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What is it about Charleston that is just so romantic? I think a large part of it might be the beautiful history that is so evident everywhere you go. There's nowhere better to start your future with someone than a place with such a sense of the past. Lauren and Jake's elegant November wedding was a perfect example of this Charleston magic, with a traditional Catholic ceremony at the stunningly beautiful Saint John the Baptist and reception at historic Hibernian Hall. Lauren even carried a bit of her own family's past by carrying her grandmother's purse down the aisle, and incorporating a cross charm from her grandmother into her bouquet.
Lauren and Jake – your wedding was so beautiful, and I loved working with you! Thank you so much for choosing me as your photographer, and best wishes for many years of happy married life together.
My second shooter for Lauren and Jake's wedding was my very talented husband, Ryan! Some of his shots (some of which are my favorites!) are included below.
Ceremony: St. John the Baptist
Reception: Hibernian Hall
Wedding planner: Katie Poole // The Burlap Elephant
Florals: Charleston Blooms
Band: The Vistas
Rentals: Ooh! Events, Snyder Events


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Cover of "Grace Kelly-Icon of Style to Royal Bride" by Kristine Haughland.
As a little girl I thought the most beautiful wedding dress I ever saw was my Mom's. Then along came Barbie and I experienced the delight in having all the beauty and enchantment of a wedding gown in small scale. But as I came of age in the 1960s I had no attraction to the wedding gowns of that time period. I also had no intentions of getting married so that may have been part of it. The styles of the mid-1960s through the 1970s left me uninspired. I did not find the empire waistline gowns very attractive for a variety of figure types. For me the styles of past decades were what inspired me during the last year at French Fashion Academy. As part of my final exam I created a simple wedding gown that used elements of the 1950s gowns I loved so much. It had a princess seamed bodice covered with Alencon lace pieced over ivory silk charmeuse. The skirt was flared and over that was English cotton net edged with the lace which I had help piecing along the hemline.
Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco.
I never cared for strapless bodices that lacked something to provide a little cover, so we added a draped piece of silk organza overlaid with cotton net. It was gathered at center front. Then the piece was draped around the shoulders from center front and all the way around the back to create a look of short, puffed sleeves in the front. The shoulder blades in the back were also covered. The ability to wear a strapless bodice and look truly natural and elegant is difficult for many women. There are collar bones, shoulder lines, shoulder blades, upper arms and other parts of the body to consider. Even a minor weak point in these areas can turn into an unflattering focal point when a strapless bodice is worn. These are some of the reasons why it is not my preferred style for wedding gowns. I think that the wedding gowns of Her Serene Highness Grace Kelly and Princess Kate are beautiful examples of how alluring and captivating a bride looks when she covers up. Minor figure flaws can be camouflaged with wedding gowns like these. The styles will also look good when the wedding photos are viewed by future generations.
If you are like me and enjoy drafting your own patterns, you understand that it's not enough to take in a well made garment. There is a need to know how the pattern was drafted and if any special techniques were used in the construction. I am delighted to share with you a peek into the book I bought myself as a birthday present. "Grace Kelly-Icon of Style to Royal Bride" is a wonderful addition to any dressmaker's library. You will receive a very basic overview of some of the elements of Grace's style as a young woman, then as an actress and finally as a royal bride. The book was published by The Philadelphia Museum of Art to coincide with an exhibit in 2006 of Grace Kelly's wedding gown. That year marked the 50th anniversary of her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
In this sketch you can see the contrast between the popular fashion silhouette and Grace's classic sense of style.
This book will not give you tips or insights into how you can distill the essence of Grace Kelly's style and make it your own. There is an overview of the evolution of her style with the goal of setting the stage for when she becomes a royal bride. The focus is on how her cool, sophisticated and simple elegance translated into the beautiful wedding gown that continues to be one of the most popular items in the museums' collection. The information about the gown's designer, Helen Rose, is concise. You will have enough background to do further research about Helen on your own. There are photos of garments Helen designed for different movies Grace appeared in. From them you can distill some of the elements of Helen Rose's design portfolio for Grace Kelly. There are such garment features like high necklines, nipped waistlines and simple ornamentation that Miss Rose followed in the creation of Grace's studio wardrobe and the famous wedding gown.
These sketches contain details about the components of the wedding gown. The book contains more drawings like these.
The part of the book that I found most valuable comes towards the end. There are drawings which present the different parts of the wedding gown. At last I have the answers as to how Grace's gown was created. Helen Rose did not make the garment all one piece. Instead she followed the techniques used by the great couturieres: she built the gown by means of a series of layers and different parts. For example, the strapless bodice is part of a foundation garment that has a straight slip. Around the waistline is a layer of ruffles. The strapless bodice and slip are fastened first in the front. The lace bodice is also part of this foundation garment and is buttoned up next. The skirt is a separate piece as is the bias cut cumberbund. Other layers are added until the process of assembling the gown and dressing the bride is complete. There are also detailed descriptions and photos of the dresses for the bridesmaids and flower girls.
Second hand versions of the book can be purchased through Amazon for under $25. I recommend adding this book to your library. It is not only a reference book but also a delight. The color photos and sketches provide much inspiration for your own versions of Grace's timeless and elegant styles.

subset: commoncrawl


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(next entry) Black Bear Wine Label →
Red Wolf Wine Label
Digital illustration of red wolves created for Red Wolf Sanctuary. This art will be produced as wine labels for bottles of wine which will be sold and the proceeds used to benefit the sanctuary. This has been one of my favorite projects to work on. I appreciate the work the sanctuary does to preserve and protect our North American wildlife.


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These Coconut Muddy Buddies are a MUST try!! Seriously, absolutely delicious! They are a twist on the traditional Muddy Buddy recipe, instead of peanut butter and chocolate (which is also yummy), these have white chocolate and coconut extract. This idea came to us on the baking aisle, while we were surrounded with all things baking, and we knew we had hit deliciousness. We think true inspiration always happens when we are surrounded by chocolate! 🙂
We added marshmallows, Sixlets, and coconut…complete yumminess! And because we love to make everything into a gift idea, we put these in a jar and added a bow! You will be a star if you show up with this in hand.
Coconut Muddy Buddies Recipe
- 2 C white chocolate chips
- 9 C Rice Chex
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional-add more to taste)
- 1 1/2 powdered sugar
- Mini Marshmallows
- Shredded Coconut
- Sixlets (optional) (Get these at a party store)
Melt your white chocolate. This part is tricky because white chocolate can be finicky. Make sure to stir often whether you are doing it in the microwave or on the stove. Heat and mix till melted.
Put your Chex in a big bowl and then pour your white chocolate mixture over it and stir till it's covering the Chex evenly.
Add in your coconut extract, pouring it over the mixture.
Sprinkle on your powdered sugar and mix till it covers the Chex.
Sprinkle on mini marshmallows and shredded coconut to taste.
Add Sixlets for a pop of color.
*If you are looking for a fun Halloween gift idea…come take a look. Also, we have another Muddy Buddy recipe for you to try! Click Here!
Have FUN with this recipe!
You Might Also Like:


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10 Ct 2012 Topps Golden Giveaway Lot - Series 2 - GGC - Unused Codes
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This auction is for a 10 count lot of 2012 Topps Golden Giveaway Code cards Series 2 GGC11-20. All of the codes are UNUSED and can be redeemed by entering them at /golden . The winner will receive 10 different Golden Giveaway unused codes from Series 2 Topps. I will e-mail the winner the codes within 24 hours of receiving payment if you choose the free shipping option. If you would like the cards mailed to you add $2.50 for shipping. Check out my other auctions and save on shipping with multiple wins over a 3 day period. ***Multiple wins must be paid for at one time on one invoice to receive combined shipping. If you win multiple items please wait until you are done bidding and I will send you a final invoice. *** I accept all forms of payment. If you have any questions about the lot feel free to e-mail me. Good luck and thanks for looking.


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Crush & Roll West 2014 Recap
This past weekend was the 6th annual Crush & Roll event in Paso Robles, California where over 450 guests and 60 vendors gathered for a weekend of Cigars, Wine, Whiskey, Craft Beer, Barbecue and Live Music. There are two events for Crush & Roll, a short Friday evening event and the main event on Saturday. Friday evening was very relaxing and laid back; only about half the guests and a dozen or so vendors attended to meet each other, preview some of the wines and beers and just have a nice evening before the main event. Some of the activities during the Friday evening event included: raffles, a silent auction, wine and craft beer tastings, dinner, live music and, of course, the poker tournament. As guests arrived for the Friday night event, they were given a complimentary wine glass to use for the weekend as well as three cigars from Davidoff. The evening was very pleasant and peaceful, there was plenty of room for guests to sit and enjoy their cigars and libations while sharing conversation and listening to live music. The Saturday event, now that is a whole different story!
The doors opened for guests at 1:00pm Saturday afternoon for the main event at Crush & Roll West. As guests arrived, they were given badges that were to be "punched†by each cigar vendor to indicate that they have received their free item from each of the cigar vendors. The Saturday event was jam packed with activities including: a grape stomping, educational seminars, more raffles, various auctions and enough Wine, Whiskey and Craft Beer samplings to put down an elephant! Of all the events, there was one booth that drew everyone's attention and became the highlight of Crush & Roll West 2014 – fresh, hand rolled cigars by Don Vicente Cigars International's Master Roller, Rosa Pena. Rosa has been rolling cigars for Don Vicente Cigars Int'l for the past 5 years, before that she rolled at Cohiba for thirty years, so yeah; she's pretty good at it. During the main event on Saturday, crowds gathered around to watch Rosa roll and people lined up to get a chance to sample her freshly rolled cigars.
Another unique event was the grape stomping where guests had a chance to try their hands, (or feet, in this case), at crushing grapes for the 2014 Crush & Roll Port made by Roxo Port Cellars. The Port takes two years to make and is released every year at the Crush& Roll event. This year they were sampling the 2012 Crush & Roll Port which was very tasty and went incredibly well with some of the more full bodied cigars that were being handed out at the event. Guests also had an opportunity to learn from some great Vintner's and Cigar Manufacturers at the educational seminars that were offered at Crush & Roll.
After the Saturday event ended, if you didn't have enough to drink and smoke, there were two major after parties: Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua hosted an after party for the guests and David "Doc†Diaz of Stogie Fresh hosted an after party for the Vendors at his own home. We attended the event at Doc's house, but we were sworn to oath not to share what took place that night, (sorry!)
If you did not get a chance to attend Crush & Roll West this year, you HAVE to go next year! It is an absolute blast in a beautiful part of the country.


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We all have those times. Times when were feeling stuck, depressed or just flat out discouraged. And, more often than not, we'll turn to unhealthy things to help us get out of a funk.
It happens & it can suck. But we're human & there are solutions!
But alcohol and feeling sorry for yourself aren't always the most beneficial.
In fact, they're pretty much counterproductive.
A few months ago, I started to feel really discouraged. About everything. Because I have high aspirations & I want nothing more than to see this enormous vision I have come to life. But instead of pushing back or recognizing what was happening, I let myself continue to slip and fall more into a funk. It eventually caught up to me, when my eating started going downhill & my sleep started to suffer. No bueno.
Because I'm so passionate about what I do, I knew I had to come up with a solution and it had to happen fast. I wasn't giving up but I needed to relight my fire.
So I gave myself a reality check about what I needed to change.
And I crafted myself a cheat sheet of things to do if it started to happen again.
Though I was able to turn things around fairly quickly, I know everyone is different. You might be able to recognize & help yourself right away, or it might take a while longer.
Regardless, learning how to get out of a funk in a healthy way can be done no matter who you are.
But first, you have to be honest & realistic.
Give yourself that Reality Check with a capital R-C.
Because you need to (and should!) know what's going on with you! And taking a healthy, proactive approach is a lot better in the long run!
Use these suggestions & get out of that funk!
Be Mindful
We often distract distract distract. But our feelings are available to us for a reason. They're powerful & let us know if something's out of whack. So one of the first things you have to do, instead of just distracting yourself from the problem, is recognize what's happening. Don't ignore it!
Check Your Lifestyle
Are you taking care of the simple things you need to do daily to keep yourself healthy? Take inventory of what you are and aren't doing. Making small changes can often make a HUGE difference.
- Are you going to bed at a decent hour?
- Are you getting enough Vitamin D? (Especially in the Winter months, a good Vitamin D supplement can be crucial for your body & mind!)
- Are you eating well or bogged down with junk food?
- Are you staying hydrated (with water!) or living on coffee & soda?
Putting pen to paper can be incredibly therapeutic. Letting your thoughts flow can bring great clarity & help you understand what your next step should be.
- Morning Pages: Writing down your thoughts first thing in the morning can help you start the day out on a positive note
- Journaling: Making entries as often as you need and just getting them out of your head
- Daily Gains: In the evening, start listing everything that went well that day
Move It
Exercise. You knew it was coming. It doesn't matter how bad of a funk you feel like you're in, physical fitness is good for your body & mind. Exercise increases the oxygen that's available to your brain AND releases endorphins. Taking time to get physical might be all the clarity you need to reconnect with yourself and get beyond that funk.
We store our emotions in our bodies, specifically our connective tissues. Going for a massage or getting accupuncture not only gives you the permission you might need to freakin' relax, but relieves muscle tension & stress you might be holding on to. Other things to try may be energy work, yoga or a hot epsom salt bath.
Be Generous
When we're struggling or in a state of scarcity, one of the best things we can do is to give. Make a donation, volunteer your time, smile at everyone you meet. Being a genuinely kind & generous human can lift your mood.
Go With It
Okay, this is not my favorite but I admit that it's sometimes necessary. You might need to just let yourself experience that funk before you do something about it. I work with a lot of people (women, especially), and sometimes they need to just have a quick pity party and make the conscious decision to come out stronger on the other side. Whether it's a couple hours in bed, a really good cry or a weekend at home rather than going anywhere, that might be what you need to "get it out." As long as you have a plan for what's next, resorting to this isn't always the worst thing. (Though I encourage you to try the other stuff first!)
What helps you get out of your funk? Add your suggestions in the comments & don't forget to share this post with others!


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Tatum, Gavyn, Abi, and Jasmyn (3 Cinderella's and one Snow White!)
Eating lunch and watching a Princess Sing-a-long that we borrowed from the Library. Lunch consisted of heart and star shaped sandwiches for the kids and an all out Sandwich Sub Bar for the adults, chips and we were supposed to have grapes out, but we forgot and left them in the fridge. Oops!
Princess Gavyn!
She is such a cute Princess!!! :)
Time to open presents and everyone wanted to help! It was really cute.
Me telling Gavyn to slow down and say "Thank you" to the those who gave her gifts. She was going from one gift to the other without stopping she was so excited. I made her give out hugs and thank you's after each gift. :)
She was trying so hard to open this one, Jasmyn was helping too! I finally got the ribbon off, so she could rip the paper open.
Showing off her new My Little Pony to her Opa. She was serious about showing him!
All the princesses wondering what to do now that all the gifts were open....
Gavyn knew what to do.....EAT cake! I love this pic that Bryce took! So cute!
And here is the cake that a friend and co-worker of mine (Abbi Zeliff soon-to-be Meadows) made. We had 4 princess figurines on top, as you can tell from the indentions. I thought we had a pic of the cake with the toppers, but I was wrong, so unfortunatly this is it. Bummer - it was even cuter with the princess toppers! All in all it was a fun and very princessy party! Gavyn loved every minute.


text: Hi Everyone, I used to work at UPS and now I need a little help from anyone out there that can give it to me. I received a package of a coffee table and 2 side tables about 2 weeks ago. It was shipped from Pennsylvania to Connecticut. I was not home when the delivery guy came so someone at the office of my apartment building signed for it. If I had been home, I would have definitely checked for damage before the driver left because the box was completely beat up and there were chunks from the box missing. So, when I got the package and took out the contents every single piece in the box was damaged. I contacted the shipper and they put in a damage claim and someone contacted me and did a phone inspection. However, today I was informed from the shipper that the claim was denied because the box wasn't sufficient to support the product's weight. I am 99% sure that if the box was just put on the belts and carried to the trucks carefully (as it has FRAGILE stamped all over it) the box would have been more than sufficient to prevent damage. I should add that there was plenty of bubble wrap layered in the box and each piece of furniture in the box was wrapped in bubble wrap as well. Being that I have worked for UPS, I know that packages are very rarely treated with enough care, even if they do have Fragile on them. If there is anyone I can talk to or any numbers to call or any advice someone can give me I would extremely appreciate it. My tracking number is: K120 584 2981 if that helps anyone.


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You will need the following items for this spell:
- 1 white candle (for peace)
- 1 gold candle (for positivity)
- 1 black candle (to dispel negativity)
- A lighter
A spell to be peace and happiness.
Casting Instructions for 'Tranquility Spell'
|Print Spell
|Mark this spell as Spam
Please report any violations of copyright via our contact page.
* All information on this page is provided by the coven or person named and the contents of this page is not mediated by the administrators of the website. Please use common sense when following any directions on this page. Do not ingest anything which does not seem safe. If you suspect the content of this page to be intentionally deceiving please contact us immediately.


text: easy child/difficult child has found a CAR on ebay. Good Grief! I can't wrap my head around buying such a big ticket item, sight unseen, from a stranger who lives in Utah. Yeah, that's right Utah...and we live in Florida? WTH??? Based on the communication: 1. A divorced woman has a low mileage great car with Carfax etc. and will pay for the shipping costs. 2. The pictures look great and she alledges that it is in prime shape. 3. Why isn't she keeping it? Well, she got it after a divorce and she does not drive at all. 4. The Ebay site shows that it has an automobile financing expert etc. available to buyers ? sellers ? 5. It is represented that you pay 1/2 to Ebay, then Ebay approves the car to be shipped and holds the money. 6. There is a Buyer inspection period (can't remember how long but at least two weeks) and the Buyer can back out if not satisfied. 7. If the Buyer is happy the remainder of the money is sent to Ebay and then ??? Ebay sends all the paperwork to the Buyer. Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have any experience with this type of sale. DDD


text: Looking for new music that doesn't sound like everyone else and feels like it was written just for you? Right now, you can download my brand new single "Come Alive" along with two singles from my album "RISE". I'm also going to add you to my VIP list since your SO special… just sign up below!


text: HIV-1 Infection in Patients Referred for Malaria Blood Smears at Government Health Clinics in UgandaBebell, Lisa M BS*; Gasasira, Anne MBChB, MPH†; Kiggundu, Moses BS†; Dokomajilar, Christian BS‡; Kamya, Moses R MBChB, MMed, MPH†; Charlebois, Edwin D MPH, PhD‡; Havlir, Diane MD‡; Rosenthal, Philip J MD‡; Dorsey, Grant MD, PhD‡JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes: December 15th, 2007 - Volume 46 - Issue 5 - p 624-630 doi: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e31815b2dc5 Epidemiology and Social Science Abstract Author Information Article Outline Background: HIV is associated with an increased incidence of malaria in adult African populations. In children, the relationship between HIV and malaria is less clear. We investigated the relationship between malaria and HIV-1 infection among adults and children referred for malaria blood smears at government health clinics in Uganda. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which 1000 consecutive patients referred for malaria blood smears over the course of 1 to 2 months at each of 7 government clinics (N = 7000) were tested for HIV-1 from dried blood spots using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening and nucleic acid-based confirmatory testing. Risk factors for HIV-1 infection were identified using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Among 4467 children aged 16 years or younger, 77 (1.7%) were HIV-1 infected. Of 2533 adults, 270 (10.7%) were HIV-1 infected. In children, having a negative malaria blood smear was associated with higher odds of HIV-1 infection (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18 to 3.06) after controlling for age and gender. In adults, having a positive malaria blood smear was moderately associated with higher odds of HIV-1 infection (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.97) after controlling for age and gender. Conclusions: In Ugandans evaluated for suspected malaria, associations between malaria smear results and HIV infection differed between children and adults. Although further operations research is needed, our results suggest that counseling and testing for HIV may be of particular importance in children suspected of malaria but with negative malaria smears and in adults with positive malaria smears. From *Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY; †Makerere University Medical School, Kampala, Uganda; and the ‡Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Received for publication May 18, 2007; accepted September 13, 2007. Supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Lisa M. Bebell is a Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow, Dr. Rosenthal is a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Distinguished Clinical Scientist, and Dr. Dorsey is recipient of the Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award. Correspondence to: Lisa Bebell, BS, Building 30, Room #410, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94107 (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com). Abstract METHODS Study Sites and Patient Population Microscopy HIV-1 Testing Ethical Approval Data Management and Statistical Analysis RESULTS Patient Characteristics Risk Factors for HIV-1 Infection Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV-1-Infected Patients DISCUSSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES In sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 25 million people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and there are over 300 million cases of malaria each year.1-3 Thus, any interaction between HIV and malaria could be of great public health importance. In adults, studies have demonstrated a clear association between HIV infection and increased frequency of clinical malaria and asymptomatic parasitemia, a relationship that becomes more pronounced with advancing immunosuppression.4-6 This association is thought to be mediated through impairment of acquired malaria immunity by progressive HIV disease.2 In children, the relationship between HIV and malaria is less clear, with available studies reporting an increase,7 decrease,8 or no change9,10 in the risk of malaria in HIV-1-infected children compared to uninfected children. Malaria is the most common diagnosis at community clinics in most of Africa, accounting for 30% to 50% of outpatient visits.11-13 An improved understanding about the relationship between malaria and HIV in the outpatient setting could lead to the identification of patient populations at increased risk for HIV who could be referred for counseling and testing. HIV testing is an important first step in preventing transmission of the virus and providing treatment to those in need; however, surveys estimate that only 10% to 12% of Africans know their HIV status.3 One promising strategy for expanding knowledge of HIV status is the introduction of routine counseling and testing into sites not specifically designated for HIV care.14,15 Thus, community clinics may be ideal locations to offer counseling and testing for HIV. However, it is unknown which populations presenting to community clinics have a high prevalence of HIV infection. In this study we investigated the relationship between HIV-1 infection and malaria smear results among adults and children referred for malaria blood smears at 7 government health clinics in Uganda, where there is significant geographic overlap between the 2 diseases. A population-based survey performed in 2004 to 2005 estimated the seroprevalence of HIV to be 6.3% in persons 15 to 49 years old and 0.5% in children under the age of 5 years.16 Malaria is endemic in 95% of Uganda, with the remaining 5% being epidemic-prone areas in the highlands of the southwest and east.17,18 Back to Top | Article Outline METHODS Study Sites and Patient Population This study was conducted at 7 government health clinics representing the diversity of malaria transmission intensity in Uganda, ranging from highland areas with unstable transmission to highly endemic areas with perennial transmission (Fig. 1). Six of 7 sites were level 4 health clinics mainly serving the local community, where outpatients were primarily evaluated by nonphysician health workers and at least 1 laboratory technologist was available for microscopy. One site (Kabale) was a regional referral hospital with numerous physicians and laboratory technologists. Health care services were provided free of charge at all of the clinics. FIGURE 1 We used a cross-sectional study design to prospectively evaluate 1000 consecutive patients at each site over the course of 1 to 2 months who were referred by local health care providers to existing on-site laboratories for malaria blood smears as part of routine care. Study staff did not interfere with patient referral, diagnosis, or management, preserving normal clinic practices. We collected data on patient age and gender at the time of presentation, and finger-prick blood was used to prepare blood smears for malaria parasites and saved on filter paper for HIV testing. For patients later determined to be HIV-1 infected, data regarding patients' diagnoses and treatments were extracted retrospectively from on-site clinic records by 2 independent study investigators and compared. Discrepancies were resolved by a third investigator. Back to Top | Article Outline Microscopy Thick blood smears were stained with 10% Giemsa stain for 10 minutes and preserved. Smears were considered positive if any asexual parasites were detected. Smears were considered negative if examination of 100 high-power fields did not reveal asexual parasites. Initial readings were done by technicians at the study sites. Final microscopy results were based on a rigorous quality control system that included the rereading of all blood smears by an expert microscopist at a central facility and resolution of any discrepancies between the first and second readings by an additional expert microscopist. Back to Top | Article Outline HIV-1 Testing Dried blood spots collected on qualitative grade plain filter paper were stored individually at room temperature and transported to a central laboratory for HIV testing. Screening for HIV infection was done using the Murex HIV 1.2.0 Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL). Briefly, dried blood spots were eluted using 100 μL of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) with 0.05% polysorbate 20 in 1.5 mL tubes at 4°C for at least 3 hours. The EIA was performed according to manufacturer's instructions, using 50 μL of eluate. Based on the manufacturer's recommendations, samples with a corrected optical density at 450 nm of <0.2 were considered HIV-1 negative. Samples with a corrected optical density of ≥0.2 received confirmatory testing for HIV-1 DNA using the Roche Amplicor HIV-1 DNA test (Roche Systems, Basel, Switzerland). HIV DNA was extracted from samples using chelex resin,19 and testing was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions as previously described.20 Classification of HIV status was based on HIV-1 DNA results. A single EIA test was used for screening to reduce cost and minimize the quantity of blood needed. However, it is possible some patients were misclassified due to false-negative EIA test results. Results of HIV testing were delinked from patient identifiers. Back to Top | Article Outline Ethical Approval Human subjects research approval was obtained from the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology, the Makerere University Research and Ethics Committee, and the University of California, San Francisco Committee on Human Research. The procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of these committees on human experimentation, and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 as revised in 2000. Back to Top | Article Outline Data Management and Statistical Analysis Data were double-entered into EpiInfo version 6.4 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA) and statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 8 (Stata, College Station, TX). Categorical variables were compared using the χ2 test. Independent predictors of HIV-1 infection were identified using separate multivariate logistic regression models for children (age ≤16 years) and adults. Multivariate models included all 3 covariates of interest: results of malaria blood smears, sex, and age categorized into quartiles. None of the possible 2-way interaction terms had a P value of <0.20 and therefore were not included in the multivariate models. Differences in associations between malaria smear results and HIV-1 infection across the 7 study sites were evaluated using the Mantel-Haenszel test for heterogeneity of odds ratios. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Back to Top | Article Outline RESULTS Patient Characteristics We evaluated 1000 consecutive patients referred at each of 7 clinics for malaria blood smears (Table 1). A total of 4467 patients (64%) were children aged 16 years or younger, with the proportions ranging from 41% at the lowest to 92% at the highest malaria transmission intensity site. A majority of the patients were female, with the proportions ranging from 50% to 61% at the 7 sites, with no relationship to malaria transmission intensity. A total of 2703 (38.6%) blood smears were positive for malaria parasites, with the proportion of positive smears varying greatly by site and age (Fig. 2A). Malaria prevalence was significantly higher in children than adults at all sites (P < 0.001) except the lowest transmission intensity site. Differences in the proportion of positive malaria smears between children and adults decreased with decreasing malaria transmission intensity (P < 0.001). A total of 347 patients (5.0%) were HIV-1 infected. HIV prevalence varied markedly between sites, from 0.8% in Arua to 10.1% in Kyenjojo, but was not related to malaria transmission intensity (Fig. 2B). HIV-1 prevalence was significantly higher in adults (10.5% overall) compared to children (1.6% overall) at all of the sites (P ≤ 0.005). TABLE 1 FIGURE 2 Back to Top | Article Outline Risk Factors for HIV-1 Infection Among children aged ≤16 years, 28 of 2312 (1.2%) patients with positive malaria smears were infected with HIV-1 compared to 49 of 2155 (2.3%) patients with negative smears. For these children, a negative malaria smear was associated with increased odds of HIV-1 infection (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.18 to 3.06; P = 0.008) compared to a positive smear, after controlling for age and sex for all 7 sites combined (Table 2). Age and sex were not associated with HIV-1 infection in children. There was no evidence for heterogeneity of odds ratios for the association between malaria and HIV-1 infection among children across the 7 sites (P = 0.38). TABLE 2 Among adults aged >16 years, 50 of 391 (12.8%) patients with positive malaria smears were infected with HIV-1 compared to 220 of 2142 (10.3%) with negative smears. A positive blood smear was associated with a significantly higher odds of HIV-1 infection (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.97; P = 0.04) after controlling for sex and age for all 7 sites combined (Table 2). Sex was not associated with HIV-1 infection in adults. HIV prevalence among adults differed significantly across age quartiles, with the highest prevalence among those aged 30 to 39 years (17.3%) and the lowest prevalence among those aged 17 to 22 years (6.1%, P < 0.001). There was no evidence for heterogeneity of odds ratios for the association between malaria and HIV-1 infection among adults across the 7 sites (P = 0.44). Back to Top | Article Outline Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV-1-Infected Patients Because our study did not change routine patient care activities, clinic records of clinical diagnosis and treatment were frequently missing. However, information on clinical diagnosis and treatment was available for 187 (54%) HIV-1-infected patients (Table 3). HIV-1-infected patients with missing information were similar to those with available information with respect to malaria smear positivity (18% vs. 26%, P = 0.07), female sex (63% vs. 70%, P = 0.17), and median age (27 vs. 29 years, P = 0.15). Of note, HIV infection was not listed as a diagnosis and antiretrovirals were not prescribed for any of the 187 HIV-1-infected patients with available records. However, it is possible that some patients received HIV care at other health facilities. Malaria was the most common stated diagnosis, made in 88 (47%) of all HIV-1-infected patients. Only 43 (49%) of those with a stated diagnosis of malaria had positive malaria blood smears. Other common diagnoses were respiratory tract infection (27%) and gastrointestinal illness (13%). Artemether-lumefantrine, the new standard therapy in Uganda for malaria, was the most commonly prescribed drug in HIV-1-infected patients (34%). Only 42 (45%) of those treated with an antimalarial drug had a positive malaria blood smear. An antimalarial drug, an antimicrobial drug, or both were prescribed to 87% of HIV-1-infected patients, including trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in 32 (17%) patients. Twenty-six of these 32 patients were being treated for gastrointestinal illness or respiratory tract infections, suggesting that the drug was not given as prophylaxis against opportunistic infections. TABLE 3 Back to Top | Article Outline DISCUSSIONS In this cross-sectional study of 7000 Ugandans presenting to government clinics and referred for malaria blood smears, we examined interactions between HIV and malaria. We identified significant but modest associations between malaria blood smear results and risk of HIV-1 infection. Interestingly, these associations differed between age groups, with HIV-1 infection associated with a negative blood smear among children and a positive blood smear among adults. Among HIV-1-infected patients, none had a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS recorded, suggesting that HIV infection was unrecognized. Taken together, these findings suggest that current practices for identifying those at risk for HIV are inadequate and that results from routine malaria evaluation may help identify those who would benefit most from HIV testing. In sub-Saharan Africa, assessment of febrile illnesses often begins with consideration of malaria. Indeed, malaria is the leading cause of attendance at outpatient clinics in Uganda, accounting for 25% to 40% of all outpatient diagnoses.11,18,21 In Africa, malaria is usually diagnosed on clinical grounds alone, and even when diagnostic tests are performed, patients with negative results are often diagnosed and treated for malaria.22,23 However, treating all fevers as malaria leads to overuse of antimalarials and failure to diagnose other important causes of fever, including HIV and related coinfections.24 Our findings suggest that patients presenting to outpatient clinics with symptoms suggestive of malaria are more likely to have HIV-1 infection than the general Ugandan population. Among individuals in this study who were aged 15 to 49 years, the HIV prevalence was almost twice the population-based estimate for the same age group16 (10.5% vs. 6.3%). In children under 5 years of age, HIV prevalence was almost 3 times the national estimate16 (1.6% vs. 0.5%). However, the increased prevalence of HIV was modest compared to that seen with other HIV-related opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis.25 A higher prevalence (31% to 33%) of HIV in adults with malaria has been reported in other studies from Africa,5,26 but these studies did not include patients with negative malaria smears and therefore were unable to report on the association between malaria blood smear results and risk of HIV infection. Interestingly, we observed opposite associations between malaria and HIV-1 infection in children and adults. In children, HIV was more common among those with negative malaria blood smears, whereas in adults HIV infection was more common among those with positive blood smears. All HIV-1-infected patients would be expected to be at increased risk of febrile illnesses, but associations between HIV and malaria may vary across age groups. Malaria immunity develops over years of repeated parasite exposure; therefore, children would be expected to have less acquired malarial immunity than adults at the time of HIV infection. The relative increase in HIV prevalence we observed in children with negative malaria smears may be the result of an increase in the risk of nonmalarial febrile illnesses among HIV-infected children.25 It is also possible that HIV-infected children in this study were more recently exposed to antimalarials than HIV-uninfected children, reducing their probability of having a positive malaria smear. In contrast, the relative increase in HIV prevalence we observed in adults with positive malaria smears is likely due to loss of acquired malaria-specific immunity.2,6,27,28 Malaria was the most common diagnosis observed among HIV-1-infected patients in this study, though more than half of those diagnosed and treated for malaria had negative blood smears, a phenomenon reported in multiple studies from Africa.29,30 Although HIV-1-infected patients in this study were commonly diagnosed with malaria, HIV was not listed as a diagnosis in clinic records, nor was antiretroviral therapy recorded as treatment, suggesting the need to integrate routine HIV testing into outpatient clinics. If the results of this study are validated, knowledge of how malaria smear results predict HIV risk may help identify those who would benefit most from HIV testing. All of the government clinics included in this study offer HIV testing and 3 offer antiretroviral therapy. Thus, integrating HIV testing algorithms for high-risk outpatients referred for malaria smears should be feasible. In conclusion, we found that associations between HIV and malaria operate differently in adults and children in Uganda. Presentation with malaria is a warning sign for HIV infection in adults, because HIV infection likely diminishes acquired antimalarial immunity. In children, malaria is very common, and a negative malaria smear suggests other causes of fever, including HIV-related infections. We support recommendations by other authors28 that integrated HIV and malaria testing be utilized in the outpatient clinic setting. Further data would be particularly useful in refining such referral strategies. Back to Top | Article Outline ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank study participants and families; staffs of the district health facilities; Wilson Kambale, Yoel Lubell, Joaniter Nankabirwa, and Christina Angle for assistance in the field; Regina Nakafeero, Maxwell Kilama, and Felix Jurua for blood smear readings; Heidi Hopkins for making the study feasible; Chris Dokomajilar and Hong Kim for laboratory assistance; and Catherine Tugaineyo, Richard Olugo, and Peter Padilla for administrative support. We thank the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for financial support.Back to Top | Article Outline REFERENCES1. Abu-Raddad LJ, Patnaik P, Kublin JG. Dual infection with HIV and malaria fuels the spread of both diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Science. 2006;314:1603-1606. Cited Here... 2. Slutsker L, Marston BJ. HIV and malaria: interactions and implications. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2007;20:3-10. Cited Here... 3. UNAIDS. Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2006. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; 2006. UNAIDS/06.20E. Cited Here... 4. Whitworth J, Morgan D, Quigley M, et al. Effect of HIV-1 and increasing immunosuppression on malaria parasitaemia and clinical episodes in adults in rural Uganda: a cohort study. Lancet. 2000;356:1051-1056. Cited Here... 5. Van Geertruyden JP, Mulenga M, Mwananyanda L, et al. HIV-1 immune suppression and antimalarial treatment outcome in Zambian adults with uncomplicated malaria. J Infect Dis. 2006;194:917-925. Cited Here... 6. Patnaik P, Jere CS, Miller WC, et al. Effects of HIV-1 serostatus, HIV-1 RNA concentration and CD4 cell count on the incidence of malaria infection in a cohort of adults in rural Malawi. J Infect Dis. 2005;192:984-991. Cited Here... 7. Mermin J, Lule J, Ekwaru JP, et al. Effect of co-trimoxazole prophylaxis on morbidity, mortality, CD4-cell count, and viral load in HIV infection in rural Uganda. Lancet. 2004;364:1428-1434. Cited Here... 8. Kalyesubula I, Musoke-Mudido P, Marum L, et al. Effects of malaria infection in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected Ugandan children. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1997;16:876-881. Cited Here... 9. Nguyen-Dinh P, Greenberg AE, Mann JM, et al. Absence of association between Plasmodium falciparum malaria and human immunodeficiency virus infection in children in Kinshasa, Zaire. Bull World Health Organ. 1987;65:607-613. Cited Here... 10. Greenberg AE, Nsa W, Ryder RW, et al. Plasmodium Falciparum malaria and perinatally acquired human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in Kinshasa, Zaire. A prospective, longitudinal cohort study of 587 children. N Engl J Med. 1991;325:105-109. Cited Here... 11. Font F, Alonso Gonzalez M, Nathan R, et al. Diagnostic accuracy and case management of clinical malaria in the primary health services of a rural area in south-eastern Tanzania. Trop Med Int Health. 2001;6:423-428. Cited Here... 12. President's Malaria Initiative. Uganda malaria operational plan FY 2007. Available at: http://www.fightingmalaria.gov/countries/uganda_mop-fy07.pdf. Accessed October 10, 2007. Cited Here... 13. President's Malaria Initiative. Rapid assessment report- Uganda. Available at: http://www.fightingmalaria.gov/countries/uganda_assessment.pdf. Accessed October 10, 2007. Cited Here... 14. Srikantiah P, Lin R, Walusimbi M, et al. Elevated HIV seroprevalence and risk behavior among Ugandan TB suspects: implications for HIV testing and prevention. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2007;11:168-174. Cited Here... 15. World Health Organization. Interim Policy on Collaborative TB/HIV Activities. Geneva: WHO; 2004. WHO/HTM/TB/2004.330, WHO/HTM/HIV/2004.1 Cited Here... 16. Uganda HIV/AIDS Sero-Behavioural Survey 2004-05. Kampala, Uganda: Ministry of Health; 2006. Cited Here... 17. Lindblade KA, Walker ED, Onapa AW, et al. Land use change alters malaria transmission parameters by modifying temperature in a highland area of Uganda. Trop Med Int Health. 2000;5:263-274. Cited Here... 18. Okello PE, Van Bortel W, Byaruhanga AM, et al. Variation in malaria transmission intensity in seven sites throughout Uganda. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2006;75:219-225. Cited Here... 19. Fischer A, Lejczak C, Lambert C, et al. Simple DNA extraction method for dried blood spots and comparison of two PCR assays for diagnosis of vertical human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmission in Rwanda. J Clin Microbiol. 2004;42:16-20. Cited Here... 20. Gasasira AF, Dorsey G, Kamya MR, et al. False-positive results of enzyme immunoassays for human immunodeficiency virus in patients with uncomplicated malaria. J Clin Microbiol. 2006;44:3021-3024. Cited Here... 21. Ndyomugyenyi R, Magnussen P, Clarke S. Diagnosis and treatment of malaria in peripheral health facilities in Uganda: findings from an area of low transmission in south-western Uganda. Malar J. 2007;6:39. Cited Here... 22. Reyburn H, Ruanda J, Mwerinde O, et al. The contribution of microscopy to targeting antimalarial treatment in a low transmission area of Tanzania. Malar J. 2006;5:4. Cited Here... 23. Barat L, Chipipa J, Kolczak M, et al. Does the availability of blood slide microscopy for malaria at health centers improve the management of persons with fever in Zambia? Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1999;60:1024-1030. Cited Here... 24. Talisuna AO, Meya DN. Diagnosis and treatment of malaria. BMJ. 2007;334:375-376. Cited Here... 25. Laufer MK, van Oosterhout JJ, Thesing PC, et al. Impact of HIV-associated immunosuppression on malaria infection and disease in Malawi. J Infect Dis. 2006;193:872-878. Cited Here... 26. Kamya MR, Gasasira AF, Yeka A, et al. Effect of HIV-1 infection on antimalarial treatment outcomes in Uganda: a population-based study. J Infect Dis. 2006;193:9-15. Cited Here... 27. Francesconi P, Fabiani M, Dente MG, et al. HIV, malaria parasites, and acute febrile episodes in Ugandan adults: a case-control study. AIDS. 2001;15:2445-2450. Cited Here... 28. Kublin JG, Steketee RW. HIV infection and malaria-understanding the interactions. J Infect Dis. 2006;193:1-3. Cited Here... 29. Nwanyanwu OC, Kumwenda N, Kazembe PN, et al. Malaria and human immunodeficiency virus infection among male employees of a sugar estate in Malawi. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1997;91:567-569. Cited Here... 30. Njama-Meya D, Clark TD, Nzarubara B, et al. Treatment of malaria restricted to laboratory-confirmed cases: a prospective cohort study in Ugandan children. Malar J. 2007;6:7. Cited Here... Keywords:malaria; HIV; Africa; human immunodeficiency virus © 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. Article Outline Abstract METHODS Study Sites and Patient Population Microscopy HIV-1 Testing Ethical Approval Data Management and Statistical Analysis RESULTS Patient Characteristics Risk Factors for HIV-1 Infection Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV-1-Infected Patients DISCUSSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES Source HIV-1 Infection in Patients Referred for Malaria Blood Smears at Government Health Clinics in Uganda JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes46(5):624-630, December 15th, 2007. Full-Size Email + Favorites Export View in Gallery Email to a Colleague Colleague's E-mail is Invalid Your Name: (optional) Your Email: Colleague's Email: Separate multiple e-mails with a (;). Message: Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Send a copy to your email Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. Some error has occurred while processing your request. Please try after some time. Email to a Colleague Colleague's E-mail is Invalid Your Name: (optional) Your Email: Colleague's Email: Separate multiple e-mails with a (;). Message: Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Send a copy to your email Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. Some error has occurred while processing your request. Please try after some time. Add Item(s) to: An Existing Folder A New Folder Folder Name: Description: The item(s) has been successfully added to "".


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The Fridley Fire Department has bought a new fire engine at a cost of nearly $500,000. After six years of budgeting and planning, the department took possession of the state-of-the-art engine in January. It can pump 1,500 gallons of water per minute.
Made by Rosenbauer America in Wyoming, Minn., it replaces a 1991 engine used at Station 3. The city tries to replace engines about every 20 years.
The engine has more features to improve firefighter safety, said Chief John Berg. A high-volume nozzle on the top of the engine is run remotely. Hoses are also located lower on the engine so they can be accessed on the ground. Before, firefighters had to climb onto the engine to get to them.
The 32-foot-long engine carries 2,150 feet of hose, 500 gallons of water and 30 gallons of foam concentrate. It can handle six firefighters.
Shannon Prather
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Mexican protesters ram truck into state building over missing students
COURTESY: RT's RUPTLY video agency, NO RE-UPLOAD, NO REUSE - FOR LICENSING, PLEASE, CONTACT http://ruptly.tv
Outraged protesters attacked the state congress building in Chilpancingo, Guerrero State, Mexico, on Sunday. The protest marked seven months since the disappearance of 43 students from the College of Ayotzinapa in Iguala. Demonstrators rammed a truck into the entrance of the building, threw missiles at windows, and set fire to a truck in the car park outside.
The students went missing on September 26, 2014, after being detained by police in Iguala, a town in the state of Guerrero. The remains of Alexander Mora, one of the missing, have been identified so far. An independent investigation stated that the Federal Police were involved in the disappearances. The allegations of political and police corruption have led to mass protests throughout the country.


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The standard to-do list1, whether created online or scrawled on the back of an envelope, performs three basic functions: storing tasks, recalling tasks, and organizing tasks. Each of these functions, however, cause problems. If like me you are the type of person that relies heavily on to-do lists, these problems can ultimately poison your productivity.
Storing Tasks – The Benefits
To-do lists are a great way to squirrel away all the things we must remember to do - stowing tasks so that they can safely be forgotten. This frees you up to concentrate on other things. Aggressive organizers leverage this aspect ruthlessly. We take comfort in knowing that our task is safely saved, to be retrieved when it is ready for reconsideration. Without storage, our worrying nature is invoked, keeping us on edge, mentally juggling outstanding tasks and continually unsure of what it is we've forgotten to do.
Storing Tasks – The Problem
To-do lists are used to stow away tasks indiscriminately. If the task is non-urgent enough to make it to the to-do list, it's fair game. A task might be critically tied to life happiness or it might be picking up milk at the store – doesn't matter, both have now been safely stowed away. Worse yet, since the forget-factor is deployed to alleviate worry, it works much better on big, scary, and potentially more important tasks. This results in to-do lists becoming the miscellanea drawer for our life's most important goals. Just jam them in and forget about them. They'll be safe where we don't have to actually do them.
Recalling Tasks – The Benefits
Time to do some stuff? Just pull out the handy to-do list! No need to search my memory for what to rub some elbow grease on – it's all right there in the list, right?
Recalling Tasks – The Problem
The problem with crossing tasks off the to-do list is that we get to pick and choose which items to tackle. The easy, the quick and the convenient get the attention (oh look! I'm already at the mall!). If we manage to get past the convenient items, we inevitably get stuck at the urgent items. If you're a chronic hider like me (see point #1 above), there's sure to be plenty of items that have reached super urgent critical volcano erupting status. Soon, the to-do list becomes the urgency list and all that gets done is one urgent item after another. The most nefarious problem of all with recalling tasks from the to-do list is the avoidance of looming, big important items. Often, these haven't been carved up into bite-sized tasks, so they just float around the bottom of the list with innocent sounding names like "lose 10 pounds" or "get a better job." Figuring out how and where to get started on these items keeps us from doing them. These important (but maybe not urgent) items generally just wait until there's more time, you know, later.
Organizing Tasks – The Benefits
Organizing tasks means moving stuff around, and moving stuff around means being able to prioritize and plan. Similar items can be grouped together. Items can be ordered and sorted by urgency or inter-dependency. When we're finally ready to roll up our sleeves and do some work, we'll have nice, clean, structured marching orders.
Organizing Tasks – The Problem
Why do any tasks at all when you can just feel good by pushing items around on the list all day? In fact, why not put "reorder list" onto the list? Organizing to-do lists doesn't naturally lead to drilling-down and rolling-up tasks. Drilling-down, or breaking tasks into sub-tasks, only makes the list longer. And rolling-up, using lists to understand how we work and what is truly important, is an abstract activity – generally not included alongside left brain list-making. Which is a shame, because the one thing a to-do list could ultimately do for us is not help us get more done, but help us figure out what's most important, so that we can, in fact, do less.
1 The focus here is on basic to-do lists and doesn't include more advanced planning and scheduling tools. And yes, I know about GTD.


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March 2017 Fishing Forecast
Can you believe it's already March??? I have to say this winter has not been to bad overall, fingers crossed we make it through April mild and that would be a great start to the summer! The fishing has already been a little better with the milder weather; it really is looking good for this spring! Here are the fishing opportunities for March that I like to target.
In March the Redfish finally start to move around a little more than they have all winter. Not that they don't move around in the winter; they just start to show up in place's they like more during warmer times of the year. This is the time of the year you need to get out and find where the Redfish are going and showing up. In the cooler months I've seen crustacean patterns work better for Redfish; due to the fact that these baits are a little easier to catch, than say baits like fish patterns. A good handful of our local shrimp has wintered over because of the mild winter weather, also some of the little baitfish stayed too. All of this will make for a better March fishing scenario for sure!
On warmer days the crustaceans and baitfish will move more; these are the days you need to look for Redfish during March. Working scented baits like Berkley Gulp and Gulp Alive in patterns two and three inch shrimp, two inch peeler crab and 3" ghost shrimp should get the Redfish to bite. These baits don't have paddle tails so you can work them very slow, which is still very important because the water still be pretty cool in March. Find those banks where the sun can warm up shallows just a little more than other places. Look for dark bottom banks and places with less current these are the areas where the water will be warmer and the Redfish will be feeding. Remember to keep your eyes peeled in the shallow water areas for Reds, March can be a very good sight fishing month; just make sure you work the baits a little slower with a fluorocarbon leader for those clearer spring waters.
March can be another mouth when Cape Fear River Striped Bass fishing will pick up. The Striper size is very mixed during early spring. In March the Stripers will start to move in to a little bit shallower waters, I look for the Stripers in three to eight feet of water during early spring. This is when you need to also shallow up your presentation, go lighter with you tackle. I prefer Berkley Gulp jerkshad and Berkley Havoc grass pig lures; I use colors pearl, chart pepper neon and new penny (swamp gas). Using swim bait hooks size 6/0 in 1/4 to ounce should put a Striper on the end of your line! You can also cast mid-water crank baits that dive three to eight feet, don't let the lure drag the bottom to much or you will lose your lure to a stump or log! Look for Cape Fear River Stripers around mud-flat edges, bulk-heads, creeks and shallow reed-grass edges on sunny warmer days.
Don't count out a nice Speckled trout during the month of March! But what is a trout going to hit in March? This is when you need to know where to start; what lures to try? One of my favorites is the good'ole MirrOlure; it's been around a long time and it is still catching fish, but its cold so work them SLOW! The patterns I prefer are the 17MR, 18MR, 52M and 52MR. Colors; MirrOlure makes a lot of different colors but here are some of my go too colors around Wrightsville Beach area waters. MirrOlure color codes: 11, 21, 26, 51, 704, CFPR, CH, EC, HP AND Capt. Jot Custom color (only found at Tex's Tackle shop). Any local tackle shop can help you with these color codes. Best depths to use these lures; 17MR use these lures in two to six feet of water. 18MR, 52M & 52MR use these lures in four to fifth-teen plus feet of water.
There is another kind of fishing I like to try in March but there is no saltwater involved. I like to hit the upper Northeast Cape Fear River and Sutton Lake the do a little Large-mouth bass fishing. If you want to try something different try some bass fishing, they are a lot of fun to catch on lighter tackle. Most of the time I use heavy sink worms from Berkley Powerbait in colors black, red shad and blue-flick. Work these worms very slowly off banks and stump beds. If you like to fly fish, try slow sinking small minnow patterns along the grass flats in Sutton Lake on cloudy or foggy days.
Tackle run down: PENN Battle II & Clash Spinning reels sizes2000, 2500 & 3000 for the Redfish, Large mouth Bass and Striped Bass. PENN Battalion rods in 6'6" & 7' medium and med/hvy action; line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound; Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon for my leaders in twenty to thirty pound.
Thanks for reading, get outside and I hope March fishing is good to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
PENN Fishing Tackle Elite Staff


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Day 6, 7 and 8 – CEO Undercover Uber Project
Weekend Update
This weekend was sort of a joke for this Uber driver. Friday, I had no luck picking up any passengers during the afternoon. Saturday, I tried for about an hour and a half in downtown Arlington. I drove around for a while and didn't get any requests. I then decided to go by the hospital district to maybe pick up some people but no luck. Sunday I did not Uber at all.
Tomorrow, Monday, I have jury duty, so maybe I will be able to try again depending on the day. If not, Tuesday is possible but it is election day and not sure I want to be driving people with 'hot sports opinions' on who to vote for all day. We will see so stay tuned!


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I've actually never had a tamale before (you don't often find them without meat or cheese). But I quite like this Roasted Vegetable Tamale by Amy's. It's much different than Amy's Enchiladas and has some good flavor and texture to it. The tamale portion is delicious and different, the black beans? Mmm not so good. I absolutely love black beans, but these ones crushed my expectations and not in a good way. All I could taste was salt and nothing else. 🙁
Ingredients all vegan!
Nutritional information. This recipe is lower in fat than some of their meals, but seriously high in sodium. Over 2 1/2 times the amount health experts recommend per calorie (mostly in the beans).
I wish these tamales came by themselves because I would enjoy eating them again. They were flavorful. But the beans are too salty. I'm not sure if they are catering to the lowest common denominator in salt lovers or what. I like some salt in beans but I don't know why Americans eat such salty black and pinto beans, it's hard to taste anything else but salt. Other seasonings like cumin and chili powder can add some interest and reduce the amount of salt needed in a recipe.
On to my overall product review.
Basic Nutritional Info: 280 calories 7 grams of fat 23% fat by calories 9 g of protein
Price: $3.38 USD on sale ($4.99 reg) In Canada about $6.29
Taste: Tamale 4/5 Black beans 1/5 way too salty
Texture: 4/5
Healthfulness: 3/5 (high in sodium)
Looks: 4/5
Low fat: No, medium fat
Vegan: Yes
Gluten Free: Yes
Soy Free: Yes
Nut Free: Yes
GMO Free: Yes
Would I eat it again? Yes, but not the black beans portion.
What could be improved? Use less oil in the recipe and much less sodium in the black beans and other seasonings instead.
Disclosure, I'm doing this review of my own accord, I was not given any free product nor was I paid to do this review.
Have you ever tried Amy's Roasted Vegetable Tamale? What did you think?


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4 reasons why call centres are here to stay
Generally, call centres have a poor reputation in the Caribbean, although countries are clamouring to have them. Here are four reasons why they are still needed.
For at least the past decade, Caribbean countries have been largely dependent on foreign investors to revitalise and grow their economies. Although many receive considerable support from donor agencies, there is also a focus on attracting private investors who are prepared to establish operations in their countries. One of the areas governments have been eager to grow is offshore outsourcing, especially the call centre segment.
However, over the years, the call centre sector, generally, has developed a less than stellar reputation. Not only are they considered to offer low paying jobs, in the past, many countries had the bad experience of having facilities close virtually overnight, leaving both their employees and service providers in abeyance.
With such a poor image, why does the call centre industry still continue to grow globally, and why are the countries still keen to court those businesses? Below four reasons are outlined.
1. They create jobs countries desperately need
Without a doubt, most countries that are looking to develop their offshore call centre industry are doing so to take advantage of its job creation potential. In comparison to tourism and agriculture, for example, and for the level of investment needed, call centres tend to create large numbers of jobs.
In the Caribbean, most countries have been experiencing high levels of unemployment, especially among their youth population. Recognising the urgent need to have individuals gainfully employed and contributing to society, call centres can be a vital means of absorbing semi-skilled workers (especially high school graduates) for agent positions in particular, for whom there might be relatively few job opportunities for the demand that exists.
2. They promote efficient use of resources
In most firms, their in-house call centre operation, along with their back-office administrative requirements – whilst critical to their survival and success – are not their core business. However, when they are in-house, considerable attention, manpower and expertise are needed to develop and maintain them – even though they can be categorised as non-core – though they compete for resources that should more prudently be assigned to core activities.
Being able to outsource those activities to a third party and focus on its core functions, promotes efficient use of resources in an organisation. Further, that efficiency can translate to costs savings, which has become a critical requirement to be competitive in today's business environment.
3. They possess domain expertise to provide quality service
While people might turn up their noses at call centres, and may have had poor experiences with some of them, the truth is when they are well executed the quality of the service they offer far exceeds whatever a client organisations can deliver. The reason for this is that in a well-established call centre, rigorous systems have been implemented and numerous metrics are being tracked in real time to ensure that – at the very least – it meets the targets prescribed in its service level agreements with clients.
Ultimately, call centre operations are their business. Accordingly, they have developed the systems, expertise, and experience to deliver quality, yet cost effective, solutions for their clients.
4. Customers still need to speak with a human
Although we are all tech-savvy and frequently, prefer to text rather than talk, when in need, it is always desirable to be able to speak with someone and get the assistance we need. Having said this, and as technology evolves, new options and solutions, such as those relying on artificial intelligence, will come to the market with the aim of more fully automating the process and replace the human call centre agent.
However, whilst having a fully automated call centre process with absolutely no human interaction might eventually be welcomed by organisations, there are still likely to be situations that cannot left solely in the hands of a software application. Hence, when all else fails, there is still likely to be the need to talk with someone who might be able to help.
Image credit: Mighty Ducks (flickr)
4 Comments
Great article.
There is also the corollary of earning foreign exchange for the host country. And also often in order to execute professional customer services callcentre staff undergo good training. Such training is highly helpful in their after-callcentre life.


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When Mike Alkire talks about "future-proofing," he doesn't mean predicting change. He's talking about anticipating it and preparing to adapt to it. It's a mindset, and it's what healthcare needs, says Alkire, COO of the Premier healthcare alliance.
Speaking at Premier's recent Breakthroughs Conference, Alkire talked about the need to re-craft care delivery systems, spur innovation, and create scale in a clinical and economic sense. Transformation is underway in virtually every Premier member facility, he pointed out. And more work is needed. "Are we building truly integrated systems?" he asked. "Or will we become extinct or replaced by a new species?" Alkire spoke with the Journal of Healthcare Contracting following the conference. The fufollowing is an excerpt. To read the full article, click here
A matter of scale
In today's world of IDNs, regional purchasing coalitions and giant national GPOs, one might question the need for even greater scale. Yet Alkire argues that economic trends dictate it. But when he talks about scale, he's not necessarily talking about greater numbers of hospitals banding together. He is talking about greater alignment among those that do.
Providers participating in Premier's QUEST program, for example, collaborate to measure, compare and scale patient-care solutions. "They come from various IDNs, some are stand-alone," says Alkire. "The most important thing is, they benchmark with one another. They take variation out. And they try to understand what top-performing organizations are doing, and glean best practices from them. To the degree you can actually firm that up in terms of an IDN or virtual IDN, the more efficient you will be, because you can automate that benchmarking.
"But I firmly believe that, whatever the flaws that make up the healthcare system may be, there are unbelievable best practices happening every day in our hospitals. So the important thing is sharing them. It's not that we have a lack of data. It's 'What do you do with it? How do you communicate it? How do you put performance improvement programs in place to drive better results?'"
Pit crew mentality
For the most part, healthcare executives are doing everything they can to drive this level of scale, he says. But on a day-to-day basis, their job is to provide what he calls "unbelievable care" to their communities. Larger organizations, such as Premier, are in a position to take the mass of data collected among its facilities and turn it into opportunities, "so people can understand where the gaps are in performance, and begin to share best practices."
Alkire agrees with surgeon, writer, and public health researcher Atul Gawande when the latter says that today's healthcare challenges call for a "pit crew" – not a "cowboy" — mentality. Instead of working in silos, care providers – spanning X-ray, lab, surgery, etc. – need to share information in a real-time fashion, he says. The goal is to implement a care plan for patients that crosses the entire continuum of care as well as all geographies.
This isn't just theory, says Alkire. By benchmarking, sharing and acting like pit crews, the 160 participants in QUEST saved an estimated 25,000 lives and more than $2.85 billion in a 30-month period. Mortality rates dropped significantly. "You can imagine our excitement when we saw we could bend the curve on mortality," he says. Alkire personally placed phone calls to the most successful institutions and found they were doing all the right things, such as counseling around palliative care, controlling sepsis, making pharmaceuticals available at the bedside, etc. That knowledge becomes even more valuable when it is shared with others, he adds. "It becomes a question of, 'How do we get that information to the fingertips of clinicians, physicians and executives?'
"The information is out there. But how do you tailor it? How do you make it actionable, so [providers] can take advantage of it?"


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Matthew Robert Toth
- 18 years old
- Date of birth: Mar 2, 1990
- Date of passing: Jan 20, 2009
|Let the memory of Matthew be with us forever
This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, Matthew Toth, 18, born on March 2, 1990 and passed away on January 20, 2009. We will remember him forever.
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"well my son, it has been 4 years now...It still hurts like yesterday. I love and miss you so much. I remember what your voice sounded like when you told me "I love you Mom". I will cherish this forever. I miss you my son. Love Mom"
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text: Search Results Use the search box below to revise your search, or start a new search. Studies (1) Variables Publications Your query returned 1 studies. Sort by: Title A-Z Released/Updated Time Period Most Cited in ICPSR Bib. 1. United Nations World Surveys on Crime Trends and Criminal Justice Systems, 1970-1994: Restructured Five-Wave Data (ICPSR 2513) Burnham, R.W.; Burnham, Helen


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It was around 1986 that I started wandering in and out of Golden Frets, our local guitar store. It was one of those places where smoke and great music would hang in the air, not to mention all kinds of folks: washed up hippies, college kids, worship leaders, metal heads, country and jazz pickers, and, of course, neohippies. It was this place of friendship where I learned the basics of instrument repair from picker, story-teller, and shop-owner, Bill Carter. It was like a second home to me, and eventually Bill even started calling me 'son.' To this day, almost every time I head home to Southern IL, I stop by his place in order to kill a few hours with one of the most unique and wonderful souls I know. But, I digress….
This post is simply to show off a few my repairs on the bench. When I get the chance I love to piddle around with old broken things….


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Cranberry Spiced Pears Recipe
- 1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 medium pears, peeled and sliced
- 2 medium navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
- 1. In a large saucepan, combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in pears and oranges; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until pears are tender. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Facts
3/4 cup: 203 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 14mg sodium, 53g carbohydrate (37g sugars, 5g fiber), 1g protein.
Reviews for Cranberry Spiced Pears
Average Rating
"I added apples because I didn't have enough pears, delicious!"
"It is a permanent dish on my Thanksgiving menu."
"Superb! Wonderful flavors, and beautiful presentation ... looks just like the picture! Will be a repeater recipe in this home."
"My family loved this recipe and I made it twice already. We much prefer it as a light dessert and cold rather than a side dish and warm. The flavors of the spices are nicely balanced and it comes together so easily."
"I had a Christmas brunch and this was a HUGE hit. I used canned mandarin oranges in place of the naval oranges. I will definitely be making this again and again."


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Yonkers: Saturday 9/15 Analysis
Best Bet: TOBAGO CAYS (9th) Spot Play: ROCKIN GLASS (6th)
Race 1
(1) DINNER GUEST dropped to this level and got stuck with post 7. I'll give him a shot to wake up from the rail. (2) SFUMATO returns to Yonkers at a much reduced level and should be tough. (3) ALLAMERICAN PEWTER rallied nicely this week; top connections.
Race 2
(1) SALEVSTER STALLION drops out of claiming action to face weaker foes. In a field lacking early speed, I expect an aggressive try. (2) TRIGGER FINGER has speed and form; using. (7) MONEY TWITCH A drops way down but doesn't leave off the gate very well; up for a piece?
Race 3
(4) VIPER HANOVER returns to the Hilltop at a reduced level and also drops in for a tag. I can see a form reversal on the way. (5) JK CAMELOT comes off a solid effort at this level last time. (1) AMERICAN GI has a shot but seems likely to be overbet.
Race 4
(4) FOX VALLEY TRIBAL does his best work when he gets a class drop like this one. With 12 wins in 23 starts at Yonkers this year, he likes to win. (3) DVCFLYINGFRENCHMAN & (7) REPORT FOR DUTY N are two sharp horses from high percentage barns; hard to toss.
Race 5
There are no standouts in this group. (4) TIDEWATER TEDDY sports a ton of bad posts with one good-draw win sandwiched in the bunch. Brennan can put him in the winning spot. (2) AMASA AL drops down and deserves a look. (1) SAND BENELLI can save ground and get a share.
Race 6
(5) ROCKIN GLASS finally gets some post relief in this class. The last time he drew inside in the Opens he went down the road. (2) AUSSIE REACTOR A has raced well in all his U.S. starts and merits a long look. (7) ONE MORE LAUGH moves in one slot and gets a new driver.
Race 7
(7) VLOS raced well from off the pace last week, but you need speed to win here. I'd expect new driver Bartlett to change tactics. (2) SHORTSTACKED won last week for trainer Valle; Brennan drives now. (3) RIVER SHARK has all the class but this is not the easiest spot. (5) MYSTERIOUS MOMENT could be a threat with the right trip.
Race 8
(3) FOUR TRUMPS A had no shot sitting in behind a :57 half last time. With a smooth trip he could upset. (4) FOUR STARZ TRACE looks like the one to beat but hardly a standout. (1) IWANNARACE HANOVER seems sharp enough to compete despite the slight class jump.
Race 9
(2) TOBAGO CAYS comes off a throw out effort where he chased a slow pace. He remains at this reduced level and should be pointed down the road. (5) PACIFIC DESPERADO rallied nicely last time. (1) WAYWARD SON raced well last time despite missing a few weeks.
Race 10
(8) AVENUE HANOVER gets a catch-driver back in the bike and looks like a worthwhile flyer. (1) TRADE EDITOR has speed and the cones; good combo. (3) DASH N has been racing well of late.
Race 11
(3) MYSTIC DESIRE steps up the ladder but has plenty of form and faces a lackluster bunch. (5) WAYNE THE LEFTY finds a field without much early zip and could get aggressive. (1) ELECTRIC OUI & (2) WESTERN DAKOTA are inside player with a chance.
Race 12
(5) JERRYS BROWN GOLD closed fast from sixth last week. If Dube can keep him closer, watch out! (2) BJS BEQUIA drops down and can break a big mile at any time. (1) NINE INNINGS has that dangerous speed and the cones combination.


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My car ticks when idling and I see air bubbles in the oil, when checking the dipstick, after the engine has been running.
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Personality DevelopmentPanache Academy
Rs 40001-50000
Important information
|2 Years
|Different dates available
- Master
- Ahmedabad
- Duration:
2 Years
- Start:
Different dates available
Frequent Asked Questions
· What are the objectives of this course?
Aviation Hospitality Grooming English Speaking Travel Management Personality Development Swimming First Aid
· Qualification
Bachelors Degree in any discipline from a Government approved College / University
What you'll learn on the course
Travel Management
Personality development
Teachers and trainers (1)
Course programme
1st Year – Principles of Management and Organizational Behaviour, Managerial Economics, Accounting and Finance for Managers, Marketing Management, Human Resource Management, Quantitative Techniques for Management, Research Methods for Management, English, Elective-1.
2nd Year – Industrial Training in India or International, etc..for 22 Weeks (5 Months).
Specialization in Air Lines, Tourism Management, Hospitality Management, Tourism Planning and Marketing, Sirport Ground Staff, Service Marketing, International Hospitality Law, International Tourism Management, Tourism Business Environment, Tourism Products, Project Work, Elective-2.


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Rangers' remarkable rally beats Angels
ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers outfielder David Murphy knew it all along.
"Tonight it just felt like a win was inevitable," said Murphy, one of many Texas heroes after the Rangers rallied for an 11-10 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
He could have also added incredible. It certainly was improbable.
A Texas team that was coming off its worst month of baseball in five years seemed poised to get August started off on the same sort of note.
Texas trailed 6-0 in the third inning and 7-6 in the ninth. Then, after forcing extra innings with an Ian Kinsler homer, the life appeared to once again be sucked out of the Rangers as the Angels scored three times in the top of the 10th off All-Star closer Joe Nathan. A loss would have shrunk the Texas lead in the American League West to two games, the smallest it's been since April 13.
But the two time American League champs put together a rally worthy of champions, scoring four times in the bottom of the 10th with Elvis Andrus' double down the line in left scoring the final two. It gave the Rangers their biggest come-from-behind win since Aug. 13, 2010.
It also pumped new life into a club that was searching for a spark.
"There are some games for sure that are special, kind of like tonight," said Andrus, who entered the game in a 1 for 19 slide but went 4 for 6 with three RBIs. "We were facing a team that was behind us and had beat us twice already in our house. We were a little angry for sure. Today we showed way more energy. Everyone was more focused. We just went out and had fun and played baseball."
It wasn't all fun for the Rangers.
Not when they trailed 6-0 after the Angels took advantage of four Yu Darvish walks and an Ian Kinsler error to score six times in the third. Not when Chris Iannetta led off the 10th with a homer off Joe Nathan and Albert Pujols followed with his second homer of the game and fourth in two nights to put the Angels up by three.
But Texas, which scored the fewest runs in the majors in July, got a 449-foot homer from Nelson Cruz to get the 10th going off Ernesto Frieri, who blew his first save of the year on Kinsler's homer.
Michael Young reached on an error and David Murphy walked to put the tying runs on base. The Angels went to veteran Jason Isringhausen, who was greeted by Mike Napoli with a single to left to load the bases. Mitch Moreland followed with a single to left to cut the deficit to one.
The Angels dodged one bullet when Kinsler popped up. But Andrus, who got ahead 3-0, lined a full-count pitch down the line in left to end the game.
That dramatic ending also upped the Rangers lead up to four games and was followed by the news that uber prospect Mike Olt would be called up from Frisco.
Olt will join a Texas clubhouse that was down Wednesday but never thought it was out.
"The people in this room remember we've been through a lot together," said Young, who went 1 for 5 and scored two runs. "We've been through big wins. We've been through long seasons, long postseasons, big wins in the postseason, some tough losses together. We've been through all the wars, all the battles. A tough stretch in the regular season isn't going to get us down."
The Angels did everything they could the first two nights of the series to put doubt into the Rangers. They did their best again Wednesday, scoring seven times off Darvish and hitting three homers on the night.
But Texas got to Garrett Richards in the fifth for four runs. That opened the door enough to keep the game interesting.
By the time Andrus finished the 4 hour, 1 minute game the Rangers had rapped out 17 hits and benefited from 16 strikeouts from five pitchers.
"It's huge simply because we put ourselves in a hole 6-1," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "The way those guys over there are swinging the bats, you figure that they were about to add some more. Then we got a handle on making some pitches and getting some outs. And we just kept battling and kept grinding and kept battling and we got blessed."
Blessed with key plays like Nelson Cruz throwing out Kendrys Morales at the plate to end the ninth, keeping the game at one run for Kinsler. Blessed that they were the first team to rattle Frieri, who had been a rock for a leaky Los Angeles bullpen.
All those rallies and blessings set the stage for some history as Texas rallied from three runs in extra innings for the first time since 1975. In that game it was Tom Grieve delivering the walkoff to beat Detroit.
But then again, as Murphy said, maybe they weren't blessed at all. After all, Wednesday's win apparently was inevitable.


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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That you might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col. 1:9-10)
Have you ever been in an area of the country where there was a lot of fruit ripening in the sun? Maybe on some cool September morning you've taken a walk through the apple orchards of the Hood River valley, or along the Columbia River in Oregon. It is pleasing to the eye to see such an abundance of sweet, delicious fruit hanging on branch or vine, ready to be plucked.
A fruitful Christian life is like that---sweet, refreshing, nourishing, fragrant, sustaining, delightful to be near. But such a life requires careful cultivation. . . . A deeper, more consistent walk with Christ requires time and attention every day. If that happens, you will bear fruit.
Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
A particular verse came to mind as I was writing this devotional:
You shall know them by their fruits. (Matt. 7:16)
It's remarkable how Jesus pointed out that by their fruits we shall know them. For us to be able to see the fruit(s) of anyone we meet usually takes time. In the same way it takes time for us to see our own fruit and the fruit of others grow, it also takes an even shorter amount of time to really see the results of the fruit. The results of someone's fruit is largely dependent on the kind of seed that has been planted in them.
If a negative seed has been planted into someone, the resulting fruit of that person is usually going to be negative. As Christians, there's always the possibility that negative seed has been planted in us at one time or another. In order for us to recognize this, it will be extremely important for us to stop and take a moment by moment evaluation of our daily living in order for us to be able to sift through the seeds to figure out which seeds are healthy and which seeds are corrupted. It's the corrupted seed that we want to get rid of.
Once we have given over the negative seed to God, God will begin the process of cultivating the positive seed in your life by surrounding you with God-fearing men and women that will be the for you to help you to continue to cultivate the positive seed while at the same time remaining vigilant to make sure that no negative seed arises in the midst of the healthy batch of seeds. My dear friends, ALWAYS remain on the lookout for any negativity that takes place in your life and don't allow the enemy of our souls to corrupt you and rob you of the good fruit that God has placed in you. Last, but not least, don't be known by the bad fruit, be known by the good fruit!
Thank you so much for reading this far friends! May God continue to bless you and keep you always in Jesus' mighty name! JESUS LOVES YOU AND SO DO I!!!...:-).


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Making a budget restrictive allows for a better control of worked hours and expenses (billable or not) linked to a project since a restrictive budget is a budget that cannot be exceeded. In other words, when a restrictive budget is reached, no additional time or cost entries can be recorded.
A budget can be set as restrictive no matter its scope (global, per member or per task).
Making a budget restrictive based on worked hours
Let's take the example of a budget whose scope would be "per member" with a "worked hours" budget type. To learn more about how to set a budget, click here.
Let's say a member of your organization has a predefined budget of 10 hours...
...and that member tries to record a time entry exceeding 10 hours (or the total of worked hours exceeds 10 hours), the system will prevent him from doing so:
Making a budget restrictive with a fixed-fee project
Let's take the example of a flat-rate project set at $5000 and for which you wish to generate a profit margin of $1000. You would have to set the budget scope to global, select a budget type based on the costs (hours worked x hourly rate + expenses), and allocate a budget amount of $4000.
As for the invoice method, you would need to choose the "Project fixed-fee" option and enter the flat-rate amount, in this case $5000.
Any new time or expense entry, billable or not, that would exceed the $5000 fixed-fee would therefore be blocked.
Making a budget restrictive with an hourly rate project
The same logic applies to billable projects based on project hourly rates as described above, except that the project hourly rate will override any member or task predefined rates and will be used to make a budget restrictive.


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While you wait for Metallica to finish work on their next album, why don't you get yourself a copy of the 28-page Orbit: Metallica comic book here.
Orbit was written by Michael L. Frizell and illustrated by David Frizell, and it also features research from interior artist Jayfri Hashim, who says the following:
Metallica's formation marks the beginning of metal, breeding thrash metal which progresses to heavy metal during the glam rock era. Many people get it wrong when they say Metallica is a rock band. They're not. They are the very definition of a metal band. They were daring, innovative, and the story of their beginning fascinates me.


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EDUC 321 Workshops
Claire Rushton and Yvonne Dawydiak are offering three after school workshops on Thursdays during EDUC321 for all SEL and PLTech cohort members. TC participation in at least one of these offerings is strongly recommended. SAs are also cordially invited to attend with you! *Please register for the Feb 4th session by Friday Jan 29th. Indicate


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|Do they even look like they're related to me???
432. These three cuties for making me a Mum;
433. My mother's day stall gifts - I have trained the girls to get me something useful so the big two both got me a mug and Ashlea got me a nail scissor kit thingy - although I suspect that may have been a hint from her aide that I need to cut her nails;
434. My Mum;
435. Wise words about parenting in church this morning and the reminder that life to the full is not just for the able bodied. I of course already whole heartedly know this but it was great for everyone to be reminded of it as I suspect that most people don't see someone with a disability and automatically think of them as having life to the full.
Just so you don't think this is another of those cheesy 'isn't life beautiful on Mother's Day' posts - yes I love them and loved their gifts from the Mother's Day stall but they still squabbled all day and bribed an extra hour of Minecraft out of me to take this picture. Just keeping it real.
Psalm 136:26
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.


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Oh goodie, more sentencing decisions
Some sentencing decisions have come down over the past couple weeks that I never got around to discussing, but I will now, because I need to get this out of the way so I can finish up a brief that I've been agonizing over for the last two weeks...
The first is State v. King, out of the 10th District. Simple situation: defendant appeals his conviction for agg robbery, felonious assault, and kidnapping, with gun specs. The appellate court affirms the robbery and kidnapping, but reverses the felonious assault for insufficient evidence. The trial court resentences the defendant, giving him the exact same sentence as when he'd been convicted of everything. He takes that up on appeal, claiming that the sentence is excessive. The court doesn't even reach that issue, holding that since the defendant didn't appeal the sentence in the remaining convictions in his first appeal, he can't do it now.
This is a weird case, and almost certainly not the correct result.
The court relied upon last years Ohio Supreme Court decision in State v. Saxon, but that was a completely different situation: there, the defendant had pled to two offenses, and had been improperly sentenced on one. The 8th District vacated both sentences, and the Supreme Court held that wasn't appropriate, because the defendant hadn't appealed the other one. In King, though, the defendant hadn't appealed any of his sentences -- he'd appealed the entire conviction. The sentencing issue had never been before the court, and it shouldn't have precluded him from raising it the second time around.
That's not to suggest that the outcome would have been different if the court had considered it. As anyone who's minimally aware of recent case trends in Ohio sentencing laws knows, any sentencing appeal has a Charge-of-the-Light-Brigade whiff to it. That was brought home by the 8th District's decision last week in State v. Dowell, in which the defendant appealed an eight-year sentence on a burglary conviction, arguing that the trial court had failed to consider whether the sentence was consistent with sentences imposed on other offenders for similar crimes.
The 8th District's handed down some gutsy decisions on proportionality in sentencing, as I've mentioned here and here, but not this time, holding that "consistency in sentencing is achieved by weighing the sentencing factors" for seriousness and recidivism under RC 2929.12. I'm not happy with that decision, but I've got to concede that it's probably correct: the best way to achieve consistency in sentencing, at least under the present Ohio sentencing scheme, is to have everybody considering the same factors. In fact, given that there's no database of sentences or, except in exceedingly rare situations, any other meaningful way to compare one sentence to another, you could make a decent argument that this is the only way to ensure some consistency. The greater problem I have is with the court's essential conclusion -- basically the same as that of about every other court which has considered the issue -- is that the sentence is immune from review so long as the trial judge merely indicates that he's considered the proper factors. He doesn't have to recite them, he doesn't have to make findings on them; all he has to do is say he considered them.
One of the critical decisions made by the commission formed back in 1995 to revise the sentencing statutes was the rejection of a "matrix"-based sentencing scheme, similar to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, in which a narrow band of sentences would be prescribed based on the particulars of the crime and the defendant. Instead, the commission chose to implement a set of guidelines which were intended to guide the judge's discretion, but not control it. That decision turned out to be disastrous. While the reforms were in effect, the net result of sentence reversals, in the vast majority of cases, was the imposition of the same sentence on remand, with the trial judge being careful to intone the talismanic words -- "adequately protect the public," "demean the seriousness of the offense" -- that he'd forgotten the first time around. Now, with the reforms tossed out as unconstitional, it's even worse. As one appellate judge suggested during an oral argument I had, the net result of Foster was to abolish judicial review of sentencing. That's pretty close to true; you'd have a hard time showing that there are any meaningful restraints on the sentence a trial judge can now impose.
Since Blakely and Booker, a number of states have implemented sentencing statutes similar to the Federal guidelines: if you do this, and your criminal history is this, then the suggested sentence should be this. It's all advisory, of course. And anyone who's studied Federal sentencing since Booker knows that this approach is hardly problem-free, either.
But it sure sounds better than what we've got now.