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Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
Print version ISSN 0004-282XOn-line version ISSN 1678-4227
Arq. Neuro-Psiquiatr. vol.63 no.3a São Paulo Sept. 2005
Primitive reflexes and cognitive function
Reflexos primitivos e função cognitiva
Alfredo DamascenoI; Adriane M. DelicioI; Daniel F.C. MazoI; João F.D. ZulloI; Patricia SchererI; Ronny T.Y. NgI; Benito P. DamascenoII
Department of Neurology, Medical School, State University of Campinas, Campinas SP Brazil, (FCM/UNICAMP)
IMedical Student
IIAssociate Professor. This research was supported by FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) grants 99/05287-7, 99/05288-3, 99/05289-0, 99/05290-8, and 99/05291-4
BACKGROUND: Data on the prevalence of primitive reflexes (PR) in adulthood, their pathological significance and relationship to age and cognition are controversial.
OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between PR and cognition in 30 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 154 control subjects.
METHOD: Diagnosis of probable AD was based on DSM-IV, NINCDS-ADRDA, and CAMDEX criteria. Primitive reflexes were quantified from zero (absent) to 1 (mild) or 2 (markedly present). The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument - Short Form (CASI-S) was used to evaluate registration, temporal orientation, verbal fluency and recall. A drawing test was added.
RESULTS: Most frequent PR among demented and controls were suck (77% and 62%, respectively) and snout (60% and 27%), followed by glabellar (30% and 19%), paratonia (37% and 5%), and palmomental (23% and 5%). None of controls had more than three PR. Frequency of PR tended to increase with age and cognitive deterioration. Grasp and Babinski responses were found only in dementia patients. Primitive reflexes were not correlated with each other, except snout with suck, and snout with glabellar reflex.
CONCLUSION: The finding of grasp and Babinski sign, or the presence of more than three primitive signs, particularly the combination of paratonia, snout, suck, and palmomental reflexes strongly suggests brain dysfunction, especially when these signs are marked and accompanied by deficits in orientation, recall, verbal fluency, and constructional praxis.
Key words: primitive reflexes, aging, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, cognitive tests.
CONTEXTO: A prevalência e significado patológico dos reflexos primitivos (RP) no adulto, bem como sua relação com a idade e a cognição, são questões controversas.
OBJETIVO: Estudar a relação entre RP e cognição em 30 pacientes com doença de Alzheimer (DA) e 154 sujeitos controles normais.
MÉTODO: O diagnóstico de DA baseou-se nos critérios DSM-IV, NINCDS-ADRDA e CAMDEX. Os RP foram quantificados de 0 (ausente) a 1 (leve) ou 2 (acentuado). CASI-S (Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument -Short Form) foi usado para avaliar o registro, orientação temporal, fluência verbal e evocação. Um teste de cópia de pentágonos foi acrescentado.
RESULTADOS: Os RP mais frequentes nos pacientes e controles foram o de sucção (77% e 62%, respectivamente) e "snout" (60% e 27%), seguidos do glabelar (30% e 19%), paratonia (37% e 5%) e palmomentoniano (23% e 5%). Nenhum sujeito controle teve mais que três RP. A frequência dos RP tendeu a aumentar com a idade e a deterioração cognitiva. O reflexo de preensão e o sinal de Babinski foram encontrados apenas nos pacientes com DA. Os RP não se correlacionaram uns com os outros, exceto o reflexo "snout" com o de sucção e com o glabelar.
CONCLUSÃO: O achado de reflexo de preensão e sinal de Babinski, ou a presença de mais de três sinais primitivos, particularmente a combinação de paratonia e reflexos "snout", sucção e palmomentoniano, são sugestivos de disfunção cerebral, especialmente quando esses sinais são acentuados e acompanhados de déficits de orientação, evocação, fluência verbal e praxia construcional.
Palavras-chave: reflexos primitivos, envelhecimento, demência, doença de Alzheimer, testes cognitivos.
Primitive reflexes (PR) are adaptive reactions occurring in the neonatal life and disappearing as the brain matures. Their reappearance in adulthood usually indicates cortico-subcortical neuronal loss, associated with normal aging or dementia1-8. Most of these reflexes are found in normal individuals, even in young adults: palmomental in 6% to 27% of subjects aged 20 to 50 years, and 28% to 60% of those above 60 years; snouting in 13% of subjects between 40 and 57 years, and 22% to 33% of those above 60 years age9; and even suck reflex, which for some authors10 "invariably indicates frontal lobe disease", has been found in 6% or more of normal subjects aged 73 to 93 years2. Thus, the prevalence of these reflexes is largely varied, and there is disagreement on their pathological significance, and even on their increasing frequency with aging. Only grasp reflex and extensor plantar response (Babinski sign) are well established as indicators of disease in the central nervous system. These controversies may be explained by conceptual and methodological differences between authors. As regards the interpretation of motor response, for example, some may consider as positive suck reflex only the contraction of lip muscles, while others require additional lingual and pharyngeal sucking movements. There can also be differences concerning variables which can influence prevalence of PR, such as heterogeneity of diseases on the patient groups studied, lack of stantardized quantified protocols, stimulation strenght11 and subject's emotional state, which can influence the magnitude and persistence of responses.
The relationship between PR and cognitive deficits has also been controversial. Some authors2,3 regard these reflexes as predictive of diffuse cerebral dysfunction, since these signs were significantly correlated to cognitive deficits determined by the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery in a group of 76 individuals aged 20 to 80 years. On the other hand, other authors12 found no correlation between snout, glabellar, and grasp reflexes and the presence of cerebral atrophy by CT scan or the results of psychometric tests (Wechsler Memory Scale) in a sample of 52 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 48 normal controls.
Our aim was to study the relationship between PR and cognitive function in aging individuals with or without dementia, and to verify what items of neurological exam and cognitive testing are more predictive of brain dysfunction. For this we chose The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument Short Form (CASI-S)13 as psychometric test, since it has the most predictive items found in other test batteries14,15, with graded scoring of responses, besides it being a short, practical test, resistant to cross-cultural influences (suitable for illiterate subjects), and sensitive for detecting dementia13 .
Subjects This study included subjects aged 40 to 95 years, even illiterate ones, comprising patients with Alzheimer's disease attended at our university hospital, and normal controls recruited from the community, insofar as they could be matched with the patients for age (within 5 years) and education (within 2 years), were motivated to participate in the study and had auditory and visual acuity good enough to perform the tests. Exclusion criteria for normal controls were history or evidence of neurological or psychiatric disease, head trauma with loss of consciousness exceeding 30 min, alcoholism or occupational exposition to neurotoxic substances, and current use of medication likely to affect cognitive function. All subjects gave their informed consent to participate, in accordance with the rules of our Medical School Ethics Committee.
Procedures All subjects underwent medical history and neurological examination with standardized evaluation of PR, classified in 0 (absent), 1 (slightly present) or 2 (markedly present). Testing took place at morning times in a quiet room of the hospital (Neuropsychology Unit). The techniques (which follow) were based on those used by Paulson and Gottlieb1 and Koller et al.12.
Palmomental. This reflex was present if any noticeable contraction of the mentalis muscle could be elicited by a vigorous stroke of the thumbnail along the ipsilateral thenar eminence. It got score 1 if the response was weak, vanishing in 10 consecutive stimulations; or score 2, if markedly present and persistent.
Snout. As described by Koller et al.12, the examiner tapped slightly with his index finger midline on the subject's upper lip, which could give only a weak puckering (score 1) or protrusion of the lips, with elevation of the lower one (score 2).
Suck. This was elicited by firmly placing the tip of the patient's index finger between his closed lips. The response could be incomplete, with only weak contraction of orbicularis oris muscle (score 1) or full, with sucking movements of the tongue and pharynx (score 2)
Glabellar. The subject was directed to fix the examiner's left index finger positioned 30º down, at a distance of 50 cm, while the examiner approached his right index finger from above the patient's forehead (outside the visual field to eliminate visual threat as a stimulus), and tapped the region between the eyebrows 10 times (2 times per second), asking the subject not to blink. Blink responses that disappeared (habituated) before the tenth tap scored 0, while continuous synchronous blinking after nine taps scored 2 (if with complete closing of eyelids) or 1 (if closing was incomplete).
Grasp. The subject sat with hands in lap, palms upward, and eyes closed, counting backwards from 20 (to distract his attention). Then the examiner's second and third fingers stroked lightly on de subjects palm from the back of the hand. If the subject grasped the examiner's fingers, he or she was asked not to. The procedure was repeated; if the patient continued to grasp, the reflex was present, and got score 1 if only weak finger flexion and thumb adduction in an attempt to grasp, or score 2 if firm closure around the examiner's fingers.
Paratonia. The examiner tested the subject's resting muscle tone in the arms and legs by passive, irregular extension and flexion. Intermittent opposition to the examiner's movements despite instructions to relax, resulting in a catching or resistive sensation, was considered as paratonia (Gegenhalten), which could be differentiated from the full range, regular Parkinsonian rigidity and the clasp knife spasticity.
Cognitive evaluation with the validated Brazilian version of CASI-S16,17, comprising following subtests: registration (repeating three words: shirt, brown, honesty; score 0 to 3); temporal orientation with graded scoring according to the closeness of the response to the correct answer (to year: 0-4; to month and date: 0-5; to week-day: 0-1; and to the time of day, allowing 59 minutes error: 0-1); verbal fluency (category: four-legged animals, scoring the number of correct answers in 30 seconds, up to 10); and recall (remembering three words): spontaneous recall of each correct word got score 3; recall after category cueing (e.g., "something to wear"), score 2; recall after provided three choices (e.g., "shoes, shirt, socks"), score 1; and if still incorrect answer, score 0. CASI-S maximum score is 33 points. A test of constructional praxis was added (copy of two intersecting pentagons or, for illiterate subjects, reproduction of two pentagons bound by one of their sides using matches; score 1 if correctly copied).
Diagnosis of dementia was based on DSM-IV criteria18, as well as on NINCDS-ADRDA19 for Alzheimer's disease. CAMDEX20, which contains a battery of cognitive testes (CAMCOG), was used to grade dementia (in mild, moderate and severe) and to differentiate it from depression. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cerebral blood flow imaging (SPECT tomography using technetium-99m-HMPAO), electroencephalography, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and relevant laboratory blood tests were done to discard other causes of dementia. Evaluation of control subjects consisted only of medical history, physical-neurological examination, and cognitive testing with CASI-S.
Data were entered into Statistica. The c2 statistic, Student t, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and regression analysis were applied where appropriate. Significance level was 5% (two-tailed).
We studied 30 patients with Alzheimer's disease (16 mild, 6 moderate, and 8 severe) and 154 controls (see Tables 1 and 2). Both groups had similar mean age and educational level (Student t test). Seven controls and one patient with dementia were illiterate. Proportion of women was higher in the control group, but not statistically significant (c2 = 2.76, p = 0.096).
On CT and MRI, 22 (73.5%) dementia patients had diffuse cortico-subcortical atrophy (with parietal-temporal predominance in three cases), and 8 (26.5%) were normal. SPECT done in 26 dementia patients showed bilateral or unilateral cortical hypoperfusion in posterior regions in most of them. SPECT data were classified according to Nitrini21 (modified from Holman et al.)22 into the following perfusion patterns: A: normal; B: bilateral posterior temporal and/or parietal cortex defects; C: bilateral posterior temporal and/or parietal cortex defects with or without additional defects; D: unilateral posterior temporal and/or parietal cortex defects with or without additional defects; E: hipoperfusion predominantly frontal; F: other relatively large (> 1 cm) defects; G: multiple small cortical defects; and H: diffuse cortical hipoperfusion. One way ANOVA revealed differences [though F (4, 21) = 2.83, p = 0.0504] between these perfusion patterns as regards the total scores of PR, on account of the highest PR scores of pattern H subgroup as compared to pattern B (t = 2.3745, p = 0.037) and pattern D (t = 2.7005, p = 0.029).
On cognitive subtests, dementia patients had lower scores in registration (p = 0.003), temporal orientation (p = 0.0001), verbal fluency (p = 0.0001), recall (p = 0.0001), and constructional praxis (p = 0.0002), as determined by Mann-Whitney U test.
Most frequent PR in both groups (of demented and controls) were suck (77% and 62%, respectively) and snout (60% and 27%), followed by glabellar (30% and 19%), paratonia (37% and 5%) and palmomental (23% and 5%). Grasp and Babinski responses were found only in three dementia patients who had imaging signs of mild cortico-subcortical atrophy and diffuse or bilateral parietal-temporal hypoperfusion (see Table 2). One or more PR were elicited in 75% of controls, but none of these subjects had more than three such reflexes (40.5 % had only one; 26% had two; and 8.5 % had three). More than three PR were found in 7 (23.3%) dementia patients (even in three cases with mild dementia).
In the whole sample of demented and control subjects, frequency of PR tended to increase with the degree of cognitive deterioration (c2 = 28.8, df = 6, p = 0.0001) as well as with aging, particularly after 70 years age (c2 = 18.6, df = 6, p = 0.004; Figure). PR scores were higher among dementia patients, particularly as regards paratonia (p = 0.00001) and snout (p = 0.00001; Mann-Whitney U test). There was a negative correlation between total scores of most cognitive subtests and those of each PR, mainly of paratonia, grasp and Babinski responses (Pearson correlation coefficient; see Table 3). In a multiple regression analysis of the whole sample, taking CASI-S as dependent variable and age, sex, and total scores of PR as independent variables, only age (b coefficient = -.19) and, particularly, PR total scores (b = -.43) were significantly correlated to CASI-S scores.
In the dementia group, PR total scores were negatively correlated to CASI-S (b = -.47, p = 0.008) and to CAMCOG-S total scores (b = -.51, p = 0.004). In this group, CASI-S total scores were highly correlated to those of CAMCOG-S (b = .89, p < 0.001).
Paratonia, palmomental, glabellar, snout and suck reflexes were present in 5% to 62% of our normal controls, what indicates they are normal phenomenon found in the healthy population. Grasp and Babinski responses were detected only in patients with dementia, which confirms their pathological significance, as established in the literature. None of control subjects, even among the oldest ones, had more than three PR. The presence of four or more PR, particularly the combination of paratonia, snout, suck and palmomental reflexes, especially if marked, were associated to cognitive deficit and diffuse or multiple brain dysfunction. This finding concur with those of other authors who called attention for the abnormal nature of multiple (more than three) PR, which in combination may be most predictive of organic pathology3, 23-25. Analysis of associations of PR with each other revealed correlations only between snout and glabellar reflexes, as also reported by some researchers26, without clear explanation; and between snout and suck reflexes, probably because these reflexes share overlapped neural structures.
Our data show that PR become more frequent and marked with aging, particularly after 70 years age, as well as with cognitive deterioration. A plausible explanation for reappearance of these reflexes in the adult has been the loss of cortical inhibition, resulting from atrophy of normal aging or more severe lesions of degenerative dementias1-8, 25. The term "frontal release signs" for PR seems to be inappropriate, since almost all patients presenting them had atrophy and hypoperfusion predominantly in posterior regions, and other authors27 could not elicit any of them in a population of patients with frontal lobotomies.
In this study of associations between PR and cognitive performance, CASI-S showed to be a practical test, easy and quick to administer, suitable for illiterate subjects (that constitute 15% of our population of patients). It also has a high specificity, particularly among individuals from 70 years age, as shown in another study17. In the whole sample of demented and controls there was a negative correlation between total scores of PR and of CASI-S subtests. Our findings concur with those of the literature as regards the most predictive subtests found in other test batteries14,15, even in CASI complete form28 (temporal orientation, recall, verbal fluency, and constructional praxis), as well as the PR best correlated to brain lesion (paratonia, grasp and Babinski responses).
In the dementia group, the highest PR scores tended to associate to the lowest cognitive scores and to SPECT pattern H. Thus, both the presence of multiple PRs and their scores could be useful predictors of diffuse cerebral dysfunction, as proposed by other authors2,25.
In conclusion, the presence of grasp and Babinski responses, or the combination of paratonia, snout, suck, and palmomental reflexes are strong indicators of diffuse brain dysfunction, especially when these signs are marked and accompanied by deficits in one or more of the cognitive subtests above mentioned. We think the standardized examination and graded scoring of these reflexes and cognitive functions should be included in the neurological bedside screening of patients with suspect degenerative dementia.
1. Paulson G, Gottlieb G. Development reflexes: the reappearance of foetal and neonatal reflexes in aged patients. Brain 1968;91:37-52. [ Links ]
2. Jenkyn LR, Walsh DB, Culver CM, et al. Clinical signs in diffuse cerebral dysfunction. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1977;41:956-966. [ Links ]
3. Jenkyn LR, Reeves AG, Warren T, et al. Neurologic signs in senescence. Arch Neurol 1985;42:1154-1157. [ Links ]
4. Huff FJ, Growdon JH. Neurological abnormalities associated with severity of dementia in Alzheimer's disease. Can J Neurol Sci 1986;13(Suppl) 4:S403-S405. [ Links ]
5. Bakchine S, Lacomblez L, Palisson E, et al. Relationship between primitive reflexes, extra-pyramidal signs, reflective apraxia and severity of cognitive impairment in dementia of the Alzheimer type. Acta Neurol Scand 1989;79:38-46. [ Links ]
6. Burns A, Jacoby R, Levy R. Neurological signs in Alzheimer's disease. Age Ageing 1991;20:45-51. [ Links ]
7. Vreeling FW, Jolles J, Verhey FR, et al. Primitive reflexes in healthy, adult volunteer sand neurological patients: methodological issues. J Neurol 1993; 240:495-504. [ Links ]
8. Hogan DB, Ebly EM. Primitive reflexes and dementia: results from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. Age Ageing 1995;24:375-381. [ Links ]
9. Olney RK. The neurology of aging. In: Aminoff MJ (ed), Neurology and general medicine. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1994:947-962. [ Links ]
10. Adams RD, Victor M, Ropper AH. The neurology of aging. In: Adams RD, Victor M, Ropper AH (eds), Principles of neurology, 6th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill., 1997:608-620. [ Links ]
11. Ansink JJ. Physiologic and clinical investigation into four brainstem reflexes. Neurology 1962;12:320-328. [ Links ]
12. Koller WC, Glatt S, Wilson RS, et al. Primitive reflexes and cognitive function in the elderly. Ann Neurol 1982;12:302-304. [ Links ]
13. Teng EL, Hasegawa K, Homma A, et al. The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI): a practical test for cross-cultural epidemiological studies of dementia. Int Psychogeriatr 1994;6:45-58. [ Links ]
14. Magaziner J, Basset SS, Hebel JR. Predicting performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination. J Am Geriatr Soc 1987;35:996-1000. [ Links ]
15. Teng EL, Riesenberg LA, Hall NK, et al. Comparisons among three screening tests for dementia. Presentation at the 1997 Annual Psychological Association, Chicago, IL. [ Links ]
16. Ng RTY, Damasceno A, Delicio AM, et al. Validation of mini-test CASI-S in a sample of Brazilian population. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2001;7:420 (Abstract). [ Links ]
17. Damasceno A, Delicio AM, Mazo DFC, Zullo JFD, Scherer P, Ng RTY, Damasceno BP. Validation of the Brazilian version of mini-test CASI-S. Arq Neuropsiquiatr (submitted). [ Links ]
18. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed). Washington: APA, 1994. [ Links ]
19. McKahnn G, Drachman D, Folstein M, et al. Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's disease. Neurology 1984;34:939-944. [ Links ]
20. Roth M, Huppert FH, Tym E, et al. CAMDEX: The Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. [ Links ]
21. Nitrini R. Diagnóstico de demência: avaliação clínica, neuropsicológica e através da tomografia computadorizada por emissão de fóton único. Post-doctoral thesis, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, 1993. [ Links ]
22. Holman BL, Johnson KA, Gerada B, et al. The scintigraphic appearance of Alzheimer's disease: a prospective study using technetium-99m-HMPAO SPECT. J Nucl Med 1992;33:181-185. [ Links ]
23. Brown DL, Smith TL, Knepper LE. Evaluation of five primitive reflexes in 240 young adults. Neurology 1998;51:322. [ Links ]
24. Isakov E, Sazbon L, Costeff H, et al. The diagnostic value of three common primitive reflexes. Eur Neurol 1984;23:17-21. [ Links ]
25. Schott JM, Rossor MN. The grasp and other primitive reflexes. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:558-560. [ Links ]
26. Tweedy J, Reding M, Garcia C, et al. Significance of cortical disinhibition signs. Neurology 1982;32:169-173. [ Links ]
27. Benson DF, Stuss DT. Motor abilities after frontal leukotomy. Neurology 1982; 32:1353-1357. [ Links ]
28. Tsai RC, Lin KN, Wu KY, Liu HC. Improving the screening power of the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument, Chinese version. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2004;18:314-320. [ Links ]
Correspondence to
Dr. Benito P. Damasceno
Department of Neurology / FCM/UNICAMP
Box 6111 - 13083-970
Campinas SP Brasil
E-mail: damascen@ unicamp.br
Received 1 October 2004, received in final form 5 January 2005. Accepted 22 March 2005.


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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Risk (05/17/12)
TITLE: The American Dream
One day John decided to take a risk. He caught George for a moment and pulled him aside.
John sincerely asked, "George, what is it that makes you so happy all the time?"
George smiled graciously and answered, "My friend, I am glad you finally took the risk to ask. You see, John, 5 years ago I put my faith in Jesus Christ. Before that I was close to bankruptcy and a divorce and a friend shared with me his faith in Jesus so I gave Him a shot. At the time I just figured I had nothing to lose, what the heck. But it opened a whole new world to me John. The hole in my heart was overflowing and many things in my life began falling into place. I got involved with a good church and volunteered for many ministries there and even got to go on a church building ministry in Costa Rica and there I witnessed to suffering hurting people which confirmed to me that Jesus is alive and working in the world. It was a risk worth taking and now I got my life back. My house was saved by an attorney friend in the church and I worked out things with my wife and we even have a new baby. You see John, Jesus is worth the risk. I had nothing to lose. You have nothing to lose. He paid all our debt for our sin on the cross and we just have to believe in Him to receive eternal life. We have nothing further to fear. Put Jesus first and everything else in life will fall into place. He loves you man, and if you take the risk and turn your life over to him you will never be sorry."
John listened intently. He wanted this Jesus for himself and his family. But what did he have to do besides take the risk? He was willing to take the risk but how did he begin?
So he asked George, "Where do I start? What do I do about my family? What if they are not receptive to Jesus?"
George replied, "Faith John, simple faith." George got out the Bible and shared John 3:16 with John, "For God so loved the world that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." George also shared many versus from the book of Romans that some people refer to as the Roman's road. John realized he needed to turn his life over to Christ and then share this faith with his family.
George asked John one last question. "John, are you ready to pray and receive Christ in your heart?"
John said, "Yes I believe I am."
George and John prayed and John received Christ in his heart. Afterwards, John felt overwhelmed with excitement. He wanted to scream from the mountain tops that he was free. He took the risk and now his heart was full and his soul was overflowing with love and compassion. He went home that night and asked his family if they wanted to be full of love and be freed from their sin. He witnessed to his wife and kids and they all decided to follow Jesus. They talked and agreed they should find a church to get involved with. Now John was totally living the American dream. He now had everything he could ever want or need. Jesus Christ fulfilled his yearning heart and soul. He was so glad he took the risk and spoke to George that morning. Even though physically he had all he needed, the risk turned out to be the greatest love of his life.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
It is designed to break your heart.
And now for some baseball talk. CNNSI has released part 4 in their 5 part list of the top 75 prospects in MLB. The Dodgers, who had James Loney listed at #37, had 3 prospects in this list: Scott Elbert (#20), Andy LaRoche (#18), and Clayton Kershaw (#16). Billingsley and Kemp probably would be in the top 15, if not for accumulated playing time, and I suspect that Joel Guzman, now with the Devil Rays, will be in the top 15 The Dodgers also had a fellow named Josh Bell as an honorable mention.
What does all this mean? Nothing new -- we knew the Dodgers had a great farm system. The question is, of course, can they use it? The Dodgers managed to hold on to their babies in the off-season (so far), but Colletti's shown no ability to make quality trades with these guys. As one Dodger fan wrote into the LA Times, Guzman may end up hitting 500 home runs for another team. Few big bats are out there -- we'll take Adam Dunn -- but I would also rather see Kemp and Loney occasionally stumbling in the outfield than the certain mediocrity that is Juan Pierre and Gonzo. I, and every Dodgers fan, can only hope that Gonzo is hitting .220 on May 20, and he and the team are smart enough to know that "veteran presence" does not equal run production. Juan Pierre, on the other hand, may be tougher to get rid of. Barring major injury, his disgusting 5-year deal will make it impossible to bench him, even if he does spend most of his time on the pine, having returned there quickly after grounding weakly to short because he is, after all, a speed guy. That's what it's there for. But if the Angels can release Kevin Appier and swallow all that money -- what was it? 15 million? -- then we can do it with this guy when Colletti comes to his senses in mid-2009.
Other thoughts:
- Does anyone else besides Peter Gammons realize that Grady Sizemore was one of the top 5 players in baseball last year? He led the AL in extra base hits by the way.
- I like the Adam LaRoche for Mike Gonzalez trade for both teams. LaRoche is going to a park that's great for lefties, and for Jason Bay, marooned in the purgatory of Pittsburgh, this is the best he could hope for. Atlanta fans were already a bit tired of LaRoche, who was a GIDP machine and sometimes (quite literally) forgot when he was in the field. Gonzalez plus Rafael Soriano, whom the Braves stole from the Mariners (who have no clue these days), make for a sickeningly good bullpen. But if the Braves' right side of the infield is Aybar, Scott Thorman, and Kelly Johnson, where's the offense? Schuerholz knows what he's doing, and I won't be surprised if at least one of these guys comes up with a .280/.365/.480 season, which is enough given what's expected. Chipper must stay healthy, and Andruw will be mashing, smiling up at Scott Boras (looking down from the Death Star) every time he crosses home plate.
- We love Chase Utley. He's a top 20 player and deserves the money.
- J.D. Drew and Barry Bonds still have not signed their contracts, and we're happy for both of them.


text:
Don't give licenses to undocumented residents
Permit someone, no matter their immigration status, to obtain a drivers license? Are you serious? If you are in "our country" illegally, you should not have the same rights and privileges a "legal" citizen has. If you want to live here, that is fine, but do it legally and stop complaining about what you can't do because you broke the law.
I find it insulting that lawmakers would even suggest that allowing illegal immigrants to obtain a drivers license would make our roads safer. They need to be arrested for driving illegally just like the rest of us. Is this just another way to generate a few more dollars, and get a few more votes? You insult our intelligence, gentlemen!
House votes to allow residents living illegally in state to apply for driver's licenses


text:
As a former media analyst for the commander of Allied Forces Southern Europe, I learned how to spot a trend in the media. Back in the day, as we old retired types would say,, my focus was on spotting statements by the Croats, Serbs and Islamic factions fighting each other in what is today termed as the Bosnian Conflict.
Every morning, at 3 a.m., I would report to work and read through a stack of articles. Today, thanks to the Kindle I got for Father's Day, I can read through an electronic stack of documents to find trends for my many clients.
Yet, the trend that stood out in the last couple of days has been the growing unemployment among military leaving the service. I've seen recent articles in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other publications concerning the need to help military folks ease the transition from the uniform to civilian life.
When the Berlin Wall came done at the end of the 80s, there was a draw down of troops needed in the military. I was stationed at Lowry AFB during that time, as their media and community chief. Working with the transition folk, we held a job fair and created a lot of outreach to the media. I have to credit my commanders. If I needed for them to get up at 5 a.m. and drive across town to meet with a radio station personality, they would glad do it. If the local Rotary Club needed a speaker, Col. Mike Wright, my vice commander, would have me drive him to speak on the need to help the transition process. I would flip the slides (Hey…. this was before Power Point) and answer all of the truly technical questions.
Colonel Wright understood most of the policies and nuances of the transition assistance program, but if there was something he couldn't answer, he would smile and tell them that I probably knew the answer. And, in the rare occaision that I didn't know the full response, I would capture the local Rotarian's business card and call him back with an answer.
Today, we're seeing peace in Iraq. A story in the USA Today noted that the military is no longer forcing extensions. For someone who has studied trends, it's apparent that there will be a lot of military folks looking for work.
Yet, what's missing is the link between the civilian world and the military world. I am sure that if a San Antonio business executive was looking for someone with management skills, he would probably overlook the military talent pool.
As Colonel Wright would often note, Lowry was the home of the munitions loading and repair school. There wasn't a big need for civilian bomb loaders, yet most of these guys had outstanding team building and inventory management skills.
Here's hoping that those of us who wore the uniform take a little time to help those about to depart the military with advice and help. As the folks at jobcannon.com, a client of mine, have noted, there's a need for anyone who is in job transition to find a job champion or two. To the folks at jobcannon, a job champion is someone who can help someone understand how to network through an organization or company to find someone who is willing to hire them.
However, most military guys truly don't get the concept of a job champion. As someone who served for 20 years, I spent most of my time focusing on the mission. With six months left, I kind of went into a semi-retired mode and began to build the process of what I do now. Yet, I was missing that job champion to serve as a mentor.
With the drawdown in Iraq, we are seeing a lot of military professionals that need a job champion. One of the great things about blogs and social media is that it allows people to contribute thoughts and ideas.
One that comes to mind is the work that one friend is doing as a mentor. My friend, Mike, is typically reticent about what he's doing with his mentee because he's the type of person who is truly driven by execution rather than talk. So, I am hoping that many of us who have transitioned from the military reach out to what my 21-year-old son would term as newbs.
It's been 13 years since I have worn a uniform, but I still struggle with the dress code for work. In the Air Force, I had about five, maybe six uniform combos. It was easy to go to work. Thanks to the help of some of my friends, I have learned how to dress professionally in the corporate world. However, it's still a challenge to find the right combo.
So, consider this blog as a call to action. I am hoping that my friends and followers will suggest some ideas through the Express-News or through other channels. With so many of us who have retired from military duty, I am sure there are some excellent ideas out there. It's time for us to help those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan make the transition to their next phase of their lives.


text:
Current squad + 2 ideal for Coleman
After a fairly turbulent pre-season in the transfer market, Chris Coleman feels his Coventry City squad is settling down and, with perhaps one or two more additions will be more than capable of a big improvement on last season's 17th place finish.
'I'd like to have a bigger squad, not much bigger but just a couple more bodies in an ideal world,' said the Sky Blues boss.
New signings Sammy Clingan, Martin Cranie and Jack Cork were all impressive against Sheffield United on Tuesday night while Michael McIndoe has shown glimpses of the talent that persuaded City to sign him.
Coleman added: 'I'm pleased with the players we've brought in, they've done well, settled well, but maybe one or two more faces would be ideal for us.'


text:
Neuronavigation based on intraoperative 3D-ultrasound during tumour resection
Auf intraoperativen 3D-Ultraschall basierende Neuronavigation während der Tumorresektion
Search Medline for
|May 4, 2005
Intraoperative imaging such as ultrasound is beneficial for intraoperative orientation, detection of brain shift and resection control. A combination of preoperative MRI with intraoperative 3D-ultrasound (3D-iUS) may enhance the convenience of neuronavigation by adding intraoperative information. The aim of our study was to evaluate fusion accuracy, the benefit of 3D US navigation for the extent of resection and the suitability of iUS for detection and capture of intraoperative brain shift.
A freehand 3D ultrasound navigation system consisting of a standard personal computer containing a video grabber card in combination with an optical tracking system (NDI Polaris) and a standard ultrasound device (Siemens Omnia) with a 5,0 MHz probe was used. 3D-iUS datasets were acquired after craniotomy, at different subsequent times of the procedure and overlayed with preoperative MRI. The study included 23 patients. The tumours contained a size from 1-7 cm and 95% were located supratentorally. In a standard protocol six surgeons removed eight metastasis, six glioblastomas, three anaplastic glioma, three meningeoma, one angioma, lymphoma and one cystic process. All patients underwent early postoperative MRI within 24 hours after surgery.
In all cases except one the acquisition of 3D-iUS and the fusion with preoperative MRI was successful. The expenditure of time was at least 5 minutes for one 3D-iUS dataset. All users accepted handling of the system but there was a learning curve. The quality of ultrasound images was superior in cases of metastasis, meningeoma and angioma to those in malignant glioma. Brain shifting ranged from 2 – 25 mm depending on localisation and kind of tumour. A resection control was possible in 78%. A good correlation between postoperative MRI and the last 3D-iUS dataset showed only 14/22 cases.
Accurate fusion of MR images and intraoperative acquired 3D-iUS was successful in all cases except one. Configuration of the 3D-iUS based on a standard ultrasound system and the MR-navigation system is time- and especially cost-effective. Tumour resection control was excellent in cases of metastasis, meningeoma and cystic glioma.


text:
Are servers the new media?
I know just a few years ago, the concept of scrapping hard media for a server seemed pathetic. Now, many have realized the benefit of having all your music, and now with HD prices falling, even movies stored digitally on a central unit for distribution around the home.
The new Apple Mac Book Air has even gone so far as to not include an optical drive. Some would say Jobs is insane, but if you recall he was also the first person not to include a floppy drive in his computers and now none of us use them anymore.
Will the CD, DVD, and for that matter even HD DVD and Blu-ray discs all be gone soon for downloadable media?
I think anyone who's got a music server will tell you they love it. The flexibility of playing anything without going through your vast collection of CD's (all mine are kept in huge CD books without the jewel cases to save space) makes listening to anything simple and for those of us with such systems, I think we find we listen to things we might not normally have.
I for one would be fine without having discs in my home. If I could download it and store it effectively and securely, I would, and will when that day comes. We are getting closer, but we're not quite there yet, hopefully soon!
Re: Are servers the new media?
DVD and CD changers have been around for a long time. You can easily set them to random play. If something happens to your changer, you don't loose all your media content. I like media servers too, just not the idea of we no longer need CD/DVD/BD/HD DVD etc. I really like the idea of actually owning a physical hard copy of the artistic content purchased - like almost everyone that reads books, magazines, and buys paintings or other 2D works of art, they like to have the physical copy or original piece of art.
Books on CD and downloadable books from the internet have been around for way over a decade, but you still see bookstores selling paper copies, and probably will for a long time to come.
There are even still, people that can't stop using vinyl records (probably on this forum) that have no intention of quitting any time soon.
So, I think getting people to move to only downloadable media will take a long, long time.
Re: Are servers the new media?
However Media Servers don't mean "downloaded content," but just a one box solution to hold your media. I have a HTPC that I recently modified to use the Control4 software (I'm probably breaking all kinds of rules with that) and it has 18TB of HD space (and growing). It holds my entire CD, DVD, BD, and HD DVD collection currently.
I still own all those discs. They aren't going anywhere. I'm getting more HDs to provide "backup," for my collection. So if the server does die, I just replace it. If one of the HDs holding content dies, I plug in the backup, and get a new HD to backup that unit.
Currently I'm just playing around with it all. I've found that I prefer to watch movies on DVD with the HTPC, but High Def content through a player. Music is "ok," but I'm getting an Arcam server so I'll put all the music on that. See if I can get an improvement in SQ.
Re: Are servers the new media?
"it has 18TB of HD space (and growing). It holds my entire CD, DVD, BD, and HD DVD collection currently."
Wow! You have a serious investment in hard drives. Sounds like you have a lot of time and money invested in your HTPC.
I looked into a HTPC a while back, and just decided that the way I would want to build it up would be very costly and timely for me, not to mention how it would try my patience to move over all my media to hard drives. I could barely sit through the monotony of converting CDs to MP3s. I think I only managed to to get through about 20 or more before I quit. So, I just decided to stick with the changers I already have.
I know Media Servers don't mean downloadable content, I was just also trying to answer Ken's question, "Will the CD, DVD, and for that matter even HD DVD and Blu-ray discs all be gone soon for downloadable media?" in my post as well.
Re: Are servers the new media?
Re: Are servers the new media?
Are you planning to set-up your new house to have the HTPC run both the media room and whole house?
I have whole house completely separated from the media room. I am still on the fence about that decision.
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text:
Sanglakas is an upcoming feature story on ABS-CBN's Mars Ravelo's Komiks Presents.
It is considered as the Filipino or Pinoy version of Justice League. It is topbilled by the previous and upcoming superhero/superheroine stars of ABS-CBN — Vhong Navarro (Lastikman), Jon Avila (Kapitan Boom), Mariel Rodriguez (Varga), John Prats (Tiny Tony), Shaina Magdayao (Dragona), and Luis Manzano (Flash Bomba) . It reportedly airs next year on ABS-CBN.


text:
Capcarrere, Mathieu S. and Tettamanzi, Andrea and Tomassini, Marco and Sipper, Moshe (1998) Studying Parallel Evolutionary Algorithms: The cellular Programming Case. In: Parallel Problem Solving from Nature V. (doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0056899) (Full text available)
Download (346kB)
|Official URL
Parallel evolutionary algorithms, studied to some extent over the past few years, have proven empirically worthwhile—though there seems to be lacking a better understanding of their workings. In this paper we concentrate on cellular (fine-grained) models, presenting a number of statistical measures, both at the genotypic and phenotypic levels. We demonstrate the application and utility of these measures on a specific example, that of the cellular programming evolutionary algorithm, when used to evolve solutions to a hard problem in the cellular-automata domain, known as synchronization.
|Item Type:
|Conference or workshop item (UNSPECIFIED)
|Q Science > QA Mathematics (inc Computing science) > QA 76 Software, computer programming,
|Faculties > Sciences > School of Computing > Applied and Interdisciplinary Informatics Group
|Depositing User:
|Mark Wheadon
|Date Deposited:
|25 Aug 2009 16:11 UTC
|Last Modified:
|12 Jun 2014 08:20 UTC
|Resource URI:
|https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/21608 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)
- Export to:
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text:
BrianE, thanks for the reminder of one of the great moments in TV comedy. When WKRP in Cincinnati was good, it was about as good as TV gets:
This series was one of my favorites. The first season, including this full episode is available at HULU.
I looked into purchasing the entire series on DVD, but discovered, while available, the original music rights were not purchased, so the DVD makers substituted the music.
I wanted the original, so I never purchased it. To get my fix, I watch an old episode on HULU once in a while.


text:
I love hot underwear and swimwear styles and I have an extremely large collection of both. I can honestly say that men's thong underwear and swimwear are my go to styles for daily use. I workout every day lifting weights and sometimes playing basketball. It's a thrill wearing thong underwear. I feel sexy and I know it looks hot in the locker room once I change to shower. I am bisexual and I can tell you from experience that men's thong underwear act like a man magnet. Walking around in a thong attracts way more attention than walking around nude. I love the feel of a thong up my ass and let's face it if it did not feel great millions of girls would not be wearing them. Men's thongs come in many shapes and sizes, different pouch cuts ranging from standard bulge shapes to male enhancement bulge pouches to the other end of the spectrum which is male to female transformation pouches. These styles repackage the penis and make it look like a vagina. Their is even a style that makes you look like you have a tiny little camel toe and it is available as underwear and swimwear. My favorite beach thong has a camel toe pouch. You can get high cut thongs, low cut fronts, string sides, semi and full sheer thong underwear and swimsuits along with male for4m designed thongs that have pouches the shape and size of your penis including extremely micro pouches up to ones that will handle a large penis. It's so much fun you might have trouble knowing where to start but that is where we come in. Let us guide you to the hottest underwear and swimwear fashions all made in the USA and shipped world wide. Let the games begin!
All about men's thong underwear and men's thong swimwear
Men's Thongs Underwear


text:
Polka Dot Design Digital
3.5 x 5
Looking for a tropical escape before your wedding day? Why not take a trip to the beach with the wedding party after the shower? Whether you want to go out to a seaside dinner, or just spend some time swimming and having cocktails of the beach: these Breezy Palm Enclosure Cards are just the thing you'll want to send out to guests with wedding shower invitations. It's important to spend some time relaxing before the big day, and this is just the way to do it. The card depicts two simple palm trees in the left corner of the card. Jazz up the wedding enclosure card with some creative and playful wording that you can custom make. Polka Dot Designs is great source to use for all your printing service needs. Start today by ordering there enclosure cards. It's a decision you'll make concerning your wedding that you won't live to regret.
Card Type:
Flat Card
Cards are printed on a four color digital press and feature your personalized text on 110lb premium cardstock with matte finish. Envelope not included.
Enclosure card


text: On Thu, May 23, 2002 at 05:15:15PM -0500, Phil Howard wrote: > What is the issue that makes booting Linux from a CDROM on Sparc > so complicated? I'm told by Jörg Schilling that mkisofs from > cdrtools can make a CD that boots Solaris just fine. He points > out that SILO "misbehaves", but as yet I don't know what that > mishaviour actually is. > > What will it take to make a CDROM that can boot Linux on Sparc > without modifying mkisofs? Or can someone show that this is > not the case? > > I want to get this long problem resolved once and for all, but > with so many people holding back on information, it has been so > far hard to do. Does anyone here have information that they are > willing to share on the matter? There is no holding back on information. You just need to read the SILO docs that explains it all. Basically, SILO uses cd.b as the "boot sector" in mkisofs, munging the solaris way of having a different slice for each arch (sun4c/sun4d/sun4e/sun4u/sun4d/etc) to all point to this one boot block. After that, it loads up the second.b, which in turn reads silo.conf, and continues the bootup. Now, for cd.b to read in and execute second.b from the cdrom, it needs to know which physical sector second.b starts on. Now, the way SILO has always done this is with some special options in mkhybrid/mkisofs so that cd.b gets "patched" up with the sector for second.b. That's all there is to it. We could use the "..." method, if only there was a way to patch up cd.b afterwards. This is exactly how things work on a regular disk for SILO (the sector patching). This could all be made into a seperate tool from mkisofs, which would work like: ### Setup the iso image # mkdir sparc-iso/boot sparc-iso/etc # cp /boot/vmlinux /boot/second.b sparc-iso/boot # cp silo-initrd.conf sparc-iso/etc/silo.conf # cp initrd-image sparc-iso/boot ### Create the ISO using normal sparc boot options # mkisofs -G /boot/cd.b -B ... -o sparc-bootable.iso sparc-iso/ ### Make the image bootable # silo-mkcdboot --second /boot/second.b --config /etc/silo.conf sparc-bootable.iso The second tool has yet to be developed. I have in fact already begun checking out how to do this and including it with SILO. It would alleviate all the needed things in mkisofs. You are more than welcome to complete it if you want. -- Debian - http://www.debian.org/ Linux 1394 - http://linux1394.sourceforge.net/ Subversion - http://subversion.tigris.org/ Deqo - http://www.deqo.com/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to firstname.lastname@example.com with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact email@example.com


text: This is the Postfix program at host acadiau.ca. I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below. For further assistance, please send mail to <postmaster> If you do so, please include this problem report. You can delete your own text from the attached returned message. The Postfix program <mateo.yorke at relay.acadiau.ca>: host relay.acadiau.ca[188.8.131.52] said: 550 5.1.1 User unknown (in reply to RCPT TO command) -------------- next part -------------- Skipped content of type message/delivery-status-------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Mobster T. Superman" <bioforum at net.bio.net> Subject: Read:_Cheape software - all you can imagine Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 07:06:36 -0500 Size: 3053 Url: http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/bionet/mm/bioforum/attachments/20040911/e718a9d0/attachment.txt


text: he Hump Bar brawl leaves the establishment off limits for troops for about a year. Trevor fears the financial consequences mean a they should postpone a baby, ignoring Roxy just got pregnant, but is ecstatic when she tells. Michael Hlden is sworn is as just-promoted major-general by general Ludwig, whose wife is none other then general Baker's obnoxious widow Lenore 'Lenny'. Pamela fails to understand that Chase needs to be loyal to his mates rather then stick to futile family activities, as if she had to raise the kids 'all alone'. Jeremy's depression reaches a tragic climax.Resumen IMDb.com


text:
|Soap . Drama
It is Jonny's first day as the clinical nursing manager on Darwin. However, he is struggling to juggle all of his new duties. With Jac breathing down his neck, he is forced to assert his authority and use his new skills to help save the life of a vulnerable patient. Zosia, still reeling after the disastrous consequences of last week's surgery, has a new-found bond with her father. When Catherine O'Malley, a top transplant surgeon, arrives and Guy suggests Zosia assist her, Zosia can't help but feel Guy has an ulterior motive. It looks like Harry has gotten away with his reckless actions from last week. Rather than own up to his mistakes, Harry is busy making last minute holiday plans. However, Raf has other ideas for him.
|Episode Title:
|Anything You Can Do
|2014-02-25 at 08:00 pm


text:
Re: HALL & KELSHAW, 1870, Hamilton, WhitePin
In reply to:
Re: HALL & KELSHAW, 1870, Hamilton, WhitePin
Dear Jennifer,
I logged on to this and noticed that we had the same name, my maiden name is Kelshaw.
My family is from Manchester in the UK, but my Grandfather was from the south of England. My Grandfather's name is Alfred and he is 104 and still alive.
My Grandmother was French and they had 10 children, and apart from one, who is the Bishop of Mexico for the Church of England, they all live in and around the north of England. It is such an uncommon name that I am sure we must be related somewhere along the way.
Hope this helps.
Feel free to get back to me.
Kind Regards


text:
Villa with 2 hectares of garden for sale in SpoletoUmbria - 7 km from Spoleto | Villa Daisy Ref. code XZ88
Villa with garden and 200 sq.m of space to be used for accommodation
Details and accessories
- Surface: 300 mq
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 4
- Land: 1.9 ha
- Conditions: excellent
- Energy efficiency rating:
- EPi: 342.2
- Feasability to build a swimming pool
- Fireplace
- Garden with lawn
Contact us
for information and visits
+39 0743 220122
Km 0.1
Nearest town
Km 5
Km 50
Km 129
Km 47
- Photo album
- Blueprints
- Watch the video
Brief description
Villa with surface area of around 300 sq.m, with large garden of around 2 hectares and with space to be used as accommodation, of around 200 sq.m. Opportunity to build a pool.
Geographic position
Villa Daisy is for sale just 7 km away from Spoleto, on the outskirts of a small village in the heart of the Spoleto valley.
The property comprises the villa, with surface area of 300 sq.m, an old granary which requires restoration and a little storehouse, surrounded by a large garden of around 2 hectares.
The location is flat and unisolated, with a view of the Martani mountains and Mount Pettino over the perfectly manicured garden hedges.
From here, Trevi (12 km) and Foligno (22 km) are around a quarter of an hour away by car, Todi (39 km) and Perugia (57 km) are 45 minutes away while Rome (134 km) can be reached in an hour and 45 minutes.
The nearest airport is Perugia (50 km), half an hour's drive away. Rome Fiumicino (166 km) and Ciampino (151 km) can be reached in under 2 hours.
Description of buildings
The villa
The villa has a surface area of around 300 sq.m, on two floors, plus a little storeroom on the basement level.
Access to the residence is via a large entrance/studio with fireplace, from which it is possible to go up to the top floor or go into the living area, where there is a large sitting room, dining room with fireplace, kitchenette, home cinema and bathroom.
The staircase up to the top floor leads to another sitting room, with a gallery overlooking the floor below, and a dramatic crystal chandelier which is one of the original features. On this floor, there is the sleeping area, comprising master bedroom with en-suite bathroom with tub and sauna, another bedroom with en-suite and two other bedrooms with a bathroom.
The old granary
Situated in front of the villa and requiring complete restoration, with the opportunity to get back the space in the same location, adding up to around 200 sq.m above ground, for use as accommodation.
The little storehouse
Also in front of the villa, comprising a small building with storage compartment and a small porch.
State and finishing
The villa, having been restored some years ago, is in good condition.
Plastered on the outside, the interior is in the traditional style with exposed beams on the ceilings in the living area, wood-beam and tiled ceilings in the entrance area and in the first floor sitting room and with wood floors in the sleeping area.
External areas
The large garden, of around two hectares, is one of the key selling points of this property: completely flat and surrounded by high hedges, it is perfectly landscaped, and has space to build a pool (after having obtained planning permission.)
Use and potential uses
Villa Daisy, which is situated in a central location in relation to the key historic centres of Umbria and less than two hours away from Rome and its airports, would be perfect for those looking for a second home in which to spend long holidays in contact with nature or for day trips to the villages and historic centres of Central Italy.
With Spoleto, Foligno and Perugia nearby, it would also be perfect for those who wish to move out of the city, without being too isolated.
Distances and location
- Nearest village 0.1 Km
- Spoleto 7 Km
- Trevi 12 Km
- Foligno 22 Km
- Todi 39 Km
- Perugia 57 Km
- Rome 134 Km
- Florence 200 Km
- Adriatic Sea 129 Km
- Tyrrhenian Sea 146 Km
- Lake Piediluco 47 Km
- Lake Trasimeno 78 Km
- Perugia S.Egidio Airport 50 Km
- Rome Ciampino Airport 151 Km
- Roma Fiumicino Airport 166 Km
- Dual carriageway 5 Km
Umbria - Italy
Neighboring regions: Toscany, Lazio, Marche
Main centers: Perugia, Assisi, Spoleto, Todi, Orvieto, Gubbio, Spello
Characteristics: is the sister of Tuscany region, green and hilly territory with olive groves and vineyards, rich in art cities and quaint towns.
Placed in Central Italy between Rome and Florence, Umbria is a region rich in history and culture, from the hilly landscape with olive groves and vineyards, and dotted with historic villages and artistic cities such as Perugia (important international University Centre), Spoleto, Orvieto, Todi, Assisi, Spello and others.
15 minutes from Perugia is located Lake Trasimeno, the largest Italian lake after that of Como.
The climate is mild with temperatures in winter rarely fall below zero degrees and summer temperatures around 25 degrees.
The region is the scene of major cultural events throughout the year (such as the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto and Umbria Jazz) and many other folk events which, especially in summer, enliven small and large centers of the entire territory.
Property offer: Umbria, with its Green and hilly territory is particularly required for purchasing original characteristic stone farmhouses, very similar to those of Tuscany, in the countryside around the major cities of art such as Todi, Spoleto, Orvieto, Perugia, Assisi or in the popular area of Valley of Niccone or of Trasimeno. These are often finely renovated farmhouses with park and pool, which are well suited to use for vacation but also for investment with the ability to put them in the lease through touristicrental. Umbria has a strategic position being located half an hour from Rome and two hours from Florence. The region, rich in history, offers you the chance to buy real estate like castles, vintage villas, villages and monasteries. Very popular are also the apartments within historical centers or small rural managed complexes, rich in original farmhouses of stone structure, particularly are requested those places in the countryside around the town of Todi, Spoleto, Assisi, Perugia and Orvieto, but also in the areas and Niccone Valley and Lake Trasimeno. Frequently also the historic buildings, ancient villas, castles and apartments in historic towns such as Perugia, Orvieto, Spoleto, Assisi, Spello, Trevi, or in small villages renovated and preserved.
*The location of the property on the map is approximate


text:
In a slightly distracted post, I talk with Thomas Jones, Devang Panchigar, Nigel Poulton and Lee Johns, Director of Converged Storage at HP about the new Converged Storage Strategy and Store 360, the framework bringing all of the recent storage acquisitions to the same platform.
The podcast was recorded in "I Love Burgers" in the Venetian/Palazzo complex and back at the Bloggers' Lounge, so sound quality is a little variable.
Disclaimer: As a blogger/attendee, HP paid for my flights, hotel and most meals. I have not been compensated for my time and am not obliged to blog on the event. All the opinions are my personal views.


text:
Review by fliphammond
May, 08 2010
Pros: Have always loved to go to Callaway-beauty-golf-fun
Cons: Its ashame that people (CFO--Barry Morgan)---in a position to make service, of a product better--choke
Review by yuccapatrol
April, 16 2007
Pros: The gardens are truly amazing. Don't miss the butterflies. Bring your bikes!
Cons: Accommodations are in desperate need of renovation and too expensive for the mediocre quality offered.
Review by bbeisel
April, 11 2007
Pros: Beautiful gardens. Comfy cottages. Nice bike trails
Cons: Unacceptable dinner waits at ALL Callway restaurants. Many seasonal attractions closed.
Review by athenaa
March, 27 2007
Pros: The bed we slept in was heavenly....as was the bath and shower.
Cons: Get some help to work your restaurants....and serve good food!
Review by tvc2000
September, 06 2005
Pros: The butterflies were nice to see
Cons: Service, Rude people, Parking, Over priced,
Review by julian2ben
August, 16 2004
Pros: gorgeous setting, well maintained facilities, nice staff, great food, fabulous value.
Cons: Not great for teens
Review by mccorma
October, 14 2003
Pros: Proximity to Atlanta, bird show, butterfly center. Good golf/decent prices if visiting on package.
Cons: Rooms need renovations, too spread out. Activities may not be enough for families.
Review by ga_traveler
September, 02 2003
Pros: Beautiful grounds, clean cabins, good food
Cons: dishonest management, uncoordinated special events, cheaply done & amateur activities
Review by DREAH
February, 23 2003
Pros: clean, beautiful and relazing
Cons: wet logs caused fire-starting frustration, sheduled nature show not started 20 minutes late
Review by kwfrancis
December, 04 2002
Pros: Good food, beautiful gardens, great country Christmas atmosphere, ab fab light show, nice accommodations
Cons: None.


text:
The 34-year-old scored twice at Villa Park on Saturday to give the Blues a 2-1 win and effectively seal a place in this season's Champions League, as well as overtaking Bobby Tambling's 43-year-old club record tally.
And Lampard has dedicated his match-winning performance to his mother, who died of pneumonia in 2008, describing her as his "biggest supporter".
"I've been here a long time. I lost my mum a few years ago and she was my biggest supporter so it was for her," Lampard told Sky Sports.
|Frank Lampard is 4/1 with Bet Victor to score as Chelsea win the Europa League final
Lampar admitted it felt "amazing" to finally break Tambling's record, but suggested he could not have achieved the feat were it not for the support he received from supporters and team-mates alike.
"It's amazing [to break the record]," Lampard continued. "I'm thankful to every one of my team-mates because they're the ones that put it on a plate for me sometimes and the fans - they've all been willing me to do it for a long time and probably getting frustrated alongside me not getting there.
"I'm just delighted and the way the fans were at the end there means everything to me. Bobby Tambling is a great man and I was pleased to level but I didn't want to over-cook that celebration. But to then go and break it I was delighted and I'm just very pleased today."
Chelsea's win leaves them six points clear of Tottenham with a vastly superior goal difference and Lampard is now looking ahead to Wednesday's Europa League final against Benfica and the Blues' final-day clash with Everton.
"It's huge for the team. With the Europa League final coming up we wanted to put it to bed today," he added. "It was a very tough game, we knew that, but [we showed] great character after we went down to 10 men to keep going in the game and get a result.
"It's a massive game on Wednesday, we need to rest and be ready for that. It will be a very, very tough game and at Chelsea we're all about winning titles.
"We've done it for a long time here now and it looks like we've got Champions League now. We want to try and get third place so there are two big games to try and win."


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The Architectural Association Visiting School in Athens is part of the AI research agenda, investigating design possibilities of architectural modelling via scripting and digital fabricating techniques at large scale models.
AA Athens | Istanbul Visiting School (AI) defines architecture as "an art of super-positioning ideas, architectural principles which are being performed repeatedly". Its' foundations lie on combining theory and practice and shared knowledge, with the goal of going beyond individuality and address today's challenges via dialogue.
On its' third cycle, AA Athens Visiting School evolved and took upon the task to create a one-to-one scale architectural prototype which demonstrates connectivity, adjustability and interaction. After being Recharged in 2013, Cipher City got equipped to challenge once more the motionless, static built environment by implementing innovative design Revolutions.
Revolutions in design that can transform the inactive built space into an active environment, revolutions which generate atmospheric ambience through forms that are characterized by motion and real-time reaction to external stimuli. Revolving around interconnectivity on various levels, the program involved separate teams experimenting on different proposals for a kinetic/interactive pathway. After a series of design ideas, the AA Athens VS 2014 concluded with an interactive installation, named Kinetic Haze, which is expressive of a method that involves innovation and combinatory thinking.
This interactive prototype redefines the concept of the architectural pathway. Standing tall at 2.5 meters, 1.2 meters wide and 4.5 meters long, the structure includes a system that has the ability to detect movements. Made of fixed wooden frames and elastic strings that rotate and stretch, the prototype is wired with sensors and actuators. At first, the path appears to be obstructed by the net of strings that run from one side of the structure to the other. The patterning of the woven elastic cords is designed strategically in order to affect the visual perception of a person crossing through the model. Two different sets of panels comprise the final piece; interactive panels and pattern panels. While a person approaches the pathway, the system gets activated by the user's presence. This acts as the external stimulus that sets the model in different states according to the movement of people. The life-like large-scale prototype bears the behaviour signature of that of primal organism. A complex sort of behaviour which arises out of a multiplicity of relatively simple rules; when there is only a single user the prototype is put in a hostile state, with its flexible muscle-type strings vibrating nervously, blocking the entrance.
When a second user appears, the system is reset into a friendly mode allowing for the users to enter its space. The connections rotate and lift gently the elastic cords in order for the two users to walk in and meet. Time and light are also essential in the generation of the desired effects; the system designed to augment the user's experience of its space. It is by time that the central brain of the structure activates a vivid flickering of lights, thus communicating with its' users the need to move out. Kinetic Haze acts as an experimental architectural piece that promotes communication of the humans with the structure as well as communication of humans with other humans through the structure. It is the result of the collective work done in less than 5 days by the participants of AA Athens VS 2014. All teams presented their respective design proposals, the basic principles of which were applied in the design and make of the Kinetic Haze.
Wednesday 03 – Friday 12 June 2015
In 2015, the AA Athens Visiting School initiates its' agenda, in collaboration with AKTO, to challenge the phenomenon of perceptual constancy through the design of architectural prototypical families. In line with the basic principles of the Gestalt principles, a diversity of shapes and sizes models will be designed through means of digital computation. Various morphologies will be derived through a bottom-up approach via various coding techniques. To bridge the gap between the digital and physical aspect of the design iterations, AA Athens makes use of digital fabricating machines to produce its' architectural prototypes and adds mechanics to amplify their communicative characteristics. A complete 1:1 scale structure will be constructed, enabling interaction via sight, hearing and touch as a result of a series of initial testing models. These proposals will be formulated through the combination of different design software.
The programme is organized in a two-stage process:
Stage 1: Participants gain an understanding of formation processes in nature, coupled with core concepts related to design complexity. During this stage, basic and advanced tutorials on generative design algorithms and analysis tools will be provided. Building on its core methodology from its previous versions, AA Athens VS will perform as a team-based programme promoting collaboration and research. Participants will be introduced to advanced fabrication techniques.
Stage 2: Participants propose design interventions based on the skills and knowledge gained during the first stage. Study models of various scales will be produced, leading to the fabrication and assembly of a full scale working prototype which unifies the design goals of the programme.
The design agenda of AA Athens is linked to the AA Istanbul Visiting School, thus directly creating feedback on one another, allowing participation in either one or both Programmes.
Prominent Features of the workshop/ skills developed:
- Participants become part of an active learning environment where the large tutor to student ratio (4:1) allows for personalized tutorials and debates.
- The toolset of AA Athens includes but is not limited to Rhinoceros, Processing, and Grasshopper, as well as analysis software.
- Participants gain access to digital fabrication tools such as 3-axis CNC router, laser-cutter, and 3d-printer.
- Design seminars and lecture series support the key objectives of the programme, disseminating fundamental design techniques and relevant critical thinking methodologies.
The workshop is open to architecture and design students and professionals worldwide.
Participants receive the AA Visiting School Certificate with the completion of the Programme.
The AA Visiting School requires a fee of £600 per participant, which includes a £60 Visiting Membership fee. Discount options for groups or for those wishing to apply for both AA Athens and AA Istanbul Visiting Schools are available. Please contact the AA Visiting School Coordinator for more details. Alternatively, you can find more information on discounts from the link below:
The deadline for applications is 27 May 2015. No portfolio or CV, only requirement is the online application form and fees. The online application can be reached from:
Contact details
Alexandros Kallegias (AA Athens Visiting School Programme Director):
AA Visiting School Coordinator:
Email: [email protected]


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At the back of the wall was a corn-yard with its granary and barns -- the place wherein she had met Farfrae many months earlier.
Nevertheless the lady looked in at the corn-yard gates as she passed them, and paused on one foot for a moment.
The next morning he went to the corn-yard as usual, and about eleven o'clock Donald entered through the green door, with no trace of the worshipful about him.
She was in the barn when the sound of the auctioneer's voice in the corn-yard made her look over the half-door and listen.
When I got round the edge of the stone wall, which on another side bounded the corn-yard, there was the moon -- crescent, as I saw her in my dream, but low down towards the horizon, and lying almost upon her rounded back.
I stepped out into the night with the grass of the corn-yard under my feet, the awful vault of heaven over my head, and those shadowy ricks around me.
There was no one in the corn-yard now, and he wandered about among the ricks looking, with little hope, for something to eat.
The sheep which had been in the mown clover-field that sloped to the burn, were now all in the corn-yard, and the water was there with them.
He heard a horse stamp in the stable, and saw a cat dart across the corn-yard as he went through.
She saw the wet ricks in the corn-yard, and the little pools left in the footmarks of the beasts about the door.


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Rajiv Bajaj: Launching scooters would be a distracting strategy, focus firmly on motorcycles
The rumor of Bajaj Auto making a comeback into the Indian scooter market through a brand new automatic scooter launch in the middle of 2013 is less than a couple of weeks old. Even before the rumor has begun to sink in, Bajaj supremo Rajiv Bajaj has come along and in his characteristic style has poked holes in the theory of the motorcycle giant getting into the high growth automatic scooter segment. Mr Bajaj asserts that Bajaj Auto's worldwide marketshare in the motorcycle segment is about 10% and there continues to be a massive potential for further growth. He goes on to add that in such circumstances, re-entering the scooter segment would be a more of distracting strategy rather than a de-risking strategy.
With that, all the talk of Bajaj Auto making a comeback into the automatic scooter segment might turn out to be a bunch of hot air. Bajaj Auto has been an outlier of sorts, choosing to focus on the motorcycle market when every other player in the Indian two wheeler market is jumping on to the automatic scooter bandwagon to take advantage of the big growth that this segment offers. For instance, Honda, being a market leader with the Activa, Aviator and the Dio automatic scooters, plans to launch more scooters in the future. So do Piaggio and Yamaha, both of whom entered the automatic scooter segment in India last year. TVS Motors has a couple of scooter launches lined up for this year.
Market leader in the two wheeler sector, Hero MotoCorp, has two scooters on sale currently and so does Suzuki. In light of these facts, Bajaj Auto is the only big volume two wheeler major to not have an automatic scooter in its portfolio and this is something that could continue in the coming years as well as Mr Rajiv Bajaj has reiterated his company's focus on motorcycles. Bajaj Auto has been a leader in terms of launching tech packed motorcycles in India. The latest launch from Bajaj Auto in the 100cc commuter motorcycle space, the Discover 100T, is the most tech packed motorcycle in the 100cc space with a 4 valve engine head and a five speed gearbox.
The coming months will see a slew of high performance products launched by Bajaj Auto. The 2013 KTM Duke 390, the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300R and the Bajaj Pulsar 375 are three motorcycles that Indian motorcycle enthusiasts are waiting for with bated breath. All three motorcycles will be the most technologically advanced products that Bajaj Auto has ever sold in India, further underscoring the motorcycle giant's commitment to give Indian motorcyclists a taste of high performance products at affordable prices.
Source TheEconomicTimes


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SEC Predictions For Nov. 14: Tennessee Not Focused, Miss. State Upset?November 13, 2009
Despite the news out of Knoxville and waiting until the facts are clear, I am pressing on with some predictions for the SEC this weekend. Five conference games, including a big one in Athens, highlight the schedule this weekend.
Even with the two division races sewed up, some teams are still looking to qualify for bowl games.
Last week I was 10-0 SU and 5-4-1 ATS overall and 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in the SEC.
Tennessee Volunteers at Ole Miss Rebels
Line: Ole Miss -4.5
I am sure Lane Kiffin loved being awakened from his sleep next to his beautiful wife to hear three of his players had been arrested last night. I am also going to guess that the focus of the Volunteer football team and coaching staff is now not 100 percent focused on Ole Miss like it should be.
But even before all that, I liked Ole Miss in this game because of how they have played at home and how UT has played on the road this season. Ole Miss is having a disappointing year, but it is not a bad year by Ole Miss standards and the Rebels should not be slighted for underachieving when looking at the spread.
Ole Miss Wins
Ole Miss Covers -4.5
Kentucky Wildcats at Vanderbilt Commodores
Line: Kentucky -3
Last year Vandy came into Lexington and beat Kentucky on their way to their first bowl game since the early 80s. Now it is payback time for Kentucky who will ride their underrated defense into Nashville.
Also, I like what UK is doing on offense now and wonder why they have not done it all year? But now they may switch back to Mike Hartline at QB this week if he is healthy.
Anyways, I like the Wildcats to take down a despondent Vanderbilt team.
Kentucky Wins
Kentucky Covers -3
Florida Gators at South Carolina Gamecocks
Line: Florida -16
Brandon Spikes is sending the three Tennessee Vol players chocolates for taking him off the news. A simple eye gouging looks pretty tame right now in the SEC.
The end of the season is getting near and that must mean South Carolina is starting to play worse. The defense is banged up and not playing at the same level that got South Carolina fortune and glory in September.
Meanwhile, the Gators' defense has been lights out on the road this year giving up under 200 yards per game and 10 points. I think Florida wins and covers here after sleepwalking through the Vandy game.
Florida Wins
Florida Covers -16
La. Tech Bulldogs at LSU Tigers
Line: LSU -24
La. Tech has been close in three straight games, but fallen short in all three most notably against Boise State last Friday. LSU is coming off a tough loss at Alabama last week.
The Tigers will win this one easily, but I do not think they cover. LSU will have a tough time getting up for La Tech who is sandwiched between arguably their two biggest rivals, Alabama and Ole Miss.
LSU Wins
La Tech Covers +24
Alabama Crimson Tide at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Line: Alabama -12
You have to like Dan Mullen's confidence by coming out and saying his Bulldogs will beat Alabama on Saturday night. I am sure Nick Saban took that comment at face value.
Davis Wade Stadium will be rocking like it was for Florida, but I don't know if they can count on two interception returns for touchdowns as Alabama might not pass the ball that many times. Miss State's defense is giving up 219 rush yards per game on the season.
I think the Tide run the ball down their throats, control the clock, and get out of Starkville with a win.
Alabama Wins
Alabama Covers -12


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MMA: Around The Cage Vol.1: Dana White's Text, Silva/GSP, Cain No. 1?February 11, 2011
Around The Cage will be my new (semi) weekly rundown of what's going on in the world of MMA. All of the key stories, news bits, and random offbeat shenanigans, condensed for your pleasure in one convenient location.
Dana White's "accidental" text, Overeem claims Cain is No. 1, Andrei Arlovski throws down the weakest challenge ever, yet another Japanese import fails to live up to expectations, Anderson Silva vs. GSP, and much more.
Let's go Around The Cage, 2/10/11:
Dana White's "Accidental" Text
In a story quietly making its way around the internet, Dana White "accidentally" sent a text message to Yahoo Sports MMA columnist Kevin Iole, claiming UFC 126 was trending towards one million buys. White claims the text was meant for Lorenzo Fertitta. Oddly, the text was sent the day of the show, which is obviously way too early for any credible buy estimate to emerge. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (who also covers MMA for Yahoo Sports), who is notorious for accurate PPV estimates, placed his first estimate at 700,000, while an independent cable industry estimate settled at 750,000.
Which begs the question. Is Dana White trying to plant exaggerated PPV figures to the media? Iole has been under fire in the past from critics for being pro-Zuffa, so Dana "accidentally" feeding him false PPV numbers isn't going to help him kick that reputation, whether the text was accidental or not.
According to Meltzer, UFC 126 has been difficult to track, due to the show having wide variations from previous trends. Let's play along and assume the text really was meant for Fertitta. Where is White getting his figures from? Especially on the same day as the show? Something doesn't add up.
Andrei Arlovski Throws Down The Gauntlet. Kind Of.
At the 2/8 Strikeforce Grand Prix meet and greet in New York City, Arlovski was telling anyone who would listen how much he would like to face...Tim Sylvia?
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Arlovski said that facing Sylvia again was "one of his dreams".
Arlovski, who hasn't won a fight since the Bush administration (a KO win over Roy Nelson on an EliteXC show in November 2008), has lost three straight fights heading into his first round Grand Prix matchup with Sergei Kharitonov this Saturday night in New Jersey.
Maybe a fight with Big Tim (who gave all new meaning to the nickname, weighing in at well over 300 pounds for his 0:32 KO loss to Abe Wagner on January 28), is exactly what the struggling Arvolski needs. Sylvia has three recent sub one minute knockout losses on his resume (the culprits being Fedor Emilianenko, out of shape boxer Ray Mercer, and Wagner), and Arlovski has worked hard on his boxing the last few years.
But even if the fight happens, does the world really need Arlovski/Sylvia IV? Both guys would have trouble beating a carpet with a broom these days, so maybe it's a fight both men need.
Alistair Overeem Says Cain Velasquez Is No. 1
Overeem drove the anti-UFC crowd crazy with the following statement earlier this week, as reported by MMAfighting.com:
"Cain Velasquez is No. 1 now because I haven't competed against the names. So there is that argument, that I haven't fought the caliber opponents I should—I wanted to, but either they wouldn't fight me, or the schedule didn't work out. But that's what this tournament is about."
At least Overeem is honest about the caliber of opponents he has faced, but one has to wonder why he chose to say Velasquez was No. 1, as opposed to Fabricio Werdum, the man who beat the previous consensus No. 1, Fedor Emelianenko, and the man who he will face in the Strikeforce Grand Prix.
Werdum is also the lineal world champion which you can read about right here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/593826-the-lineal-mma-world-heavyweight-title-runs-through-the-strikeforce-grand-prix
Credit Overeem for his humility and honesty, but he clearly needs to learn how to promote his own fights.
Kid Yamamoto Stinks Up The Cage
If there is one upside to the latest Japanese fighter to bomb in his U.S. debut, it's that hardly anyone saw the fight because it aired on Facebook. Facebook?
Kid has now lost three out of four fights, including a shocking decision to Joe Warren (in the fight that helped make Warren a star), and a lackluster decision to Masanori Kanehara. Losing to a quality fighter like Demetrious Johnson isn't the issue. The issue is this is now Kid's third consecutive lackluster performance in a decision loss. Dana White has wanted to sign Kid for years, but it looks like he got him a few years too late. Yamamoto is washed up.
Are We One Fight Away From Silva vs. GSP?
If Georges St Pierre can get by his next fight with Jake Shields, it is likely that MMA fans will get to see a fight between the two men generally regarded as the two best pound for pound fighters in the world.
Dana White has mentioned Toronto (Rogers Center) and Dallas (Cowboys Stadium) as potential sites, which would presumably happen at 185 pounds. GSP has repeatedly said that if he moves up and takes the fight (which for many years he privately claimed he wasn't interested in due to the enormous size difference between the two men), he will stay at 185 indefinitely because he does not want to yo-yo between weights. This would obviously mean that the UFC welterweight title would be vacated.
This fight is a bad idea for GSP, an undersized welterweight who would be facing a man who could easily compete as a small heavyweight (Silva cuts significantly to get to 185, and is roughly the same size as guys like Fedor and Randy Couture). But after cleaning out the 170 pound division (assuming he beats Shields, which I believe he will), what's really left to do? Moving up in weight is probably the best challenge he would have left.
If the fight happens, it will likely be the biggest fight in the history of the sport, both from a business perspective, and from the perspective of being able to see the two best fighters on the planet in the same cage.
Coming & Going
In another bad sign for Japanese MMA, as Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago was released from his contract. Based on Twitter comments, it appears Strikeforce is the frontrunner to land him, although UFC & Bellator are both said to be interested.
Bellator has signed former IFL & Strikeforce star Jay Hieron, and former TUF veteran and UFC fighter Ben Saunders.
Bellator has also inked former WEC lightweight champ "Razor" Rob McCullough, who will compete in their upcoming lightweight tournament.
Strikeforce has signed Jason High, a training partner of King Mo who is 13-3 and has won four straight, including a decision win over Hayato Sakurai, and an impressive win in under one minute over veteran Rudy Bears on a Titan Fighting Championships show.


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Rating: 5 out of 5 by 103 visitors
It was a crazy night for Bill. He drank a bit too much and when he wakes up on the other day, he finds a busty prostitute in his bed. He think it would be stupid to send her away without taking advantage of her services. So he pops his big dick out and fucks the sexy whore once again.


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Home » AK » Eagle River AK » Staffing
MRI Technician Jobs Eagle River AK
This page provides relevant content and local businesses that can help with your search for information on MRI Technician Jobs. You will find informative articles about MRI Technician Jobs, including "MRI Technician". Below you will also find local businesses that may provide the products or services you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Eagle River, AK that can help answer your questions about MRI Technician Jobs.
Eagle River Job Center(907) 696-6832
11723 Old Glenn Hwy., B-4
Eagle River, AK
Eagle River, AK
A C C F T Local 2404(907) 562-2660
3211 Providence Dr
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage Job Center Midtown(907) 269-4759
3301 Eagle Street, Suite 101
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage, AK
Kodiak Job Center(907) 486-3105
309 Center Street
Kodiak, AK
Kodiak, AK
Laborers Union Local 942(907) 456-4584
2740 Davis Rd
Fairbanks, AK
Fairbanks, AK
Anchorage Job Center Muldoon(907) 269-0000
1251 Muldoon Rd., Suite 114
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage Gambell Job Center(907) 269-6414
400 Gambell Street
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage, AK
Mat-Su Job Center(907) 352-2500
877 W. Commercial Drive
Wasilla, AK
Wasilla, AK
Sitka Job Center(907) 747-3423
304 Lake Street., Room 101
Sitka, AK
Sitka, AK
A C C F T Local 2404(907) 562-2660
3211 Providence Dr
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage, AK
MRI Technician
How to become an MRI Technician
If you are interested in becoming an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technician (also sometime called an MRI technologist or simply an MRI tech), a good way to start is by focusing on math and science in school. Specific classes to take include anatomy, microbiology, physics, and chemistry. It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with basic medical terminology.
Once you have completed high school (which is a must) two year associates degree programs in Radiologic Technology are readily available at local vocational schools and community colleges. Please note; ensure that any program you complete is from a school that is properly accredited. A list of accredited programs can be obtained from The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) which can be found here: http://www.jrcert.org/.
After obtaining your degree, obtaining a one year MRI Technology certificate is recommended as well. This will provide you with additional technical expertise and allow you to focus specifically on MRI technology.
What does an MRI Technician do?
MRI technicians, use a magnetic resonance imaging (an MRI machine) to get an internal look at both hard and soft tissues within a human body. The machine makes use of giant magnets and radio waves (as opposed to x-ray machines that use radiation) to generate internal images of these tissues. Part of an MRI technician's job is to ensure the patient is properly positioned for the images to be taken.
It is also an MRI technician's job to ensure the images are taken correctly to interpret the images and write a report for the doctor that requested the test. Additionally, the MRI technician is responsible for ensuring the machinery is working properly by performing maintenance tests.
What skills or qualities do I need to become an MRI Technician?
As mentioned previously, a high school diploma or equivalent is a must and a minimum of a two year college degree is usually required by most employers. There are other educational programs available as well that range from one year certificates to bachelor's and graduate degrees.
It is helpful for MRI technicians to be caring and compassionate people. Often they are working with patients who may be frightened or nervous. Sometimes the MRI machine itself can be a source of stress to the patient as there tight quarters can sometimes cause people to become claustrophobic. Because of these factors, it is very helpful for MRI technicians to be patient (no pun intended) and exhibit strong interpersonal skills.
How much does an MRI Technician make?
The median annual salary for an MRI technician is $60,471 while the middle 50% makes between $55,912 and $64,900. An MRI technician's salary can vary depending on different factors such as years experience in the job, the type and size of the employer, and the geographic area where the MRI technician works.
In addition to their base salary, most...


text: US: Russia seeks to alter Europe's 'security landscape' Tuesday, April 29, 2014 John Kerry says Russia seeks to alter "security landscape" with actions in Ukraine WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of seeking to change the security landscape of eastern and central Europe at a think tank in Washington on Tuesday. Speaking at the Atlantic Council think tank, John Kerry said "What Russia's actions in Ukraine tell us is that today Putin's Russia is playing by a different set of rules".Kerry added that Moscow is pursuing a "complete fiction" through its actions in Ukraine, and that the ongoing crisis is a "wakeup call" for America and its European allies.America's top diplomat called on NATO allies to increase defense spending to form a stronger alliance; members states are currently committed to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense. In a joint statement released Saturday, the G7 agreed to impose further economic sanctions on Moscow and condemned Russia's lack of support for the Geneva accord on April 17 aimed at defusing the crisis.The United States imposed new sanctions on Russia, designating seven new Russian government officials and 17 companies linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.Meanwhile, after seizing the government building in eastern Ukrainian city Luhansk, pro-Russian separatists have invaded prosecution offices and television centre.The group demand a referendum, the release of detained Russian supporters and official status for the Russian language.The armed pro-Russians also tried to capture the police station.During his address to nation, acting Ukrainian President and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov asked from the Interior Minister Arsen Avakov to relieve duty of chief of polices in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, who are inactive, desperate and betraying. Up to 1,500 pro-Moscow protesters took control of administration buildings and security service offices in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lugansk on April 6.Turchynov said that a major part of the police forces in those cities could not protect the people. He also reminded that all the army members who cooperate with the terrorists and betray Ukraine, will be legally responsible for. "If the police forces can not fulfill their obligations in those regions, we have renew them," he added.Another development was that the separatists in Slavyansk wanted journalists to become accredited.The spokesman of the separatists in Slavyansk Stella Harosheva said that the local and foreign accredited journalists can work without facing any obstacles. Copyright © 2014 Anadolu Agency


text: I'm 26 and started chewing and smoking when I was in the 8th grade. I quit smoking once before for about 2 years. I started up again to try to quit chewing. I ended up doing both. I've never really been motivated to stay quit before. I'm in a really loving and supportive relationship. She doesn't use tobacco and has been urging me to make the decision to quit for a long time. Finally I said I was done and called the quit line. I got my patches in the mail and started them right away. I gave away all of my remaining tobacco and tobacco accesories (ashtrays, lighters, etc). My first day was the hardest. I found myself "zoning out" alot. As the day's went on it kept getting easier. I'll admit the hardest thing to give up was the chewing. There were day's that I really wanted to chew, but I told myself no and thought about how great my life is and will be by being tobacco free. I'm on my last day of the 21mg patches and have bought a two week supply of the 14mg, and the 7 mg patches. I thought about not using the patches because it was really easy not to use tobacco until one day I forgot to put one on and went to work. It was not good I really wanted to have a chew. I then realized that the patches were what was making it easy for me to stay quit. I alway's heard that people gain weight when they quit smoking so I started eating healthy and doing some very light workouts. I found that going on walks when I wanted a smoke at work was a great benifit. Not only did it get my mind off of smoking and chewing it helped me to lose weight. Tomorrow will be one month since I used tobacco. I'm so happy with how far I've come. I've also lost 19 pounds:) If you're thinking about quitting it's not impossible to do it, but you MUST do it for yourself and be ready to make some serious changes to get there. If you don't give it your full effort to quit then you won't. It doesn't matter how many patches you put on, or how many pieces of gum you use it won't work if you don't want it too.


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How to Date an Aries Man
You meet this new guy and you really want it to work, so where do you look for a little help? Skip the traditional relationship advice and look to his horoscope sign to point you in the direction of success. You'd be surprised at how well you can get to know him just by learning more about his sign.
Love At First Sight Is In the Stars For Aries
An Aries man is most likely to believe in love at first sight as he often finds himself falling deep, fast. He is persistent, too. If an Aries man really likes you then you will know it straight away. He will do almost anything to get your attention and he is not shy about professing his love and affection.
You need to be ready for an adventure when you date an Aries man. He moves fast in everything that he does. You can expect a lot of excitement and fun. You will need plenty of stamina to keep up with him. Don't feel bad if he wears you out because he seems to have endless energy. You may need to start getting fit just to keep up with him. Just don't let him leave you in the dust or ask him to slow down because that could spell the end of your relationship.
The quick passion in the beginning of the relationship is hard to maintain with the Aries man. He will lose interest fast and be looking to move on. You have to find a way to keep his attention and bust through his exterior to get to his heart. This is most often easily done by getting to his sensitive side. He likes being mothered and will often look for you to take that role. Step up and you will have captured his heart.