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The University of Kansas has upheld a tradition of excellence in its carillonneurs since Anton Brees played the dedication recitals in May 1951.
Present Carillonneur
Past Carillonneurs
Albert Gerken, University Carillonneur (1963-2000)
Albert Gerken Professor and University Carilloneur, emeritus Albert Gerken has been Carillonneur at the University of Kansas since 1963. He holds the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of New Hampshire (1960) and the Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan (1962). He majored in organ at both institutions and, while at the University of Michigan, began studies in carillon with the late Percival Price, noted campanologist and carillonneur in North America.
Gerken has been a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America since 1962. During that time he has served on several standing committees, the Board of Directors, for four years as editor of the Bulletin, the official publication of The Guild, and for five years as treasurer.
Over the years he has performed a wide variety of programs at KU which have included surveys works of important eighteenth century carillonneurs as well as significant carillon compositions of contemporary composers. He has been a featured recitalist and lecturer/clinician at many GCNA congresses since joining The Guild and has appeared as a guest recitalist throughout North America and Europe.
Gerken has premiered many new carillon works and several have been dedicated to him. Many of his own carillon compositions, arrangements and collected works are widely performed and have been published by The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and American Carillon Music Editions.
Ronald Barnes, University Carillonneur (1951-1963)
Ronald Barnes (1927-1997) served as University Carillonist at The University of Kansas, Washington National Cathedral, and the University of California at Berkeley. While at Berkeley he was a member of the faculty of the Department of Music and at Kansas he taught music history and literature.
Barnes began his long association with the carillon in 1946 at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in his native Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was also assistant organist to Myron Roberts, his organ teacher from 1941 to 1950. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in organ from the University of Nebraska in 1950 and went to Stanford University in California for his Master of Arts degree in music history. While at Stanford he also played the carillon in the University's Hoover Tower.
In 1948, Barnes studied carillon with the late Robert Donnell at the Canadian houses of Parliament. That same year he became a member of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and subsequently served that organization in various capacities as Vice-President, President, and editor of music publications and the Guild's Bulletin. He also served on the Committee for Professional Concerns of the World Carillon Federation.
For many years Barnes advocated and was a major force in establishing an American approach to carillon performance, composing, and arranging. His numerous compositions and arrangements for the instrument have become a staple of the modern carillon repertory, not only in North America, but also overseas, and many of today's outstanding carillonists began their association with the carillon as his students.


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Brain-dead girl Jahi McMath gets extended life-support
California girl, 13, declared brain dead after experiencing complications following tonsillectomy
A California judge has ordered a 13-year-old girl declared brain dead to be kept on life support until Jan. 7.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo on Monday ordered Children's Hospital Oakland to maintain Jahi McMath on a ventilator past a 5 p.m. time set in a previous ruling.
The family wants to continue life support, saying there is hope for recovery.
Doctors at Children's Hospital and an independent pediatric neurologist from Stanford University have concluded the girl is brain dead.
Jahi underwent a tonsillectomy at the hospital on Dec. 9 to treat sleep apnea and other issues. After she awoke from the operation, her family said, she started bleeding heavily and went into cardiac arrest.
She was declared brain dead three days later.

subset: commoncrawl


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My fellow Americans, can I have a moment of your time?
It would appear that, following yesterday's leaking of a video that shows me effectively writing off half the nation's voters, we can pretty safely say my presidential campaign has come to an end. Oh, technically it may still exist, sure, but let's be honest with each other: It's all over. And I have fully accepted that reality.
So, with that in mind, I would like to use my few remaining weeks in the public spotlight to tell the nation all about a truly great religious organization called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
You see, folks, I speak to you now not as the Republican Party's failed nominee for the presidency, but as an ordinary American whose life has been changed by the vision of a very special man named Joseph Smith. And I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some information about an exciting and life-changing faith that has long held a special place in my heart and in the hearts of everyone in the Romney family.
Now, I know during this campaign I've said many times that the key to our future happiness is reducing the size of government, cutting taxes, and balancing the budget. But I am here to say to you now that the only real way to ensure future happiness in this life is to become baptized in a Mormon church and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Health care, unemployment, government spending—they all pale in comparison to the word of God as written by the ancient and modern prophets.
Christ lives, my countrymen. He lives, and we are his children. Please allow me to tell you more.
Campaigning across this great nation of ours, I learned that Americans everywhere are hurt, lost, and searching for answers. In their weakness, they turn to leaders like myself in hopes of being guided through the spiritual wilderness. Well, now that my presidential campaign is essentially dead in the water, I would like to offer the following advice to all those people I met who sought my guidance: Forget about everything I said, become a Latter-day Saint, and take the time to learn more about the America's fastest-growing religion by visiting us at our official website, Mormon.org.
Or, better yet, stop by one of our thousands of church meetinghouses worldwide, or come see one of our many fun and informative church-sponsored pageants.
My fellow Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, have you given any serious thought to the existence of eternal life? To joining our Heavenly Father once again in a world beyond our own? If you haven't, why not? More than anything, more even than my own protracted and evidently unsuccessful attempt to take the White House, your salvation is paramount. For it is what He wants. And it is what our great prophet Joseph Smith wants as well.
As my opponent, Barack Obama, and the ongoing 24-hour news networks continue to hammer away at my now utterly destroyed bid for higher office, I think it's important for us as a nation to put all of that aside and focus on the Mormon church's strong commitment to humanitarian aid and community service. Why, did you know that since 2001 the Church of Latter-day Saints has made donations of more than 300,000 wheelchairs in 101 countries? It's a fact. This is not a burden for us, you see, but a blessing, for "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).
People are desperate, people need help, and now that I know definitively I will never be in a position to lead the American people as their president, I ask you to help by filling out an online submission form and having a Mormon missionary come to meet you and your family at your home to spread His word. It's so easy, and it's the first step toward changing your life and returning to live with God.
Will you give it a chance? I promise you will not regret it if you do. Christ loves you.
Thank you and may God bless you all.


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Ivan Pavlov
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born on September 14, 1849 at Ryazan, where his father, Peter Dmitrievich Pavlov, was a village priest. He was educated first at the church school in Ryazan and then at the theological seminary there.
Inspired by the progressive ideas which D. I. Pisarev, the most eminent of the Russian literary critics of the 1860's and I. M. Sechenov, the father of Russian physiology, were spreading, Pavlov abandoned his religious career and decided to devote his life to science. In 1870 he enrolled in the physics and mathematics faculty to take the course in natural science.
Pavlov became passionately absorbed with physiology, which in fact was to remain of such fundamental importance to him throughout his life. It was during this first course that he produced, in collaboration with another student, Afanasyev, his first learned treatise, a work on the physiology of the pancreatic nerves. This work was widely acclaimed and he was awarded a gold medal for it.
In 1875 Pavlov completed his course with an outstanding record and received the degree of Candidate of Natural Sciences. However, impelled by his overwhelming interest in physiology, he decided to continue his studies and proceeded to the Academy of Medical Surgery to take the third course there. He completed this in 1879 and was again awarded a gold medal. After a competitive examination, Pavlov won a fellowship at the Academy, and this together with his position as Director of the Physiological Laboratory at the clinic of the famous Russian clinician, S. P. Botkin, enabled him to continue his research work. In 1883 he presented his doctor's thesis on the subject of «The centrifugal nerves of the heart». In this work he developed his idea of nervism, using as example the intensifying nerve of the heart which he had discovered, and furthermore laid down the basic principles on the trophic function of the nervous system. In this as well as in other works, resulting mainly from his research in the laboratory at the Botkin clinic, Pavlov showed that there existed a basic pattern in the reflex regulation of the activity of the circulatory organs.
In 1890 Pavlov was invited to organize and direct the Department of Physiology at the Institute of Experimental Medicine. Under his direction, which continued over a period of 45 years to the end of his life, this Institute became one of the most important centres of physiological research.
In 1890 Pavlov was appointed Professor of Pharmacology at the Military Medical Academy and five years later he was appointed to the then vacant Chair of Physiology, which he held till 1925.
It was at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in the years 1891-1900 that Pavlov did the bulk of his research on the physiology of digestion. It was here that he developed the surgical method of the «chronic» experiment with extensive use of fistulas, which enabled the functions of various organs to be observed continuously under relatively normal conditions. This discovery opened a new era in the development of physiology, for until then the principal method used had been that of «acute» vivisection, and the function of an organism had only been arrived at by a process of analysis. This meant that research into the functioning of any organ necessitated disruption of the normal interrelation between the organ and its environment. Such a method was inadequate as a means of determining how the functions of an organ were regulated or of discovering the laws governing the organism as a whole under normal conditions – problems which had hampered the development of all medical science. With his method of research, Pavlov opened the way for new advances in theoretical and practical medicine. With extreme clarity he showed that the nervous system played the dominant part in regulating the digestive process, and this discovery is in fact the basis of modern physiology of digestion. Pavlov made known the results of his research in this field, which is of great importance in practical medicine, in lectures which he delivered in 1895 and published under the title Lektsii o rabote glavnykh pishchevaritelnyteh zhelez (Lectures on the function of the principal digestive glands) (1897).
Pavlov's research into the physiology of digestion led him logically to create a science of conditioned reflexes. In his study of the reflex regulation of the activity of the digestive glands, Pavlov paid special attention to the phenomenon of «psychic secretion», which is caused by food stimuli at a distance from the animal. By employing the method – developed by his colleague D. D. Glinskii in 1895 – of establishing fistulas in the ducts of the salivary glands, Pavlov was able to carry out experiments on the nature of these glands. A series of these experiments caused Pavlov to reject the subjective interpretation of «psychic» salivary secretion and, on the basis of Sechenov's hypothesis that psychic activity was of a reflex nature, to conclude that even here a reflex – though not a permanent but a temporary or conditioned one – was involved.
This discovery of the function of conditioned reflexes made it possible to study all psychic activity objectively, instead of resorting to subjective methods as had hitherto been necessary; it was now possible to investigate by experimental means the most complex interrelations between an organism and its external environment.
In 1903, at the 14th International Medical Congress in Madrid, Pavlov read a paper on «The Experimental Psychology and Psychopathology of Animals». In this paper the definition of conditioned and other reflexes was given and it was shown that a conditioned reflex should be regarded as an elementary psychological phenomenon, which at the same time is a physiological one. It followed from this that the conditioned reflex was a clue to the mechanism of the most highly developed forms of reaction in animals and humans to their environment and it made an objective study of their psychic activity possible.
Subsequently, in a systematic programme of research, Pavlov transformed Sechenov's theoretical attempt to discover the reflex mechanisms of psychic activity into an experimentally proven theory of conditioned reflexes.
As guiding principles of materialistic teaching on the laws governing the activity of living organisms, Pavlov deduced three principles for the theory of reflexes: the principle of determinism, the principle of analysis and synthesis, and the principle of structure.
The development of these principles by Pavlov and his school helped greatly towards the building-up of a scientific theory of medicine and towards the discovery of laws governing the functioning of the organism as a whole.
Experiments carried out by Pavlov and his pupils showed that conditioned reflexes originate in the cerebral cortex, which acts as the «prime distributor and organizer of all activity of the organism» and which is responsible for the very delicate equilibrium of an animal with its environment. In 1905 it was established that any external agent could, by coinciding in time with an ordinary reflex, become the conditioned signal for the formation of a new conditioned reflex. In connection with the discovery of this general postulate Pavlov proceeded to investigate «artificial conditioned reflexes». Research in Pavlov's laboratories over a number of years revealed for the first time the basic laws governing the functioning of the cortex of the great hemispheres. Many physiologists were drawn to the problem of developing Pavlov's basic laws governing the activity of the cerebrum. As a result of all this research there emerged an integrated Pavlovian theory on higher nervous activity.
Even in the early stages of his research Pavlov received world acclaim and recognition. In 1901 he was elected a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in 1904 he was awarded a Nobel Prize, and in 1907 he was elected Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences; in 1912 he was given an honorary doctorate at Cambridge University and in the following years honorary membership of various scientific societies abroad. Finally, upon the recommendation of the Medical Academy of Paris, he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honour (1915).
After the October Revolution, a special government decree, signed by Lenin on January 24, 1921, noted «the outstanding scientific services of Academician I.P.Pavlov, which are of enormous significance to the working class of the whole world».
The Communist Party and the Soviet Government saw to it that Pavlov and his collaborators were given unlimited scope for scientific research. The Soviet Union became a prominent centre for the study of physiology, and the fact that the 15th International Physiological Congress of August 9-17, 1935, was held in Leningrad and Moscow clearly shows that it was acknowledged as such.
Pavlov directed all his indefatigable energy towards scientific reforms. He devoted much effort to transforming the physiological institutions headed by him into world centres of scientific knowledge, and it is generally acknowledged that he succeeded in this endeavour.
Pavlov nurtured a great school of physiologists, which produced many distinguished pupils. He left the richest scientific legacy – a brilliant group of pupils, who would continue developing the ideas of their master, and a host of followers all over the world.
In 1881, Pavlov married Seraphima (Sara) Vasilievna Karchevskaya, a teacher, the daughter of a doctor in the Black Sea fleet. She first had a miscarriage, said to be due to her having to run after her very fast-walking husband. Subsequently they had a son, Wirchik, who died very suddenly as a child; three sons, Vladimir, Victor and Vsevolod, one of whom was a well-known physicist and professor of physics at Leningrad in 1925, and a daughter, Vera.
Dr. Pavlov died in Leningrad on February 27, 1936.
This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel. It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.
Watch the 2023 Nobel Prize announcements
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Luck is what you have left over after you give 100 percent. -Langston Coleman
Enough about that, let's get to the good stuff! Remember in a recent post when I shared my first sock? Well...
I finished the second one the next day! This photo was taken about five minutes after I finished them at 10:30pm - I love them! I've been wearing them almost everyday around the house, as I think I've mentioned before I prefer slipper socks to standard slippers because I like my ankles to be covered so these are just perfect! These are the Cottage Slipper Socks and the pattern can be downloaded for free from Lion Brand (I believe there is also a crochet version); I used Lion Brand Thick and Quick in Oatmeal so they knit up super-fast since the yarn is very bulky. I may just need to make another pair! You can find these beauties on my Ravelry here!
Oh, another thing that happened this past week is that I came down with either food poisoning or some sort of stomach flu and spent four days in bed. This was really not all bad because it was actually quite nice to stay in bed and watch movies and knit *wink*! I finished knitting a hat (which is of no use right now because the weather is being crazy and it is seriously warm here) and I wrote my first knitting pattern! Eeeek! I'll share the hat when I take pictures and the knitting pattern when...well, you know, when the sample is actually finished and stuff!
I did receive ridiculous amounts of yarn in the mail week before last - which was actually quite funny because both boxes showed up on Alex's birthday and he thought for a minute that they might be presents for him, hehe!
I took this picture after I opened up the boxes and lordy was I excited! This is a combination of a Craftsy Knitting Mystery Box and an order from Eat Sleep Knit.
The Craftsy Knitting Mystery Box is available at a limited quantity near the beginning of each month through the deals section of the website - it is $25 USD and guaranteed to include at least $50 worth of supplies (mine ended up being worth about $75 or so). I'm not in love with the colours that I received (except maybe the yellow) but it was really fun nevertheless - I received one skein of Malabrigo Silky Merino in Camote, one skein of Cascade Epiphany in #1308, two balls of di.Ve Autunno, and a pair of rosewood Lantern Moon straight needles (which are absolutely gorgeous by the way).
The order from Eat Sleep Knit included one skein of Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Terrarium and two skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Calligraphy. The skein of Terrarium is being paired with another skein that I already have for the pattern I wrote that I mentioned earlier, and the Calligraphy is being matched with some Tosh Merino Light in Tern for Sothia by Robin Ulrich.
These were also in my ESK order and are for more socks! I got one skein of Malabrigo Sock in Ochre and two skeins of Shibui Knits Sock in Sand - oh so very pretty!
And as if all that lovely yarn weren't enough this awesome little owl needle gauge was included with the March issue of Simply Knitting magazine - eeep! I love cute little notions like these - they just make everything prettier and so much more fun!
Now I know there has been a whole lot of knitting and yarn and knitting related stuffs in this post, but don't worry I'm still sewing! I've finished three bags in as many weeks and some other little secret projects - the bags I'll share just as soon as I take pictures (and after two of them make it to their recipients) and I'll share the other projects as soon as I'm able!
7 comments:
So disappointing when, through no fault of our own, our job goes missing. I hope they're wrong regarding the cuts and that you are summarily rehired!ReplyDelete
What a fun idea! The owl tool is very cute.ReplyDelete
Sorry to hear about your job dear Kaye! I know you'll figure something out, you're fab! :) Love all your pretty yarn goodies and your socks!ReplyDelete
I secretly liked bed rest when I was pregnant so I could it all day and knit! But being sick is the pits and losing your job is even worse. But, I have high hopes this is just the beginning of something even better for you. At least you have lots of fun supplies to play around with! (PS I'm sort of obsessed with Tosh Calligraphy. It will make a gorgeous Sothia!)ReplyDelete
when one door closes, another will open. you'll have another job as good or better. love your yarn! your slipper sox look good! i make mine just above the ankle ... they're my fav patten, using any chunky yarn.ReplyDelete
So sorry about your job, but at least you have a super cute knit gauge!ReplyDelete
I'm very sorry to hear about your job. And the knitting--well, I'm mostly just knitting square blocks for an afghan, but I plan on doing some socks. Soon. They look very complicated to me...ReplyDelete


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Enviva acquires pellet plants, expands production
Enviva LP, manufacturer of processed biomass fuels, has acquired two U.S. wood pellet plants and will increase both facilities' capacities by tens of thousands of tons to meet demands of its customers in both the U.S. and Europe.
Most recently, Enviva acquired Tomorrow Energy's Piney Woods pellet plant in Wiggins, Miss., and will increase its capacity from 50,000 tons per year to 150,000 tons. The plant will be renamed Enviva Pellets Wiggins and will provide 22 more jobs and another 30 throughout its logging and forestry supply chain, according to Enviva.
The company has also acquired an Amory, Miss., pellet plant formerly known as CKS Energy Inc. Newly named Enviva Pellets Amory, the plant will ramp up production from 50,000 tons to more than 100,000 tons, according to the company.
Since pellet manufacture is a capital-intensive business, both facilities will require investments in substantial new processing equipment, according to John Keppler, Enviva chairman and CEO. "We're anxious and enthusiastic about deploying capital into expanding these facilities and delivering some pretty significant environmental benefits," he said, declining to release a cost estimate for the expansions.
Keppler said Enviva views the market for pellets from a utility perspective to be mainly in Europe, but expects a larger adoption of biomass fuels for fossil fuel replacement in the U.S. over time. "In the very near term, a significant portion of our demand is overseas, but increasingly, we're working with U.S. customers on meeting their renewable energy needs with biomass," he said.
Enviva has been a biomass supplier since 2004 and has built an expansive portfolio of customers, Keppler said. "Each of these facilities will be an important part of our global fulfillments against the contracted demand that we have," he said.
The Amory facility has already been expanded within its existing infrastructure, but the full build-out of both facilities should be complete in the first or second quarter of 2011, Keppler said, adding that Enviva has customers waiting on the expansion and prepared to purchase more biomass fuel.


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Learn About the Law
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Asst. Atty. Gen. Thompson, for appellees.
Mr. Justice McKENNA delivered the opinion of the court.
The appellant (petitioner in the court below) claimed $3,400 under the act approved March 3, 1891, entitled 'An act to provide for the adjudication and payment of claims arising from Indian depredations.' He alleged that he was a native of Prussia, and came to the United States in 1828, and declared his intentio to become a citizen of the United States on the 8th of January, 1842, and was recognized as a voter of Cochise county, Ariz., from 1884 to 1886; that he made application for and was adjudged and declared a citizen of the United States December 16, 1896; that in March, 1872, he was the owner of certain property (which was described) of the value of $3,400, in Arizona territory, 'which was taken, used, and destroyed by the Apache Mohave Indians,' who were in amity with the United States 'when the depredation was committed.' He further alleged 'that he presented his claim to the honorable commissioner of Indian affairs March 8, 1882, but that no action was had thereon; that said claim has not been paid, nor any part thereof, nor has any of the property been returned, either by the said Indians or the United States.'
The United States filed a general traverse.
The court dismissed the petition for want of jurisdiction. This ruling is assigned as error.
The act of March 3, 1891, gives jurisdiction to the court of claims to 'inquire into and finally adjudicate, in the manner provided in this act, all claims of the following classes, namely:'
First. 'All claims for property of citizens of the United [173 U.S. 439, 441] States taken or destroyed by Indians belonging to any band, tribe or nation in amity with the United States. ...'
Second. Such jurisdiction shall also extend to all cases which have been examined and allowed by the interior department, and also to such cases as were authorized to be examined under the act approved March 3, 1885, and under subsequent acts. 23 Stat. 376.
The 'subsequent acts' do not affect the question, and that part of the act of March 3d which it is necessary to quote provides as follows:
Is the demand of appellant within any of these clauses?
1. In Johnson v. U. S., 160 U.S. 546 , 16 Sup. Ct. 377, it was held that citizenship at the time of the depredation was an essential condition of the jurisdiction of the court of claims of demands under the first clause.
2. Speaking of the second clause, it was said: 'By that jurisdiction is extended to 'cases which have been examined and allowed by the interior department, and also to such cases as were authorized to be examined under the act of congress' of March 3, 1885, and subsequent acts.'
The appellant's case was not of the former kind. His claim had not 'been examined and allowed by the interior department.' It had only been filed with the commissioner of Indian affairs. Was it, hence, a case of the second kind? To have been that, it must have been one then 'pending, but not yet examined,' and must have been on behalf of a citizen of [173 U.S. 439, 442] the United States. It was on file, and hence may be said to have been 'pending,' but it was not on behalf of a citizen of the United States. Appellant was not then a citizen. He did not become such until December 16, 1896
But appellant urges that the act of 1891 applies to claimants who were inhabitants at the time of the depredations, and that their naturalization afterwards should be held to relate to that time. This view is attempted to be supported by analogy to sections 2289 and 2319 of the Revised Statutes, which respectively give to citizens and to those who have declared their intention to become such the right to enter agricultural or mineral lands, and the pra tice of the land department in such cases to give retroactive effect to a declaration of intention. The answer is ready, and may be brief. The act of 1891 is not ambiguous. Its clearness does not need, and may not be construed by, analogies from other statutes, or from the practice under other statutes. The rule is elemental that language which is clear needs no construction. Lake Co. v. Rollins, 130 U.S. 662 , 9 Sup. Ct. 651. Under both of the clauses of the act of 1891 the claims of which jurisdiction was given were strictly identified,- under the first clause, by citizenship at the time of the depredations; maybe, also, under the act of 1885, which provides the cases of the second clause. But whether, as was said in Johnson v. U. S., the different phraseology of the act of March 3, 1885, would include claims in favor of those not citizens at the time of the depredations by the Indians, it was decided that they must be claims then 'pending'-that is, pending at the time of the ac-on behalf of citizens; and, as as it was such cases which 'were authorized to be examined' under the act of 1885, it was to such cases that the jurisdiction of the court of claims was extended by the second clause of the act of 1891.
Judgment affirmed.
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Much of the following information is excerpted with permission from the May 2, 2010 report by Peter Suber for the SPARC Open Access Newsletter [SOAN; www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/newsletter/05-02-10.htm].
Six Representatives from two parties introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA, H.R. 5037) in the House of Representatives on April 15, 2010. The bill would essentially extend the existing open access (OA) mandate for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) across all of the major funding agencies in the U.S. federal government. FRPAA is already pending in the Senate and now has a serious shot at adoption, according to Suber. The sponsors want OA, not just a trial balloon or a symbolic flag in the ground.
FRPAA mandates OA for unclassified research funded in whole or part by the largest federal funding agencies. The cutoff is whether an agency spends $100 million/year or more on extramural research. This year that covers 11 agencies: the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.
According to Suber, FRPAA would liberate more research literature than any other policy ever proposed in any country. If adopted, it would do more for the worldwide momentum of OA than any step in our history and more than any step on the horizon.
While the scope of the bill depends on agency budgets for extramural research (research by agency grantees as opposed to agency employees), the OA mandate in the bill applies to intramural research as well (research by employees).
Apart from its wider scope, FRPAA differs from the NIH policy in a four respects:
(1) It would shorten the maximum permissible embargo to 6 months.
(2) It would require immediate OA, or eliminate embargoes entirely, for intramural research.
(3) It would offer more flexibility about the OA repositories in which to deposit work. Agencies could host their own repositories, as the NIH does, or ask grantees to deposit into third-party repositories, such as their own institutional repositories, provided the repositories met certain conditions of OA, interoperability, and long-term preservation.
(4) It would offer more flexibility on how to secure permission for the mandated OA, or how to avoid copyright infringement. It supports the battle-tested NIH method but opens the door to additional methods. For details, see the Suber article on the 2009 introduction of the Senate version of the bill (www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/newsletter/08-02-09.htm#frpaa).
Just as Congress asked NIH to develop an OA mandate, without dictating the details, FRPAA asks agencies to come up with their own policies within the general guidelines laid down in the bill. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution and agencies are free to differ on the details. They would have one year from the bill's passage to frame their own policies.
Two federal agencies already operate under OA mandates: the NIH and the Institute of Education Sciences. Both allow 12 month embargoes and FRPAA would trim them back to 6. In that sense, FRPAA not only extends but also strengthens the existing federal mandates.
John Cornyn (R-TX) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) first introduced FRPAA in the Senate in May 2006, when it was never matched by a House version and never came up for a vote. Cornyn and Lieberman reintroduced it early in the current session of Congress, June 2009, and now for the first time, the bill is on the table in both the House and the Senate. Because the House and Senate versions are identical, no reconciliation would be needed if both passed. "We've never had such a good shot at passing this watershed legislation," wrote Suber.
The House introduction of FRPAA comes while the White House is considering its own OA initiative. Late last year (Dec. 9, 2009) the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) called for public comments on "enhancing public access to archived publications resulting from research funded by Federal science and technology agencies." Comments were originally due on Jan. 7, 2010, but the deadline was extended until Jan. 21, 2010.
The comments are available here: www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/08/public-access-policy-update
Publishers are throwing their support instead behind a bill that opposes agency OA mandates, known as the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act (HR 801), introduced in February by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). For details, see the document posted by the Professional/Scholarly Publishing (PSP) Division of the Association of American Publishers: "Key Points: How the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act Protects Copyright and Advances Science and Scientific Publishing (www.pspcentral.org/PSPFairCopyrightKeyPoints.cfm).
"The Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006," by Robin Peek, May 8, 2006:
THOMAS pages on the bill-Federal Research Public Access Act:
--In the Senate (S.1373)
--In the House (H.R. 5037)
Announcement from the Alliance for Taxpayer Access
The Association of American Publishers and DC Principles Coalition released their April 29 letter to the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, opposing FRPAA.
Fair Copyright in Research Works Act (HR 801)
Paula J. Hane is a freelance writer and editor covering the library and information industries. She was formerly Information Today, Inc.'s news bureau chief and editor of NewsBreaks.


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By Joe Thoma
The House of Bishops authorized a provisional rite July 9 for blessing same-sex relationships. The vote was 111 to 41, with three bishops abstaining. Resolution A049 asks General Convention to authorize the liturgy for provisional use, which replaces the word trial.
The resolution, which proceeds to the House of Deputies July 10 for debate and voting, also calls for a review of provisional use before the next General Convention in 2015.
"This is clearly a work in process, and there is a place in that process for all Episcopalians, whether or not they agree with the action we are taking today," said the Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music's report accompanying the resolution.
But most people who have spoken publicly about the resolution consider it more than provisional, and say it plainly authorizes same-sex blessings in the Episcopal Church.
Bishop Gregory Brewer, Central Florida, spoke against the measure at the bishops' meeting July 9.
He said that he has heard from close friends, Anglicans who live in totalitarian countries, who say that they fear retaliation for being associated with the Episcopal Church's policies on marriage and sexuality.
"These decisions could be catastrophic for them, and I have to oppose the resolution," Bishop Brewer said.
One member of the committee, the Very Rev. David Thurlow of the Diocese of South Carolina, submitted a minority report recommending rejection of the resolution.
"Whereas, for two thousand years the Church has had clear teaching regarding Christian marriage and Biblical norms of sexual behavior; and has upheld a standard consistent with God's Word as taught by Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church," he wrote.
Thurlow added: "And whereas, through previous statements and resolutions the Church has pledged itself not to make any change to this traditional teaching until such time as the Provinces of the Anglican Communion and other ecumenical partners have reached a consensus on the subject in accordance with Holy Scripture and guidance of the Holy Spirit;
"And whereas, Resolution A049 is a clear break and departure from 'the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as this Church has received them' (BCP, p. 526) introducing and acting upon a new theology of human sexuality inconsistent with the clear teaching of Scripture, the Book of Common Prayer, the Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion and the wider Church,
I recommend rejection of this resolution."
The resolution would authorize using "The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant" from 'Liturgical Resources I: I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing' beginning the First Sunday of Advent 2012, under the direction and subject to the permission of the bishop exercising ecclesiastical authority."
Bishop Thomas Ely, Vermont, episcopal co-chairman of the committee, introduced the resolution and said it allows for wide local interpretations. The resolution does not make the rites mandatory, but leaves it up to each diocesan bishop to implement them, adapt them for local use or not use them at all.
"That will mean different things in different locales," Bishop Ely said. "There is a place in this process for every Episcopalian regardless of their level of support for the material. Read it, digest it, reflect upon it, use it, but please don't ignore it."
The Rt. Rev. John Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee, asked that the vote on A049 be taken by roll call, then spoke against the resolution.
"I speak in opposition to Resolution A049 for a number of reasons, but most specifically on this account: I think it is reasonable to believe that exclusive and lifelong fidelity to one other person is predicated on sexual difference, on the fact that there is but one 'other' sex. When our Lord Jesus Christ commends lifelong fidelity to one person, in Mark's Gospel (10:1-12), he appeals to the story of the creation of our first parents. In other words, the basis for monogamous relationship is sexual difference itself. There is one 'other' sex. One wife espouses one husband; one husband espouses one wife. Genesis provides the scriptural warrant. What sure warrant of Holy Scripture is there for requiring this form of exclusive and lifelong fidelity for two people of the same sex? I think this liturgy does not have sufficient basis in either Scripture, Tradition, or Reason for us to authorize its use."
The Rt. Rev. Edward Little II, Bishop of Northern Indiana, asked the bishops to defeat the resolution.
"This will put us out of the Christian mainstream," Bishop Little said. "The Christian world is going to understand us as having changed the nature of the sacrament of holy matrimony," he said. "The Christian world will look at that liturgy world and see vows, and exchange of rings, a pronouncement and a blessing and they will understand that to mean the Episcopal Church has endorsed same-sex marriage and changed a basic Christian doctrine. I do not believe that we are free to do that."
"To head down this path of legislation is simply not necessary," said the Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard, Bishop of Florida, because such blessings were already taking place in the church as a pastoral response.
But the Rt. Rev. Nathan Baxter, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, said the measure will encourage people in his diocese to learn about their diverse neighbors.
Many in Baxter's diocese disagree with the Episcopal Church's move to create the rites, he said. "And in my case many, many African American pastors are upset with me. But I really believe this is God's call to us to continue the conversation as we go forward."
The Rt. Rev. Bill Love, Bishop of Albany, said that the resolution's passage, plus the defeat of the Anglican Covenant and reduced giving to the Anglican Communion, would be a "triple whammy" to the Episcopal Church's position in the Communion.
The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, Bishop of Southeast Florida, supported the resolution. "People will say that Hispanics will be upset with this vote," he said. "But we have gay children, uncles and friends. Please do not generalize that Hispanics will run from the Episcopal Church" because of this vote.
The Rt. Rev. Duncan Gray III, Bishop of Mississippi, said he would not authorize the provisional rite in his diocese, but that it probably will be adopted General Convention.
"I know I see through a glass darkly," he said, asking that people who are for the rites "walk beyond this vote with a sense of humility and less of a triumphant note."


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This document is available in two formats: this web page (for browsing content) and PDF (comparable to original document formatting). To view the PDF you will need Acrobat Reader, which may be downloaded from the Adobe site. For an official signed copy, please contact the Antitrust Documents Group.
The United States of America, through its attorneys, acting under the direction of the Attorney General of the United States, brings this civil antitrust action under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, to obtain equitable and other relief against 21st Century Bidding Corp.
1. In August 1996, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") commenced an auction (the "DEF auction") to award licenses of broadband radio spectrum to be used for the development and operation of personal communications services ("PCS"). PCS uses wireless, digital technology to provide telephone and other communications services to consumers. 2. Defendant 21st Century Bidding Corp. ("21st Century") was among the successful bidders in the DEF auction. 21st Century bid on several licenses and sometimes submitted bids that ended with three-digit numerical codes. 21st Century used the coded bids to communicate with rival bidders during the auction. By using the codes, 21st Century created links between two or more specific markets and thereby proposed to competing bidders that they not bid against each other in the linked markets.
3. Through the use of the coded bids during the auction, 21st Century and one of its rivals reached an agreement to refrain from bidding against one another for PCS licenses in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1. As a consequence of this agreement, 21st Century and its rival paid less for PCS licenses, depriving the Treasury of the United States of revenues.
4. This complaint is filed under Section 4 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 4, in order to prevent and restrain violations by 21st Century of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1. This Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C.§§ 1331 and 1337.
5. 21st Century is a Delaware corporation that is wholly-owned by 21st Century Telesis Joint Venture, which is a Delaware general partnership with headquarters in California. 21st Century Telesis Joint Venture is comprised of two partners: 21st Century Telesis, Inc. and 21st Century Telesis (II), Inc., both of which are Delaware corporations. 21st Century and its controlling entities construct and operate PCS systems in numerous geographic areas in the United States pursuant to licenses granted by the FCC. 21st Century and its controlling entities provide communications services to businesses and individuals across the United States. 21st Century and its controlling entities are engaged in interstate commerce and their activities substantially affect interstate commerce.
6. A substantial number of the events that gave rise to this complaint occurred in this District. Venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2). 21st Century consents to jurisdiction and venue in the District of Columbia pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 22 and 28 U.S.C § 1391(c).
7. In 1993, Congress enacted legislation providing for auction of licenses by the FCC for the use of radio spectrum. The legislation required the FCC to promulgate rules for ensuring that auctions would be competitive. One of the uses for the spectrum to be auctioned by the FCC is PCS.
8. The FCC divided the spectrum available for broadband PCS into 6 bands: A, B, C, D, E and F. The A, B and C licenses were for 30 MHZ each, while the D, E and F licenses were for 10 MHZ each.
9. The FCC also divided the country into 51 geographic areas called Market Trading Areas ("MTAs"), which were each allotted an A and a B license. The FCC further subdivided these 51 MTAs into 493 smaller geographic units, which it called Basic Trading Areas ("BTAs"), which were each allotted a C, D, E and F license. Each BTA was assigned a number between 1 and 493.
10. The FCC adopted a simultaneous, multiple-round, open format for the PCS auctions. Under this format, numerous licenses are offered in a single auction, staged over several rounds, with all licenses remaining open for bidding until the auction closes. Auction participants can observe all of the bidding activity in each round. An auction ends only when a round passes in which no bidder submits a bid on any license.
11. One goal of the FCC was to ensure the efficient allocation of the licenses, that is, that each license should go to the bidder who valued it most highly. The PCS auction format helped achieve this goal by awarding each license to the highest bidder.
12. The first broadband PCS auction was held from December 1994 to March 1995 for all A and B licenses. From December 1995 to May 1996, the FCC conducted a second auction, this time for all C licenses.
13. The auction of the D, E and F licenses for all 493 BTAs began in August 1996. As in the earlier auctions, each round of the DEF auction began with a bid submission period during which participants could submit bids electronically or by telephone for any of the licenses in which they were interested. Because there were three bands, the DEF auction involved a total of 1479 licenses.
14. After each bid submission period, the FCC published electronically to all bidders the results of the bidding for each license, including the name of each company bidding, the amount of each bid, and the time each bid was submitted. The high bidder for a license in a round became the "standing high" bidder for that license; in the case of a tie, the highest bid received earliest by the FCC during that round was the standing high bid.
15. Following publication of the results of each bid submission round, there was a bid withdrawal period. During this period, bidders were permitted to withdraw standing high bids from any market, subject to a bid withdrawal penalty specified by the FCC. The FCC then published the results of the withdrawal period.
16. An auction round was comprised of the bid submission and bid withdrawal periods. At the beginning of the auction, the FCC held one round per day. As the auction progressed, the FCC increased the number of rounds held in a single day. Where there were multiple rounds in a day, the FCC provided a period of time between rounds for auction participants to analyze the bidding of the prior round and to plan for the next round.
17. Before the auction, bidders analyzed which licenses (or group of licenses) would best enable them to provide effective and competitive PCS service, assessed the value they placed on those licenses, and developed strategies to obtain the licenses. As the auction proceeded, bidders often adjusted their market valuations and business strategies in light of other participants' bids.
18. The DEF auction lasted 276 rounds, ending in January 1997.
19. In the course of the DEF auction, 21st Century sometimes placed bids in which the final three digits intentionally corresponded to the numerical designator for a BTA (a "BTA end code"). 21st Century knew the BTA end codes were visible to other bidders and that it could use the BTA end codes to signal or communicate with its competitors. 21st Century used these signals to, among other things, link the bidding of licenses in two (or more) specific BTA markets, highlight the licenses 21st Century wanted, and convey offers to allocate the licenses. 21st Century's use of the BTA end codes did not serve any legitimate purpose of the auction.
20. During the course of rounds 120 to 125, 21st Century reached an agreement with Mercury PCS II, L.L.C. ("Mercury") to allocate between them the F-band licenses for Indianapolis (BTA #204), Baton Rouge (BTA #032) and Biloxi (BTA#042). 21st Century agreed to stop bidding for the Baton Rouge and Biloxi-F licenses in exchange for Mercury's agreement to stop bidding for the Indianapolis-F license. Their agreement is evidenced by, among other things:
21. The purpose and effect of the agreement was to allocate licenses between 21st Century and Mercury and to suppress the prices for PCS licenses by eliminating competing bids. The agreement had the following effects, among others:
22. The agreement between 21st Century and Mercury was not authorized by the FCC rules governing.
23. Unless permanently restrained and enjoined, 21st Century will continue to engage in conduct in future FCC auctions that unreasonably restrains trade in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1.
WHEREFORE, plaintiff prays:
24. That the Court adjudge and decree that 21st Century entered an agreement to restrain interstate trade and commerce of licenses for PCS in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act.
25. That 21st Century, its officers, directors, agents, employees and successors and all other persons acting or claiming to act on their behalf be enjoined and restrained from, in any manner, directly or indirectly, continuing, maintaining, or renewing the agreement alleged, or from engaging in any other agreement, understanding or concert of action having a similar purpose or effect, and from adopting or following any practice, plan, program, or device having a similar purpose or effect.
Dated: November 10, 1998


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We have four kids in public schools. we have found that expenses for them for extra-curricular activities have gone DOWN the older they get.
Swimming, baseball, soccer, volleyball, dance, gymnastics, basketball etc. etc. in the elementary/middle school years are NEVER covered by schools, except a few sports for a few weeks. Any sort of select club or sport or music is all parent-pay. Once our kids hit high school (we have two now) we've found expenses have gone down as our kids have made certain sports/activities in high school.
swim team in high school -- basically FREE except team gear. no monthly club swimming payment. Band in high school -- Free, small fees related to shoes. Basketball-- free shooting lessons/clinics/weight training. Dance -- who has time when band practices are three evenings a week? In mid-size to large towns, if kids want to make teams in high school, the parents have most likely been spending a small fortune on lessons & club sports.
So, in reality for us, spending has gone down as they get older when it comes to activities. AND -- a plus, the older the get, the more money kids can bring in. Our 16-yr old pays for a lot of his stuff on his own from his summer job lifeguarding.


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
On-line version ISSN 2078-5135
Print version ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.102 n.3 Pretoria Mar. 2012
The potential impact of a cataract surgery programme on the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland
J PonsI; W MaphamII; B NewsomeIII; L MyerIV; R AndersonV; P CourtrightVI; C CookVII
IMB ChB, Dip Ophthal (SA), Dip Anaesth (SA). Good Shepherd Hospital, Siteki, Swaziland
IIMB ChB. Good Shepherd Hospital, Siteki, Swaziland
IIIBA, PhD. Good Shepherd Hospital, Siteki, Swaziland
IVMedical Student, Edinburgh. Good Shepherd Hospital, Siteki, Swaziland
VBA, MB ChB, MA, MPhil, PhD. School of Public Health and Family Medicine and Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cape Town
VIMB ChB, MPH, FCOphthSA, FRCOphth. School of Public Health and Family Medicine and Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cape Town
VIIDrPH. Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology, Tanzania
We aimed to evaluate the potential impact of a cataract surgery weeks after surgery, there was a sizable increase in the proportions programme at the Good Shepherd Hospital, Siteki, Swaziland, of subjects who were able to undertake self-care activities, attend on the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland. We to activities of daily living, undertake income-generating activities studied consecutive patients aged 50 years and older undergoing and care for children. Cataract surgery on elderly visually impaired surgery for age-related cataract who reported having children living patients has the potential to impact positively on the care of in their household. Of 131 subjects recruited, 65 (49.6%) were the orphans and vulnerable children. primary caregivers for the child(ren) in their household. Visual acuities measured 2 weeks after surgery significantly improved. Four weeks after surgery, there was a sizable increase in the proportions of subjects who were able to undertake self-care activities, attend to activities of daily living, undertake income-generating activities and care for children. Cataract surgery on elderly visually impaired patients has the potential to impact positively on the care of orphans and vulnerable children.
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in Swaziland, as elsewhere in Africa. Although Swaziland has no published studies, it is likely to be similar to Malawi and Tanzania, where rates of bilateral blindness are 3.3% and 2.4%, with cataracts contributing 48.2% and 52.4% of cases, respectively.1,2 Swaziland struggles to manage an HIV epidemic affecting 26% of adults, the highest prevalence in the world.3 In 2007 it was estimated that 56 000 Swazi children had been orphaned due to HIV.4 The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) predicted that this would increase to 120 000 orphaned children by 2010, representing 13% of Swaziland's population.5 Grandparents have a growing role as primary caregivers of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa,6-14 and in Swaziland elderly people are their main caregivers.15 In nearby Zimbabwe approximately 71% of grandparents older than 60 years have responsibilities for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS,16 and in neighbouring South Africa each elderly caregiver looks after an estimated average of 4.6 children.7 While it is universally agreed that the elderly are essential for mitigating the effects of the AIDS epidemic on orphaned children, their needs are rarely addressed by governmental or non-governmental organisations.17 The World Health Organization has therefore called for practical and sustainable approaches to improve the capacity of older people to provide care for their orphaned dependants.
Cataract surgery can quickly and economically restore the ability of the elderly blind person to resume active income-generating activities and to care for dependants more effectively, yet only anecdotal reports highlight these benefits. We therefore evaluated the potential impact of a cataract surgery programme on the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland.
Swaziland has a population of 1 370 424 people, of whom 3.6% are aged 65 years and over.18 During this study, Good Shepherd Hospital in Siteki in the Lubombo region was responsible for 100% of Swaziland's cataract surgery.
We enrolled consenting patients aged 50 years and older undergoing cataract surgery at Good Shepherd Hospital. The questionnaire used to interview patients before their surgery, included: 'Are there children in your home whose parents have died or who have been abandoned by their parents?' Those answering in the affirmative ('elderly orphan caregivers') were included in a follow-up study to provide additional details - the age and gender of all members of the household, information on the caregiver for the preschool child(ren) in the household, and activities they could undertake with their visual impairment (selfcare, activities of daily living, child care activities and incomegenerating activities). The patients had their presenting visual acuities of both eyes recorded before their surgery and at followup after 2 weeks.
Follow-up interviews were conducted on a selected sample of the patients living within a 1-hour drive from the hospital, in their homes after 4 weeks. They were asked to detail the activities they were now able to undertake, including questions related to child care.
Data were entered into a custom-designed Excel spreadsheet and analysed using SigmaStat 3.11 software (Systate Software Inc, Chicago, USA).
Ethical approval for the study was granted by the Good Shepherd Hospital ethics committee.
Over the 8-month period 131 patients aged 50 and above were enrolled, comprising 39 men and 92 women with mean ages of 70.5 years and 69.2 years, respectively; 65 (49.6%) reported being the primary caregiver for at least one child. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 37 patients at their homes after 4 weeks. Analysis of variance and Student's t-test evaluated the statistical significance of pre- and postoperative visual acuities and activities associated with daily child care.
Measured visual acuities significantly improved 2 weeks after surgery (p<0.001) (Table 1). Data represent the visual acuities of the patients' better eyes pre- and postoperatively to address the patients' overall increased abilities after surgery.
There were sizeable improvements in reported activities following surgery (Table 2).
Swaziland has the highest documented prevalence of HIV in the world, resulting in a large number of orphans whose grandparents provide care for them. In this study, half the subjects reported being the primary caregiver for the child(ren) living in their homes, despite being visually impaired from their cataract. Visual acuities and the range of activities they were able to perform, including child care activities and income-generating activities, significantly improved following surgery.
This study has weaknesses. Patients are generally only able to afford a single postoperative visit, which is routinely scheduled after 2 weeks. However, 2 weeks was considered to be too soon to reasonably ask about any improvement in activities after surgery. While we would have liked to have visited all the patients in their homes to interview them after 4 weeks, for geographical, logistical and financial reasons this was not possible and only 37 patients were visited. Although it was possible to measure the visual acuities more objectively before and after surgery, the reported range of pre- and postoperative activities is more subjective.
Notwithstanding these weaknesses, cataract surgery resulted in a significant improvement in visual acuity and activities of daily living in these patients. Cataract surgery in this setting improves the income-generating capacity of affected families and the care of orphans and vulnerable children living in those families.
1. Kalua K, Lindfield R, Mtupanyama M, Mtumodzi D, Msiska V. Findings from a rapid assessment of avoidable blindness (RAAB) in Southern Malawi 2011. PLoS ONE 6(4): e19226. [doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0019226] [ Links ]
2. Habiyakire C, Kabona G, Courtright P, Lewallen S. Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness and cataract surgical services in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Ophthalmic Epidemiol 2010;17(2):90-94. [ Links ]
3. Central Statistical Office (Swaziland) and Macro International Inc (2007). Swaziland Demographic and Health Survey 2006-2007: preliminary report. http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/FR202/FR202.pdf (accessed 17 December 2011). [ Links ]
4. UNAIDS Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2008. http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/dataimport/pub/globalreport/2008/jc1510_2008globalreport_en.zip (accessed 17 December 2011). [ Links ]
5. Africa's orphaned generation. http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Africas_Orphaned_ Generation_Executive_Summary_Eng.pdf (accessed 17 December 2011). [ Links ]
6. Wangui EE. Livelihood strategies and nutritional status of grandparent caregivers of AIDS orphans in Nyando District, Kenya. Qual Health Res 2009;19(12):1702-1715. [ Links ]
7. Ardington C, Leibbrandt M. Orphanhood and schooling in South Africa: Trends in the vulnerability of orphans between 1993 and 2005. Economic Development and Cultural Change 2010;58(3):507-536. [ Links ]
8. Knodel J, VanLandingham M, Saengtienchai C, Im-em W. Older people and AIDS: Quantitative evidence of the impact in Thailand. Soc Sci Med 2001;52(9):1313-1327. [ Links ]
9. Ntozi JPM, Nakayiwa S. AIDS in Uganda: How has the household coped with the epidemic? In: Orubuloye IO, Caldwell JC, Ntozi JPM, eds. 1999. The Continuing HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Africa: Responses and Coping Strategies. Canberra: Australia National University, 1999:155-181. [ Links ]
10. Reddy P, James S, Mutumba Bilay-Boon H, Williams E, Khan H. Pilot community based intervention to address the needs of elderly caregivers in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Horizons Research Summary 2009. Washington, DC: Population Council, 2009. [ Links ]
11. Bock J, Johnson SE. Grandmothers' productivity and the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. J Cross Cult Gerontol 2008;23(2):131-145. [ Links ]
12. Freeman M, Nkomo N. Guardianship of orphans and vulnerable children. A survey of current and prospective South African caregivers. AIDS Care 2006;18(4):302-310. [ Links ]
13. Appleton J. 'At my age I should be sitting under that tree': the impact of AIDS on Tanzanian lakeshore communities. Gender and Development 2000;8(2):19-27. [ Links ]
14. Foster G, Makufa C, Drew R, Kambeu S, Saurombe K. Supporting children in need through a community-based orphan visiting programme. AIDS Care 1996;8(4):389-403. [ Links ]
15. Makadzange K, Dolamo BL. Care of HIV-positive orphans by elderly people in Swaziland. CME 2011;29(2):60-64. [ Links ]
16. Impact of AIDS on older people in Africa. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/casestudies/pubzimaids/en/index.html (accessed 17 December 2011). [ Links ]
17. Swaziland: Elderly caregivers get little support. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=76423 (accessed 17 December 2011). [ Links ]
18. Central Intelligence Agency's World Fact Book. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/wz.html (accessed 17 December 2011). [ Links ]
Accepted 12 January 2012.
This original research is published by three generations of UCT graduates. Dr Cook trained Dr Pons in ophthalmology and Dr Pons trained Dr Mapham in ophthalmology.
Corresponding author: W E Mapham (email@example.com)


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August 8, 2010
We discuss all things related to the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States and focus specifically on the eye in the triangle above the pyramid with author Robert Hieronimus who we first came across while doing research for our third episode of Red Ice TV. Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D. received his Ph.D. for the doctoral thesis "An Historic Analysis of the Reverse of the American Great Seal and Its Relationship to the Ideology of Humanistic Psychology" from Saybrook Institute in 1981. His research has been used by the White House, the State Department, and the Department of the Interior, as well as in speeches and interviews with President Gerald Ford and Anwar el-Sadat. His 2006 book, Founding Fathers, Secret Societies was featured repeatedly on the History Channel, Discovery and National Geographic Channels. Dr. Hieronimus is also an artist and has included American symbols in dozens of murals. His 1968 artcar VW bus "Light" (better known as "the Woodstock bus") was photographed by the Associated Press and Rolling Stone at the original 1969 Woodstock, and is still seen today regularly reprinted in media all over the world. In this interview, Robert will discuss the symbolism of the United States and the influence of Freemasonry. Topics Discussed: National Treasure, Dan Brown, State Department, dollar symbolism, Jimmie Hendrix, The Great Seal of the United States, Freemasons, Manley Palmer Hall, Patterson & Dougal, Charles Thompson, Age of Enlightenment, Jefferson's Bible, Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, Hopkinson, eye of providence, Egypt, Aachen Cathedral, the 50 dollar bill, Pyramid of Giza, Nine Sisters Lodge, "Pyramid of Cestius", America's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, University of Virginia, Kabbala, fundamentalism, League of the Iroquoian, slaves built the White House, U.S. Capitol and more. We continue to discuss the symbolism of the United States in the second hour with Robert. We talk about George Washington's comment on the Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt and the myth that anyone can become president of the United States. Robert also talks about secret societies, Geronimo's skull, sun symbolism, Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. We proceed to discuss money, Nicolas Roerich, theosophy, spirituality and much more. Topics Discussed: George Washington's comment on the Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt, Burke's Peer Review, Skull and Bones, Geronimo's skull, six major media owners, Fox, sun symbolism, Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, sun and mountain symbolism, dark matter, Obama symbol, money, spirituality, Nicolas Roerich, theosophists, GMO, secret societies, Monsanto, E Pluribus Unum, one world government, BP oil spill, Exxon Valdez disaster, Phrygian cap, liberty cap, protection of the crown chakra, the obelisk, service to others and more.


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On Wednesday, it finally happened — the pivot to Asia. No, not the United States. It was Russia that turned East.
In Shanghai, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a spectacular energy deal — $400 billion of Siberian natural gas to be exported to China over 30 years.
This is huge. By indelibly linking producer and consumer — the pipeline alone is a $70 billion infrastructure project — it deflates the post-Ukraine Western threat (mostly empty, but still very loud) to cut European imports of Russian gas. Putin has just defiantly demonstrated that he has other places to go.
The Russia-China deal also makes a mockery of U.S. boasts to have isolated Russia because of Ukraine. Not even Germany wants to risk a serious rupture with Russia (hence the absence of significant sanctions). And now Putin has just ostentatiously unveiled a signal 30-year energy partnership with the world's second-largest economy. Some isolation.
The contrast with President Barack Obama's own vaunted pivot to Asia is embarrassing. He went to Japan last month also seeking a major trade agreement that would symbolize and cement a pivotal strategic alliance. He came home empty-handed.
Does the Obama foreign policy team even understand what is happening? For them, the Russia-China alliance is simply more retrograde, 19th-century, balance-of-power maneuvering by men of the past oblivious to the reality of a 21st century governed by law and norms. A place where, for example, one simply doesn't annex a neighbor's territory. Indeed, Obama scolds Russia and China for not living up to their obligations as major stakeholders in this new interdependent world.
The Chinese and Russians can only roll their eyes. These norms and rules mean nothing to them. They see these alleged norms as forms of velvet-glove imperialism, clever extensions of a Western hegemony meant to keep Russia in its reduced post-Soviet condition and China contained by a dominant U.S. military.
Obama cites modern rules; Russia and China, animated by resurgent nationalism, are governed by ancient maps. Putin refers to eastern and southern Ukraine by the old czarist term of "New Russia." And China's foreign minister justifies vast territorial claims that violate maritime law by citing traditional ("nine-dash") maps that grant China dominion over the East and South China Seas.
Which makes this alignment of the world's two leading anti-Western powers all the more significant. It marks a major alteration in the global balance of power.
Putin to Shanghai reprises Richard Nixon to China. To be sure, it's not the surprise that Henry Kissinger pulled off in secret. But it is the capstone of a gradual — now accelerated — Russia-China rapprochement that essentially undoes the Kissinger-Nixon achievement.
Their 1972 strategic coup fundamentally turned the geopolitical tables on Moscow. Putin has now turned the same tables on us. China and Russia together represent the core of a new coalition of anti-democratic autocracies challenging the Western-imposed, post-Cold War status quo. Their enhanced partnership marks the first emergence of a global coalition against American hegemony since the fall of the Berlin wall.
Indeed, at this week's Asian cooperation conference, Xi proposed a brand-new continental security system to include Russia and Iran (lest anyone mistake its anti-imperialist essence) and exclude America. This is an open challenge to the post-Cold War, U.S.-dominated world that Obama inherited and then weakened beyond imagining.
If carried through, it would mark the end of a quarter-century of unipolarity. And herald a return to a form of bipolarity — two global coalitions: one free, one not — though, with communism dead, not as structurally rigid or ideologically dangerous as Cold War bipolarity. Not a fight to the finish, but a struggle nonetheless — for dominion and domination.
To which Obama, who once proclaimed that "no one nation can or should try to dominate another nation," is passive, perhaps even oblivious. His pivot to Asia remains a dead letter. Yet his withdrawal from the Middle East — where from Egypt to Saudi Arabia, from Libya to Syria, U.S. influence is at its lowest ebb in 40 years — is a fait accompli.
The retreat is compounded by Obama's proposed massive cuts in defense spending, down to pre-Pearl Harbor levels, even as Russia is rearming and China is creating a sophisticated military soon capable of denying America access to the waters of the Pacific Rim.
Decline is not a condition. Decline is a choice, Obama's choice. And it's the one area where he is succeeding splendidly.
Charles Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, writes a weekly political column for The Washington Post. Email to email@example.com.
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text: Home / Valves / Master Valves / HP9560 Series - Master Valves / HP9560 Series - HP9560 Series with Copper/Monel Seat / 1"-11-1/2 NPS L.H. Male Zoom Note: Image may not exactly match SKU and is only for representation. 1"-11-1/2 NPS L.H. Male Be the first to review this product SKU: HP9563CL 1"-11-1/2 NPS L.H. Male Availability: Available $354.48 Brand See other products by Rego Valve WARNING: This product contains one or more chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling. Qty: Add to Cart Email to a Friend Add to Wishlist | Add to Compare Product Description Additional Information Product's Review Product Description Details High Pressure Shut-Off Valves with Copper/Monel Seat Additional Information Additional Information Call for price N/A Product's Review Write Your Own Review Only registered users can write reviews. Please, log in or register CMS tab


text:
Burrows-Wheeler Aligner (BWA) is an efficient program that aligns
relatively short nucleotide sequences against a long reference sequence
such as the human genome. It implements two algorithms, bwa-short and
BWA-SW. The former works for query sequences shorter than 200bp and the
latter for longer sequences up to around 100kbp. Both algorithms do
gapped alignment. They are usually more accurate and faster on queries
with low error rates.
A configuration file ("_aptx_configuration_file") will be used if it is
in your $HOME. An example configuration file is available in
If you use BWA-SW, please cite:
Li H. and Durbin R. (2010) Fast and accurate long-read alignment with
Burrows-Wheeler Transform. Bioinformatics, Epub.
Maintained by: Petar Petrov
Keywords: bioinformatics,alignment,sequence
ChangeLog: bwa
Download SlackBuild:
bwa.tar.gz.asc (FAQ)
(the SlackBuild does not include the source)
|Individual Files:
| References
| bwa.SlackBuild
| bwa.info
| slack-desc
© 2006-2023 SlackBuilds.org Project. All rights reserved.
Slackware® is a registered trademark of Patrick Volkerding
Linux® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds


text: Email Story Print Story Time Allergy and Asthma Medications for Best Effect DECEMBER 31, 2007 DENVER — Allergy and asthma sufferers can maximize the benefit of their medications by taking advantage of their bodies' natural circadian rhythms, according to Richard Martin, MD, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at National Jewish Medical and Research Center. Circadian rhythms are the daily variations in biological functions, from mental alertness to blood pressure and body temperature. Blood pressure generally peaks around 9 p.m. and bottoms out at about 3 a.m., while mental performance and strength both peak at about 3 p.m. Allergies and asthma also follow significant circadian rhythms. Dr. Martin has studied circadian rhythms and their effect on allergies and asthma for years. Hay fever symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes, generally peak early in the morning, shortly after waking up. Those morning symptoms can be reduced, says Dr. Martin, if people take their allergy medications at night before going to bed. "Taking your allergy medication at night assures that it will be circulating in your blood stream when you most need it, early the next morning," said Dr. Martin. Asthma symptoms generally peak at about 4 a.m. One large study indicated nearly three quarters of asthma patients wake up during the night with asthma symptoms at least once a week. For severe asthmatics on oral steroids, taking them at 3 p.m. helps reduce nocturnal symptoms, says Dr. Martin. Inhaled steroids are a more widely used medication for people with mild to moderate asthma. Studies have shown that inhaled steroids have their greatest effect when taken between at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. However, most inhaled steroids are taken two or more times a day, and research has not yet determined the best times to take the multiple doses. Dr. Martin says that the most important strategy for inhaled steroids is to be consistent. Taking them in conjunction with regular events, such as breakfast and dinner, is a good way to make sure that you maintain adequate medication in your system. Allergies can trigger asthma symptoms in many patients. Asthma symptoms generally worsen almost immediately after exposure to the allergen. But some patients also suffer a "late asthmatic response" about six to eight hours later. The timing of the allergen exposure can affect this delayed response. Studies have shown that about half of asthmatics exposed to allergens in the morning experience the late asthmatic response. But when they are exposed to the allergen in the evening, virtually all asthma patients develop the late asthmatic response. Dr. Martin recommends that asthmatics who come into contact with an allergen in the evening be especially vigilant about monitoring symptoms and taking asthma medications. Dr. Martin also recommends that patients monitor their nighttime symptoms. A peak flow meter used before bed and in the morning can detect significant worsening of lung function during the night. Patients who wake up during the night with asthma symptoms or detect significantly reduced peak flow readings in the morning should tell their physician and work to develop a plan to improve control of their disease, says Dr. Martin. "Most patients should be able to control their asthma enough to sleep well during the night and to engage in a full range of activities during the day," said Dr. Martin. EDITOR'S NOTE: A patient should consult his or her personal physician before changing any medical treatments. Media Resources We have many faculty members, from bench scientists to clinicians, who can speak on almost any aspect of respiratory, immune, cardiac and gastrointestinal disease as well as lung cancer and basic immunology. Accomplishments & Awards Annual Report Financials Media Contacts Our team is available to arrange interviews, discuss events and story ideas. Adam Dormuth 303.398.1002 office 970.222.5034 mobile firstname.lastname@example.com Jessica Berry 303.398.1082 office 303.807.9491 mobile firstname.lastname@example.com


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When it comes to ending breast cancer, Fran Visco doesn't think pink ribbons and mammograms will get the job done.
Visco is president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, a group of hundreds of organizations and thousands of individual activists focused on fighting cancer. Her group, which has successfully lobbied for $2.8 billion in federal funds for research in the past 20 years, has set a goal of ending the disease by January 2020. She thinks the way to do that is through science—specifically, through studying how the cancer develops and metastasizes.
"We get sidetracked by efforts to focus on getting every woman a mammogram. We could screen every woman in the world and we would not have stopped breast cancer," she says. "I am not saying to stop funding for screening; however, we cannot afford to make it a main focus."
Breast cancer is in the spotlight following the recent controversy at the Susan G. Komen foundation, which cut funds to Planned Parenthood amid pressure from Catholic bishops, then restored the funds after a backlash. Donors are questioning where their dollars go. Visco says that can be a good thing—it can spark a rethink.
The breast-cancer industry has become "such a huge beast," she says, that it has "lost touch with the goal of saving lives." She adds, "I understand the emotional pull of getting together for a race to raise money. I understand the need to raise awareness. Many of our members wear pink ribbons; I respect that. The question is, what are we raising awareness of? Where is the money going? What is it accomplishing?"
Visco believes the solution lies in science. "We have to understand which cancers are life threatening and figure out how to stop those," she says. "Mammography, or any imaging modality, will never be the answer to breast cancer. It has inherent limitations that cannot be overcome. It simply finds some cancers that already exist."
The mortality rate for breast cancer has declined in the past three decades. In 1975, there were 31 deaths for every 100,000 women in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute. In 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available, there were 23 deaths for every 100,000 women.
Some experts say that's not good enough.
For instance, while it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, the cervical-cancer death rate declined by almost 70 percent between 1955 and 1992, according to the American Cancer Society. The drop was attributed primarily to the increased use of the Pap test, which can find changes in the cervix before cancer develops.
The decline in the breast-cancer mortality rate is "not a significant difference, given the investments of billions of dollars," says Visco.
To back up her point on the limits of mammograms, she cites research showing that while the number of mammograms has dramatically increased in America, death rates have not dramatically decreased. The percentage of women age 40 and older who reported having a mammogram rose from 29 percent in 1987 to 65 percent in 2008, according to the National Health Interview Survey, she says. In contrast, she says, the mortality rate has decreased by an average of 2.2 percent per year from 1990 to 2008, according to the National Cancer Institute.
She also points to research from the World Health Organization showing that while North America conducts as many as three times the number of mammograms as less-developed nations, the mortality rates are not substantially different.
Visco acknowledges that her stance is not always popular. A woman whose life was saved by a mammogram would argue that such screenings should be the top priority, she says. "But it's more complicated than that. It is about the biology of the disease."
H. Kim Lyerly, a George Barth Geller Professor of Cancer Research at Duke University, also points to flaws in mammograms, noting that "early detection" is not always what it seems. A screening might detect a lump that has been growing slowly for years, he notes. "We need to detect the true early signals of malignancy—what makes the cancer grow and become lethal. That's where we have a real need."
Other experts stress the importance of screenings. Marc Hurlbert, the executive director of the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, says his organization splits its funding for screenings and science fairly equally. The foundation allots 75.5 percent of its funds to grants, including breast-cancer research and programs that include screenings; the rest goes to fundraising and management. "Research will end the disease," he says, "but we have to take care of women who have the disease today." He believes a new approach to managing research is needed—a "project-management-type approach" that gets scientists to collaborate.
Otis Webb Brawley, chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Cancer Society, agrees that research needs to focus on the "inner workings" of breast cancer—on "what's going on inside the cell." At the same time, he credits mammograms for 40 percent of the decrease in the annual breast-cancer mortality rate. He says money needs to go to "the best ideas at the time."
Eric Winer, chief of the Division of Women's Cancers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and chief scientific advisor to the Komen foundation, says both science and screenings play key roles. "Our research efforts should be devoted to understanding the molecular drivers of cancer growth, and we need to develop therapies that can stop cancer in its tracks," he says. "Although our clinical trials will benefit future generations, we cannot ignore the people who are facing cancer today." The Komen foundation allots 23 percent of its funds to research and 16 percent to screenings; 37 percent goes to education, 7 percent goes to treatment, and the rest goes to fundraising and administration.
George W. Sledge, co-chair of the Breast Cancer Program at the Indiana University Cancer Center, says he prefers a "broad-based" approach. "It's a complex disease," he says. "We've learned that it's a family of diseases. Think of it as a boarding house where a bunch of criminals hang out—some are petty thieves; others are killers. You try different approaches. You never know what will be the big winner in science five or 10 years out."
A key mission for Visco's group has been raising funds for a Department of Defense initiative called the Breast Cancer Research Program. Visco's organization has lobbied for $2.8 billion in federal funds for the program since its start in 1992. "There is a great deal of biomedical research that occurs within the Department of Defense," Visco says. "The breast-cancer program has produced extraordinary results, from new methods of extracting breast-cancer cells at their earliest stages, to unprecedented research into gene/environment interaction. It has produced fascinating insights into the biology of breast cancer and has directly impacted lives; for example, the program funded some of the initial work that led to the development of the first targeted therapy in breast cancer, Herceptin." Visco's group also supports research into vaccines, among other projects.
As for the controversy at the Komen foundation, Visco says she doesn't expect it to have a major impact on cancer research. Komen recently canceled its annual lobbying day amid the fallout—an important day at which cancer activists lobby on Capitol Hill for government-run initiatives, not Komen programs. The move raised concerns about far-reaching effects on cancer research. Visco says, "There are researchers out there who have big visions and are constantly challenging themselves—people like that find a way to get their work done."
She notes that the National Breast Cancer Coalition will hold its own lobbying day on Capitol Hill on May 8, with more than 600 advocates lobbying to advance legislation and public policy. Specifically, activists will be asking members of Congress to support the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act, which "defines an important role the federal government must play to reach the breast-cancer deadline-2020 goal of ending breast cancer," says Visco.
Activists will also be advocating for fiscal-year 2013 funding for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, among other programs. All volunteers are welcome to join the lobbying group, Visco says.
Visco is a breast-cancer survivor herself. Diagnosed at age 39 when she was a partner in a Philadelphia law firm, she left her law career to help launch the National Breast Cancer Coalition in 1991. She and a group of like-minded women "just started putting this together," she says. "A number of groups met with us in Washington. For me, that day was an epiphany. It became a real movement, a grassroots movement," she says. Not everyone signed up for the coalition, she says, noting that the Komen foundation did not join.
"The thing that excites me the most about the past 20 years is seeing women tackle complicated and complex issues," Visco says. She adds that her group is perhaps not as well known as other major cancer organizations because "we never focused on marketing ourselves—we focused on doing our work."


text:
Things I Can't Stand About My Insulin Pump
As I said in my previous article on this subject, my insulin pump has changed my life. My A1C has improved, I've felt more energetic, and I've controlled my diabetes more effectively overall. It has been the biggest and best change in my diabetes treatment since I started on insulin a quarter-century ago.
But it hasn't all been great. Indeed, actually living with a pump day in and day out proves how far the technology has to go. We haven't reached the age of human-robot integration. As a matter of fact, we don't even know when that age will begin.
My point is simple: My relationship with my pump is complicated. I love it for the control it gives me over my disease, but I detest it for its flakiness, its arbitrary malfunctions, and the host of tiny aggravations that turn it from a blessing into a curse.
Here, then, are five more of my pump aggravations.
The Expense
I shouldn't complain about this, given that I'm blessed with an insurance plan that covers most of my insulin pump costs. But they sure are pricey, aren't they? And they sure require a lot of expensive disposable parts, don't they?
A lot has been written about healthcare cost inflation, and medical devices certainly seem to take a nice cut of insurance dollars. Assuming that my pump company is selling the devices at a reasonable markup, my co-pay isn't even required for them to turn a profit. So what's the point? It's not as though my costs are going to persuade me to use fewer pumps. It's not like that's even an option.
The Lagging Technology
For the cost, pumps should be better technically than they are today, with their black-and-white displays and clunky connectivity options. We're living in 2012, but pumps seem to be stuck in 1997. I'm sure the US government's regulatory system is somewhat to blame here–it can takes years for new medical devices and treatments to enter the market. But couldn't the pump companies look a tiny bit further ahead? I paid $99 for my cell phone, and it takes pictures, browses the Web, plays games, and makes phone calls. Couldn't pumps do a few of those things, too?
The Explanations
This is an insulin pump. No, it doesn't check my blood sugar. Yes, I'm aware that it makes me look like a bionic man. No, it doesn't automatically know how much insulin to give me. No, it's not a cure for diabetes.
If you have a pump and have talked to people about it, these replies will sound familiar to you. People generally don't know much about insulin pumps. Pacemakers, they know. Artificial joints, they know. Mechanical limbs or organs are unusual, but at least it's pretty clear what they're replacing.
The concept of an insulin pump–kind of an external pancreas, but one you have to program and maintain on your own–doesn't lend itself to immediate understanding. An insulin shot, people get. Cannulas, control units, basal rates? You might as well be speaking a boring, unintelligible language.
The Whole Production Number
Say what you like about insulin needles, they are pretty convenient. On a basic level, a person with type 1 diabetes needs a syringe and a bottle of insulin. Easy. Pumps, on the other hand, require supplies. You have the disposable pumps or infusion sets. You still have the insulin bottles, along with just-in-case syringes. And don't forget those bandages, just in case the pump starts to peel away. Yes, you only need many of those supplies once every two or three days. But you'd better have them. Is it so crazy to wish that keeping and changing pumps was easier and less cluttered?
The Half Measures
The dirty little secret about insulin pumps is that they're not enough. Okay, maybe that's not a secret. An insulin pump is a way station. It's a pause on the road toward an artificial pancreas. Despite years of advances in the technology, pumps still haven't grown up. As mentioned earlier, the technology can be dated. The communication between various units can be difficult. And my pump still doesn't deliver insulin based on a biofeedback loop.
I know. These things take time. And I'm grateful for what my pump has given me. But I hope to see the day when pumps are understood as an intermediate stage in diabetes care. It can't come fast enough.
So, Diabetes Health readers, what do you think? Do you have an insulin pump that drives you crazy? Let us know what gets on your nerves in the comments section below.


text:
Shortly after the public learned that some 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords were compromised, the media focused on two stories; one being the breach itself and the aftermath, the other being the various scams targeting LinkedIn users themselves. As it turns out, the second LinkedIn angle created an unintended consequence.
Cloudmark, an anti-spam company, noticed an almost comical trend in the past few days – users were marking legit LinkedIn emails as spam, ignoring the warnings being delivered entirely.
"Friday the Cloudmark Research team saw a huge increase in user spam reports relating to resetting LinkedIn passwords. These were not because spammers were trying to take advantage of the publicity around the LinkedIn fail; those emails are stopped by our regular filters and never make to the users. No, this was a real email from LinkedIn telling people whose password had been compromised how to protect their account," Cloudmark Researcher Andrew Conway explained.
It is highly likely that this set of legit emails were getting the axe because of the media hype covering the risk of Phishing and other fraud related to the breach. Almost as soon as word of LinkedIn's problems hit the wires, experts started warning about password related scams and Phishing attempts.
"Over four percent of the people receiving this email, thought it was spam and sent it straight to the bit bucket. If LinkedIn sends out 6.5 million emails, then a quarter of a million people are congratulating themselves on avoiding spam, and still have a compromised LinkedIn password," Conway added.
Further, LinkedIn is nearly four times as likely to have legit messages marked as spam by Cloudmark users, based on the numbers presented on the company's blog.
It's been a rough month for the corporate social network. Despite being inadvertently branded as spammers, they did issue another update on Tuesday. It was mostly a recap of events and advice, but it did offer some final thoughts and address a few questions raised recently in the public.
"At this time, LinkedIn cannot release any further information in order to protect our members and due to the ongoing investigation… We are profoundly sorry for this incident. Member security is vitally important to us, and transparency is a priority as well. We will provide further updates as warranted by any new developments."


text:
Abrasive Technology is well-equipped to deliver innovative solutions with P.B.S.® braze, electroplated, resin bond and metal bond products. We offer multiple options for working with difficult materials and applications, including small geometries when something is especially difficult to cut. We provide material removal for whatever you're working with—steels, tool steels, stainless steels, nickel-based and cobalt-based super alloys, carbide, ceramics, composites, cermet and friction materials. We even have the right tools for both wet and dry grinding, regardless of the grinding process—centerless, O.D. (outside diameter), I.D. (inside diameter), form, pinch, plunge and peel.
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