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A group of recently rediscovered watercolors by British painter Gwen John (1876–1939) are on exhibit in the 18th-Century Window of the Main Gallery at Firestone Library from Monday, Nov. 21, through Dec. 31, 2011.
Due to research by Professor Anna Gruetzner Robins, of the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, two albums containing 23 unsigned watercolors have been identified as the work of John. The albums are in the extensive papers of the British poet and critic Arthur Symons (1865–1945), preserved in the Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
John was the sister of British artist Augustus John (1878–1961) and the one-time lover and model of French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). She is now recognized as one of the most important painters of her generation. Made during the artist's productive years, beginning in 1917, many of the watercolors depict nuns, women parishioners and orphaned girls in the Catholic church at Meudon, the Paris suburb where John lived for nearly 30 years. Almost all of these subjects are viewed from the back. Other watercolors in the album portray a woman in a train carriage, a woman wearing a striking boa and a black cat in a window. A few of the watercolors have pencil sketches on the reverse. John gave the albums to Symons in June 1920. Both were natives of Pembrokeshire, Wales.
In an article recently published in the Princeton University Library Chronicle, Robins shows the relationship of the Princeton albums to two albums once belonging to the New York attorney and art collector John Quinn (1870–1924) and to works in British institutions. Robins notes, "Symons and John belonged to interconnecting networks that brought artists, writers, actors, gallery owners and collectors together in the increasingly international world of Paris, London and New York. ... Gwen John's oil painting has undergone a major reassessment in recent years. The discovery of the two Symons albums makes a considerable contribution to an understanding of her greatness."
The American painter and art collector A.E. Gallatin (1881–1952) acquired the papers and albums from Symons' widow and donated them to the Princeton University Library in 1951.
For more information, contact Don Skemer, curator of manuscripts, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.


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Interestingly, while the social workers' Code states that social workers "respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals," the Code goes on to state:The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers goes further than the APAs in requiring social workers to notify clients of any conflicts between their interests and the interests of other organizations such as the military. The Code says that "Social workers' primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients" However, the Code does recognize potential conflicts between loyalty to clients and to "he larger society or specific legal obligations." However, in cases of such conflicts, "clients should be so advised." One wonders how often military mental health workers advise soldiers that their primary loyalty is to the larger military and not to the individual soldier they are "treating." Do they let the soldiers know that their welfare matters only to the degree it is consistent with returning the soldier to his/her unit? Unlikely.The Wall Street Journal has a new article on the role of mental health professionals in treating war trauma in Iraq Therapists take on soldiers' trauma in Iraq]. The military has caught on to how these workers can aid the war effort and has increased their per capita numbers. Rather than seeking the best treatment to help traumatized soldiers recover from their stressful and horrific experiences, these professionals attempt to patch soldiers in order to return them to combat. As the article illustrates in its lead paragraph:The American Psychiatric Association has the Principles of Medical Ethics With Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry\. These Principles are clear that a physician "must recognize responsibility to patients first and foremost." It further states "a physician shall, while caring for a patient, regard responsibility to the patient as paramount.." In cases of conflict between law and the best interests of the patient, "A physician shall respect the law and also recognize a responsibility to seek changes in those requirements which are contrary to the best interests of the patient." Do military psychiatrists carry out their "responsibility to seek changes" in policies that can return traumatized patients to combat? As the Wall Street Journal article indicates, the answer is usually "no".Lt. Maria Kimble, an Army mental-health worker, runs a two-person counseling team out of a small plywood office here. As part of a "combat stress detachment," her job is to help soldiers cope with the horror of the battlefield -- so that they can return to it as soon as possible.
Ethical questions are raised, and then ignored by these workers, who after all, are primarily involved in serving the war effort:"There are a lot of ethical questions about it," says Col. Levandowski. "The oath I take as a physician is to do no harm," he says. But "ultimately, we are in the business of prosecuting a war."Clearly, the best interests of the patients are at best one of several factors weighed by these professionals:"I do ache for these guys," says Col. Levandowski. "But if you send too many (soldiers) home, the risk is that mental health will be seen as a ticket out of country."Success is measured as much by whether a soldier returns to combat as whether (s)he feels better. Speaking of her treatment of a soldier affected by witnessing bombings and bomb scenes:Lt. Kimble says that his condition is probably staying level. "Anyone dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder should have a calm, safe environment and not have to go back to such traumas," she says.Since these mental health professionals give greater priority to the needs of the military for manpower than to the needs of the of the soldiers the6 treat, this "treatment" raises serious ethical issues. Using common sense interpretations, the treatment is in contradiction to the ethical codes of most mental health professions. Thus, the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics says:
Sgt. Parkinson, however, will likely finish his deployment, which ends in the spring. By the standards of Iraq, Lt. Kimble says that is a success.Psychologists strive to benefit those with whom they work and take care to do no harm. In their professional actions, psychologists seek to safeguard the welfare and rights of those with whom they interact professionally and other affected persons, and the welfare of animal subjects of research. When conflicts occur among psychologists' obligations or concernsSurely, returning a traumatized soldier to combat where he may be retraumatized does not satisfy the "do no harm" provision. The American Psychological Association does exempt those whose work requires them to perform in violation of its ethics, if the psychologist takes steps to resolve the conflict between orders and the Ethics Code. Do psychologists working in Iraq taken those steps? I doubt it.
Social workers may limit clients' right to self-determination when, in the social workers' professional judgment, clients' actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.
One wonders how many social workers in the military, like Lt. Kimble from the Wall Street Journal article, have ever considered that returning a soldier to combat may "pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others?" Surely, returning to a position where you stand a serious risk of dying or being injured constitutes a risk to self. Additionally, having a traumatized soldier on the streets of Iraq must often "pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to " others." Were any of those soldiers lethally firing upon Iraqi civilians at roadblocks returned to combat after being "treated" by one of "combat stress detachments?" Additionally, other soldiers may be put at risk by having the comrade beside them preoccupied by flashbacks or nightmares of previous horrors.
[In writing about the social workers' Code, I do not mean to criticize the National Association of Social Workers, which has taken a strong position against the war from the beginning. See their October 7, 2002 Letter to President Bush, the NASW document A Legacy of Peace; The Role of the Social Work Profession, and their strong May 14, 2004Letter to Senator Warner, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee protesting abuse of POWs. Would that other national mental health organizations, e.g., the American Psychological Association or the American Psychiatric Association, had taken such strong stands.]
These Ethics Codes are only binding on members of the organizations promulgating them. If any of the mental health professionals serving in Iraq are members of these associations, they are technically subject. For example, if Lt. Maria Kimble is a member of NASW, she would be subject to the NASW Code, on pain of loosing her membership. However, these codes are considered to be standards for ethical conduct for the profession in general.
I am not a strong supporter of ethics codes, as they are frequently bureaucratic statements designed to protect the profession from bad publicity or increased regulation rather than to truly protect the public from wrongdoing. However, having adopted these codes, one sign of their being taken seriously by these professional organizations would be that action was taken against egregious violations by those in service to the powerful, such as those professionals serving in the military.
In additions to the NASW positions mentioned above, these association have felt obligated to take positions in the wake of the Abu Ghraib horrors and in response to participation of psychologists and psychologists in the abuses at Guantanamo, the American Psychiatric Association has announced that psychiatrists should never participate in coercive interrogations, while the American Psychological Association bowed to the powerful and took a weaker position, stating "psychologists do not direct, support, facilitate or offer training in torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment" [http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/taskforce.html] but, like the US government, this APA carefully avoided defining "torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment."
To my knowledge, none of these major professional associations has directly addressed the obvious ethical conflicts involved in mental health professionals aiding the military by helping patch up soldiers only to send them back to suffer potential further injury, mental and/or physical, in combat. While it would be unlikely for these organizations to bite the hand that feeds them and directly take on the military - after all, the American Psychological Association has had a division of military psychology since 1945 - progressives can pressure these organizations to require member professionals serving in the military to be up front with soldiers as to their multiple and conflicted loyalties. Veterans and GI organizations can alert soldiers to the dual loyalties of those offering to "help" them. These organizations, and mental health professionals can help establish alternative organizations, independent of the military, to help traumatized soldiers when they get home. Beyond that, it remains for the antiwar movements, and the citizenry at large, to fight against the wars that create these ethical conflicts.
Stephen Soldz is psychoanalyst, psychologist, public health researcher, and faculty member at the Institute for the Study of Violence of the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. He is a member of Roslindale Neighbors for Peace and Justice and founder of Psychoanalysts for Peace and Justice. He maintains the Iraq Occupation and Resistance Report web page and the Psyche, Science, and Society blog

subset: commoncrawl


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Drug Abuse
Prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) drug abuse involves using a drug for a purpose or in a way other than what is prescribed by a doctor, or recommended on the package. For example, drugs may be taken by people who were not prescribed the medication, people may take more of the drug than prescribed, or they may crush pills and inhale them rather than swallowing them as directed. Some commonly abused prescription drugs include depressants, pain relievers, and stimulants.
Depressants, or "downers," are drugs that slow the central nervous system. One type of depressant is a barbiturate, commonly prescribed for anxiety or insomnia. Barbiturates can be addictive, and when mixed with other drugs or alcohol the effects can be fatal. Types of barbiturates include phenobarbital (Nembutal), mephobarbital (Mebaral), and secobarbital (Seconal). Slang terms used for barbiturates includes "barbs," "reds," red birds," "phennies," "tooies," "yellows," and "yellow jackets."
Benzodiazepines: Valium, Xanax
Another type of depressant is a benzodiazepine. Drugs in this class include tranquilizers such as diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax), often prescribed for anxiety, sleep disorders, and panic attacks. They are usually only prescribed short-term for these conditions, and even with short-term use patients can have withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drugs.
Sleep Medicines
Sedative medicines to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia are also types of depressants. Hypnotic sedatives such as zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR), zaleplon (Sonata), and eszopiclone (Lunesta) are classified as nonbenzodiazepines. These drugs do have a risk for dependence and withdrawal symptoms, though it is thought to potentially be less than benzodiazepine-type medicines.
Codeine and Morphine
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the most commonly abused type of prescription drug is narcotic, or opioid, pain relievers, including codeine and morphine. These drugs are usually prescribed for moderate to severe pain. Drugs such as these can be highly addictive, and abuse can lead to fatal overdose. Injecting these drugs may also lead to higher risk for contracting HIV.
OxyContin, Percocet
Oxycodone is another type of opioid pain reliever. It is found in drugs such as OxyContin (which goes by the street names "oxy," "O.C.," and "oxycotton"), Percocet and Percodan ("percs"), and Roxicodone ("roxys"). These narcotic analgesics (pain relievers) are often misused by crushing pills so the time-release coatings are broken and abusers get the full narcotic effects of the drug. Addiction rates are high and withdrawal symptoms can be severe.
Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet
Another opioid is hydrocodone, found in drugs such as Vicodin (street name, "vike," or "Watson-387"), Lortab, and Lorcet. These drugs also contain the pain reliever acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol. Opioids are abused for their potential to produce feelings of euphoria, but opioid side effects include drowsiness, nausea or vomiting, constipation, and slowed breathing.
Stimulants are drugs can increase heart rate and open up breathing, causing users to feel more alert and energetic. When prescribed and used properly, they can be effective aids in treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression that doesn't respond to other treatments. Commonly abused stimulants include amphetamines such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and amphetamine and dextroamphetamine (Adderall, Adderall XR), used to treat ADHD. Side effects can include tremors, headache, heart palpitations, panic, hallucinations, and paranoia. Overdosage can be fatal.
Stimulant drugs such as methylphenidate are commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Examples of ADHD drugs that are abused include methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Methylin). When prescribed for ADHD, the doses are usually low. However, abusers often take high doses, which can cause irregular heartbeat, seizures, or even heart failure. Street names include "MPH," R-ball," "Skippy," "the smart drug," and "vitamin R."
Dextromethorphan (DXM)
An ingredient found in over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, dextromethorphan (DXM), is usually safe when taken as recommended. However, very large doses can cause nausea and vomiting, rapid heart rate, confusion, dizziness, and even hallucinogenic effects similar to PCP. Many parents are unaware their children could be abusing this common nonprescription medication.
The illegal drug methamphetamine ("meth") is made using an ingredient called pseudoephedrine, commonly found in over-the-counter cold medicines such as Sudafed. Because of this, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be purchased by individuals. While you do not need a prescription, the drug usually must be purchased from a pharmacist and you must present identification to buy it. Chronic meth users may become violent, have anxiety, and have hallucinations and delusions.
Identifying a Suspicious Pill
Medication errors can have serious consequences. If you have any pills in your home and you are unsure what they are, use RxList's Pill Identification Tool to identify generic and brand name drugs by pill color, size, shape, and drug imprint (numbers, names). Match your Pill ID to the pictures and quickly identify your medications. If you do not find a match, call your doctor or pharmacist.
Drug Abuse: What to Do
If you suspect someone you know is abusing drugs, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Routing Referral Service at 800-662-HELP to find a treatment center. Remember, prescription and over-the-counter drugs can be abused just like street drugs.
Parents, if you suspect your child may be using or abusing prescription or nonprescription medicines, there are some steps you can take:
- Come right out and ask.
- Look for signs and symptoms of drug use (such as doing poorly in school, engaging in risky behaviors, frequent fighting with family and friends, getting into trouble with the law).
- Learn the risk factors for drug use, like a family history of addiction or having friends who drink or use drugs.
- Monitor their activities and provide consequences when they use drugs.
Prescription Drug Abuse: Addiction, Health Risks, and Treatments
This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information:
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Source slideshow on OnHealth


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Mary Pride
Carole Adams
Ray Andree
Karen Andreola
Frank Armbruster
Dr. David Ayers
Larry Bailey
Lawrence Bangs
Johanna Banham
Lisa and Rhonda Barfield
Peggy Barker
Dr. Kuni Beasley
Jonathan Bechtle
Russ Beck
Alisyn Bennett
Vicki Bentley
Betty Berring
Mary Biever
George Bigham
Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn
Sam Blumenfeld
Lydia Guy Burchett
Charles and Betty Burger
Linda Burklin
Wes Callihan
Holly Capeda
Heather Chapman
Harry Cheney
Clay and Sally Clarkson
Marian Kester Coombs
Deborah Copelin
Lois Corcoran
Cheryl Costello
Martin Cothran
Jim Couch
Lorraine Curry
Michelle Dalrymple
Chris Davis
Ellyn Davis
Kandie Demarest
Tom DeWeese
Joan Donaldson
Richard Driggers
Cathy Duffy
Jonathan English
Carolyn Flanagan
Samuel Francis
Amanda Freitag
Marshall Fritz
Lisa Gard
John Taylor Gatto
Brittany Glenny
Tricia Goyer
Pat Graves
Steve Hake
Ken Ham
Kristin Lee Hamerski
Gregg Harris
Joshua Harris
Laura Harris
Lori Harris
Bob Hazen
Barbara Henderson
Sarah Hensley
Laura Hinely
Fritz Hinrichs
Regina Hogsten
Mercy Howell
Jessica Hulcy
D. Russell Humphries
Nicole Johnson
Elizabeth Kays
Diane Flynn Keith
Stephen Kemp
Rebecca Kenney
Andrew Kern
Chris Klicka
Antony Kolenc
Dr. Jim Kramer
Michele Lee
Steve Leer
Lenora Levia
Ann Lloyd
Diane Lockman
Isabel Lyman
Christina Magnaghi
Michael Maloney
Jason Makansi
Paula Mann
David Marks
Rodney Marshall
Shelly Mathiot
Renee Mathis
Pam Maxey
Theresa May
Kristen West McGuire
Joyce McPherson
Geneva Miller
Katie Michelli
Melissa Morgan
Sarah Morgan
Gretchen Mork
Natalie Muus
Edwin Myers
Naomi Nattress
John Nixdorf
Shelley Noonan
June Oberlander
Joy Pavelski
Mary Pecci
Dennis Peterson
Nikki Pheneger
Dr. Michael Platt
Drue Porter
Bill Pride
Franklin Pride
Joseph Pride
Madeleine Pride
Magda Pride
Mary Pride
Sarah Pride
Theodore Pride
Bob Reith
Michael Reitz
Howard and Susan Richman
Elizabeth Roberts
Dr. Arthur Robinson
Penny Ross
Teresa Schultz-Jones
Rebecca Sealfon
Rob and Cyndy Shearer
Scott Somerville
Bruce Shortt
Gail Small
Elisabeth Snell
Barry Stebbing
Andrew Stone
Alexandra Swann
Benjamin Swann
Joyce Swann
Janis Tatum
Jennifer Thieme
Heather Thompson
Christopher Thorne
Rita Tubbs
Dale Turner
Jamie Turner
Maryann Turner
Janice VanCleave
Brad Voeller
Kathy von Duyke
Steve Wagner
Eric Wallace
Austin Webb
Jeannette Webb
Brenda Weatherly
Natalie Webb
Pat Wesolowski
Carol Wickwire
Peter Williams
Douglas Wilson
Kym Wright
Lisa Yoder
Vivian Young
By Mary Pride
Printed in Practical Homeschooling #28, 1999.
When we were kids, growing up in different states, Bill and I both enjoyed solving math puzzles and creating math challenges for ourselves. Yet we saw the kids around us struggling with math, claiming it was too hard and that they hated it.
I didn't believe this. How could anyone hate math? And how could math be "hard" when it was so logical?
Bill went to M.I.T., where he earned a degree in math; I was a math major at Boston College before I transferred to R.P.I. and switched to engineering. We eventually met , got married, and had kids, who we homeschooled. All of our children have gone on to do well in math. Most of them have already won, or placed in the top three, of at least one local and or national math competition.
This sounds like annoying bragging, doesn't it? Bear with me. I'm not saying that our kids are all genetic math geniuses. In fact, if they were in school, at least three would have been diagnosed with ADD, and one with dyslexia. We haven't had a tremendous amount of time to spend drilling them on math, either. Thanks to my duties at PRACTICAL HOMESCHOOLING, I actually have less time to spend on such things than the average homeschool mom.
What I do have is my dad the college professor, who taught me to be analytical about how I learned things from a very early age. I remember how he got me excited about math, what helped me learn the quickest, and what was a massive waste of time. I also had the tremendous experience of him teaching me six grades of math (from grade 2 through grade 7) in the summer after first grade. So even before I began homeschooling, I knew math could be taught much more quickly and effortlessly than almost anyone believes today. For what I am about to share with you, I am indebted to Dr. Stuart Martin of Boston College, my father.
Competition & Rewards
Let's start at the beginning, with motivation. Competition and rewards, as much as some people like to knock them, were a big factor in both Bill and me getting turned on to math. My dad offered me, at the age of five, a penny for every page I completed in a set of math workbooks he bought me. After I had very quickly earned a buck, he declined to issue any further remuneration, but by then I had learned (1) I could do this! and (2) math was fun and profitable!
In Bill's case, his third-grade teacher had her class copy out four pages of math problems each week. Every Wednesday, they would have a timed math bee, filling in the problems. The first person to get them all right was the winner. A clickable ball-point pen (then costing around 5¢) was the prize. Bill only won about once every five weeks, but that was enough to motivate him to start thinking about math as an exciting game.
The idea is to make a child's first math experience a thrill. Some variations: do math problems with M&Ms, and let them eat the answers they get right. Let them do math with pennies, and keep the change if they get the problem right. You won't want to keep doing this for months at a time, as the kids will either get fat or rich, but as my dad found, it isn't necessary to keep up these rewards once the children start enjoying math for its own sake.
The Barnum Software Quarter Mile program brings just this surge of excitement. Not only are kids drilling the math facts, they are competing against their own previous best speeds. This can be taken to a competitive level if you sign up for one of their International Math Tournaments. Our kids all enjoyed competing very much, and it certainly gave them incentive to practice! For a noncomputerized alternative, the Providence Project Calculadder timed math drill sheets also "rev" kids up and give them that sense of progress.
The great beauty of math drill software is that you, the devoted parent, don't have to be there for the child to improve his skills. But if you prefer to use traditional flashcard, here's a tip: let the child hold the cards he gets right, then run through the deck again. Every time he gets a card, the number of facts to drill narrows down to those that need the most work; and for some reason, holding the cards make the child feel like a winner. He will count the cards he has gotten right so far (more math practice!) and calculate how many he has to go (yet more practice!), while feeling he has already succeeded at least in part.
What Counts?
Most of us have 10 fingers and 10 toes to count. But that gets old pretty fast. Try counting backwards, like a rocket lift-off countdown: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF!" Little kids love it! Try learning to count in several foreign languages. This is a great way to introduce the concept of other languages, and to help kids keep their ability to make the sounds of languages other than our own. It also teaches them that "2" is "2," no matter what it's called.
I have a dress with 20 buttons. This made it easy to practice counting with teeny-tiny ones on my lap. Try counting flowers on the wallpaper, leaves on a branch, cans on the shelf . . . whatever is right there in front of you. Remember to make a big excited fuss when the little one gets it right!
Math Manipulatives
For the math facts, I still think money makes the best math manipulatives. Coins and bills aren't rods you can lay side by side, or cubes you can snap together. For that very reason, they encourage abstract math thinking skills. A dime doesn't look like it's worth more than a nickel; it just is worth more than a nickel. You have to assign a value of 10 to the dime and 5 to the nickel. This is prealgebra and advanced math at its most basic; assigning values and making calculations based on those values.
A word more about the value of abstract thinking. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has been for some time promoting the use of hands-on math manipulatives designed to help children think about math concretely. "This five-rod is as long as five one-rods. I can see with my eyes how many one-rods it takes to make a rod of the same length as one five-rod." This is not the way math manipulatives have worked throughout history. The sheepherder who made a knot in his string for every ten sheep, or the abacus user who moved a bead to the top of his abacus to indicate "five," were using the knot or the bead to indicate abstract value. There is nothing "ten-ish" about a knot, or "five-ish" about a bead, any more than there is anything "ten-ish" about a dime or "five-ish" about a nickel. People had to think abstractly to handle the knots and beads. They couldn't just count up a number of one-rods to get the answer.
A dime does not resemble ten pennies in the least. A ten-rod resembles ten one-rods; maybe not in its color, but in having the exact same overall length and shape. Therefore, I encourage you to use rods, cubes, and even cuter manipulatives such as the Delta Fast Food math items reviewed elsewhere in this issue, to demonstrate math principles, but not to work math problems. Rather, try using coins, with all their different values. Your kids will learn the most essential math skill of all, needed in all math from algebra on up - how to solve problems where you can't simply count your way to the answer. At the moment, it will be a nickel standing for five pennies; later, it will be x standing for a number; still later, it will be x standing for an entire statement including other variables; later yet, it will be f(x) standing for a series, or a number set, or the area under a curve, and so on. All of this is really easy if you understand the concept of abstract value. But I guarantee you that a child who has always been able to stick manipulatives end-to-end or in a square to solve a problem will be totally lost when he runs into negative numbers, irrational numbers, or imaginary numbers. Don't get stuck in the concrete, when you could teach your children abstract math thinking with your pocket change.
One more point about money: even kids who struggle with numbers catch on very quickly when those numbers have two decimal places and dollar signs. I have yet to meet a kid who can't learn to shop!
Girls & Math
Research shows that American girls do noticeably worse than American boys on standardized math tests. But not homeschooled girls! Our own daughter Sarah recently scored a perfect 80 out of 80 on the math portion of the PSAT. (I admit it, that was bragging!)
The better performance of homeschooled girls probably has to do with (1) using math more in their everyday lives and (2) not being surrounded by boys who not-so-subtly prefer cute airheads to smart young misses. As long as the parents expect their daughter to do well in math, there should be nothing in the homeschool environment to hold her back.
One area that most girls do need extra help with, even at home: spatial skills. If I ask you to visualize a shape in your head, then rotate it various ways, most guys can do this with ease, but most gals can't. Two resources I have found that are a great help in improving spatial skills are:
F The Factory (Mac, Win, Apple, and DOS versions available; $89.95) and Factory Deluxe (Mac or Win CD; $89.95) software from Sunburst (1-800-321-7511). Or (for Mac only, $129.95) the Spatial Sense CD-ROM, which includes Factory, Super Factory, and Building Perspective. Check them out on www.sunburst.com.
F The most excellent D.I.M.E. Blocks ($17) and associated 3-D Build-Up books (three available for $7 each) from Timberdoodle (1-360-426-0672). This forms an entire mini-course in spatial skills, as you rotate and fit the odd-shaped blocks together. Oodles of fun, too!
Puzzles & Construction
Puzzles and construction toys are another great way to develop your spatial skills. Bill's mom was, and is, an avid puzzler, who also bought him Tinkertoys and Erector sets. Oddly enough, my parents also gave me tons of puzzles, and the very same building sets Bill grew up with.
Today, "Erector" sets are called "Meccano," and products such as Duplo and Lego bricks are mainstays of many homeschools. While Lego-like products are great for creativity, they only fit together in a few limited ways. For more advanced spatial and engineering skills, an up-to-date construction series such as Fishertechnik (available from Timberdoodle: 1-360-426-0672) or the motorized Robotix kits (available from Home Life: 1-800-346-6322) is what you need.
A Word About Words
One fact of mathematical life that nobody talks about is the nomenclature: the jargon mathematicians use. Getting a grip on the lingo as early as possible is a way for your child to "pre-digest" some of what he'll be encountering in later math courses. We were only kidding about the Baby's First Calculus course in our Homeschool Admirer parody section in this issue, because babies can't learn calculus. However, young kids can learn calculus terminology. So go ahead: "integrate" these math words into your daily life and help your children "function" better as you push them to their "limits"! (Note: the words in quotes are mathematical terms. I don't really think kids should be pushed anywhere unless they're in a baby carriage or wheelchair.)
A great book I just found that can help you with this is G is for Googol, from Tricycle Press pictured on the first page of this article ($15.95, 1-800-841-2665). This "alphabet" book is not for teaching little kiddies to read. Instead, this 57-page, oversized, fully illustrated hardcover is devoted to explaining advanced math to the young. Starting with "A is for abacus," in which we see an abacus, learn its history, and see how it works, each letter stands for one or more important topics beloved of mathematicians. I'm not talking about wimpy stuff like addition or fractions, either. Cast your ovoid oculars on this list:
Abacus, Binary, Cubit, Diamond, Equilateral, Exponent, Fibonacci, Googol, Googolplex, Hundred, "If," Jupiter, Königsberg, Light-year, Möbius Strip, Nature, Obtuse, Probability, Quantity and Quality, Rhombicosidodecahedron, Symmetry, Tesselate, Unit, Venn Diagram, "When are we ever going to use this stuff, anyway?," X, Y-axis, Zillion.
Each concept is explained in easy-reading detail, with full-color drawings and diagrams. As a bonus, for each letter you'll also find a list of other math concepts starting with the letter in question. So A is for Abacus (the main entry), and also for acute, algebra, angle, art, architecture, area, asymmetry, average, and axis. No definitions are provided for the bonus list, but any parent with a smidgen of mathematical training can use this list for inspiration for further explanations and explorations.
Three last tips: (1) math puzzle books, available at bookstores and teacher's stores: (2) checkers, and (3) chess. All are great, fun ways to improve math thinking skills. Let's do it!
Advanced Math: Trig, PreCalc, and more!
Phonics the Montessori Way
The Charlotte Mason Method
I Was an Accelerated Child
The Benefits of Debate
Getting Organized Part 1 - Tips & Tricks
The Equal Sign - Symbol, Name, Meaning
Don't Give Up on Your Late Bloomers
How to Win the Geography Bee
Teaching Blends
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Shakespeare Camp
Joyce Swann's Homeschool Tips
Classical Education
Narration Beats Tests
Getting Organized Part 3
Discover Your Child's Learning Style
Why the Internet will Never Replace Books
Can Homeschoolers Participate In Public School Programs?
Top Tips for Teaching Toddlers
Montessori Language Arts at Home, Part 1
The History of Public Education
Interview with John Taylor Gatto
Columbus and the Flat Earth...
Teach Your Children to Work
A Reason for Reading
Myth of the Teenager
Character Matters for Kids
Start a Nature Notebook
Montessori Math
Who Needs the Prom?
Top Jobs for the College Graduate
Bears in the House
Getting Started in Homeschooling: The First Ten Steps
Patriarchy, Meet Matriarchy
The Benefits of Cursive Writing
How to "Bee" a Spelling Success
Art Appreciation the Charlotte Mason Way
The Gift of a Mentor
University Model Schools
AP Courses At Home
Critical Thinking and Logic
A Homeschooler Wins the Heisman
What Does My Preschooler Need to Know?
What We Can Learn from the Homeschooled 2002 National Geography Bee Winners
Laptop Homeschool
Give Yourself a "CLEP Scholarship"
The Charlotte Mason Approach to Poetry
Combining Work and Homeschool
Saxon Math: Facts vs. Rumors


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Books and authors as brands, being smart about entering the app race, and the empowerment of consumers – especially kids – were major themes at the third annual Tools of Change Bologna conference, held Sunday, March 24, the day before the opening of the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The daylong program was entitled "Play, Learn, Grow – Publishing for the Next Generation" and featured keynotes from Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks, Kristen McLean of Bookigee, Francesca Dow of Penguin U.K., and Alice Wilder of Speakaboos.
"For a long time, we've made kids read what we wanted to them read," said Sourcebooks publisher Dominique Raccah in her opening presentation. But increasingly, she added, "Children are driving the market by what they choose to read, rather than the adults who purchase the books on their behalf." The sentiment echoed throughout the day. Bookigee founder Kristen McLean described learning and education as moving from a "cathedral" model to a "marketplace" model. "Children are fundamentally in charge of their own inquiry," she said," and that's only going to become more so, moving forward." And the "Trends and Forecasts" panel – which, in part, unpacked findings from Bowker's recent "Understanding the Children's Book Consumer in the Digital Age" survey – revealed that the top influences in a parent's purchase of a children's book were children asking for the book or being familiar with a series.
Also during the "Trends and Forecasts" panel, Ann Betts of Nielsen Book noted that print markets were down in all nine international territories in which Nielsen Bookscan tracks sales, with the exception of India, where sales were up 16% across the board, and up 12% in children's (in general, declines in children's were less dramatic than in adult publishing). In the overall U.S. book market, Nielsen has seen "steep declines" since 2008, through the children's market is comparatively stable, with a rise in nonfiction; the U.K. children's market was described as "remarkably robust," holding steady at around £280 million annually. On the children's e-book side, Betts said that the rate of growth was slowing, something echoed by Bookigee's McLean later in the presentation. "At best, e-books are plateauing for children," she said. "We're not seeing exponential growth in digital content for kids."
A particularly interesting finding in the Bowker survey was the significance of adult readers/buyers in the YA market: of adults ages 30-54 who purchased YA, a full 80% were buying the books for themselves, not for teens; teens accounted for just 16% of YA purchases. "What does YA mean when 80% of your market for that category are not teens?" asked McLean.
Further highlighting the idea that consumers are the ones in control, Raccah of Sourcebooks said that, "From the customer's point of view, they would like to have an integrated experience," calling digital "the democratization of print." McLean laid it out plainly: consumers want "what they want, when and how they want it, and at the price they want it. They don't care about our limitations, territories, concerns, rights, or profits." (What do they care about? Price, narrative quality, novelty, imagination, and word-of-mouth.) "Your customer is in charge," McLean said, "You must become customer anthropologists." And that, she said, involves "getting out of the building and talking to them. One of the most disruptive things you can do is just to start the conversation."
During her morning keynote, Francesca Dow, managing director for Penguin U.K., outlined a bold plan for Penguin's future. "We're moving into a new world, the world our consumers live in," she said (behind her, a slide displayed the Penguin logo beside logos for Disney, Pixar, Sony, Google, and other major media companies). "Stories are at the heart of our business, but now we make brands." Those include book brands like Moshi Monsters, Skylanders, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (John Green was also listed as a brand in Dow's presentation), but also three Penguin U.K. brands, tailored to different age groups: Ladybird (which Dow sees as "a true consumer preschool brand" à la Fisher-Price), Puffin for primary school readers, and Penguin for teens. "Books are just one part of a bigger picture," said Dow. "E-books, apps, consumer products, licensing – everything works together to create an ecosystem of storytelling." Live events, merchandising, multimedia, investing in new talent, and reinventing older properties (such as Raymond Briggs's The Snowman, for which Penguin now controls all rights) are all part of the plan.
Other brand acolytes (or at least proponents) included Sarah Odedina of Hot Key Books ("We see authors as a brand, we see ourselves as a brand"), Till Weitendorf of Verlag Friedrich Oetinger ("In the future you won't speak about books, you'll speak of brands"), and Kate Wilson of Nosy Crow, who has built her company into a recognizable brand in just two years, describing it as parent-friendly and child-focused, "an umbrella for people to shelter under."
In contrast to the branding theme, however, was an emphasis on keeping people in mind—as people. "We're all human, and we have to have time off," time away from the screen, said Neal Hoskins of Wingedchariot, while moderating a panel about "Navigating the Digital Landscape." Several publishers and developers cautioned attendees about not allowing technology to overwhelm storytelling, as well as being "nimble and experimental" when considering moving into apps, in particular, as Bill McCoy, executive director of the International Digital Publishing Forum, put it. While Wilson of Nosy Crow also highlighted the idea of experimentation, she urged caution before diving headlong into creating apps. There are several key elements to have in place before creating an app, she said, including: having content that gains from a touchscreen, having content that's international, having partners to share the risk, having reviewed the competition, and having a brand that means people will search for your content (she recommended being sure of at least two of these criteria before creating an app). First and foremost, Wilson said, if you're going to make an app, "make a great app."
In closing, Alice Wilder of Speakaboos discussed the ways that she has used direct feedback from children to create content (for Blue's Clues in the past, and for digital stories from Speakaboos in the present). Additionally, the winners of the second annual BolognaRagazzi Digital Award were announced: in fiction, the winner was "Four Little Corners," with mentions going to "Monster's Socks" and "Rita the Lizard." The nonfiction winner was, oddly enough, a novel, the app version of Michael Morpurgo's "War Horse," (interactive enhancements include interviews, battlefield maps, interactive timelines, and more), with mentions going to "Endless Alphabet" and "Franklin Frog."
The idea of remembering the humanity underneath the tech also arose in closing comments from Roberta Chinni, director of the Bologna Children's Book Fair. "As much as today is about technology, we believe it's also about people," she said, "underlining the human-ness of the fair."
With reporting by Diane Roback.


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Sartorius Corporation Extends Functions of the Premium Lab Balance Cubis
Fast and reliable results for standardized weighing applications
The new Q-Apps are available for weighing applications that are frequently performed, such as determination of the minimum sample weight according to the USP, differential weighing, formula or recipe management, average weight control – i.e., checking the net content of packages – application-specific calibration, or easy pipette calibration. Once downloaded, they can be selected from the balance's task list. Each application will guide the user step by step through the weighing process selected. Q-Apps ensure 100 percent compliance with SOPs (standard operating procedures) that specify workflow instructions and analytical methods. This eliminates the need for additional checking of weighing results, saving valuable time and money in the laboratory.
Customized Q-Apps have been developed to meet special requirements that differ from standardized weighing processes. These are individually tailored to the customer's specific requirements and implement the work instructions and analytical procedures exactly as described in the customer's SOP. Therefore, the Cubis balance "adapts" in order to meet the customer's requirements 100 percent – and not the other way around. As a result, customized Q-Apps turn a standard Cubis balance into a "Cubis individual" version.
Easy downloads, fast validation
Q-Apps can be downloaded from the Sartorius AppCenter at www.sartorius.com/cubisindividual and directly installed on Cubis using an SD card. The Q-App software can be tested for 30 days free of charge before it must be licensed for a fee. Moreover, Q-Apps enable the balance to exchange data with a higher-level laboratory management system via Web services. This interface protocol is Internet-based, recognized and qualified. As a result, a Cubis balance can be quickly and easily connected to a laboratory management system. This minimizes the time and effort entailed by manual documentation in the lab.
Current Image Files
Easy pipette calibration with Cubis individual
Cubis individual: Easy, ergonomic weighing of the smallest sample quantities
A Profile of Sartorius
The Sartorius Group is a leading international laboratory and process technology provider covering the segments of Bioprocess Solutions, Lab Products & Services and Industrial Weighing. In 2012, the technology group earned sales revenue of 845.7 million euros according to preliminary figures. Founded in 1870, the Goettingen-based company currently employs around 5,500 persons. The major areas of activity of its Bioprocess Solutions segment cover filtration, fluid management, fermentation, cell cultivation and purification, and focus on production processes in the biopharmaceutical industry. The Lab Products & Services segment primarily manufactures laboratory instruments and lab consumables. Industrial Weighing concentrates on weighing, monitoring and control applications in the manufacturing processes of the food, chemical and pharma sectors. Sartorius has its own production facilities in Europe, Asia and America as well as sales subsidiaries and local commercial agencies in more than 110 countries.


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Arcata Police Log: Flip-Flop Hike From Jail Dries Out Sidewalk Slumper
By Kevin L. Hoover & Hannah Johnson
• Thursday, April 25 4:13 p.m. Someone graciously donated a bookcase to the middle of 30th Street. Police analysis concluded the bookcase was too much of a traffic hazard to justify the additional storage.
5:24 p.m. After rocks and sticks were thrown at a man, the stoning victim quite understandably dialed 911. As he did so, his antagonist declared, "I'm going to find you in your sleep and kill you."
• Friday, April 26 1:17 a.m. Subjects were heard partying on a staircase. Police were unable to apprehend the subjects because no one knew whether they went up or down.
9:44 a.m. As a man and woman smoked something out of tinfoil at the Skate Park, another woman blocked the gate so that no one could enter their al fresco heroin den.
9:58 a.m. A L.K. Wood Boulevard neighbor's excitement over a woman's pregnancy led the jibbered-up buffoon to enter her apartment without permission, like he lived in a Seinfeld episode, and offer an ill-timed, unappreciated chest bump. He's chosen this particular period of her life to become overly aggressive and confrontational, like a wacky TV neighbor but with real-world annoyance.
12:09 p.m. An over-the-fence argument led to advisement of restraining order under which both parties must contain their snittiness on their own side of the fence.
4:45 p.m. A dog continued its thankless role as man's best friend as its owner threw up and passed out on sidewalk beside him.
7:23 p.m. Some hostile baby-grabbing between an estranged hsband and wife resulted in a call to police.
9:57 p.m. A goateed bald man in a green sweater was reported carrying a cash register around in Northtown.
• Saturday, April 27 7:24 a.m. A man reported his crutches stolen by something named "Aaron," then an assault near Mad River Bridge.
1:23 p.m. Travelers slaumber at a bus stop near a skeezewad motel in Valley West, sometimes spelunking in its fragrant dumpster.
2:46 p.m. Items reported stolen in Brooking, Oregon turned up in a Plaza shop.
• Sunday, April 28 12:39 a.m. An exchange of bottles took place between a group of passersby on the sidewalk and a couple inside a second story window. Police provided a receipt for this transaction.
2:41 p.m. A lad said someone had threatened him with being "concussed" with a bottle were he to get too close.
3 p.m. A shirtless man benippled a Valley West supermarket, and was banished.
7:52 p.m. After a dog bite, a Valley West man was reported bleeding from his armpit.
9:51 p.m. Neighborly relations between two Samoa Boulevard residents reportedly include dogshit on the porch, a laser beam shone into a girl's bedroom and a pepper spray encounter.
• Monday, April 29 1o a.m. A nondescript "young man" was reported knocking on doors in Janes Court looking for someone. Hampering his search was that he wouldn't say who he was trying to find, leave a message or give his name. He may have been the world's most ineffectual detective, or, suspected a caller, was casing the 'hood with this flimsily prepared ruse.
10:23 a.m. The video shows someone stealing a "GT Chucker" mountain bike from the main equipment bay at the Fire Department, and also "touching various things."
11:27 a.m. At first, a guest at a not-entirely-sleazy Valley West motel didn't want to pay $100 for the hole he had burned in a bedspread, and an argument ensued. This gave way to his acquiescence to the charge, and (we're guessing huffy) departure.
12:10 p.m. In the nine minutes it took an officer to arrive at a Valley West credit union where a baby had been left unattended in a vehicle, someone got in and drove the car and babe away.
5:47 p.m. A man was panhandled in the Community Center parking, with the baggar asking for money to pay the "motel tax."
• Tuesday, April 30 9:26 a.m. For two years someone has been harassing a woman about religious beliefs – theirs or hers isn't clear – and now she is feeling threatened.
11:17 a.m. A raccoon ran behind a 10th Street building.
12:32 p.m. A shaggy-bearded man stole a miniature electric guitar from an I Street music store, then pedaled away southbound on a gray bike.
4:59 p.m. More honking and yelling action, this time on Villa Way.
11:42 p.m. A store employee reported a man coming in several times and making "suggestive remarks" to him.
• Wednesday, May 1 5:48 p.m. The Weed With Roots In Hell, that is, a specimen thereof, was reported planted in the ground at an Alliance Road apartment building, The property manager said some people had just been evicted and disposed of the hell-herb via the very precise and scientific method of throwing it in the ground. It was disposed of properly.
• Thursday, May 2 9:28 a.m. A man left his wallet and tool bag in an unlocked car on Stromberg Avenue overnight, with entirely predictable results.
1:15 p.m. A man on the sidewalk at the transit center told a parks employee he couldn't move because he was dehydrated and had a foot injury. The foothurt was because on his release from jail the night before, he had walked from Eureka to Arcata in flip-flops.
2:26 p.m. A woman reported her vehicle registration sticker stolen off her car's license plate. A small fragment of the sticker was left behind, and when she looked at her boyfriend's truck – which hasn't been registered since October, 2012, "his" registration sticker matched that piece perfectly.
5:17 p.m. A man kicking a car in a Valley West parking lot was advised to go to his motel room and stay there for a while.
5:24 p.m. A man pounded on a Hallen Drive apartment door to negligible effect.
8:11 p.m. A man was reported walking down Ninth Street, hitting cars.
• Friday, May 3 2:45 a.m. A bicycle stolen from an L Street address was quickly located in the possession of some nighttime wanderers at an Alliance Road stop 'n' rob.
8:12 a.m. Crowbar marks were found on the door of a Bayside Road business.
11:10 a.m. A woman came home to her Samoa Boulevard apartment to find her deadbolt locks having been unlocked and some bizarre items inside – rocks and a metal bolt with a rope tied around it.
3:54 p.m. An Alliance Road resident noticed neighbors cleaning bongs at an outdoor spigot.
• Saturday, May 4 9:41 a.m. A woman's handbag was gutted of its valuable contents – iPhone, wallet, cards – the night previous at a Portuguese Hall event.
8:59 p.m. Women at a Valley West motel were beckoned by two men on the balcony of an upstairs room. One of the gents repeatedly invited the women to "party" with them, the festivities to include such irresistible enticements as the smoking of methamphetamine.
• Sunday, May 5 9:57 a.m. The high school auto shop was burgled of tools and equipment valued at $8,000 to $10,000.
4:30 p.m. A McMahan Street resident reported her car "padded and egged" overnight.
7:44 p.m. A caller reported a man in a tye-dye shirt and overalls and a woman in a hoodie beating on a person in the meadow. She beat the victim with a stick until it broke, then the man kicked him several times. Medical aid was summoned for the victim, while someone involved was arrested for public drunkenness.
10:12 p.m. A couple of hours after he walked out on his $5.68 restaurant check, a man described as wearing a Carhart jacket was reported to police.
• Monday, May 6 10:43 a.m. Someone went to the trouble of breaking a Spring Street vehicle's window in order to steal an empty bag.
• Monday, May 6 12:11 p.m. A concerned mother reported that her daughter had sent her several text messages of an increasingly troubling nature. The daughter threatened to shoot the president and some people she knows. Contacted by police, she said that the president is dealing marijuana and is conspiring to kill her. She was deemed mentally disturbed, but no danger to anyone, including herself.
1:05 p.m. A drunk rode a bike up to a former Ericson Court meadery, fell over, got up and wandered away, leaving the bike. Days later, it was still there.
3:23 p.m. Travelers were reported burning trash in a Redwood Park barbecue pit.
4:16 p.m. "I'm going to kill you (expletive)," said a man reportedly at a G Street bank. "You're all conspiring against me." After threatening to "blow up the bank," he was located on the southwest corner of the Plaza and warned not to return to the business or face trespassing charges.
5:05 p.m. A woman reported her ex-husband having spit in her face on Frederick Avenue.
6:58 p.m. An unlocked car on Chester Avenue, a blue backpack with $300 in goodies inside inevitably went poof!
7:07 p.m. As did the unsecured Cannondale bike at the Community Park.
• Tuesday, May 7 6:55 a.m. A truck window was broken and some $1,500 in techy tools were taken on Stromberg Avenue.
9:04 a.m. A South G Street businessperson was reported threatening employees with guns and bombs.
10:27 a.m. People encountered in Sunny Brae Park said they were just in from Virginia and were looking for a man in a skirt. Whether a specific one or just any randomly passing beskirted dude isn't known.
11:24 a.m. The same Bayside Road business that had noticed a door jimmying attempt now discovered a window duct taped, as though someone had been fixing to smash it.
2:15 p.m. A small bird with an injured leg briefly cowered under a chair in the police station lobby.
2:47 p.m. A man in a leopard print leotard strolled up H Street.
3:34 p.m. There not being enough yelling in the world, the yak-based mobile argument service helped raise voices at 15th Street and Alliance Road.
6:03 p.m. As a J Street man took a nap on his couch, the landlady strolled in without notice like she owned the place, which she did, but still.
8:09 p.m. Another porch, this one at a Samoa Boulevard apartment, was graced with the gift of dogshit per the usual neighborly feud routine.
8:12 p.m. After spending much of the evening in a Uniontown pizza restaurant's bathroom, a man was asked to leave. "No," he said. "Call police." Officers arrested the intransigent interloper on a public drunkenness charge.
• Wednesday, May 8 12:38 a.m. A funny noise on Larry Street sounded like "sticks dropping."
4:59 p.m. An erratic-acting employee was to be fired from a Plaza business at 5 p.m., and the manager wanted police there when that happened.
11:59 a.m. A 16-year-old girl said she has been finding needles around the house, and suspected her mother of using heroin.
12:23 p.m. A property owner reported his Wyatt Lane tenants making hashish in the backyard. He called the residents – three men and two women – and was assured that they were processing the substance safely.
3:29 p.m. A D Street resident reported all four of her vehicle tires slashed, possibly by her landlord.
3:41 p.m. A South G Street resident's driveway was blocked by a gold pickup truck, which was cited.
8:31 p.m. A female person of unknown age reported that while walking in Bayside, she was head-butted by a man she didn't know, who also kicked her in the stomach and stepped on her hand. She then went to a friend's house "just to say hi," then home to mom's house. Her mother brought her to the hospital, but she had no visible injuries.
8:39 p.m. A man with dark, bushy hair, stained cargo pants held together with duct tape and a spiky metal thing in his nose threatened people at a J Street coffee house, then left.
• Thursday, May 9 1:46 a.m. A Plaza liquor store took a call from someone asking for a "crystal champagne" delivery. On being told that credit card approval was needed, the person hung up. A call back reached a pager.
4:30 p.m. Children played basketball using portable hoops in the street amid the speeding traffic at Stromberg Avenue and Acheson Way.
• Sunday, May 19 4:42 p.m. A 13th Street shoplifter was so cooperative upon arrest you might wonder why he did it to begin with.
8:51 p.m. A thin man dressed all in black outside Everett's screamed at confused and innocent pedestrians and potential customers passing by.
10:16 p.m. Called in by a skeptical neighbor, a man in his late twenties loitering near a blue van, a white bike and a pile of beer cans received attention from the Arcata Police Department for potential late morning, van-riding alcoholic activity.
• Monday, May 20 3:32 A group of people broke a Garden Apartment resident's window with an airborne rock, challenging the caller to a fight. In a pro-peace gesture, the caller contacted the cops instead.
• Tuesday, May 21 2:33 p.m. At the end of his patience, an 11th Street resident visited the Arcata Police Department office with photographs of a white dog left free to run the streets around his neighborhood. Concerned for the dog's safety, the man blamed his neighbor for putting the dog at risk. Upon arrival, officers were unable to locate the dog or its owner.
6:58 a.m. An irritated Lofts Apartment resident responded to her doorbell and opened up to find a woman asking to borrow a lighter.
8:28 a.m. During an unknown time the previous night at the Greenwood Cemetery several headstones were knocked over, and a backpack full of what the police described as "weapons" was left at the scene.
2:52 p.m. Poor driving skills were exhibited in a hit and run near Fifth and K streets, as reported by a woman passing by the scene. A green Chevy, driven into a telephone pole, had been ditched by the driver. (Possibly out of sheer embarrassment.)
• Wednesday, May 22 4:28 a.m. A sleeping-bagged man slept in the bushes outside Arcata Chiropractic on Sixth Street, choosing an appropriate setting for a night of urban camping should he wake with a stiff neck.
1:55 a.m. A statement about our carbon footprint or inattention to detail? A red Prius parked in the bus zone on Ninth and H street was cited either way.
3:49 p.m. A Valley West man and woman caught burying a suspicious object in the dirt outside Carl Jr.'s Restaurant mimicked modern-day land pirates.
5:18 p.m. A tenant of Fairview Regency refused to climb down off of the roof and angrily challenged the manager, "What do you want me to do, jump?"
5:59 p.m. Although quiet on arrival, a pet dog on 12th Street was on thin ice with a history of ongoing barking.
11 p.m. A true Humboldt traveler with an abundant beard and blue jeans wanted a cart of beer from a Valley West home of honest goodness, but didn't want to pay.


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
On-line version ISSN 2078-5135
Print version ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.101 n.11 Pretoria Nov. 2011
Recommendations for the management of adult chronic myeloid leukaemia in South Africa
V J LouwI; L DreostiII; P RuffIII; V JogessarIV; D MoodleyV; N NovitzkyVI; M PatelVII; A SchmidtVIII; P WillemIX
IDivision of Clinical Haematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein
IIDepartment of Medical Oncology, University of Pretoria
IIIDivision of Medical Oncology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
IVDepartment of Haematology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
VParklands Medical Centre, Berea, Durban
VIDivision of Haematology, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, University of Cape Town
VIIClinical Haematology Unit, Department of Medicine, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and University of the Witwatersrand
VIIIOncology Department, Panorama Medical Centre, W Cape
IXDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, University of the Witwatersrand
INTRODUCTION: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterised by a chromosomal translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 22 resulting in the formation of the BCR-ABL fusion gene. The management of CML has undergone major changes over the past decade. Novel treatment approaches have had a dramatic impact on patient outcomes and survival. Nevertheless, these outcomes can only be achieved in the context of expert management, careful monitoring of disease response, appropriate management of adverse events and timeous adjustments to therapy when responses are not achieved within stated time frames.
AIM: With the advent of novel treatments providing molecular responses, both the monitoring and management of CML have become more complicated. The aim of these recommendations was to provide a pragmatic yet comprehensive roadmap to negotiate these complexities.
METHODS: Recommendations were developed based on local expert opinion from both the academic and private medical care arenas after careful review of the relevant literature and taking into account the most widely used international guidelines. About five meetings were held at which these recommendations were discussed and debated in detail.
RESULTS: A comprehensive set of recommendations was compiled with an emphasis on diagnosis, investigation, treatment and monitoring of disease. Careful attention was given to circumstances unique to South Africa, funding constraints, availability and access to laboratory resources, as well as the effects of concurrent HIV infection.
CONCLUSION: Most patients with CML can live a reasonably normal life if their disease is appropriately managed. These recommendations should be of value to all specialists involved in the treatment of haematological disorders.
These recommendations are for the use of Fellows, specialist physicians, clinical haematologists and medical oncologists with an interest in the treatment of haematological disorders.
1. Scope
This guideline was developed to address the diagnosis and management of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in the South African setting, with particular reference to the prescribing of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and the management of their side-effects. Special focus is also given to the monitoring of response to treatments, given the constraints and shortage of skills in this area in South Africa. The guideline is endorsed by the South African Society of Haematology.
2. Methods
The development of these recommendations was based on local expert opinion, best clinical practice and available treatment options, together with review of the latest international recommendations and recent clinical data. The 2009 International European LeukemiaNet (ELN) and 2010 National Collaborative Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for the diagnosis, monitoring and management of CML, and the major clinical trials for the three TKIs that are registered in South Africa, imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib, were considered.
3. Limitations of the recommendations
These recommendations do not represent all the possible methods of management applicable to all patients; do not exclude any other reasonable methods; and will not ensure successful treatment in every situation. The unique circumstances of each patient, disease stage, co-morbid conditions and treatments available should be taken into account by the responsible physician when deciding on any specific therapy.
4. Introduction and overview
Chronic myeloid leukaemia is a disease of the haematopoietic stem cell characterised by a chromosomal translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 22 which leads to formation of the so-called Philadelphia chromosome. This t(9;22) translocation results in the formation of the BCR-ABL fusion gene, which codes for a novel protein tyrosine kinase (TK) that is constitutively activated and therefore leads to increased proliferation of myeloid cells, decreased apoptosis and adhesion, and genetic instability of the leukaemic cells. This genetic instability forms the basis for resistance to treatment and progression of disease.
The incidence of CML is cited at 2/100 000/year with a slight male preponderance; however, local South African incidence or prevalence data are lacking. Since the widespread use of TKIs, the number of patients surviving worldwide has increased greatly, resulting in a progressively increasing prevalence of this disease.
5. Diagnosis of CML
Many patients are asymptomatic and are diagnosed incidentally on the basis of a raised white blood cell (WBC) count. Clinical features include symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, weight loss, abdominal fullness and early satiety (due to splenomegaly), and rarely bleeding due to platelet dysfunction. Clinical findings may include hepatosplenomegaly, gouty arthritis, pallor, bone tenderness or features of hyperviscosity in patients with a high WBC count (e.g. headaches, visual and neurological disturbances, dyspnoea and angina). Patients should be carefully evaluated for extramedullary disease beyond the liver and spleen, which may have prognostic and staging implications (Table I). Clinical findings, especially spleen size, should be carefully documented for follow-up purposes and for calculation of the Sokal score, which is of prognostic value (online calculator available at www.roc.se/sokal.asp).
6. Disease phases
CML occurs in three different phases (chronic phase (CP), accelerated phase (AP), and a blastic phase (BP)). Most patients present in the CP. Classification is either by the European LeukaemiaNet (ELN) or the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.
7. Laboratory investigations
Table II sets out the required laboratory tests for a newly diagnosed patient with CML. These are key to the correct staging of the patient, form the basis for further follow-up, and have direct bearing on prognosis.
8. Treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors
Before the introduction of the TKIs, the treatment of CML included hydroxyurea, interferon alpha (IFN-α), low-dose cytarabine and allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. With the advent of imatinib, which specifically targeted the TK activity of the oncogenic proteins encoded by BCR-ABL, the management of CML changed dramatically. The following sections provide an overview of the available data supporting the use of TKIs in CML.
8.1 Imatinib
Imatinib is a selective inhibitor of the BCR-ABL TK. Imatinib induces a complete haematological response (CHR) in 80 - 90% of patients with newly diagnosed CP CML (CP-CML), a complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) in 70 - 80%, and a major molecular response (MMR), i.e. 3-log reduction of BCR-ABL: BCR or other control gene levels compared with a standardised pre-treatment level by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR), or RQ-PCR <0.05-0.1%, in 40% of patients.2
The landmark IRIS (International Randomized Study of Interferon and STI571) trial results led to the recommendation of imatinib as first-line therapy for patients with CML.3 The IRIS trial was a phase III, multicentre, randomised, openlabel, crossover trial in which 1106 patients with newly diagnosed CML were randomised to receive initial therapy with either 400 mg imatinib or IFN-α plus lowdose cytarabine.3 Responses were significantly in favour of imatinib, with a CHR rate at 18 months of 97% versus 69%, a major cytogenetic response (MCyR) rate of 87% versus 34.7%, and a CCyR rate of 72.6% versus 14.5% in the imatinib and low-dose cytarabine plus interferon arms, respectively.3 These results were obtained despite 90% crossing over from the interferon plus low-dose cytarabine arm to the imatinib arm.3 After 8 years of follow-up of the IRIS trial, the estimated eventfree survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 81% and 85%, respectively.4
About 10% of patients never achieve a CHR on imatinib by 3 months and about 25% do not achieve a CCyR by 18 months, thus fulfilling the ELN 2009 criteria of treatment failure.5,6 Treatment failure usually results from the development of mutations in the TK domain of the BCR-ABL gene which affects the binding of imatinib to the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding site of the BCR-ABL protein. About 20% of patients who initially achieve a CHR or a cytogenetic response lose their responses over time with subsequent disease progression.3 Intolerance to treatment and poor compliance are also reasons for treatment failure and discontinuation.7,8 To overcome the problem of resistance, novel TKIs have been studied, two of which are commercially available in South Africa, namely nilotinib and dasatinib. South African regulatory authorities have approved both these TKIs for treatment of patients with resistance or intolerance to imatinib.
8.2 Dasatinib
Dasatinib is an oral Src and Abl kinase inhibitor with a potent BCR-ABL inhibitory effect.9,10 Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of all phases of imatinib-resistant CML and Philadelphia (Ph)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) was granted in 2006. This was based on the efficacy and safety findings of the open-label phase 2 START studies (Sarcoma (SRC)/ABL Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitions Activity Research Trials of Dasatinib) aimed at patients resistant or intolerant to imatinib.11-15 In the START-R study, high-dose imatinib (400 mg twice daily) was compared with dasatinib (70 mg twice daily) in 150 imatinib-resistant (to 400 - 600 mg daily) patients in CP CML.15 Significantly higher response rates were seen with dasatinib when compared with high-dose imatinib at 24 months, with a CCyR rate of 44% versus 18% in the two groups, respectively.15 These responses were durable, with MCyR maintained in 90% of dasatinib responders compared with 74% of imatinib responders.15 Evidence from dose optimisation studies led to a change in the recommendations, with 100 mg as a once-daily dose recommended for CML in CP and 140 mg once daily for CML in advanced-phase CML (AP and BP) and Ph-positive ALL.16,17 The phase III dasatinib versus imatinib study in treatment-naïve CML patients (DASISION) compared the efficacy and safety of dasatinib (100 mg once daily) with imatinib (400 mg once daily) in patients with newly diagnosed CP CML and confirmed a CCyR at 12 months of 77% and 66% (p=0.007) with dasatinib and imatinib, respectively.18 The impact of these recent findings within the current registered indications, recommendations and current socio-demographic and socio-economic setting in South Africa is still under review. In South Africa, dasatinib remains registered for the treatment of CML, following intolerance or resistance to imatinib or other first-line therapies for CML and Ph-positive ALL.
8.3 Nilotinib
Nilotinib is also a second-generation TKI that inhibits the BCR-ABL TK more potently and selectively than imatinib.6,19,20 Nilotinib was approved by the FDA and the Medicines Control Council (MCC) for treating imatinib-intolerant and resistant patients with CML in CP and AP (but not for BP or Ph-positive ALL). In a phase II open-label study evaluating 280 CP-CML patients who had imatinib resistance or intolerance, MCyR and CCyR rates of 48% and 31%, respectively, were achieved.21 Responses were found to be durable with long-term follow-up without the development of additional safety issues.22 Nilotinib was studied in first-line therapy in a phase III study, the Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials - Newly Diagnosed Patients (ENESTnd) study, which compared the efficacy and safety of nilotinib (at a dose of either 300 mg or 400 mg twice daily) with that of imatinib (400 mg per day) in patients with newly diagnosed CP-CML.23 The rates of CCyR by 12 months were significantly higher for nilotinib, namely 80% and 78% in the nilotinib 300 mg twice daily and 400 mg twice daily arms versus 65% in the imatinib 400 mg arm (p<0.001). A significant improvement in the time to progression to AP or blast crisis was seen in the nilotinib arms.23 In South Africa nilotinib is registered as second-line therapy for CML, following intolerance or resistance to imatinib.
9. Management of CML
This should be done by a trained clinical haematologist or oncologist with experience in the management of patients with CML. Fig. 1 outlines the initial treatment of all three phases of CML.
9.1 Monitoring response in patients on imatinib
Monitoring of response to TKI therapy is very important (Fig. 2). Reaching specific goals within a given time has direct bearing on patient outcome. The aim is to get the patient to CCyR within 18 months. Table III provides definitions of response and Table IV the criteria against which response is monitored. We believe that one of the most important ways of ensuring that a patient reaches CCyR is by monitoring and acting early when action is required. Failure to do so may jeopardise a patient's chance of having a long-term response. On the basis of the degree of haematological response (HR), cytogenetic response (CyR), and molecular response (MR), and the time when these responses are achieved, the overall response to imatinib can be defined as optimal, suboptimal and failure.
9.2 Managing common side-effects of imatinib
Imatinib is generally well tolerated and has a favourable safety profile with an overall low incidence of severe adverse events in newly diagnosed CP-CML patients. The general management of common side-effects are outlined in Table V.
10. Pregnancy and breastfeeding
For the management of patients who are pregnant, want to fall pregnant or are breastfeeding, see Table VI.
11. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and CML
The occurrence of CML in association with HIV infection is likely to be coincidental rather than causal. Globally this association is rarely described.24 However, in South Africa, in the era of the HIV pandemic, it is being observed more frequently (M Patel, et al. - unpublished data).
CML in association with HIV presents with atypical and aggressive disease.24 Both CML and HIV may cause myelosuppression and immunosuppression. Despite this, both chemotherapy/TKIs and combination antiretrovirals (cARVs) have been used safely and effectively. cARVs should be commenced in all patients with HIV-CML, irrespective of the CD4 count (as the CD4 count is usually elevated, mirroring the high white cell count and therefore not a reliable indicator of the stage of HIV in CML).
Drug interactions between cARVs and TKIs such as imatinib may require adjustment of treatment. Imatinib is mainly metabolised by the cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4) iso-enzyme, and concurrent administration of antiretroviral and antimicrobial drugs that induce or inhibit CYP3A4 may lead to drug-drug interactions.
In individuals who harbour both diseases, concurrent treatment with the TKIs (imatinib) and cARVs can result in appropriate control of the CML and HIV infection and long-term survival.
12. Role of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in CML
Since the introduction of imatinib in CP-CML, allogeneic stem cell transplantation is no longer considered as first-line treatment. Table VII lists indications for allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
13. Summary and conclusions
CML is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterised by a chromosomal translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 12 resulting in the formation of the BCR-ABL fusion gene. This gene codes for a novel 210 kD TK leading to myeloid cell overproliferation, as well as genetic instability that forms the basis of resistance to treatment and progression to accelerated and blastic phases. The management of CML was revolutionised with the advent of imatinib, a small-molecule BCR-ABL TKI, approved in South Africa in 2002, which results in a MCyR in nearly 90% of patients and a CCyR in over 70%.3 After 7 years of follow-up of the landmark IRIS trial, CCyR has been maintained in 75% of patients with estimated EFS, OS and CML OS (the survival rate looking only at patients who died of CML) rates of 81%, 86% and 93%, respectively.
Unfortunately, up to 25% of patients fail to achieve a MMR by 18 months, and a further 20% lose their responses, primarily owing to resistance to imatinib. Nilotinib, an imatinib analogue, and dasatinib, an Src and Abl TKI, overcome imatinib resistance in most patients, except those with T315I mutations. Dasatinib has also been approved for patients in blast crisis. Nilotinib and dasatinib also show better molecular responses than imatinib in newly diagnosed patients, but this indication has not been approved in South Africa. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation plays a role in patients in subsequent CP after a blast crisis and with T315I mutations, although novel agents such as ponatinib may overcome resistance in these otherwise TKI-resistant patients.
Acknowledgement. The authors thank Dr Daleen Struwig for editorial assistance with the preparation and submission of this manuscript
Conflict of interest. The authors are all members of the Novartis Oncology Advisory Board, which received funding from Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Individual members also received honoraria and grants from the company. Other relevant conflicts of interest are tabulated below.
1. Baccarani M, Saglio G, Goldman J, et al. Evolving concepts in the management of chronic myeloid leukemia: recommendations from an expert panel on behalf of the European LeukemiaNet. Blood 2006;108:1809-1820. [ Links ]
2. Kantarjian HM, Talpaz M, O'Brien S, et al. Survival benefit with imatinib mesylate versus interferon-alpha-based regimens in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia. Blood 2006;108:1835-1840. [ Links ]
3. O'Brien SG, Guilhot F, Larson RA, et al. Imatinib compared with interferon and low-dose cytarabine for newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med 2003;348:994-1004. [ Links ]
4. Deininger M, O'Brien SG, Guilhot F, et al. International Randomized Study of Interferon Vs STI571 (IRIS) 8-year follow up: Sustained survival and low risk for progression or events in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) treated with imatinib. American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting 2009. http://abstracts.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/22/1126?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=deininger&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=114&issue=22&resourcetype=HWCIT (accessed 13 September 2011).
5. Druker BJ, Guilhot F, O'Brien SG, et al. Five-year follow-up of patients receiving imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med 2006;355:2408-2417. [ Links ]
6. Baccarani M, Cortes J, Pane F, et al. Chronic myeloid leukemia: an update of concepts and management recommendations of European LeukemiaNet. J Clin Oncol 2009;27:6041-6051. [ Links ]
7. Apperley JF. Part I: mechanisms of resistance to imatinib in chronic myeloid leukaemia. Lancet Oncol 2007;8:1018-1029. [ Links ]
8. Apperley JF. Part II: management of resistance to imatinib in chronic myeloid leukaemia. Lancet Oncol 2007;8:1116-1128. [ Links ]
9. Shah NP, Tran C, Lee FY, Chen P, Norris D, Sawyers CL. Overriding imatinib resistance with a novel ABL kinase inhibitor. Science 2004;305:399-401. [ Links ]
10. O'Hare T, Walters DK, Stoffregen EP, et al. In vitro activity of Bcr-Abl inhibitors AMN107 and BMS-354825 against clinically relevant imatinib-resistant Abl kinase domain mutants. Cancer Res 2005;65:4500-4505. [ Links ]
11. Cortes J, Rousselot P, Kim DW, et al. Dasatinib induces complete hematologic and cytogenetic responses in patients with imatinib-resistant or -intolerant chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis. Blood 2007;109:3207-3213. [ Links ]
12. Guilhot F, Apperley J, Kim DW, et al. Dasatinib induces significant hematologic and cytogenetic responses in patients with imatinib-resistant or -intolerant chronic myeloid leukemia in accelerated phase. Blood 2007;109:4143-4150. [ Links ]
13. Hochhaus A, Kantarjian HM, Baccarani M, et al. Dasatinib induces notable hematologic and cytogenetic responses in chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia after failure of imatinib therapy. Blood 2007;109:2303-2309. [ Links ]
14. Ottmann O, Dombret H, Martinelli G, et al. Dasatinib induces rapid hematologic and cytogenetic responses in adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia with resistance or intolerance to imatinib: interim results of a phase 2 study. Blood 2007;110:2309-2315. [ Links ]
15. Kantarjian H, Pasquini R, Levy V, et al. Dasatinib or high-dose imatinib for chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia resistant to imatinib at a dose of 400 to 600 milligrams daily: two-year follow-up of a randomized phase 2 study (START-R). Cancer 2009;115:4136-4147. [ Links ]
16. Shah NP, Kantarjian HM, Kim DW, et al. Intermittent target inhibition with dasatinib 100 mg once daily preserves efficacy and improves tolerability in imatinib-resistant and -intolerant chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia. J Clin Oncol 2008;26:3204-3212. [ Links ]
17. Kantarjian H, Cortes J, Kim DW, et al. Phase 3 study of dasatinib 140 mg once daily versus 70 mg twice daily in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in accelerated phase resistant or intolerant to imatinib: 15-month median follow-up. Blood 2009;113:6322-6329. [ Links ]
18. Kantarjian H, Shah NP, Hochhaus A, et al. Dasatinib versus imatinib in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med 2010;362:2260-2270. [ Links ]
19. Kantarjian H, Giles F, Wunderle L, et al. Nilotinib in imatinib-resistant CML and Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL. N Engl J Med 2006;354:2542-2551. [ Links ]
20. Jabbour E, Cortes J, Kantarjian H. Novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic myelogenous leukemia. Curr Opin Oncol 2006;18:578-583. [ Links ]
21. Kantarjian HM, Giles F, Gattermann N, et al. Nilotinib (formerly AMN107), a highly selective BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is effective in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase following imatinib resistance and intolerance. Blood 2007;110:3540-3546. [ Links ]
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24. Tsimberidou A-M, Medina J, Cortes J, et al. Chronic myeloid leukemia in a patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome: complete cytogenetic response with imatinib mesylate: report of a case and review of the literature. Leuk Res 2004;28:657-660. [ Links ]
Accepted 17 August 2011.
Corresponding author: V J Louw (firstname.lastname@example.com)


text:
600 GSM Washcloths by Utopia Towels (12 X 12 Inches / Dark Brown)
- Color: Dark Brown
- Dimension: 12 X12 Inches
- Material: Cotton
- Fabric Type: 100% Ringspun Cotton
- Gram Weight: 600 GSM
- Feature: Extra Soft, Versatile, Absorbent, Fluffy, Lightweight, Quick Drying, Machine Washable
- Quantity: 288 Pieces Per Carton
- Usage: Perfect for Use in Bathrooms, Commercial Kitchens, Gym, Spas, Offices, Salon and Home Chores
- Origin: Pakistan
- Delivery: Within 4-5 working days (Use Estimate Shipping for accurate shipping charges and time)
How refreshing it feels to wipe off your hands and face with a soft, absorbent, fluffy wash cloths after treating yourself with manicure, pedicure or a facial! Made of 100% cotton fabric, these wash cloths possess breathable characteristics which make them perfect for your hands and body.
Being terry in nature, theses weaves are the most absorbent of all kind with loops on both sides that create extra surface area for completely drying off your hands and body.
Pamper yourself with the 100% cotton wash cloths that is made from soft and durable ring spun terry. Each wash cloth provides optimal coverage, absorbency, and versatility. Use on the beach or poolside as a vacation accessory, or treat yourself to spa quality wash cloths at home. Generously sized 12 x 12 inches wash cloth is extra absorbent and practical for quick drying, ample coverage, or comfortable lounging. Professionally hemmed edges are carefully crafted to enhance wash cloth's quality and durability. Wash cloths are highly absorbent and will remain soft after multiple wash and dry cycles.
The towels come with double stitched hemmed finishing for less amount of disintegration after washing. The towels are made with combed cotton and 2 ply yarn.
Proper washing and drying. Follow the instructions below while washing your towels:
- Before you start using your towels, it is advised to wash them to remove the excessive lint that is left over during the manufacturing process. In order to decrease the risk of color bleeding use half the amount of detergent that you would normally use along with ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar (about 120-240 mL).
- Wash towels separately from all other items of clothing as it will decrease the transfer of towel lint to other clothing.
- Use warm water to wash towels in order to avoid color bleeding.
- Always use a mild detergent when washing towels. You can use an ordinary amount of detergent on towels that are heavily soiled.
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Before drying your towels, toss them lightly to make sure that the fibres on the surface of the towels stay fluffy. After that, follow the instructions below to dry your towels:
- If you are using a dryer, use the high heat setting. Be careful though, you should not over-dry the towels. You should remove the towels from the dryer when they are 95% to 97% percent dry.
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|Utopia Towels
|Pieces Per Pack
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|Carton Dimensions
|21 x 14 x 21 inches
|Carton Weight
|33.984 pounds


text:
Target Corp. is offering its 10 percent employee discount to shoppers this weekend following a massive breach of its customers' credit and debit card information.
Meanwhile, investigators believe that overseas hackers were responsible for the cyberattack that compromised up to 40 million payment cards during the first three weeks of the holiday shopping season, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
"Our guests' trust is our top priority at Target and we are committed to making this right," Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a statement on Target's website Friday.
The cyberattack "was a crime against Target, our team members, and most importantly, our guests," Steinhafel said. "We're in this together, and in that spirit, we are extending a 10 percent discount — the same amount our team members receive — to guests who shop in U.S. stores on Dec. 21 and 22. Again, we recognize this issue has been confusing and disruptive during an already busy holiday season. We want to emphasize that the issue has been addressed and let guests know they can shop with confidence at their local Target stores."
The offer is limited to one in-store transaction per guest. Target has also pledged free credit monitoring for affected customers.
Government investigators don't believe the overseas hackers had inside help, according to Reuters' source, who was not authorized to talk publicly about the matter.
The source declined to say how the hackers got in or where investigators believe they are based, saying investigators don't want to show their hand to the criminals or afford them a chance to destroy evidence.
As the investigation continued, the blogger who first broke news of the breach, Brian Krebs, reported that data stolen from Target had begun flooding underground markets that sell stolen credit cards.
KrebsOnSecurity.com reported Friday that cards stolen from Target were being offered at "card shops" for rates starting at $20 each and going to more than $100.
A Secret Service spokesman declined comment on the investigation, which the agency is running.
The retailer reported the breach Thursday, a day after Krebs broke news of the attack. Target has declined to say how its systems were compromised and has provided few other details about the case.
Spokeswoman Molly Snyder released a written statement on Friday that downplayed the initial impact from the incident.
"To date, we are hearing very few reports of actual fraud, but are closely monitoring the situation," she said.
She said the stolen information was limited to data stored on the magnetic strip.
The hackers did not obtain PIN numbers used to access ATMs or the three or four-digit security codes that are printed on cards to verify online purchases, Snyder said.
She said Target has provided exposed card numbers to Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. Those companies are in turn providing the information to the financial institutions that issue them.
NBC News business writer Margaret Santjer and Reuters' Mark Hosenball, Dhanya Skariachan and Jim Finkle contributed to this report.


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Page d'info Breeding weights (fixed!)
- 7 juil. 2019
This part was made for people who want to use an incubator and wish to tune it according to the weight of the eggs inside. ...Read more
This part was made for people who want to use an incubator and wish to tune it according to the weight of the eggs inside. ...Read more
Little is known about the movements of Australian birds. Information is particularly scarce on large, aquatic birds, which are usually difficult to access and handle. Their movements are also often complex, and therefore difficult to identify. Here we present data on the local and long distance movements of the Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca, a highly mobile bird, which as many other waterbirds, continues to decline in its traditional ranges in inland Australia. At the same time it has invaded coastal urban environments, where its high abundances cause many problems and require management. Our analysis of past and present banding studies reveals that Australian White Ibis travel throughout the urban environment and visit landfills, where they forage in large numbers. They also conduct long distance movements, which lead birds from breeding sites in south-eastern Australia along the eastern coast to regions further north (Queensland and Papua New Guinea). Young birds return to their hatching site, when sexually mature. Their preferences for landfills, high mobility, complex movements and current decline in inland Australia need to be considered, when developing and implementing management strategies for Australian White Ibis and ecologically similar birds. ...Read more
In earlier newsletters we looked at the different mechanisms involved in avian colouration, including various values, important concentrations, etc. The question remains: how to I customize this? There is no aviary that has a biotope so diverse that the birds can decide what to eat in order to fulfill all of their dietary needs ...Read more
The ibises whose name starts with threskiornis all look alike. Except the straw-necked ibis (T. spinicollis) whose dark, shiny feathers clearly distinguishes itself. We have been looking up all characteristics of the species before, the most striking ones are shown elsewhere on the site. ...Read more
Female birds can select a male partner on a large number of manners to pair. Thus they choose for example males with striking decorations, such as violent coloured and extended feathers. By choosing that splendid males, they are sure the descendants will be born healthy and vital. Because how better the males in condition is, how better their decorative expressive reach, therefore how better their genen. ...Read more
Wild birds are not administered artificial products. They still have a beautiful red colour. In the four studies that have taken place in the wild, it appears that the birds perfect their colours from crustaceans, insects and fish. Of course it is impossible for us to feed it every day. However, keep in mind that the daily feed what we provide to our many birds also contains carotenes: Maize, linseed, fish (flour), shrimp (flour), spirulinae, ...Read more
In Part 1 we learned that carotenes are responsible for the reddening of our birds. That is the reason why we carotenes, in the form of canthaxantine, extra to administer the diet of our birds. What is now the ideal dose to deal with the birds? Nobody knows what the perfect dose is, so we look at what dose zoos feed their animals. Finally, we compare this with the maximum dose that people may have. ...Read more
Reddening in some of our birds, it is currently a hotly debated topic with many aviculturists of ibises, flamingos, spoonbills and pelicans. On Ibisday 2007, we have already dealt with this topic extensively. We want to give you, on the basis of a number of articles, more information on this subject, in this way we give you the opportunity to become a critical judge on the usefulness of administering colours and the role they play. ...Read more
From the inventory you send us each year, we learn a lot. It gives us a lot of work, but it is the only way to see how populations evolve. We noticed that the American White ibis was going backwards, mainly due to export and being not as popular as other species. Therefore we decided to take action. ...Read more
Ibisring has the honour to publish the thesis and publications of Dr. Khem Chand Soni. He has studied the population, foraging, roosting and breeding activities of the Oriental black ibis inhabiting the arid zone of Rajasthan (India). ...Read more
There is a new fashion in the way birds are kept. Even in private collections you can find increasing numbers of great aviaries, even within this small world of aviculture. How to make such an aviary is another issue, and what can be kept in such, is what we are going to talk about. ...Read more
About 10 years ago we saw in zoo's some buff colored ibises. Usually a single bird in a mixed collection. Only a few had a pair of them. As there were few breeding results, no one had a bird to sell. Everybody was waiting to get an extra bird. ...Read more
Example growth weights of three Scarlet ibises. ...Read more
Example growth weights of three Blackfaced ibises. ...Read more
An overview of the breeding times of ibises and spoonbills. ...Read more
Drought induced nepotistic behaviour in the Indian Black ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) inhabiting the arid zone of Rajasthan has been studied. The aim of the present study is to know about any breeding abnormalities induced in the Indian Black ibis by seasonal tragedy like drought. ...Read more
There are two species of bald ibis in the genus Geronticus. Northern bald ibis, also called Waldrapp or Eremite (Geronticus eremita) and Southern Bald Ibis, also called Cape Ibis (Geronticus calvus). Much information has already been discussed on Waldrapp ibis during our ibisday in Paradisio, along with the project to release them in Austria. ...Read more
If we have the idea to keep ibises in a protected environment, we want to make this place as comfortable possible for our birds. Think of it as a nice hotel room, suited for a long and carefree holyday. As a good host you want the best for your guest, don't you? ...Read more
This article shows the differences between the Sacred ibis, the Indian white ibis and the Australian white ibis. ...Read more
Overview of the translated names of ibises and spoonbills. ...Read more
Overview of the CITES status of ibises and spoonbills. ...Read more
Una de las creaciones más maravillosas de la naturaleza es la inmensa variedad de colores y diseños presentes en el plumaje de las aves. Este despliegue de color debe su existencia a pequeñas moléculas coloreadas, los carotenoides, que al ingresar al organismo con el alimento sufren una gama de transformaciones biológicas, para luego ser almacenados en las plumas. ...Read more
These ring sizes are only a guideline. The exact size is the responsibility of the owner. ...Read more