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As the smoke of hope dissipates for the eradication of HIV from the human body and the limitations of antiretroviral medications become all too apparent, efforts are being renewed to examine a role for immune-based interventions to help control HIV infection and potentially reduce ongoing exposure to antiretroviral medications. One way of intervening is to take vaccines that were originally designed to prevent infection and give them to people who are already infected with HIV. Strictly speaking, this is called a therapeutic immunization.
Although other methods of stimulating the immune system are also being considered, therapeutic immunization is likely to be less expensive and more easily tolerated than other immune boosting therapies. Despite healthy skepticism of how useful they'll be, many researchers as well as HIV-positive persons are enthusiastic about their promise.
Robert Redfield, M.D., Director of Clinical Research at the Institute of Human Virology in Baltimore, points out that models of therapeutic immunization in other diseases have already proven benefit. "The rabbit herpes model in the seventies, rabies, and a post exposure mechanism for immunization against smallpox in humans all have shown efficacy in moderating the course of disease."
Dr. Redfield continues. "If you look carefully at the hepatitis B vaccine study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, several of the persons enrolled tested positive for surface antigen, indicating that they were incubating hepatitis B; yet, after administration of the vaccine, none got intercurrent infection. There are also examples in leishmaniasis in humans as well as animal anthrax data. Do I think this will work for HIV? I would have to say yes. The only questions are what are the right antigens and how best to deliver them."
This sentiment is echoed by Pat Bucy, M.D., Ph. D., an immunologist and Professor of Pathology & Medicine from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Will a therapeutic immunization work? I think the answer is yes -- but how big an effect it will have and what fraction of the population of HIV-infected individuals will have a significant benefit from this approach needs to be worked out in clinical trials."
Jim Kahn, M.D., an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of California San Francisco Medical Center and provider of HIV care at San Francisco General Hospital, is equally optimistic. "Could a therapeutic vaccine make it a more tolerable situation for our patients? Yes, I believe an immunization could help re-stimulate the immune system to recognize constitutively expressive cells [cells that are making HIV proteins and are flagging themselves for destruction]."
Dr. Kahn continues. "We've spent a lot of time on some candidate vaccines and have learned several important lessons. Not only have antibody-based vaccines proved insufficiently protective, they have not been of benefit therapeutically. I think now is the time to concentrate on the cellular side of the immune system." Dr. Kahn is currently enrolling low-risk HIV negative people into a phase I safety trial of Merck's so-called "naked DNA" vaccine, and plans are in the works to evaluate this in HIV-positive people.
Dr. Bucy elaborates on the potential for therapeutic immunizations. "What we are currently missing is an understanding of what it is that controls viral replication off therapy." A "setpoint" -- a relatively flat viral load over time -- has been shown to occur in most people in the absence of therapy. A sort of natural equilibrium happens.
According to Dr. Bucy, "there is no commonly accepted model as to what drives this setpoint that is achieved relatively early in infection -- although widely variable between persons -- yet is sustained until the CD4 count drops below 200 in end stage disease. At that time, the whole immune system begins to decompensate [fail to provide protection against common bugs like PCP], and viral load begins to rise." The setpoint phenomenon has been demonstrated in invaluable historical natural history studies of untreated persons.
"So the question remains, why did the viral burden stay at such a relatively low level? What is the mechanism? To me, there are two theoretical choices -- the target cell limitation theory and the theory of immune control." The target cell limitation theory was popularized in a 1996 article with, according to Dr. Bucy, little supportive data.
This theory says that the viral "ceiling" is maintained due to the finite number of target cells that HIV has available to infect. Since activated CD4 cells are those most susceptible to infection, their number would be limited at any given time. Dr. Bucy feels that this is difficult to believe considering the enormous variation in viral load during the flat "setpoint" period among different individuals with the same CD4 count. He says, "I find this conceptually hard to swallow."
This theory doesn't pay much attention to other cells of the immune system that are vulnerable to infection by HIV, such as macrophages. Perhaps more tellingly, it fails to fully account for the rapid increase and rise in viral burden late in infection when there is less fuel (CD4 cells) for the fire. It could be argued that the immune system is in a general state of chaos at this point, and the entire population of dwindling CD4 cells is indiscriminately activated. Nevertheless, studies of general immune suppressing agents have yet to show a true antiviral effect.
Therefore, we are left with the theory of immune control to account for the stabilization of viral load through a relatively long period of chronic infection. Dr. Bucy draws the analogy of a lawn being mowed regularly by the immune system. The grass continues to grow, but is kept in check by the immune system. This implies that if such control could be enhanced -- the grass mowed to a lower height -- people could perhaps go longer without the destabilizing side effects of antiretroviral chemotherapy and prolong the period of symptom-free infection.
Since antiretroviral therapy slows down viral replication -- offering T-cells protective cover from infection by HIV -- a vaccine could kick-start CD4 cells that are specific for HIV antigens and the CD8 "killer" T-cells, also known as cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs), would be primed as well.
Dr. Redfield explains. "We are left with defining the clinical goals of therapeutic immunization. In the late eighties and early nineties, our goal was mid-level and early -- to modify the rate of progression. Now that we are in the era of maximal suppression, we have different goals such as the durability of suppression." In other words, could an immunization delay time to the development of drug resistance? Could immunization allow for the use of less drugs or, alternatively, time off treatment with less immune destruction?
Such worthwhile goals would seem to argue for some urgency in testing a wide variety of vaccines among the HIV infected population. One could especially imagine their utility in the developing world, with an estimated 90% of the world's 40 million infections. As Dr. Bucy points out, there is a huge number of candidate vaccines all at the same or similar stage of development. Dr. Redfield also feels the pipeline is healthy with candidate vaccines. "Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and Aventis are all actively pursuing testing their vaccines therapeutically." Dr. Redfield sees the commitment of the powerhouse pharmaceutical houses as "much more positive than the early days of minimally financed biotech companies."
Nevertheless, the path to FDA approval of a candidate vaccine for treatment is a little less clear since Pfizer recently abandoned its Remune trials. Upwards of $100 million had already been spent on Remune, the "Salk" HIV vaccine; yet, as published by Jim Kahn from UCSF and Steve Lagakos from Harvard in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it had failed to show clinical benefit.
Dr. Bucy laments the current pace. "Slow is costly. For every year that things are not done, hundreds of thousands of lives are lost in the balance. In the scheme of things at this stage of the HIV pandemic, I think the lost opportunity cost has to be factored into decisions about testing such agents in humans."
Unfortunately, studies are often designed that are burdensome to the participant who is relatively healthy -- high CD4 counts and maximally suppressed virus. Dr. Bucy says, "Potential trial participants have to balance possible benefit, still theoretical, with issues of time spent coming to the clinic. I can't say I blame them, but as a consequence progress is not being made."
Likely, the buzz behind some of the newer agents will make enrollment much more robust. Two new approaches are Merck's "naked DNA" vaccine and the Tat toxoid vaccine. Merck's vaccine, being tested as both a preventive and therapeutic vaccine, consists of genes extracted from HIV; the hope is that it may be better able to counteract the random changes in different HIV strains. The Tat toxoid vaccine, licensed from Aventis by the Institute of Human Virology in Baltimore, is a slightly modified version of HIV's Tat protein and has been shown to produce anti-Tat antibodies in early studies. The community as a whole could only benefit if its members enroll in these trials.
_Jeff Gustavson is an HIV- and HCV-positive activist who lives and swims in San Francisco.


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Tom Eblen
Tom Eblen: This week showed Kentucky at odds with nation's changing electorate
America zigged and Kentucky zagged. The majority of the nation's voters rejected right-wing politics in last Tuesday's election, but Kentuckians outside of Lexington and Louisville embraced them all the more.
Big swings have become the norm in national elections, because neither party has succeeded in solving America's problems on its own. But deeper forces may have been at work this time.
Much of the post-election analysis has focused on demographic shifts that go against the hard conservative turn the Republican Party has taken in recent years.
Young people, women and minorities voted overwhelmingly for President Barack Obama's economic policies over those of challenger Mitt Romney, and they rejected socially conservative candidates for the U.S. Senate.
Republicans' run to the right has been marked by increasingly rigid ideology on both economic and social issues. But analysts of all stripes warn that without more tolerance of diversity — including intellectual diversity — the GOP could become the incredible shrinking party of old, white men.
Demographics are destiny, and it will be interesting to see how Republicans cope with these demographic trends. As it does, Kentucky will be in the spotlight, because the state's two high-profile U.S. senators now seem to be caught between Barack and a hard place.
Voters in many states signaled that they have grown tired of Tea Party radicals. Paul won election in Kentucky two years ago as a Tea Party idol and immediately started preening like a future presidential candidate. Are his 15 minutes of fame about up?
By re-electing Obama and giving Democrats more seats in the Senate, voters rejected Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's relentless obstructionism. He went to great lengths over the past four years to oppose the president on just about everything.
While other Republican leaders were making conciliatory statements after the election, McConnell, the anti-Henry Clay, struck his usual pose against compromise. He indicated he will continue to fight against raising historically low income taxes on America's richest people to lower the nation's budget deficit, even though opinion polls show overwhelming public support for it.
In an especially cynical comment, McConnell called on Obama to "move to the political center." McConnell is nowhere near the political center himself, and the Tea Party wing of his party would need a telescope to even see it.
Kentucky and other Southern states have played a big role in supporting the Republican party's anti-tax, anti-government ideology. But that is deeply ironic when you look at the statistics, said Ron Crouch, director of research and statistics for Kentucky's Education and Workforce Development Cabinet and the guru of Kentucky demographic trends.
Kentucky and other Republican-leaning "red" states tend to receive much more federal assistance than they contribute in taxes, while the reverse is true of Democrat-leaning "blue" states.
In Kentucky, Crouch noted, the largest per-capita federal transfer payments go to poor, rural counties that vote Republican.
Kentucky and other states whose populations are largely white, aging, rural and traditionally male-dominated will increasingly be overshadowed, both politically and economically, unless and until they catch up to these broader demographic trends, Crouch said.
"We need to be more supportive of immigration and open to diversity," he said of Kentuckians. "When I drive around Kentucky, I see a lot of Confederate flags."
Immigrants and minorities could play an important role in keeping the state's small towns and rural areas vibrant as the white population ages and shrinks from declining birth rates.
But Kentucky already is becoming more diverse than many people realize, Crouch said. The majority of Kentucky's population growth since 2000 — and all of it under the age of 18 — has been among minorities, especially Hispanics.
As immigrant, minority and urban populations grow in Kentucky, voting patterns are likely to become less Republican, unless that party moves more to the political center. The same is true as women gain more economic and political clout in the state.
"Blue-collar men are an endangered species," Crouch said. "We're seeing an economy more and more that is favoring female employment."
Kentucky's future, both economically and politically, will depend not only on the availability of jobs, but whether those jobs pay enough to support middle-class families, Crouch thinks. And those families are bound to become more diverse, like it or not.

subset: commoncrawl


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Web applications present a very high risk, and an attractive target to attackers for the following reasons: Firstly, the quality of the code is often rather poor and many vulnerabilities of commonly used code are published. Second, attacks can often be performed using PHP and shell scripts, which are much easier to develop and use than buffer-overflow exploits. Thirdly, tools such as search engines provide a very easy way for attackers to locate vulnerable web applications. We believe that web servers present relatively high-value targets for attackers since they are more likely to have higher bandwidth connections than the average desktop computer. They will also typically need to access the organisation's databases and so may provide a stepping stone for an attacker who wishes to recover such data.
Although significant effort is being made to improve code quality in many web applications, the volume of existing code, and the amount of new code being written are causing the number of vulnerabilities being reported to remain quite high. (For example, the number one cross-platform vulnerability listed in the SANS Top 20 Survey is web applications.) Since the other factors - public availability, easy exploitation and web applications being easy to locate via search engines - are not likely to change significantly, we can expect to see these trends carrying on into the future.


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its a bit slow
Originally Posted by M1 Tanker
Short story, there was a DDoS attack on the server the forum is on 2 days ago. It hasn't been right since, but I have no email service. Oh the joy of waiting for them to fix it.
Yes there was. I needed to have the email service verified for it to work correctly, Some stuff would get through but other things were on a blocked port . I needed to certify the data string and it is all working now.
TEC Tactical is a Licensed 07/02
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Reflection ...
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Book a private diamond consultation with Kayes-We can guide you towards ownership of your perfect engagement ring.How to reach us


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Monday, August 01, 2011
Meatless Monday: Swiss chard, ricotta and tomato bake
I'm officially a fan (perhaps even an afficionado) of Swiss chard now. It took a while. Yes, I've been dutifully buying plastic boxes of those pretty baby salad leaves that are available in most supermarkets' vegetable aisles here in Estonia, but that's not what Swiss chard is about. Last year I took a leap and grew several varieties (silverbeet, rhubarb chard, rainbow chard) on my vegetable patch, but didn't do much with them. I tried to sauté them once or twice, but wasn't so keen on the flavour (I was pregnant at the time, so perhaps my tastebuds were just off?). However, I did decide to give the leafy version of one of my favourite vegetables another go this year.
I'm happy I did.
I don't know if it's the fact that my chard has been freshly picked (Elise suggests that this makes all the difference), or whether my tastebuds are working properly now, but I love the vegetable this year. I mean, look at that colour!!!
The recipe below is adapted from the British Olive magazine (June 2011), and I've made it three times already. There are so many things to like about this particular dish. It tastes delicious. It uses an heretil underused vegetable. It's two meals in one - you get a warm oven bake to serve on the first day, and it cuts into neat tiny squares when cold, so you can serve it as a tasty nibble. And there's no need to separate the stalks/ribs from the leaves, which is unusual for swiss chard (granted, I've picked the leaves when they're about the size of my hand and stalks the thickness of my fingers.)
If you don't like - or you cannot get hold of - Swiss chard, then don't despair. Good grown-up spinach leaves work just as well (blanch them first, then rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly before sautéing).
Swiss chard and ricotta bake
(Lehtpeedi ja ricotta ahjuvorm)
Serves six to many*
400 to 450 g (a little under 1 lb) Swiss chard
1 Tbsp butter
1 to 2 garlic gloves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
250 g ricotta cheese
4 large eggs
100 g grated cheese
2-3 ripe tomatoes or a handful of cherry or small plum tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 220 C/450 F.
Rinse the chard, drain thoroughly and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Chop the leaves and stalks coarsly (see photo above).
Heat butter on a large frying pan, add the chard and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the chard is wilted and tender.
Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Season generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Drain any excess liquid, if necessary. The chard mixture should be on the dry side.
Mix ricotta and eggs until combined, then stir in the cheese. Season, then fold in the sautéed chard mixture.
Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart oven dish.
Cut tomatoes into half or slice them thickly. Scatter on top of the ricotta-chard-egg mixture, then drizzle with some olive oil.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the dish is set and golden brown on top.
* Serve hot with a green salad or cold, cut into small pieces.
Here are some more Swiss chard recipes from some of my favourite foodbloggers:
Simply Recipes (Elise)
A Veggie Venture (Alanna)
Kalyn's Kitchen (Kalyn)
Smitten Kitchen (Deb)
David Lebovitz (David)
Farmgirl Fare (Susan)
8 comments:
- Kalyn said...
Oh yes, I think that sounds (and looks) just fantastic! And my chard is finally coming on after the quail ate all the first leaves and I had to put net over it again this year.
- 3:04 am, August 03, 2011
- Emily of The Best of this Life said...
Mmmm...delish! What a recipe! Looks so yummy. Swiss chard has never been a favorite of mine, but with ricotta and tomato, I think it would be very tasty.
xo Emily
- 4:22 am, August 03, 2011
- Hovkonditorn said...
Looks really delicious!
- 4:28 am, August 03, 2011
- Joanna said...
I like Swiss Chard because it is one of the first vegetables up in the spring, if you manage to stop the deer eating it that is, and it survives the winter. If you can get it through one winter it will seed itself happily around the garden.
- 8:05 am, August 03, 2011
- Louisa said...
Ooh this is a great suggestion. I love ricotta and I tend to also get lots of tomatoes in my CSA. Thanks for pointing me to this!
- 4:56 pm, September 09, 2011
I so much love Swiss chard too! This is one tasty dinner!
I love colour in my food too! :)
- 9:40 am, November 05, 2011
- Darcy Hoyt said...
Thank you, this was delicious and my 4 year old loved it!
- 5:32 am, September 25, 2012
- Paul said...
Tasted very very good and was a big hit with party guests. Thanks for the recipe!
- 4:18 pm, December 21, 2016


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I hope you are finding all the resources and support you hoped to find here on Work It, Mom! I can say that for me this site has been a wonderful way to express myself, get new ideas and information and meet new people! As a fellow single mom I can certainly relate to the challenges of parenting, working and running a home independently. If you ever need to bend someone's ear be sure to drop me a line!
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How to Fix a Dead WRT55AG Version 2 Linksys Wireless Router
Recently I was digging in an old box of routers I have because I was looking for a wireless router to use as a secondary wireless network at my house. The secondary network needed to run WPA but be as secure as possible in every other way so my PSP could connect to it and use the Internet. I located a wrt55AG but the power would not come on and it took a moment but I finally remembered the story behind it. A friend had given me the wireless router saying the lights would not turn on after they used the incorrect plug to plug it in. I don't know anything about hardware so I decided to give it a go with nothing to lose. Below are the steps taken to fix the router and get it operational again to be used as a secondary wireless router at my house.


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Sunday, September 26, 2010
From the Tea Party Patriots (OH) —
For Immediate Release
September 25, 2010
This is in response to Ohio Democrat Party Chairman Chris Redfern's uncomplimentary description of the Tea Party movement in Ohio (Click for Video) and Governor Strickland's recent Howard Dean-like anti-Tea Party tirade (Click for Video).
First, we would like to thank them both for acknowledging the hard work of the Tea Party movement in educating Ohio voters on the failed policies of the Strickland Administration, and of Redfern's reign as Chairman of the Ohio Democrat Party. In describing the Tea Party movement in Ohio as, "F***ers," the ODP Chairman has publicly stated what many state party chairmen, Democrat & Republican alike, have been whispering under their breath about the Tea Party movement for over a year now.
While we do not agree with ODP Chairman Redfern's locker room behavior and potty-mouthed insults, we understand his frustration with the Tea Party as he tries in a fairy tale-like manner to spin "straw," i.e., four years of failed policies, into "gold." He has nothing to spin but wet straw from a state budget deficit of $8 billion, one of the least business-friendly states in the U.S., an unemployment rate of 10.1% , and job losses reaching over 380,000. Furthermore, over 75% of Ohioans think that Strickland's top priority, fixing school funding, has likewise been a failure.
Chairman Redfern's frustration ultimately comes from a more informed electorate, thanks to the Tea Party Patriots movement in Ohio. He reinforced that fact when he responded to calls for apologies from around the state. Rather than apologize for his outburst, he did what those with nothing but a record of failures do – he became even more juvenile in his response by issuing a fund raising letter with the following:
|(click to enlarge)
Unlike some calling for discussions or requesting an apology from ODP Chairman Redfern for his remarks, the Tea Party Patriot groups in Ohio feel there is nothing to discuss and we will speak loudly with our actions on November 2nd. As for requesting an apology – we figure he owes that to the residents of Ohio.
Thank You,
Scott Boston / Bowling Green TPP
Marianne Gasiecki / Mansfield TPP
Amy Brighton / Medina TPP
Ralph King / Cleveland TPP
Tea Party Patriots (OH)
State Coordinator Team


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TileFlex Floor Tile
TileFlex Floor Tile, Home Basement Flooring, Aerobic Floor Tiles, Modular Flooring
Maple Plank
Light Parquet
Black Plank
About this Item
Top Features for TileFlex Floor Tile
- Vinyl tile never needs refinishing
- Quick installation, no special tools required
- Waterproof, raised tile provides underside air and water flow
- Minimal maintenance, easy to clean
- Modular design provides no glue install
- Available in a variety of finish and colors
- Look of wood at a fraction of the cost
- Expand your floor as needed
Basement Floors, Dance Floors, Exercise Flooring, Church Halls, Court Floors
Modular floor tiles for home and commercial use with vinyl top.
TileFlex floor tile is an easy to install modular floor tile that is great for indoor use for basement floors, recreational rooms, utility rooms, and on porches. TileFlex flooring tile is a durable home and athletic flooring option for a wide variety of activities. Ideal for both residential, athletic and commercial flooring solutions. TileFlex floor tiles can be used in aerobic facilities and for indoor court floor where multi-purpose flooring is needed.
This product is ideal for large scale commercial installations in multipurpose athletic and gym floors. Great for DIY installations at clubs, churches and YMCA facilities. Use this modular flooring with laminate vinyl top surface for all types of athletics including; basketball, volleyball, aerobics and similar. Not designed to drop any amount of weights on this tile.
This flooring tile is very popular in home installations, use in the basement where a damp floor may be present. This floor tile product is 100% waterproof and allows air to flow under the tile structure. Use for basements, family rooms, and all types of recreation areas, TileFlex has a unique construction that allows for airflow and keeps the surface away from potential dampness.
Each tile is a single, snap-together unit for easy installation. Best of all, you can choose from a wide range of floor finishes from VCT to luxury vinyl. TileFlex takes modular flooring to the next level in beauty and functionality. The first solid-top tile that marries quality floor finishes with the versatility and durability of a raised modular floor. Inset Vinyl modular floor tile for gymnasium, dance, aerobic, basement, utility room, trade Show, and portable flooring applications.
This product is not designed for repeated installations.
We recommend a 2 or 3.2 mm Rubber Underlayment for installations on hard surfaces where extra cushion or sound reduction is desired and for ALL athletic installations.
Product can be damp mopped with common household floor cleaners, avoid bleach.Shipping
Ships in cartons via ground service to your door, for larger orders product may ship freight delivery.
This Product Ships UPS Ground and/or Freight.
Please review our shipping disclaimer.
⌃ Back to top SPECIFICATIONS
|In Stock
|Product Type
|Material Type
|Vinyl on Plastic
|Product Edging
|1/2 inch
|1.00 feet
|1.00 feet
|SF per Item
|1.90 lbs
|Number of Pieces per Package Type
|Non Absorbent
|Special Adhesives
|Universal Interlock
|Interlock Loss
|0.00 feet
|Material Hardness
|Shore A 65
|Interlocking Connections
|Made In
|Surface Finish
|Surface Design
|Wood grain, stone, or granite
|Installation Method
|Snap together
|UV Treated
|Border Strips Included
|Manufacturer Warranty
|10 year limited
⌃ Back to top VIDEOS
⌃ Back to top Q & A
Product Questions:
Can this product be put in a basement weight room-residential?
Can this floor be put over carpet?
Can this product be used for a basement bathroom?
Are you able to pull a tile from the center of the room to replace it?
What should I use to mop/clean this floor tile?
Can this tile be cut to fit?
Do you have a product that I can install over Radiant Floor Heating Film?
Greetings... if my basement concrete flooring has a slight slope and I was wondering if the this tile is flexible enough to compensate for the slight slope. At 1/2 inch thick will the tile crack especially since we will be putting furniture on top of the tile that's slightly ''bent'' for lack of a better word. Would a better solution be the Max Tile at a thickness of 5/8 inch?
How easy is this to install and uninstall in a temporary application (ie: trade show flooring) on a repeated-use basis?
Can this be put over grass?
Hi, Can this be applied over a not so level concrete basement floor? How flexible is it? I have a basement section that was once a garage and the path of the car tires has a shallow depression. The basement floor gets a little moisture at times do you recommend a sub floor or vapor barrier roll to be laid first? Thanks.
Can you put this product on an outdoor covered porch?
Would this tile be suitable for an install over carpet for use as a dance floor (ballet and tap included)?
Can carpet be installed OVER these tiles?
Will it not make sound while walking as it is placed on hard surface? Can these be used on wall of bathroom? What is vinyl on plastic?
Are the tiles smooth at the seams?
I have this in my senior center for line dancing and tai chi. I was wondering if we could use this space for a chair exercise group. Would there be some concerns with the chairs scratching the flooring or pressing down in the tiles?
Customer Rating:
Excellent as usual, great product.
Customer Rating:
Love these tiles! Best tiles for old basement floors!
Wilmington, MA
Customer Rating:
The tile was very easy to put down. I put down a vapor barrier first to help quiet my foot steps and help lower any moisture. The tile looks very good. My wife was impressed. A happy wife is a happy life! Joann at Greatmats help me with the ordering and set up the shipping which went very smoothly. If I ever need more I will order from Greatmats.
Customer Rating:
Looks good but have not had the opportunity to put the tile down in the laundry yet.
Silver Spring, MD
Customer Rating:
Great floors!!! We re-did our basement with these floors and they are the best thing we ever could have done. They look and feel great the only thing is that we didn't put anything under the tiles as advised to minimize the noise and they are a little loud nothing too much thou.
Def recommend these tiles worth every penny!!!
New York, NY
Customer Rating:
Fantastic product. Easy to install, great appearance. High utility value.
Scarborough, ON
Customer Rating:
This is a wonderful product. Great for basements (as it "breathes"), easy to install. Our church had the parsonage basement rehabbed. The contractor pointed out that the basement floor was terribly uneven. It even sloped upwards in the southeast corner. It would be nearly impossible to level. He came up with Tile Flex. The only thing I know now (and this is not a problem with Tile Flex) is that the concrete should have been thoroughly cleaned and sealed before the Tile Flex was laid. The current pastor's husband complains of it being dusty. That dust seems to be from the concrete underneath the Tile Flex.
Now, my first hand knowledge of the product was rehabbing a half bath adjacent to the earlier project. Having it done on the original contract would have put us way over budget. 5 years later I did the project, ordered the matching Tile Flex: it was easy to order, sales personnel and e-mail contact was great! Product was extremely easy to install. Measure twice, cut once. keep track of which way the tabs run.
North Reading, MA
Customer Rating:
Overall, I am very pleased with my floor tile and it looks great in my basement. My floor is cracked and uneven, but the tile is flexible enough to cover these flaws with no problem. Although it was fairly easy to install, more detailed installation instructions would have been helpful as I had to learn as I went along. Thus, I would like to offer some installation tips that I learned along the way. 1) Use a rubber mallet (covered with a lint-free cloth to prevent marring) to pound the male tabs into place, 2) Do not rush, as the male tabs break off easily if not started properly, 3) Tap each tile after installation to keep them snug and square 4) The tiles may be cut easily with a fine tooth saw or utility knife, 5) A wood file works well for removing burrs along cut edges and for detailing a curved cut, 5) Use caution when moving furniture as the tile scuffs & scratches easily.
Palatine, IL
Customer Rating:
Tiles ordered were received in a timely fashion and the tiles were easy to install. Room took only a few hours to do with the help of our six year old grandson. He enjoyed the light hammering that it took to fit the tiles together.
Great looking floor.
South Windsor, CT
Customer Rating:
Great product. I installed it myself - 540 square feet. It took about 2 full days to install. I cut the tiles with a small jigsaw.
I feel a lot better knowing my kids are less likely to get hurt falling on these tiles versus ceramic tiles.
Hillsborough, NJ
Customer Rating:
Excellent service and timely delivery. Tiles look very durable and installation was very easy.
Pittsburgh, PA
Customer Rating:
I installed 500 sq. ft. of your flooring this spring, the best and easiest of any floor I have ever installed. If I ever have replace any other floor in my home , it will be with your product.
thank you Bob Skinner Newport VT.
Newport, VT
Customer Rating:
Worked great in my small home gym space. I installed directly on top of the concrete and there is a bit of a hollow sound when you walk but for me it is not a big deal.
Bow, WA
Customer Rating:
I used tile flex on my basement floor because every once in a while I would get some water seepage. I am not the handiest guy around but I found it very easy to put down and think it looks terrific.
It is not a quiet floor but that means little. Greatmats also has some material in rolls you can lay down first which takes away all noise. I did not use this because it would only get wet when I again get water. Neither the tiles nor the rolled material require any gluing down.
Pretty darn hard to make an error and I am very pleased.
Thornwood, NY
Customer Rating:
Wonderful product. Wish I found it ten years ago. The perfect product for my basement which sometimes gets a small amount of water. Shipped in at timely manner and the order department was very helpful. I will recommend this product to everyone I know. I installed the gray in my finished basement and it looks great. The product was very easy to install.
Darius J
Bayonne, NJ
Customer Rating:
We are very happy with the tile flex, it is just what we needed for our basement. We did have it professionally installed, not sure it would have been easy for us especially the tiles that needed to be cut. A separate part of out basement had been finished with the Owens Corning basement system. The tile flex in beige is the exact product, now the two parts of our basement have continuity.
Larchmont, NY
Customer Rating:
Excellent product- exactly what I needed and feels great under foot-thanks
Staten Island, NY
Customer Rating:
This is a truly great basement flooring tile. I installed it in one of my customers basement which had been sealed numerous of times with epoxy's and sealers. This tile not only enhanced the appearance of the basement but it also creates a moisture barrier which showed results immediately. The bottom of these tiles have pegs which allows air to flow underneath of them while at the same time keeping the tile off the floor which means no sub floor is needed. This was a very well thought out product and it is fairly easy to install.
Paul S
Danbury, CT


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While Mitt Romney likes to portray himself as a business man, he actually got a joint degree in law and business from Harvard University. Barack Obama got his law degree there, too.
Capitalizing on the election excitement, Harvard tweeted this picture of the candidates side-by-side in their yearbook photos. Who looks more presidential?


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Australian Rugby
Beale cleared of assault charges
June 7, 2010
Kurtley Beale scored twice against Fiji © Getty Images
Waratahs fullback Kurtley Beale has been cleared of assault and is free to play on as Australia prepare to face England in a two-Test series.
Beale bagged a double in the Wallabies' comfortable victory over Fiji in Canberra on Saturday, a game which he started due to the court date hanging over his head. Beale was accused of placing his cousin in a headlock and punching her in July 2009, but he was cleared after no evidence was found.
"I always said that I was not guilty from the start, like I said, just very relieved and very happy that I can concentrate on my football," he told AAP.
Beale starts on the bench as the Australian Barbarians take on England in Perth on Tuesday and is in the frame to wear No.15 in the first Test against Martin Johnson's tourists on June 12.
"He's been pretty good. He's a very positive sort of bloke," Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said. "But it's also a bit of a cloud over you, he's a young man. It's not the sort of thing you want hanging over you.
"It's taken a long time to be processed. So I've got no doubt he'll be a lot more buoyant now and a lot wiser for the experience. And hopefully he'll never find himself in that circumstance again and never put himself in a position of potential compromise again."
© Scrum.com
Communication error please reload the page.


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Situational awareness.
I'm getting tired of repeating this over and over. Situational awareness, threat, and survival are all three pretty much equally important for a tank (depends on specific cases, but in general that's the rule of thumb). All three aspects need to be mastered if you want to perform well. If you're only sitting there and pulling off TPS and soaking all the damage, that's fine, but without being able to react, you're not as good a tank as you could be
Let me start off with some background information. My guild already cleared Naxx25 this week and I tagged along with my warrior, and the ID went pretty much flawlessly (picked up the Spore Loser and Can't Get Enough achievements on the way). Not feeling like I had my fill, I decided, yesterday, to go with my warlock alt in once again.
Here's the funny part. Whenever I raid with my warrior in our guild runs, I feel like the tanks are doing a great job. Whenever I raid with my warlock, I think the tanks are either not doing so well, or doing horribly. The explanation is obvious: each run includes different tanks.
When I entered the raid with my warlock, I took a quick peek at the different tanks we were going to be working with. Two protection warriors and a frost DK. Stamina looked fine on all three (DK was lacking a little, but still quite decent), overall the gear looked ok. I checked the specs of the two warriors, and they looked fine as well.
Boy, was I disappointed.
Here's a list of what caused me to almost break down:
– You have cooldowns. Use them. If the boss is going to squish you like a bug, you panic and you use your panic button. If you have a panic button, use it. If you don't have a panic button, minimize this window, log into WoW, type /m and start making one.
– AE tanking is, weirdly enough, the first indicator of how good you are. Not so much about how much TPS you can pull off, but rather, noticing that an add broke free of the grinder and is heading towards your clothies. Quick reaction time and a trigger finger on your taunt button are the key here. Likewise, noticing that something isn't right and lighting up your cooldowns ALSO belongs to this. As you might have guessed from the previous point, I've been using a special OHCRAP macro for a while now that activates all my cooldowns at once (it saved my butt PLENTY of times, I can assure you that) and whenever something looks bad, I'd rather be safe than sorry.
That said, AE TPS *IS* important. Get that rotation in and don't be sloppy! Charge/pull, thunderclap, take a few steps back, shockwave, start tabbing through all the mobs and applying shield slams + devastates, and as soon as the shockwave stun wears off, light up shield block. Keep thunderclap on cooldown, depending on the HP of the mob group keep shockwave for the next pull or on cooldown (it's always nice to have shockwave at the beginning of the pull), and whenever you don't use those two, you're tabbing and devastating/shield slamming until the cows come home!
– Single target (boss) tanking. I'm taking more and more peeks into the DPS world since I'm getting more and more active with my alts, and let me tell you something, it's not pretty. They *actively* advise people *NOT* to spec aggro reducing talents, because it's a waste of talent points that could enhance their DPS. So you're dealing with not only maximum DPS, you're dealing with maximum TPS. Even my crappy warlock (fully following the advice of not speccing aggro reduction) was pulling off 3-4k TPS at some points during some boss encounters. I overaggroed both on Sapphiron and on Kel'Thuzad and died on both encounters because I couldn't soul shatter fast enough. That's not the problem though, the problem is that the tank couldn't build up enough aggro. I have never, ever, ever lost those bosses, or any bosses for that matter, to a DPSer overaggroing, and our DPSers are very picky, they tell you if they can't pump out maximum damage and they have to take a break. It already happened twice that I was not MTing Sapphiron and that the MT for the fight died during the last few % (on one occasion he charged in and was out of range for heals, on the other the healers were just sloppy) and I was right there to pick him up on both occasion, and Sapph died without a wipe. I'm not writing this to tell you how UBER ROXXOR I am, I'm telling you this because threat is important, accidents may happen, and you being focused on build up threat IN CASE something bad happens can mean the difference between going on to Kel'Thuzad with a happy raid or seeing other 24 gryphons/drakes/whatever slowly flying up into Naxx. Sapphiron is an easy case for this because you're constantly getting rage due to the debuff, and it is important because (last I checked) he's immune to taunt.


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From my childhood, three places stand out for length of residence and for bringing the word "home" to mind for me: our house on Pico Street in San Bernardino (from about age 4 to age 8), Lankershim Street in Highland, California (first time, from about age 2 to 4, second time age 8 to 13), and the Housing Project on Pecan Street in Seymour, Texas (age 15 to 18). In addition to these there were all the places my father was posted in Pennsylvania, Texas, and California when he was in the Air Force (up to age 2 for me) and the four houses we lived in when I was in eighth and ninth grades.
Memory Monday: My Playhouse
Memory Monday: Construction
Memory Monday: Junk in Our Yard
Memory Monday: Fire
Memory Monday: The Mulberry Tree
I suppose I haven't really written much about the house on Pico Street. It had three bedrooms and one bath. It had one of those rambler designs: you entered the living room, the kitchen/dining room was on the right, and the bedrooms and bathroom were on the left. There was a carport in front and a patio in the back. Pretty bare bones, but it seem nice and comfortable to us. I remember the pyracantha bushes and the lady ferns. We knew and were friends with many of our neighbors.
I "visit" the Pico Street house and the Lankershim Street house occasionally on Google Maps; they're both still there. The neighborhoods look a bit more threadbare now than they did then.
We now live in the same house we've lived in since 1983. It's more modest and decrepit than the homes of most of our friends and acquaintances. But still, I do not want to move.
Many of our friends and associates are starting to talk about retiring and "getting out of the Washington, D.C. area" - with good reason. As in many "metro areas," especially those that are not dying off from blight, traffic and congestion have been getting worse and worse and civility is often a casualty of those developments. These friends would like to move to warmer - in terms of both weather and local attitude - climes. Towns and small cities where you can walk to many of the places you need and want to visit regularly. Or even, for a while, cozy little urban enclaves in the cities of their youth, where both sophisticated entertainment and convenience stores are close at hand.
Still, I do not want to move. This is home. We have five cats and a lizard buried here. We have half a lifetime of memories, and I do not want to be physically separated from those memories. There are so many things that need to be repaired and the walls almost bulge with our collections of books and music that verge on hoarder status. But I grew up with "ramshackle," "needs fixin'," and "runnin' outa room," and I am used to it. So I ain't moving.


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When people feel like throwing a party they necessarily think of the diverse items and events that are requisite to make their party a success. One of the most significant aspects of any party would have to be that of food. Now while you can slave over a hot kitchen stove to prepare the party food you will have more play time and spend more time with your guests than your needs to cater for this party. Since you are the only person who in truth knows what kind of party you are having you should have approximate idea of the catering menus that can be used. You should have a broad range of food items made at your party so that everyone will have a chance of eating food that they like and food that seems to be tempting them for trying out purposes. You can plan for this by authorship out the versatile foods that people in general serve at parties. This will give you a starting point for choosing catering menus.
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By having the details of changing food catering can be made into an well-situated item to look into. This way that when you are thinking about the ways in which catering can be exploited to raise a function you will find that there are many interesting options that you can use. For example while some catering firms go with the time-tested and staid way of providing service and food you have other firms which like to take a refreshing approach.
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Finally, I'd like to thank you for reading this article and i hope it was helpful information.


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The National Bully Reporting and Alert System
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- 24 hour access to StopWalkTalk.org Bully Reporting and Alert System
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In and out of schools there is a plan in place in case of an emergency.
Whether it 's fire, natural disasters or security threats, students know how to react.
The public education effort to teach children what to do if they catch on fire has been very effective. Almost every student knows to stop, drop and roll. When bullying occurs, what should they do? "STOP" the action, "WALK" away and "TALK" to someone who can affect change.
"Stop.Walk.Talk" Bully Reporting System is part of a comprehensive plan that gives a voice to those who have been victims of bullying, who have witnessed bullying and even those who have bullied. Don't be silent; report what has happened or is happening. "Stop.Walk.Talk."


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Eric S. Whitaker Appointed as SanDisk's Chief Legal Officer
Eric S. Whitaker Appointed as SanDisk's Chief Legal Officer
MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced it has appointed Eric S. Whitaker as the company's senior vice president and chief legal officer. At SanDisk, Whitaker will be responsible for all of the company's legal matters, including those related to corporate governance, securities law, commercial agreements and transactions, litigation, intellectual property (IP) development and licensing strategies, and supporting SanDisk's joint ventures and M&A transactions.
Eric S. Whitaker appointed as SanDisk's senior vice president and chief legal officer (Photo: Business Wire)
Whitaker's prior experience includes extensive work with senior management teams and boards of directors of technology companies on a variety of strategic, operational and compliance matters.
Most recently at Tesla Motors, Whitaker served as Tesla's general counsel and corporate secretary with responsibilities including IP development, litigation strategy, and structuring major corporate transactions. Prior to Tesla, Whitaker held executive vice president and general counsel positions at Avalanche Technology and flash memory provider Lexar Media (Lexar). During Whitaker's seven years at Lexar, he also held the position of executive vice president of corporate strategy with a focus on technology licensing.
Whitaker obtained his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his undergraduate degree in Politics from Princeton University. His recognitions include being selected as one of the 25 leading general counsel in California in 2011 by the Daily Journal, and receiving the "In-House Legal Department of the Year" award in 2012 by the Recorder, an American Lawyer publication.
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation (NAS: SNDK) is a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, from research and development, product design and manufacturing to branding and distribution for OEM and retail channels. Since 1988, SanDisk's innovations in flash memory and storage system technologies have provided customers with new and transformational digital experiences. SanDisk's diverse product portfolio includes flash memory cards and embedded solutions used in smart phones, tablets, digital cameras, camcorders, digital media players and other consumer electronic devices, as well as USB flash drives and solid-state drives (SSD) for the computing market. SanDisk's products are used by consumers and enterprise customers around the world.
SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States. For more information, visit www.sandisk.com.
© 2013 SanDisk Corporation. All rights reserved. SanDisk and the SanDisk logo are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s).
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate are detailed from time-to-time in under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and our annual report on Form 10-K. We do not intend to update the information contained in this press release.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130108005699/en/
SanDisk Corporation
Lee Garvin Flanagin, 408-801-2463
KEYWORDS: United States North America California
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