you chasing another vehicle, they run on a rail. Shooting out their tires does nothing, they still take square 90 degree angle turns at 100 MPH+. You can't catch up to them to ram or PIT them as they'll automatically go into over drive and match your speed. There's no incentive to engage in a good high speed chase since you'll suffer at turns and they won't. And motorcycle chases aren't fun since the AI target can't get into an accident or spin out after their tires are shot out, it actually REPAIRS ITSELF while they speed down the road.
- Strange, I never experienced that problem. The AI vehicles behaved just as mine did.
The stunt jumps in the game suck. No building to building jumps, no over bridge jumps, no motorbike window jumps a la Vice City.
- Check again, there are building jumps and bridge jumps. Check again before you post your complaints on the Internet.
You can't buy cars at the dealerships found in the city. Grotti in Algonquin, Westdyke Bikes in Westdyke, Autoeroticar in Alderney City...nothing.
Purchasing vehicles are crucial to the gameplay. In real life, stealing cars in dealerships is a bad thing to do and against the law. Purchasing vehicles are a perfect part of realism and has to do something to spend all of your 50k money, but they did'nt. Gritty realism if I have ever seen it.
Purchasing would be a good way to include personalization: if you could choose sertain specifications for a car, paintjobs, engine types, and options to create cars unique cars that aren't found on the street. Somethings in the game bothers me since they are transitioning GTA games to be more realistic. Whats the purpose of all those big buildings and you can't access them or destroy them. And how come when you blow up people they fly backward or upward? From what I've seen when you shoot a rocket or throw a grenade at somebody, limbs suppose to come off...i mean in previous GTA games when you shoot somebody in the head with a powerful weapon it disappears. Wassup with that?
- They wanted to keep the M Rating on this game. GTA IV looks much more realistic as Vice City or SA did. In fact, Vice City and SA looked a bit like a comic to me.
Well in real life these things do happen, why change something to be more real like m aking the hand-brake screw you up so much but take away real-life stuff like limbs being ripped off when the game is ment to be violent from the start, not a drive-test simulator.
How come you can't play basketball on the courts in Algonquin?
- For me, playing basketball was just an useless timekiller, like the arcade games or the gym. It doesn't really alter the gameplay.
there are still arcades in this game, why keep the simple video-games-within-a-video-game but loose the more creative minigames?
Wouldnt it be nice if you could destroy those bridges and cause havoc? All you have to do is drive off to a differnt area and come back and the bridge would be right there. But not only the bridges, the buildings as well.
- That's not possible in the current generation (PS3, Wii and Xbox360 is the current gen, not NextGen!), also it wouldn't be very realistic, if they'd pop up, when you go for a little ride round the block.
It is possible in this current gen to make completely destructible environments. The upcoming release of Mercenaries 2 (which is a sandbox game in a similar vein to GTA) has completely destructible environments, including foliage and even important buildings. The realism is that the buildings are "rebuilt" it takes a small amount of time to make the buildings return to normal. And realism? Screw that, this is GTA, not every last thing has to be realistic.
And yet one man can take on an army of Russian, Triad, Italian and Albanian mafia soldiers, plus an elite counter-terrorist unit and countless FBI units? If you talk about realism, building destruction is more realistic than not. It would be extremely fun.
- I don't think a rocket launcher could completely destroy a strong bridge.
- How about this: if you can destroy a strong brige like the brookly's or the manhattan's or the statue of happyness you would have the entire cops, noose, and the pedestrians looking for you with a strong strong hate because you destroy a national item that reppresent NY(LC) and if they catch you or kill you, you'll be dead for ever or be in jail for life, and you will loose all of current % game and you have to start all over. don't you think that would be happen in the real life? ah? Because that is the price in the real life for doing something like this!
- I don't think a rocket launcher could completely destroy a strong bridge.
Compared to True Crime: New York City and its realism, GTA IV lacks in some areas. OK when Niko is about to open a door, he just pushes it; doesnt turn any knob or nothing. What door with a knob just opens like that?
- It's not important to gameplay and it would be rather annoying after some time, or even deadly in a police chase.
This heavily detracts realism. I mean, why would a person just push the door instead of turning the knob? That's really unrealistic.
Of coarse it would be deadly just like in real life, there are annoying things in the game based off realism that they did keep, like the insanely annoying hand-brake
You can't order anything at Tw@ internet. There is nothing you can do to purchase anything, except ringtones (which plays a small part to this feature).
Maybe not, but it can easily solve all of money problems you have (50 grand or above).
why keep the unlimited amount of money you have sitting uselessly as a figure in the corner of your screen?
The ability to operate cranes (like in GTA: SA) is no longer possible, which means you can't lift vehicles with magnets, or hit vehicles or peds with wrecking balls.
Maybe not, but it's part of fun (not realism) where you can lift moving vehicles with magnets and drop them off stories below.
he just said FUN what games are ment to be not drive-test/murder simulators
the choppers handled better in GTA:SA
Realistically you can't drive a helicopter
The game is billed as "realistic", but some of the realistic parts of San Andreas were not included (i.e gaining weight, exercising). The game is just not as fun as previous games, and I know the game is supposed to be "realistic" but realism should not adversely affect the rest of the game. The game could have more "wacky" weapons and vehicles. All the girlfriends are either annoying or dead. The game could also use more cheats.
- look above all the gripes and your questions will be answred. and also GTA IV don't need smalls gliths to be the game that today it is so look the ratings and the sells and answer you self all your questions that you ask.
three gripes for you all, one, you can't fly planes two, there are same-y mission. Most of the missions were ether; pick him up, take him here, shoot this guy, take him back, deliver this, ect makes multiple plays rather wearing. 3rd gripe is that any form of tree regardless of thickness or hight is still unbreakable or burnable in any way shape or form this is especially annoying whilst travelling at high speeds.
- First, flying planes was taken out because Liberty City can be traveled incredibly fast with even a helicopter, in a plane, you would be gone very fast. Second, all GTA games are like that, that is the point, help your allies, kill your enemies. Third, that last gripe doesn't make any sense. I was barely able to understand the first two.
The third Gripe is completely valid streetlights can fall over by you just tapping them but a tree no more then 2 inches in diameter can stop an tank or any other vehicle dead in its tracks bearing down at it at speeds 100mph+!!!
There is a deplorable selection of hats(filthy trucker cap, or silly winter Russian hats in a warm liberty City environment), you can't change Nikos hair at all, you cant shave his ratty, scummy beard. All of which are perfectly possible in short amounts of time in "real life" except growing longer hair.
Just like to gripe about all you gripers, think back on GTA3 which was a new engine and a good game but not perfect, then came Vice City, Basically same game same engine and many improvements and then finally San Andreas, again same engine but it was squeezed to the poinbt of collapse and had every feature under the sun in it. Its easy to see with new systems and engine this game would be lacking the overkill that San Andreas had. Personally my grip about IV was it lacked what San Andreas had but when you think of it like GTA3 as being the first link in this Gens chain this is going to be a very nice very shiny chain indeed.
- you have a horrible grammar... because i almost could understand something... why you stop complaining and get some English Books.
Hats dissapear when getting in the car. You also see pedestrians with normal hair, at first, but when they get out, hats re-appear. Badly realistic efforts.


text: Brand MarketingTIAA-CREF Reviews Its Advertising BusinessSearch comes as company ramps up brand effortsBy Andrew McMains|January 8, 2013 ShareBy Andrew McMains|January 8, 2013 Share Financial planning player TIAA-CREF is talking to agencies about its creative and media business. The company has issued a request for proposals to more than a dozen agencies that's due back this week, according to sources. Based on submissions, TIAA-CREF marketing leaders are expected to narrow the field to about six shops that they will visit. After a relatively quiet past three years, the company plans to ramp up its advertising considerably, with one source estimating that annual media spending may reach $50 million. In contrast, TIAA-CREF spent only about $6 million in 2010 and less than $1 million in both 2011 and the first nine months of 2012, according to Nielsen. Before 2010, annual spending approached $20 million. Currently, TIAA-CREF employs Digitas for creative efforts and TargetCast for media planning and buying; both are expected to participate in the review. Hasan + Co. in Raleigh, N.C. is managing the process. The consultancy referred calls to the New York-based TIAA-CREF, which had no comment. Sources identified key decision-makers in the search as chief marketing officer Connie Weaver, vp of brand and advertising Morgan Gold and John Mittnacht, vp of advertising. Weaver joined the company nearly three years ago. Before that, she was svp of marketing and communications at the Hartford Financial Services Group. Earlier in her career, Weaver held marketing roles at BearingPoint and AT&T. After visiting agencies, TIAA-CREF will select a handful of finalists to pitch the business. The company hopes to complete its search in March. TIAA-CREF's competitors include Merrill Lynch, Fidelity and Vanguard. Sharehttp://adweek.it/2jOPjBJ copy Adweek Adweek

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Losing weight is the common practice amongst individuals. The extensive diet plans, the hard-core fitness regimes, the selective food meals are some of the ways in which the particular practice is facilitated related to individuals. Losing weight involves several factors. The most important one is to plan meals, have a proper intake of food, regularly check the calorie information etc. Additionally, workouts are a necessitated entity in conjunction with the rest.
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text:
Story highlights
- 1 in 5 Ashkenazi Jews in the United States are carriers for a genetic disease
- Couples who are carriers for the same disease have a 25% chance of passing it to their kids
- JScreen identifies the risks for the 19 most common Jewish genetic diseases
- Proponents say genetic screening needs to be standardized
Caroline Gold calls out to her three children as she takes pizza bagels out of the oven. Shai, 18 months old, runs to her high chair chanting, "Pizza, pizza!" Natanel, 7, comes in from another room in their Atlanta home.
They join their sister, Eden, who is already at the table.
Randy Gold sits down next to his son while Caroline puts food on everyone's plates. They seem like the quintessential family, in what could be any household in America.
But a closer look reveals Caroline is feeding 5-year-old Eden. Eden cannot talk or walk. She needs help sitting up and doing most anything a girl her age should be doing on her own.
Eden has a progressive neurological disorder called Mucolipidosis Type IV, also known as ML4. It's a rare genetic disease that is more common among Ashkenazi Jews, or people of Eastern and Central European Jewish descent. There is no treatment or cure. Eden's mental development was halted at 18 months old. She is expected to go blind by age 12.
Doctors say she will not live beyond early adulthood.
Eden's diagnosis was confirmed just before the Jewish New Year in September 2009. Instead of focusing on the wonderful things the next year would bring, Caroline says their family's dreams were shattered.
"Anything that we had dreamed and hoped for our family at that point was broken. Done."
ML4 is preventable. So how did this happen?
Caroline and Randy struggled with that very question. Knowing that one in five Ashkenazi Jews in the United States are carriers for a genetic disease, the Golds were screened before they got married. Or so they thought.
Caroline was screened for just eight of the 16 Jewish genetic diseases that were being screened for in 2004. Randy was screened for two. Proponents for standardized screening say it could have spared or prepared the Golds for what they are going through with Eden.
Screening assesses a couple's reproductive risk, says Karen Arnovitz Grinzaid, a genetic counselor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Couples who are both carriers for the same disease have a 25% chance of passing that disease onto their children.
Many of these disorders are fatal, says Dr. Stephen Warren, the chair of the department of human genetics at Emory, and they can severely impact patients' quality of life.
A bright future
When Randy and Caroline met, their love blossomed quickly. They dated for eight months before getting engaged and were married three months later. They didn't waste time starting a family either. Fifteen months after their walk down the aisle, they welcomed Natanel into their lives. The Golds, now a family, were living the dream.
That dream included a bigger family; Eden was born two years later.
But when Eden was just 3 months old, Caroline started wondering whether something was wrong with her precious little girl. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. At first Eden didn't seem to be meeting her milestones on time. Then they noticed she had low muscle tone. At 9 months, Eden started physical therapy and had surgery to correct her crossed eyes. Doctors hoped she'd have a better view of the world and everything else would fall into place.
The pediatrician continued to reassure Caroline that every child develops at her own rate. At one point, Caroline was even told she should stop comparing her second child to her first and just enjoy her daughter.
"We finally decided that being told, 'She's gonna be fine' or 'Not to worry so much' just wasn't enough," Caroline remembers.
Against their pediatrician's advice, they took Eden to a neurologist who did an MRI on her brain. Caroline and Randy hold back tears as they remember the phone call from the neurologist at 9:30 p.m. He didn't know what was wrong with their daughter, he said, but it wasn't good.
"It was more than a sad moment," Randy says. "It was the beginning of what became a lot of sad moments."
The neurologist ran more tests before referring Eden to a geneticist. The geneticist thought it might be a Jewish genetic disease, but the Golds told him they had been screened.
Still, when he described ML4, Randy remembers thinking he had just described Eden. They waited two agonizing weeks for the lab to confirm the diagnosis.
Until screening is routine
As difficult as it was to hear the news about Eden, the Golds never ask, "Why us?"
Instead, Randy says, "We decided to make sure that the tragedy of Eden's story doesn't happen to another family."
They started by creating a comprehensive education program to teach doctors, rabbis and young couples in their community about the risks. Then they lobbied insurance companies and medical labs to standardize genetic screening, make it more accessible and lower the cost.
Their work inspired the Marcus Foundation and Emory University School of Medicine to create JScreen, a Web-based national screening program for the 19 most common Jewish genetic diseases, including ML4, that launched this month. While it's targeted at the Jewish population, the site also offers an expanded screening panel to check for a total of 80 genetic diseases, which may be more appropriate for non-Jewish spouses of a Jewish carrier or for those who are unsure of their ancestry.
There's no trip to the doctor or needle needed to draw blood. People who are interested in being screened can visit JScreen.org, read about the screening test and request a kit.
A box with the saliva test is then sent to the individual's home with instructions and an envelope to return the completed kit to the lab. Approximately four weeks later, results are discussed with a genetic counselor over the phone. Additional counseling can then be scheduled with a local genetic counselor.
The kit costs $99 for most people with insurance and $599 if you are uninsured.
Unlike direct-to-consumer genetic testing, offered by companies such as 23andMe, JScreen is a nonprofit program with an educational component. Every request for screening is reviewed by a genetic counselor at Emory University before a kit is sent out to make sure that the patient fully understands what the results can (and cannot) tell them.
Warren believes genetic testing will be part of routine medical care for every potential parent in the coming years; JScreen is just the start, he says. "We are looking at this as a prototype to see how well we can do this for the general population."
Prevention is the goal, says Grinzaid, who is also the senior director of outreach initiatives for JScreen. "In every ethnic group, there are diseases ... unless you have screening, you can have an affected kid."
Carrier screening programs for Jewish genetic diseases have seen success in the past, she says; in the 1970s and '80s, the fatal condition Tay-Sachs was reduced by approximately 90%.
But genetics is a rapidly changing field; the human body has hundreds of thousands of genes and mutations, and new ones are being discovered.
New screening tests are also being developed quickly. When the Golds were married in 2004, screening tests were available for 16 Jewish genetic diseases. Now scientists can screen for up to 19.
The ability to make informed decisions
Warren says parents of children affected by these types of diseases overwhelmingly say they would have wanted to know before they became pregnant. Armed with the right knowledge, a couple may chose to avoid the risk by using alternative pregnancy paths, such as adoption or in vitro fertilization.
If there's a risk, a couple could also choose to have amniocentesis or CVS testing done during pregnancy to check the fetus. The results could give the parents time to plan for the birth of a baby that will need special care. Or they may choose to end the pregnancy, says Grinzaid.
Aware of their risk, Caroline and Randy Gold added a beautiful, healthy baby girl to their family last year. They used pre-implantation genetic testing and IVF to ensure their new little one would not have ML4.
The Golds celebrated the Jewish New Year again last week with their three beautiful children. This year, they are hoping to encourage 7,000 people to get screened for preventable genetic diseases.
"Eden is here to save lives, and if that's what she's here to do, there is no life more noble than that," Randy says.


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Dear Sen. Udall,
I am unrepentantly idealistic, a registered Independent, and I voted for you. This is the first letter that I have ever written to an elected official. Several years ago I lived in Egypt, and walked by the site of the current protests in Tahrir Square every day for several months. Like many people around the world, I am watching current events in Cairo, and throughout the Middle East, with enthusiasm and cautious optimism. I also expect much from my elected leadership at this critical moment.
In his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama assured the Tunisian people that, "we stand with them". For this declaration to amount to more than simply "standing around", for this statement to be more than hollow platitudes tossed glibly at the feet of individuals who are at this very moment bleeding for their "right to peaceably assemble", our elected officials must stop equivocating and take concrete and decisive action in support of liberty and fair governance, both in Egypt and throughout the region.
And so, I ask you now to speak loudly and clearly when it matters most. Our credibility both in this moment, and in the coming decades, may well depend upon it, and there may be no second chance to act. Consider that we may be witnessing the most important political moment in the Middle East since post-war decolonization.
Egypt is typically the second largest recipient of US foreign aid money. In 2008 Egypt spent 1.3 billion US tax dollars on its military, compared to $103 million on education. Considering Egypt has about a 50% literacy rate, and has not fought a war in more than three decades, one has to question the rationale for this disparity in the allocation of US aid money. It is well known that the Egyptian military and security services have historically been used to suppress all opposition, while access to education has remained a distant consideration. Given that the latter issue is the cause of much of the ideological militancy in the world, it is high time that we asked why we are supporting oppression over education. The Afghanistan and Pakistan of the 1980's and 90's provide us with alarming precedents for the failure to put books before bullets, and opportunity before oppression.
My request is simple enough. First I ask that you use your voice on the floor of the Senate to unequivocally call for president Obama and your legislative colleagues to deny all future financial support to Egypt until president Mubarak either resigns or chooses to immediately, "respect human rights, rein in the security forces, and restore access to all communications in Egypt." This is the position that has been called for by Amnesty International
Next, I ask for a swift and public accounting on the floors of the House and of the Senate for all aid money that is spent in the region, from Morocco to Afghanistan. This accounting should, and must be followed by a challenge to the President, Secretary of State, and the entire Legislative Branch; to account for the US tax payer's support for oppressive governments in a part of the world where "spreading democracy" and "the furtherance of human rights" is the stated US policy.
The value of this accounting is straightforward; to reveal the relationship between the great sums of money that are provided to the various countries of the Middle East; how much of this money is spent on education, public health, and social programs, and how much money is spent on military training and armaments. These figures should then be presented side by side with non-partisan international assessments of the transparency and frequency of elections, and of basic civil liberties, in these same countries. These studies already exist, though by virtue of your office you may have access to more current figures. You will likely find that the numbers tell a disturbing story about the ongoing compromise of US principles in the name of promoting "stability" in the region.
This can be done in a way that is both simple and scientific, and much of this information is available to the general public already.
I am happy to provide my assistance in compiling such a matrix, should you choose to accept it.
Senator, as you begin to question why we provide unconditional aid to undemocratic and oppressive regimes in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, etc, you are sure to encounter the cynicism of Realpolitik. The idea that "stability" and "our national interest" trump all other considerations; that the security of Israel as "the only democracy in the region" is paramount.
It is difficult to provide a brief reply to the many fallacies that underlie such a premise. However I will start by pointing out the importance of all that we are not seeing and hearing on the streets of Egypt at this moment. We are not hearing the refrain of "Death to America" so popular amongst our detractors in the region, and we are not seeing people marching under the banner of religious militancy. These omissions represent much of what we have been striving for in our occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in our strained relations with Iran. These omissions should not be overlooked.
Next, we must come to terms with the fact that US tax-dollars have been directly funding all that is counter to our nation's founding principles, all over the Middle East, for a very long time. US policy-makers have been slow to realize that Cold War rationalizations for such hypocrisy are no longer morally justifiable or politically sustainable. We must also admit the obvious, that we have only secured a purchased peace between Israel and its neighbors, and that we are now seeing that this peace has also come at the price of freedom and opportunity for Israel's neighbors. In the end we must acknowledge that peace is not merely the absence of armed conflict, but the presence of Justice. If we insist on paying for an unjust peace, then we will ultimately get what we have paid for. We will reap the whirlwind of righteous anger and reactionary militancy. How much longer must we drain our treasury and our credibility to maintain the illusion of peace?
Also, let's start having a frank discussion about why we provide Israel, a developed country with the second highest life expectancy in the world (after Japan), and a nuclear power, with three billion dollars a year in unconditional aid (more than any other country). This, when the official position of every country in the world, including our own, considers Israel's occupation and settlement of occupied land as illegal. This latter point represents the rubric through which much of the Arab and Islamic world views American foreign policy, and hypocrisy.
In closing Senator, we must realize that Realpolitik logically ends with justice; that it is actually in our national interest never to be perceived as an obstacle to fair governance for others. We will pay for it one way or another down the road. My eyes are wide open. I see that the current wave of popular resistance is not likely to result in the birth of Jeffersonian Democracy across the Middle East; however there is something sacred about the right to popular self-determination, something essentially American about, "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." This right was viewed by our founding fathers as a natural right of all men, not simply Americans. The great democratic experiment that we so long ago embarked upon in this nation should and must be nurtured wherever it emerges, with prejudice to neither language nor culture.
Taken as a whole, Egyptians may be poor and oppressed, but they are not stupid. If Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, have taught us anything, it is that the peoples of the Middle East have a long memory. Let's be on the right side of history. Principled positions are those that we take when the outcome is uncertain, when we prioritize moral imperatives before political advantage. Let's be that country. Dr. King once spoke of, "the fierce urgency of now". Let's not ask our brothers and sisters in Cairo to wait another minute for their freedom, and let's remove all obstacles that we have placed before them in their struggle to attain it.
I voted for you. Please use your vote and your voice in a way that ensures the moral credibility of my generation and those that will follow.
Eric Maddox


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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – This year's Tennessee women's basketball team has been challenged with upholding Pat Summitt's legacy without her.
Summitt made the program the standard bearer for women's college basketball, but she stepped aside in April after announcing last year she has early-onset dementia.
The program has been turned over to new coach Holly Warlick, an assistant to Summitt for 27 years.
"We definitely want to keep passing the torch for years to come," sophomore center Isabelle Harrison said. "It's something that we've embraced. We're not running away from it. When we're into practice, when we're [lifting] weights, whatever we're doing, we know what we need to do just having Tennessee across our chest."
Summitt left the Vols with 1,098 victories and eight national titles in 38 seasons. She remains on staff as head coach emeritus, attends nearly every practice and is expected to be in the stands for all of Tennessee's home games.
Still, things will be different around Knoxville.
"It will not be the same," Georgia coach Andy Landers said. "I don't care how hard people try to make it the same or how much people want it to the same. It won't be the same. That's not to say it won't be good. It'll just be different just because Tennessee's success for the last 36, 37 years has been built around Pat Summitt – and that won't be the case as we go forward."
Tennessee opens the season Friday at Chattanooga and though the Vols are ranked 20th, it's the school's lowest position in the Top 25 since February 1985. They have nobody who started an NCAA tournament game during their run to a regional final last season.
"I think a bunch of people are crossing us off the map," sophomore forward Cierra Burdick said. "That just kind of fires me up because Pat has worked so hard to get Tennessee at the top of women's basketball. I want to help her legacy and now Holly's legacy (to) continue to stay at the top.
"I wouldn't want it to slowly fall off and fall off year by year."
That's the challenge facing Warlick. During SEC media day last month, she was asked whether she had the worst job in America.
"I was taken aback," Warlick said. "If you could poll a lot of coaches, they'd love to be in my shoes. I think it's the best job in the country. It's the best job in the country for me."
Indeed, Warlick is uniquely suited for the position.
A Knoxville native, she played for Summit and was the first Tennessee athlete to have her jersey retired. Warlick knows the history of the program about as well as anyone.
"This is where I have always wanted to be," Warlick said. "I have never said I am too scared to do this (or) I don't want to do this. I love the challenge and I love the opportunity to be here. It is in my blood. It is all I know.
"I think the country and women's basketball would be shocked if I didn't have on orange and white. ... It is just who I am and what I think I was chosen to do."
During an August team meeting, Warlick handed each member of the team a white baton to show them what this season means. The batons included the message: "Tennessee Lady Vols tradition... All we are doing is passing the baton. New team, new staff, new goals. ... Same heart, same pride, same fight. Take the baton and let's go!"
And the message isn't just coming from Warlick.
"We have former players come in it seems like every week," Burdick said. "They huddle up in the circle with us before practice and they give us their little spiel and words of encouragement and tell us every single time, 'Do not rest on tradition. Continue to build it. What has come before you is great, but we want to see great things to come in the future.' That is our responsibility at the University of Tennessee, to continue on with this legacy."
That starts by making the Lady Vols championship contenders again. Tennessee hasn't reached the Final Four since its 2008 national title, its longest absence since the NCAA started running the women's tournament in 1982.
To turn that around starts with players.
Warlick's staff has shown it can recruit. Warlick added former Iowa head coach Jolette Law and former Kentucky recruiting coordinator Kyra Elzy to her staff. Elzy played at Tennessee from 1996-2001 and was part of two national championship teams.
Although freshman center Nia Moore and Louisburg (N.C.) College transfer Jasmine Phillips are the only Lady Vols who joined the team after the coaching change, Warlick secured a verbal commitment last week from Springfield (Ore.) High post player Mercedes Russell. She is rated the nation's No. 1 senior prospect by ESPN's HoopGurlz recruiting service.
Warlick also is introducing an uptempo style in an attempt to capitalize on the Lady Vols' strengths. Tennessee will face a size disadvantage against some opponents, but the Lady Vols believe they can run with anyone.
"It's what we've got to do if we want to win, point blank, period," sophomore guard Ariel Massengale said.
Amid all the changes, the one constant for the Lady Vols is the commitment to making sure Tennessee remains one of the nation's premier programs. They believe they owe that to Summitt.
"I still think it's a program that has great tradition, and it's going to continue the tradition," Warlick said. "We're just going to build on it."
AP Sports Writer Charles Odum of Athens, Ga., contributed to this report.


text: Panorama west coast living New community of 200 executive townhomes with 3 bed + den or 4 bed with 4 washrooms, all units are over 1600 sqft in the new panorama/sullivan area. Comes with big kitchens with shaker self closing cabinets and bright quartz countertops with wine cooler in island and 2 decks with sliding doors for max sunlight. Close to all schools and transit. OPEN DAILY FROM 12 TO 5 EXCEPT FRIDAYS OR CALL. NEW PRE-SELLING PHASE 5 AND 6. LATE 2019 AND EARLY 2020 COMPLETION. GST INCLUDED IN PRICE


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If you're Ophidiophobic, Guido Mocafico's photo series "Serpens" (1-4) is not for you. Slithering, scaly, sinuous—snakes are one of the most widely reviled creatures on Earth. And yet Mocafico's still-life photos of snakes in a box, including vipers and cobras, are absorbingly beautiful, full of color and pattern and twisting, supple shapes. In the collected photos of Serpens, which has also been published as a book by the same name, the snakes are like nature's art swatches, rectangular and saturated.
"The first time I photographed a snake up close, I nearly fainted. I'd always found them terrifying, but also fascinating—an attraction-repulsion I think most people experience when they encounter beautiful animals that creep or crawl. My goal with this series is to explore that intersection of human emotions."
"Serpens", "Aranea" (Spiders), and "Medusa" (Jellyfish) comprise the trilogy "Venenum", all shot on black backgrounds from above, all terrifyingly exquisite. Mocafico worked on these long-term personal projects, published in books and shown as gallery exhibitions, alongside his commercial and advertising activities.
"Each photography session takes about 45 minutes. The expert corrals the snakes into a cloth-lined, clear plastic-sided box. Then I stand two feet away, pull back the top, point my camera—I still prefer the look of film—and wait for patterns and curves to emerge.
This series has been good therapy and education for me: I can handle snakes now and have learned a lot about different species. But I've learned most by watching people react to these images. Their fear and desire reveals something primal about our species."
Looking at these images, there is nothing inherently scary about these reptiles. On the contrary, they are gorgeous—their hues and markings lush and complex. By elevating snakes into art, Guido Mocafico makes us look, really look, at the mesmerizing source of our fear. (Via Juxtapoz. Artist quotes via National Geographic)


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I love Fridays! I get to highlight all the yummy-deliciousness I found this week on your blogs. And, this week, there were some excellent picks. Oh, Christmas goodies, how I love thee! Thanks for the inspiration.
{What Megan's Making}
{GOODEness Gracious}
{Andrea Meyers}
{Brenda's Blog}
{The Gaines Gang}
{The Mother Huddle}
{Living a Bona Fide Life}
{The Sweets Life}
{Greens and Chocolate}
{What Megan's Making}
{Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks}


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In a scary disclaimer that's nothing to joke about, there's something I should tell you: Predicting the success of quarterbacks isn't my strong suit, a revelation that came largely from six seasons spent covering the Miami Dolphins.
Allow me to explain what happens when you try to fit an optimistic peg into a black hole ...
Trent Green? Oh, yeah. Cleo Lemon? He's the man! Sage Rosenfels? Hey, why not! John Beck? Future Hall of Famer! Daunte Culpepper? Still got it! Chad Henne? The next Marino! Joey Harrington? Gus Frerotte? Tyler Thigpen? OK, let's not go too far.
Needless to say, even as Ryan Tannehill looks like he might really be the answer for the Miami Dolphins this time (seriously, why can't I stop?), a decent dose of cynicism has crept into my Rex Grossman-loving cranium. So no, there will be no predictions about the QB class of 2012, even if I so badly want to say the Cleveland Browns' Brandon Weeden is a rock star.
There's just no reason for me to do to them what I've done to those I've admired (cough, Brady Quinn, cough) in the past. Hey, I'm learning. And if there's one lesson I can pass along in the wake of my own bad experiences (Seriously, Chad Pennington's shoulder will be fiiine!), it is this: Chill out and let it happen.
|Starting QBs with three years of experience or less
|Andrew Luck
|Indianapolis Colts
|2012 (1st pick)
|Robert Griffin III
|Washington Redskins
|2012 (2nd)
|Ryan Tannehill
|Miami Dolphins
|2012 (8th)
|Brandon Weeden
|Cleveland Browns
|2012 (22nd)
|Russell Wilson
|Seattle Seahawks
|2012 (75th)
|Cam Newton
|Carolina Panthers
|2011 (1st)
|Jake Locker
|Tennessee Titans
|2011 (8th)
|Blaine Gabbert
|Jacksonville Jaguars
|2011 (10th)
|Christian Ponder
|Minnesota Vikings
|2011 (12th)
|Andy Dalton
|Cincinnati Bengals
|2011 (35th)
|Sam Bradford
|St. Louis Rams
|2010 (1st)
|Matthew Stafford
|Detroit Lions
|2009 (1st)
|Mark Sanchez
|New York Jets
|2009 (5th)
|Josh Freeman
|Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|2009 (17th)
|* John Skelton, drafted 155th overall in 2010, will join this group if he wins the starting job for the Arizona Cardinals.
Yes, we're all aware of the crazy breakdowns regarding the league's quarterback landscape. Now that the Seattle Seahawks have named Russell Wilson their starter, five rookies are set to be under center in Week 1. That means 14 of 32 starting quarterbacks have three years of NFL experience or less. (Check out the table to the right.)
It's a fantastic youth movement -- the start of a potentially great era at the quarterback position. After all, we haven't seen something like this since ... since ... since JaMarcus Russell joined Matt Leinart and Vince Young in the exhilarating QB wave of 2007.
OK, that might be a slight exaggeration. But it's still important to point out that we might be overreacting just a touch to the current influx of young quarterbacks, particularly since most on the list have yet to prove their staying power.
At this point, does the current crop of young guns even deserve to be compared to the group drafted between 2004 and 2005, which includes Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Schaub, Alex Smith, Jason Campbell, Kyle Orton, Matt Cassel and Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Questions already abound regarding the current group of 14 young quarterbacks. It's hard for anyone to say with certainty that the Jacksonville Jaguars' Blaine Gabbert, the Minnesota Vikings' Christian Ponder, the Tennessee Titans' Jake Locker or even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Josh Freeman will have long-term careers. And the five aforementioned rookies have yet to even take a regular-season snap.
The point is simple: Youth doesn't equate to legacy. This influx of young guns -- whatever caused it -- doesn't mean colleges are doing a better job of developing talent. It just means NFL teams are trying harder to develop new hope.
Ten of the 14 young quarterbacks on our list took over teams that finished with six wins or less the season before. Only two quarterbacks (the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez and Locker) inherited teams that had winning records the previous season. In other words, these signal-callers aren't exactly beating out Drew Brees or Tom Brady for starting jobs.
Luck and Robert Griffin III, as they transition from college to life in the NFL. More...
Are we on the brink of a very special era at the position? Maybe, but it's going to take years to get a true answer. In fact, we might've already entered the era many believe is still on the horizon. It took time for the group from 2004-05 to exert its dominance. Guys like Rodgers, Fitzpatrick and Schaub were backups first. And Smith's legacy is just now on the upswing of its potential, seven years after he entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick.
We all have reason to be excited about the future of the quarterback position. None of this is intended to dampen expectations for the young guys taking the torch.
But before we go crafting busts to fill those spaces next to hallowed names like Elway, Unitas and Montana, perhaps we should step back and let history unfold.
After all, not everyone can turn into a stud like Grossman.
Follow Jeff Darlington on Twitter @jeffdarlington


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Joshua Plant, Ph.D.
Chairman, Zija Product Advisory Council
Dr. Joshua Plant graduated from Harvard Medical School first in his class, accomplishing an 8-year program in just 3.5 years. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and was selected as 1 of 14 international recipients of the NIH Research Fellowship Award. Dr. Plant has published across several scientific journals for his work on cellular growth, metabolism and other health-related topics and oversees the creation and quality of all Zija International products.


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Process for Requesting Leave
Employees must submit all requests for sick leave, vacation leave, leaves of absence, or extensions of leaves of absence as soon as they become aware of the need for leave, in advance of the leave, directly to their supervisor. Please check with your supervisor as to the method/process they would like you to follow when making your request(s).
In addition all requests for sick leave, vacation leave, paid or unpaid leaves of absences should be entered into the online Time and Leave Reporting System.
Check the applicable collective bargaining agreement or personnel plan for further details.
More Information on Leave
What you need to do...
- Submit your request for leave as soon as possible, to your immediate supervisor, using the method/process they have specified.
- Enter your request for leave into the online Time and Leave Reporting System.


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Difference between revisions of "Babel"
From Tmplab
(New page: = Babel = The upstream Babel page: http://www.pps.jussieu.fr/~jch/software/babel/ == Babel versions == 0.93 is the most recent released version of Babel. It has some algorithmic change...)
(No difference)
Revision as of 18:59, 4 April 2009
The upstream Babel page: http://www.pps.jussieu.fr/~jch/software/babel/
Babel versions
0.93 is the most recent released version of Babel. It has some algorithmic changes w.r.t. 0.92, and is the version that we intend to test.
Babel doesn't need much, if any, configuration. Simply listing the interfaces participating in the mesh is enough:
babel wlan0 eth0
- Babel uses some optimisations on wired interfaces. If you have interfaces that Babel mis-detects as wired (e.g. weird tunnelling setups, bridging), you need to specify the -w flag on Babel's command line;
- Babel assumes bridged interfaces are wireless, i.e. disables the optimisations on bridged interfaces. The best solution is to un-bridge the interfaces.
The OpenWRT package for Babel is out-of-date. Babel's author uses ipkg-buildpackage to build his own packages.


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Undercounter Refrigerator
You're likely to find an undercounter refrigerator at a cafe storing milk and cream, under a restaurant bar keeping beer bottles chilled, or in a commercial kitchen for ready access to cold ingredients. Anywhere that quick, convenient access to chilled items would be a benefit is a good place for one. They're available with one or two sections and with drawers, doors, or a combination of the two. More


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Tech Featured In Annual Rankings Again
SOCORRO, N.M. June 4, 2013 – Once again New Mexico Tech has received high ranking statistics from prominent sources. Tech has received high marks in a number of different areas from no less than four different sources, each time in different areas.
University President Dr. Daniel H. Lopez said, "While national rankings may not be the most precise measure of the quality of higher education institutions, they do provide a benchmark of the performance of such institutions – especially when an institution is rated high on various quality measures by multiple rating groups. As such, it is very gratifying to see New Mexico Tech rated so high by a number of rating groups."
In their most recent list of "Top Public Schools" rankings, U.S. News & World Report lists Tech as the second highest ranked school behind California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo for the western region 2013 ranking. These numbers come from U.S. News rankings for "Best Colleges" where New Mexico Tech is ranked No. 20 in the west. As one of the few public schools near the top, Tech easily climbed these rankings into the published list for Top Public Schools. The website reports that after categorizing schools, they measure Best College values based on assessment by administrators at peer institutions, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.
Another source, the Washington Monthly, ranked New Mexico Tech as 7th nationally among Masters Universities in the nation out of 682 schools on the journal's published rankings list for 2012. Tech was boosted to the top of this list largely due to its enormous amounts of funding towards researched where it ranked No. 1, next being CUNY City College of New York. The ranking was also bolstered by Tech's Bachelor's to Ph.D. rank where it ranked fourth behind St. John's College of New Mexico, University of Dallas of Texas, and Trinity University of Texas.
Payscale's College Salary Report compares graduate salaries of various universities and ranks them publicly. The 2013 study lists New Mexico Tech behind only Colorado School of Mines in the Mountain Region and 34th out of 1058 schools. Payscale also ranks Tech highly on their Return on Investment scale, as 76th nationally for in-state investment value and 91st nationally for out-of-state investment value. New Mexico State University ranked 317th and 527th respectively while the University of New Mexico ranked 527th and 653rd respectively. Eastern New Mexico University ranked 746th and 813rd respectively. On the ROI scale, Tech is ranked 2nd regionally behind Colorado School of Mines among public schools and ranked 4th regionally among both public and private schools.
Finally, Kiplinger ranked New Mexico Tech nationally on their top 100 "Best Values in Public Colleges" rankings of 2012 as 79th using in-state costs and 88th using out-of-state costs. Kiplinger rankings are based on all student costs and financial aid. On this list Tech is ranked 3rd for lowest in-state cost per year, behind Appalachian State University and University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. Kiplinger also ranks Tech as 5th under lowest total out-of-state cost per year. Tech ranked as the 6th most affordable school based on cost after need-based aid. New Mexico Tech ranks 19th on Kiplinger's Best Value rankings for lowest average debt at graduation, graduating students with an average debt of less than $18,000.
By David Wood/New Mexico Tech


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Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris, has gone goth in a shocking image overhaul.
The 14-year-old showed off the results of her radical makeover in a picture posted on Twitter.com, swapping her long dark blonde hair for a short black cut, which highlights an apparent tattoo on the nape of her neck.
In the snap, Paris wears a ripped Pink Floyd T-shirt, and told fans in a caption, "Late night creativity."
Paris' image overhaul comes as she tries to carve out a career as an actress. She makes her big screen debut in 2013 fantasy film "Lundon's Bridge and The Three Keys."
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS


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Also, it is not recommended that you try to staunch blood loss with a lit cigarette.
Like this guy.
Thank you, Lee!
A Blog detailing the insanity of my medical practice and the stupidity of everyday life.
Shoulda known, only in Los Angeles.
"The man wasn't screaming or showing any signs of pain, the sergeant said."
No brain, no pain.
Abutter knife? Please. Doesn't everyone know that sort of procedure requires at the very LEAST a steak knife? Or, a spork even. But a butter knife? Really, what is the world coming to?
Maybe the guy was fat and his wife called him "Butterball"?
Menthol cigarettes are much better at easing the pain.
How many hours of watching medical shows do you need to log before you're considered a trained professional?
Needless to say, he didn't get invited to too many more dinner parties after that.
Extreme Stupidity should be a medical/psychiatric diagnosis.
"Alright Mr X. I see from your file that you've been diagnosed with Extreme Stupidity, so I'm going to need to get your next of kin to make these decisions, and sign the forms."
"He stabbed him self whith what? Why?"
"Extreme Stupidity"
"I'll say."
"72 hour psych hold. Extreme Stupidity, non-compliant with meds, and insufficiently supervised in the home."
I once cut out several warts with a craft knife, and cauterized them with the handle of a teaspoon heated on the stove. It worked quite well, but it hurt like f*ck.
Of course, I was about 10.
Why a butter knife, anyway? They're blunt.
In related news the Obama Administration seized upon this story to advocate their plan for universal health care.
Probably used Lysol Bathroom Disinfectant to lay out the sterile field.
The butter knife part is mysterious, but the cauterization reminds me of one of the Fu Manchu novels (there were a few kicking around the house when I was a kid).
Narrator (a doctor; I forget his name -- something innocuous like "Shepherd"), on being asked to examine a wound on the arm of Nayland Smith (the would-be arch-nemesis of the implacable Yellow Peril):
"It appears to have been deeply cauterized."
"Right," raps out Smith; "very deeply. A barb steeped in the venom of a hamadryad went in there."
I think it is from sources such as these that people get the idea that if you only burn the f*ck out of whatever it is, all will be well.
Little Calf Creamery. Delicious homemade ice cream and food in Thousand Oaks!


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Will it be known as the Ravens rule?
An NFL competition committee proposal to "make it illegal for an offensive player with an eligible number to report as ineligible and line up outside the core of the formation" got the necessary 75 percent approval from team owners during the final day of the league meetings at the Arizona Biltmore resort.
That means a tactic the New England Patriots used in their comeback, 35-31, victory over the Ravens in an AFC divisional playoff game in January will be penalized going forward.
"That player had an eligible number and he was lined up outside of the tackle box," said Rich McKay, the co-chairman of the competition committee, when...


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The Zoodles Story
The idea for Zoodles was born while Mark watched his 4-year-old daughter, Abbie, struggle while using the computer. He wondered why kids were constantly trying to adapt to computers rather than having the computers adapt to them. After talking with dozens of other parents, it became clear that they were all equally frustrated with the experiences their children were having online.
While parents universally believed that the computer could help their kids learn, they just didn't have the time or resources to scour the web and find any of this fun, educational content themselves. Additionally, parents wanted more say over what their children were doing online. Without trusted content, they really didn't want to open up the whole, sometimes scary, web to their young kids.
Mark decided it was time to build a safe, fun, and educational online experience for kids that also gave parents the information and control they wanted. After discussing the idea with his friend, Rich, they decided to form a company to build Zoodles.
Since then, the team has grown to include incredibly talented engineers, educational experts, and creative designers who understand how to build simple interfaces for kids. The team is excited to be working on a product that can change how children learn while giving parents an active role in the experience. We hope that you enjoy Zoodles as much as we do!


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Welcome to the home of the Michigan Green Chemistry Clearinghouse, a project hosted by the Center for Sustainability at Aquinas College through grant funding provided by the State of Michigan.
The overall goal of the Michigan Green Chemistry Clearinghouse is to accelerate green chemistry awareness, innovation and investment in the State of Michigan by creating and enabling a community of green chemistry advocates that are connected and informed. The Clearinghouse aims to be a dynamic and interactive on-line source of information, resources, databases, learning opportunities and interactive tools for citizens, business and industry professionals, educators, policy makers, entrepreneurs and others.
Please consider joining our community. Bookmark this site and check back often for further developments. To receive updates by email, please send your name, affiliation and contact information to: email@example.com
To read more about the Project Partners, visit the About Us page.


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by Mark Jagord, sports information assistant
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 21 Georgia College men's tennis team (12-5, 5-3 PBC) beat No. 46 Young Harris College (11-10, 2-8 PBC), 7-2 Thursday at the Centennial Center Tennis facility. The Bobcats completed their first of three Peach Belt Conference (PBC) home matches in the next four days.
The men's team got off to a great start with a 3-0 lead after doubles play.
The Bobcats top pair, the No. 16 doubles team of sophomore Yannick Hass (Troisdorf, Germany) and senior Alex Schubert (Frankfurt, Germany) won in the first spot 8-3 against Raul Quevedo and Guilherme Frias.
Sophomore Taylor Powell (Martinez, Ga.) and freshman Anton Waern (Taby, Sweden) beat Sebastian Edin and Abel Pigache 8-6 at second doubles, but the Bobcats third doubles team had the best showing.
Freshman Kyle Kinsler (Suwanee, Ga.) and sophomore Mattia Campus (Concorezzo, Italy) blanked Sam Dotson and Brecht Vangrinsven in the third spot.
The Bobcats took four of the six singles matches. No. 33 Hass beat Frias 6-2, 6-0 in the first spot. Schuber fell to Sebastian Edin in second singles 6-7, 6-2, 10-5; while Waern won both sets against Vangrinsven 6-3, 6-0 at the third spot.
At fourth singles, Campus bested Pigache 6-2, 4-6, 10-1. Powell dropped to Quevedo 6-4, 6-2 in the fifth spot; and Kinsler won against Dotson at sixth singles with a pair of 6-0 sets.
The men's tennis team will finish the regular season at the Centennial Center Tennis Facility this weekend against No. 15 USC Aiken and No. 7 Lander University. The next match will be Saturday against the Pacers starting at 1 p.m.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.


text: + Article code: PACK-FAKE-316, Surgical Steel 316L / Rosegold Plated Steel / Gold Plated Surgical Steel 316L Super Sale Bundle Fake Piercings × Please select Super Sale Bundles deliver Crazy Factory quality at unbeatable prices – the more you order, the more you save! At package size 10 you already save up to 40% of the item price, and at larger sizes it'll be even more. But please note: Super Sale Bundles cannot be returned or exchanged. Base price $14.45 ? $14.45 Add to cart Add to watchlist


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- About Curling
- The Club
- Activities
- Try Curling!
- Register
- Dedicated Ice
- Calendar
- Shop
- Press
The San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club is building our own curling center in Oakland set to open in 2019. Our affiliation with Oakland Ice Center has ended. Join our mailing list to be notified when new Intro-to-Curling Clinics are announced and leagues are forming.
Interested in a corporate or group events at our new curling center? Find out more »
Dedicated Ice Updates
Dedicated Ice Status Update
•LETTER OF INTENT We received the owner's response to our Letter of Intent (LOI) on 3/17. We immediately turned around our response by the end of that week (3/21). As it appears to take them a few weeks to reply, we expect to hear back in the next week or two. Next steps are to have an in person meeting. To characterize the main discussion points:
*Rent/rent abatement/lease commencement - Our objective is to take possession as soon as we are ready (city approves our application and we have enough $ in the bank), but not pay any rent until we are open for curling.
SFBACC Membership Approves Dedicated Ice In The Bay Area
Dear Members and Friends of Curling,
Earlier this evening, the membership of the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club voted to authorize the club's Board of Directors to proceed with building in Hayward, CA what will be the only dedicated curling facility in California. Once operational, the new curling center will provide a greater diversity of draw times and activities, improved ice quality, and allow us to fully develop our Youth/Junior curling initiative as well as new wheelchair and deaf curling programs.
AUP Application and Member Vote Meeting Call-in Info
Today we finally submitted the AUP application to the City of Hayward. Michael Lively personally delivered it and was told by the planner assigned to us that the drawings look more complete than most of what they get in. Way to go Michael!!. Next we have a meeting to discuss our application set on April 2nd. The drawings look pretty cool. We will have a copy to show at tomorrow's member meeting
WCF Loan Info, Kudos, Revised DI Business Plan, and Hayward Facility Tour
WCF Loan Application
Results of Member Forums
Here's a summary of the DI Committee's work in the last few weeks:
Member Forums
Member Meeting and Voting
Upcoming member forums
2 upcoming Member Forums:
Tuesday, 2/25 in SJ at 7:00pm at Sharks Ice - San Jose in the 2nd floor conference room.
Saturday 3/1 in Oakland at 5:30pm at the Pacific Brewing Company. 906 Washington St, Oakland.
The Dedicated Ice Steering Committee is conducting a brief survey to collect further data regarding the proposed Dedicated Ice Facility in Hayward. By now you should have received a link to the survey in your e-mail. We would greatly appreciate your participation in this survey. Given the time-sensitive nature of this request, we hope you can set aside a couple of minutes and complete the questions.
The survey link is uniquely tied to each member's e-mail address, so if you didn't receive a link via e-mail, please contact the board ASAP with your e-mail address.
Letter of Intent Summary
The Dedicated Ice Committee, in cooperation with our real estate agent, has prepared a Letter of Intent to be supplied to the owner of the facility at 3121 Diablo Avenue, Hayward, CA. This Letter is only a proposal to negotiate the terms of a potential lease agreement, and is neither an offer nor a contract. Note these terms represent what SFBACC is asking, and there will be some give and take in our discussions with the owner.
Summary of Monday's (2/17) DI informal member meeting in San Jose
On Monday (2/17) an informal member meeting was held in San Jose to give an update on the Dedicated Ice initiative. For those of you who couldn't make it, here's what was discussed:
- We kicked things off with Mike Greenberg giving us an Olympic update. As of Monday (2/17), we had over 800 people come out to try a Learn to Curl during the Olympic push, and over 40 new curlers have registered for lessons starting this Saturday.
-Brian gave a quick status on the multi-threads various committee members are working on,
Dedicated Ice Business Plan
Dear Members,
The Dedicated Ice Committee is pleased to present our business plan, which you can find at www.bayareacurling.com/di-business-plan. This document provides a description of SFBACC today, a vision for how dedicated ice can and will benefit SFBACC, and the requirements for building a dedicated curling facility. The document includes a pro forma operating budget, but since its production, the finance committee has compiled a draft report detailing the assumptions and calculations used to project annual operating balance sheets for a dedicated ice facility in Hayward. Furthermore, it provides some analysis and comparisons to the current state of SFBACC as a Sharks Ice customer. You can find this document at www.bayareacurling.com/di-business-plan as well. Note that both documents are in draft form for your review, so please excuse any typos or errors.


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Troll Happy Birthday Message
Troll Happy Birthday Message: – Everyone has a wish that his or her birthday should be more special from the previous one. We are providing the birthday cakes pictures with names, which is the very unique and interesting way to wish birthday. By this articles, you can write the name on birthday cakes for everyone. There are… Read More »


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Man-midwives were male doctors who attended at births instead of female midwives. They were also known as 'he-midwives' or (more fashionably) as accoucheurs. After thousands of years of women-only births, male midwifery started suddenly in the early 1700s. University medical graduates, trained in modern anatomy, had become more confident. They also used forceps for difficult births. The midwifery forceps were invented by the Chamberlen family in the 1600s, and remained a family secret until the 1730s. Midwives complained of hundreds of male competitors taking up this lucrative new trade.
In England the wealthiest and most influential man-midwife was the Scottish surgeon William Smellie. Smellie improved the forceps and wrote a bestselling practical midwifery handbook. He taught many pupils, including the famous surgeon and obstetrician William Hunter. Hunter's pupil William Shippen successfully introduced male midwifery to America. But in Germany female midwives were protected by being given better training and a new licensing system. In France, Italy and Spain the Catholic church insisted on the use of female midwives, to protect female modesty.
Related Themes and Topics
Related links
J Donnison, Midwives and Medical Men. A History of the Struggle for the Control of Childbirth (London: Historical Publications Ltd, 1988)
I Loudon, 'Childbirth' in W F Bynum & R Porter (eds), Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine, 1 (London: Routledge, 1993), pp 1050-1053
L McTavish, 'Blame and vindication in the early modern birthing chamber', Medical History, 1/50/4 (October 2006), pp 447–464
R Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind (London: Harper Collins, 1997)
A branch of medical science concerned with the structure of living organisms.
A pliers-like medical instrument used to grasp tissue.
A branch of medicine dealing with the care of women. This care occurs during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period of recovery from childbirth.


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Family Search provides a constantly updated genealogical database for free. The site provides four different ways of conducting searches which include records, trees, catalog and books. All of them prove to be valuable tools in conducting our genealogical search.
When accessing the Family Search page you will see the option of entering a name to conduct a search in the records. If this is your first time visiting the site it is important to become a registered user. The icon to click is in the upper right corner. You will need to select a users name and password. An email will then be sent to you that you will need to confirm your information. By registering you will be allowed access to the scanned records like census page and vital records. There is a big advantage to see the original source for the transcription.
Once you have become registered you will need to go back to the starting page. You are given several options on this first page. You have the four selections of records, trees, catalog and books. Included on this page you can search by location or also look at the many databases that are available.
The records search allows you to access many of the databases. They are all location specific. Providing as much information for the historical search is important so you are able to look at a smaller group of choices. Records here are census, vital, migration, military, probate and other. The more specific that you are with the details the smaller your group of people will be, but you can vary your search parameters. One that I like to do is searching for a surname in a specific location like Wayne County, Michigan. This gives you a list of people that go by the same last name in a specific location during certain time periods. I have found this good when looking to search collateral lines. Information when searching this way helps you in connecting families and to find more things that you would not be able to find in a very specific search. When you are not certain of the specific location, but know a state for instance you can get a much larger group. This does not work as well for popular names. I will talk about various search methods in upcoming articles.
A note on the records search options is that not all the databases are available in the search option. Example of this would be the Archdiocese records for cemeteries and parishes in the Toledo, OH area. This source can be accessed by clicking on the "All records Collection" that is located just below the search function on the first page. All records are listed by location. Here you would have to move down to
Ohio in the listing and
look for the Toledo Archdiocese records.
Descriptions of the databases are included on the databases first
page. This section is by far the most
updated and you should look at it regularly.
As I mentioned many records are not included in the Records search database,
but are located on the site.
Now go back to the records search and look at what we got with our name search. The returns for your search will cover all the databases included in the search. For the sake of discussion we will be looking for a death record in Lenawee County Michigan. We are given the option to look specifically for the death date. Once you reach the second page which is the results of your search you need to look at the options of the databases searched. If you conduct a narrow search for the name in the location and the way you have the name spelled the results will be very narrow. If there is a chance the name could be spelled several different ways in a specific location narrow the search by making it location specific.
To see what databases have been searched click on the word "Collections" in the filter section along the left side of the page. Here you will see all the databases that were searched and how many were found. You should come up with three different databases specific to
Michigan which is divided by time period and the
SSDI index. By clicking on one of the
four it will narrow the amount of names.
Search each database. Information
can vary. Once you get to a record that
you feel applies click on the name. Here
it will have a transcription if available of the actual record. You can not look at the scan if you are not
registered. Much more information is
included on the actual scan of the document.
The key here is to have a plan for what you are searching for and trying to learn. Narrow the search by location. Don't be afraid to try different methods for searching the databases.