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Crikey! It's as WILD AS LIFE GETS at Australia Zoo's open-range exhibit - Africa, where you can see the only multi species exhibit in Queensland.
Step on board the FREE Africa Safari Shuttle to experience the only Giraffe and Zebra in Queensland and keep your eyes peeled for our growing Rhino herd!
Steve's dream was to build an African Safari Park, where animals roam free in open plains and state of the art walk-through enclosures; where the public can watch these animals interact as they would in the wild; and where people can have their own unique experiences with these wonderful animals.
You can see one of our Giraffe as they graze the Savannah and use their amazing blue tongues pull leaves from the trees. Be mesmerised as they gracefully explore Africa right in front of your eyes!
Taking visitors on a journey to the African Savannah of Australia Zoo, we will showcase the only active breeding group of Rhinos in Queensland - our first calf was born here in April 2012 - in a replica of the exotic animals' natural habitat - all part of the African experience.
Africa is right here in your own back yard. So come on - go WILD with us!
African Animal Encounters
Crikey - Don't just look at our amazing animals, get hands on with them! Check out our range of amazing African animal encounters. Australia Zoo is right at the forefront of wildlife conservation for a reason - we're on a mission to make you fall in love with our amazing animals!
Latest Africa News
Crikey! Charge on in to see our new king!
18 September 2019
Meet our African Animals
Ceratotherium simum simum
The Southern White Rhino is the second largest land mammal. They are grazers, found on the grassy savannahs of Southern Africa.
Equus quagga
Zebras are African equids best known for their distinctive black and white stripes which come in different patterns unique to each individual.
Giraffa camelopardalis
Giraffes are the tallest land animal in existence. Males reach heights of 5.5 meters (18 ft) and weigh up to 1900kg.
Acinonyx jubatus
Cheetah are not classed as 'big cats'. Big cats have the ability to roar - cheetahs have instead retained the ability to purr, just like your domestic cat at home.


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Editor's note: Crystal Wright is a conservative writer who runs the blog ConservativeBlackChick.com. She also is a principal at the Baker Wright Group, a communications and public relations firm. You can follow her on Twitter @GOPBlackChick. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- Black voters allowed themselves to be used by Sen. Thad Cochran to win the Republican primary runoff for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat.
Cochran beat state Sen. Chris McDaniel by targeting black Democrats and getting them to vote for him in a tight race. It was a brilliant political strategy in a state that allows open primaries, where voters can cross party lines to vote. It also showed blacks -- and the Republican Party that ignores them -- that black voters can wield political influence.
Cochran won the runoff by a little over 6,000 votes. The runoff was triggered because no candidate garnered 50% of the vote in the first primary, which Cochran lost to McDaniel by some 1,000 votes.
But make no mistake, Cochran appealed to black Democratic voters out of desperation. When was the last time we heard Cochran reaching out to ask for the black vote in the last six terms he's served as senator?
Cochran's campaign suggested McDaniel was a tea party radical. The tea party has become code for "racist" among many black Americans, who overwhelmingly vote Democratic. Black Democratic voters allowed themselves to be exploited by Cochran's boogeyman -- the tea party nonsense -- without looking into the policies and records of each candidate.
McDaniel was a conservative candidate opposed to illegal immigration, which harms black Americans. The black unemployment rate has been higher than the national average for the past five years and blacks often compete for the same jobs as undocumented workers.
Refusing to concede the election, McDaniel and other conservatives said Cochran played dirty politics by reaching out to black Democrats to win. It's true these same voters will likely vote for the Democratic nominee in the fall. But I suspect McDaniel is just angry he didn't think of the idea first.
It was distasteful to see conservatives like Laura Ingraham accuse Cochran of race-baiting because he decided to ask black Democrats to vote for him. How is asking blacks to cast a vote for you race-baiting?
While I don't agree with how Cochran won and wish blacks were more informed about their vote, Cochran bothered to ask blacks to vote for him, something that apparently makes some Republicans cringe.
Even the Democrat-dominated Congressional Black Caucus has now applauded his use of blacks to win. Go figure.
Many blacks would say the Republican Party only works in earnest for the white vote. Presidential nominee Mitt Romney did a good job of winning the majority of the white vote (60%) in 2012, but he lost the election because he ignored the minority and woman voters -- that is, he hardly bothered to ask for their votes.
This Mississippi primary race is a harbinger of what can happen to the GOP in future national elections if Republicans continue to ignore the black vote.
They will lose.
Instead of allowing themselves to vote solely based on misleading headlines and misinformation, blacks need to be voting based upon candidates' positions on issues and how they affect them.
Come November, I doubt Cochran will really care about earning the black vote and taking the Republican message of equal opportunity and economic empowerment to blacks. Blacks just believed the hype about McDaniel being a racist and didn't dig any deeper.
Cochran will run in the general election ignoring black voters, just as the GOP has done for the past 40 years. This isn't a watershed moment. It's another example of blacks throwing away their political influence -- as they have on the Democratic Party since 1964 -- and getting nothing in return.
Cochran demonstrates what many black conservatives already know: GOP candidates will only reach out to black voters, kicking and screaming, as a last resort to win.
This isn't the path to future Republican victories in truly competitive national races in a country where census data show the white population declining while minorities are growing.
The big takeaway from the Cochran win is that Republicans had better get serious.
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Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.

subset: commoncrawl


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LOWELL — Four police officers have been placed on paid leave for their role in the cellblock death of a 31-year-old woman in January 2013, and three others are being recommended for discipline in the case, according to a letter the police superintendent sent to members of the department Thursday.
Superintendent William Taylor chastised those on duty when Alyssa Brame was taken into custody, and then died a short time later of alcohol poisoning.
"The combined investigations by the Middlesex district attorney and our own board of inquiry determined Ms. Brame was not given the proper medical attention that she was in obvious need of while in the custody of the Lowell Police Department," Taylor said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Sun.
"In addition, policies and regulations of the Lowell Police Department specifically in place to prevent such a tragedy were violated," he said.
Taylor declined to comment further and did not identify the officers being put on leave.
The administrative action follows a detailed report by the three-member board formed to investigate the incident. The board found that eight employees acted in violation of department policies, but sources have told The Sun that the board's investigation remains active.
Brame, who had recently moved to Lowell, was found to have died from acute alcohol poisoning about two hours after being arrested, according to toxicology tests.
Brame, who was arrested on suspected prostitution charges, was booked at the police station at 11:07 p.m. on a Saturday night. Brame was transported to Lowell General Hospital-Saints Campus, arriving at 12:57 a.m. Eleven minutes later she was pronounced dead at 1:08 a.m., Brame's mother, Alice Swiridowsky-Muckle, told The Sun in an interview last summer. She did not return messages left on her phones Thursday evening.
Police Department protocol stipulates that the booking procedure be overseen by the shift's commanding officer. It's up to that officer to determine whether a prisoner requires medical attention.
Lt. Thomas Siopes was the commanding officer who oversaw Brame's booking. A shift change came at midnight, and command duties were assumed by Capt. Thomas Meehan.
At least four other officers were also involved in the incident, as The Sun has previously reported. They are Charles Pappas, who arrested Brame, and sergeants James Fay, Michael Giuffrida and Frank Nobrega.
In his letter to the department Thursday, Taylor said he was "personally and professionally disappointed in the care" Brame received while in police custody.
"Some Lowell police employees displayed, in my opinion, conduct which could be described as deliberate indifference for Ms. Brame and that such conduct should shock the conscience of us all," he said. "Throughout this process, we have kept the family of Ms. Brame in our thoughts."
"After careful review of evidence and findings of the board, I have determined seven employees will be recommended for discipline, which is in excess of my ability to dispense," he continued.
"My recommendations have been forwarded to the appointing authority," which is the city manager, Bernie Lynch. "As of today, I have placed four members of the department on paid administrative leave. In addition, I have asked the board of inquiry to investigate other aspects of this incident."
"As difficult as the findings are for members of this department to hear, we resolve to take the required corrective action and rededicate ourselves to serve all the citizens of Lowell regardless of their position in life," Taylor continued in the letter.
"I am proud of be a member of this Police Department and I believe this incident is an aberration and not the norm."
The Middlesex District Attorney's office previously determined that criminal charges against the officers involved in the case were not warranted.
But a report from the DA identified numerous violations, including leaving Brame unattended for 56 minutes and officers rejecting a suggestion by a civilian detention attendant that an ambulance be called because of Brame's poor condition.
Department policy calls for prisoners to be checked every 30 minutes, the district attorney's report said. That period of time for Brame coincided with the midnight-shift change, which complicated matters because the newly arriving officers were not aware of her condition, according to the report.
Detention attendants were not certified to perform CPR and other medical procedures as required, the report also found.
The report also says police were reluctant to send too many intoxicated prisoners to city hospitals.
"Over time, there appears to be a perception among police personnel that there was push-back from the hospitals regarding the number of prisoners being transported to the hospital for evaluation," District Attorney Marian Ryan wrote.
Ryan recommended that Lowell police provide additional training to employees and to update policies and procedures.
Follow Grant Welker on Twitter and Tout @SunGrantWelker.


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|November 28, 2010, 01:24 AM
Join Date: January 14, 2008
Location: Way Upstate almost Canada NEW YORK
Posts: 24
New 1,000 yd. Range in New Hampshire
New 1,000 yd. Range in New Hampshire
As I'm on the hodge-podge email list I'm passing this on to all fellow Long Range Competitiors.
There are rumors going around that the Pemi Fish and Game Club, in Holderness, NH, is planning to build a 1,000-yard range. The rumors are true.
I have two reasons for sending this e-mail to shooters in New England. One is to let you know the real story about our efforts to build this new range (rumors have a way of distorting reality), and the other is to get a sense of your interest in it. At the end of this e-mail is a request to you to answer some questions.
First a little background. The Pemi (officially known as the Pemigewasset Valley Fish and Game Club, Inc.) is a private club in central New Hampshire. It owns 330 acres, and has several rifle ranges, a trap field, an indoor range, a great archery range, and a nice club house. It runs rifle matches, cowboy and IDPA shoots, silhouette matches, summer and winter biathlons, archery events, trap shoots. We host boy scout camping. We do some hunter education, some pistol and rifle instruction, and are affiliated with the CMP. For a sleepy looking club in a sleepy part of the state, a lot goes on.
The rifle range is currently 200 yards, and over the years there has been much talk about expanding it to 300 or 600 yards. The topography makes that tough where the existing range is, though, and we've never gotten much past the talk stage. Over the years, too, a few people have even thought about a 1,000-yard range. That never got past the talk stage either … until about 2 years ago when one club member was inspired enough to dig up some topo maps, find a possible spot, and drag a bunch of other club members out there to scout it out. And he was right: it looked like it might actually work.
So *this* time more than talk has happened. A little over a year ago we had the space clear cut. This spring and summer we did the wetlands delineation and then had a detailed survey done. Then we solicited and received bids do to the engineering/design work that will be needed to get the various environmental permits and to solicit bids for actual range construction. And finally, I'm going to ask the club's board to make a choice on the bids at our board meeting in early December (and to allocate money for that design work).
That's where we are. Of course, the big expensive step is construction, and is perhaps beyond the ability of the Pemi by itself. We expect to need to raise funds from outside. To that end, we really need to know how much interest there really is out there. So, what we're doing is polling you, NE shooters, about various aspects of the project. Call it "market research".
If you would take some time and answer these questions, it would be greatly appreciated. Send an e-mail to me at [email protected]. It would help if you would put something like "Pemi 1,000-yard range" in the Subject line.
1. The Pemi's about 2 hours north of Boston, about 2 hours up I-93. If we ran a long-range match once a month (during the warm months!), would you make many of the matches? Would you come to 2 a month?
2. Would you prefer 1-day matches or 2-day matches?
3. We're looking into electronic targets. As expensive as they are, that would save us the expense of building target carriers and putting in pits. Also, it would eliminate pit changes and the need to pull targets (or pay for target pullers). It would also eliminate the need to move back to each new distance (600, 800, 900, 1,000). There MAY be some loss of accuracy, and there may be some technical glitches from time to time. In your mind, would this be a good trade off? Would you be willing to pay a little more per match to avoid having to pull targets?
4. Would you be willing to make a contribution (not now, but when we get the permits) to the range's construction costs whether as an outright gift or in the form of pre-paid membership fees or pre-paid match fees? What would be fair in your mind?
5. Do you know any die-hard shooters who just won the lottery? No? yeah, me neither. Do you have ideas about companies that might be worth approaching for donations?
I'd be eager to hear any other thoughts you have on this project. Thanks for your time.
Oh, one last request: please spread the word. This note is going to a hodge-podge of e-mail lists, but I'm certain not to all the long-range shooters in New England. Thanks.
Randy Enger, president, Pemi Fish and Game
|November 30, 2010, 07:37 AM
Join Date: November 29, 2010
Location: FLA
Posts: 17
Shooting ranges
Though I am a new hunter, I'm not a new shooter. I've visited many of gun ranges in my day. I understand that ranges have a bit of an overhead to keep it maintained, but why do they have to charge so much for a day of practicing.
It's not like they serve you lunch or drinks while you're out there, and they over charge you for any ammo that you may have to buy (if they have the right ammo to begin with). To me it should be free to use the range if you bring your own guns and ammo, unless it's an indoor range (which is only good for pistols and riot guns). I personally like stepping out my back door and blasting away at the targets in my yard. Some people like to go and meet other gun enthusiast, some just to watch others shoot. That's all good if you have the funds. As far as the thousand yard range, it's useless unless you are a practicing sniper then the your working for the government and they have their own ranges to train on. I wish you the best in your ventures.
|November 30, 2010, 09:27 AM
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Join Date: March 14, 2005
Location: Concord, NH
Posts: 2,723
|November 30, 2010, 09:07 PM
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Join Date: May 2, 2002
Location: Only1/2WayThere
Posts: 1,307
To the second poster, WOW. Civilians don't need a 1000-yard range? Bet we don't need semi-automatic weapons in military calibers either, eh?
As for the range at the PEMI, we could use a 1000-yard range in the Northeast. Nashua, Reading and Scarborough are 600-only. There is a 600 at Camp Ethan Allen in Vermont (Bolton) and I hear there is a 1000 up there, but it wasn't used for the Vt State Championships. More places to shoot are better, especially to shoot long range.
NRA Master, Highpower Rifle, Across-the-Course
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|February 14, 2014, 11:00 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: November 28, 2012
Posts: 2
What became of this 1000 yard range idea? I am considering a move from Alabama to NH as I am interviewing with a company up there and it would be nice to find a place to shoot. Can people still go out and shoot steel on the public hunting land? I'd like to find some 2000+ yard shots.
|March 21, 2014, 11:24 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 20, 2009
Location: Overlooking the Baker River Valley
Posts: 1,674
I'm a member of the Pemi club. The 1,000-yd range is currently on hold because the Club was unable to secure the necessary zoning OK from the Town of Holderness. I hear from time to time that there may be another attempt to move ahead, but have not seen anything definitive.
NH is still a great place to live, work, and shoot and Pemi is a great club, 1,000-yd range or not.
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Pemigewasset Valley Fish & Game Club
|March 22, 2014, 04:51 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 6, 2014
Posts: 526
That's a bargain most ranges cost more. I am lucky to live in an area with lots of cheap empty land. Also, members keep costs low by volunteering their time to maintain the targets and build improvements to the range. Most areas are much more expensive to buy and maintain land for shooting ranges and, depending on the amenities, the upkeep cost can be substantial. it is unfortunate that many people must pay high prices, but not everyone can legally or safely walk out their back door and shoot. I can shoot on public land for free just outside of town, but I don't mind paying a few bucks for marked ranges, target stands, steel targets, permanent benches and shade... shade is a good one with 120+ degree summer days.
As for the distance... a 1000 yd is not useless if someone wants to shoot on it. obviously there are 1000 yd matches, so anyone who competes in those would need to practice... and compete. Even if you will never make a 1000 yd shot to take game, practicing at that range will hone your skill as a marksman making you more effective in the field at shorter ranges.
and despite all the drama of ultra long distance sniper shots, the average distance for a sniper engaging a subject is much less than that. I'm not sure about military snipers, but police snipers is under 100 yd... because of how much our military works in urban areas, I'd bet there average is not much higher. so yeah, of course a sniper will train on that 1000 yd range... but more than anything it helps them be more effective at every range
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Nike's Self-Lacing Shoes Will Go on Sale November 28th
September 22, 2016 | | No Comments |
Nike Launches Hyper Adapt, Self-Lacing Shoes Gone are the days when you had to struggle with your shoe laces. Now your shoes will have the capability to place them on their own! Nike is introducing the self-lacing shoes for everyone. …


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|TidBITS#47 19910311
Apple has won round one of the lawsuit between Apple and Microsoft (and HP, to be technically correct). In a decision last week, Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled that Apple did indeed create the portions of the Macintosh interface in question, most notably overlapping windows and icons. Judge Walker denied motions by Microsoft and HP to throw out the case on the grounds that Apple "borrowed" (my quotes, not Apple's, so keep the lawyers off) from the Xerox Star and/or SmallTalk. For those of you who haven't been following this case closely, it started in March of 1988 (yup, that long ago, and they've just decided that they might go ahead and have a trial) when Apple filed suit against Microsoft for Windows 2.03 and HP for New Wave (an interface that runs on top of Windows). Apple claims that these products violate both an earlier agreement with Microsoft and Apple's copyrighted audio-visual displays. This is only round one, though, since the decision did not determine whether or not Microsoft and HP infringed on Apple's copyright. The press release said that they were going to have a "status conference" to determine the schedule for the rest of the case. Sheesh, no wonder it takes so long.
What's the practical impact of all this? For the moment, nothing. However, it looks good for Apple and bad for Microsoft currently, so let's assume that Apple will win this suit sometime in the next century. Gather 'round, boys and girls, it's speculation time! (and remember, my degree is in Classics and Hypertextual Fiction, not Copyright Law)
I haven't heard what sort of damages Apple wants, or even if that was specified in the original suit. (Remember, this was in 1988, while I was still worrying about the proper form of Greek verbs in the aorist imperative at Cornell.) I don't believe that Apple has any control over the existing copies of Windows, so there's no way that Apple could extract royalties from existing users (as some people on Usenet were worrying) or have all copies of Windows destroyed or anything so irritatingly totalitarian. If Apple was that concerned, they could have pushed a hold through the court to prevent any more copies of Windows from being sold in 1988. It's not inconceivable that Apple could get back royalties from Microsoft and HP, though, which would cost a lot of money even though Windows 2.03 and New Wave weren't all that popular. That's the most likely option, since money is the name of the game and licensing fees are a great way to make money without doing anything. Interestingly enough, I saw that AT&T has some sort of patent on a window manager for which it is trying to get licensing fees from a number of companies. No idea of which companies are involved, but that could thoroughly confuse the issue once more. Another unclear issue is the role of Windows 3.0 in all of this. I haven't used it enough to notice how it works with overlapping windows (I believe you can overlap windows, but only within the parent window). Although the current suit is aimed solely at Windows 2.03, if Apple wins, I suspect that Windows 3.0 and later will be subject to the decision as well.
Overall, I don't like what Apple is trying to do with this lawsuit. I understand Apple wanting to clear up the problem with the 1985 agreement with Microsoft about Windows 1.x not applying to Windows 2.x, but I'm afraid that Apple wants to take that relatively unimportant contract dispute and use it to claim that Apple alone owns the concept of many of the elements of a standard graphical interface. That's slimy and does no one any good, other than increase Apple's ego and coffers. My devious mind came up with one interesting possibility for why Apple won this initial round, though. This issue of being able to copyright elements of an interface must be resolved at some point, but it will require a court case. If the judge had granted Microsoft's motion (that overlapping windows and icons were derivative works from Xerox), and dismissed the case, the issue would wait longer to resolve itself. So it's possible (though I'm sure everyone in sight would deny it whether or not it was true) that the judge allowed the case to continue in order to get everything out in the open already.
There are two recent court decisions that are important in light of this case. First, Lotus won a case against Paperback Software, claiming that Paperback had infringed on Lotus's copyright by using the same command structure. That's bad. Then there is Ashton-Tate's case against Fox Software, in which Ashton-Tate claimed that FoxBASE+ violated Ashton-Tate's copyright by using the same internal programming language (so you could run dBASE programs in FoxBASE+ and vice versa). The judge ruled that Ashton-Tate's copyrights were invalid because the company implied that dBASE was an original work, whereas the court ruled that it was derived from an earlier database created at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. That's good. These cases both apply, though it would seem that the Ashton-Tate case would be more applicable, because Apple did not completely invent the concept of a windowing environment with icons. I hope that when the legal dust dies down everyone is free to innovate without fear of the legal daemons.
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Movie News
Robert Zemeckis to Direct TAKING FLIGHT, a Barefoot Bandit Story?
We've been hearing about a film based around the notorious Barefoot Bandit a.k.a. Colton Harris-Moore for a couple of years now. In April of 2010 it was first reported that Rough House Pictures, the company owned by Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Matt Reilly and David Gordon Green, was going to make a movie based on the criminal that Green would direct.
The problem is, that we haven't heard about the movie since. The director has been developing his remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria, which is set to go into production soon, and that's going to prevent him from committing time to the Harris-Moore story, so who can they get to take care of the project?
How about Robert Zemeckis? The "legend-maker" is now attached to develop and potentially direct Taking Flight. The film will tell the true story of Harris-Moore, who at the age of 18 became a cult hero for a string of crimes and escapes that left the police, the FBI and national security scratching their heads. Over the course of his criminal career, the Barefoot Bandit (he liked to commit crimes without shoes) was charged with over 100 crimes and stole every kind of motorized vehicle on the market, including a plane – hence the title.
Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the Oscar winning screenplay for Gus Van Sant's Milk and the much-less celebrated script for Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, is concerned with the writing end.
Zemeckis only recently got back into the live-action game after spending many years working in the field of stop-motion animation. His most recent directorial project, Flight, stars Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle and will be released on November 2nd, 2012.


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Learn more about Plainfield
Plainfield, IL, is a southern Chicago suburb located along the DuPage River amongst lush wetlands and beautiful Plainfield homes. For all it has to offer, Plainfield has become one of the quickest growing villages in Illinois. Between 1990 and 2000 the population soared from 4,500 to 13,000, and it didn't stop there. By 2007 Plainfield had nearly tripled in size, reaching a population of 37,000. There have been estimations that if this growth continues, Plainfield will reach a population of 120,000 by 2030.
Affordable Plainfield homes for sale, a friendly atmosphere, easy access to all the Chicagoland area, great schools, a growing business community, and plenty to do and see are just a few of the reasons residents are proud to call Plainfield home.
Plainfield, Illinois, is situated 35 miles southwest of the loop in Will County along the DuPage River. Plainfield is also known for its proximity to the Lake Renwick Preserve, an 836-acre county forest preserve that is home to herons and other wading birds.
The Village of Plainfield is about 30 miles from Chicago Midway International Airport and the Chicago neighborhood, Garfield Ridge.
Towns surrounding Plainfield include Romoeville to the north, Lockport to the east, Joliet to the south, and Yorkville to the west.
Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, Ernie Banks, calls Plainfield home.
Plainfield is true to its name having a fairly flat topography.
Plainfield is the fastest growing village in Will County.
Population (2003) – Total 20,673
Density 1,122.8/sq mi
White 95.85%
Black .84%
Asian 1.25%
Native American .08%
Hispanic/ Latino 3.87%
Pacific Islander 0.01%
Other 1.01%
From two or more races 0.96%
Median household income $73,217
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
Real Estate
Plainfield real estate offers prime properties that are going fast as the Village continues to grow in popularity and population. Located right along the DuPage River and near Lake Plainfield, Plainfield homes for sale are set amongst rustic natural beauty in a tranquil region of Illinois.
Many Plainfield homes have charming stone facades, large lawns and ample space between houses. Styles of houses include quaint, small cottages, ranch-style homes, to modern and luxurious.
Plainfield homes cost between $100,000 to $500,000 for a 1 to 2 bedroom single-family home. Three to five bedroom houses cost between $100,000 and 2 million.
Plainfield condos and townhouses can range in prices of $90,000 to over $500,000 for a 1 to 2 bedroom condo. Three bedroom Plainfield condos are priced similarly.
Plainfield rentals range in monthly rents of $1200 for a 2 bedroom and $1500 for a three bedroom.
Plainfield is conveniently located near several routes, including 126, 30 and 59, as well as Interstate 55. Access to downtown Chicago and the rest of the Chicagoland area is a breeze.
For those that prefer public transportation there are Metra Railway Stations in nearby Lockport and Joliet.
The Heritage Corridor Line runs between Joliet and Chicago Union Station, with a station in Lockport. A second line in Joliet, the Rock Island District, runs between Joliet and the Chicago LaSalle Station.
Four Pace Buses service the Plainfield area.
Pace Bus 755 provides weekday rush-hour service between Plainfield Park-n-Ride and the Illinois Medical District. It makes stops along the I-55 and connects to the CTA Orange Line at the Ashland Station.
Pace Bus 507 stops at the Heritage Corridor Line and Joliet Union Station. This bus also stops at Westfield Shoppingtown in Joliet and the Hillcrest Shopping Center.
Pace Bus 510 is the local Call-n-Ride bus operating weekdays only. It stops at the Joliet Library, St Joseph Hospital, and Westfield Shoppingtown.
Pace Bus 855 provides weekday rush-hour service between Plainfield and the Chicago Loop. The fare for this bus is $4.
Plainfield schools are served by Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202. District 202 has created accelerated middle school language arts and math courses as part of their commitment to ensuring a student's growth is constant and occurring at the right time. A variety of schools presents many options for parents of students as well as a rich culture of learning and diversity.
Bonnie McBeth Learning Center, 15730 Howard St
Central Elementary, 23723 Getson Dr
Creekside Elementary, 13909 S Budler Rd
Drauden Point Middle School, 1911 Drauden Rd
Eagle Pointe Elementary, 24562 Norwood Dr
Eichelberger Elementary, 12450 S Essington Rd
Freedom Elementary, 11600 Heritage Meadows Dr
Heritage Grove Middle School, 12425 S Van Dyke Rd
Indian Trail Middle School, 14723 S Eastern Ave
JFK Middle School, 12350 S Essington Rd
Jones Middle School, 15320 Wallin Dr
Lakewood Falls Elementary, 14050 S Budler Rd
Lincoln Elementary, 14740 Meadow Ln
Meadow View Elementary, 2501 Mirage Ave
Plainfield Academy, 23930 W Lockport St
Plainfield East High, 12001 S Naperville Rd
Plainfield Central High, 24120 W Fort Beggs Dr
Plainfield North High, 12005 S 248th Ave
Plainfield South High, 7800 Canton Farm Rd
Reed Elementary, 2110 Clublands Pkwy
Ridge Elementary,1900 Caton Ridge Dr
River View Elementary, 2097 Bronk Rd
St. Mary Immaculate Parrish School, 15629 S. Rt 59
Timber Ridge Middle School, 2101 Bronk Rd
Walker's Grove Elementary, 24810 W 135th St
Wesmere Elementary, 2001 Wesmere Pkwy
As the Village of Plainfield continues to grow, so will its nightlife, and right now Plainfield has a pleasant amount of choices for a night out. Whether it's a brewpub, a sports bar or just the small but comfortable neighborhood bar, residents of Plainfield homes will find their nightlife choices plentiful.
Katie O'Connor's (13717 US Rte 30, 815-439-4758) is a comfortable Irish pub and family-friendly environment. Their menu offers traditional Irish cuisines and American pub fare. And they have excellent specials weeklong, including $7.25 all-you-can-eat wings and $1.25 domestic drafts on Mondays. They also sport a free half-time buffet during all Chicago Bears games. An open mic takes place Wednesday nights and each weekend Katie O'Connor's features live music.
Uptown Tap (512 W Lockport Rd, 815-436-9395) is a neighborhood bar where the barkeep remembers your name and it never gets overly crowded. As Plainfield's oldest bar, Uptown Tap has a cozy, nostalgic feeling to it, which pairs up nicely with its Cheers-like camaraderie. And every Thursday is Open Jam Night, featuring an eclectic mix of live music.
Limestone Brewing Company (12337 S Rte 59, 815-577-1900) is known for their brews as much as their knowledgeable staff, great food, and events. Limestone's beer list include their India Boundary Ale, which is their own version of an IPA but is more American, a hybrid of brown ale and American Pale Ale. On weekend's Limestone has live music and throughout the week special events like Brew & View.
The Buffalo Wild Wings (11820 S Rte 59, 815-436-8130) in Plainfield is known for its friendly staff and happening, lively atmosphere. A great place to catch the game and scarf down some wings, Buffalo Wild Wings is the quintessential sports bar experience.
Entertainment abounds in the Plainfield area. Whether it's shopping at one of the many malls of the south suburbs, taking in a movie or putting around the mini golf course, residents have no complaints about their options.
Wilderness Falls (145 S Clow International Pkwy, Bollinbrook, IL, 630-378-8888) in nearby Bollingbrook offers a little bit of something for everyone. Weather it's date night, a night out with the pals, or a family outing, Wilderness Falls is the perfect place for the even. With batting cages, an arcade and miniature golf, there's tons of fun available to fill your day or evening.
Sport Zone Family Fun Center (100 Business Rte 30, Oswego, IL, 630-820-8624) is another great entertainment center perfect for a variety of occasions. Sport Zone has an entertaining 18-hole miniature golf course and batting cages, but they also boast go-karts and an indoor driving range.
There are plenty of shopping opportunities available in the Plainfield area. Westfield Louis Joliet (3340 Mall Loop Dr, Joliet, IL, 815-439-1000) is home to over 100 stores, including Macy's, Aeropostale, New York & Co, and more. Located at the mall is Cinemark Joliet showing all the latest blockbusters on the big screen.
The Promenade (631 E Boughton Rd, Bollingbrook, IL, 630-296-8350) in Brollingbrook has another great selection of shops, including Bath & Body Works, Forever 21, Loft, The Walking Company, and more. Gold Class Cinemas is located at the promenade, which feature large, plush seats, a full bar and gourmet dining options.
It may surprise some visitors to know that Plainfield has a bevy of wonderful restaurants to choose from, but residents or Plainfield homes have known about this increasingly poorly-kept secret for a while now. Whether it's authentic Cajun dining in a restaurant taken right out of New Orleans, or just the best BBQ in the south suburbs, bellies will be kept full and satisfied in the Village.
Moe Joe's (510 Lockport St, 815-230-2790) offers a completely different dining experience in the south suburbs. Moe Joe's menu presents a fusion of Cajun and Caribbean cuisines and the restaurant's atmosphere has all the pizzazz and flair of a New Orleans restaurant right off Bourbon St. The lower-level portion of Moe Joe's is called the French Quarter, and offers an exciting bit of nightlife, New Orleans style.
Front Street Cantina (602 N Des Plaines St, 815-254-3474) dishes up authentic Mexican cuisine and their popular signature margaritas. Front Street Cantina is known for their fresh fish tacos and excellent customer service. Their menu is extensive and their portions are plentiful.
Plainfield's Delight Pancake Café (24020 W 119th St, 815-254-1565) is the destination for all breakfast and brunch lovers of Plainfield condos and homes. Their menu has a ton of options and plenty of favorites. The owners of Plainfield's Delight have over 50 years of experience in the restaurant business and wanted to bring only the best pancake house to the Village.
Baby Back Blues BBQ (23145 W Lincoln Hwy, 815-254-6939) takes the blues out of the search for excellent barbecue in the south suburbs. At Baby Back Blues BBQ, the barbecue is authentic, the sides are tasty, the price is right and the portions are plenty. The pulled pork sandwich is a favorite as are their ribs and pretty much everything on the menu.
Many Plainfield homes for sale are near terrific neighborhood parks, recreational centers and are rarely very far from the heart of the Village, helping make Plainfield one of the quickest growing villages of Illinois.
Plainfield likes to get as much out of their historic downtown as possible, and so a variety of festivals and events take place there throughout the year.
Spring Fest is an outdoor festival providing fun for the whole family. There's inflatables, games, unique shopping experiences, music and great food to be had.
Every Tuesday night, June 1 through Septemeber 28, residents of Plainfield homes go downtown to show off their cars on Cruise Night. The car show features vintage, classic and antique vehicles, refurbished and maintained by residents themselves.
The biggest festival of the summer is the Plainfield Fest. This Fest features a beer tent, games, food, arts & crafts, rides and more.
Halloween gets its own event, with Spooktacular, where kids can enjoy trick-or-treating, hayrides and more. And when Christmas comes around the Village puts on their Candlelight Christmas event for a night with Santa, caroling, carriage rides, holiday shopping and more.
The Plainfield Park District gives owners of Plainfield condos and homes plenty more excellent reasons to enjoy outdoor activities.
The Ottawa Street Pool is open throughout the summer, providing a respite from those hot and humid Illinois summers.
The Normantown Trails Equestrian Center offers group instruction for riders of all ages and sill levels. At Normantown, kids can also take pony rides or earn their Girl Scout or Boy Scout grooming badges.
There is also a ton of great neighborhood parks to take advantage of. Many Plainfield parks have playgrounds, picnic areas, walking or biking trails, sports fields, dog-friendly areas, fishing opportunities, and more.
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While many Hollywood stars have gone nude for their craft, Natalie Portman told the February 2010 issue of Elle UK there's a reason she hasn't shown her private parts.
"I'm definitely not a prude about sex or nudity, I just don't want to do something that will end up as a screen grab on a porn site," she told the mag.
One of her next films, "Black Swan," features an intense sex scene with co-star Mila Kunis, and the actress has shown skin for roles in "Closer" and the short film "Hotel Chevalier," but she said she wants to be seen as an actress – not a sex symbol.
"You look at Meryl Streep, who is so phenomenally, freakishly gorgeous, and in some ways it's just bizarre that she was never a sex symbol," Natalie said. "But it was always about her - and now it doesn't matter that she's getting older, because we just want to continue watching her be an interesting person. Whereas you see actresses who marketed themselves on their bodies, and they might be good, but over time they just lose it because that sort of thing doesn't last."
Another thing Natalie's avoided on screen – playing Jewish characters, despite being born in Jerusalem and being a proud member of the Tribe.
"I've always tried to stay away from playing Jews," she said, explaining her role as a Hasidic bride in "New York, I Love You." "I get, like, 20 Holocaust scripts a month, but I hate the genre. That was the first thing to come my way that really intrigued me."
Natalie also has a comedy on her plate – medieval marijuana romp "Your Highness," slated for October.
"It wasn't that I didn't want to do comedy," Natalie said. "It's just just that I would only get offered girlfriend parts in guy comedies where the woman has to have a job in fashion so that she can have nice clothes, and her goal is always marriage. I'm more interested in finding characters that make me laugh."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebrity Brunettes
PLAY IT NOW: Natalie Portman - Working With Jake & Tobey On 'Brothers' Was 'Amazing'!
PLAY IT NOW: Access Extended: Glamour Magazine's Women Of The Year 2008
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Natalie Portman - Movies - Mila Kunis - Meryl Streep - Celebrities


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Holiday Inn & Suites Vero Beach-Oceanside
Holiday Inn & Suites Vero Beach-Oceanside
3384 Ocean Drive
3384 Ocean Drive
Vero Beach, Florida
United States
Check In: 3PM
Check Out: 11AM
Check-in Age: 21
Book With Us Advantage
- Best Price Guarantee
We promise you access to the guaranteed best available prices, or your first night is free.
- Online Reservation Guarantee
Your room is guaranteed.
- No Booking Fees!
We do not charge any booking fees for making reservations directly with us.
- Data Privacy and Site Security
IHG takes your privacy seriously and works to protect you. All personal information you provide is encrypted and secure.
Welcome to Holiday Inn & Suites Vero Beach-Oceanside
Enjoy the location Dazzling Vero Beach Oceanfront Hotel.
The Holiday Inn® Vero Beach - Oceanside hotel guests enjoy beaches, beautiful sea views and excellent customer service. Surrounded by shops, restaurants and entertainment options, the hotel's enviable location in Vero Beach, FL is on Orchid Island Beach, Florida separated from the mainland by the Indian River Lagoon.
The hotel's seaside places guests close to excellent leisure opportunities for recreation and entertainment options, including the Riverside Theater and Vero Beach Art Museum. Nature lovers will enjoy the parks and gardens, including the McKee Botanical Garden, while history buffs to explore the renowned Breconshire wreck of the steamship.
Business travelers will enjoy easy access to many companies in Vero Beach near the location of this hotel's beachfront. The function room on site and can accommodate up to 90 people, offering a place for meetings with clients. Wi-Fi throughout the property helps guests stay connected to the house back office, as well.
Our full-service accommodations offer much more than one location at the seaside Vero Beach. Hotel amenities include a heated outdoor pool, a laundry and a gym 24 hour fitness center and a business center. The hotel's restaurant, Mulligan Beach House serves fresh seafood and American cuisine throughout the day. Plan your next vacation Vero Beach Holiday Inn ® hotel in Vero Beach today!
Kids Stay and Eat Free
Kids ages 18 and under stay for free when sharing their parents' room. Up to four kids ages 11 and under eat free any time of the day in any Holiday Inn® on-site restaurant.
*View Terms & Conditions for Details.
Children's Activities Available.
|Kids Stay Free
|Kids Eat Free
|United States, Canada, Central America, South America, Mexico, Caribbean
|18 and Under
|11 and Under
Free High-Speed Internet
Standard Wireless Internet service is included for all guests.
Shuttle/ Parking
- Car Parking Available
- Complimentary Daily Self-Parking is available
- Self-Parking Fee: 0 USD
- Valet Parking Fee: 0 USD
Pet Policy
- Pets allowed
- Service Animals Allowed
- Pets Walking Area Available
- Pet Fee per Night: 75 USD
- A non refundable pet fee of 75.00 dollars required every seventh night. Weight limit of 35lbs. Pet agreement required. Our Pet Policy includes dogs only.
Languages Spoken by Staff
Credit Cards
- American Express
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- Discover
- Number of Floors: 3
- Total Number of Rooms: 104
- Number of Suites: 16
- Number of Non-Smoking Rooms: 104
- Number of Accessible Rooms: 7
- Connecting Rooms Available
- Public Entrance
- Guest Rooms
- Elevators
- Public Restrooms
- Registration Desk
- Exercise Facility
- Business Center
- Pool
- Number of Accessible Meeting Rooms: 1
Accessible Hotel Areas
- Registration Area
- Accessible Guest Rooms
- Business Center
- Meeting Room
- Exercise Facility
- Pool
Hotel Areas with Accessible Routes from Accessible Public Entrance
- Accessible Self-Parking
- Van Accessible Self Parking
- Ramp Access
- Portable Bathtub Seats
- Closed Caption TVs
- Telephone with TDD
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Guest Rooms
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Public Spaces
- Communication Kits with Visual Alarms
Provided by Hotel


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I lost a beloved relative last year. I'm not going to say who she was because I am going to say some unkind things about her. That doesn't mean I didn't love her, but it was often difficult to watch her (even from some distance away) because of her behavior.
You know that old adage about a prophet being without honor in his own country? Well, I was a younger relative. And even though I was a licensed nurse, this older relative of mine thought I couldn't possibly know more than she did. I guess what I'm trying to say is she wouldn't listen. When I started taking prednisone, she called me on the telephone.
Suzie, she said. Let me tell you how to take prednisone. Every other day, take an extra 5 or 10 milligrams. They'll never know. and you'll feel so much better than that low dose they're giving you.
A chill ran up my spine as I realized what she had been doing for years. I made an attempt to explain to her why that was such a terrible idea, but she would have no part of it. She was blinded by her pain and suffering and thought she had discovered a ticket out. I had often suspected it, but now realized why she had so many problems. An arthritic condition, which was horrific enough on its own, was further complicated by the devastating effects of a dangerous drug. True, steroids are often necessary, but they should be taken judiciously and honestly and always the way they are prescribed.
As the years passed, her bones began to disappear. Her cervical bones shrank, she lost a toe...get the idea? In the end, her neck and head were supported by screws - more pain, more prednisone. Surgeries always became grossly complicated. She had more than one doctor, so keeping a stock of drugs on hand was not difficult. If anyone questioned her, she would lie and say she had dropped them accidentally down the drain or left them in the hotel when she was on vacation. Overwhelming infections began to assail her. A broken hip kept popping out and had to be put back into place five times over. Finally, she walked across the street to see a neighbor, not using her cane probably because she felt so good and didn't believe she needed it. She fell, shattering a knee replacement. It became infected, and the infection overwhelmed her tragically compromised immune system. The adjoining bones became infected, so the knee could never be replaced.
The whole picture of her disease was too complicated and tangled in the abuse of drugs, as I am sure there was other abuse as well as the prednisone. Self-honesty lost out a long time before she died to a plastic zip-lock bag of pills taken at her discretion, not as they were intended and developed to be taken.
Dear friends, if you have more than one doctor, tell each of them what you take. Lying to yourself is not availing yourself of the medical knowledge which is out there to help you. Playing games, especially abusing prescription drugs, is like playing Russian roulette without the gun.


text:
Sarah Manguso
Sarah Manguso is the author of four books, most recently the memoir The Two Kinds of Decay (Granta Books/FSG). Honours for her writing include a Hodder Fellowship and the Rome Prize. Her next book, The Guardians, is forthcoming from FSG and Granta Books. She lives in Los Angeles.


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SANTA CRUZ — Barrios Unidos has created a model of a maximum-security prison cell to spark discussion about crime and punishment.
A kind of mobile warning system, it was built on an 18-foot trailer and includes a manned guard tower, realistic sound track from a prison in Tracy, barbed wire and more.
Barrios hopes to finish it by January, but they need support to finish the inside and create a realistic cell, visiting room and receiving area, said Daniel "Nane" Alejandrez, founder of the nonprofit violence prevention organization.
Alejandrez said they will take the completed model to schools, courthouses and other spots to illustrate the bare truth about life in a cell and to educate people about the actual and other costs of incarceration.
It is modeled after a security housing unit at Pelican Bay. One of the many inmates Alejandrez works with drew a finely detailed diagram to help make it realistic, he said.
The primary builder of the model, Juan Molina, was in prison for years before working with Barrios Unidos, Alejandrez said.
Molina said he took on the project because he wanted to do something about the flow of youth he saw coming into prison.
"I"ve seen a lot of young kids in there who shouldn"t be in there, who don"t know anything about what it"s like," Molina said. "I want to try to help kids understand what they"re getting themselves into.
"Maybe we"ll put them into the cell for one or two hours with nothing to do and ask them to imagine years of that."
Alejandrez said the prison trailer is an expansion of a successful model cell they used to house an inmate art exhibit years ago.
Early Days
Alejandrez, 63, started Barrios Unidos in 1977 with his wife, Jenny, in Beach Flats. The son of migrant farmworkers, his early life was marked by hard labor and violence, service in the Vietnam War and heroin addiction. More than 15 of his relatives have been killed or imprisoned, he said.
Barrios Unidos seeks to prevent gang and other violence in the community and in jail facilities and now has 14 chapters.
Alejandrez"s work in the agency"s Prison Project has taken him not only to prisons around the country, but to meeting and working with people such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, actor Danny Glover, singer Harry Belafonte and journalist Walter Cronkite.
Alejandrez has photo albums full of his work, some documenting prison yard celebrations of Cinco de Mayo and Juneteenth and other holidays, showing inmates of different gangs holding hands. His inmate mentors become "Peace Warriors" in those prisons.
One of the many letters stacked on his desk is from a former "shot caller" who writes that he now "helps young brothers who are gonna get out to study and do positive things." He asks Alejandrez to pray for him.
Many writers are seeking information, including one who is pushing to get prison officials to recognize the Aztec religion.
"Our work is slow," Alejandrez said. "It"s letter by letter, educating people. You see the court system, how some police officers talk. If we don"t stop this flow into prisons, it will continue to affect generation after generation."
positive signs
There is hope, Alejandrez says, showing a September statement in which security housing unit prisoners at Pelican Bay "announce a push to end all hostilities between racial groups within California"s prisons and jails." He mentions a truce between MS-13 and 18th Street gangs in prisons in El Salvador.
Alejandrez said he has always believed there has to be peace inside the walls of prisons to have peace on the streets.
"And we"re starting to see that," he said. "We"re starting to see that people do want peace."
He said he"s not advocating "letting everyone out," but doesn"t think post traumatic stress disorder should accompany release.
"It"s how we hold people responsible," he said. "A lot of these guys are coming out and we want them to be better human beings."
Reach Barrios Unidos at 457-8208.
Follow Sentinel reporter Cathy Kelly on Twitter at Twitter.com/cathykelly9
Barrios Unidos, Institute for Peace and Community Development
MISSION: Barrios Unidos seeks to stop youth violence by building positive self-esteem and cultural pride through meaningful activities, education and job training. Programs include community outreach, economic development, leadership training, counseling and The Prison Project.
DONATIONS: Visit www.barriosunidos.net, mail to 1817 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062, or call 457-8208.


text:
Q&A: Peter Cannone
The CEO of OnForce on the technology consulting workforce.
Is the IT contracting workforce growing? Business growth uncertainty has greatly accelerated companies' use of the IT contract workforce, and we expect this trend to continue. A recent study by MBO Partners forecasts that independent workers will account for more than 50% of the workforce by 2020. At OnForce, we see about 700 applications from service techs each month -- and this is purely from word of mouth, no advertising.
When the recession hit, many companies had to lay off staff, and those that held on to idle employees racked up significant losses. The memories are vivid and personal. Now these companies have low confidence in their ability to predict what the future holds. As a result, independent workers and small IT companies have become a key part of how work gets done, greatly increasing the demand for (and number of) IT contractors.
Is the economy behind the growth, or is it something else? The economy definitely drove the initial shift toward independent contractors, but tech innovation has taken the driver's seat at this point.
Service companies are taking on new types of work, such as mobile devices and networks, and they're using contractors to get it done. Companies can maintain a larger pool of technicians, tapping specialized experts for whatever key skills are needed for today's project, rather than relying on employee generalists.
What sort of IT professional is best suited for life as a contractor -- that is, which skills are in demand, and what personality adapts well to the contracting life? For some, becoming an independent contractor is looking like a better choice all the time. There are three key factors for this: desire for independence, erosion of the employee value proposition (e.g., lack of job security, disappearing pensions, threatened healthcare coverage) and the rapid pace of technological change.
In fact, one of our most recent surveys with our community of independent contractors uncovered that 60% of them willingly joined the independent workforce, and 56% wouldn't consider working for someone else, even if the salary and benefits were comparable.
Every prospective independent contractor needs to be honest with himself about whether he has the necessary technical know-how. He also needs to be up for the challenges of finding work and making sure he gets paid in a timely way for the work he has completed.
In addition, independent contractors need top-notch listening and problem-solving skills, as well as a true passion for what they do. The job involves dealing with new tasks, a wide variety of customer demands and unexpected problems daily. Contractors have to be up for anything to build a successful business.
Perhaps even more challenging is keeping pace with technology. Independent contractors have to supplement existing skills with new ones on a regular basis -- and to stay focused and current, they really have to love what they do.
The Value of Haggling
Most IT professionals are not in the habit of negotiating salary when accepting a new job offer, according to Dice.com. In the April issue of the Dice Report, Tom Silver, senior vice president at the job site, said that most of the 838 hiring managers and recruiters that Dice asked about this said most tech professionals accept the first offer, with no haggling. Silver noted that when the hiring managers and recruiters were asked how much they increased the salary offer, on average, when a job candidate negotiated, the most common response was 5%. That, he calculated, adds up to over $4,000 for an IT pro making the average U.S. salary.
The Chances of Hearing 'No'
When a job candidate asks to negotiate salary, how often, on average, does your company (or one of your client companies) increase the offer?Very frequently: 6%Frequently: 27%Occasionally: 49%Rarely: 11%Very rarely: 6%Never: 1%
Read more about management in Computerworld's Management Topic Center.


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We got married at Windy Ridge on 17th March. Just wanted to say a BIG thank you was absolutely amazing day. Danielle was awesome before with the organizing and on the day. Food was excellent. Would ...
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Business Source Complete
Business Source Complete provides access to content and indexing for 1,300 journals and detailed author profiles for the 40,000 most-cited authors in the database. It covers all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. Additional full-text, non-journal content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses. BSC also contains the Regional Business News which provides comprehensive full text for regional US and Canadian business publications (including titles from Crain Communications). Regional Business News has full text for more than 80 sources.


text:
A fifth-place team finish and two individual runner-up finishes
at the NCAA Men's and Women's Fencing Championships put
an exclamation point on the 2008-09 season for the Harvard
men's and women's fencing teams. Four Crimson players
earned All-America status under head coach Peter Brand, while seven
garnered All-Ivy honors.
The women finished third in the country with a 20-1 dual record, including their third Ivy League Championship within the last five years, while the men completed their season ranked seventh in the nation with a 9-9 overall mark.
The NCAA Championships
A pair of freshman, Caroline Vloka and Noam Mills, led Harvard to its top-5 placement at the NCAAs held at Penn State March 19-22. Mills grabbed second in the women's epee, while Vloka lost in the championship match of the women's sabre. Not to be outdone, senior co-captain Benjamin Ungar placed third in the men's epee, while senior co-captain Emily Cross lost in the third-place match of the women's foil. All four earned All-America honors for their efforts.
Mills, sporting a 21-2 record in the preliminary rounds, defeated Notre Dame's Ewa Nelip in the semifinal bout, but came up short against Penn State's Anastasia Ferdman, 15-9, in the championship. Vloka, meanwhile, carried a 20-3 record into the semifinal where she took care of Dagmara Wozniak of St. John's, 15-11, before falling short against Duke's Rebecca Ward, 15-4, in the final.
Ungar completed preliminary play at 15-8, but was upended by Slava Zingerman of Wayne State, 15-11, in the semifinal. Cross was 21-3 in the preliminary rounds, but the 2005 individual national champion ultimately fell short of the national title appearance by dropping a 8-7 decision to Doris Willette of Penn State in the semifinal. Other finishers at the NCAA Championships included: freshman Valentin Staller (15th, men's sabre), freshman Shelby MacLeod (17th, women's foil), senior Maria Larsson (17th, women's epee), senior co-captain Kai Itameri-Kinter (20th, men's foil), and junior Karl Harmenberg (23rd, men's epee).
The Postseason
The women were riding high after sweeping their way to the Ivy Championship to open postseason play. No. 5 Harvard squeaked by Princeton, 14-13, and Columbia, 15-12, and defeated Yale, 18-9, and Cornell, 21-6, during the first round of the Ivy Championships Feb. 8 at Columbia. Two weeks later at Brown, Harvard sealed the deal with a pair of wins over Brown, 20-7, and Penn, 15-12. The No. 9 men finished 1-4 at the meet, defeating Brown, 21-6, along the way.
Mills posted a meet-best 17-1 record at the championships to earn All-Ivy first-team honors along with Cross and Vloka. Larsson was tabbed to the second team. On the men's side, Staller and Ungar were named to the All-Ivy first team, while Harmenberg's performance earned him second-team honors.
Harvard headed to the IFA Championships Feb. 28 at Brandeis, and the Crimson did not disappoint, taking third overall, including a second-place finish by the men and a fourth-place finish by the women. Individually, Ungar and Vloka took home titles in their respective weapons, while Larsson grabbed silver in the epee and junior Arielle Pensler earned the bronze in the foil. Sophomore Hao Meng took sixth in the foil and Staller was seventh in the sabre.
From there it was on to the NCAA Regionals March 8 at MIT, as the Crimson was looking to qualify the maximum number of 12 for the NCAA Championships. Harvard continued its strong play, as seven fencers placed in the top 3 in their respective weapons, led by Harmenberg and Mills, who took home gold in the epee, and Cross, who won the foil competition. Larsson made it a 1-2 finish for the Crimson behind Mills in the epee, and Staller finished second in the sabre. Rounding out Harvard's outstanding play, Itameri-Kinter and MacLeod both took third in the foil. Vloka (fifth, sabre), Ungar (sixth, epee) and freshman James Hawrot (ninth, epee) all placed in the top 10.
The Regular Season
Harvard opened its 2008-09 season Nov. 2 at the Garret Penn State Open, where Vloka, competing in her first collegiate action, grabbed the title in the sabre. She was followed by MacLeod, who finished fourth in the foil, and Mills, who placed sixth in the epee. Harmenberg took sixth in the epee and Staller was ninth in the sabre.
The Crimson then competed in its only home meets of the season Nov. 21, as the men defeated Sacred Heart, 17-10, and the women took care of Tufts, 22-5, and the Pioneers, 23-4. Staller, Itameri-Kinter, Harmenberg and Hawrot each went 3-0 to lead the men. The foilers went a combined 18-0 in the two matches to lead the women's team.
From there it was on to the second annual Beanpot Dec. 3 at Boston College. The women had a relatively easy time capturing their second title in as many seasons, defeating Boston College and Brandeis by 20-7 scores and MIT, 22-5. The men won a decisive victory over the Eagles, 20-7, while also taking care of the Engineers, 15-12. Harvard topped the Judges, 16-11, avenging last season's loss in the Beanpot.
Little rest was awarded the teams, as the Vassar duals awaited the Crimson three days later, Dec. 6. The women continued their strong performance, defeating Vassar, 22-5, New York University, 21-6, Temple, 18-9, and Princeton, 17-10, while suffering what would be their only dual loss of the year to Penn State, 17-10. The men struggled, though, losing to Penn State, 18-9, dropping close contests to Princeton, 14-13, and NYU, 14-13, and pulling out a win over Vassar, 21-6.
The teams then took a month and a half to regroup and catch their breath before competing at St. John's Jan. 24. The women, ranked fifth in the first poll of the season, doubles up the Red Storm, 18-9, and secured a victory over No. 3 Ohio State, 15-12. Vloka went 6-0 on the day, while Cross and Larsson each posted 5-1 marks. The men, ranked seventh, fell to the No. 3 Buckeyes, 17-10, and the No. 9 Red Storm, 14-13. Ungar led the way with a 5-1 dual record.
Harvard wrapped up the regular season Feb. 1 at MIT, as both squads built momentum heading into the Ivy League Championships, Part I by posting 3-0 records. The men's team defeated No. 10 Duke, 15-12, and Haverford, 16-11, and posted an easy win over Yeshiva, 25-2. On the women's side, Harvard also defeated Yeshiva, 25-2, as well as Haverford, 21-6, and No. 10 Duke, 18-9. The women foilers went 26-1 overall, while the epee squad led the way for the men with a 21-6 record.
Looking Forward
Both teams will lose key fencers to graduation but will bring back a host of up-and-coming talent. The men will lose seniors Itameri-Kinter and Ungar, both former All-Americans, as well as Craig Gorin and Scott DiGiulio. Current Juniors Harmenberg, Christian Bjelland and Long Ouyang will step into the senior leadership role for 2009-10, while sophomores Meng, Nick Culbertson and Wesley Talcott and freshman Staller, Hawrot and Ivan Bochov will be counted on to provide stability in the lineup.
Cross, Larsson and fellow seniors Elizabeth Bast and Lisa Vastola will depart the Crimson lineup for next season, and juniors Artemisha Goldfeder, Anna Podolsky and Pensler will assume the senior positions. Yunsoo Kim will return as the only junior on the team, while freshmen Vloka, Mills, MacLeod, Hayley Levitt and Sarah Rosenberg-Wohl will each look to improve after their rookie campaigns.
Season Recap: Fifth-Place Finish at NCAAs Puts Stamp on 2008-09 Fencing Campaign
A fifth-place team finish and two individual runner-up finishes
at the NCAA Men's and Women's Fencing Championships put
an exclamation point on the 2008-09 season for the Harvard
men's and women's fencing teams. Four Crimson players
earned All-America status under head coach Peter Brand, while seven
garnered All-Ivy honors.


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It's in their jeans
Levi's might be America's oldest denim brand, but the company is keeping its young spirit alive through ventures with emerging designers.
First they sponsored a Bravo TV "Project Runway" challenge in which the contestants used 501s and jean jackets, rivets and zippers to craft new designs. Christian's skinny jeans and shrunken jacket won the challenge but a strapless dress by Ricky was judged by Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Caroline Calvin, Levi's global creative senior VP, as the look to be offered at levi.com (Sorry to say the $168 frock is already sold out). Levi's also ran an online contest as part of Project 501 and will make and sell another garment online once the winner is picked.
The other recent partnership had Levi's teaming up with GQ and the Council of Fashion Designers of America to select six designers as finalists in the Best New Menswear Designers in America project. GQ hosted a party kicking off Fashion Week to present the fall collections of Engineered Garments (Daiki Suzuki and Angelo Urrutia), Gilded Age (Stefan Miljanic's designs for fall are shown above), Obedient Sons (Swaim Hutson and Christina Hutson), Rag & Bone (David Neville and Marcus Wainwright), Simon Spurr for Spurr and Steven Alan.
The designers are featured in GQ this month and are competing for a $50,000 cash prize and opportunity to create a capsule collection for Levi's. Calvin and other industry experts will help judge the entries. The winner's line will be featured at several Bloomingdale's locations this fall and will be available at levi.com. The winner also gets an editorial in GQ's September issue.


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Image Nation Abu Dhabi has signed Emirati director Mohammed Saeed Harib for its third local feature film - a family comedy about a disgraced football player who redeems himself as a coach for a failing team at an Abu Dhabi high school.
"It's a family comedy which will appeal to a broad audience," commented Mohammed Al Otaiba, head of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, a division of the Abu Dhabi Media group focusing on local productions.
Casting, which will focus on local talent, is due to start at the beginning of 2013, for a spring shoot and autumn release, he said.
Harib, 34, is the creator of the Emirati hit animation series FREEJ, about four traditional fun-loving, old women dealing with modern-day society which is broadcast on Cartoon Network Arabic.
He is also one of the only Arab filmmakers invited to direct a chapter of the upcoming Salma Hayek-produced adaptation of Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, which the Doha Film Institute is co-financing.
Image Nation's as yet untitled sports comedy is the company's third Emirati picture after the coming-of-age picture Sea Shadow and horror movie Djinn.
Al Otaiba said Image Nation had drafted in US-Pakistani writer Sameer Gardezi, whose has written for US series such as Aliens in America and Modern Family.
"He has a track record in writing comedy on tackling society," said Al Otaiba. "We got him over and immersed him in Emirati society, culture and local traditions and then we got Mohammed in to direct, who made a few artistic touches."


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DOVER — The Planning Department is asking the public to take an online survey and participate in upcoming charrettes to help them decide whether zoning adjustments or expansions will help improve the gateways into downtown.
The city is considering expanding its form based coding currently in place in the central business district onto the major gateways that feed into the urban core of the city. Director of Planning and Community Development Christopher Parker said the goal of the project is to ensure that the gateways "support and nurture" the downtown and provide opportunities for growth and mixed use.
Parker said the existing form based code put in place in 2010 had a very heavy public participation process and he is asking for the same amount of participation for this next round.
The idea behind this coding, according to a letter sent to homes and businesses in the area that will be affected, "is that buildings within neighborhoods should fit in together and have a positive relationship with the transportation corridors."
Form-based coding is a style of zoning regulating land use by placing more emphasis on community character and the impact development has on the public realm than traditional zoning does, according to a public statement. "Dover was the first city in New Hampshire to adopt form based coding as part of its Zoning Code, beginning with Chapter 170-10.1. Redevelopment within the Central Business District (CBD) is governed by these context sensitive principles. This idea stems from the City's vision set forth in 2007's update to the Land Use Chapter of the Master Plan which was adopted by the Planning Board on Nov. 13, 2007."
This type of zoning puts the emphasis on the form rather than the use of a property like traditional zoning. The goal of the project is not to replace all of Dover's zoning with form-based coding, but to focus on the most populated and busiest areas in the city and protect its character while encouraging development.
The roadways affected include Central Avenue, Silver Street and north from Ham Street toward Abbey Sawyer Memorial highway, Broadway (east from Ham Street to the Rollinsford town line), Portland Avenue (east from Chapel Street to the Rollinsford town line), Sixth Street (west from Grove Street toward Hillside Drive) and Silver Street (east from Exit 8 off the Spaulding Turnpike to Central Avenue).
Inventory work for the project began earlier in the fall with stakeholder interviews taking place later in November. The next step in the inventory process is the survey now available online and the design charrettes that will take place in February 2013.
The public is invited to join the charrettes, described by Parker as intensive brainstorming exercises to help form creative ideas for the future development or redevelopment of an area.
"We really want people to come and show us what they really think Dover should look like," Mayor Dean Trefethen said in a form based coding video on Dover's website.
These will take place in the McConnell Center cafeteria from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 2 with a special design focus on Broadway and Portland Avenue and on Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a special design focus on Central Avenue south of Silver Street. Although sessions will focus on one particular area, both charrettes will discuss the project as whole.
The survey is located at www.dover.nh.gov/planhome.htm. Completing the survey enters you to win a $50 Main Street gift card. The results of the survey will be used by consultants to help create draft regulations.
For more information on the charrettes or the survey, contact the director of Planning and Community Development at email@example.com or the assistant city planner, Tim Corwin, at firstname.lastname@example.com or call the City Planning Department at (603) 516-6008.


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Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK
© 1998 - 2020 Home of Poi Ltd,New Zealand unless otherwise stated.All rights reserved
*All prices converted to United States dollars using XE.com.


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It's a time of legislative lull, with lawmakers not due back at the Capitol for business until January.
But not for long, if Republican lawmakers have their way.
They don't want to wait until 2012 to start the fireworks over pension reform. In fact, they will be asking Gov. Jerry Brown to call a special session on the issue in the closing weeks of the year.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Nothing like a firefight over retirement benefits to help celebrate the holiday season.
Meantime, Brown's pension reform plan won praise Tuesday from a key non-partisan source--the state Legislative Analyst's office.
The highly-respected LAO calls the governor's plan "a bold, excellent starting point."
Deputy Legislative Analyst Jason Sisney notes, in his report, that the governor's plan leaves many unanswered questions, such as how to address funding gaps in the state teachers' retirement fund.
But Sisney says the plan is an important effort to address future costs as well as the public's distress with the cost of retirement benefits.
The LAO report does take issue with Brown on a significant point. It says the idea of raising pension contributions for current workers is a legal minefield, since these issues were already agreed to at the bargaining table.
"It may not be worthwhile for the legislature to devote significant time..attempting to reduce current and past employees' retirement benefit costs," Sisney writes.
The state's labor unions certainly agree with that. They've agreed to givebacks in recent years, but show no interest in moving from their current defined benefit plans to a 401K-style plan like that offered by private sector employers.
The Legislative Analyst is advising the governor to focus on changes only for new employees. That will distress reform advocates who say it won't do enough to save money in the short term.
If all of this sounds like poor background for turkey, football, and Christmas shopping, you're right. Special session? It doesn't seem likely.
Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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Follow @nbcbayarea !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
Dignitaries, law enforcement, family members and strangers on Thursday lined the roads and filled a huge memorial hall to bid a mournful goodbye to two Santa Cruz police officers killed in the line of duty.
The crowds were there for Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker and Det. Elizabeth Butler, a Los Angeles native who came to Santa Cruz in college.
The two officers were killed Feb. 26 when they were investigating sexual assault allegations against Jeremy Goulet, 35. Twenty minutes into the interview with the pair of police, sheriff's deputies say he pulled out a .45-caliber handgun and shot them to death. His criminal record shows a string of sexual assault arrests, and his father had called Goulet a "ticking time bomb."
The officer deaths were the first of their kind in Santa Cruz's 150-year history.
The three-hour service at HP Pavilion in San Jose - attended by dignitaries including Gov. Jerry Brown - began with silence, and then a somber march of family down the aisle as bagpipes wailed in the background.
"For all of us, the pain is too fresh," Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel told the crowd. "There are no words that can heal us. No fixes to ease the pain."
He cited Butler's "compassion" and Baker's "counsel and passion for the job."
As his former partner, Vogel said he often turned to Baker for advice and help.
"I loved them both dearly, " Vogel said in an emotional closing. "I will miss them both forever." (Watch raw video here).
Former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who lives in Monterey, then addressed the city of Santa Cruz, a city he had served as a U.S. congressman from 1977 to 1993.
He called Santa Cruz a "little offbeat," but "always, always, a place where people could enjoy life" and feel safe. Panetta then credited the officers for their work, and said their lives were "shattered by a sense of senseless violence." (See raw video here).
The bullets that killed them, Panetta said, "ripped the fabric of our community." He said there is no way to understand "what the killer did," in what can be described as an "act of execution."
He then made a plea to the public: If ever, people see a person with troubling tendencies - like Goulet, who had a history of violence and sexual assault - they should not turn away, they should seek help for those people so that innocent victims do not have to be harmed.
"God bless all of those who fight to keep us safe," Panetta said.
Before the service, slideshows of both families were shown on a big screen, showing Butler as a loving mother to her two young boys, 5-year-old Joaquin and 2-year-old Stellan, along with her partner, Peter Wu.
Images also showed Baker kissing his wife, Kelly, and feeding her cake at their 1970s-style wedding. The couple had been childhood sweethearts. Family photos showed the Bakers at birthday parties and a Giants game at AT&T Park.
Sgt. Butch Baker
Baker, a 1979 graduate of Bellarmine Preparatory School in San Jose, leaves behind his wife, two daughters, Jillian and Ashley, and a son, Adam, who was a community service officer for the police department.
Vogel had called him the "best investigator" in the office, and cited Baker's love for the Giants and a good prank.
Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark said his longtime friend would "always take a serious situation" and "ruin it by making you laugh." Baker used to be a used car salesman, a career on which he drew skills to make suspects talk and "confess to stuff," Clark said. (Watch raw video of Clark's eulogy here).
And Santa Clara County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeff Rosell described Butler as the ultimate multi-tasker: He could take a date and turn it into a detective's hunt. Rosell told of one time when Baker took his wife for a supposed romantic walk along the shoreline north of Santa Cruz and she noticed him smelling something in the air. He later admitted to her that he was trying to see if he could find a dead body in the area. He said he choose that rocky shoreline for the walk because he thought the killer had dumped the body at that location.
Det. Elizabeth Butler
Butler is a Los Angeles native and graduated from Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance in 1992. She then attended UC Santa Cruz and earned a degree in community studies four years later and ended up staying in the beach side city.
Before that, she had worked as a patrol officer, hostage negotiator, and an agent assigned to the Santa Cruz County drug task force.
Her sister, Alexis Butler, a film teacher in Culver City, took the podium at the service, talking about how her younger sister loved food, to win a game and to solve a mystery.
Through tears, Butler recounted one of the last times the two spent together last month, eating a lemon tart and trying the free samples at a spa. She called her sister the beautiful "willowy" one who loved to dance and enjoyed a good party.
One of most touching moments, however, is when Butler's son, Joaquin, came up to the podium -with his dad and Butler's partner, Peter Wu - wearing his mom's police cap. "Hi," the young boy said simply, but poignantly, to the crowd.
Wu's speech was also simple but emotional.
"Elizabeth, my love," he began. He said he will always remember his beloved in spirit, adding that her "memory will always be my guiding light."
Hours before the funeral, crowds of friends and strangers lined up along the processional route from Santa Cruz to San Jose. Tim Shae, who called himself a "regular guy," stood alongside Highway 17 early in the morning, holding a sign for the officers.
James Campbell, a videographer from San Jose, also came out to show his support for officers he never knew. "I just want to pay tribute," he said. "This is very emotional."
As to why strangers would have taken time off to pay tribute for the officers, retired Saratoga firefighter Ken Colson said: "It's a gift. It's the only gift we can offer."
Santa Cruz Colors Honor Guard, Welcome by Pastor Rene Schlaepfer, Remarks by Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel. Dignitary remarks by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Attorney General Kamala Harris, Mayor Hilary Bryant, Santa Clara County Supervisor Zach Friend, and eulogies by Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark , sister Alexis Butler and Butler's partner, Peter Wu. There will also be readings by Jillian Baker, Rudy Escalante, Wendy Bynes, and Jeff Rosell. James Durbin will sing "Arms Wide Open."
To Watch raw video of Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel:
To Watch Raw Video of Leon Panetta:
Watch Raw Video of Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark:
Watch raw video of "End of Watch" radio call and caskets leaving arena:
View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.
Related stories:
- Santa Cruz Suspect's Dad: He Was a Ticking Time Bomb
- "Darkest Day" For Santa Cruz, Two Officers Killed
- Two Santa Cruz Police Officers Killed
- Santa Cruz Neighbor Records Shootout on Video
- Slain Santa Cruz Police Officers Remembered
- Santa Cruz Community Mourns
- Santa Cruz Firefighters Heroes During Gun Battle
NBC Bay Area's Kim Tere contributed to this report.
Contact Lisa Fernandez at 408-432-4758 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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I have both my prose and poetry classes up and running sometimes twice a week. I'm trying to get in as many classes as possible before I'm transferred. One of the visiting teaching artists, Anna, who is a tremendous writer, artist and mother came in to do her workshops in my class, she is always most welcome and her stories and lessons shared are little gems of realness appreciated by both of my classes. She has come into my class as a guest artist for years. It makes our classes more real. Anna shares the same goal when it comes to teaching, we are all students and teachers, and the most important thing is to write, write, write, to create from your own hearts, lives and worlds in order to share what is universal.
However, it's an end of an era here at New Folsom Art Room. Sure they can find some other prisoners to have classes and One Soul will still come to embrace the art room. No one is irreplaceable and I will be forgotten here. But I will keep walking in my own shoes knowing that when you walk in someone else's shoes you leave no foot prints.


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Looks like we're not the only ones hoping that Far Cry 3 gets some dinosaurs sometime soon.
(Though it's not like we ever really thought we were alone. I mean, come on: EVERYONE WANTS THIS, UBISOFT.)
This video from ExplosiveAlan imagines what Ubisoft's first downloadable content pack might look like if it was called The Island With The Dinosaurs On It. Razor-frisbees? Dino-clothes? Blue pirates? I'd play it.


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- Did you mean
- urban agricultural garden soil less
Search results
Awards and recognitions
Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering—who are developing a promising biodegradable ... award. Read the April 9 story. Weinland Community Impact Award The Columbus affiliate of the Urban Land ... Action awards. Hale, of Paulding County, received honorable mention in agriculture for her efforts in ...
News tips and events for the week of Jan. 27
The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and the ... email@example.com. Tip 2: Fostering urban farming in the city— The Columbus Urban Farmer Network in conjunction with ... regulations surrounding urban farming in Columbus. Updates will include information on allowing food salses at ...
Taking the pulse of Ohio farmers
and urban sprawl. To get a better handle on how Ohio farm families are adapting to these challenges, ... College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and state policymakers about a range of ... a significant increase in international tariffs on American agricultural goods and a spike in prices for hay and ...
Warmer and wetter, Ohio's climate is shifting
said Aaron Wilson, climate specialist for The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and ... down the flow of water off of a field, prevent erosion, and improve the condition of the soil, he said. ... (Ohio) Community Crops Faculty and Academics Lawn and Garden Natural Resources and Environment Wooster ...
Chow line: Binge drinking on the rise in certain populations
because excessive alcohol consumption or binge drinking can lead to long-term health problems such as ... the outreach arm of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental ... Chow Line is a service of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental ...
Plant Empowerment Workshop
physiology, leading to a balanced growing method for high yields, quality, saving energy, and profitability in ... in Hilton Garden Inn Columbus-University Area, 3232 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, Ohio, 43202. ... plant physiology that leads to a balanced growth of protected crops and results in healthy resilient ...
10 things you need to know before growing hemp
Department of Agriculture. The Ohio Department of Agriculture must test hemp before it is harvested to ensure ... needed for CBD; the male plants focus on producing more seeds.) Hemp thrives in warm weather and in soil ... outreach arm of the College Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences) ...
The value of a drop
By Emily Beal Digging my dirt-covered sandals into the soil, I tried to gain my balance on the ...
CFAES Awards Program honors our best
and dedication to our college," Cathann A. Kress, vice president for agricultural administration and ... CFAES' inaugural Distinguished Professors of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences— Elena Irwin, Sally ...
Ohio State experts available for comment on new coronavirus
Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) can offer insight ... Saudi Arabia to serve as an advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture to investigate this animal link to ... multiple other people in cluster cases, leading to more rapid spread of the disease. "So in cases where ...


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At the Annual Meeting a few weeks ago, and on the feedback forms that we received, a lot of people made note of how hard it is/was to follow along with all the acronyms that those of us immersed (in any subject) tend to throw about. This is especially true for people new to a group, feeling unfamiliar with the meaning of lots of new terms. It seemed clear that many people are still wondering which IPPF program is most appropriate for their level of engagement with the Foundation and the "cause".
There are so many "jobs" to do in building a better experience for P/P patients: Someone needs to tell doctors about the symptoms and treatments; someone needs to go show their wounds to interns and dentists; someone has to write newsletter articles; someone has to offer their expertise with different medicines and share their wisdom; and someone has to accept help from those that have also suffered in order to get better themselves. What can you do, that fits your needs and upholds the value of service and compassion for others on your path?
Know your Acronyms!
PPR: "The Registry" Here, P/P patients submit data on their disease activity and medicines. The form is online and you can fill it out from home at any time. It takes about 15 minutes, only once. So it's super easy in terms of what you have to put in. The catch (of course there is a catch to a sentence that starts with "super easy") is that we need AT LEAST 1,000 people to do this in order to have enough data to influence any argument for research or funding. Finding 1,000 PEMPHIGUS/PEMPHIGOID patients isn't so easy — as you well know! We have a "job" that ONLY YOU can do. We need you to put your data in. Everyone of you. Everyone.
If this resonates with you and you have the energy to do more, then get the word out to every other P/P patient there is… ask your doctor if they will forward a link to the registry to others they treat; send requests to Dermatology Chairs at teaching hospitals; ask/remind your Facebook® Friends and encourage your Forum and Discussion Group buddies. If you have other ideas share them too, growing the impact even further.
HMP: "Health Management Program" The HMP is an over-time series of surveys of your current state on that day, combined with the opportunity to discuss these experiences at the time, with a Peer Health Coach (see next column) who is there to advise you (and maybe even nag/inspire you) on advocating for your own best care with the best information currently available. They can weigh the pros and cons of different options, suggest everyday soothing strategies and forewarn you about things to be on the lookout for. They also will always stand by in helping you get the most out of your time with your doctor — or suggest a better one. This program is a huge investment of the patient's commitment, the Coach's dedication and the mission of the IPPF. If you need better care, the HMP team is here to make it happen.
PHC: "Peer Health Coach" Peer Health Coach refers to another P/P patient who goes through an extensive training process — on disease processes, medications and side effects, privacy security, and interpersonal motivation and support. This demonstrates the HIGHEST level of commitment that one can dedicate to the service of other patients, and is the culmination of moving through other patient support opportunities such as:
Peer Support Coach: You are interested in learning more about this disease, medicines, and are willing to do a little bit of online training on medical privacy and recording data about calls to help patients to the right resources.
Support Contact: (Local or Disease Specific) Want to make yourself available to talk with someone who's seeking support in geographic area? You may offer to allow the IPPF to give out your name, email or phone number to others who want to talk to someone. It won't happen a lot, but you would then be relied upon to reply to this patient in need.
In the Health Management Program, rest assured the resources of knowledge, experience and expert doctors work to prepare you to handle your health better. When you enter your data in the Registry, you help others handle their health in the future by providing researchers and front-line doctors information to pursue better treatments. Anything in-between just makes the support of our net wider — we appreciate you doing what you can.