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Sparkling gemstones, precious metals and handsome design - do you see the pattern here? Take a closer look at this exquisite NYC II ring and you're sure to find it. Specifically in the classy chevron pattern decorating the shank. Formed from dazzling white zircons, they add some extra sparkle to the sterling silver band plated in your choice of platinum or 18K gold vermeil. A cushion cut African amethyst center stone completes the picture, while a cut-out undergallery offers a comfortable fit.
Check out the Ring Sizing Guide to find your ring size.
All weights pertaining to gemstones, including diamonds, are minimum weights. Additionally, please note that many gemstones are treated to enhance their beauty. View Gemstone Enhancements and Special Care Requirements for important information.
Vermeil Plating:
Pronounced "vermay," vermeil is an electroplating process in which 14K gold or higher is coated over sterling silver. Officially designated by the jewelry industry, items may only be sold as vermeil if they have a minimum thickness of 100 millionths of an inch (2.5 microns) of gold over the silver. Regular gold plating is less than 2.5 microns.
The "vermeil" technique of plating sterling silver with gold originated in France in the 1750s. It differs from "gold filled" or "gold plated" in terms of the thickness or thinness of the microns over sterling silver. "Gold filled" pieces have a much thicker layer, between 15 and 45 microns, which is mechanically bonded to the base metal with heat and pressure. Vermeil is a more expensive version of "gold plated". It does not wear off as quickly as gold plating does. However, over time, vermeil wears off and therefore will require re-plating.
Gold/Platinum Embraced Silver or Bronze:
Our platinum and gold embraced collections feature layers of platinum or gold over sterling silver or bronze for a lustrous, radiant finish everywhere you look and touch.
To care for your plated jewelry items:
Platinum Plating:
Platinum can be used as a finish coating over sterling silver or copper alloys. Its bright, pure luster enhances the brilliance of gemstones and does not discolor or oxidize. Platinum plating is also characterized by its good resistance to surface abrasion, making jewelry pieces more durable against everyday and long-term wear. Over time, platinum plating will wear off and therefore will require re-plating.
To care for your plated jewelry items:
Amethyst, the most precious member of the quartz family, exhibits purple shades ranging from pale lilac to deep purple, sometimes exhibiting reddish or rose overtones. Very deep-colored amethysts are the finest and most highly valued . Some stones are so over-saturated with color they have areas that are blacked out, which can negatively impact their value. Paler shades, sometimes called "Rose of France," were common in Victorian jewelry. Banding—darker and lighter zones of color—is also a common occurrence. Occasionally, amethyst is even found combined with its sister quartz, citrine, into a single stone called ametrine.
The birthstone for February, amethyst is an extremely popular gem for jewelry because of its regal color, variety of sizes and shapes, affordability and wide range of hues. It also is the recommended gem for couples celebrating their 6 th and 17 th wedding anniversaries. With a hardness of 7.0 on the Mohs Scale , a methyst can occur as long prismatic crystals that have six-sided pyramids at either end, or can form as drusies that are crystalline crusts that only show the pointed terminations.
The ancient Greeks believed that amethyst made one immune to the effects of alcohol. In fact, the name even comes from the Greek word amethystos, which means "not drunken." Legend has it that the amethyst originated from Bacchus, the god of wine. Bacchus became angry at the mortals and vowed that the next mortal to cross his path would be eaten by tigers. Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden, was on her way to worship the goddess, Diana. Diana turned her into colorless quartz to keep her from being eaten. Bacchus observed the miracle and repented his hasty decision. He poured wine over the young maiden, leaving her feet and legs colorless. This is the reason that amethyst crystals are usually uneven in color and have a colorless base at the bottom. Because amethyst was believed to prevent drunkenness, wine goblets were often carved from it in ancient Greece. Today, the gem still symbolizes sobriety.
Amethyst has been a part of history throughout the ages. Evidence suggests that prehistoric humans used amethysts for decoration as early as 25,000 B.C. Legends suggest that the Egyptian queen Cleopatra wore an amethyst signet ring, as did Saint Valentine, who bared an amethyst engraved with the figure of Cupid. During medieval times, people used the stone as medication to stay awake and alert. Leonardo Da Vinci claimed that amethyst could dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence. In some legends, the stone represents piety, celibacy and dignity. In the Middle Ages, for instance, the gem was an important ornamentation for the Catholic Church and other religions. It was considered the stone of bishops, and they still often wear amethyst rings. In Tibet, amethyst is considered sacred to Buddha and rosaries are often made from it. Amethyst has also long been a favorite of kings and queens for its royal purple hues that symbolize wisdom, strength and confidence. Amethysts are even featured in the British Crown Jewels and were worn by Catherine the Great.
Amethyst's availability and magical qualities make it the stone of preference in ancient lore and mysticism. As a meditation stone, it is said to quiet the mind, promote contemplation, sharpen psychic powers and uplift the spirit. It is a stone of deep wisdom. Folklore says it can quicken the wit, calm fears and ward off anger. It has a royal purple essence that is said to lend courage to travelers, scare off thieves and protect travelers from harm. Placed under the pillow or worn to bed, there are claims it promotes peaceful sleep and pleasant dreams. Amethyst can also be worn to supposedly make the wearer gentle, amiable and happy.
The stone is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina, as well as in Zambia, Namibia and other African nations. Very dark amethyst in small sizes also is mined in Australia. But the ideal for fine quality amethyst was set by a Siberian variety, often called Russian or Uralian amethyst, which is now considered a defunct source. Generally, South American amethyst tends to come in larger sizes than African amethyst, but the African variety has a reputation for having deeper color intensity and is therefore considered more valuable. The African version also is harder to come by than amethyst mined from South America. Most of today's amethyst comes out of Brazil.
Lune de France is a very special variety of amethyst that rarely comes to market. From the northwest state of Amazon in Brazil, this gemstone comes from the Maraba mine. This lovely lilac gemstone features a unique velvet-like quality that at first observation can be confused for an opal or moonstone. The gemstone's internal structure contains natural, cloud-like veils of microscopic inclusions that are extremely minute, even under high power magnification. These inclusions cause the incoming light to scatter and reflect, thus creating an opalescent effect. While a similar inclusion structure can be expected in rose quartz, it almost never occurs in an amethyst. Lune de France features a natural lilac color and retains excellent transparency allowing it to be faceted for maximum light play.
About the Collection
Capture the feel of New York's famed Fifth Avenue with NYC II®, an exclusive gemstone jewelry collection bursting with big-city style. Each standout design features vibrant genuine gemstones infused with the vitality, style and appeal of New York City.
Exotic gems, precious gems, premium white zircons and diamonds are prominently featured throughout the collection, along with sophisticated settings of 18K vermeil or platinum plated sterling silver. The rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets of NYC II are perfect accessories for every day or a night out on the town.
Take a bite out of the big apple and treat yourself with eye-popping jewelry from NYC II.
About the Guest
Gem expert, on-air guest and fan favorite Chuck Clemency began his career in jewelry in an interesting way. In 1976, he walked into a retail store that had two openings—one in sporting goods and one in jewelry. Taking note of Chuck's lime green suit, the manager thought Chuck would be perfect for the jewelry department. The rest is history!
Chuck prides himself on the affordability of his products. He says what makes them really stand out from crowd are the expensive looks he offers at inexpensive prices. Chuck is most inspired by the enjoyment his designs add to his customers' lives. In addition to NYC II, Chuck is also the on-air guest for EVINE Live's Diamond Treasures™ and Gem Treasures™ Collections.
Personal Jeweler Warranty Program
Warranty services are available for all NYC II items purchased on or after February 1, 2016. Items will be covered for a period of one year from the invoice date noted on your EVINE Live receipt. The Personal Jewelry service offers coverage for stone loss, breakage, manufacturer defects and free sizing for sterling silver or gold sizable rings. For more information on the Personal Jeweler Warranty Program, please call 1-844-752-4825.


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Since today is the sixteenth of December, it's now only nine days till Christmas, and eight days until Christmas Eve. In light of that, here is "how to draw a Christmas present", step by step. This is what lots of boys and girls would like to see tons of underneath their tree. If you celebrate Hanukkah, you will have eight days of presents which is pretty neat. For those of us that celebrate Christmas, it's an agonizing wait as we hope that one of our favorite gifts are waiting to be unwrapped. I already have an idea what I'm going to get so there is no surprise there. Well, this tutorial will make drawing a present a blast, and remember you can decorate your wrapping any way you like. I shall return with another tut for you all.
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!

subset: commoncrawl


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So without further ado, I shall announce our winner for October.It was teamie Melissa's turn to chose and she has picked....
Congratulations Pamellia......Please email me here email@example.com with your address and I will get your prize posted out to you. Remember to pick up our Winner's Badge to display on your blog.
"Many Thanks to JULIE SHORT for being our October Guest Designer"
It has been a pleasure having you on board....looking forward to working with you again soon..x
November Challenge
This month is Anything Goes so long as it is Altered Art Only.
Our November Guest Designer
We are pleased to announce Rupa as our guest designer for this month, here is a little bit about her....
"Hi...I am Rupa from Bangalore and I have been taking hobby classes from home, teaching various forms of paintings and mural for the last 10 years.
Crafting has been my latest love and blogging my "current crush"!!...Yes,I am loving it here and I must say that my love and passion for arts and crafts is what has bought me so far.
I love working with trash and altering almost anything that is lying idle. Most of my projects are 3D and I love making my own embellishments too....I'm happy to be bitten by the "recycle bug"
So happy to be featured as a guest here, thanks Sandie for the opportunity.
I have altered an empty liquor carton here...from an empty box to a display cabinet, with room for storage inside...there is also a surprise when you open it."
We have a fabulous prize for this challenge ...a fantastic kit from......
They really do make some fabulous shapes,plaques etc, anything you want in fact...they are always willing to help.
Well worth a visit to their website, prices and delivery is excellent.
Sammy Jean
You may enter up to 3 times.....please remember to link us to your entry.


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2019 F-350 Regular Cab 4x4, Pickup (Stock #N8902)
More PhotosPhotos may be library images.
Vehicle Notes
Highlights of this 2019 Ford Super Duty F-350 SRW Pickup include: POWER EQUIPMENT GROUP, SYNC 3 COMMUNICATIONS ENTERTAINMENT. FORDPASS CONNECT 4G WI-F… I MODEM, REMOTE START SYSTEM, ULTIMATE TRAILER TOW CAMERA SYSTEM, PRIVACY GLASS, Tow Hitch, 4x4, ELECTRONIC-LOCKING W/3.73 AXLE RATIO, ENGINE: 6.2L 2-VALVE SOHC EFI NA V8 F. SIRIUSXM RADIO WHY BUY FROM US We have a strong and committed sales staff with many years of experience satisfying our customers' needs. OPTION PACKAGES STX APPEARANCE PACKAGE STX fender vent badge, Bright Chrome Hub Covers Center Ornaments, Chrome Front Bumper, Radio: AM/FM Stereo/MP3, 4 speakers, SYNC Communications Entertainment System, enhanced voice recognition w/911 Assist, 4.2' LCD center stack screen, AppLink, 1 smart-charging USB port and steering wheel audio controls, Chrome Rear Step Bumper, Steering Wheel-Mounted Cruise Control, Tires: LT275/65Rx18E BSW A/S, Wheels: 18' Sparkle Silver Painted Cast Aluminum, bright hub covers/center ornaments, Bright Chrome Grille, POWER EQUIPMENT GROUP Deletes passenger-side lock cylinder, upgraded door trim panel, Accessory Delay, Advanced Security Pack, SecuriLock Passive Anti-Theft System (PATS) and inclination/intrusion sensors, Power Locks, Remote Keyless Entry, Trailer Tow Mirrors w/Power Heated Glass, power heated glass, heated convex spotter mirror and integrated clearance lights and turn signal indicators, Power Front Seat Windows, 1-touch up/down driver/passenger window, Power Tailgate Lock, ULTIMATE TRAILER TOW CAMERA SYSTEM 360 degree camera system and trailer reverse guidance, Display appears in center-stack screen, NOTE: Does not include customer placed trailer camera, Rear CHMSL Camera Display in center stack screen, LED Center High-Mounted Stop Lamp (CHMSL) w/cargo light and rear video camera, BLIND SPOT INFORMATION SYSTEM (BLIS) cross-traffic alert and trailer tow (BLIS sensor in taillamp), SYNC 3 COMMUNICATIONS ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM enhanced voice recognition
Chassis Details
Stock Number
Stock Type
Drive Train
Cab Type
Vehicle Trim
Vehicle Body
Regular Cab Pickup
Vehicle VIN
Interior Color
Medium Earth Gray
Exterior Color Description
Agate Black Metallic
Engine Cylinder Count
Transmission Type
Rear Wheels
Fuel Type
Flex Fuel
Vehicle Options
- 4-Wheel ABS
- 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
- 4x4
- 6-Speed A/T
- 8 Cylinder Engine
- AM/FM Stereo
- Adjustable Steering Wheel
- Apple CarPlay
- Auto Transmission w/Manual Mode
- Auto-Off Headlights
- Back-Up Camera
- Blind Spot Monitor
- Brake Assist
- Cross-Traffic Alert
- Cruise Control
- Daytime Running Lights
- Driver Air Bag
- Driver Lumbar
- Electronic Stability Control
- Flex Fuel
- Front Tow Hooks
- Full Size Spare Tire
- Heated Mirrors
- Integrated Turn Signal Mirrors
- Intermittent Wipers
- Keyless Entry
- Locking Rear Differential
- MP3 Player
- Onboard Communications System
- Passenger Air Bag
- Passenger Air Bag On/Off Switch
- Passenger Vanity Mirror
- Power Door Locks
- Power Driver Mirror
- Power Steering
- Power Windows
- Privacy Glass
- Rear Defrost
- Remote Engine Start
- Running Boards
- Satellite Radio
- Side Head Air Bag
- Smart Device Integration
- Split Bench Seat
- Steel Wheels
- Steering Wheel Controls
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System
- Tires - Front All-Season
- Tires - Rear All-Season
- Trailer Hitch
- Trip Computer
- Variable Speed Intermittent Wipers
- Vehicle Anti-Theft System
- Vinyl Seats
- WiFi Hotspot
- iPod/MP3 Input
- View All
|Call For Pricing
Pricing Details
|Dealer Discount
|- $3,250
|Total Savings
|Additional Upfit Cost
Contact Colonial Ford Plymouth for more info.(508) 283-4556
Vehicle available NOW in Plymouth, MA
Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This site, and all information and materials appearing on it, are presented to the user "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. All vehicles are subject to prior sale. Price does not include applicable tax, title, license, processing and/or documentation fees, and destination charges. ‡Vehicles shown at different locations are not currently in our inventory (Not in Stock) but can be made available to you at our location within a reasonable date from the time of your request, not to exceed one week.


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As required by class rule B.4 the Temavento Brand and ISAF have been notified today about the final outcome of the investigations following equipment inconsistencies found during the 2013 Kiteracing European Championships, where 18 sailors were disqualified for using equipment with measurements outside reasonable production tolerances.
No further penalty will be imposed on any sailor.
A penalty has been imposed against the brand, following discussions with ISAF and taking input from incidents during the 2013 Americas Cup and similar issues during the early days of windsurfing raceboard classes.
The brand will be allowed to continue building the current model RC70LG throughout the remainer of the 2013 production equipment cycle. For the 2014 production equipment registration cycle, no new model registration will be accepted from the brand, however the current model (without any changes to shape and building parameters) may remain in production and sold and sailed also in the 2014 registration cycle.
The IKA technical committee has published a Q&A on acceptable production tolerances, and the 2014 builder contracts contain a full list of acceptable tolerances for boards registered for the 2014 season. These tolerance levels will be updated on the IKA website (Racing - Q&A section) with the beginning of the new equipment cycle after March 1st, 2014.
All builder provided measurement data will be published after the registration deadline for 2014 equipment to allow sailors to re-measurer their equipment themselves. However, manufacturers are advised to produce a measurement certificate for every board with the target and actual data.
It remains the sailors responsibility to ensure that his/her equipment is in compliance with the class rules (which require all equipment to be series production, with all pieces of equipment manufactured to the highest degree of uniformity in every peformance related aspect).


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Editor's Note: This column was written by veteran Hoosier writer Brian Howey following President Obama's visit to Elkhart County, Ind. The columnist publishes at www.howeypolitics.com.
If there is an American city that will be chiseled into President Barack Obama's legacy – whatever it turns out to be – it will be Elkhart. Of the 52 visits Obama has made to Indiana since March 2008, four of them have come in or close to this epicenter of the recreational vehicle industry.
During the presidential campaign, he vowed not to "forget" the city and county that was hit by $4.20 a gallon gas, a collapse of Wall Street credit and then the cascading bad news from companies like Monaco, Jayco and Keystone. By the time Obama returned on Feb. 9, the jobless rate was more than 15% – or a 10% increase, which he described as "astonishing." In making his pitch for a $780 billion stimulus package, Obama told an overflow crowd at Concord High School, "I promised you back then that if elected, I'd do everything I could to help this community recover and that's why I came back today, because I intend to keep my promise."
Earlier visits gave clear indicators to what Obama had in mind. In the same gym on Aug. 6, 2008, candidate Obama reminded the city and nation that this energy dilemma was 30 years in the making. The gas lines of 1979 caused by the Iranian revolution plunged Elkhart into a near depression that peaked in 1982. "Elkhart, this did not happen by accident," Obama said. "We've had a real energy problem with no real solutions. We didn't have an energy plan, we had an oil company plan. We offered gimmicks, rather than solutions."
And his Aug. 6, 2008, solutions?
Obama vowed to wean the U.S. off Middle Eastern and Venezuelan oil within a decade. He vowed to charge scientists and engineers to "get behind a new approach to energy," create more electric hybrid cars and RVs and expand the electric grid. He summoned the legacy of President Kennedy, who vowed to put an American on the moon "even though the technology didn't exist" at the time and added, "We can set those kinds of goals today."
On Feb. 9, 2009, President Obama described the stimulus plan that would pass eight days later in point No. 2: "There is money allocated in this plan to develop the new battery technologies that will allow not just cars but potentially RVs as well to be — to move into the next generation of plug-in hybrids that get much better gas mileage, that will wean ourselves off dependence on Middle Eastern oil, and will improve our environment and lessen the potential effects of greenhouse gases and climate change."
Thus, the stage was set for Wednesday, when Obama ventured just south of Elkhart to the embattled town of Wakarusa, the scene of what he described as "the perfect storm." The jobless rate here is 16%. Appearing at a Monaco RV plant – whose closing was a precursor to the emphatic pain that would follow – Obama brought home the bacon and provided a beacon. He announced $2.4 billion in federal stimulus funding for advanced battery and electric vehicle manufacturing at Wakarusa, with seven emerging Indiana companies and 11 in Michigan making the cut.
"The battle for America's future will be fought in Elkhart, Detroit, Goshen, Pittsburgh, South Bend and Youngstown," Obama said. "It will be won by making places like Elkhart what they once were."
In announcing the $2.4 billion in grants – which he described as the "The largest boost in research in history" – Obama described his plan as "planting the seeds of progress and good paying jobs. That's what we do best in America: We turn ideas into inventions and inventions into industries."
With money coming to EnerDel and Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, Delphi in Kokomo, Magna in Muncie and Remy in Anderson, Obama explained, "For too long we failed to invest in this kind of innovative work, even as China and Japan were racing ahead. I'm committed to a strategy where American leads. This is about creating the infrastructure of innovation. Indiana is the second largest recipient of grant money."
Obama said that the state – home to Purdue, Notre Dame, Indiana universities and IVY Tech – will be a place where engineers are educated and innovation will thrive. He reminded people that he has made the research and development tax credit permanent. "This tax credit returns $2 to the economy for every $1 spent. The real innovation depends not on government, but the potential of the American people," Obama said. "They'll figure out how to do it."
Standing in the Monaco plant, Obama said, "Just a few months ago folks thought these factories were closed for good. These grants will create tens of thousands of jobs all across America."
He added, "I don't want to import a hybrid truck, I want to build a hybrid truck right here. I want to build a windmill right here in Indiana."
Say what you want about our 44th president, but what is unmistakable is that he is staking the success of his presidency here in Indiana, even as rival politicians criticize his rescue of Chrysler and General Motors, his cap-and-trade plans, the health care reforms he calls vital to the economy, and the stimulus.
Elkhart becomes the common thread that bridges the crisis of 2008 to an unfolding future.


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Oct. 5, 2007
The Lady Bisons set big goals for themselves at the start of the season and they don't plan to let them slip away.
Friday night at Allen Arena the Lady Bisons played one of their finest matches of the year stopping visiting Stetson 3-0 with wins of 30-19, 30-18 and 30-14.
"I'm really happy with what we did," said Lady Bisons coach Brandon Rosenthal. "It was a team win. Everyone executed what we had drawn up."
The Lady Bisons have won their last two Atlantic Sun matches and are 3-1 in their last four matches.
"We have had some ups and downs and some close losses," Rosenthal said. "We have talked a lot about that. But while we have talked about the past it is a matter of moving forward if we are going to continue to be successful."
Junior outside hitter Sarah Snider led with a match-high 18 kills, her 11th time this season to post a match-high in that category. She also had a .293 hitting percentage as she made 41 attacks with only six errors.
Also in double figures in kills were freshmen middle blocker Alex Kelly and senior outside hitter Jessica Enderle with 12 apiece. Enderle finished with a .440 hitting percentage and Kelly posted a .346 hitting percentage.
"We were very aggressive from the beginning," Rosenthal said. "Snider missed three our four balls by just inches. I told them all to relax. We didn't have to hit the line on every play."
Senior libero Ann Mullins had a match-high 28 digs. It was her ninth match-high in digs.
Also in double figures in digs were junior defensive specialist Jessica Turner with 11 and senior defensive specialist Grace Gilmore with 10.
As a team the Lady Bisons finished with a ,294 hitting percentage. There were a number of extended exchanges between the two teams.
"Stetson did a great job of keeping balls alive," Rosenthal said. "I have to give a lot of credit to them. If a team isn't careful they can wear you down. Our players knew they had to finish their points."
The Lady Bisons have their first meeting with A-Sun newcomer Florida Gulf Coast Sunday afternoon at 2 in Allen Arena. Florida Gulf Coast is the only team in the conference without a loss. They are 4-0 after beating Belmont 3-1 Friday night and are 14-1 overall.
"Florida Gulf Coast is a good team," Rosenthal said. "They don't make a lot of mistakes.
"They are very fluid team, By that I mean they take what comes their way and they make the most of it."
The Lady Bisons are 8-9, 2-2 in the conference. Stetson is 7-10, 1-3 in the A-Sun.


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7 ways to change up your end-of-summer look
See Gallery
It's nearing the end of summer, but we're willing to bet you're feeling pretty sick of your seasonal wardrobe. We've still got a good four weeks left of summertime, so we thought we'd deliver a little end-of-summer style inspiration.
It's not too late for summer trends -- leather, backpacks, and overalls will all still be in fashion come fall. Sick of your florals and your whites? Layer them over each other, and see if they look any different. Make the most of your bright colors before the leaves start to turn. Wear items of clothing where they weren't meant to be worn -- like, a men's shirt as a skirt, for example.
The opportunities to change up your wardrobe are endless, and there's little to no shopping required. Click through the gallery for 7 easy ways to change up your summer style situation.
Photo credit: New York Called


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Today is the first day of Family History Month. That's a big deal to personal historians and to a growing number of Americans. During a recent series on the family histories of its anchors, NBC's Today Show recently proclaimed researching family history as the No. 1 hobby in America.
Family History Month began in 2001 when 84 U.S. Senators co-sponsored a resolution that sailed through the chamber, recognizing that 60 percent of Americans are interested in their own family's history.
The value of saving family stories for future generations is sadly often realized only after a loved one has died and those stories are lost forever. But even in families where stories are meticulously documented and preserved, new and unexpected material is often uncovered. Just this week, for example, I learned that my grandmother's marriage to my grandfather wasn't her first marital journey.
To mark Family History Month, a group of personal historians here in central Iowa has joined forces to present a free Open House from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Urbandale Public Library. More information will be forthcoming in a few days in my newsletter. Send me an e-mail if you want to subscribe to the newsletter.
Meanwhile, Kimberly Powell lists 10 ways you can celebrate Family History Month here.
Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.
Photo: Calvin and Lillie Lehmer with their sons, Warren and Harry courtesy of Larry Lehmer.


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A couple of weeks ago, Dance Party Massacre gave us a sneak peek of their upcoming 2009 winter line. Well, if those tees peeked your interest then you'll be happy to know that the winter line is now on sale for purchase! You can get them now at Dance Party Massacre's online shop. What's even better is that they're now offering free shipping for all domestic orders and have a sale going on for their ladies tees!
DPM also went out of their way to produce a little short to promote their new line. Alex Dakoulas, of DPM, hooked up with Ryan Gibeau of Rock*It Films, who helped him to produce the short. It's definitely worth a watch if you're a horror fan. It looks like they had a great time making the video and it is such a breathe of fresh air to see brands try different things to promote their goods.Â
If you want even more Dance Party Massacre, then be sure to check out Indie Tee Spotlight #9, I got to interview Alex about DPM – it's a good read!


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This week on The Florida Roundup: Have state GOP leaders taken the election as a cue to change course?
State lawmakers reconsider voting laws, as local officials also vow to get it right following Florida's latest election fiasco. And after two years of doing all he can to stifle it, Governor Rick Scott announces he's ready to work with a freshly re-elected President to help implement the new healthcare law.
State GOP leaders seem disinclined to let the federal government run the state's healthcare exchange, a state-based marketplace where people would shop for insurance coverage. States must submit plans for how they plan to operate the healthcare exchanges by mid-December so Florida has little time.
While there's consensus that Florida's handling of the elections was embarrassment, there's little agreement about who's to blame. The state is reviewing the actions of local elections officials, while others blame state GOP lawmakers for the long ballot and the shortening of early voting hours. With the news that Broward county recently discovered more than 1,000 ballots, there's plenty of blame to go around.
A task force, created after the killing of Trayvon Martin and charged with reviewing whether changes should be made to the Stand Your Ground law, has concluded that the law is fine as is. Critics say that's not surprising since the group was primarily composed of Republicans who support the law, including two lawmakers who helped draft it.
The Marlins' latest fire sale has infuriated fans, and some local leaders are saying, "I told you so," about that new Miami baseball stadium. We hear from you whether it's time to reconsider the way taxpayer money is used to fund stadiums and urban development.
Phil Latzman is joined by journalists Guillermo Martinez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Dara Kam of the Palm Beach Post, and Glenn Garvin of the Miami Herald.


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The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Inter-scorer Reliability program provides a unique opportunity to compare a large number of scorers with varied levels of experience to determine agreement in the scoring of respiratory events. The objective of this paper is to examine areas of disagreement to inform future revisions of the AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events.
The sample included 15 monthly records, 200 epochs each. The number of scorers increased steadily during the period of data collection, reaching more than 3,600 scorers by the final record. Scorers were asked to identify whether an obstructive, mixed, or central apnea; a hypopnea; or no event was seen in each of the 200 epochs. The "correct" respiratory event score was defined as the score endorsed by the most scorers. Percentage agreement with the majority score was determined for each epoch and the mean agreement determined.
The overall agreement for scoring of respiratory events was 93.9% (κ = 0.92). There was very high agreement on epochs without respiratory events (97.4%), and the majority score for most of the epochs (87.8%) was no event. For the 364 epochs scored as having a respiratory event, overall agreement that some type of respiratory event occurred was 88.4% (κ = 0.77). The agreement for epochs scored as obstructive apnea by the majority was 77.1% (κ = 0.71), and the most common disagreement was hypopnea rather than obstructive apnea (14.4%). The agreement for hypopnea was 65.4% (κ = 0.57), with 16.4% scoring no event and 14.8% scoring obstructive apnea. The agreement for central apnea was 52.4% (κ = 0.41). A single epoch was scored as a mixed apnea by a plurality of scorers.
The study demonstrated excellent agreement among a large sample of scorers for epochs with no respiratory events. Agreement for some type of event was good, but disagreements in scoring of apnea vs. hypopnea and type of apnea were common. A limitation of the analysis is that most of the records had normal breathing. A review of controversial events yielded no consistent bias that might be resolved by a change of scoring rules.
Rosenberg RS; Van Hout S. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine inter-scorer reliability program: respiratory events. J Clin Sleep Med 2014;10(4):447-454.
Identification of respiratory events during sleep is critical to the diagnosis of sleep related breathing disorders, especially obstructive sleep apnea.1 Rules are provided by the AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events2 (the Manual) and require not only identification of events but classification of types. Apnea types include obstructive, mixed, and central events. In addition, apneas are distinguished from hypopneas, defined as a partial decrease of air flow as measured using a nasal pressure transducer.
Studies have attempted to assess scoring reliability for respiratory events, often employing non-standard techniques. A widely cited study published before the Manual used data from home sleep testing relying on a single nasal thermistor.3 The study defined apneas as a 75% or greater reduction of flow amplitude and hypopneas as a 30% or greater reduction of flow amplitude. A sample of 60 recordings was scored by 3 independent scorers and interclass correlations determined. A unique feature of this study was that recordings were scored and rescored with different hypopnea definitions with respect to oxygen desaturation and arousal. Agreement was based on the respiratory disturbance index (RDI). Extremely high interclass correlations were seen when desaturations were required, rising to 0.99 when 4% or 5% desaturation cutoffs were used. These data were subsequently used in the construction of the Manual scoring rules.4
Scoring agreement may be based on a variety of measures. At one end of this spectrum, agreement based on classification of normal, mild, moderate, or severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) provides a crude measure of agreement. Use of the RDI or apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) provides a clinically relevant measure in that these scores are used in the diagnostic criteria for apnea. However, perfect agreement for classification or index can be achieved with complete disagreement on specific events. Assessment of agreement on the duration of specific events, at the other end of the spectrum, may indicate disagreement when the events identified by scorers overlap on all but a few seconds, depending on the algorithm used to define agreement. These minor variations have no clinical significance except when the event duration is at or near the criterion of 10 seconds.
The AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program uses an intermediate measure of agreement based on an epoch-by-epoch analysis. Scorers are asked to identify whether or not an epoch contains a respiratory event. Events were scored in each of the epochs in which they occurred, providing a gross measure of the scorer's ability to evaluate the duration of the event. However, this precludes the calculation of a precise AHI as it does not provide the number of respiratory events in a record; events that are seen in more than one epoch would be scored more than once. Scorers were also asked to classify the events seen in each epoch as obstructive, central, or mixed apnea. Scorers were asked to identify the presence of hypopnea but were not asked to discriminate between obstructive and central hypopnea.
A report by Pittman and colleagues allows comparison of these assessment methods.5 Their analysis was based on 31 sleep studies scored by 2 independent sleep technologists. There was 93.5% agreement on OSA severity with all disagreements occurring in the mild and moderate categories. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for RDI was 0.99 between the 2 manual scorers. An epoch-by-epoch analysis of respiratory scoring resulted in agreement on 94.9% of epochs with a κ value of 0.82. This suggests that there is good agreement between measures of scoring reliability; the epoch-by-epoch method provides a measure of agreement that is similar to severity classification and AHI or RDI comparison. However, it should be noted that this agreement does not reflect differences in apnea type or differentiate apneas from hypopneas.
Apnea type and hypopnea agreement were measured in a recent international study.6 This study compared scorers at 9 sites using 15 full-night, attended sleep records. The ICC for the AHI was 0.95. This value fell to 0.73 for all apneas and 0.80 for hypopneas, indicating some disagreement in distinguishing apneas from hypopneas. Agreement on classification of apnea type was much less robust, with ICC values of 0.70 for obstructive events, 0.42 for mixed apneas, and 0.46 for central apneas.
The AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program was described in our previous report on sleep stage scoring.7 It provides standard recordings each month in a web-based format that currently includes more than 3,500 regular users. Users are given immediate feedback based on the majority score of a 3-person panel of experts. The "correct" score for the present analysis was based on the largest number of users rather than the panel score. According to a survey taken in July 2012, the majority of users were experienced sleep technologists, with few physicians and few novice scorers participating in the program.
We hypothesized that overall scoring agreement for sleep related breathing events would be similar to that found in previous studies. We anticipated that scorers would have some difficulty discriminating between apnea and hypopnea, and considerable difficulty differentiating apnea type. Events with poor agreement were reviewed to determine if there were elements of the scoring rules that were particularly troublesome. This was used to suggest changes to the scoring rules that might result in higher levels of agreement.
Analyses were based on scoring of the 200 epoch monthly record fragments provided by the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program between January 2012 and March 2013. Several improvements in the display and scoring methodology were implemented during that time, but these had no effect on the agreement in stage scoring7 and were unlikely to have an effect on respiratory scoring. Instructions for users of the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program for scoring respiratory events were as follows:
Score any event that appears in the epoch by using the Scoring Answer Menu and selecting up to two of the following choices in the "Respiratory" category: "Obstructive Apnea", "Central Apnea", "Mixed Apnea" or "Hypopnea". Because not every epoch has a respiratory event, the default answer is none. Score any event that appears in an epoch, even if the event appears across multiple epochs, and only a portion of the event occurs in the current epoch. For example, if an obstructive apnea starts in epoch 97 and ends in epoch 98, score OA for epochs 97 and 98. If there is an obstructive apnea and a central apnea in epoch 125, score OA and CA. If there are 2 obstructive apneas in epoch 36, score OA for the epoch. Use Rule 4.A. for scoring hypopneas. The criteria are a drop of 30% of the nasal pressure transducer signal and an oxygen desaturation of at least 4%. The pre-event baseline should be defined as the closest stable oximetry reading prior to the event or in the case where events are sufficiently frequent such that recovery of oxygenation does not occur, the highest value prior to the event. Although it is recognized that apneas and hypopneas can occur during drowsiness preceding stage N1 sleep, these should not be scored because of the difficulty of defining the denominator to calculate an apnea hypopnea index. Therefore, do not enter any events for all epochs scored as W.
These rules allowed for the possibility of more than one type of event in a particular epoch, but the majority score never included more than one type of event for any of the epochs in this analysis. The rules do not allow for a precise calculation of an AHI, but the number of epochs with respiratory events per record provides an estimate of severity. This resulted in the categorization of 1 record as severe OSA, 2 moderate OSA, 1 mild OSA, and the remaining 11 record fragments as within normal limits. The majority score identified no respiratory events at all in 6 of the recordings. Admittedly this is not a representative sample of patients from a typical sleep disorders center. However, the purpose of the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program is to "satisfy the AASM Standards for Accreditation item F-6: Inter-scorer Reliability by using the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability Assessment System. This standard requires sleep technologists at each site to demonstrate competency in scoring."8 In keeping with this, records were chosen that had minimal artifact and robust signals. Most of these records were normal or nearly normal. Patients ranged from 26 to 78 years of age.
Records used in this study are listed in Table 1 and were recorded in accordance with AASM standards.2 Eleven of the studies were diagnostic with flow recorded from an oro-nasal thermistor and a nasal pressure transducer. Four of the studies were CPAP titrations with flow recorded from the PAP device. Respiratory inductance plethysmography effort belts were used in all studies.
Records Used in the Analysis
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The majority score was determined by counting the number of users who scored no event, obstructive apnea, mixed apnea, central apnea, or hypopnea. The category with the most scores was used as the "correct" score. This meant that if scores for apnea and hypopnea were somewhat evenly split among the categories, it would be possible for the majority score to be no event even if most scorers scored a respiratory event. Epochs scored as having more than one type of respiratory event were rare and never achieved a majority score. For purposes of categorizing "incorrect" responses, these were included in the type of event chosen first by the scorer.
The number of scorers increased month-by-month, with 2,630 scorers for the January 2012 record and 3,692 for the March 2013 record. A total of 9,108,197 scoring decisions were recorded and used in this analysis. Data for individual scorers is confidential, and it was therefore impossible to track individual users to see if there was consistency across records. However, there was no reason to assume that the users at the beginning of the sample were any different from those at the end of the sample.
Of the 3,000 epochs used in this analysis, 364 (12.2%) were scored as having a respiratory event by the majority of scorers. Of these, 47.3% were hypopnea, 41.2% obstructive apnea, 11.3% central apnea, and a single event (0.3%) was scored as mixed apnea by a majority of scorers. The overall agreement matrix is shown in Table 2.
Scoring Agreement for the 15 Records Used
The overall agreement for scoring of respiratory events was 93.9% (κ = 0.92). This was primarily due to very high agreement on epochs without respiratory events at 97.4% and the fact that the majority score for most of the epochs (87.8%) was no respiratory event. The most common disagreement for these epochs was a score of hypopnea, which was endorsed by 1.6% of scorers.
For the 364 epochs scored as having a respiratory event by the majority of scorers, the overall agreement that some type of respiratory event occurred during the epoch was 88.4% (κ = 0.77). The agreement for epochs scored as obstructive apnea by the majority was 77.1% (κ = 0.71), and the most common disagreement was a score of hypopnea rather than obstructive apnea by 14.4% of scorers. The agreement for hypopnea was 65.4% (κ = 0.57), with 16.4% scoring no event in those epochs and 14.8% scoring obstructive apnea. The agreement for central apnea was 52.4% (κ = 0.41). A single epoch was scored as a mixed apnea by a plurality of scorers.
Figure 1 includes epoch 57 from record #14 (second epoch from the right). This is an example of an epoch where a slim majority of scorers scored no event. Loud snoring is seen throughout the 2-minute sample. There is no change in the thermal signal, but midway through the epoch a decrease in the amplitude of the pressure signal occurs with flattening of the waveform. Chest and abdominal signals persist through the epoch with a tendency toward paradoxical effort. The highest oxygen saturation was 94% at the end of the epoch, and over the course of the next 20 seconds the saturation reached a low of 90%. This appears to meet the scoring criteria for hypopnea, as the event lasted for more than 10 seconds, included a decrease of the pressure signal amplitude of more than 30%, and was accompanied by a 4% oxygen desaturation. The panel of experts scored a hypopnea in this epoch, but only 49.5% of scorers agreed.
An epoch scored as having no respiratory event by a majority (50.2%) of scorers.
The nasal pressure signal from this epoch and a portion of the epochs before and after is shown in Figure 2. The amplitude of the signal varied across this sample making it difficult to choose a baseline breath for comparison. Using the breath marked A as the baseline, a grid can be applied to measure decreases during subsequent breaths. Each line on the grid represents 10% of the baseline breath amplitude. According to the scoring rules, an event begins at the nadir preceding the first reduced breath (marked as B in Figure 2). The end of the event is the nadir preceding the first normal breath (marked as C). Therefore, the duration of the event clearly exceeds the 10 second requirement. The rule for amplitude measurement requires that at least 9 seconds of the event have an amplitude decrease of at least 30% from baseline (3 lines on the grid). All 3 of the breaths between arrows B and C appear to meet this criterion.
See text for details.
Nasal pressure signal from Figure 1. See text for details.
The highest oxygen saturation, presumably associated with breath A and the 3 breaths preceding it, was 94%. This appears at the very end of the epoch and is therefore delayed by about 25 seconds. The low point for oxygen saturation of 90% occurs approximately 17 seconds after the peak. One report9 recommends scoring of low saturation within 30 seconds of the end of the event, and these measurements fall within that window.
Figure 3 is from record #6, the patient with severe OSA. The majority of scorers (50.1%) scored an obstructive apnea in this epoch. The expert scorers scored hypopnea, as did 44.7% of the program users. Scoring of obstructive apnea required an event lasting at least 10 seconds, with a decrease of the thermal signal by 90% or more lasting at least 9 seconds. Oxygen desaturation is irrelevant for the scoring of apnea but was approximately 10% for this event. Respiratory effort was clearly present in the thoracic and especially abdominal tracings. The duration of the event clearly exceeds the 10-second requirement. Disagreement on this epoch clearly relies on differences in the scoring of the thermal signal amplitude.
An epoch scored as having an obstructive apnea by a majority (50.1%) of scorers.
Figure 4 provides the oro-nasal thermal sensor for this event. Selection of a baseline breath is more difficult than in the previous tracing as the patient is having repetitive events throughout this portion of the recording. Breath A is chosen as the baseline and the 10% grid is placed over the tracing. The event is scored as beginning at point B, the nadir preceding the first reduced breath. The event ends at point C, the nadir preceding the first normal breath, and exceeds the 10-second requirement for a respiratory event. The 90% reduction in amplitude means that the signal cannot exceed the distance between 2 of the horizontal bars on the grid.
Nasal-oral thermal signal from Figure 3. See text for details.
The 2 partial breaths in the second half of the event do not meet the 90% reduction in amplitude. Therefore, the portion of the event with no breaths must last at least 9 seconds to meet the duration of the amplitude reduction criterion. This is an especially difficult decision to make, especially with the drift of thermal signal amplitude.
Scoring for the event in Figure 5 was more evenly distributed than for the epochs previously discussed. For this epoch (record #13, epoch 169), 33.4% scored central apnea and this became the "correct" answer, 33.0% scored obstructive apnea, 7.2% scored mixed apnea, 21.9% scored hypopnea, and 4.5% scored no event. The expert scorers scored an obstructive apnea for this epoch.
An epoch scored as having a central apnea by a plurality (33.4%) of scorers.
Most scorers (73.6%) scored this event as an apnea rather than hypopnea requiring that a 9-second portion of the event meet the 90% reduction in oro-nasal thermal signal amplitude. In Figure 6 the baseline breath is chosen at A and the 10% grid is placed. This is somewhat arbitrary in that it follows a respiratory event and may represent hyperpnea. The event begins at B with the nadir preceding the first reduced breath and ends at C with the nadir preceding the first normal breath. Partial breaths are seen at D and E, and the assumption behind a score of apnea is that there is a 9-second period with a 90% reduction in amplitude between these arrows.
Respiratory signals from Figure 5. See text for details.
The scoring rules require that mixed apnea must have an absence of respiratory effort in the first half of the event and resumption of effort in the second half of the event.2 Obstructive apnea must have continued or increased respiratory effort evident throughout the entire period of absent air flow. Central apnea must have absent respiratory effort throughout the entire period of absent air flow. Turning to the effort channels in Figure 6, clear paradoxical effort is seen at arrow F. This would seem to preclude the scoring of a mixed apnea as the effort occurs in the first half of the event. The scoring decision rests, therefore, on the definition of the "period of absent airflow" and the interpretation of the signal in the effort channels between arrow F and the end of the event.
The event in Figure 7, from record #11, was scored as a mixed apnea in epoch 133 by 39.8% of scorers. It was scored as an obstructive apnea by 17.7% of scorers and a central apnea by 22.1% of scorers. No event was scored for the epoch by 17.8% of scorers. The event begins with an apparent central component. Paradoxical movement of the chest and abdomen is seen in the second half of the event. The oro-nasal thermal channel appears to decrease by more than 90% for almost the entire epoch. Interestingly, a clear majority of scorers scored no event in epoch 132, even though nearly all scorers (90.5%) scored epoch 132 as stage N2. As mentioned, the scoring rules clearly state that events should be scored in all of the epochs in which they occur. The first abnormal breath for the event in epoch 133 occurs in epoch 132, and therefore the event should be scored in both epochs.
The single epoch scored as a mixed apnea by the largest number of scorers.
The results of this study indicate high agreement among scorers in the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program in identifying epochs with normal breathing during sleep. Agreement for epochs scored by the majority of users as having no respiratory events was 97.4%. Agreement for epochs where the majority scored an event was 88.4%, leading to an overall agreement of 93.9%. Agreement was significantly reduced for epochs scored by the majority as having hypopnea (65.4%). Agreement was better for obstructive apnea (77.1%) than for epochs where the majority scored a central apnea (52.4%). Cohen's κ values for agreement was excellent for identifying the absence of an event but more in the moderate range for the type of event scored.
The study has some major limitations, chief among them that most of the records had normal breathing resulting in a small number of epochs scored as having respiratory events by the majority of scorers. For example, a single epoch was scored as a mixed apnea by the majority (only 4 epochs were identified as containing a mixed apnea by the expert scorers). The prevalence of normal breathing during sleep raises concerns regarding the validity of our sample as an indicator of scoring agreement in sleep centers. However, the high number of scorers participating in the program presents a unique opportunity to provide "real world" data on scoring agreement. This contrasts to other published estimates of scoring agreement which relied on a small number of scorers but typically used a more representative set of recordings.
Epochs of high disagreement provided an opportunity to explore the scoring rules and speculate on the causes of poor agreement. The epoch in Figure 1 had a modest reduction of the amplitude of the nasal pressure signal. Scorer disagreement in the percentage reduction of amplitude probably accounts for much of the disagreement in scoring of the event. This event (or non-event) is notable for the absence of an arousal, which, although not part of the scoring rule for hypopnea in effect at the time this record was scored, may have influenced some scorers not to score the event.
Similarly, the amplitude of the oro-nasal thermal sensor decreased in the epoch in Figure 3. Here the question is not whether the amplitude reached the 90% reduction required for scoring of apnea, but whether the amplitude remained below this level for the 9 seconds required by the scoring manual.
An epoch illustrating the difficulty in apnea classification is presented in Figure 5. A portion of the event has clear respiratory effort, but is followed by a portion with little or no effort. This cannot be called a mixed apnea due to the obstructive part preceding the central part. Another complication is the requirement for central apneas to have absent effort during the portion of the event with absent air flow. Is absent air flow the same as signal amplitude reduced by 90% or more? Or is the portion of the event with paradoxical effort and limited air flow sufficient to call the event obstructive? The epoch scored as having a mixed apnea (Figure 7) was in fact scored as something else by 60.2% of scorers.
Modifications of the rules for scoring respiratory events were published in 2012,10 but were not incorporated into the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program until June 2013. All of the records included in this analysis were scored prior to this change. The changes were made as a result of deliberations by the Sleep Apnea Definitions Task Force which included discussion of technical requirements and scoring rules.11 However, the most recent version of the rules makes the 3% or arousal rule "recommended" and the 4% rule "acceptable."12 The AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program has since reverted to the "acceptable" rule for respiratory event scoring.
Several changes to the scoring rules remain in effect. The Task Force modified the requirement for duration of the specified flow decrease—a 10-second event is required, and a minimum of 10 seconds must meet the required decrease of flow amplitude. Events that meet criteria for apnea and hypopnea must now be scored as apnea. The requirement for apnea to have an amplitude reduction of 90% or more in the oro-nasal thermal channel remains the same.
The amplitude reduction criterion is difficult to operationalize for many reasons. Thermal flow signal amplitude is affected by changes in flow volume, distance of the probe from the nose and mouth, ambient temperature, and accumulation of fluids on the probe tips. The frequent and cyclical events such as that in patient #6 (Figure 3) suggests that in patients with severe disease periods of apnea alternate with periods of hyper-pnea and a baseline amplitude may not be evident. The scoring rule notes provide guidance on determining the end of an event based on a 2% resaturation, but no guidance on estimating baseline flow amplitude is provided.10
The rule changes for duration measurement may help improve agreement, and scoring apneas whenever a 10-second portion of an event reaches the 90% reduction criterion will likely help as well. In the examples shown here, a grid was used to help estimate a 90% reduction. We are not aware of this feature in any available scoring systems or any other aid for scoring changes in flow amplitude. Baseline drift is common in flow signals, and it is uncertain whether this represents slow exhalation or is an artifact of filtering. The purpose of the 90% reduction criterion is to enable scoring of an apnea even when there are minor fluctuations in the amplitude of the flow signal that are not breaths. But the 90% figure is arbitrary and difficult to score at times. One feature that separates physiological flow from artifact is the concordance of flow and effort. A more reliable score might result if the rule was to score apnea if there is 10 seconds without concordant flow and effort.
A review of the epochs in this sample appears to indicate that a 30% reduction is at the limit of scorers to detect. For epochs scored as containing a hypopnea, 16.4% scored no event. The "recommended" rules in the Manual suggest that the authors expect scorers to identify periods of decreased flow amplitude and then confirm the scoring of an event by identifying a desaturation or arousal. However, some scorers may use a reverse strategy because identification of flow amplitude changes is difficult. In many patients a 3% desaturation may occur from time to time during a recording with no apparent trigger. It may be that even prior to the rule change some scorers were already using an arousal to signal the presence of a preceding event, and then look for an associated desaturation. In the absence of an arousal, no event may be scored.
Widespread adoption of the "recommended" rule will result in a significant increase in the number of hypopneas scored. The effect of this change on scoring agreement is unknown at this point and the AASM Inter-scorer Reliability program does not have sufficient data to contribute to the discussion. Moving forward, the program will provide data to assess agreement for the "acceptable" rule and allow comparison with the agreement described here.
This is not an industry supported study. Dr. Rosenberg has provided consulting services to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Association of Sleep Technologists and Natus Neurology, Inc. He has received a speaker's honorarium from the Louisiana Association of Sleep Medicine. Mr. Van Hout is a full time employee of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine developed the inter-scorer reliability program.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Second Edition: Diagnostic and Coding Manual. Westchester, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2005.
Iber C, Ancoli-Israel S, Chesson AL Jr., Quan SF, authors. The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology, and Technical Specifications. 1st ed. Westchester, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2007.
Whitney CW, Gottlieb DJ, Redline S, et al., authors. Reliability of scoring respiratory disturbance indices and sleep staging. Sleep. 1998;21:749–57. [PubMed]
Redline S, Budhiraja R, Kapur V, et al., authors. The scoring of respiratory events in sleep: reliability and validity. J Clin Sleep Med. 2007;3:169–200. [PubMed]
Pittman SD, MacDonald MM, Fogel RB, et al., authors. Assessment of automated scoring of polysomnographic recordings in a population with suspected sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep. 2004;27:1394–403. [PubMed]
Magalang UJ, Chen NH, Cistulli PA, et al., authors. Agreement in the scoring of respiratory events and sleep among international sleep centers. Sleep. 2013;36:591–6. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Rosenberg RS, Van Hout S, authors. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine inter-scorer reliability program: sleep stage scoring. J Clin Sleep Med. 2013;9:81–7. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Inter-scorer Reliability. Accessed on July 29, 2013. http://www.aasmnet.org/isr/.
Zafar S, Ayappa I, Norman RG, Krieger AC, Walsleben JA, Rapoport DM, authors. Choice of oximeter affects apnea-hypopnea index. Chest. 2005;127:80–8. [PubMed]
Berry R, Brooks R, Gamaldo C, et al., authors; for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications, Version 2.0. www.aasmnet.org. Darien, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2012.
Berry RB, Budhiraja R, Gottlieb DJ, et al., authors. Rules for scoring respiratory events in sleep: update of the 2007 AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events. Deliberations of the Sleep Apnea Definitions Task Force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med. 2012;8:597–619. [PubMed Central][PubMed]
Berry RB, Brooks R, Gamaldo CE, et al., authors; for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications, Version 2.0.2. www.aasmnet.org. Darien, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2013.


text:
DEMOREST, Ga.—In a game that was close throughout the first half and much of the second, the Birmingham-Southern women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, losing 63-59 to Piedmont on the road Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers fall to 2-1, while Piedmont moves to 3-1.
The first half featured seven ties and several lead changes, as the teams stayed neck-and-neck with neither one leading by more than six. The Lions led 32-28 at halftime.
Piedmont started to pull ahead in the second half, going up by nine quickly and then leading by as much as 16, 49-33, with 11:13 left in the game. But the Panthers slowly chipped away at the lead, cutting it back to five, 57-52, with 3:37 to play and then two, 61-59, on a three-pointer by junior Kayla Ford with 22 seconds remaining. BSC was forced to foul and send the Lions to the free throw line, though, where Symone Ball hit both to put Piedmont back up by four with 15 seconds left. BSC missed two jumpers on their final possession before time expired, giving the Lions the 63-59 victory.
Ford led the Panthers with 12 points, while senior Elizabeth Bromirski and sophomore Ashley Curry each had 11 points. Bromirski led with eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Panthers struggled offensively, shooting 29.6 percent (16-54) from the field and 35 percent (7-20) from three-point range. BSC was 69 percent (20-29) from the line.
The Lions out-rebounded BSC 41-33, and BSC also committed 17 turnovers, three more than Piedmont.
The Panthers are back in action next Sunday as they host conference rival Millsaps at 3 p.m. in Bill Battle Coliseum.


text:
Ameriie Gets Hitched To Former Label Exec
Ameriie married her longtime boyfriend, former Columbia Records executive Lenny Nicholson on Saturday. The couple tied the knot in an elegant ceremony on Anguilla in the British West Indies.
"This is such an exciting time for me. This is my first marriage and I am over the moon," Ameriie, told People. "I look forward to a loving and enduring marriage. This day couldn't come any sooner for me."
In other news, Ameriie's fifth studio album, Cymatika Vol. 1, is slated for a Spring 2012 release.
Props to TODAY.


text:
The instructions will be up during today.
The instructions will be up during the day.
Which one is correct?
Stack Exchange network consists of 175 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.Visit Stack Exchange
The instructions will be up during today.
The instructions will be up during the day.
Which one is correct?
To expand on Barrie's answer, they both seem correct to me, but they do mean different things.
If the instructions are up "during the day", then I might not expect them to be up at other times, such as overnight. It depends what "the day" means to your audience, but I wouldn't expect something that is up "during the day" to be available at, say, 9pm.
If the instructions are due to be be up "during today", I would expect them to start being available at some point today, and to remain available once they arrived.
"During the day" is definitely correct usage. "During today" sounds off to me, and Google seems to agree. All the hits for "during today" seem to either reference the Today Show or be part of a longer phrase, as in "during today's press conference..."
For this particular case, though, I would probably just say, "The instructions will be up today." (Adding the word "during" makes it sound as if once night falls, the instructions will be removed.)
Both are grammatical, but they mean different things.


text:
The Cour des Comptes, whose role is advisory, concluded that overall the subsidies cost too much and are not particularly effective in creating jobs and other socio-economic benefits, particularly in the solar sector.
Instead, the government should focus on the most efficient sectors in order to "reserve support for those which can best contribute to meeting the targets," the report said.
In this regard, it singled out onshore wind as deserving of support, noting that it costs EUR 60--100/MWh, compared with an estimated EUR 70-90/MWh for the EPR reactor being built at Flamanville.
The report also repeated the need to simplify the regulatory framework for wind and speed up grid connections in order to meet its targets.


text:
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We're here to help. You can save time by making appointments or refilling your prescriptions online through MyHealth. And you can feel safe talking to us about any health issue, because your treatment here is confidential.
We welcome IU Bloomington students, their spouses, and their dependents aged 12 and older. You don't need health insurance to get treated at IU Health Center. In fact, for students who have paid their semester Health Fee, our care is among the most affordable options in Bloomington. You can even charge office visits, prescription drugs, and other services to your IU Bursar account.
IU Health Center is not affiliated with Indiana University Health, its hospitals, urgent care clinics, or physicians. Your IU Health Fee benefits will not cover treatment you receive through Indiana University Health.
Please note: The IU Health Center is NOT a Medicaid or Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) provider. In order to maximize your benefits with these plans, you must use an in-network provider.


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Project Runway 8 — Mondo was robbed
The dismaying result of the "Project Runway" season 8 finale, giving the win to Gretchen Jones and edging out Denver native Mondo Guerra, has fans scratching their heads well beyond Denver. Theories abound.
Nina Garcia essentially wants ready-to-wear fashion to win over couture. Michael Kors was threatened by Mondo and annoyed that he didn't take his advice regarding a certain polka dot dress. The producers want to capitalize on designs they can sell at chain retailers like Target, not high-end fashion that wouldn't look like office-wear on the average 18-49 female demographic. Maybe they felt Mondo had a disproportionate amount of publicity and didn't want this to become The Mondo Show. Maybe they decided a last minute surprise would be a good way to keep suspense alive for another season.
The biggest unsolved mystery of the night: how come guest judge Jessica Simpson made so much sense?
For whatever reason, Mondo was robbed.
He graciously thanked fans who packed Beauty Bar in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, allowing that he was "shocked" when standing on that final runway, but acknowledging how much he grew through the process.
Here's hoping it works for "Project Runway's" season 8 runner-up the way it has worked for so many "American Idol" runners-up. A bigger career may spring from a second place finish.


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Ihre Suche ergab keine Treffer
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Morenci city council members voted April 12 to hire one of their own to fill a temporary vacancy in city hall.
Council voted 5-1 to hire Leasa Slocum at $9 an hour to fill in for Diane Varga who is on medical leave for at least six weeks.
Slocum abstained from voting and Jason Cook cast the "no" vote, stating that he didn't agree with the pay rate.
The hiring is retroactive to when Slocum started working on a volunteer basis in early April.
Council member Greg Braun pointed out that the committee had checked with legal counsel to be sure it was acceptable to hire a council member.
City administrator/clerk Renée Schroeder thought Slocum would be a good choice on short notice because she is familiar with the workings of city hall and this would reduce training time. The motion also calls for Slocum to work at city hall while other employees are on vacation.
FURNACE—Blissfield Heating and Plumbing offered the low bid of $5,300 for a Lennox HVAC system for the fire hall. Six companies submitted bids.
PHOTOS—Schroeder told council that the ICE grant requires that photographs of the buildings that would be torn down for the parking lots and street widening must be submitted to the Michigan Historical Preservation office to see if they have any historical significance. The state can take 60 days to respond, either declaring them to have no historical value or giving them further review with a site visit. The properties (Dunbar's Auction House, the Community Center and a house on Orchard Street) cannot be purchased until the process is complete.
TREES—The city won a Tree City USA grant for 25 trees which will be planted along Page Street and in the industrial park.
Consumers Energy will remove some trees when relocating utility poles on Summit Street and west on Congress Street. The company will pay for the removal and for planting replacements.
DOGS—Resident Jean Hardy complained about dogs being allowed to defecate on private property.
Police chief Larry Weeks responded that's illegal without permission from the property owner. Weeks said officers can't actively search for problems of this nature, but they will respond to complaints lodged by residents.
Weeks added that dog owners are required to clean up after their pets if on public or someone else's property. He said a dog must be on a leash when it leaves the property of its owner.
Cook suggested putting notice in the paper letting people know the ordinance in case they're ignorant of it.
Weeks said he agrees with public education, but to really effect a change, he said, there's a need to follow up on complaints.


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|Put the pieces into the frame in 7 different patterns.
|Level 8 - Demanding
|European Wood Puzzles, Logan Kleinwaks
|15 cm x 13 cm x 1.8 cm / 5.9 in x 5.1 in x 0.7 in
|Cardboard Box
Product Description
This 1 player game is made of hevea and samena wood. The aim is to place the 16 pieces of the same shape with 7 different patterns in the case to make all the pieces fit and make one design.
Philos is a German puzzle manufacturer that started in 1996 as a manufacturer and distributor of toys. They make a wide variety of wooden puzzles, as well as some less common strategy games, playing cards, and dice.
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Dyslexic detectives seek a pratagan.. pratogoni.. prootogonist ... crook!
Ehha 11:01am Fri 27 Sep Report Abuse
I love this programme is there going to be a series 7
kym 4:43pm Mon 9 Sep Report Abuse
can you put the numb3rs series on enternet pls
can you put the series on enternet because otherwise i cant watch it because my mum doesnt let me watch tv during the week, which sucks. So yh pls put the series on enternet!!
why me ... 6:20pm Thu 14 Jul Report Abuse
great !!!!!
i think numb3rs is great i watch it all the time when its oan i hope it stays oan
pahax 5:24pm Wed 5 May Report Abuse
94Y Boy reminds me of the 3 TV Critics Girls who were employed as proofreaders by M & M who were sacked, One rejecting the Ws one for kicking out the Es and the third for not rejecting the 3s
NUMBERS Rules 12:20am Thu 25 Mar Report Abuse
94Y B0Y 6:01pm Thu 11 Feb Report Abuse
season 6
numb3rs season 6 starts on five on wednesday 13th january at 10:00
LJ 8:37pm Tue 5 Jan Report Abuse
don't keep us in suspense
when will series 6 be shown ITV2 five five usa (who cares which channel?) USA has got the 6 season running so when will be ours a very frustrated fan!!!!!!!!!!!
cabbagebasher 9:22pm Sun 1 Nov Report Abuse
you don't have to have a good understanding of math to understand the math of numbers, that's why i like Numb3rs so much.
bob 2:52pm Mon 26 Oct Report Abuse
So Easy
It's so easy to placate the dimwitted. Go Rids and Tony! Count the cash!
Sir Lew 9:55pm Wed 14 Oct Report Abuse


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Wealth Report: Japan
Julius Baer's Wealth Report for Japan
The third instalment of the Julius Baer Wealth Report: Japan comes as the global economy grapples with inflationary and deflationary forces as well as renewed uncertainty over how investors should be positioned. With a pronounced history of deflation and an ageing society, Japan's example is often seen as instructive for investors and policy-makers alike. This year's report puts the Japanese experience into an international context and takes a fresh look at the factors that underpin this leading economy.
In conjunction with the 2016 Julius Baer Wealth Reports on Asia and India, the Japan report features additional insights that are leveraged from our long standing work with the Julius Baer Lifestyle Index. Japan has a unique position in the world of luxury consumption, with a significant proportion of high-income travellers seeking out its unique high-end goods and high-end travel-related services. This strong demand helps explain why in yen terms, travel-related items in the Tokyo component of the Julius Baer Lifestyle Index managed to record a double-digit growth this year.
We round out the 2016 Julius Baer Wealth Report: Japan by examining the theory and realities that accompany the particularly high levels of cash holdings by domestic investors. The persistence of negative interest rates is a game-changer in Japan and raises important questions as to how cash can be used effectively in portfolios.
Further Information
Are you interested in learning more about the Julius Baer Wealth Report: Japan? Your relationship manager would be delighted to provide you with more detailed information.


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In each of these countries, the local press has been hampered in covering these blatant abuses by either outright government censorship, or a culture of secrecy that has made routine financial reporting woefully unreliable. And some foreign correspondents simply accepted the Asian "miracle" at face value, or trusted the boosterism of financial analysts and other sources with a stake in good news.
"Six months ago, all the media in the world were giving their blessing to these countries," said a senior banker in Hong Kong, who once covered the region as a financial reporter. "The reality is that it is very hard to find information in most of these countries. There is very little information in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, even Korea. And then the local press seldom analyzes what they do report. You are left divining sheep entrails in most cases."
Laws criminalizing the reporting of financial data in such countries as Singapore, Indonesia, China, and Malaysia severely restrict the flow of information. In country after country, even in more democratic societies such as Thailand, cozy relationships between governments and financial institutions evade press scrutiny because of either self-censorship or frequent bribes offered to low-paid reporters. This chronic lack of information and a culture of less-than-aggressive reporting have contributed to the region's financial panic and the resulting need for a massive $117 billion (and counting) International Monetary Fund bailout. Alarmed, international financial leaders are suddenly awake to the need for a free press, and "transparency" is the buzzword of the day. As the storm was gathering in September, the Committee to Protect Journalists found an eager audience at the annual meeting of the World Bank and the IMF in Hong Kong for a forum on financial markets and press freedom. At the gathering, Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers, said, "A free and undisturbed press is important because that is the vehicle through which information is conveyed, and once conveyed, is trusted. Information is at the center of what makes financial markets work." By that standard, many of the most highly touted Asian miracles never worked, and a shackled press only deepened the turmoil. Instead of reporting accurately on the negative economic impact of Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's many high-profile, low-return vanity development projects, for example, the Malaysian press has been cowed and subdued. Pushing the limits can lead to unemployment, an expensive libel suit, or criminal prosecution for violating national security.
Throughout the region, the press has traditionally offered an uncritical account of the official line, thus distorting the national debate. In Indonesia, President Suharto has been forced by the IMF to acknowledge the degree to which his family controls the country's economy. But for decades, reporting on these realities could land Indonesian journalists in jail. Suharto closed the only widely trusted Indonesian publication, Tempo magazine, in 1994 because of its reporting on the Suharto family, economic corruption, and human rights abuses in East Timor. Even now, officials continue to harass journalists once associated with Tempo.
Indonesia, seen for years by bankers, economists, and some journalists as yet another miracle, now teeters near chaos with the rupiah having lost 80 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar in just six months. World Bank President James Wolfensohn was forced to issue a mea culpa when he visited Jakarta. "I think we got it wrong, along with a lot of people," he said on February 4. "I was caught up in the enthusiasm of Indonesia. I am not alone in thinking 12 months ago that Indonesia was on a very good path."
Even in countries with a relatively free press, business reporting and economic analysis are compromised by both explicit and tacit taboos. Chong-Hyuk Kim, a reporter for the Joong Ang Daily News in South Korea, told a Freedom Forum panel in San Francisco in January that South Korea's ostensibly democratic government barred reporting on the size of foreign reserves and foreign debt. In addition to specific restrictions, he said, "It has become traditional practice between government and media not to report critical and important information. The government insisted [that] if that kind of information were revealed, it would be harmful to national security and the national reputation. The media accepted that kind of assertion."
"The media," Kim added, "abandoned [their] duty as watchdog of society."
If the Asian media, supported by international demand for critical financial information, now take their watchdog role seriously, they can help to forge a new climate of openness in the aftermath of the crisis. That is what happened in Latin American after the collapse of the Mexican peso in 1994. Already, in South Korea and Thailand, the press has pushed much-needed reforms on the government while defending its freedom, and the panic has eased somewhat. Unless independent inquiry and the demand for government accountability becomes the journalistic model throughout Asia, the most important lessons of the economic crisis will have gone unheeded.


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Main Content
Criminal Justice Minor
Gregory Adams, Ph.D.
(203) 392-5675
This interdisciplinary 18-credit minor provides an introduction to the field of criminal justice with applications to positions in law enforcement, the judicial system, and correctional institutions, as well as in social work and counseling. The minor is jointly sponsored by the History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology Departments.
Each student must complete the following: The following courses are required:
1. SOC 362 — Criminology
2. PSC 321 — U.S. Legal System
or PSC 417 — Constitutional Law (Note: PSC 110 is prerequisite for PSC 417)
3. PHI 327 — Moral Problems and the Law
or SOC 368 — Sociology of Law
Plus three of the following electives, from any of the following categories, except as noted:
Political Science — Policy
PSC 316 — U.S. Security Policy
PSC 351 — Analysis of Public Policy
Sociology — Crime, Corrections, and Society
SOC 266 — Socialization and Social Control
SOC 338 — Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 367 — Criminal Justice and Cultural Pluralism
SOC 334 — Probation, Parole, and Pardon
SOC 366 — Penology
SOC 368 — Sociology of Law (allowed if SOC 368 is not used to satisfy requirement #3)
SOC/WMS 404 — Gender and the Law
Business Management
MGT 240 — Legal Environment of Business
MGT 335 — Business Law
PSY 321 — Abnormal Psychology (all prerequisites must apply)
PSY 320 — Abnormal Child Psychology (all prerequisites must apply)
PSY 492 — Psychology of Law (all prerequisites must apply)


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Israel's Foreign Minister and deputy prime minister Avigdor Lieberman visits Ferrari factory
While visiting Ferrari, the Israeli Foreign Minister had a cordial meeting with Luca di Montezemolo. Mr Lieberman was particularly impressed with Ferrari's working methods. During their talk, moreover, Chairman Montezemolo expressed his interest in meeting Israeli technological companies in order to consider integrating such technologies into Ferrari. Chairman Montezemolo mentioned also the recent opening of Ferrari's first dealership in Tel Aviv.
The two guests were shown around the GT production and Formula 1 divisions where they saw Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa's two single-seaters awaiting transportation to England for next Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.


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Rutgers Cancer Institute Director Honored for Contributions to Oncology Field
New Brunswick, NJ, July 8, 2014 — Robert S. DiPaola, MD, director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey has been selected to receive the Melvyn H. Motolinsky Research Foundation Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his accomplishments and leadership in the field of oncology.
Dr. DiPaola who has international expertise as a prostate cancer physician and researcher, was viewed as a "luminary" in being chosen for this year's honor, which is reserved for those who make a difference in the lives of many through leadership in healthcare, public health, public service or science.
"I am deeply honored to be the recipient of this year's Distinguished Service Award from the Melvyn H. Motolinsky Research Foundation. While this is an honor for me, the impact of our cancer research and center for the people of New Jersey is only possible with the work and collaboration of so many others, especially my colleagues at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey," noted DiPaola.
Having been with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey since 1994 and serving as its director since 2008, DiPaola is responsible for research activities and administrative oversight at the Cancer Institute, which is one of the nation's 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers – and the only one in New Jersey.
Major initiatives DiPaola has helped spearhead at the Cancer Institute include precision medicine research. Through this effort, investigators are examining rare and poor-prognosis cancers through genomic analysis in order to identify novel and more personalized treatment options for patients.
As the principal investigator of a $4.25 million award (UM1CA186716) from the NCI, DiPaola is also leading the Cancer Institute's efforts on a precision experimental therapeutics endeavor in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. The initiative is geared toward bringing new targeted therapy options to patients in New Jersey and nationwide through the development of innovative early-phase clinical trials.
As an individual investigator, DiPaola has considerable experience in translational research focused on the study of prostate cancer and drug resistance and is recognized both locally and nationally in this area. He was one of the earliest investigators to target the degradation of bcl-2 in both the laboratory and clinic as a means to restore drug sensitivity.
As Chairman of the Genitourinary Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) from 2004 until 2011, he led the committee to develop national Phase II and III studies, and through two successful NCI reviews. He continues as a full member of multiple NCI steering committees, including the Investigational Drug Steering Committee and the Genitourinary Steering Committee, and was chairman of an NCI apoptosis and autophagy task force.
The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to DiPaola this fall at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Melvyn H. Motolinsky Research Foundation.
Melvyn H. Motolinsky was a 25-year-old attorney practicing in New Brunswick in 1969, when his life was cut short by leukemia. The foundation created by Motolinsky's family to honor him supports research in leukemia and other blood-related diseases in a number of ways, including an established fellowship for postdoctoral students, an endowed chair in hematology and the Melvyn H. Motolinsky Laboratory for Hematology Research at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
About Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (www.cinj.org) is the state's first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. As part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey is dedicated to improving the detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer, and to serving as an education resource for cancer prevention. Physician-scientists at the Cancer Institute engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, quite literally bringing research to life. To make a tax-deductible gift to support the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, call 732-235-8614 or visit www.cinj.org/giving. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheCINJ.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides the highest quality cancer care and rapid dissemination of important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. System Partner: Meridian Health (Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center, Southern Ocean Medical Center, and Bayshore Community Hospital). Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals: Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center, and Cooper University Hospital. Affiliate Hospitals: JFK Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (CINJ Hamilton), Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, Shore Medical Center, The University Hospital and University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro.


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Robert Allen Gibbs' electric square neck Dobro is the perfect compliment for the clean sound of Steve Laudicina's Telescaster and Tony Monaco's Hammond B3 and Acoustic piano. The sound is rounded out by Rick"Rico" Geragi and Fred Weng with their Big Beat Drums and Percussion. This is the perfect backdrop for Telesca's storytelling vocals. The moments that were captured on this CD is of this great band playing live in the studio. It really does leave you wanting more. Enjoy!
CD AVAILABLE HERE AND ALSO AT CD BABY, ITUNES, AMAZON, and all DIGITAL RETAILERS.
His "HOOK" oriented songwriting style and storytelling lyrics along with his expressive style of bass playing and powerful lead vocal is capturing the attention of music lovers everywhere.
Mark has released his first solo studio CD titled "Heavy Breathing" in January of 2015. His CD spent many months on steady rotation on SIRIUSXM RADIO (Bluesville). The CD is receiving rave reviews and reached the #5 spot on "Blues Power Radio's Top 30" Blues Albums. He has had three singles off the Heavy Breathing CD that has charted on Blues 411 Baker's Dozen of Blues. "If You Got Enough Jack" has reached #5 " Cross the Dog" has reached #2 and "I Don't Need Your Lovin' Anymore" has reached #1 !!!
In January 2015, Mark took his band to Memphis, TN to compete in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) and were semi finalists.
Mark has also started a career playing solo acoustic guitar focusing on Pre-WWII blues, Americana and his own original music.
He has since competed in his local IBC challenge as a solo artist. He has since competed in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) and was a semifinalists in 2017.
Mark is very proud to be endorsed by Delaney Guitars. Delaney Guitars has built the Mark Telesca Bass Model. They are calling the bass the "TRADITION" model based on its traditional looks, feel and sound. It is currently available for purchase www.delaneyguitars.com
Mark is out gigging almost every night promoting his music. In addition to his hectic gigging schedule, he is the host of one of the most popular Pro Blues Jams in the Southeast. The Jam takes place every Monday at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, FL. There are many touring artist who make it a point to spend some extra time in sunny Florida just to attend and hopefully participate in this high quality Jam.
As well as being a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and band leader, Mark is a touring bassist supporting many blues / rock artists. He is currently touring with "Blue Mercy" Featuring 2014 Blues Music Award winner and 2015 Blues Music Award Nominee Diunna Greenleaf.
Mark was the bassist along with 2010 Blues Music Award Winner and 2015 Grammy Winner Jason Ricci on Harmonica in The Keith Brown Trio. They later recorded Keith's album "Down the Line" an acoustic album.
Influences are: The Delta Blues, Gospel Music and Motown.
Bass influences are James Jamerson, Donald Duck Dunn, Oteil Burbridge, Willie Weeks ... Just to name a few.
October 2019