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Our colleagues at SophosLabs pointed us at a interesting item of malware the other day, namely a data-stealing Trojan aimed at Mac users.
In fact, it was somewhat more than that: it was one of those "undelivered courier item" emails linking to a dodgy web server that guessed whether you were running Windows or OS X, and targeted you accordingly.
You're probably familiar with "undelivered item" scams.
The idea is surprisingly simple: you receive an email that claims to be a courier company that is having trouble delivering your article.
In the email is a link to, or an attachment containing, what purports to be a tracking note for the item.
You are invited to review the relevant document and respond so that delivery can be completed.
We've seen a wide variety of courier brands "borrowed" for this purpose, including DHL, the UK's Royal Mail and even, in one bewildering case, a made-up courier company called TNS24, with its very own website, featuring its very own amusingly ill-Photoshopped planes, ships and automobiles.
But a competently-executed courier scam can be fairly convincing, especially if the criminals behind it know enough about you to create what becomes a targeted attack.
Even a modest amount of detail (if that is not an oxymoron) can do the trick.
For example, the crooks will sound a lot more believable if they know your address and phone number; are aware of what you do in your job; and have a general idea about some of the projects you are working on right now.
Of course, if you open the attachment or click on the link in one of these scams, you are immediately put into harm's way: the attachment might try to trigger an exploit in your unpatched copy of Word, for instance, or the link might attack an unpatched Java plugin in your browser.
Here's what the emails looked like in this attack, with some details changed or redacted for safety:
We wish to inform you that we have a pending parcel for the past 10 days bearing your name Mr. Jonathan Sidebottom,with parcel number (MV-45-QA566). The parcel was sent for delivery on the below mentioned address but nobody was there to receive it. Your parcel content has a set of engineering documents, which was discovered during our security checks of parcels brought into our head office. So, we are sending you a scanned copy of that parcel. Give your positive response, if it belongs to you.
If you are a native speaker of English, you will notice that the wording of the email is clumsy and unidiomatic, and if you were to receive a message like this you might well be suspicious on those grounds alone.
But if Mr Sidebottom really is in the engineering business, and regularly deals with inbound documents from courier companies around the world, an email of this sort could easily pass muster.
The link, of course, doesn't really lead to fedex.com.ch, but instead takes you to a domain name that is controlled by the attackers.
If you are on a mobile device, the server delivers an error message.
If you are using a desktop browser that isn't Safari, you receive a ZIP file containing a Windows program detected by Sophos Anti-Virus as Mal/VBCheMan-C, a vague relative of the Zbot or Zeus malware.
But if you are using Safari, you receive Mac malware, delivered as an Application bundle packaged inside a ZIP file.
By default, on OS X 10.9.1 (the latest update to Mavericks, Apple's most recent operating system version), Safari directly downloads the file, showing you an empty Safari window with the icon of the downloaded file in the Dock at the bottom of the screen:
Clicking on the download button shows you what looks like a PDF file:
There is no PDF file, as a visit to the Terminal windows quickly reveals.
Safari has automatically unzipped the download, producing an Application bundle (actually just a subdirectory tree with a special structure) that has deliberately been given a PDF icon:
As you can imagine, the temptation is to click on what looks like a PDF file to see what it contains.
OS X does try to advise you that you aren't opening a document, although you can argue that the warning would be more compelling if it explicitly said that you were about to "run a software program", rather than merely to "open" the file:
Note that you don't get a warning about the App being from an "unknown developer" because it is digitally signed, something that happens surprisingly often with modern malware.
→ The quantity of digitally-signed malware in circulation prompted Microsoft, which sees a lot more malware than Apple, to publish a recent blog post with the uncompromising title "Be a real security pro – Keep your private keys private." In that article, Microsoft documents a malware family it calls "Winwebsec" of which it has more than 15,000 digitally-signed samples, signed with 12 different stolen keys.
If you do click the [Open] button, nothing seems to happen: you end up back at the desktop with your email software open and an empty Safari window in front of it.
But a trip back to the Terminal shows that what looked like a PDF file is now running in the background as a process named foung:
As it happens, foung, like its counterpart delivered to Windows computers, is a bot, short for "robot malware", detected by Sophos Anti-Virus as OSX/LaoShu-A.
LaoShu-A as good as hands control of your Mac over to the attackers, but its primary functions appear to be more closely associated with data stealing than with co-opting you into a traditional money-making botnet.
(You will often hear the term RAT, or Remote Access Trojan, rather than the more common term bot, used to describe this sort of malware.)
In other words, the attackers seem more concerned with digging around on your computer for what they can steal than with abusing your computer and your internet connection to aid and abet other cybercriminal activities.
Amongst other things, LaoShu-A contains code to:
- Search for files with extensions such as DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT and PPTX.
- ZIP those files.
- Upload (exfiltrate) them to a server operated by the attackers.
However, this RAT also knows how to:
- Download new files.
- Run arbitrary shell commands.
For example, during our tests, LaoShu-A downloaded a second application that took a screenshot with OS X's built-in screencapture command, and tried to exfiltrate the image it had just grabbed.
But the behaviour of that second application can be varied by the attackers at any time, which is why, in our recent podcast, Understanding botnets, SophosLabs expert James Wyke warned as follows:
Without analysing the full network capture of the entire interchange between a bot and the person controlling it, you can't say for sure exactly what that bot might have done... [it] might go and download some completely different piece of malware which carries out a completely different set of functionality.
James went on to recommend:
Be more suspicious of things you get in e-mail. E-mail is still one of the most common ways people get infected, and it is predominantly through social engineering attacks... So when you receive an e-mail from someone you've never heard of before, or you've never communicated with before, and there's some interesting attachment to the e-mail or [a link to click], ...don't do that! That's one of the that most common ways people get infected.
(Audio player not working? Listen on Soundcloud.)
Let's hope this malware reminds OS X users of a few simple truths that some Mac fans still seem willing to ignore:
- Mac malware is unusual, but not impossible.
- Data thieves are interested in what Mac users have on their computers.
- Malware writers can often get their hands on digital certificates to give software to give it a veneer of respectability and to bypass operating system warnings.
- Mac malware doesn't have to ask for a password before running.
- Mac malware can run directly from a download without an installation step.
- Bots and RATs are particularly pernicious because they can update and adapt their behaviour after you are infected.
As always, prevention is better than cure.
And that "undelivered courier item" almost certainly doesn't exist.
Free: Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition
Sophos for Mac stops threats for Windows and Mac alike, protecting you and those you share files with.
Choose from blocking viruses in real time (on-access protection), scanning at scheduled times, or running a check whenever you want.
Free download, no registration required, no expiry date.
Image of forklift courtesy of Shutterstock.


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Five things of note for the week ending Friday March 23rd, 2012
1. Obama using sign language
I've taken sign language lessons in the past and, as much as the simple (yet purposeful) sign for 'thank you' isn't actually that hard, the fact the President of the United States was able to respond in such a way is pretty damn ace. Stephon, the chap that Obama was responding to, was understandably over the moon about it – as you'd hope you would be at such a fantastic moment.
Obviously it was reported on, and you could say 'Yeah? And?', but the point is knowing a different language – including something like Sign – can turn out to be useful at the most random of moments. I spent some time learning sign in my late teens (what I remember is basic, at best) but I'll never forget, perhaps a week or so after my course finished and while working away at my local fast food joint (it was a college job!) being able to offer a deaf customer the option of signing his order to me. That understanding, that moment of surprise and delight was magical! 'Wait, you know Sign?'Â he signed to me. 'A little' I signed back, smiling.
This item goes in because it reminds me of that day.
And it makes me want to learn Sign again.
2. Where Good Ideas Come From
I've been reading the above book for a little while now (it's not a huge read, but I have a tendency to read three books at once) and the current section – on the strength and important of platforms when it comes to innovation – has led to one awesome discovery and one equally awesome reminder.
First: the invention of GPS –
"…inspiration for GPS came when the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite,Sputnik in 1957. Two American physicists, William Guier and George Weiffenbach, at Johns Hopkins's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), decided on their own to monitor Sputnik's radio transmissions. Within hours they realized that, because of the Doppler effect, they could pinpoint where the satellite was along its orbit from the Doppler shift. The Director of the APL gave them access to their UNIVAC to do the heavy calculations required.
When they released the orbit of Sputnik to the media, the Russians were dumbfounded to learn how powerful American computers had become, as they would not have been able to calculate the orbit themselves. The following spring, Frank McClure, the deputy director of the APL, asked Guier and Weiffenbach to look at the inverse problem where you know the location of the satellite and you want to find your own location. (The Navy was developing the submarine-launched Polaris missile, which required them to know the submarine's location.) This led them and APL to develop the Transit system."
Er, so two young physicists wondered if they could spot the tell-tale radio signal of the Sputnik satellite – from their office – back in 1957 and now, 55 years later, that exact same thinking is powering urban games, geo-tagging photos and generally baked into every single modern smartphone in the world. Amazing.
Secondly: the reminder of Delaware Subway Coral –
I can remember reading about this when it happened, but the book touches upon it and it made me go and seek out the pictures again. It's a great idea; use the hundreds upon hundreds of retired New York subway cars to help build a new marine ecosystem off the coast of Delaware – and it's working.
Also – read this damn book.
3. The Nova Festival
With summer just around the corner the UK festival scene is preparing its sunglasses and its wellies for a season of muddy music-based merriment however, this year, two of my favourite haunts are taking a year off – there will be no Big Chill or Glastonbury in 2012.
So what to do?
Well, I've already booked myself a ticket for the Isle of Wight festival with some friends of mine and, given that I've never really done two festivals in one season before, I'm giving serious consideration to attending the Nova Festival too. Setup by two of the original producers of the Big Chill, it looks like it might be the soothing and dare I say it chilled way to spend a long weekend in July. Maybe. We'll see…
4. Knowing when to unplug
This thought came back to me this past week. Being on your laptop / iPad / mobile phone from the moment you open your eyes to the moment you close them again is no way to live a life. Keep that thought clear, unplug every now and then and go out and enjoy the sunshine.
Went to the premiere, which was pretty damn cool. I think this is a bit late mind (yes, it is – this was back on March 14th – I just forgot to write it up). I don't feel like I gave the film a fair chance though to be honest. Because it was a premiere, once you've been ushered in you have to wait for all the stars to finish signing autographs etc before they start the film. Which meant we had to wait an hour after we'd taken our seats before anything got under way.
I haven't read the books (bad Whatley), I didn't think the film was 'ZOMG!! LIKE BEST MOVIE EVA!!' nor did I think it was particular rubbish. It was.. all right. Not brilliant, not bad, just OK. It probably deserves a second viewing.
And I should really read the books too.
Bonuses – another Prometheus trailer (I'm more excited about this than I think DKR or Avengers); a kitten playing with a super patient St. Bernard; Baboons that steal puppies then train them as guard dogs (for realsies); and a company called Calera seems to be doing things that completely blow my mind.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Pamela Geller Interview
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It has been great to see my friend Pamela Geller from Atlas Shrugs starting to gain more national prominence. She's a got a new book out, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America, she's been the point person on the Ground Zero Mosque right from the get-go, and she's even made enough of a splash to merit a New York Times hit piece.
I've known Pamela for a long while. Back in 2008, we had lunch together in New York (along with my pal Karol) and we paid a little visit to the UN's Knotted Gun Disarmament Sculpture.
If you're wondering what Pamela is like in private, she's exactly like she is in public. She's extremely passionate about what she believes, she's genuinely concerned about the world her daughters are going to grow up in, and she's perfectly willing to be vilified, smeared, and demonized to prevent the spread of radical Islam in the United States. Pamela isn't perfect (no one is), but I can tell you that she's a decent person, her heart is in the right place, and she knows what she's talking about. This would be a better country if a lot more people were paying attention to what she's saying.
What follows is the slightly edited transcript of the conversation that I had with Pamela earlier this week. Enjoy!
Pamela, question number one. I give the credit to you more than to any other person for helping to focus attention on the Ground Zero mosque story. Now we hear the case for the mosque incessantly in the news. Give us the short version, in 30 to 60 seconds, for why you think people should oppose the mosque.
I think people should oppose the mosque because it is grossly insensitive, deeply offensive and deliberately provocative. To build a 15 story mega mosque in a building that was destroyed in the attacks by a piece of the plane — the landing gear that crashed through the building….
We know that it is an Islamic pattern to build triumphal mosques on the cherished sites of conquered lands. And even though the Japanese could build a Shinto shrine at Pearl Harbor, they never asked because it would be a deeply offensive and insensitive thing to do.
We're constantly being counseled about this hypersensitivity in the Muslim world. People are killed, slaughtered, embassies are burned — but, don't run the Danish cartoons. Don't run that little "Where's Muhammad?" cartoon. This is just this past week. Do not show disdain for Islam. Do not insult Islam. But here you have 70 percent of the American people asking, pleading to the humanity of Rauf and Daisy Kahn and it is callously dismissed, which I find radically intolerant.
Let's say a Muslim came up to you and said, "Pamela I'm against terrorism. I don't want Sharia in this country. I don't want to see Israel destroyed. I consider myself to be a moderate. But, I keep hearing people in the news claim you hate people like me. So I want to hear it straight from you. Is that true?" What would you tell that person?
"I love people like you and I hope that you and I will fight together this oppression, this gender apartheid," and if this moderate knows anything about me, he or she knows that I fight for the moderates. I fight for people that are leaving Islam. I've created a gateway, a network of information, safe houses, and other people, other resources for Muslims in trouble to go to because it is so hush-hush. I do not hate people. It's why I do what I do.
I do have a problem with the ideology that inspires Jihad. I do have a problem with gender apartheid and the oppression of women. I do have a problem with hatred of infidels and the non-Muslims. And we have seen in the 20,000 attacks since 9-11, Islamic attacks across the world, each one with the imprimatur of a Muslim cleric, that there is a problem with the ideology that inspires Jihad and all men and women that love freedom must fight it.
Every time I read a story about you these days, I seem to see a quote from Charles Johnson in it. I know a lot of people are still scratching their heads wondering what happened to him. Here's a guy that used to run one of the best loved, most read blogs on the planet. Then he started attacking you, started attacking other conservatives, moved way over to the left and the traffic on his blog imploded. Talk a little bit about that and what happened to Charles Johnson.
I'm not equipped. Psychiatry is out of my field.
It's one thing to evolve in your thinking. It's another thing to become the reviled enemy of that which defines you. His sole purpose is to destroy people. I can't relate to it. I don't understand it. We can all sit here and scratch our heads and say, "Is he an operative? Is he being paid or what happened?" Who cares? He's a destructive force.
Of course, the left will quote him even though I have absolutely nothing to do with him. I (don't) read his site. I don't know what he's talking about. The enemy is, the last time I looked, it was creationism. I don't see people being burned alive and slaughtered over Adam and Eve. So to me, there's really nothing to talk about with him.
He adds nothing to the dialogue. He adds nothing to the discourse. He seeks solely to destroy the most effective voices on the Right. So to me, he's lower than even a Kos and I don't think the left trusts him either because he's such a traitor. To say that he's abandoned his principles is actually giving him too much credit. He now reviles the thing that he once was. You explain it.
I'm not a big fan of Wikipedia, but they had a great quote from you I wanted to ask you about. I'm quoting now from you,
It galls me that the Jews I fight for are self-destructive, suicidal even. Here in America (and the world over), Israel's real friends are in the Republican Party and yet over 80% of American Jews are Democrats. I don't get it. The conventional wisdom on the Left is that Israel is an oppressor and her actions are worse than the world's most depraved and dangerous regimes. Chomsky, Finkelstein, Soros—these men are the killers.
Talk about that.
Well, let's talk about Wikipedia. First of all, it is run by a leftist/Islamic group of editors. You cannot edit my page. It does not speak to my work. I just wanted that noted for the record. People have written to me and said, "I've tried to change a page and add things and it disappears within seconds." What is it, monitored 24/7? That's really pathetic.
To my quote, absolutely. What we have in the liberal Jewish mind is not a religion. A religion has nothing to do with it. It's purely political. They worship at the church of human secularism. Their dogma is leftist, their dogma is liberal, and frankly they are part of the problem.
My coalition are freedom loving peoples — Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians — anyone that fights the individual rights and basic unalienable freedoms. So, yes, I think that the Chomskys and the Finkelsteins are worse than our middle of the road enemies because they wear the mask of, "I am Jewish." They are the enemies of their own people and they deserve to be relegated to the very fringes of society. But they're not because the Left and the Islamic supremacists use them as fronts.
Last question: Your new book is called The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America. The product description of the book includes this line.
"He envisions himself as more than just a president of the United States, but as a shaper of the new world order and internationalist energetically laying the groundwork for global government, the president of the world."
Is Barack Obama a man who wants what's best for America or do you believe he's looking to deliberately weaken this country for his own reasons?
Barack Obama is not only presiding over the decline of America, but he's aiding and abetting it. I have researched Obama since late 2007 and nothing he's doing is a surprise. He's an internationalist and he holds American exceptionalism in contempt. When asked in Europe if he believed in American exceptionalism, he basically said yes, as much as the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and Greek exceptionalism and so forth, which means no one is exceptional.
The reason why this is so critical to his basic thinking is because you have to understand that America's founding principle, everything noble and great and magnificent that she achieved, was based on individual rights and that's what American exceptionalism is, individual exceptionalism.
He would like to see us as just one of many socialist nations. It's deeply troubling but it's reflected in all of his policies, both domestic and international.
OK Pamela, outstanding job.
Thank you so much.
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text: Giorgio Carpinteri made his debut in Il Mago in 1978. Subsequently, he contributed to Pinguino and Nemo, and eventually to Frigidaire and Linus with a series of short stories collected in the book 'Flirt', published by Primo Carnera in 1984. During the following years, Carpinteri made comics and illustrations for many publications, manifests and advertising campaigns. He also cooperated with the RAI broadcasting company on various projects. Carpinteri was part of the so-called Valvoline group, a group of experimental comic artists, that followed in the footsteps of José Muñoz, Joost Swarte and Art Spiegelman. Other members of the group were Igort, Kramsky and Mattotti.


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Compound in Apples Inhibits E. coli O157:H7
A compound that is abundant in apples and strawberries inhibits the highly pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 biofilms while sparing a beneficial strain of E. coli that also forms biofilms in the human gut, according to a paper in the December 2011 issue of the journal Infection and Immunology.
Transcriptome analysis revealed that the compound, called phloretin, suppresses toxin and other genes involved in O157:H7 pathology and biofilm formation. And in a rat model of colitis, phloretin, reduced colon inflammation and body weight loss. "Phloretin has a triple biological activity as an antioxidant compound, a biofilm inhibitor, and an anti-inflammatory agent," says corresponding author Jintae Lee of Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Korea.
E. coli O157:H7 causes hemorrhages in the intestine. To date, no effective therapy for O157:H7 biofilms has been found. Biofilms generally are notoriously resistant to antimicrobial therapy. So in the study, Lee screened a dozen flavonoids, including phloretin, for their ability to inhibit these biofilms. "We found that phloretin markedly reduced E. coli O157:H7 biofilm formation on abiotic surface and human colon epithelial cells, while phloretin did not harm commensal E. coli K-12 biofilms," says Lee. Commensal E. coli can actually fortify the human immune system, he says.
In addition to its anti- E. coli O157:H7 biofilm activity, phloretin "accounts in part for the antioxidant capacity of apples, and it also shows anti-inflammatory activity," says Lee. "This study suggests that phloretin in apples could reduce the risk of E. coli O157:H7 infection and intestinal inflammation."
"This study demonstrated for the first time that phloretin, a natural flavonoid, is a nontoxic inhibitor of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 biofilms, but does not harm commensal E. coli K-12 biofilms," Lee writes. "Also, importantly, our results confirmed that phloretin shows anti-inflammatory properties in both the in vitro and in vivo inflammatory colitis models. The effect of phloretin was noticeably more pronounced than that of the conventional [inflammatory bowel disease] drug 5-aminosalicylic acid."
More information: J.-H. Lee, et al., 2011. Apple flavonoid phloretin inhibits Escherichia coli O157:H7 biofilm formation and ameliorates colon inflammation in rats. Infect. Immun. 79:4819-4827.
Provided by American Society for Microbiology


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International salt reduction: Local tailoring is crucial, warn researchers
A study published in the Journal Appetite, and presented at the 20th International Congress of Nutrition this week in Spain, found that while there were many common ideas about salt consumption and reduction among international consumers, some varied significantly.
The researchers said it would be crucial for manufacturers to have an understanding of salt intake behaviours in each market if salt reduction efforts on a global scale are to be effective.
"Strategies to reduce salt intake must raise interest in engaging in salt reduction through improving understanding of intake levels and dietary sources of salt," they said.
"Moreover, while some aspects of salt reduction can be globally implemented, local tailoring is required to match level of interest in salt reduction."
When developing salt reduction strategies, they said the state of change in each country must be understood – are consumers already open to change or do they first need to be educated and engaged?
A large slice of global population 'not interested' in salt reduction
While salt reduction was considered healthy and important by most participants, over one-third were not interested in salt reduction.
"This highlights that interventions need to take into account which stage of change the majority of the country's population is in, and adapt strategies accordingly, whether to focus on increasing awareness, or motivation," the researchers wrote.
However, there was a portion (16%) that said they were interested in making changes in the next six months.
China and Brazil were most open to change – 83% in China and 81% in Brazil either wanted or were active in changing their salt intake. In contrast, participants in Germany/Austria had the least interest in change – with 52% stating they had no intentions to change dietary habits in the next six months.
Misperceptions – a global issue
One international similarity across the globe was that consumers from every country had a misperception of their own salt intake, the main sources of intake in the diet and about what the current recommendations were.
"There were pervasive misperceptions surrounding the main sources of salt in the diet of the general population. Whereas on average most participants thought that the majority of salt in the diet comes from salt added during cooking, based on the intake data processed food was on average the highest contributor of salt to the diet," the researchers said.
Knowledge on salt intake recommendations was also generally low. However, the highest level of understanding was observed in China where 34% of the population knew the recommendations. US participants were mostly unaware of recommendations.
"Further education on salt intake recommendations, and main sources of salt intake (particularly those that are hidden sources), is warranted," the researchers said.
Who is responsible for salt intake?
Participants were aware of the role manufacturers played in their salt intake, but had less focus on the role governments and international organisations played.
Most participants embraced the idea that they were most responsible for their own salt intake – a "noteworthy finding", the researchers said, as it holds promise for consumers adopting change.
Participants also flagged food manufacturers, restaurants, fast food chains, caterers, supermarkets, local shops, family and friends as others responsible.
Take heed: What a consumer wants…
"Participants had clear ideas on what, from whom and how they wanted to learn about the importance of salt reduction, and advantage should be taken of these insights to ensure that people are motivated to pay attention to the communications," the researchers said.
Most said they wanted to know more about why salt was bad for them and what the main sources in the diet are.
Just over a third (35%) said they would like to hear this from the medical community and 22% said they wanted to know this from food packaging labels.
China, a country that considered governments to hold responsibility in salt consumption, wanted to hear more from governmental organisations.
Television, online social websites like blogs and discussion groups and newspapers were the preferred mediums of communication across all countries.
The global salt research
An online sample of 6,987 aged 18-65 across the globe – from Germany, Austria, United States, Hungary, India, China, South Africa and Brazil – completed a 15 minute web-based questionnaire during April to May, 2012.
People who had experienced a major health event like a heart attack, stroke, cancer or kidney disease were not able to take part due to their differing reasons for changing their nutrition behaviour.
Source: Journal Appetite
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.07.003
"Barriers for progress in salt reduction in the general population. An international study."
Authors: RS. Newson et al.


text:
Mac assembles the army: John McEnroe took another step in setting up his eponymous Nike-sponsored tennis academy by plucking five New Yorkers for scholarships. One of the boys will receive a full ride and the other four get substantial grant assistance.
The Academy revealed the names during halftime of a sold-out WTT match between the New York Sportimes (whose roster includes McEnroe and Kim Clijsters) and the Philadephia Freedoms (Andy Roddick).
Mazel: Aleksandar Kovacevic, 11, of Manhattan, is the full scholarship winner. The others: Jameson Corsillo, 7, of White Plains, N.Y., Ethan Leon, 9, of Woodhaven, N.Y., Mitchell Ostrovsky, 12, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Lamar Remy, 14, of Roslyn, N.Y.
"I just went out and tried my best and I'm glad the coaches think I have potential, and I can't wait to learn from the best," said Kovacevic. "It was exciting to hit on the same court with John McEnroe and Andy Roddick, and I hope to be playing on this court as a pro one day."
The girls will get their chance to try out on Monday, July 19, with Clijsters and Martina Hingis on hand to announce the five finalists.
(Kovacevic photo by Fred Levine/FALPhotography.com courtesy of Sportimes)


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Sr. High Youth Group
December 15, 2021 @ 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, repeating until May 25, 2022
We will be meeting on Wed. nights. Meetings will start off with food, followed by a lesson plan, fellowship, and fun! Come join us and don't forget to bring your friends as well. We look forward to seeing you there!


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The explanation is that a video ad for Chrome was used in a lot of blog posts that promoted Chrome and one of the posts linked to Chrome's homepage without using the nofollow attribute.
"Buying or selling links that pass PageRank is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact a site's ranking in search results," explains a Google article.
Even though Google didn't actually buy links, it's strange to see that a Google Chrome campaign generated a lot of low-quality posts. Danny Sullivan says that "the bigger issue in this has always been the garbage content that was produced by the campaign, 'thin' material that Google has fought to keep out of its own search results. I'm still trying to understand how Google failed to understand that the marketing companies it engaged with would produce this." Actually, the whole story is difficult to understand. "Google seems to have contracted with Essence Digital to have a video ad campaign be run across the web. Apparently, Google had no idea how Essence Digital was going to actually run the campaign or make the video ads appear across the web."
A Google spokesperson says that the campaign wasn't authorized by Google, but "Google should be held to a higher standard, so we have taken stricter action than we would against a typical site". That's the reason why Google "demoted www.google.com/chrome and lowered the site's PageRank for a period of at least 60 days". As Matt Cutts explains, "after that, someone on the Chrome side can submit a reconsideration request documenting their clean-up just like any other company would. During the 60 days, the PageRank of www.google.com/chrome will also be lowered to reflect the fact that we also won't trust outgoing links from that page."
Google already uses text ads for Chrome, sitelinks still point to the demoted page and the top result for [google chrome] is a Google page, so users will manage to find Chrome's homepage, but it's impressive to see that Google penalized one of the most important Google products because of a small mistake. After all, the videos used a DoubleClick redirect to link to Chrome's homepage and only one of the posts linked directly to the page. That post has been removed by the blog author, so Google could have claimed that there were no paid links.
In 2009, Google Japan hired an Internet marketing company to promote one of its features. The company used paid posts and Google dropped the PageRank for Google Japan's homepage from 9 to 5.


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If you would like to send in your comments for inclusion, or other recommendations,
Comments About our Door County Website!
- "Great sight. Keep it up. Very informative", - Liliana P.
Thanks again for the wonderful website! My wife and I used it in the fall for a quick trip and it helped to make for a wonderful trip. Most sincerely - Henry B.
- I enjoy everything about your website. It makes it easy to plan a getaway. We try to get away to Door County 2 or 3 times a year. Keep up the good work. - Jeanne S.
- Thank you so much for the very interesting and informative Facebook page - love it.... (and website): Love the weekly schedule and all the updates on lodging - you make it so easy to Navigate. Thank you! - Ann W.
- Sure enjoy your page, lets me know what's happening while I'm not able to be up there with you all. - Ann W.
- Whenever someone says they are headed up to Door County I always tell them to check out your web page! - Joyce S.
- About our Facebook page: "Love seeing Door County on FB! We visit two to three times a year! Seeing the posts brings back special memories of our past visits to the Door... and great web site!!! -Judy B.
- I love the treasure map game!!! i have found so many cool places in Door County with that game! - Terri C.
- I really appreciate the videos. I have been staying in Ephraim for years and never knew about the "Ephraim Wetlands Preserve". Since viewing your video, it is on our must visit list this year. Each year we discover something new from watching the videos. Keep up the good work. - Milt
- I just wanted to take a moment to say that you have a terrific website. I'm sitting here at my desk before work and am enjoying myself immensely just browsing. No matter how many times I come to this site it never gets old.
My wife and I have been to Door County many times but when we can't be there, "surfing" this website is almost as good ... and it brings back some great memories at the same time. I can literally spend hours just going from place to place and looking at things, reading reviews, and watching videos. Thanks again and keep up the great work! -Wayne N.
- I can't believe it took me this long to discover your wonderful website. I love everything Door County and your website is helping me enjoy it every day . . . I have sung the praises of Door County to lots of friends and now many of these people vacation there. Some have even moved there . . . I've shared my discovery of your website with friends and acquaintances and continue to enjoy it daily. Thank you for the joy it adds to my life and keep up the good work. -Melody L.
- I just wanted to write and tell you that you guys at DCN do a great job. I always consult your site before our yearly trip to Door County. We haven't had a bad experience yet! This year we will be staying at the Thorp House… largely due to the very positive review I read on your site. - Eric O.
- "I always find something new that I was not aware of. I think some of the video's have been outstanding and have stimulated me to try new places!" -Milton A.
- Door County Navigator was useful in helping us find appropriate lodging and great activities. It is a priceless site for anyone visiting the DC area. We are returning to Door County . . . and once again, I am on Door County Navigator to make our plans!
"You guys have done a great job on updating the site recently and adding alot of information and options while maintaining it's "user friendly" navigation. So much more for everyone to see and get a better feel of Door County.
I have to be honest and tell you that I never really knew about all the things there were to do and see in Door County nor did I realize there were so many wonderful types of accommodations.
The accommodation links and descriptions within the "DCN" site are very informative and again, give you a better feel of the Door County environment, dining, shopping and activities, not just for couples but for families as well.
Only after viewing the site and going through the Treasure Map links do I now wish to make Door County a yearly vacation spot." -Catherine Y.
- I think your site is tremendous! My girlfriend and I have used your information to help us find B&B's for our last two trips to Door County. They have been beyond our expectations each time. We have also dined at some wonderful restaurants thanks to your reviews. - Eric O.
- First off I want to tell you how helpful your site has been in planning our upcoming holiday to Door County. Although we have been before, it has been a couple of years and the site helped bring me up to date! - Maureen R. Y.
- We'll be there in a few weeks for an extended family reunion, and appreciate your website, and all the wonderful things to do in Door County that you give information about. - Tish P.
- I think Door County Navigator is a great site. The most useful part, to me, is all of the reviews for restaurants and hotels. Your reviews have never steered me wrong. I enjoy the way "Fresh Paint on the Door" allows me to stay in touch with what's new. - Lori B.
- "I enjoy the Navigator and the information that it provides. I have been visiting Door County for many years, as I have family there. But I can still find good information on your site. Thanks!" - Mary R.
- "Door County Navigator.com is definitely the best on the web. And I appreciated the advice I got through 'Ask the Navigator' " -Sharif H
- "Your site is fantastic. I used it to do all of my research on the area when I planned the trip and have recommended it to several others since." –Dave
- "What a WONDERFUL time we had over the 4th!!!! We went to all of the "hot" spots and mentioned that we heard about them through the www.doorcountynavigator com!!!! We did have such a wonderful time and I can't thank you enough! We did sample a lot: Trio, White Gull Inn (for breakfast and the fish boil), Wilsons, Old Post Office. We will definitely be going back to Door County and especially to doorcountynavigator.com!!!!!! Look forward to checking out the latest updates on the website!!!" -Christy K
- "We are staying at the Landings and yes we did use the site to help plan our stay - lodging, dining and entertainment!" -Joseph
- "I've checked out the site and think it's great! My favorite section is "Guys-Be a Hero!" Lots of great ideas in there :) I've also passed the site address along to friends who travel the woodlands of the Midwest as well as those who probably should." –Ann Marie
- "Hi, we were pleasantly surprised to find your website about Door County. After not having been to The Door for many years we are having a family reunion there over the Fourth of July. We are looking forward to seeing all the changes and your insights helped prepare us for our return adventure!" -Dave & Edie E.
- "I reviewed your site last nite. It was great. My family has plans to go to Door County . . . and your site will be a big help in regards to attractions, dining and weather forecast." -Edward R
- "What a well-done website! I wasn't sure if we wanted to go to Door Co. in the winter but your website convinced me! Very witty and welcoming!" –Mary M.
- "I thought the "21 Things to do in Winter" was especially good....I can already taste the White Gull Inn breakfast...." -Mary M
- "It's a super site! Fun, informative, and easy to use. You can bet I'll be recommending it to my friends who want the scoop on a great time in Door County!" –Anon
- "BTW, nice site. Clean, but with lots of information." –Nancy S.
- "I like your website. We are planning a trip . . . and want to spend a week in Wisconsin. It has been helpful to learn about Door County!" -Jim & Anne L.
- "The website was great! It was both fun and informative." -Lori and Joel H.
- "Many great recommendations and ideas on your site, but no map!" -Fleurrette S. (P.S. - we listened to you and added them!)
- "I visited your Door County site. Love the lighthouse! I still keep in touch with 3 or 4 Milwaukee friends. I will send it to them. I enjoyed the site very much!" -Sara B.
- "Keep up the great website!" -Dr. Jim
"Your website is so unlike the rest of the Door County sites - I have to admit I've found out about several places that I never knew existed until I found your site, despite the fact that I stay in Door County several times a year. Keep up the great work!" -Lori B.
- "My husband and I love reading the information on your site! One of the best Door County sites we've seen. We appreciate all the reviews! " - Mary W.
- "It is obvious that the work you do is done fully and well, truly deserving the awards of excellence . . . The Door County Navigator deserves recognition and seems like a site 'built to last.' " - Rocky
- Love your website. Use it every year before our vacation to Door County and have been very pleased with the quality spots we have visited and dined at due to your reviews. Keep up the good work!! - Pat S.
- I can't believe how helpful this site is. I found so much information and I really appreciate the reviews. It makes it seem so much more personal and not so generic. Thanks again for the personal recommendation. We are leaning towards the Shallows. If I have any further questions, I will gratefully ask again and I will recommend your site to everyone I know! - Joanne P.
- I really enjoy the site and have used much of your information on our trips to Door County. We've taken your advice and gone to many of the restaurants and have liked all of them. Fred & Fuzzy's is the greatest place to have a meal on a summer day. . .Thanks again for your reviews, they have given me some ideas for the next time we visit. - Sharon O.
- I ENJOY READING THE NAVIGATOR AND HAVE IT SET AS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. IT IS THE BEST WEB SITE FOR TRAVEL INFORMATION I HAVE EVER SEEN. AND IT IS PUT TOGETHER IN SUCH AN INTERTAINING WAY. YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB. -Donna P.
- I just checked out your site for the first time, it is awesome! You have everything in there, and it's so easy to find whatever you are looking for. Great job. - Mark Z.
- My husband and I visit Door County 3 or 4 times a year, and each time we go, we use your website to help plan our trip. We even found 2 very romantic places that we stayed on our honeymoon 3 years ago, thanks to your site. It is nice that you have the calendar of events, and also that you tell what places have special package deals going on. Thank you! - Joy P.
- We did find (a wonderful B&B) on your website. I use your site frequently, whenever we go to Door County and I have discovered a lot of new things through your site. I have also referred your site to friends. Keep up the good work! -Suzanne G.
- We just wanted to tell you that this (Door County Navigator) was a great web-site. Your reviews on the lodging places really helped us to pick the one that would work for us. We stayed at the Westwood Waterfront Resort and enjoyed it so much we ended up staying there 5 nights instead of the 2 we originally planned on. What a wonderful place. The list of 28 things to do in Door County also helped us as well. Thank you for an accurate description. The "fish boils" were delicious. We will return again to Door County. A beautiful peninsula.
- Sam & Carm
- "Your website has been very helpful to us, we come to the Door every chance we can.
Thank you." -Cindy W.
- "We had a very good trip and our stay at Bailey's Beachfront Inn was awesome. Tammy does a great job of making everyone feel comfortable and is always checking on "how things are". Our room was great - clean and nice. I would recommend BBFI to everyone and intend to stay there again. Door County was a great place to visit and we had a great time." -Marlene H.
- Thank you for all the info I have found on this site! I just took my first trip to Door County, and LOVED IT! I found a review for the Newport resort on your website. I took it on faith, and was very pleased. It is surprisingly even NICER than the reviewer said. (how often does that happen in life J) Egg Harbor is beautiful! In fact the whole area is. I used your recommendations for restaurants, and was never disappointed. I just needed more time to see everything Thanks, we are already planning a return trip, to see the rest of it. We will be using your site again to make our future plans! -Donna C.
- I wanted to thank you for terrific website! We used your information to the fullest. Drove to Fish Creek for the Fish Boil . . .delicious. Sunday we went to the Dairy View Country Store, what a neat place, then took the ferry over to Washington Island. Then we had a day of shopping, seeing 8 out of 10 lighthouses. I went parasailing in Ephraim . . . Then we went on John Mayberry's Carriage Ride. What a great way to end a beautiful, terrific trip. We owe all to your website. Thanks again for making our trip a memorable one. Keep up the great work. We can't wait to go to Door County next year for our new adventures. -Tammy S.


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Home / Why CSI Leasing / Online Asset Information
Keeping up with leased assets is easy.
CSI's MyCSISM is your online source for leased asset information. Available information includes:
- Equipment locations
- Manufacturer, model and serial numbers
- Lease start and end dates
- Rental amounts
- Up to 11 fields of data you choose
You can search, filter and download information in MyCSISM making it easy to use with your system. Additional benefits include:
- Freedom to access equipment and schedule detail anytime, anywhere
- Unique user logins with varying permissions and roles
- Ability to manage returns and buyouts on an individual asset basis
For a demonstration of MyCSISM, please contact us.


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Dan Spitz played lead guitar for the heavy metal band Anthrax for more than 12 years. Now he's a master watchmaker.
My favorite stuff to work on is older watches because of how they are made. These watches were way overbuilt so that they would never come back for repair. Just look at the mainplates... They were built at a time before computers were checking everything. If you've been working on modern stuff all day, there's nothing like getting a vintage watch to work on, and when you open it up, you say "Ahhhh, look at that, this rocks!" Like an old muscle car, it's so basic, so perfect, so overbuilt. It just rocks.


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International Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer Reaches 10 Year Milestone
2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the only international conference dedicated to the critical issues of young breast cancer survivors and those who care about them. Nearly 1,000 young breast cancer survivors, caregivers and medical professionals from around the world are expected to attend the 10th Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer, to be held Friday, Feb. 26-Sunday, Feb. 28 at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta, Ga.
One in eight women diagnosed with breast cancer is younger than 45 when diagnosed, yet their emotional and medical concerns are different than those of women over age 45, as is the impact of their diagnosis on family, friends, partners, colleagues and children. Fertility concerns and the possibility of treatment-induced early menopause are just two examples of the issues young women face.
A joint effort by Living Beyond Breast Cancer and Young Survival Coalition, this three-day event is a must for premenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer.
Whether recently diagnosed, in treatment or having completed treatment; a long-term survivor, caregiver or living with metastatic breast cancer; attendees will get the latest educational information on breast cancer from some of the nation's top experts and opportunities to expand their circle of support.
Participants may choose from more than 25 workshops on topics including risk reduction and management of lymphedema, proper nutrition and exercise, side-effect management, medical updates for early-stage and metastatic breast cancer, fertility, sexuality, body image, work place rights, advocacy and caregiving. During breaks and receptions, attendees will have the opportunity to network with other young women, caregivers and healthcare providers and browse the exhibit tables.
Featured speakers include:
• Julie R. Gralow, MD, professor of medical oncology and director of breast medical oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Gralow will detail medical advances regarding young women affected by breast cancer.
• Julia H. Rowland, PhD, director of the National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Survivorship. A long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the psychosocial aspects of cancer, Dr. Rowland will discuss survivorship issues for young breast cancer survivors.
• Kim Carlos, JD, motivational speaker and co-author of Nordie's at Noon—the Personal Stories of Four Women "Too Young" for Breast Cancer. Ms. Carlos will discuss embracing life through and after cancer.
Though breast cancer is less common in younger women, there are more than 250,000 women living in the U.S. who were diagnosed under the age of 40 and more than 11,000 more will be diagnosed in the next year. According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in young women ages 15-54.
Young women diagnosed with breast cancer are uniquely impacted by issues often not faced by older women. Breast cancer is often detected at later stages, increasing diagnoses of more advanced cancers. The impact of cancer treatment on fertility, body image, financial challenges, and slightly higher mortality rates are significant concerns for this population. Because most psychosocial and medical resources are designed for women over 50, young women diagnosed with breast cancer often feel isolated and alone.
"Over its ten-year history, the conference is recognized as the only gathering of its kind bringing together young women, caregivers and medical experts from around the world," said Jean Sachs, MSS, MLSP, chief executive officer of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. "This year marks the 10th anniversary of successfully connecting young women diagnosed with breast cancer so they know they are not alone."
"There have been many advances in the treatment of young women diagnosed with breast cancer in the last ten years, but the ultimate battle remains to be won – eradicating breast cancer," said Marcia Stein, chief executive officer of Young Survival Coalition. "We remain focused on providing resources, connections and outreach to help women feel empowered, supported and hopeful."
This conference is generously supported by lead sponsor Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Other supporters include title sponsors Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech Bio Oncology, and The Breast Cancer Fund of The National Philanthropic Trust; presenting sponsors Abraxis Oncology, Amoena, Novartis Oncology, Oakley, Inc., and Pfizer Oncology; benefactors Amazon Heart, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Genomic Health, Lilly USA, LLC, Myriad, Pure Romance, and The Vicki Speakman Memorial Fund; supporting sponsors LiveSTRONG, The Paula A. Seidman Fund, and Val Skinner Foundation; friend sponsors BJNB Foundation, Jackie Allen, Brights Starts, The Julie Ann Carpenter Memorial Fund, and Mederma.; and in-kind sponsors Kris Campbell, TecNiche Therapies, Fitness First, SmartWater, and White House/Black Market.
To register, or for more information, visit http://www.youngsurvivorsconference.org or call Living Beyond Breast Cancer at (610) 645-4567 or the Young Survival Coalition at (646) 257-3000. Walk-in registrations are welcome.
About Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC)
Living Beyond Breast Cancer, based outside Philadelphia, is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life. Programs and services include: conferences; teleconferences; the toll-free Survivors' Helpline (888-753-5222); a website, lbbc.org; free quarterly newsletters; publications for African-American and Latina women; recordings; networking programs for young survivors and women of color; healthcare-provider trainings; and the Paula A. Seidman Library and Resource Center. For more information about Living Beyond Breast Cancer, visit lbbc.org or call (610) 645-4567.
About The Young Survival Coalition (YSC)
The Young Survival Coalition, based in New York with 26 national affiliates, is the premier international organization dedicated to the critical issues unique to young women and breast cancer. YSC offer resources, connections, and outreach so women feel supported, empowered and hopeful. Through action, advocacy and awareness, YSC seeks to educate and influence the medical, research, breast cancer and legislative communities to address breast cancer in young women, and to ensure that no women diagnosed under 40 faces breast cancer alone. For more information about the Young Survival Coalition, visit youngsurvival.org or call (877) YSC-1011.
Source: Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer
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Ray Friesen
Ray Friesen is currently 22 years old, but if you read this in the future he might not be anymore. (if you're reading this in the past, Time Travel High Five!) Ray draws lots of silly things, most of which have penguins in them.
Ray has been drawing cartoons for pretty much his whole life, but has been a professional artist since the age of four (That was the first time he got paid for his art -- a wind energy company used a bunch of his cutesy animals and windmills drawings for their 'clean energy for everyone' campaign.)
Ray self published his first comic book at the age of 12, titled The Continuing Adventures of Raymond Q. Wonderful the titular character of which bore a very similar resemblance to the author. When confronted with claims that he has an enormous ego, Ray will be the first to point out that he is writing this autobiography in the 3rd person. "I'm just great!" he has been known to quip, when feeling especially boisterous.
Ray was nominated for the 2003 Ignatz award for Promising New Talent ("the youngest person ever!" Ray claims, though has done no actual research to prove this.)
Ray has spent the past however many years trying to take over the world via stealth doodling. He does school visits, so if you are a teacher and would like Ray to chat with your kids, please get in contact, we'll see how feasible that would be! It helps if you live nearby where Ray lives, which is in Californialand.
Ray is very fond of hats, and has a rather impressive collection of them he will show off if you ask nicely. If you are thinking of buying Ray something for his birthday, hats, toy penguins, and chocolate are recommended. Hint hint.
If Ray had a personal/social life, he would probably talk about it in this paragraph.
Read more of what Ray has to say, and his weekly webcomic of the moment at his webular site, www.DontEatAnyBugs.com.
Or else!
Ray's first graphic novel for Top Shelf debuts in 2011.
Pirate Penguin vs Ninja Chicken (Book 1): Troublems with Frenemies
by Ray Friesen
Pirate Penguin vs Ninja Chicken (Book 2): Escape from Skull-Fragment Island!
by Ray Friesen


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Available 9/15/09!
Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps
By Leigh McLeroy
Every object tells a story. His story. Your story.
Leigh McLeroy writes and speaks with a passion for God and a keen eye for his presence in everyday life.
A former ghostwriter with seven books to her credit, Leigh's first solo effort, Moments for Singles, was published by NavPress in 2004. She is the author of The Beautiful Ache and The Sacred Ordinary, published by Revell in 2007 and 2008, and a contributor to Daily Seeds, a compilation devotional published by Moody in 2008.
A frequent conference and event speaker, Leigh makes her home in Houston, Texas, where she is raising Owen – who may be the most adorable spaniel ever named after an Inkling, a John Irving character, and a Puritan preacher.
» more about speaker and author, Leigh McLeroy
Hear from Leigh each week on Wednesday Words...
Wednesday words is Leigh's weekly e-newsletter reflection on her world – an unapologetic attempt to use the events of daily life to show the beauty and truth of the gospel. In 500 words or so (short enough to be read over a cup of morning coffee!) Wednesday words prods, inspires, teaches and encourages.


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June 30, 2021
First Nonprofit has saved us so much money over the state's program. We had one little glitch with the state recently and we contacted FNP immediately. FNP staff called us back immediately and moved to remedy the problem.
First Nonprofit has been a great partner. They have helped us saved hundreds of thousands of dollars! They have awesome resources for our nonprofit organization. Thanks for the partnership.
Life is certainly busy these days but having business partners like First Nonprofit has made some of the process hassle free. We have worked with this team for years. When we changed payroll systems, they outlined every step. I think this team is terrific and I know they get the job done! Thank you, Cruz, to all the team at FNP.
FNP has helped our agency to save thousands of dollars every year on our unemployment coverage. The service is phenomenal, and we are thankful to their team as our partner. My experience working with Marshall on the advocacy around UE for nonprofits was also a highlight as someone who teaches advocacy and lobbying for nonprofits. Really, your whole team is top shelf, so thank YOU!
Chicago Children's Theatre has greatly benefited from our partnership with First Nonprofit, and I have always enjoyed working with the staff on our filings and any complicated questions. I would not hesitate to recommend First Nonprofit to fellow nonprofits. We're very happy customers.
FNP is a great resource for Daniel Kids. To have a TPA that we can count on to take point on not only managing our unemployment claims, but to support and guide any protest hearing, is invaluable. All the professional support staff we have worked with have been excellent, very knowledgeable and responsive. We are grateful for the help and support, thank you.
When I first began in my position at my organization, I hadn't had experience working with a company like FNP. The staff was so patient and helpful in helping to explain the benefits of First Nonprofit. Anytime I reach out with a question I receive a quick, clear, and thorough response. I'm so thankful that we decided to partner with FNP. Their excellence in customer service, coupled with their variety of packages frees us up to truly serve our staff and community with a peace of mind knowing that our organization is protected against unanticipated unemployment insurance expenses.
First Nonprofit gets an A+ in my book. You are so easy to work with & very knowledgeable! Whether it is my quarterly correspondence with Kim or my random interactions with Dawn about a bond … I am so pleased that I get to work with such a helpful company. Thank you!


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Visualising drawings in 3D with DrawPad
20 May 2011
Last February at Ignite Sydney we thought we'd try something a little different to get the crowd involved.
While most people were downing a few drinks, a bunch of lovely lads and ladesses with iPads were circulating through the audience asking people to draw (with their fingers) what inspires them. On the iPads was a drawing application that recorded the time and position that each stroke of their fingers made and that data was used to create a 3D timelapse visualisation of their drawing on the big screen behind the stage. I've put together a little video of the end result:
It was actually quite exciting to see what people came up with. And equally exciting was seeing the looks on their faces as they interacted with the iPads and then waited with anticipation to see how their drawings would be interpreted by the foreign shapes appearing on the screen.
To pull off this stunt we used all open web technologies: a webpage running my "DrawPad" Canvas application that allowed people to draw, and captured the movements of their fingers; storage of the stroke data in JSON on the backend (thanks to Tim Lucas); and visualisation of those strokes in 3D using WebGL via Mr. Doob's wonderful three.js library.
To get people drawing, I took a look at 37signals' Chalk but it lacked one important feature: multi-touch drawing, so I decided to write my own drawing app.
If you're never done multi-touch event handling it can be a mysterious process (it certainly was to me) but once you get your head around the notion of an event object that contains multiple points of interaction, then it's actually quite fun.
I've uploaded the source code for the drawing app (and the 3D visualiser) into a DrawPad Github project if you want to take a closer look (or improve it in the countless ways that it could be improved upon). Certainly the 3D visualiser is a result of cramped deadlines. I really would have loved to create the stroke paths as true 3D meshes, but had to settle for a series of spheres that follow the path of the stroke instead. (Kind of like voxels.)
But at the end of the day the technology didn't matter. What mattered was the outcome: an easy-to-use way for people to draw what they wanted, and a pretty-as-a-picture translation of what they drew. The fact that it was done in a browser made no difference at all.
Shaal commented on 21 May 2011 @ 14:19
How do you come with such ideas, this might be a good way for Live performances based bars and clubs to get their audience to share their requests, love the way the projection takes the shape of animation on the big screen. Way to go man!
Alex commented on 30 May 2011 @ 18:40
Very nice effect ... wonderful idea.
Marko commented on 31 May 2011 @ 02:06
WOV, amazing visualization. It looks like a great idea, it shows that people will enjoy. I would like to try it.
Theo commented on 31 May 2011 @ 06:18
Well that's what i call creative, great stuff!!!
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You've heard enough about the need to produce content that I'm guessing you're probably blogging away and curating, aggregating and filtering all manner of content. But there's one type of content that you may not be focused on and I happen to think it's some of the most potent to be had – and that's customer generated content.
Your customers, the ones that already know, like and trust you, are more equipped to tell the real story of your business than an army of writers in any marketing department, so why not engage them to do just that.
Imagine taking your best, most loyal, most vocal, customer with you on your next sales call and asking them to simply explain the real benefits they've realized because of the work you've done for them. That's the power of customer generated content when done right and that's why you need to routinely find ways to acquire it.
Below are five ideas to help you get your customers telling their stories.
One question testimonial
Create a survey that asks every customer one question. On a scale of 1-10 how likely is it that you would refer us. Now, set the survey up so that if the answer is 1-4 the survey taker is redirected to a page that apologizes and sets the expectation that they will hear from someone immediately to find out what went wrong.
If it's a 5-7, send the customer to a page that says, you're not happy until they are happier than that and ask them to suggest how you could have done better.
For the 8-10 answers, redirect them to a form that allows them to submit a testimonial and ask them to check a box if they would agree to be interviewed for a case study.
This is a great way to automate testimonial generation and keep a real time pulse on how you're doing. I use Wufoo forms to run this process, but I've heard good things about Formstack as well.
Video appreciation party
I've written about this before, but it's such a great way to get lots of great video content that I thought I would share it again.
Once a year or so hold a client appreciation event to say thanks and create a networking event for your clients and prospects. Hire a video crew for the event and, after a few bottles of wine have been emptied, ask some of your clients to talk about their experience with your firm on camera. Then also let them record a five minute commercial for their own use too.
This is a great way to get lots of testimonials and case studies in one day and your clients will get very engaged in swapping stories and selling each other on the benefits of working with you.
Tell us your story
Getting your customers to share their experience is a very powerful form of content. You can sit across the desk and interview your customers in order to extract this kind of content or you can employ a handful of tools that make it very easy to capture these stories.
For audio only content a testimonial recording line from AudioAcrobat is a great way to go. You simply provide your customer with a phone number that they can call and record their story. The service then produces an mp3 and code to embed on your site for people to play the recordings.
You can also use a tool like MailVu that allows you send a link with a video capture tool so your client's with a web cam can record a video testimonial or story and submit it with little work on your part.
Community knowledge base
What if you could find a way to get your best customers to willingly shoulder creating answers to questions and best practices? Tools like ZenDesk and GetSatisfaction make it easy for you to enable community members to provide help and archived advice to other customers and prospects.
Robin Robins, founder of Marketing Technology Toolkit in Nashville, TN involves her customer community in an incredible way. She has created a membership program that allows her mostly IT business customers to receive ongoing business building support through coaching, training and tools she provides.
She has created what she calls "accountability groups" in the membership program and customers head up these groups and do a great deal of work keeping participants engaged and on track. Heading up these groups is not a paid position; loyal and committed customers that want to play a bigger role in the community do it.
Help your peers
Using a tool like Google+ Hangouts, Skype Video Conference or GoToMeeting Video Conference you can easily host and facilitate a group video conference where your customers and their peers can discuss important industry and business challenges and trends. You can record and archive the event and create some very useful and engaging content.
This is not a sales event, but by virtue of the fact that you have included customers in the conversation, there will be the inevitable discussions about what you've done to help them address a challenge.
Creating opportunities to capture the stories your clients have to tell is an important piece in any fully developed content strategy.
So, what have you done to get your customers talking?


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|McCue, Kent
|Ponciano, Grisel
|Rockhold, David
|Whitworth, Jonathan
|Gray, Stewart
|FOFANOV, YURIY - University Of Houston
|Belknap, William
Submitted to: American Journal of Potato Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/2/2012
Publication Date: 8/15/2012
Citation: Mc Cue, K.F., Ponciano, G.P., Rockhold, D.R., Whitworth, J.L., Gray, S.M., Fofanov, Y., Belknap, W.R. 2012. Generation of PVY coat protein siRNAs in transgenic potatoes resistant to PVY. American Journal of Potato Research. 89(5):374-383. DOI: 10.1007/s12230-012-9257-0.
Interpretive Summary: Global climate change has the potential to quickly alter the crop pest and pathogen distribution and profiles. Ready tools for mobilization of resistance into elite crops will be part of an integrated strategy to maintain and increase agricultural productivity. Virus resistance through generation of viral coat proteins in plant cells has been demonstrated in several crops. The mechanisms of resistance are thought to be due to the production of small RNAs (sRNAs) complimentary to the introduced viral coat protein gene. The mechanisms for generation of sRNA and their suppression of viral replication have only more recently been revealed. This continues to be a rapidly evolving field seeking to understand the role of sRNAs in gene regulation and development. Utilizing deep sequencing of RNAs in potato plants containing the potato virus Y (PVY) coat protein gene we have identified sRNAs produced from the viral coat protein generated in plants exhibiting resistance to PVY in glass house and field studies. These studies help explain the mechanisms of resistance and allow the development of tools for introducing disease resistance and may reduce the need for chemical applications to control insects that spread the disease. Reduction of disease is an important component of increasing agricultural production needed to respond to the demand for an increased food supply for a growing world population.
Technical Abstract: Transgenic potatoes expressing the potato virus Y coat protein (PVY-CP) inverted hairpin RNA (ihRNA) construct driven by the Solanum bulbocastanum ubiquitin 409s promoter exhibited resistance to PVY in glass house studies using PVYNTN and PVYO as inocula and in field studies using naturally occurring PVYNTN and PVYO. Deep sequencing of the small RNA population of transgenic plants indicated high levels of siRNA production from the transgenic hairpin construct. As many as 47 of the top 200 most frequent sRNA reads were attributable to the PVY-CP transgenic construct in Ranger Russet line #5. The S. bulbocastanum 409 control elements are capable of driving high RNA production and combined with the PVY-CP ihRNA construct using the GBSS6 intron as a spacer resulted in efficient hairpin formation and processing for the production of siRNAs that are capable of conferring resistance to infection by PVY in transgenic potato plants. This combination of transgene and transcription strength is suitable for constructing efficient resistance cassettes for crop protection. Putative miRNA in the transgenic plants with homology to resistance gene analogs may be indicative of additional or complimentary resistance mechanisms that may be produced in concert with the PVY siRNAs as a result of PVY-CP RNA being transcribed in the cell.


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GREELEY, Colo. -- Northern Colorado director of athletics Darren Dunn announced that Kamie Ethridge will take over as the 12th head coach in program history on Monday.
Ethridge joins the UNC staff after serving the past 18 years as associate head coach with Kansas State and totaling more than 500 wins in her coaching career. An inductee of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and gold medalist with U.S. Olympics in 1988, she has played a prominent role in women's basketball in the United States.
"During our thorough search process, we spoke with many different leaders in women's basketball who knew coach Ethridge well, on and off the court," Dunn said. "Her energy, excitement and commitment to student-athletes were apparent from our first meeting and from many discussions with those who have worked with her. She is extremely prepared for this opportunity and will be a perfect fit for our program, department and community.
"She is very well versed in the X's and O's, outstanding in player development and is a proven recruiter and relationship builder. She is star in this industry and we're truly excited to have her join our UNC Athletics family."
Ethridge takes over as the Bears finished 14-15 and 8-12 in Big Sky play during the 2013-14 season. The conference's third leading scorer in the Big Sky, Stephanie Lee and leading scorer from 2012-13, D'shara Strange, return for their senior seasons in 2014-15.
"I am extremely excited about the opportunity President Norton and Director of Athletics Darren Dunn have afforded me to be the head women's basketball coach at University of Northern Colorado," Ethridge said. "This is a program that has tremendous potential for achieving academic and athletic success in the Big Sky Conference. I look forward to building a partnership between our program and the UNC faculty, student body, Greeley and the surrounding communities in an effort to create one of the best home court environments in the Big Sky."
Ethridge totaled 350 wins with a .608 winning percentage during her 18 seasons with the Wildcats where she shared the responsibility for all developmental, administrative and coaching aspects of the program. She previously served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt and Northern Illinois. Ethridge advanced to the NCAA tournament 14 times, including six trips to the Sweet 16, during her career as associate head coach and assistant coach.
While playing for seven national teams during her playing career, Ethridge earned six gold and one silver medal, including playing in the 1988 Olympics with the United States, 1986 World Championships and serving as an alternate for the Olympics in 1984. She also won an NCAA national championship and most outstanding player while playing for the Texas Longhorns from 1982-86.


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Algebraic Expression BeeKeeper
Solve for x in the following algebraic expressions.
Math Inequalities
math inequalities
Addition of Single Digits
General Math: Section 2 Practice Sheet 1
Distributive Property & Combining Like Terms Baseball
Find the equivalent expression using the distributive property.
Relations - Domain and Range
This game has you finding the domain and range of relations to make a great sounding band.
Variables On Both Sides of the Equation
This game has students practicing with equations that have variables on both sides of the equation.
Reken Muziek (Math Music)
Reken en maak muziek!
Math Problems
Review of decimals, fractions, ratios and more!
Zbrajanje do 20 (Addition With Numbers 1 - 20)
Točno odgovaraj na pitanja i izgradi svoj bend.
Short Random Math
Math time


text: Hey there.. I have a problem. To put it simply, the setup exits with the error, "Could not make OpenSSL" At first i thought that maybe i had forgotten to install openssl earlier, (according to the "Perfect Fedora Core 4 Setup"). So i did a "yum install openssl" which worked fine. After deleting the folder that i had extracted from the tarred installation file, i untarred it again, and ran "setup" again. It exitted with the same error. Help? Cheers.


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I appreciated this article by Michael Spielman, director of a great organization called Abort73. (Spend half an hour poking around this website and I think you'll be amazed at how thoughtfully done and effective their site is. They reach young people in ways most prolife websites won't.)
Michael hits on something very important—the fact that we do need to tell people the truth about abortion, saturated with grace and kindness and empathy. Abraham Lincoln said, "To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men." Silence is never the solution. When churches are silent about abortion, we encourage it. Silence becomes a form of consent, a quiet permission. Let's not be cowards. Let's stand up for truth; let's reach out in compassion.
And in doing so, we can also uphold the dignity and beauty of adoption. Being known as prolifers, we want to be completely consistent with our message. If we're saying that these so-called "unwanted children" should be brought into the world, then of course we should be thinking of what we can do to care for those who need to be placed somewhere because their parents can't care for them.
Here's what Michael has to say:
For Adoption or Against Abortion?
By Michael Spielman
If you've been in the church for any length of time, you've almost certainly heard some variant of the following sentiment:
Christians should be known for what they're for, not for what they're against.
If you're like me, you've heard this maxim more times than you can count, and while it holds some helpful truth, I wonder if it doesn't also set up a false dichotomy — giving aid and comfort to some thoroughly unchristlike behavior.
In theory, this simple pronouncement encourages Christians to extend grace and humility, instead of anger and condemnation. It urges us to be more concerned with proclaiming the name of Jesus than with hammering away at society's ills. But in practice, I fear it may cause some of us to hold our tongues when we should be shouting something from the rooftop.
Not Wary of Against
The problem is this: You can't be for one thing without being against another. Even a cursory glance at Jesus's life makes this abundantly clear. Clearing the temple, hurling insults at the religious elite, driving away "seekers" by pointing to the law — these are not the actions of someone who is wary of taking a public stand against something. Jesus's behavior was sometimes gentle and sometimes harsh. It rarely accommodates our pithy conventions. Why? Because Jesus wasn't sometimes loving people and other times hating sin. He was always doing both. It is only the expression of this ongoing duality that changes from context to context.
In the vocational context in which I operate, millions of children have been torn to pieces for our failure to faithfully, courageously, and creatively express the fact we are against abortion. Few pastors will publicly say with R.C. Sproul, "If I know anything at all about God, I know that God hates abortion." Rather, too many Christians have largely embraced a "no offense" approach to abortion. Not wanting to sully our hands by entering the fray directly, we take what is perceived to be the moral high ground. If there is any engagement on the abortion front, it tends to be indirect — by promoting adoption and/or supporting a crisis pregnancy center.
These are both good things, but they do too little to curb abortion in the mainstream.
Driven by Ignorance and Evil
Abortion is not driven by a lack of adoptive parents or a lack of low-cost, prenatal services. Abortion is driven by ignorance and evil. And so long as Christians are unwilling to call a spade a spade, this will continue. In the realm of abstract morality, it may seem noble to keep your opinion to yourself, but what about those more concrete realms where unchecked immorality is literally killing thousands of innocent human beings every day?
The difficulty is this: We all want to be liked, and the "be known for what you're for" mantra offers a convenient rationale for not speaking out against something that is likely to ruffle some feathers — and few things ruffle more feathers today than the open, unapologetic condemnation of abortion.
Are We Inordinately Polite?
C.S. Lewis wonders in his Reflections on the Psalms whether the end result of our hyper-focus on politeness is actually a net loss. While granting that his argument is open to abuse, he speculates that if there were a higher social cost for wretched behavior, the world would be a better place. He writes,
It may be asked whether that state of society in which rascality undergoes no social penalty is a healthy one; whether we should not be a happier country if certain important people were pariahs as the hangman once was. . . . It can be argued that if the windows of various ministries and newspapers were more often broken, if certain people were more often put under pumps and (mildly — mud, not stones) pelted in the streets, we should get on a great deal better. It is not wholly desirable that any man should be allowed at once the pleasures of a tyrant or a wolf's-head and also those of an honest freeman among his equals. (Kindle Locations 710–716)
Think about that in the context of abortion. For fear of appearing self-righteous, our general silence has provided Planned Parenthood with a modicum of social respectability that is nothing short of outrageous.
Lewis concedes that Christians shouldn't be always making a fuss, but he then continues,
There comes of course a degree of evil against which a protest will have to be made, however little chance it has of success. There are cheery agreements in cynicism or brutality which one must contract out of unambiguously. If it can't be done without seeming [self-righteous], then [self-righteous] we must seem. . . . If we sufficiently dislike making the protest, if we are strongly tempted not to, we are unlikely to be [self-righteous] in reality . . . though it is very bad to be a prig, there are social atmospheres so foul that in them it is almost an alarming symptom if a man has never been called one. (Kindle Locations 772–778)
The Need for Both
By the latest count, there are 15 infant adoptions in the United States for every 1,000 abortions. That's 67 abortions for every one adoption. Among women who visit Planned Parenthood, the results are even worse. According to their own numbers, they perform 392 abortions for every adoption. All the while, the National Council for Adoption states that "hundreds of thousands of families are now available to adopt" (Adoption Factbook, 2011, 9).
The problem is not our unwillingness to embrace adoption; it's our unwillingness to meaningfully oppose abortion. So long as abortion is kept beyond the realm of moral critique, adoption will continue to be an afterthought. It is only when abortion is removed from the realm of moral acceptability that adoption becomes a real and viable solution to unwanted pregnancy.
Jesus once said that whoever is not for him is against him (Matthew 12:30). Along these same lines, I would suggest that whoever is not against abortion is for it. It's as simple as that. So, if the question is whether we should be for adoption or against abortion, the answer is emphatically, "Yes!"
Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over sixty books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries.


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The Etiology and Treatment of Childhood
Jordan W. Smoller
University of Pennsylvania
Childhood is a syndrome which has only recently begun to receive serious attention from clinicians. The syndrome itself, however, is not at all recent. As early as the 8th century, the Persian historian Kidnom made references to "short, noisy creatures," who may well have been what we now call "children." The treatment of Children, however, was unknown until this century, when so-called "child psychologists" and "child psychiatrists" became common. Despite this history of clinical neglect, it has been estimated that well over half of all Americans alive today have experienced childhood directly (Seuss, 1983). In fact, the actual numbers are probably much higher, since these data are based on self-reports which may be subject to social desirability biases and retrospective distortion.
The growing acceptance of childhood as a distinct phenomenon is reflected in the proposed inclusion of the syndrome in the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, or DSM-IV, of the American Psychiatric Association (1990). Clinicians are still in disagreement about the significant clinical features of childhood, but the proposed DSM-IV will almost certainly include the following core features:
1.Congenital onset
3.Emotional lability and immaturity
4.Knowledgy deficits
5.Legume anorexia
Clinical Features of Childhood
Although the focus of this paper is on the efficacy of conventional treatment of childhood, the five clinical markers mentioned above merit further discussion for those unfamiliar with this patient population.
In one of the few existing literature reviews on childhood, Temple-Black (1982) has noted that childhood is almost always present at birth, although it may go undetected for years or even remain subclinical indefinitely.
This observation has led some investigators to speculate on biological contribution to childhood. As one psychologist has put it, "we may soon be in a position to distinguish organic childhood from functional childhood" (Rogers, 1979).
This is certainly the most familiar marker of childhood. It is widely known that children are physically short relative to the population at large. Indeed, common clinical wisdom suggests that the treatment of the so-called "small child" (or "tot") is particularly difficult. These children are known to exhibit infantile behavior and display a startling lack of insight (Tom and Jerry, 1967).
This aspect of childhood is often the only basis for a clinician's diagnosis. As a result, many otherwise normal adults are misdiagnosed as children and must suffer the unnecessary social stigma of being labelled a "child" by professionals and friends alike.
While many children have IQs above the norm, almost all will manifest knowledge deficits.
Anyone who has known a real child has experienced the frustration of trying to discuss any topic that requires some general knowledge. Children seem to have little knowledge about the world they live in. Politics, art, and science--children are largely ignorant of these. Perhaps it is because of this ignorance, but the sad fact that most children have few friends who are not, themselves, children.
This last identifying feature is perhaps the most unexpected. Folk wisdom is supported by empirical observation--children will rarely eat their vegetables (see Popeye, 1957, for review).
Causes of Childhood
Now that we know what it is, what can we say about the causes of childhood? Recent years have seen a flurry of theory and speculation from a number of perspectives. Some of the most prominent are reviewed below.
Sociological Model
Emile Durkind was perhaps the first to speculate about sociological causes of childhood. He points out two key observations about children:
1.the vast majority of children are unemployed, and
2.children represent one of the least educated segments of our society. In fact, it has been estimated that less than 20% of children have had more than a fourth grade education.
Clearly, children are an "out-group." Because of their intellectual handicap, children are even denied the right to vote. From the sociologist's perspective, treatment should be aimed at helping assimilate children into mainstream society. Unfortunately, some victims are so incapacitated by their childhood that they are simply not competent to work. One promising rehabilitaion program (Spanky and Alfalfa, 1978) has trained victims of severe childhood to sell lemonade.
Biological Model
The observation that childhood is usually present from birth has led some to speculate on a biological contribution. An early investigation by Flintstone and Jetson (1939) indicated that childhood runs in families. Their survey of over 8,000 American families revealed that over half contained more than one child. Further investigation revealed that even most non-child family members had experienced childhood at some point. Cross-cultural studies (e.g., Mowgli and Din, 1950) indicated that family childhood is even more prevalent in the Far East. For example, in Indian and Chinese families, as many as three out of four family members may have childhood.
Impressive evidence of a genetic component of childhood comes from a large-scale twin study by Brady and Partridge (1972). These authors studied over 106 pairs of twins, looking at concordance rates for childhood. Among identical or monozygotic twins, concordance was unusually high (0.92), i.e., when one twin was diagnosed with childhood, the other twin was almost always a child as well.
Psychological Models
A considerable number of psychologically-based theories of the development of childhood exist. They are too numerous to review here. Among the more familiar models are Seligman's "learned childishness" model.
According to this model, individuals who are treated like children eventually give up and become children. As a counterpoint to such theories, some experts have claimed that childhood does not really exist. Szasz (1980) has called "childhood" an expedient label. In seeking conformity, we handicap those whom we find unruly or too short to deal with by labelling them "children."
Treatment of Childhood
Efforts to treat childhood are as old as the syndrome itself. Only in modern times, however, have human and systematic treatment protocols been applied. In part, this increased attention to the problem may be due to the sheer number of individuals suffering from childhood. Government statistics (DHHS) reveal that there are more children alive today than at any time in our history. to paraphrase P.T. Barnum: "There's a child born every minute."
The overwhelming number of children has made government intervention inevitable. The nineteenth century saw the institution of what remains the largest single program for the treatment of childhood-- so-called "public schools." Under this colossal program, individuals are placed into treatment groups based on the severity of their condition. For example, those most severely afflicted may be placed in a "kindergarten" program. Patients at this level are typically short, unruly, emotionally immature, and intellectually deficient. Given this type of individual, therapy is essentially one of patient management and of helping the child master basic skills (e.g. finger-painting).
Unfortunately, the "school" system has been largely ineffective. Not only is the problem a massive tax burden, but it has failed even to slow down the rising incidence of childhood.
Faced with this failure and the growing epidemic of childhood, mental health professionals are devoting increasing attention to the treatment of childhood. Given a theoretical framework by Freud's landmark treatises on childhood, child psychiatrists and psychologists claimed great successes in their clinical intervention.
By the 1950's, however, the clinicians' optimism had waned. Even after years of costly analysis, many victims remained children. The following case (taken from Gumbie and Poke, 1957) is typical.
Billy J., age 8, was brought to treatment by his parents. Billy's affliction was painfully obvious. He stood only 4' 3" high and weighed a scant 70 lbs., despite the fact that he ate voraciously. Billy presented a variety of troubling symptoms. His voice was noticably high for a man. He displayed legume anorexia, and, according to his parents, often refused to bathe. His intellectual functioning was also below normal--he had little general knowledge and could barely write a structured sentence. Social skills were also deficient. He often spoke inappropriately and exhibited "whining behaviour." His sexual experience was non-existent. Indeed, Billy considered women "icky." His parents reported that his condition had been present from birth, improving gradually after he was placed in a school at age 5. The diagnosis was "primary childhood."
After years of painstaking treatment, Billy improved gradually. At age 11, his height and weight have increased, his social skills are broader, and he is now functional enough to hold down a "paper route."
After years of this kind of frustration, startling new evidence has come to light which suggests that the prognosis in cases of childhood may not be all gloom. A critical review by Fudd (1972) noted that studies of the childhood syndrome tend to lack careful follow-up. Acting on this observation, Moe, Larrie, and Kirly (1974) began a large-scale longitudinal study. These investigators studied two groups. The first group consisted of 34 children currently engaged in a long-term conventional treatment program. The second was a group of 42 children receiving no treatment. All subjects had been diagnosed as children at least 4 years previously, with a mean duration of childhood at 6.4 years.
At the end of one year, the results confirmed the clinical wisdom that childhood is a refractory disorder--virtually all symptoms persisted and the treatment group was only slightly better off than the controls.
The results, however, of a careful 10-year follow-up were startling. The investigators (Moe, Larrie, Kirly, & Shemp, 1984) assessed the original control group on a variety of measures. General knowledge and emotional maturity were assessed with standard measures. Height was assess by the "metric system" (see Ruler, 1923), and legume appetite by the Vegetable Appetite Test (VAT) designed by Popeye (1968). Moe et al. found that subjects improved uniformly on all measures. Indeed, in most cases, the subjects appeared to be symptom-free. Moe et al. report a spontaneous remission rate of 95%, a finding which is certain to revolutionize the clinical approach to childhood.
These recent results suggests that the prognosis for victims of childhood may not be so bad as we have feared. We must not, however, become too complacent. Despite its apparently high spontaneous remission rate, childhood remains one of the most serious and rapidly growing disorders facing mental health professionals today. And, beyond the psychological pain it brings, childhood has recently been linked to a number of physical disorders. Twenty years ago, Howdi, Doodi, and Beauzeau (1965) demonstrated a six-fold increased risk of chicken pox, measles, and mumps among children as compared with normal controls. Later, Barby and Kenn (1971) linked childhood to an elevated risk of accidents--compared with normal adults, victims of childhood were much more likely to scrape their knees, lose their teeth, and fall off their bikes.
Clearly, much more research is need before we can give any real hope to the millions of victims wracked by this insidious disorder.
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Barby, B., & Kenn, K. (1971). The plasticity of behavior. In B. Barby & K. Kenn (Eds.), Psychotherapies R Us. Detroit: Ronco press.
Flintstone, F., & Jetson, G. (1939). Cognitive mediation of labour disputes. Industrial Psychology Today, 2, 23-35.
Fudd, E.J. (1972). Locus of control and shoe-size. Journal of Footwear Psychology, 78, 345-356.
Gumbie, G., & Pokey, P. (1957). A cognitive theory of iron- smelting. Journal of Abnormal Metallurgy, 45, 235-239.
Howdi, C., Doodi, C., & Beauzeau, C. (1965). Western civilization: A review of the literature. Reader's
digest, 60, 23-25.
Moe, R., Larrie, T., and Kirly, Q. (1974). State childhood versus trait childhood. TV Guide, May 12-19, 1-3.
Moe, R., Larrie, T., Kirly, Q. (1974). Spontaneous remission of childhood. In W.C. Fields (Ed.), New Hope for Children and Animals. Hollywood: Acme Press.
Popeye, T.S.M. (1957). The use of spinach in extreme circumstances. Journal of Vegetable Science, 58,
Popeye, T.S.M. (1968). Spinach: A phenomenological perspective. Existential botany, 35, 908-813.
Rogers, F. (1979). Becoming my neighbour. New York: Soft Press.
Ruler, Y. (1923). Assessing measurements protocols by the multi-method multiple regression index for the psychometric analysis of factorial interaction. Annals of Boredom, 67, 1190-1260.
Spanky, D., & Alfalfa, Q. (1978). Coping with puberty. Sears catalog, 45-46.
Seuss , D.R. (1983). A psychometric analysis of green eggs with and without ham. Journal of Clinical
Cuisine, 245, 567-578.
Temple-Black, S. (1982). Childhood: an ever-so sad disorder. Journal of Precocity, 3, 129-134.
Tom, C., & Jerry, M. (1967). Human behavior as a model for understanding the rat. In M. de Sade (Ed.).
The Rewards of Punishment. Paris: Bench Press.