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Protease Inhibitor Monotherapy Versus Ongoing Triple-therapy in the Long Term Management of HIV Infection (PIVOT) (PIVOT)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01230580
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified October 2010 by Medical Research Council.
Recruitment status was: Active, not recruiting
First Posted : October 29, 2010
Last Update Posted : October 10, 2012
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|HIV Infection Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
|Drug: Protease Inhibitor Drug: Standard-of-care Antiretroviral therapy
|Phase 4
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|587 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|A Randomised Controlled Trial of a Strategy of Switching to Boosted PI Monotherapy Versus Continuing Combination ART for the Long-term Management of HIV-1 Infected Patients Who Have Achieved Sustained Virological Suppression on HAART
|Study Start Date :
|November 2008
|Estimated Primary Completion Date :
|November 2013
|Estimated Study Completion Date :
|November 2013
Experimental: Protease Inhibitor Monotherapy
Ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor
Drug: Protease Inhibitor
Switch to a regimen comprising a single ritonavir-boosted Protease Inhibitor
Active Comparator: Control
Standard-of-care triple-therapy regimen
Drug: Standard-of-care Antiretroviral therapy
Regimen should consist of 3 drugs: 2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with either a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or a protease inhibitor
- Loss of future drug options [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]The first occurrence of intermediate to high level resistance to any one or more of the standard antiretroviral drugs (limited to licensed drugs in contemporary use) to which the patient's virus was considered to be sensitive at trial entry (i.e. excluding drug resistance that was known to be present on previous resistance testing).
- Death from any cause [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Serious AIDS-defining illness [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Serious non-AIDS defining illness [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Adverse events [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Confirmed Virological rebound [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- CD4+ count change [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Health-related Quality of Life change [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Neurocognitive function change [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Cardiovascular risk change [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- Health care costs [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ]
- HIV VL in Genital Secretions [ Time Frame: Week 96 ]
In a sub-set of participants (n=73):-
- Compare prevalence of detectable VL and magnitude of viral replication in genital secretions in patients taking PI monotherapy and triple therapy; to test if PI monotherapy is non-inferior to triple therapy.
- Compare drug levels in genital secretions and plasma.
- Describe the profile of drug resistance (if any) in patients with detectable VL in genital secretions and to compare this with any previous or subsequent resistance profile in plasma.
(Genital Secretions substudy REC # 09/H0305/58)
- HIV VL in CSF [ Time Frame: Week 96 ]
In a subset of participants on PI monotherapy (n=40).
- Estimate the proportion of patients who have detectable HIV viral load in CSF after 48 weeks on PI monotherapy, and to refute the hypothesis that this proportion is greater than 20%.
- Assess whether CSF markers of CNS immune activation, inflammation and neuronal degeneration are elevated after 48 weeks on PI monotherapy.
- Assess whether CSF HIV viral load and markers of immune activation, inflammation and neuronal degeneration are elevated in patients with symptomatic CNS disease.
(CNS substudy REC # 09/H0305/58).
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
Vl < 50 for 24 weeks prior to screening CD4 > 100 at screening
Exclusion Criteria:
- Known major protease resistance mutation(s) documented on prior resistance testing if performed (prior resistance testing is not mandatory for trial participation).
- Previous change in ART drug regimen for reasons of unsatisfactory virological response (patients who have changed regimen for prevention or management of toxicity or to improve regimen convenience are permitted to enter the trial).
- Previous allergic reaction to a PI.
- Patient currently using or likely to require use of concomitant medication with known interaction with PIs.
- Patient requiring treatment with radiotherapy, cytotoxic chemotherapy, or is anticipated to need these during the trial period.
- Treatment for acute opportunistic infection within 3 months prior to trial screening.
- Pregnant or trying to become pregnant at the time of trial entry.
- History of active substance abuse or psychiatric illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude compliance with the protocol, dosing schedule or assessments.
- History of HIV encephalopathy with current deficit >1 in any domain of the Neuropsychiatric AIDS Rating Scale (see Appendix 7).
- Past or current history of cardiovascular disease, or 10 year absolute coronary heart disease risk of >30%, or risk of >20% if the patient has diabetes or a family history of premature ischaemic heart disease or stroke.
- History of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
- Patient currently receiving interferon therapy for Hepatitis C virus infection or planning to start treatment for Hepatitis C at the time of trial entry.
- Co-infection with hepatitis B, defined as Hepatitis BsAg positive at screening or at any time since HIV diagnosis, unless the patient has had a documented Hepatitis B DNA measurement of less than 1000 copies/ml taken whilst off Hepatitis B active drugs.
- Any other active clinically significant condition, or findings during screening medical history or examination, or abnormality on screening laboratory blood tests that would, in the opinion of the investigator, compromise the patient's safety or outcome in the trial.
- Fasting plasma glucose >7.0mmol/L at trial screening.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01230580
|Principal Investigator:
|Nick Paton, MD
|Medical Research Council
Additional Information:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|Medical Research Council (Dr Nick Paton Chief Investigator MRC Clinical Trials Unit), Medical Research Council
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01230580 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
2007-006448-23 ( EudraCT Number )
|First Posted:
|October 29, 2010 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|October 10, 2012
|Last Verified:
|October 2010
Protease Inhibitors
RNA virus infections
Virus diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases viral
Immune system diseases
Anti-infective Agents
Drug resistance
Communicable Diseases
HIV Infections
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Immune System Diseases
Slow Virus Diseases
Anti-Retroviral Agents
HIV Protease Inhibitors
Protease Inhibitors
Antiviral Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Enzyme Inhibitors
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Anti-HIV Agents


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
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When asked who he would model his style of game play after, he pointed to Season 7 winners Uchenna and Joyce, while Mike will model his game play after the "never say die" attitude of Charla and Mirna.
This really IS amazing: gay writer and activist Rev. Dr. Mel White and his son, screenwriter/actor/producer Mike White (who is himself bisexual), are competing together on the next season of The Amazing Race, set to premiere in a few weeks.Rev. Dr. White was once a ghostwriter for Jerry Falwell before coming out as gay and parting ways with the homophobic evangelical church. (His story is told in the documentary Friends of God and in his book Stranger at the Gate.) He is currently married to his husband, Soulforce co-head Gary Nixon. White's son, Mike, is known for appearing in movies like the brilliantly unsettling Chuck & Buck (which he also wrote), School of Rock (which he also wrote), and The Good Girl (which he wrote). He also wrote and directed Year of the Dog (starring Molly Shannon) and was one of the forces behind the shortly-lived fan fave series Freaks & Geeks (in which he also briefly appeared).To have two gay men who are also relatives and who actively work to promote visibility and understanding on the show is really awesome. Let's hope they last!
haha. I watched their video. Really nice!Mel: I have to play the senile cardI am soooo old can you help me
BUT, i'm guessing they will be one of the first three teams eliminated. Very big feeling about that.
And please tell me someone else noticed the relation between this team and S8's Black family...
Quote from: cdfe88 on January 26, 2009, 01:54:08 PMAnd please tell me someone else noticed the relation between this team and S8's Black family...Which is what?
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subset: commoncrawl


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Delivery Information
Delivery is charged at:
£9.95 plus VAT for UK mainland, UK offshore islands, Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, £21 plus VAT for Republic of Ireland.
Next day delivery to mainland UK is £22 plus vat. Orders need to be placed by 3pm. Unfortunately we are not able to offer next day delivery to Northern Ireland.
We can now deliver on Saturday to mainland UK for £38 plus vat. Orders need to be placed by 3pm on the Friday prior.
Free delivery is offered on orders:
over £150 ex VAT for UK mainland, UK offshore islands, Channel Islands and Northern Ireland and £300 ex vat for Republic of Ireland.
For standard products we aim to deliver within 2 working days of receiving your order within the UK, 5 working days for offshore islands, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We are able to offer next day delivery for Mainland UK orders placed before 3pm.
If you need alternative delivery options, please give the office a ring and we will see what we can arrange.
When ordering from the EU if you provide your VAT number when placing an order then VAT will not be charged.
European and Worldwide deliveries
We have daily collections from one of the leading worldwide courier services and so we are able to offer delivery to virtually anywhere in the world. Prices are calculated on weight and volume so let us know the products and quantities you are interested in and we can get a quote for delivery for you. We are also able to ship on pallets for larger orders. Remember too, that within the EU we are able to zero rate VAT provided you enter your VAT code on your registration.
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Career Opportunities
A bachelor degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, or Agribusiness offers the graduate a variety of career opportunities including business ownership, political analyst, international business, banking and lending, farm or ranch management, financial consulting, education, commodity trading, marketing, transportation analyst, law, natural resources, management in small and large companies, firms; and the list goes on.
Salary/Career Information
Economists career information from the Department of Labor Occupational Handbook
Other Resources
Many students gain invaluable practical experience through an internship during their final years at NDSU. These professional relationships can substantially improve employment opportunities after graduation. Internships and other career-related work experience are an opportunity to integrate classroom study with real-world experience.


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The Community Relations Committee serves as a forum to review and recommend to
the City Council significant community relations objectives. Responsibilities of this
Committee will include but are not limited to the following: encouraging
communication and participation between residents and City government; analyzing
and identifying means of assuring continued cooperation among different groups;
coordination of City events; creation of mechanisms to seek input from the citizens to
obtain reactions to short and long range projects or policies; and, overview of the
operations of the Code Enforcement Department. This Committee shall meet as
needed and shall submit a quarterly status report to the Mayor and Council.


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*Please contact dealer to verify price, options, and other vehicle details.
MPG Disclaimer: *Based on 2019 EPA mileage and driving range ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your MPGe/MPG and driving range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, battery age/condition, and other factors.
MSRP includes destination, excludes tax, license, title, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and the like. Net capitalized cost includes $595 acquisition fee. Must be 720 Score to qualify for payments or special interest rate


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Submitted by backids99 • April 19, 2012 fargoparkscalendar.com
We are a Social Bookmarking Site for you to use and a place for you to discover what is hot in the world. You the user control the content that is here, vote great news & stories up and vote uninteresting content down. As a (free) member you can submit any content you find and be sure it will still be here, bookmarked for you, and others to find...
- Category: World News
- Tags: site, social bookmark


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Larimer County Coroner Dr. Patrick C. Allen announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election this fall to the office he has held for more than three decades.
Allen, 67, was first elected to the county office in 1978, though at that time, "office" was a bit of a stretch.
"I had no office, no telephone, no employees," Allen recalled on Tuesday. "I started my first day with nothing. There was a small budget that was inherited from the previous coroner."
Today, six investigators work in the office of Larimer County coroner/medical examiner and the department investigates more than 1,000 deaths a year and performs about 200 autopsies on Larimer County deaths a year. The office has become a regional training center and is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, one of only three offices in the state to hold the distinction.
Dianne Fairman, chief deputy coroner, has worked with Allen for nearly 20 years and said Allen has played a large role in making the department what it is today, advocating for continuing education and demanding professional excellence.
"We've gotten by on a shoestring but without sacrificing professionalism, and of course as technology has changed, the county commissioners have recognized our need to keep up with that," she said.
A Kentucky native, Allen started as pathologist and laboratory director at McKee Medical Center in 1975 and held the position for about 30 years.
Before he was elected coroner, Allen was tasked in 1976 with identifying victims of the Big Thompson flood. That was the first of a number of high-profile cases he handled around the region, including the 1998 Matthew Shepard homicide in Wyoming and the 2001 Oklahoma State University men's basketball team plane crash.
Allen said he's been privileged to work closely over the years with many different agencies and institutions in the county, including law enforcement, the District Attorney's office, health-care providers and hospitals, fire departments and mortuaries.
"Death investigation touches all of these entities and I can proudly say that we have all worked collaboratively to provide the level of professional death investigation that this job deserves," Allen stated in a press release.
Larimer County citizens have shown support for Allen by not only electing him to office nine times, but by voting in 1999 to exempt the office of coroner from term limits.
The decision not to seek a 10th term was a difficult one that Allen said he's been weighing for the past four years.
"There has to be a time when it's time to step back a little bit," he said.
Not that it will be easy — even though Allen said he decided to "cut back" several years ago and focus only on forensic pathology, the office is more around-the-clock than most, and for the past 36 years, Allen tends to constantly check-in, even if he's on vacation.
"When it is your life and it is your passion, it's hard to turn that corner," Fairman said. "I think he wants to try and relax in his later years, but at the same time it's going to be tough for him."
Allen plans to continue his medical practice as a forensic pathologist/medical examiner on a limited basis.
Jessica Maher can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 516, or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JessicaMaherRH.


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Nightengale: Nothing changing for Pete Rose and Hall
It has been 25 years, and just five months away from our fourth commissioner, but nothing has changed.
Nothing will change.
Pete Rose will not be in the Hall of Fame.
Not now. Maybe never. If it ever happens, he may not be alive to see it.
Rose received a lifetime ban by the late Bart Giamatti 25 years ago on Sunday. Fay Vincent never considered removing the ban during his three-year stint. And while Bud Selig listened, and even had Rose in his office, he never came close to reinstating Rose.
The words have slightly changed over the years, with Selig saying "it's still under advisement'' to "I'm going to do what I think is right.''
The meaning has remained the same.
Now, on Jan. 25, 2015, when Rob Manfred takes over as commissioner, nothing will change either.
"No comment,'' Manfred said, when USA TODAY Sports asked about the Rose situation.
Selig, who says he will try to resolve some of the game's lingering issues in the next five months and dole out a few All-Star Games (You can take the 2017 All-Star Game in Miami to the bank), the Rose suspension won't be one of them.
"I have to do what I think is in the best interest of this sport," Selig said Friday, addressing the media in Cincinnati.
And that, my friends, is to keep the lifetime ban intact.
You can shoot your body with steroids, pop greenies like they're M&Ms, but sorry, gambling has never been permitted in baseball.
It is the sport's greatest sin.
Rose violated it, and will continue to pay the price.
"You know there are a lot of things in life that happen that a commissioner or any of us wish hadn't happened …'' Selig said. "I understand the feeling here in Cincinnati. I really do. I'm sensitive to it, as a matter of fact. I've said because I am the judge that it's a matter under advisement.
"I think it's inappropriate for me to say any more than that. But I've taken it seriously, talked to a lot of people. It's one of those situations in life that you wish didn't exist but it does. I'm going to do what I think is right. I have five months to think about it. So it is under advisement.
"One thing about commissioners, we have to do what you think is right. I've tried to do this every on subject. ... In some cases, whatever you do, somebody's going to be mad. You have to live with that. The commissioner has to live with that.''
Rose, 73, of, course, vehemently disagrees. He talks about being a great ambassador for the sport. He talks about the perception of a double-standard with the drug cheats. He now openly apologizes for his sins.
"The guy who shot the Pope," Rose told USA TODAY Sports last month, "he got a second chance. That's all I'm asking for, a second chance. I'll make the most of it.
"I'm not whining. I was the one who screwed up. I made some mistakes. But come on, it's been a quarter of a century."
It's too late now, and nothing will change while Manfred is in office, either.
"It's not a secret that this office was founded in 1920, 1921 because of the Black Sox scandal," Selig says. "There's no secret about that. There's no secret about my own strong feelings_I think any commissioner in any sport_but in our sport because of the history. The day you step into this office, you are always concerned about integrity.
"Sport without integrity is not a sport.''
So after 25 years, Rose will continue to be on the outside looking in.
He will still keep signing autographs for money. He will still have his promotional stunts as a one-day manager in independent ball. He will even be permitted to participate in the 2015 All-Star festivities in Cincinnati.
And he will keep on talking.
We love him for that.
Call him, and he'll pick up the phone.
See him, and he'll chat away as long as you want.
"People want to see me," Rose says. "They want to talk to me. I'm still popular. I sign stuff 20 days a month, and 4 ½ hours a day, and I all I do is talk positive about the game to the fans.
"I'm good for baseball.''
Well, he's good for the fans, great for the media and certainly endearing to himself.
If he had only retired from the game when his playing career ended.
If he had only not become the Reds' manager, where he got caught gambling, and thrown out of the game for life.
Rose's supporters will argue that he would be going into the Hall of Fame as a player —baseball's all-time hits' leader with 4,256, winning more games (1,972) than any player in professional sports history — so anything that happened after his playing career shouldn't matter.
Yet, it doesn't work that way in life.
Rose made an awful mistake.
And when you get a lifetime sentence, you've got to wait longer than 25 years to get an appeal.
It's still not time, and even with a new commissioner, nothing is changing.
Just when the Atlanta Braves thought they couldn't find a team willing to trade for struggling center fielder B.J. Upton and his $75.25 million contract, they nearly had a taker at the non-waiver trade deadline.
And just when the Chicago Cubs thought they couldn't find a taker for troubled starter Edwin Jackson and his $52 million contract, they found someone.
Yes, each other.
The Braves and Cubs engaged in trade discussions in July, a high-ranking official with direct knowledge of the talks, about a deal what would send Upton to the Cubs and Jackson to the Braves.
Essentially, it was just a straight swap of dead weight contracts for underperforming players.
Jackson, who's currently on the disabled list, is 14-32 with a 5.47 ERA since signing with the Cubs, including a 6.09 ERA this year. Upton is hitting .197 with 18 homers and 57 RBI since joining the Braves, with 306 strikeouts in 844 at-bats_including a major-league leading 155 strikeouts this year.
The Braves would have had to throw in a ton of cash in the deal considering Upton is still owed $46.35 million for the next three years, while Jackson is owed $22 million over the next two years.
And, really, the two sides say, they weren't close to agreeing to a deal.
Yet, it was definitely discussed they say, and likely will be broached once again this winter.
Stay tuned.
--Whispers are getting louder in baseball circles that if the Atlanta Braves miss the playoffs, it could result in a front-office shakeup involving GM Frank Wren and perhaps even manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Braves CEO Terry McGuirk, in a lengthy interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, did not offer any votes of confidence, saying only that they are accountable for the team's performance.
--The breakdown in Cuban defector's Rusney Castillo's $72.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox:
2014: $100,000 plus $5.4 million signing bonus.
2015: $10.5 million
2016: $10.5 million
2017: $10.5 million
2018: $11 million
2019: $11 million
2020: $13.5 million
--Cleveland Indians first baseman Nick Swisher's season ends with more errors (nine) than home runs (eight), with just eight homers and 42 RBI when he underwent surgery on both knees.
--Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber of the Indians, with 205 strikeouts in 186 innings, is on pace for 270 strikeouts this year. It would be the second-highest total for a Cleveland right-hander since Bob Feller's club record 348 strikeouts in 1946.
--Kudos to the Kansas City Royals, on verge of their first playoff berth since 1985, for not thinking about shutting down or limiting the innings to young starters Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura. They each are nearing their career highs in innings, but yet, they are essential to the Royals' playoff hopes.
How long has it been since the Royals were relevant? Their Aug. 31 game on "Sunday Night Baseball'' will be their first home game on ESPN's marquee game since July 16, 2000.
--The Nationals' five walk-offs in six games during their 10-game winning streak is the most since the Houston Astros in 1986.
--We may not have seen a greater day for pitchers than Thursday, says stats guru Bill Chuck. Why, 14 of the 16 starting pitchers recorded quality starts, and eight had ultra-quality starts. Eight of the pitchers yielded four or fewer hits. Seven pitchers didn't permit an earned run. Five pitchers didn't issue a walk. Five games ended in a shutout. And for the first time in 10 years, there were three complete-game losses.
You know it was a historic day when Tigers' David Price throws a one-hitter … and loses.
Incredibly, the Rays became the fourth team to be held to one hit or less this season, and still won.
They are the first team since 1906 to win a game with one or fewer hits, and no walks or home run.
--Phillies veteran starter A.J. Burnett is talking like a man who may retire after this season, and not bothering to collect on his player option of $12.75 million with five more starts.
--Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, in quite a class act of appreciation, gave Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa a Rolex watch this week for helping him improve his defense in 2006-2007 with the Yankees.
"Forty-five years in baseball, no one's ever done anything like that for me," Bowa said. "I'm really touched."
--Excuse me, anyone seen the Detroit Tigers?
On July 24, the Tigers had a seven-game lead in the AL Central, with a 57-42 record. They have since gone 11-16, and are now 2 1/2 games behind the Royals.
--The Missouri "Show Me'' bragging rights: This is the first time since 1995 that the Royals have had a better record than the Cardinals this late in a season.
The Royals, who have won 23 of their last 30 games, have a magic number of 34 to win the AL Central.
--The St. Louis Cardinals took a lot of heat when they signed Jhonny Peralta to a four-year, $53 million contact after his drug suspension, but look who's saving their season?
Peralta leads the Cardinals in homers (17), doubles (33) and extra-base hits (50), and is second in RBI (59) and slugging percentage (.459). He has already set the Cardinals' record for most homers by a shortstop, and has the most extra-base hits by any shortstop in baseball.
No one's complaining now.
--The average time of major-league games this season has climbed to 3 hours, 2 minutes, 54 seconds. It would be the longest average time in baseball history if it holds the rest of the season.
--The Phillies are averaging 7,969 fewer fans than a year ago, the largest decrease in baseball.
--The Rangers could decide the outcome of the American League West. They have six more games against the Angels and seven more against Oakland. The Rangers are 3-10 against the Angels this season and 5-7 against the Athletics.
--Who would ever have imagined that the two lowest scoring teams in the American League would belong to the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
--Nelson Cruz, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Abreu led the major leagues with 25 homers entering the month of July. They've since combined for only 17, while Chris Carter of the Astros has 17 himself, notes Bill Chuck.
Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @BNightengale


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Here's a rough panorama of the town I'm working on: (click link for full image)
This town had ~120 townsfolks, and was beset by very large sieges and required a lot of food. I built a wall around the area, and two connected, winding siege traps to deal with huge siege hordes(not that big of a problem now at ~60 folks).
The house in the hill is fun, as it extends down a few levels (not shown). I also like how the bone maze is coming along... the woman living in the bone maze lost her husband to the monsters, and has slowly gone crazy. I moved her to the bone house, and shortly after a few townies died nearby (starved... or did they!?). The townies are isolating her from the rest of the town by constructing the increasingly macabre maze, in which she can attempt to summon the ghost of her husband without scaring everyone.
Here's a close up of the bone maze: (click link for full image)
Its a work in progress; hope you enjoy, and lets keep sharing fun screenshots!


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Share Hot flushes? Foggy brain? Mood swings? Here's how to get your own homemade HRT on a plate for Diabetics. Homemade HRT for Mood Swings TRY reducing your sugar intake. FOR keeping mood more stable. Avoid sugary snacks, which can lead to tiredness and low mood when blood/sugar levels dip. Nutritional therapists say, sugar uses up a valuable mineral called …Read More »
Home / Tag Archives: carbonated drinks


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It only goes up to a girl's large and guy's XXL, and I hate the color, so I'm not sure it's for me, but… oh gosh, this shirt. (Click the image if, like me, you feel a little faint and you just gotta have it.)
I do wish that Mr. Chubosaurus didn't look so sad, but I still luff him. And considering that I was on this site in the first place looking for dinosaur shirts, I feel it might be fate.


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TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares declined on Tuesday and the euro hit its lowest in nearly seven weeks against the dollar as an apparently deadlocked election in Italy raised the specter of a resurgent euro zone debt crisis.
Italy's main FTSE MIB <.ftmib>stock market index is expected to open down 2.5 percent, while other European markets are also seen slumping with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100 <.ftse>, Paris's CAC-40 <.fchi> and Frankfurt's DAX <.gdaxi> would open down as much as 2.6 percent. U.S. stock futures were flat to suggest a cautious Wall Street start. <.l><.eu><.n/>
"There's a possibility that the Italians might be heading back to the polls. In the short term, investors and traders don't like the uncertainty," said Ben Le Brun, market analyst at OptionsXpress in Sydney.
Italy's centre-left coalition will win a majority in the lower house of parliament but the upper house will be deadlocked, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday after almost all votes were counted. No party or coalition won a majority of seats in the Senate, which a government would need to pass legislation.
A split parliament in the euro zone's third-largest economy is seen as likely to paralyze any new government and potentially reignite the euro-zone debt crisis.
"Financial markets will now have to take at face value the idea that the protest vote can actually attain an overall majority in some parts of Europe's legislatures. This is indeed a worrying development and one that should rattle financial markets for some time to come," Westpac said in a note.
The yen and the euro stabilized and Asia's overall equities losses were less severe than U.S. benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> which suffered its worst one-day percentage decline since November 7 with a 1.8 percent tumble on Monday.
The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> skidded 0.9 percent. Australian shares <.axjo> slipped 1 percent, South Korean shares <.ks11> eased 0.4 percent while Hong Kong <.hsi> shed 0.8 percent to test a new 2012 low. Shanghai shares <.ssec> outperformed Asian peers after official media dispelled monetary tightening fears.
Southeast Asian shares, which have hit record highs recently, posted a larger drop, with the Philippines <.psi> plunging 1.2 percent after a record finish on Monday and Indonesian stocks tumbling 0.9 percent after also closing at a record on Monday.
U.S. crude slid 0.8 percent to $92.34 a barrel and Brent fell 0.7 percent to $113.61.
Spot gold inched down 0.2 percent to $1,591.01 an ounce, but London copper edged up 0.3 percent to $7,862 a metric ton.
"Volatile overnight markets discouraged those who had not been able to buy at the dips, while a lack of clear direction as well as growing risks have also reduced incentives for investors to venture out into the markets," said Tetsu Emori, a commodities fund manager at Astmax Investments in Tokyo.
The yen resumed its retreat after firming sharply on Monday when nervousness about Italy exposed the yen to sharp reversals from its recent steep losses on bets of aggressive reflationary monetary policy in Japan.
The yen traded down 0.2 percent against the dollar at 91.93 after gaining 2 percent to 90.85 on Monday from its intraday low of 94.77 touched earlier in the day, its lowest since May 2010. The yen was also down 0.3 percent against the euro to 119.99 after jumping more than 3 percent to 118.74 on Monday from its day's low of 125.36.
The yen's overnight appreciation hit Japan's Nikkei stock average, with the index <.n225> tumbling 2.3 percent after closing at a 53-month high the day before. <.t/>
Traders said the plunge in the dollar and the euro against the Japanese currency has provided fresh opportunities to buy these currencies against the yen, with many market players still seeing a weak yen trend continuing.
But the euro fell to its lowest in nearly seven weeks at $1.3042 on jitters that political gridlock in Italy will hamper the country's efforts to reform and slash its debts.
"Uncertainty over the Italian election outcome and its impact will certainty keep the euro under strong pressure for some time," said Yuji Saito, director of foreign exchange at Credit Agricole in Tokyo.
"A safety net has been provided over the past year in the euro zone and given the size of Italy's economy, I doubt that the situation will turn into a disaster, but we need to carefully monitor developments. It revives memories of risks in the euro zone," Saito added.
The focus will now be on an Italian treasury bill auction on Tuesday when borrowing costs could rise, given the Senate election result.
Investors also await testimony later in the day from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for further clues to when the Fed intends to slow down or stop its bond-buying program.
Financial markets were rattled last week by minutes of the Fed's January meeting showing some Fed officials were mulling scaling back its strong monetary stimulus earlier than expected.
Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said on Monday that U.S. economic growth could surpass expectations this year, but an anemic labor market requires ongoing support from monetary policy.
The United States also faces downside risks to its economy if $85 billion in government-wide "sequestration" spending cuts go ahead on March 1.
(Additional reporting by Manolo SerapiThuy Ong in Sydney; Editing by Eric Meijer)
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Ashley Olsen was among the passengers aboard a Los Angeles-bound plane that made a harrowing emergency landing at Dulles Airport when fire broke out in the cockpit, according to a report.
The United Airlines flight left JFK in New York Sunday night, but only made it as far as the D.C.-area airport where it landed just after 9:30 p.m. One passenger reported smelling something burning, and saw a crew member carrying a fire extinguisher to the cockpit. Others reportedly took pictures of flames in the cockpit. No one was hurt.
FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker confirmed to The Washington Post that a small fire broke out in the cockpit. She said the fire was contained before the Boeing 757 carrying 105 passengers and seven crew members landed.She said no criminal action was suspected.
U.S. & World
Passenger Phil Lobel told The Associated Press flight attendants went over emergency instructions with passengers in the exit rows. A half-dozen emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac when the plane touched down, he said.
Entertainment Tonight said Olsen, 23, was on the flight with her boyfriend, Justin Bartha, who starred as the groom in "The Hangover." ET also said that "Californication" actress Pamela Adlon was aboard and a publicist for the Broadway show "Jersey Boys" confirmed that star Jarrod Spector was as well.
About an hour after the plane landed, Lobel received an e-mail from United apologizing for the "experience" he had on the flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said Monday the board has assigned three people to investigate the case. He said they will be examining the cockpit to determine the cause of the fire.


text:
Looking for Fine Dining near Berkhamsted?
The Grand Junction Arms is the perfect country pub that serves wholesome food in a beautiful canalside setting.
A family friendly gastro pub located on the outskirts of the beautiful market town of Tring serving food made from locally sourced ingredients.
Food and DrinkOur menu is varied, ranging from traditional pub classics to fresh fish, incredible roast dinners and perfect puddings
Lunch Menu
Everything you eat at The Grand Junction Arms has been freshly prepared and made on site by our fantastic kitchen team
Dinner Menu
Using the freshest ingredients and sourced where possible from local suppliers including Chiltern Fish and Game
Sunday Menu
Our menus are varied, ranging from traditional pub classics to fresh fish, incredible roast dinners
Best place to eat near BerkhamstedOur menu features traditional pub classics along with some more fine dining options, sharer plates and daily specials.
Everything you eat at The Grand Junction Arms has been freshly prepared and made on site by our fantastic kitchen team using the freshest ingredients and sourced where possible from local suppliers including Chiltern Fish and Game. Our wine list has been carefully selected by a local supplier.
Our menu is varied, ranging from traditional pub classics to fresh fish, incredible roast dinners and perfect puddings. We also have regular specials and can cater for a range of dietary needs. We welcome children and although we do not have a specific menu for them, we are happy to serve half portions of most food on the menu. Dogs are very welcome but only in the outside dining area.View our menus →
The perfect country pub near BerkhamstedServing wholesome food in a beautiful setting, situated in a picturesque spot next to the Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Arms is a popular, family friendly gastro pub located on the outskirts of the beautiful market town of Tring and surrounded by an area of outstanding natural beauty. Popular with families, walkers, couples and groups of friends, we aim to serve quality, home cooked and locally sourced food along with a good selection of local Tring ales, local gins and fantastic wines, in a welcoming and relaxed environment.
The Grand Junction Arms is a special place to be enjoyed all year round. In the cooler months, come in and cosy up by the wood burner with a real ale and the papers. And on warmer days and evenings come and sit and enjoy a drink or meal in our garden, watching the colourful barges pass by on the canal whilst children play in the sunshine in our wooden play area.Learn more →
Restaurant near Berkhamsted in HertfordshireWe are lucky enough to be situated in a beautiful, scenic area right next to the Grand Union Canal and surrounded by the Chiltern Hills.
The area is ideal for walkers and there are plenty of family friendly walks and activities to do in the local area. From the pub itself you can walk along the towpath to the Tring Reservoirs where you can enjoy many circular walks or directly across from the pub, on the other side of the canal, you can visit the beautiful nature reserve of College Lake.
The town of Tring boasts the magnificent wild expanse of Tring Park as well as its own branch of The Natural History Museum.
We are located in Bulbourne, near Tring, just by the canal on the Bulbourne Road. There is plenty of parking to the rear of the pub.
Seating and dining area overlooking the canalFood is served in both our large garden and our stylish restaurant inside where we showcase work from local artists
The Grand Junction Arms is a special pub to be enjoyed all year round! In the cooler months, come in and cosy up by the wood burner with a real ale and the papers.
And on warmer days and evenings come and sit and enjoy a drink or meal in our garden, watching the colourful barges pass by on the canal whilst children play in the sunshine in our wooden play area.
There is something for everyone at The Grand Junction Arms and we look forward to welcoming you.Contact us →
Around the Grand Junction Arms
The Grand Junction Arms is located on Upper Icknield Way along the Herts Bucks border. The pub was built at the same time as the Grand Junction Canal in 1799.
The building has always been a pub though over the years it has seen various changes. The area inside that's now the restaurant was a hay loaf and used on Sunday by the boat people as a church. Below were stables and the home gard had a base there. In the 1970s the name of the Grand Junction Arms was changed for some time to the Lock & Quay.
Tring, Hertfordshire
Tring is located in West Hertfordshire adjacent to the Buckinghamshire border and has been used as a junction since Roman times. Tring has been a farming and trading settlement for thousands of years and it is suggested that Icknield Way is the oldest road in Europe. The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty nearly surrounds the town. The construction of the Grand Union Canal heralded vast changes to the area and opened up trade with distant markets and introduced new industries such as flour milling, brewing, lace-making and straw plaiting.
A silk mill was constructed in 1823 by William Kay in Brook Street which employed more than 600 people. A bank and butcher served the needs of the growing local population. In 1835 the London to Birmingham railway was constructed with a station at Tring. In 1872 the Rothschild family reinvigorated Tring and the surrounding area with improvements to housing, new farms and a welfare system.
Filming & TV Locations near Berkhamsted
The Bulbourne Works and Grand Junction Arms have been used as a location for films and BBC TV documentaries over the years. In the 1960s Bulbourne Works was used as a location for the film "The Bargee" which starred Eric Sykes and Harry H Corbett. The film tells the story of a Casanova of the canals who gets tricked into getting married. Both actors used the pub whilst on filming location and according to local knowledge, one evening Eric stood on the bridge directing traffic.
Other notable programs that used Bulbourne Works as a location include Call the Midwife in 2016 which recreated scenes from the 1960s using Bulbourne Works as the backdrop and various barges. An episode of Midsummer Murders (King's Crystal) also used the location for filming in 2007.
Fine Dining near the Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal was commissioned under an Act of Parliament in 1793 and was completed in 1797 and officially opened in 1799. In 1848 the first buildings at Bulbourne Yard were completed.
Natural History Museum at Tring
Tring is famed for it's Natural History Museum which contains the UK's largest collection of stuffed mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. It was built in 1889 by Baron Rothschild for his son, Walter Rothschild, as a 21st birthday present. In 1937 the museum was gifted to the Natural History Museum.
Fine Dining near Tring Reservoirs
There are four reservoirs in close proximity to each other near Tring, designed to supply water to the Grand Union Canal and its two arms to Wendover and Aylesbury. The reservoirs have been a nature reserve since 1955 and in 1987 were designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). There are many rare and important bird species to be found at the reservoirs and are managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and owned by the Canal and Rivers Trust.
Out of the four reservoirs, Wilstone is the largest which supplies the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The other three are Marsworth, Startops End and Tringford. The clear water in the reservoirs attract lots of plants, fish and insects, and large numbers of breeding, wintering and migrating birds.
Fine Dining near College Lake
Originally a chalk quarry, College Lake is situated in Buckinghamshire about 1/4 mile from the Grand Junction Arms pub. Over the years the old quarry has been transformed into what has become one of the major nature reserve and bird watching sites in the UK.
College Lake boasts a number of hides dotted around the perimeter of the lake allowing bird watchers unrestricted viewing of the many bird species that breed, winter and migrate to and from the lake.
Fine Dining near Bulbourne Works
Also known as Bulbourne Yard and situated directly opposite the Grand Junction Arms pub, the works is a historic collection of former lock gate construction workshops consisting of four Grade II Listed buildings and two buildings of historical importance including a wharf and crane. There are several bat roosts, including a maternity roost on the site.
The buildings were constructed in 1882 and were still being used to construct lock gates as recently as 2003. The workshops consist of lock gate manufacturing areas with relatively low ceilings. Modern machinery meant that the workshops became unsuitable for lock gate construction and manufacturing moved to Stanley Ferry and Bradley.
The buildings are owned by the Canal & Rivers Trust and are in varying states of dis-repair. Plans are being considered for the long-term sustainable uses for the yard. These include renovating the historic buildings, removing unsightly later additions to the site, including a 1960s office block, preserving the wharf area, creation of residential housing and parking areas.


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School: Miami University
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Description : A private investigator in Los Angeles reluctantly teams up with a former star of a hit cop show.
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WatchSeries.video, your number one source of TV series video online and the best alternative to 123Movies, Gostream, TheWatchSeries, DWatchSeries, LetMeWatchThis, 1Channel, and Project Free TV, CokeAndPopCorn, PrimeWire and other WatchSeries sites.


text: Monday, December 19, 2011 Increase in Knee Pain Not Solely Attributed to Obesity and Osteoarthritis Even though the prevalence of knee pain has risen during the last 20 years, obesity and osteoarthritis account for only part of the increase, according to a Medscape Medical News article based on a study published this month in Annals of Internal Medicine. For this analysis, researchers evaluated results from 6 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) conducted between 1971 and 2004, and from 3 exam periods in the Framingham Osteoarthritis (FOA) Study carried out between 1983 and 2005. Participants in both studies were asked whether they experienced knee pain most days. In addition, participants in the FOA study underwent bilateral weight-bearing radiographs of their knees to assess the presence and extent of osteoarthritis. Radiographs were combined with self-reported knee pain to define symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. The researchers found that from 1974-1994, several ethnic groups in the NHANES study, namely, non-Hispanic white and Mexican-American men and women and black women, experienced a 65% increase in age- and BMI-adjusted knee pain. Among FOA participants, the prevalence of age- and BMI-adjusted knee pain and symptomatic osteoarthritis approximately doubled in 20 years among women, and tripled among men. Remarkably, the researchers saw no such trend among FOA participants in terms of the prevalence of radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis. "[T]he age- and BMI-adjusted prevalence of radiographic knee osteoarthritis did not substantially change over this same period for men and actually may have decreased for women," the article says. An accompanying editorial says clinicians should "carefully consider, from the signs and symptoms of the patient presenting with knee pain, a broad differential diagnosis. Not all knee pain in middle-aged and older adults is the result of osteoarthritis."


text:
Thursday, August 28, 2008
David Purcey is going to have to do better than that
Pitchers like Purcey have got to learn to show more heart out on the mound, and with a little more grit and determination, they can will their teammates to score more runs.
With every great pitching performance, we worry about the pitching staff
You see a performance like last night's and you wonder: Where does Purcey fit in next year? Obviously, you have to figure that he'll be in the rotation. Does he skip past Litsch? Does it even really matter?
Moreover, we wonder about how the entire staff shakes out after A.J. Burnett leaves (and we're pretty much resigned to the fact that he will.) While everyone is certain that this year's success from the pitching staff is a sure indicator that everything is fine and that all efforts should be focussed on getting a bat for next year, we're a little concerned with Shaun Marcum's post-injury struggles, Dustin McGowan's unknown prognosis, Litsch's teeter-totter of a season and Purcey's control issues.
Yeah, sure the Jays have got the lowest ERA in the Majors, but does it necessarily follow that you'll see the same level of performance next year? We're not convinced.
Why are we so focussed on next year all of a sudden?
17 comments:
Did you see Marcum's line in Syracuse?
7.0ip 5h 3r 2bb 9k
- August 28, 2008 at 10:27 AM
- Darren Priest said...
Check out the August 27 post on FireJoeMorgan.com Good stuff about Burnett.
- August 28, 2008 at 10:29 AM
- eyebleaf said...
Did you see Marcum's line in Syracuse?
7.0ip 5h 3r 2bb 9k
that's the marcum i love...
i think purcey's status in the rotation depends on casey janssen. if accardo does need the tommy, we could put janssen back in the pen. but the pen has looked great, even without JA. and i wouldn't mind giving janssen a look in the rotation, considering we're losing AJ.
perhaps we'll trade BJ in the off season? make brandon the full time closer? or a platoon close-age with downs?
should be a doozy of an off season
- August 28, 2008 at 11:07 AM
- The Ack said...
I'd have to think Janssen probably needs a year in the pen after shoulder surgery, no? In any event, I like him there, though they've had success converting guys like Marcum before.
Also, both Cecil and RR might be making cases for major league jobs at some point next season.
I expect the rotation pecking order to shape up as:
FA signee
Interestingly, I think that Litsch putting up a good showing from here on out increases his chances of being dealt this offseason, no? Although, given the shaky status of McGowan (and Marcum, I guess), plus unknown quantities in RR and Cecil, depth is a good thing...
- August 28, 2008 at 11:56 AM
I expect the rotation pecking order to shape up as:
FA signee
Instead of signing a #2 SP for $10-$12 million a year, why not spend that $$ (and more) on 2-3 guys who can hit and drive in runs?...Your pitching is fine (even without AJ)...bring in another #2 as a FA and the team will likely have the same problems scoring runs next year. Just my humble opinion.
- August 28, 2008 at 2:05 PM
- Darren Priest said...
I agree with the Cubs fan.
But I'll tell you this for free: whoever gets AJ Burnett next year is going to get ripped off big time!
- August 28, 2008 at 2:35 PM
- eyebleaf said...
yeah cubs fan might have a point. our pitching has been top notch, and AJ's ERA and WHIP aren't the greatest. if the kids can step in, we should get a bat or two.
september callups are going to rule.
- August 28, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Hey Cubs fan ripped off my blog on okbluejays.com. Bastard...thanks for reading though.
Oh wait, the comment was probably posted before my post...oh well, forget it.
- August 28, 2008 at 8:39 PM
And I apologize for the shameless plug...kinda...not really.
- August 28, 2008 at 8:49 PM
- The Ack said...
I felt that deserved all caps..
- August 28, 2008 at 11:26 PM
- The Ack said...
stairs designateD, asshole!
- August 28, 2008 at 11:26 PM
everybody's agreeing with cubsfan who said we should spend $12m on 3 hitters???? 3 Ecksteins are going to help this team???? If the decision is between a $12m pitcher and 3 Ecksteins, I'll take the pitcher. My preference would be to take the $12m, find $6-8 more, and get ONE fuckin serious bat.
- August 29, 2008 at 12:07 AM
- Darren Priest said...
Who said three Ecksteins? You're welcome to argue with yourself, but please try to confine it to the institution and the staff who are paid to listen to your ramblings.
- August 29, 2008 at 1:15 AM
you're not getting three hitters that would be useful to this team for $12m. $4m is an Eckstein.
- August 29, 2008 at 8:56 AM
With aj,Zaun Eckstein, Stairs etc coming off the books the Jays can get Manny and maybe tHome. They can stretch Janssen into a starter. They have tons of pitching, they can't hit. JP needs to make that adjustment accordingly.
- August 29, 2008 at 10:17 AM
- SP said...
Where did this $12m number come from? With AJ, Thomas, Eckstein, Stairs, etc off the books, it's more like $25-30m. That's definitely enough for 2-3 hitters.
- August 29, 2008 at 12:44 PM
- Darren Priest said...
Or one A-rod.
- August 29, 2008 at 1:15 PM


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Gyoza. Good but not quite like the ones I had in Japan!
Spicy Tuna Roll and Tiger Roll.
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Mardi Gras theme boosts VOA party
Red Wine & Seafood has had many themes in its 16 years, and this year co-chairs Monica Owens and Quinn Washington transported guests to New Orleans for a rollicking interpretation of Mardi Gras.
There were beads, a Dixieland jazz band and a grand buffet that featured everything from pan-fried oysters to crawfish etouffee. The 290 guests also could bid in a silent auction, enjoy a variety of red wines and meet the four grand marshalls — Sharon Magness Blake, Pat Cortez, Jean Galloway and Susan Kiely.
Owens said the goal was to raise at least $30,000 for Brandon Center and Theodora House, shelters operated by Volunteers of America for battered or homeless women and their children.


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Building an agency's first SWAT team
Editor's Note: Three weeks ago, PoliceOne polled our members with the question: Your department's ERT/SWAT capabilities are...? Nearly 40% said "Nonexistent—we're too small an agency." This result led us to numerous discussions with our members, several of whom said things like: "We're a small department in a small but active city and don't have any SWAT/ERT...Although it may be difficult for a smaller department to maintain on its own, it seems a regional team would fit our needs. I'd love to hear any suggestions."
Upon seeing this poll result and hearing such statements from our members, we asked SWAT Columnist Dan Marcou to write the following article aimed to help you build your agency's first SWAT team. If you have suggestions or additional information that would be useful to other PoliceOne members, please add a comment below or email us your thoughts.
Many circumstances spur an agency administrator to come to the realization that it is time to develop a SWAT team. One can be the result of a risk manager coming to the conclusion that no matter where the agency is located, there are times when a group of specially trained and equipped officers is best suited to handle calls with a special set of conditions or a particularly high degree of risk.
Another circumstance that inspires an administrator to form a SWAT team is purely reactive. A bad thing has occurred that has made that administrator decide, "Now is the time for a team."
The third circumstance is when members of the agency have applied positive and persistent pressure on the Chief or Sheriff, who trusts the valued opinion of these department members.
Once the decision is made to develop a SWAT team, the agency administrator will put together a group of people to begin the process. The mistake too often made by those assigned to this endeavor is that they look at teams that have been operating for years and immediately become overwhelmed at how far they have to go to be "like them." It is imperative to remember that all SWAT Teams started exactly where you are right now: with no equipment and an idea that bad situations can be handled better with a particular type of specialization. Be patient and stay positive and persistent in your progression.
In the beginning the first squabble will be one of the biggest. "What should we call the team?" You will be pressured to use any name but SWAT. Chiefs and Sheriffs may find it an easier "sell" in their jurisdiction if the team is called something else. If this compromise gets you a SWAT team, go for it and have a happy day! A number of years ago, one fledgling team had to come up with a name other than SWAT and one member suggested that the team be called the "Fast Action Response Team." The name was met momentarily with enthusiasm and immediately discarded. Who could have figured?
The most important element of the tactical team is its membership. Set a standard from the beginning and hold to it. You want candidates with some experience. The officers selected should be personnel who have no history of being anything but stellar officers. If you interject problem employees into your team to fill the ranks you will regret it but once...continually. You want them to be in top physical condition and in possession of excellent verbalization skills, empty hand skills, and firearms skills.
The selection process should have a skills component, a physical component, an interview component, and some agencies include a psychological component. The physical skills component should be repeated for all team members at least once a year after entry level. Once the team is operational the interview for the team should be conducted by team members, the Officer in Charge and Team Leaders.
In starting a team, personnel selection is what will make the team soar—or crash and burn.
Just as there should be a selection process there should also be a process in place for removal of members from the team. Work this out in advance of needing to use the procedure. Get members of the union involved in the creation of this procedure. Include the procedure in the SWAT policy, which will outline everything from "who's in charge" to call-out procedures and weapons authorized.
Once you have highly-motivated, team-oriented personnel, it is time to ensure that they are also highly-trained.
All team members should be trained initially in a Basic SWAT Course. These courses are offered all over the nation by many highly skilled and experienced trainers. Check out the credentials of the trainer, however, before entrusting your personnel to them.
This is just the start. Having Basic SWAT Training does not make an officer into a SWAT Officer. What makes a person SWAT is when individual skills are practiced to the point where these skills can be incorporated successfully into a team plan along with acquired team skills.
After team members are trained in Basic SWAT, they will return to the department even more enthusiastic about SWAT than when they left. Do not take them to the mountain top and then send them out into the desert. The team must train together and this training must take place regularly. Every team should meet at least once a month to physically train together. More is better. Less is unacceptable.
It is imperative that the team have trainers on the team otherwise the training will be too expensive and too difficult to schedule. Schedule a variety of training that not only teaches skills, but also applies skills in the team setting. Everything a team does on the street will be done in a team setting, which creates a new dynamic.
Once the team is selected there are specialty positions that will need additional training. The Chief or Sheriff will need to appoint an Officer in Charge and the Officer in Charge will need to appoint Team Leaders. Each of these positions warrants an assignment to another specialized training.
As the team progresses and equipment is acquired, you may wish to also train personnel in special munitions, breaching or explosive entries, distractive devices, night vision tactics, counter-sniper training, and shield tactics. There are also special courses in Basic Warrant Service to enhance your team's performance capability in this area.
There is an absolute need to have personnel assigned to handle Crisis Negotiation. Countless times in the past, negotiators have secured surrenders that most thought to be impossible, and delayed the impending dastardly acts of suspects long enough for tactical teams to formulate and carry out successful plans.
No Tactical Team should be without Negotiators. No negotiators should be without a tactical team. Cross training negotiators and tactical team members will expand the flexibility of a small team.
Some teams become the crowd control unit for agencies that have no other options. Crowd Control is a topic for another day.
There are many opportunities to get quality specialized training for your teams that are sometimes funded. Many agencies have taken advantage of the high quality training offered at The Center for Domestic Security in Anniston Alabama. A second source for high quality tactical training is Northeast Counter Drug located in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
A variety of top notch tactical offerings are available. The point here is that there are countless sites around the nation for developing tactical expertise and tactical leadership and that often the training is funded.
Seek and ye shall find.
In today's budget climate, the thought of the expenditure needed to equip a team can be absolutely depressing, but it does not have to be. Establish a five-year plan and realize that no one gets everything at once. Good things come to those who wait. To avoid frustration, learn and understand the budget process and use your newfound understanding to your advantage.
There are ways to get a good start with little expense. Communities do not warm up to fund raisers for weapons, but Community Groups do get excited about raising funds to protect their police. Vests, shields, and Kevlar Helmets can get a community to rally around the team and help out.
Another source of funding can be Metro Enforcement Group confiscated drug monies. There are teams that have started up and made nearly all purchases with confiscated drug funds. Joint teams have better luck obtaining these funds than single agency teams.
Another great source where equipment can be obtained is the General Services Administration. Have you ever wondered what happens to the vehicles, computers, weapons etc. that the military no longer needs? They give it away to law enforcement.
There are agencies that have SWAT vehicles with 9,000 to 12,000 miles on the odometer after obtaining the vehicles from the program. Many agencies have equipped their teams with carbines and fully-automatic weapons from this excellent program.
The give-away program is being coordinated by the federal government through state representatives. Agencies that become involved will pick representatives that will be able to obtain needed equipment on the department's behalf at no cost. It is an excellent way for a new team to get off the ground.
Department of Homeland Security also has given a great deal of attention to law enforcement of late. Particularly notable is the timely placement of BearCat armored personnel carriers throughout the U.S. There are many stories of Chiefs and Sheriffs being chastised for a military mindset in bravely acquiring these vehicles for their counties. After taking no small amount of grief from their local media and citizenry, time and time again the photos of the bullet-shattered but intact windshields of BearCats become a story the press can not ignore, because of the lives that were so visibly saved by these fortresses on wheels.
Your Team
If you take on the responsibility of developing your agency's first SWAT team you will always be a part of its history. Years from now you will be passing the photo of the first team with you and your team-mates' young and thin faces looking back and the memories will flood into your thoughts like a tsunami. A bittersweet smile will imperceptibly cross your face. You will know that you were a part of something that you still belong to and will always belong to. Your heart will well up with pride with the realization that once you were once SWAT …and SWAT you will always be.
Stay safe, stay strong, stay positive.


text:
Undergraduate Catalog
2014 – 2015
Office of Admissions
Emil H. Messikomer Hall
100 W. Rosedale Avenue
West Chester, PA 19383
Phone: 610-436-3411
Fax: 610-436-2907
Revised September 2014
207 Merion Science Center
Martin Helmke, Chairperson
PROFESSORS: Busch, Gagné, Good, Lutz, Srogi
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS: Fisher, Helmke, Hilliker, Nikitina, Schwarz, Smith
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS: Bosbyshell, Hall
The Department of Geology and Astronomy prepares students for careers in geoscience and geoscience education. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that employment of geoscientists is projected to grow by 21% from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. This geoscience degree prepares students for entry-level positions in such occupations and is also a strong foundation for people interested in pursuing advanced degrees. Geoscience is an integrated study of the Earth, its geologic history, composition and structure, resources, natural hazards, atmosphere and oceans, and its environment in space. Geoscientists study such phenomena as earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanoes, coastal erosion, and how these natural hazards impact humans. Geoscientists explore for mineral, energy, and water supplies. Geoscientists also attempt to make predictions about Earth's future based on the past. Since most human activities are related to interaction with the physical components of Earth, geoscience plays a unique and essential role in today's rapidly changing world. The Department of Geology and Astronomy offers two bachelor of science degree programs and a certification program in general science. The department also offers minors in astronomy, geology, earth science, and science education. All programs emphasize analytical skills and build on course work in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and statistics. Written and oral communication is emphasized in a majority of the course work.
All students must consult with their adviser regularly to ensure timely completion of the degree. Those in the B.S. in education program will have a second adviser in the College of Education to help students meet the secondary education requirements.
(120 semester hours)
(126 semester hours)
All students seeking a B.S.Ed. must formally apply for admission to teacher education. (See the "Educator Preparation Programs" section of this catalog for an explanation of related requirements.) Only those students formally admitted to teacher education will be eligible to enroll in SCE/SCB 350. Once admitted to teacher education, students must maintain the minimum GPA specified by the College of Education in order to continue taking advanced professional course work. If a student falls below the minimum GPA, he or she will be permitted to retake - in accordance with University policy - professional course work that contributed to the fall below the minimum GPA but will not be permitted to take additional work until the minimum is met.
Students may choose to minor in any of the following programs. Courses are selected with the approval of the department chairperson.
Students seeking certification in general science must either be enrolled in a B.S.Ed. program or hold a teaching certificate.
101 Introduction to Geology (3) The earth's composition and history; the processes that occur on and within the earth. Two hours of lecture and two hours of lab.
102 Humans and the Environment (3) A study of the ability of humans to survive and maintain their life quality, considering the limited resources and recycling capacity of planet Earth. Note: Students completing ESS 102 may not take BIO 102 or ENV 102 for credit.
Approved interdisciplinary course
111 General Astronomy (3) A descriptive course, including the composition and evolution of solar and stellar systems. Two hours of lecture and two hours of lab.
112 Galaxies and Cosmology (3) An introductory general education course in astronomy. Topics will focus on the properties of light and matter, the evolution of stars and galaxies, and the expansion, structure, history, and fate of the universe. Three hours of lecture.
125 Volcanoes (3) Where do volcanoes occur and why? What happens when volcanoes erupt, and what controls eruptions? What roles have volcanoes played in human history and human culture? How do geologists study volcanoes in order to forecast eruptions and reduce the risks for human populations? This course explores these questions using print, multimedia, and Internet sources. Students will learn how to interpret geological information in order to assess volcanic hazards and forecast volcanic eruptions.
130 Our Coastal Oceans (3) This course examines the physical and biological processes at work in the coastal oceans. The content will be discussed in the framework of regional examples.
170 Introduction to Our Atmosphere (3) Why is the sky blue? What will the weather be tomorrow? What makes tornadoes? How did the ozone hole develop? What is the greenhouse effect? This class will use these questions and others to investigate the basic physical processes that determine the weather and climate on earth. A student who has successfully completed ESS 370 may not subsequently receive credit for ESS 170.
201 Field Geology (3) An introduction to the basic methods of geologic data collection, analysis, and presentation; literature research; and report writing. One weekend field trip is required. PREREQ: ESS 101. Writing emphasis course.
204 Historical Geology (3) The geologic history of Earth inferred by analyzing and evaluating the geologic record of its physical and biological changes on local, regional, and global scales. Laboratory included. PREREQ: ESS 101. Writing emphasis course.
301 Environmental Geochemistry (3) An introduction to principles and applications of geochemistry to geologic systems, including surface and ground waters, soils, and rocks. PREREQ: CHE 103, ESS 101.
302 Mineralogy (3) In-depth survey of the formation, identification, classification, and uses of minerals. Principles of symmetry, crystallography, crystal chemistry, and optical mineralogy. Laboratory and field examination and analysis of minerals. PREREQ: ESS 101, 204, and CHE 103 or equivalent.
307 Geology of the Solar System (3) The geology, origin, evolution, and properties of planets, comets, asteroids, moons, and meteorites.
311 Introduction to Astronomy (3) An introduction to astronomy and astrophysics. Topics include celestial mechanics; the properties of light, matter, and energy; the formation of stars and planets; stellar evolution; galaxies; and cosmology. Two hours of lecture and two hours of lab. PREREQ: MAT 105, 108, 110, or 161, or permission of instructor.
321 Geometrics (3) Application of computational and statistical methods to geologic problems. Geologic sampling, data comparisons in environmental, petrologic, paleontologic, and geochemical problems.
323 General Geologic Field Studies of Southeastern Pennsylvania (3) Occurrence, relationships, and geologic history of the rocks, minerals, and soils of this area, studied at representative locations. PREREQ: ESS 302.
ESS 327 Electron Microscopy I (3) A one-semester lecture/laboratory course in theory operation and applications of electron beam technology in scientific research. Students receive hands-on training and complete a brief research project of their choosing. PREREQ: Six credits of college-level science, or permission from the instructor.
330 Introduction to Oceanography (3) A survey of our present knowledge of the waters and floors of the ocean. PREREQ: ESS 101.
331 Introduction to Paleontology (3) Identification and study of common fossils in order to understand their life processes and geologic significance. PREREQ: One course in geology. Writing emphasis course.
332 Advanced Oceanography (3) An advanced course in oceanography covering marine resources, oceanographic literature, animal-sediment relationships, field techniques, estuaries, salt marshes, sea level changes, and pollution. PREREQ: ESS 330.
336 Environmental Geology (3) The application of geological information to human problems encountered in natural phenomena, such as flooding, earthquakes, coastal hazards, and man-made concerns, including waste disposal, land use, and global change. PREREQ: ESS 101 or permission of instructor.
343 Geomorphology (3) Constructional and degradational forces that have shaped present landforms and are constantly reshaping and modifying landforms. Interpretation of geologic and topographic maps; field studies. PREREQ: ESS 101 and 204.
344 Geomorphology II (3) A continuation of the study of earth surface processes. Interpretation of topographic maps and air photos. PREREQ: ESS 343 or permission of instructor.
347 Earth and Space Science Seminar (1) Weekly seminar featuring guest lectures by geoscience professionals, prominent scientists, faculty, and students. Students will read professional literature, attend and participate in the lecture, and write a summary and/or analysis of each seminar. PREREQ: Six credits of ESS or permission of department.
348 International Geology Field Studies (3) Field investigations of selected countries' physical environments focusing on geology and natural resources in relationship to cultural traditions, lifestyle, and sustainability. Case studies of human adaptation to local and global environmental challenges will be considered. Two hours of lecture and two hours of lab. PREREQ: ESS 101 or ESS 102 or permission of instructor.
355 Intermediate Astronomy (3) An analytical and qualitative analysis of selected astronomical phenomena. Topics include telescope optics (including photographic and photoelectric attachments), lunar and planetary orbits, stellar motions and magnitudes, galactic classifications, and distances. Two hours of lecture and two hours of lab. PREREQ: ESS 111.
362 History of Astronomy (3) Development of astronomical theories from the ancient Greeks until the 20th century. PREREQ: ESS 111.
370 Introduction to Meteorology (3) A study of the principles governing the earth's atmosphere and how these principles determine weather conditions. PREREQ: Six hours of science and MAT 105 or higher.
371 Advanced Meteorology (3) A continuation of the study of the principles governing the earth's atmosphere and how these principles determine weather conditions. PREREQ: ESS 370.
405 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (3) Theories of the formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks based on field occurrence, physical properties, geochemistry, thermodynamics, and petrography. Classification and identification of rocks. Laboratory and field examination and analysis of rocks. PREREQ: ESS 201 and 302.
420 Structural Geology (3) Determination of the sequential development and the forces involved in the various structural features of the earth. PREREQ: ESS 201 and 302.
439 Hydrogeology (3) This applied course covers groundwater flow, well hydraulics, water resources, contaminant transport, and groundwater remediation. Familiarity with calculus is recommended. PREREQ: ESS 301.
442 Geophysics (3) Gravitational, magnetic, seismic (refraction and reflection), and electrical properties of rocks and minerals in the earth. Physical principles of the earth; geophysics in relation to economic deposits. PREREQ: MAT 162 and PHY 140 or 180.
447 Earth and Space Science Seminar (1) Weekly seminar featuring guest lectures by geoscience professionals, prominent scientists, faculty, and students. Students will read professional literature, attend and participate in the lecture, and write a summary and/or analysis of each seminar. PREREQ: ESS 347 or department permission.
450 Sedimentation and Stratigraphy (3) Class, laboratory, and field studies of sediments, sedimentary rocks, depositional processes and environments, and diagenesis. Description, mapping, and correlation of strata to infer temporal-spatial relationships, locate resources, and interpret Earth history. PREREQ: ESS 301, 302, 331, and 343.
460 Internship (1-18) Work with industry, or local, state, or federal government agencies under faculty supervision.
This course may be taken again for credit.
490 Fundamentals of Soil (3) Soil properties, classification, and genesis from geologic, agricultural, and engineering perspectives. Topics include pedology, soil physics, geotechnical engineering, erosion, septic systems, soil contamination, and remediation. PREREQ: ESS 101.
491 Independent Study (1-3)
This course may be taken again for credit.
SCB 210 The Origin of Life and the Universe (3) An interdisciplinary course that presents the theory and evidence of the first three minutes of the universe and formation of the stars, galaxies, planets, organic molecules, and the genetic basis of organic evolution. PREREQ: High school or college courses in at least two sciences.
Approved interdisciplinary course
SCE 310 Science for the Elementary Grades (3) A course to prepare the elementary teacher for teaching science. Selected units or problems that cut across various fields of science. Methods and processes of science and available resources. PREREQ: Completion of science and mathematics general education requirements and formal admission to teacher education. Must reach junior status by the end of the previous semester.
SCE 320 Science Methods for Grades PreK-4 (3) A science methods course for PreK-4 teachers to master classroom and materials preparation and the design of developmentally effective instruction and assessment. Teachers learn methods that promote children's ability to do inquiry and master Pennsylvania academic standards in science and technology and environment and ecology. PREREQ: Completion of science and math general education requirements and FATE.
SCE 330 Science Methods for Middle Level, 4 - 8 (3) A course to prepare middle-level teachers for teaching science with a focus on the developmental and pedagogical needs of middle-level students. Teacher candidates will apply science content, develop knowledge on how students learn science, explore materials and resources, and learn how to plan and access effective standards-based, middle-level science instruction. PREREQ: 12 credits of science, FATE, and current field clearances.
SCE 350 Science Education in the Secondary School (3) Philosophy, objectives, and methods of teaching science. Practical experience provided. PREREQ: Formal admission to teacher education.
Diverse communities course. Writing emphasis course.
SCI 101 The Carbon Cycle (3) An exploration of how the carbon cycle connects earth and life, thorugh photosynthesis, respiration, decay, rock formation and weathering, and plate tectonics. Humans have altered the carbon cycle by burning fossil fuels. Students investigate the carbon cycle on the WCU campus and consider the implications for global warming. For elementary education majors only. Team taught with the Department of Biology.


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