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MEDIA GALLERY : Click a Thumbnail to view an Image
If you're an ATV rider and also a tech junkie, the Honda Rancher AT may well be your ride of choice. Or maybe you're just one of the millions of Americans who consistently choose a truck or auto equipped with an automatic transmission—that's about 90 percent of the population in the USA. Either way, the Rancher AT and its Honda automatic five-speed transmission is a popular choice for good reason.
Honda's automatic Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) was a first in the world of all-terrain vehicles and it continues to lead the way because it offers several distinct advantages. First off, it's as rugged and durable as Honda's conventional manual ATV transmissions because it uses conventional transmission gears. Even better, that construction also makes it efficient. This dual-clutch automatic boasts the same high efficiency as Honda's manual transmissions.
In this innovative dual-clutch system, one clutch controls the gear pairs for first, third, and fifth, while a second clutch controls second, fourth, and reverse. If that thought makes your head hurt, just think of two separate transmissions side-by-side with two different clutches, all connected and housed in the same case. That's the basic idea behind DCT operation. In actual use, though, the Honda system is much more elegant, eliminating the duplicate shafts and gears.
In a conventional transmission, a single gear pair is locked together (say, the input and output gears for first) while the rest of the gears are out of engagement. In the Rancher AT's DCT, two gear pairs are engaged at the same time, but the clutch controlling one pair of gears is disengaged at the same time the clutch controlling the second pair is fully engaged. When the rider shifts, the clutch controlling the next set of gears is already engaged so the transmission shifts smoothly and quickly into the next gear.
This results in extremely quick shifts and less driveline lurching between shifts, especially under load, which means the AT's chassis attitude remains more consistent while shifting. Compared to other ATV automatics, maintenance needs are greatly reduced with the Rancher AT transmission, while fuel efficiency and power transfer improve. Like a conventional ATV manual gearbox, there's no handlebar-mounted clutch, so there's no need to worry about stalling—a special centrifugal clutch unit with a low-rpm lockup takes care of that, as on all of Honda's conventional-transmission utility ATVs. Finally, because this transmission is so compact, it takes no more space than a Rancher manual transmission, which means engineers could equip the AT with independent rear suspension without compromising the chassis balance Ranchers are known for.
At the rider interface, the Rancher AT offers two shifting modes. The first choice is full automatic—the transmission shifts itself just as an automotive transmission shifts. There's also the choice of ESP mode, where the rider can shift the gearbox on demand via two handlebar-mounted buttons. Think paddle shifters in an automobile, but here it's an upshift button and a downshift button in place of paddles.
On the trail, this DCT setup also provides true compression braking when traveling downhill—a very helpful advantage. In automatic mode, all shifting is controlled by an Electronic Control Module (ECM), which measures throttle opening, driveshaft speed and other parameters. When speeds drop, the system will downshift itself and that means you gain true controlled compression braking.
Given this advanced design in transmissions, along with its many other impressive features such as its powerful and bulletproof 420cc liquid-cooled engine, plush Independent Rear Suspension system, Programmed Fuel Injection, Electric Power Steering, TraxLok 2WD/4WD system and more, it's no wonder the Rancher AT continues to be one of the most popular ATVs around.
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Patriots running back Stevan Ridley was on the receiving end of what may have been the most brutal hit of the NFL season when Baltimore's Bernard Pollard knocked him unconscious in the AFC Championship Game. But Ridley says he feels fine now, three months after suffering a serious concussion.
Ridley told the Boston Herald he's good to go in the Patriots' offseason program and that he's not worrying about it.
"All I can do now is move forward from that, but it was a nice hit that I took. Just got to shake it off. Comes with the game," Ridley said.
When Pollard delivered that vicious (but legal) hit on Ridley, it knocked Ridley out and caused him to fall awkwardly to the ground. It was a scary moment for Ridley and for the NFL.
"It wasn't pretty at all," Ridley said. "It was one of the worst ones that I took in my life. Besides that, it comes with the game. Sometimes it's others, and sometimes it's ourselves. But either way, I love the game, and I love football. I mean, it's going to happen sometimes, but you've got to roll with it, adjust it. Make sure you're squared away with your doctor, squared away with your team. I'll be out here this year ready to go."
That's good news after an ugly injury.

subset: commoncrawl


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Litigation Release No. 16831 / December 15, 2000
SEC v. Gibbons, (U.S.D.C. N.D. Illinois, Civil Action No. 2247)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") announced that on December 14, 2000, the Honorable Morton Denlow, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, entered a Final Order and Permanent Injunction ("Order") against Alan C. Gibbons ("Gibbons"), resident of Chicago, Illinois in a misappropriation of funds case. The Order also required Gibbons to disgorge $172,000, the payment of which was is waived based on Gibbons' demonstrated inability to pay. Gibbons consented to the entry of the Order without admitting or denying the allegations in the Complaint.
The Commission's complaint alleges that between September 1995 and March 1999, Gibbons raised approximately $172,000 from seven investors who purchased stock and promissory notes in companies he formed and owned (the Gibbons Companies). Gibbons told investors that their funds would be used for investment in the Gibbons Companies. The Gibbons Companies purportedly included an import/export business, a software marketing business, and a business that would find funding for early stage companies. However, each of the Gibbons Companies conducted little or no business and dissolved quickly.
The Complaint alleges that Gibbons made misrepresentations to investors concerning the use, safety, and liquidity of their investments, as well as the return on their investments.
While Gibbons represented to investors that funds would be deposit into an escrow account for the Gibbons Companies, instead, Gibbons commingled investors' funds in his personal and business bank accounts to pay his personal expenses.
The Complaint further alleges that Gibbons told investors that their investments were risk-free and guaranteed. However, their investments were very risky because the Gibbons Companies engaged in little or no business, there was no guarantor, and Gibbons lacked sufficient liquid assets to repay the investors.
The Complaint further alleges that Gibbons promised large returns on investments in the Gibbons Companies. For example, Gibbons told an investor that he would double or triple his money in a few years. Gibbons told other investors that they would receive at least a 5% return on their investments. The Complaint also alleges that when soliciting investors in the Gibbons Companies to invest more money or to give their investments more time, Gibbons promised returns of 30% to 50% in four months. However, Gibbons did not pay investors any return on investments in the Gibbons Companies.
Gibbons has a history of securities law violations. In 1989, the National Association of Securities Dealers fined Gibbons $25,000, and permanently barred him from association with any member of the NASD for numerous securities law violations. Additionally, in 1994 the Illinois Secretary of State permanently barred Gibbons from offering or selling securities in Illinois, because of his involvement in a fraudulent investment scheme. In 1996, in a criminal action based on the same conduct, a court sentenced Gibbons to a three-year term of probation and ordered Gibbons to pay $15,000 in restitution to an investor whom he defrauded, according to the Complaint.
The Final Judgment and Order of Permanent Injunction and Other Equitable Relief enjoins Gibbons from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder.


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Kansas State University recognizes the value of faculty and staff interaction with business and industry, private foundations, and government agencies to foster the University mission, facilitate professional development, and promote expansion of knowledge. In some cases the external activities of faculty and staff, such as consulting, outside employment, public service, pro bono work, or serving as an officer of an external entity, even without compensation, can result in real or apparent conflicts regarding commitment of time. BOR policy states that full-time unclassified faculty and staff of K-State owe their primary professional responsibility to their employing institutions and their primary commitment of time and intellectual effort should be to the education, service, research, and scholarship missions of the University. Faculty and unclassified staff should maintain a presence on campus commensurate with their appointments. External professional activities that take time away from University responsibilities should be discussed with the department chair or other immediate supervisor to obtain concurrence that the activities do not constitute a conflict of time commitment. Disclosure of relevant significant financial interest is required of all full-time faculty and unclassified staff and all other University employees who have potential or possible conflicts of interest or time commitment. Failure to comply with the policy may result in disciplinary action.
For New Employees Required to Complete the COI Form: The COI Form may be filed electronically by logging into the Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Please ask your department's personnel specialist to alert you when your information has been added to or updated in HRIS so you may log on to complete the form. The form must be filed within your first month on campus.


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This next generation Heart Rate Monitorbrings increased heart rate accuracy through integration of accelerometer data and advanced signal processing to bring "No Chest Strap" technology to all serious exercisers and to those who just need a simple, accurate and convenient heart rate monitor.
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New, low profile design permitsConvenient and comfortable easy viewing.
ePulse2 works equally well for both men and womenand addresses the issue other heart rate monitors struggle to overcome…no chest strap needed!
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Where I'm From: SNGF
I almost didn't participate in this week's challenge from Genea-Musings, but in the end I'm glad I did.
~I am from sun kissed poppies in the breeze, from baking Cheerios by Lodi Lake and Jackson Coney dogs.
~I am from the ranch with the red brick courtyard, crepe myrtles and Japanese persimmon tree.
~I am from the blooming bougainvillea bringing spring, the Bing cherries in summer, the Flame Tokays in fall and juicy, sweet, tart and tangy citrus in the winter.
~I am from summers swimming and deep grey-blue eyes, from Shinns and Bergers, Allens and Lapiccirellas.
~I am from a smile and laugh that can light up a room, and the quiet man with the hard-knock past.
~From pinochle and root beer floats, rising pizza dough by the radiator and 4-H fashion shows.
~I am from Catholic Baptists, Methodist ministers, the simply spiritual and happy non-believers.
~I'm from land like the Holy Sacrament, cities by the Bay, the big White Mountain, Copperweld Steel and Kelsey-Hayes. I'm from summer Barbecues in the winter, stuffed bell peppers, and homemade marinara.
~From the chaplains of the Presidio, Shiloh, and Hornet, and the patriotic Quaker widow at the Sugar House.
~I am from the memories in my great-grandmother's hope chest, the many gifts from generous people, and the unknown treasures yet to be found.


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The Series SLR001 and SLR002 Solar-powered LED 12V lighting systems are designed with everything necessary to convert sunlight to the electricity needed for indoor lighting. The systems include solar panels, 12-ft 16-gauge cables, 3 amp 20-hour batteries, voltage regulators, terminal blocks, 3 white LED lamps, and light sockets. The SLR001 features a 10W solar panel and three 12V/14V white 24-LED cluster lamps. The SLR002 has a 5W solar panel and three 12V/14V white 9-LED cluster lamps that produce 14 end lumens per lamp.
For more information, visit www.ledtronics.com.
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Tips for buying a Digital Camera
Depending on whether you are an average use taking pictures for fun and photo albums or if you are looking for a more sophisticated camera for professional use, you will have many different choices in digital cameras.
The first thing you should consider in buying a digital camera is your budget. You may want that fancy, top of the line digital camera but your budget may not. Yes, the high end cameras offer the best zoom and more megapixels, as well as other added features you might find with less expensive cameras but they are very costly. That does not mean you will end up with a horrible camera though. In fact it is quite the opposite! There are some very inexpensive yet powerful digital cameras that are easy to use and to shoot and that are very compact and portable.
With so many brands offering different variations of digital cameras it is easy to get off track with words like high resolution and optical zoom. There are some basics of digital cameras that you should research before buying such as how many megapixels you need, or whether you are shooting more in the evening or late night. In fact there are many questions you should ask yourself before buying a digital camera, but once you do you can narrow down your camera to one or two models.
You also need to consider battery life. Digital cameras for the most part drain batteries in very little time. You need to know how much batter life your camera has before purchasing it. Although you should keep spare batteries on hand at all times, it is recommended that you consider rechargeable batteries so that you simply recharge them when you camera dies. Otherwise you'll be spending more on batteries then on the camera itself.
Then of course you need to consider all of your accessory options. First and foremost, there is the memory issue. Most digital cameras come with almost no memory capabilities so you will need to purchase your own memory. This comes in many forms such as flash cards, memory sticks, and pen drives just to name a few. Some memory options will depend on the type of camera you buy, but others are multifunctional and can work with any digital camera.
Most importantly when buying a camera is to make sure that it suits your needs, and has a good quality name behind it. Digital cameras that get great reviews from consumers are usually the best digital cameras to try. Amateur photographers are a hard bunch to please, and if you have done your research and have found camera to perform up to its capabilities and it is what you need in a camera then you may have found the camera for you. Do not be overwhelmed by your options. Digital cameras may be advanced by they are very user friendly.


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As Germany Becomes Europe's East Texas, Microsoft Moves Its Distribution Center
from the makes-you-think dept
Just as companies often try to file their patent lawsuits in East Texas, so Germany is emerging as a favorite forum for patent litigation in Europe -- and for precisely the same reason:
Germany's specialized court system, where cases are ruled on relatively quickly and it can be easier than in other countries to get an injunction, is increasingly leading technology companies to file patent lawsuits there, say patent law specialists.
That ought to place Germany in an enviable position. After all, a common argument from supporters of patents is that foreign companies will be more willing to set up in countries with strong patent regime. So it's curious that the article about Germany's patent-friendly courts quoted above goes on to say:
Motorola sued Microsoft over patents it has on the H.264 video standard, which led Microsoft to move its European distribution center from Germany to the Netherlands even before the German court of Mannheim ruled in the case.
It explains that move as follows:
Apple tried to get an injunction against Samsung in the Netherlands. Samsung's European distribution center is located in the Netherlands, so if Apple would have won, this would have effectively paralyzed Samsung's business in Europe. The judge denied the injunction, meaning Samsung could continue its business in Europe.
This exposes the fundamental flaw in the argument that a patent-friendly legal system will encourage inward investment. However much foreign companies may welcome the ease with which they can sue their rivals and obtain injunctions against them, they also know that they are also more likely to be sued and blocked by injunctions themselves.
This ruling is why Microsoft chose the Netherlands for its distribution center when it decided that Germany was too risky with Motorola's standard-essential patent litigation in mind, said Agé.
Microsoft's hurried decision to withdraw its entire distribution center from Germany shows a possible consequence of this double-edged sword: companies pull out so that patent-friendly courts can't be turned against them. As patent litigation balloons, and more cases head to Germany, other foreign companies may come to the same conclusion as Microsoft, and start taking the same defensive precautions. In which case, Germany will find that far from attracting foreign investors, its patent-friendly courts are actually driving them away.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: east texas, germany, injunction
Companies: apple, microsoft, motorola, samsung


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Stanford Week: Players Not ReturningPosted by Connor Pelton on July 17th, 2012
In last year's NIT Championship campaign there were seven different Cardinal players who saw significant playing time under head coach Johnny Dawkins. Of those seven players, two will be lost in 2012-13 due to graduation. A third senior saw minutes when the situation or game plan called for it, and a fourth played mainly garbage minutes or was used in backup roles when an injury occurred. We fill you in on their details in the order of importance to the program below.
- Josh Owens – After playing just garbage minutes as a freshman in 2007-08, Owens saw a major increase in playing time as a sophomore the next year. Poised to build on that solid foundation, Owens was forced to sit out the 2009-10 campaign due to a private medical condition. While some speculated he would never play basketball again, Owens returned for what would be the best season of his college career, averaging 11.6 PPG and 6.5 RPG in just over 27 MPG. His scoring and rebounding stats were almost identical in his final season with the Cardinal, but 2011-12 saw a more aggressive Owens, mainly on the defensive end of the floor. Andy Brown, Stefan Nastic, and Jack Ryan will all be competing this October to try to fill Owens' shoes, with Nastic being the current slight frontrunner. As for Owens, the forward/center did not receive an invite to either the NBA Combine or Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, and while he went undrafted, he impressed enough in team workouts to earn a spot on the Charlotte Bobcats Summer League roster. Owens didn't see any action in the team's first game, but scored six points and grabbed two rebounds in its second summer competition.
- Jarrett Mann – Mann still earned solid minutes as a senior, but due to the emergence of freshman star Chasson Randle, he saw a steep decrease in playing time compared with his sophomore and junior years. Due to Randle playing as a slash-and-score one, it appeared at times that Mann didn't seem comfortable in his new role, which would led to indecisiveness both in passing the ball and scoring.
- Andrew Zimmerman – After transferring over from Santa Clara, Zimmerman's first season on the Farm in 2009-10 turned out to be his best. He took some of the minutes left behind by the injured Owens and averaged 4.4 PPG — not bad for playing just 17.5 MPG. Since then his game has taken a slight drop, only seeing action when the game plan calls for it. Last season, when Dawkins would take a break from the three-guard offense, Zimmerman was the one who got the call, and he usually answered it nicely. Against California on March 4, the 6'8″ senior scored 13 points and grabbed three boards in a season high 25 minutes. Four days later, once again against the big Golden Bears, Zimmerman scored 22 points in as many minutes to go along with seven rebounds.
- Jack Trotter – Trotter mainly saw garbage minutes as a senior, but every once in a while he would get big minutes for no apparent reason. He played 22 minutes and scored 11 points against Fresno State, then only played a total of 30 minutes in the next six games. With the signings of Rosco Allen and Grant Verhoeven, it's probably a good thing that Trotter will be moving on.


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Surname List: Begins with C
All surnames beginning with C, sorted alphabetically (total individuals):
Click on a surname to show matching records. Main surname page | Show all surnames
Copyright © 2008-2019 Rick Felsing. Permission is granted to other Genealogists for reproduction in whole or in part for internal, non-profit use, provided that credit is given to "kukkus.com" and to the authors of the reproduced materials.Contact Us


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Any tours which have been cancelled due to inclement weather or cancelled by vendors due to equipment problems or any other issues will be issued as a full 100% refund.
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In yet another sign of spring's arrival, a mother bear and her two cubs drew onlookers Monday as they hung out in a tree just south of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research's Foothills Laboratories off Mitchell Lane in Boulder.
While the animals drew some curious passers-by, neither police nor Colorado wildlife officials took steps to remove the bears. Instead, they put up yellow police tape around the area, which is west of Hayden Lake, to keep people out.


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My people, my beautiful Korean people, my deep ancestral roots, the incalculable sprawl underneath the tall tree of myself, I stand here, shading all around me with my Korea-ness, my Korea history, my Korea life, and I ask, what is up with the car fresheners? My people love to freshen their cars, with weird fake fruity type scents, like green apple, which makes my mouth water uncomfortably, because I am essentially preparing my mouth, beginning the digestive process, literally kickstarting my digestive system to eat the interior of my car. But the oddity of the Korean green apple artificial smell is like a cross between the jolly rancher sour apple and an actual apple because the Korean style is to put some real (sort of) green smell in there. The bite of it, a bite of green. It smells vaguely like biting into a real green apple filled with Jolly Ranchers.
Quince is another Korean favorite, which is akin to honeydew, cassava, Korean melons – all those heavy skinned greenish fruits often bought by the case because their ripening is hard to detect and unpredictable enough that its better to buy a big box and let the gases from the ripe melons influence the unripe ones, like a melon peer pressure situation. Like all these hard, unsweet melons are boxed together for their own good and are coerced into their softening and their sugars binding to themselves in a mutual decay by mere proximity, like a kind of "scared ripe" melon rehabilitation program.
If you go to a Korean market, you will see fruits like this on display, never in a pile, like American fruits and vegetables, but neatly wrapped in tissue paper and laid swaddling in bubbled plastic trays that mold to the body of the thing. These set ups often make my mouth water, but not in the urgent disturbing way that the car freshener does.
What makes our cars not fresh? It never occurred to me to use this. Cars smell like cars, a little like plastic, a little like leather, a little like the factory, some oil and notes of gasoline in there. It's a good neutral scent, if the car is kept clean. Of course mine is not, and once I left a trader joe's blue cheese in there for over a year. It fell out of the bag, and since the bag carried many varietals of cheese for my lavish lifestyle, I didn't miss it.
The cheese didn't start to smell instantly. It took a few months, but then wow, did it smell. It stunk in a sick, sulphurous and sleazy way, like someone had taken a straight up shit in the car. There was no other odor. Just shit. I tried to deny it. I did resort to air fresheners then, but there is no apple comely enough, no quince that didn't quit on me. I finally discovered the cheese, now nearly completely evaporated out of the package, so it was merely a filmy, hollow piece of plastic with a brown chunk inside the size of a marble. For a second, I thought I might eat it. I am just telling you because it is true.


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Dickey hangs tough into eighth, but Blue Jays fall
NEW YORK -- R.A. Dickey has been around professional baseball for the past 17 years, and it hasn't always been smooth sailing, but nothing quite compares to the trials and tribulations currently facing the 2013 Blue Jays.
Toronto's No. 1 starter has experienced more than his fair share of adversity over the past two decades. He had to re-invent himself as a knuckleballer, once tied a modern-era baseball record by surrendering six homers in a game, and essentially has had to prove his doubters wrong at every turn.View Full Game Coverage
NEW YORK -- R.A. Dickey has been around professional baseball for the past 17 years, and it hasn't always been smooth sailing, but nothing quite compares to the trials and tribulations currently facing the 2013 Blue Jays.
Toronto's No. 1 starter has experienced more than his fair share of adversity over the past two decades. He had to re-invent himself as a knuckleballer, once tied a modern-era baseball record by surrendering six homers in a game, and essentially has had to prove his doubters wrong at every turn.View Full Game Coverage
Dickey agreed to join the Blue Jays during the offseason with the belief that those moments of misfortune would be replaced by a team playing competitive baseball in September and beyond. Instead, following a 4-2 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, Toronto finds itself a season-high 13 games under .500 and in last place in the American League East.
"It's frustrating, it's like a Twilight Zone, different day, same script," Dickey said after taking his 12th loss of the season. "It's really kind of a fluky kind of feeling. I don't really know how it to put it into verbiage. I'm at a loss when it comes to that. I just keep telling myself to leave it all on the field, and whatever happens, happens."
Dickey got off to a well-documented rough start during his first year in Toronto. As late as June 21, he had an ERA of 5.15, but he has since begun to turn things around. Dickey has a 3.64 ERA over his past 11 outings, but even when everything seems to be going well, more often than not, there has been one pitch -- or one inning -- which has essentially erased all of the positives.
In the start prior to Wednesday, it was Dickey carrying a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning only to see it erased following an infield single, walk, wild pitch and a ground ball to first base. The outing before, it was seven strong innings of three-run baseball as he sat helpless in the dugout watching his club struggle on offense.
On Wednesday night in New York, it was more of the same. Dickey was holding firm in a 2-2 ballgame until a knuckleball that didn't dance on its way to the plate was sent over the wall in left field by Alfonso Soriano for a two-run homer in the eighth inning.
It has almost come to be expected, but Dickey can't seem to recall a year in baseball that has been this mystifying.
"I've thrown [more than 2,500] innings over 17 years, so you have all kinds of different games," Dickey said. "I barely remember a season that has been like this. The good news is that it feels like a fluke to me, meaning that the expectations are that it will change. But you have to keep grinding it out, punching the clock and showing up."
Dickey did everything he could to keep the Blue Jays in Wednesday night's ballgame through seven innings, but once again it was a lack of offense that led to his club's undoing. In a game when Ichiro Suzuki celebrated the 4,000th hit of his career between the U.S. and Japan, the Blue Jays were unable to get more than one with runners in scoring position.
Toronto went 1-for-6 in those types of situations while also stranding 10 baserunners. Over the Blue Jays' past 11 games, they've managed to score more than four runs just once. It's even worse over the past four contests, with the club managing to score more than two only one time.
The lack of runs came despite the fact that New York pieced together Wednesday's pitchers by going with relievers Adam Warren and David Huff for almost the entire game.
"We've been pecking away with single runs here and there, but we need a big blast here and there with guys on base," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "But we just haven't been able to get that."
The game did start out relatively positive, as Toronto opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when Anthony Gose sparked a small rally with a single to right.
Gose then proceeded to steal and came around to score on an RBI single to right by Munenori Kawasaki. Gose was nearly thrown out at the plate, but Ichiro's throw bounced several feet in front of home plate, and catcher Austin Romine was unable to come up with the ball.
Toronto added another run in the fourth when Josh Thole hit a deep home run to right-center field. It was a rare display of power for Thole, who previously had a total of four homers since the start of the 2011 season. Thole's first as a member of the Blue Jays tied the game at 2 and created a stalemate between the two sides.
Warren was charged with both of the runs over his the three-plus innings, while allowing four hits and two walks. The 25-year-old was on a limited pitch count after making all of his previous 24 appearances this season out of the bullpen. Huff then entered in relief and was nearly flawless despite a lack of command, allowing just one hit.
Toronto now finds itself 17 games back in the AL East while Dickey has just one win since July 6. The frustration continues but the explanations remain elusive.
"I can't use the type of season that we've had, or the personnel, I can't use any of that as an excuse," Dickey said. "If you want to get better, you have to go at what you've done poorly and try to get out of it. I take it very seriously, it doesn't wash away easily, and it will be another 24 hours before I'm able to forget it."
Gregor Chisholm is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, North of the Border, and follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB.


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Davenport University offers exam vouchers and IT certification exams for several organizations and programs at a discounted student rate. You do not need to be a DU student to take advantage of the voucher pricing. To see a complete list of vouchers and prices, please visit the DU Voucher Portal (Xvoucher) by clicking the green button below and select the voucher in the drop down menu to view and purchase. Check the DU Voucher Portal periodically for new technical exam vouchers.
Currently, vouchers are available for:
- Security+
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- A+ (you will need 2 vouchers to take both exams)
- Microsoft 073 IT
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You will create a Candidate Account during your first Xvoucher purchase. In order to convert your Xvoucher to a voucher number for an exam, you will need to log in to https://www.xvoucher.com/sites/candidate/ and follow the instructions.
For any questions or for a receipt of your purchase, please contact this support e-mail.


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Technology, aging specialists believe, will allow members of the Baby Boom generation to navigate old age
Third of three parts
If you are 55 years old, you could wake up 30 years from now to the warm, affectionate voice of your personal care robot, asking what you would like for breakfast and why you slept for only 5.8 hours last night instead of your usual 7.3.
After your mattress takes your morning temperature, pulse and blood pressure readings, you might want to reach for the tablet on your bedside table and tap the touchscreen to turn up your home's heat by a few notches before you throw back the covers. The robot can fetch your slippers.
As you rise and walk into your day, floor sensors might trigger an infrared scan of your gait and balance, relaying the information to a nearby nursing center. If anything seems amiss, a car could be on its way to your home.
If not, your environment will continue to gather data for a morning summary sent — with your permission — to the smartphones of your sons or daughters, relaying what you had for your morning meal and whether you took all your medications.
Such barely visible technology, many aging specialists believe, is what will allow members of the baby boom generation to navigate old age independently in the privacy of their homes. This will be important, they say, in an era of stretched health care resources and at a time when more older Americans are single than ever before.
"My mother is 89 and and my father is 91," says Marjorie Skubic, director of the Center for Eldercare and Rehabilitation Technology at the University of Missouri. "They've been married so long that they know each other very well, and it's relatively easy for them to pick up on subtle changes with each other. But there are a lot of people that live alone and they don't have a partner of 65 years. The sensors can pick up on these changes."
Maximizing efficiency
The sensors are what Skubic, an engineering professor, has been working on for more than eight years. An in-home network developed in a collaboration of engineers and health care professionals is being tested in elder communities in Columbia, Mo., and Cedar Falls, Iowa. Changes in the sensor data patterns, Skubic says, have been successful in early detection of health states that can lead to hospitalization — including urinary tract infections, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and post-hospital pain.
The network — which includes an array of devices underneath the mattress and infrared motion detectors on the walls — can tell more about an individual's health than he or she may know.
"We've spent a lot of years looking at this data," Skubic says. "We can identify changes in patterns about 10 days to two weeks before critical health events — often before the elderly resident even notices that there has been a change. And the sensors do a nice job of pulling out the changes associated with depression."
The home care revolution — a national move toward letting frail elders remain in their homes without resorting to residential facilities — is already under way, with more than half of America's direct-care workers engaged in a new form of the old-fashioned house call. But as the very old generation expands over the next three decades, far outnumbering those in the health care workforce, technology that pinpoints when and where help is needed could be key.
Skubic's team is also involved in a study of personal care robots, to determine the potential for communication between them and older adults.
"We're looking at an assistive robot that could be used in a home setting. It can accomplish fetch tasks, and has an ability to communicate with a user using very natural facial language," she says. "We're finding that it's not easy for robots to understand imprecise, approximate, ambiguous language. We wanted to explore that, and the fact that older adults use language differently than younger adults. It's brought out some interesting issues."
For instance, Skubic says, a robot may have trouble with the command, "Go get my glasses. I left them on the bedside table." But it can respond to directions, like, "My eyeglasses are on the table, behind the lamp, next to the bed."
At least for now, personal care robots may be less than welcome as stand-ins for human health aides. A study by the Georgia Institute of Technology last year asked older adults if they were willing to use robots in the home for daily tasks. Subjects between the ages of 65 and 93 said they were fine with the idea of robots performing household chores, but were less comfortable with their performing personal care, like bathing or dressing.
And Debra Parker Oliver, a social work professor at the University of Missouri who studies long-term care and end-of-life issues, takes a critical view of the rush to find a technological solution for so many aspects of elder care. She would like to see more research before in-home sensors and robots are considered ready for prime time.
"Businesses have been so focused on developing the gadgets, and not on whether the gadgets are needed," she says. "The question should not even be, 'Does it work?', but 'Do we want it or can we afford it?'"
Oliver believes home care technology should be subjected to more rigorous studies, with emphasis on long-term outcomes and affordability. Instead, she says, grant funders seem dazzled by the potential for supplanting human beings with hardware.
"You may have a motion sensor that detects restlessness in bed, but what does that mean clinically?" she asks. "If it doesn't reduce cost, we've got to question it."
The delivery system
Equally important, say aging specialists, is that this new approach to elder care embodies quality standards along with cost efficiencies. The worst outcome would be some huge new health care bureaucracy that imposes tools and services people don't need or want.
"As a doctor, I believe the value of this transformation we're going through is that it will actually shed light and raise awareness" of the challenge, says Bruce Chernof, president of the SCAN Foundation, a California nonprofit that promotes aging with dignity and independence.
"I'm not suggesting for a moment that we would medicalize people's homes," he adds. "Is the care accessible, is it affordable and can we judge the quality of it: That, to me, should be the metric. It should be really about what the person is experiencing. And these quality measures need to make sense for those paying for services out of pocket."
How this delivery system is constructed is still a matter for debate. Meanwhile, the federal government and many states are experimenting with approaches that range from a coordinated patchwork of nonprofit community programs, to a single state agency running the system, to a privatized but state-funded operation managed by for-profit companies.
Florida will embark this summer on the third option, contracting with health maintenance organizations to provide care for some 36,000 elderly Medicaid recipients statewide.
Larry Polivka, executive director of the Claude Pepper Center at Florida State University, which studies aging issues, predicts that nursing home use will remain flat — "as we learn more about how to provide services to impaired people at home. But you're always going to need something like that to care for the most impaired, particularly people with dementia."
In 2008 Polivka co-authored a paper in The Gerontologist, arguing for an approach that uses the nation's existing 665 Area Agencies on Aging to coordinate local nonprofits into a coherent home care system.
"The aging network represents an extraordinary, though still underutilized, resource for creating more balanced long-term care systems through the expansion of home- and community-based programs," the authors wrote. Instead of using for-profit agencies that would pull money from the system, they suggested, the network could "identify and maintain roles for informal caregivers and draw on community resources through donations and the use of volunteers" to keep costs down.
The paper echoed a concern among aging specialists that the home care revolution could give rise to a new industry that professionalizes aspects of home care that have been traditionally covered by family members or volunteers. The authors quoted a paper by the 2005 President's Council on Bioethics, warning of a "danger of the complete transformation of caregiving into labor, creating a situation where people's basic physical needs are efficiently provided for by 'workers,' but their deeper human and spiritual needs are largely ignored."
But that doesn't mean Polivka is worried about the dehumanizing potential of personal care robots.
"A lot of people get kind of silly about robots," he says. "They can in fact be of considerable assistance in providing physical aid, and might not be that bad as an emotional companion. People, with their imaginations, can create all kinds of characteristics that we might not believe possible."
Barbara Peters Smith wrote this article as a John A. Hartford Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellow, a collaboration of New America Media and the Gerontological Society of America.


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John Perram
John Perram, Professor at the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New South Wales, explains how he developed a computer-based alternative to teaching freshman mathematics in this presentation from The Computer-Based Math™ Education Summit 2011.
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Tag Archives: Black Ops
If you've been active in the online customization community, then you've likely heard of eclipseGRAFX, the AFOL whose custom lightsabers are legendary throughout AFOLville. In this interview, he shares his experience with setting up a custom minifig business and taking on the road to several LEGO events this year. [MORE]
Posted in Meet | Also tagged BrickFair, BrickMagic, BricksNorth, Brickworld, business, convention, eclipseGRAFX, ILUGNY, Legoboy Productions, Lyndhurst Castle, Victor Fernandez


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Definition of ism
n. - A doctrine or theory; especially, a wild or visionary theory. 2
The word "ism" uses 3 letters: I M S.
Direct anagrams of ism:
mis sim
Words formed by adding one letter before or after ism (in bold), or to ims in any order:
a - aims amis sima b - mibs d - dims mids e - mise semi g - migs h - shim j - jism k - skim l - mils slim n - nims o - miso p - imps simp r - mirs rims s - isms miss sims t - mist smit v - vims w - swim
Shorter words found within ism:
is mi si
Words formed from any letters in ism, plus an optional blank or existing letter
List all words starting with ism, words containing ism or words ending with ism
All words formed from ism by changing one letter
Other words with the same letter pairs: is sm
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Some random words: usage aft tsetse geanticline ceanothus aiglet awes
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When creating an administered object representing a destination, it is good practice to create the physical destination first, before adding the administered object to the object store. Use the Command utility (imqcmd) to create the physical destination, as described in Creating and Destroying Physical Destinations.
The command shown in Example 11–2 adds an administered object to an LDAP object store representing a topic destination with lookup name myTopic and physical destination name physTopic. The command for adding a queue destination would be similar, except that the administered object type (-t option) would be q (for "queue destination") instead of t (for "topic destination").
Example 11–3 shows the same command, but with the administered object stored in a Solaris file system instead of an LDAP server.


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Situated on a hillock, this homestay is a riverside Portuguese style villa with its airy high-ceiling living rooms is tastefully furnished with a combination of old family heirlooms and restored furniture. The cool whitewashed interiors give off an aura of peace and serenity - an ideal setting for romance or bonding with friends and family, or a restful holiday. Its three bedrooms ensure spaciousness as well as privacy - an ideal escape from the tourist crowds of Goa.
The property set in canvassed gardens offers lovely views of the surrounding village. For those who love life and nature - it is the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate.
While staying at this homestay, plan to relax completely. Sit at the bolcony with a book and watch the birds chirping. Go down to the river and let a fishing rod dangle in the water. Walk around the village of Aldona and spend some time in its century's old St. Thomas church. Enjoy a beer or a bottle of wine on the patio or relax in a hammock and count the stars.
CheersBye © 2019


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Welcome to the Fountains Hotel
Right in the centre of Cape Town, South Africa's Mother City, which is renowned for her pleasant climate. We have a choice of comfortable bedrooms, the majority with views over the harbour, the bustling Thibault Square or Table Mountain. There are conference and banqueting facilities, a small fitness room and a pool (under construction), a restaurant and the friendliest staff in town. Come and make their acquaintance!


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Aortopulmonary window
Aortopulmonary window is a rare heart defect in which there is a hole connecting the major artery taking blood from the heart to the body (the aorta) and the one taking blood from the heart to the lungs (pulmonary artery). The condition is congenital, which means it is present from birth.
Alternative Names
Aortopulmonary septal defect; Aortopulmonary fenestration
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Normally, blood flows through the pulmonary artery into the lungs, where it picks up oxygen. Then the blood travels back to the heart and is pumped to the aorta and the rest of the body.
Babies with an aortopulmonary window have a hole in between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Because of this hole, blood from the aorta flows into the pulmonary artery, and too much blood flows to the lungs. This causes high blood pressure in the lungs (a condition called pulmonary hypertension) and heart failure. The bigger the defect, the more blood can enter the pulmonary artery.
The condition occurs when the aorta and pulmonary artery do not divide normally as the baby develops in the womb.
Aortopulmonary window is very rare. It accounts for only 0.1% of all congenital heart defects.
This condition can occur on its own or with other heart defects such as
If the defect is small, it may not cause any symptoms. However, most defects are large.
Symptoms can include:
- Delayed growth
- Heart failure
- Irritability
- Poor eating and lack of weight gain
- Rapid breathing
- Rapid heartbeat
- Respiratory infections
Signs and tests
The pediatrician will usually hear an abnormal heart sound (murmur) when listening to the child's heart with a stethoscope.
The doctor may order tests such as:
- Cardiac catheterization - a thin tube inserted into the arteries around the heart to view the heart and blood vessels and directly measure pressure in the heart and lungs
- Chest x-ray
- Echocardiogram
- MRI of the heart
The condition usually requires open heart surgery to repair the defect. Surgery should be done as soon as possible after the diagnosis is made, usually when the child is still a newborn.
During the procedure, a heart-lung machine takes over for the child's heart. The surgeon opens the aorta and closes the defect with a patch made either from a piece of the sac that encloses the heart (the pericardium) or a man-made material.
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
Surgery to correct aortopulmonary window is successful in most cases. If the defect is treated quickly, the child should not have any lasting effects.
Delaying treatment can lead to complications such as:
- Congestive heart failure
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Death
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if your child has symptoms of aortopulmonary window. The sooner this condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the child's prognosis.
PreventionThere is no known way to prevent aortopulmonary window.
Miscellaneous congenital cardiac conditions. In: Park MK. Pediatric Cardiology for Practitioners. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa:Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 17.
Jansen C. Surgical repair of aortopulmonary window: thirty-seven years of experience. Pediatr Cardiol, 2006;27:552-556.
Koh Su-Mei A, Ju-Le T. Large unrepaired aortopulmonary window--survival into the seventh decade. Echocardiography, 2007;24:71-73.


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Ranked No. 1 in preseason poll of coaches
News editor
Hillsboro girls' basketball head coach Nathan Hiebert expects guard play will be the Trojans' strength this year, and with good reason.
The two returning starters from Hillsboro's 2012-13 team that placed third in the state are senior guards Addie Lackey and Danae Bina, who both averaged double-digit scoring last season.
Lackey is the team's leading returning scorer, averaging 14.2 points per game last year, to go along with 4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.8 steals. Lackey recently signed an offer to play college basketball with the Emporia State University Hornets, ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division 2.
"She is an extremely skilled ball-handler, passer, and has one of the best mid-range games of anybody we've ever recruited," Emporia State head coach Jory Collins said last week.
Hiebert said Lackey put in a lot of time working on her shooting during the summer. He added that she's a good passer who can make a lot happen for teammates.
Bina averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2.9 steals a game last season. Hiebert said she frustrates opposing teams with her defensive intensity, and she has good skills on offense and is a solid rebounder.
"She brings a lot of toughness on both ends of the court," Hiebert said.
Sophomore guard Alex Ratzlaff averaged 4 points, 3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.2 steals a game as a reserve player last year, but she played in a limited number of games because of injury.
Hiebert said senior guard Maddi Duerksen will be one of the team's keys, and that she will have to play a bigger role this year. Last year she averaged 1.8 points, 1 rebound, 0.4 assists, and 0.5 steals.
Junior guard Allison Weber will be counted on to provide solid minutes as a reserve. Junior forward Darcy Heinrichs is a bright player and has been good in the post for the team in practice, Hiebert said.
Hiebert said he has no single criteria to measure the success of the coming season. He said the team should be near the top of the Central Kansas League, and he has his sights set on winning the season-opening Moundridge tournament, the Hillsboro tournament, and advancing to state.
He said he also hopes his players enjoy playing with one another and understand their value and importance.
Hiebert said reaching those goals will take a new game plan from last year.
"Every year we're a new team," he said. "We want to utilize our guards."
Hillsboro has gone to the 3A state tournament the past five years, placing third the past three years. The team won't be going to the 3A state tournament this year, as Hillsboro moved to class 2A this year.
The Kansas Basketball Coaches Association ranked Hillsboro No. 1 in 2A in its preseason poll.
The Trojans begin their season Tuesday against Lyons in the Moundridge tournament.


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These are some of the views and reports relevant to our readers that caught our attention this week.
New Platforms, New Public Opinion?
"With the continued growth of new communication media and technologies, the public opinion and research sector is abuzz with equal doses of optimism and skepticism for its future. In a world of falling response rates and increasing costs for phone and face-to-face surveys, does this new frontier ask us to merely measure the chatter on Twitter and Facebook or does it reframe the definition of public opinion itself? This is among the many questions challenging the Digital Team here at InterMedia." READ MORE
DFID Research for Development
The engagement of women's movements with religion: legal reform in Anambra state, Nigeria
"Campaigning by the women's movement in Anambra State was instrumental to the introduction of a new law in 2005 designed to prevent the maltreatment of widows. Religion is often implicated in gender inequality and discrimination against women, but religious leaders and organizations played key roles in this campaign. The case study enabled the researchers to address the questions of when, why and how religious actors facilitate rather than obstruct legal reform intended to realize women's rights." READ MORE
Guardian Global Development
Mobile phone boom in developing world could boost e-learning
"A study of young people in Ghana, Morocco, Uganda and Maharashtra aims to encourage networks to improve education through mobile technology
Globalisation, as defined by the rich, is a very nice thing, the former US president Jimmy Carter once reflected. "You're talking about the internet, you're talking about cell phones, you're talking about computers," said Carter. "This doesn't affect two-thirds of the people in the world."
That was in 2001; a lot has changed. In Kenya, mobile phones have become an integral part of cash transfer schemes, enabling poor people in urban areas to buy food. In remote rural areas of Peru, computers provided by the Euro-Solar programme are fuelling an appetite for learning among children. And the senior US political adviser Alec Ross – acknowledging the galvanising influence of social media on the Arab spring – has described the internet as "the Che Guevara of the 21st century"." READ MORE
National Democratic Institute
Democracy and the Challenge of Change: A Guide to Increasing Women's Political Participation
"Drawing on its 25 years of experience in the women's political participation field, NDI has released a new guide for democracy practitioners to help them develop and carry out effective programs to bring more women into government and politics.
The guide, Democracy and the Challenge of Change: A Guide to Increasing Women's Political Participation, focuses on programs in the areas of citizen participation, elections, political parties and governance. It presents the case for increasing women's participation and provides information on best practices and strategies to move that goal forward." READ MORE
Public Management Review, Volume 14, Issue 2, 2012
Special Issue: The Politics and Governance of Public Services in Developing Countries
"Politics and governance have become central to explanations of the widespread under-provision of public services in developing countries. Political analysis offers an understanding of what might otherwise appear to be exclusively managerial or capacity problems. The articles in this special issue of PMR contribute to three main aspects of this new literature on the political economy of service provision: how the incentives of elites are formed and affect whether, to whom and how services are provided; how top–down and bottom–up systems of accountability may act and also interact to affect incentives; and the effect of service provision on state–society relations. The analysis in this and the following articles suggests that the politics of service provision should be understood as a cycle of causation: politics affect the policy, governance and implementation of services, but in turn service provision is a theatre of politics and affects citizen formation and the development of state capacity and legitimacy. Taken as a whole, the articles suggest that a political perspective enables new insights into the causes of weak service provision, and how it can be improved." READ MORE
Follow PublicSphereWB on Twitter
Photo credit: Flickr user fdecomite


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When it comes to making buying decisions online, customer reviews and testimonials can be the deciding factor that make or break a sale.
Displaying positive feedback from your customers on your website demonstrates that you have existing sales and provides social proof for potential customers who are thinking about buying from you.
In fact, word-of-mouth is the primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchases, while 63 percent of online customers say they are more likely to buy on sites with positive reviews.
So, what are the ingredients of a killer testimonial, and what's the secret to generating them on a regular basis?
Read on.
The Perfect Testimonial
To generate a perfect testimonial, you'll need to know what ingredients are required.
First of all, the most important aspect of any testimonial is its authenticity – so keep it real.
Fabricated reviews usually don't sound genuine thanks to their overly promotional tone. It's always better to publish honest, yet positive feedback from real customers.
And yet, real testimonials don't always come across as totally believable. So how do you make sure you don't fall into that trap?
Show Credibility
Making a testimonial credible in the eyes of your visitors is absolutely vital. However, this process goes further than just adding a quote.
When publishing a testimonial, incorporate the customer's name, a head shot, and their website or location if possible. This works well with anybody, but it goes without saying that high profile customers will also give you an extra boost in credibility.
For example, Help Scout puts this strategy to use prominently on their homepage by including a testimonial from Wistia, a well known online video marketing company:
Another great example of displaying photos with testimonials can be found Marie Forleo's B-School website:
Not only has she added photos but she has also taken the extra effort to make them consistent with her brand colors.
On the Shopify testimonial page, we make use of select customer testimonials from some of our well known brands as well as a selection of tweets from people talking about Shopify.
The key takeaway here is that adding additional information about your customers is an important part of increasing the believability of your reviews and making them more persuasive.
Publish Customer Doubt (And Then Overcome It)
Believe it or not, doubt in a review is a good thing – when used correctly. The folks over at Copyblogger covered this in detail, exposing the "reverse testimonial" method.
Reverse testimonials begin with doubt, but continue with praise and end with an eventual overcoming of the initial scepticism.
This type of testimonial sounds real because of its natural roots. In person, we give testimonials to others by starting off with the doubts we had about the product or service and then immediately follow it up with how that product overcame our doubts and solved our problem.
For example, "Do you remember that sketchy looking bookshop on the edge of town? I dropped in the other day, and they had some amazing literature. I'm definitely going back."
Share the Story
With the credibility and doubt in place, the next step is to portray the testimonial with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Take the bookshop example I just gave. The sketchy bookshop contains the doubt and the story opener. Visiting the bookshop was the middle of my story, which was then ended with some praise. Short, sweet and natural.
Yet, a new problem now arises. How can you possibly extract all three of these core elements from your customers, and then turn it into a story?
Reach Out With The Right Questions
Positive and effective testimonials rarely roll in by themselves. To get the feedback you need, you have to reach out to your customers with some strategically structured questions.
I've compiled five of them with help form the Copyblogger post referenced above:
- What was your main concern about buying this product? Has this concern been resolved?
- What specific feature did you like most about this product?
- Has this product helped you in any way? If so, how?
- Would you recommend this product to others? If so, why?
- Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Each of these five questions enquire about specifics which can help make up the perfect testimonial.
Question one deals with the element of doubt, while the rest can help you piece together the meat of the story from a variety of angles. Question five in particular gives the customer some freedom to express their views in a more natural manner.
Using the same questions for each customer allows you to collect testimonials with structure, making it easier to compile stories out of each review.
To piece together the story, you can carefully mesh the answers together. There's nothing wrong with tweaking the layout of the testimonial without changing the meaning, so long a you get the all clear from the customer before publishing.
Get Automated
Adding a personal touch to the customer engagement process by scheduling a time to email these questions out can really boost your response levels. Mentioning how they were singled out for a testimonial request will almost certainly produce a response.
Alternatively, making some time to call customers with the same questions can also help you capture further information.
However, such a personal approach can become more than a little time consuming in the long run. Thankfully, there is another, more automated way.
To save time on engaging with your customers, you should implement some automation. Or better yet, you should make use of existing automation.
For example, transaction emails which are automatically sent to customers after a sale are perfect for integrating the questions previously listed. The customer expects such emails, and therefore is less likely to feel like you're emailing him or her unnecessarily. This works well with digital products in particular, since the customer will have received their purchase immediately.
Alternatively, you may wish to schedule an email to be sent out to your customers after a short period following the purchase. This allows them time to experience the product before answering your questions.
In addition to reaching out to your customers to gather testimonials via email, you can also integrate review functionality into your ecommerce site. There are a number of apps that can help with this – here are a few of the more popular ones:
Reviews can be particularly powerful for ecommerce websites because they provide social proof on the buying page and show up in search engine results in the form of rich snippets which can increase click through rates to your website.
Once on your site, reviews add a persuasive dimension to your product pages that can make your site appear more trustworthy and ultimately improve conversion rates.
One final way to generate "mini-testimonials" is by favoriting complimentary tweets from your customers about your products or business. You can then embed these tweets on your homepage and relevant product pages.
While not automated, these mini twitter testimonials are great because they're from a 3rd party site and come complete with a photo of your customer, their location and the exact date and time the tweet was created.
In other words, all the key elements of a believable testimonial.
Presenting the Praise
After you collect and construct the perfect testimonial, you'll need to present it professionally.
Seeing customer reviews buried deep behind a host of different pages is an all too common sight. Visitors shouldn't have to hunt in order to find testimonials, nor should they feel underwhelmed by poor presentation or lack of information once they do.
Instead, you need to ensure that the praise you receive is clearly visible on multiple pages of your website, together with all the credibility elements discussed earlier in this post. It's simply a matter of contacting the customer about your plans to publish their testimonial and asking for the added information, head shots, and so forth.
Finally, your testimonials section should be tasteful. Ensure you populate it with a variety of reviews, without cluttering the page.
Coffee Joulies does a nice job of integrating a couple customer testimonials on their homepage. This could be strengthened further by including real names and photos.
Start Generating
There you have it, a complete guide on how to compile, construct and present raving testimonials for your online store.
If you can collect such customer reviews containing the elements discussed on a regular basis, it won't be long before you possess a powerful testimonial portfolio to help convert your visitors into sales and sign ups.
So stop hesitating. Get out there and start generating.
About the Author: Mark Macdonald is the Content Manager at Shopify. Get more from Mark on Twitter.


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The Mast Farm Inn of Valle Crucis • David Yates
As you drive down the valley, you will notice small cabins dotting the hillsides. As the narrow river valley broadens into fertile meadows, you will see large, old homesteads and farms. You will pass a popular summer camp, Camp Broadstone, where I worked as a teenager. On the banks of the river, you will see River Run Farm, a thoroughbred farm that rivals the most beautiful of its kind in Kentucky.
Soon thereafter, you will arrive at one of the oldest and best-preserved pioneer homesteads in the South, now a cozy bed-and-breakfast inn nestled against the side of the mountain. After staying at this old inn, a writer for the New York Times said, "The Mast Farm Inn is about as close as you can get to defining the word homespun."
Although the rambling green-and-white Victorian bed-and-breakfast now bustles with guests, I remember the old homestead as it was during my childhood in the 1970's, an elaborate play-ground, abandoned and full of dark rooms with numbers on the doors, old trunks, and mysterious farm utensils. I spent days exploring the old buildings, swinging from the rope hanging in the top of the old barn, and searching the surrounding fields for arrowheads. My imagination was fueled by my grandmother's stories of the characters who stayed in the inn when she worked here as a teenager during the early 1900's, and of Joe Mast, the last of the family to live on the farm. Many of the rooms are now named after people at the inn almost a century ago, including my grandmother, "Miss Allie."
In the late 1700's, Joseph Mast walked all the way from Pennsylvania and settled on much of the land that is now Valle Crucis. Around 1810, his son David built the two-room log cabin which now sits facing the main house at the Mast Farm. Three generations of the family resided in this cabin. Like most of Valle Crucis residents, the Masts raised corn, grain, sheep, cattle, and food for the family.
The Masts built more farm buildings over the years, including the large barn across the road from the main house. Of necessity, the farm was designed to be self-sufficient and self-contained. By the early 1900's, at least sixteen different buildings were part of the old mountain farmstead. Remarkably, thirteen remain today. Most of the buildings in the meadow were used for livestock, for the storage of hay and grain and for tobacco curing. The springhouse, smokehouse, icehouse, blacksmith shop, woodworking shop, and wash house were on the south side of the road adjacent to the cabin, tucked away from the wind. On the north side of the road, almost directly across from the small garage, a large harness shed once stood. A pen for hogs sat where the small pond behind the blacksmith shop is now located.
David's son Andrew began building the main house around 1880. Andrew's son, D. Finley Mast, completed it in 1896. A photo of the house in the early 1900's shows a sign stating simply, "BROOKSHIDE FARM, D. FINLEY MAST, ONE HALF MILE TO POST OFFICE." Originally, the main house consisted of only the part closest to the road – three stories high, with two rooms on each floor. Like most large homes with open flames for cooking, it had a detached kitchen.
The blacksmith shop, which also required an open fire, was located in a separate log structure. The building for curing meat was separate as well. Laundry was done in large cast-iron pots of boiling water in the wash house by the creek, safely away from the house.
In the early 1900's, Finley and his wife, Josephine, began to make additions to the house and to operate it as an inn. Over a period of about twenty-five years, five different symmetrical additions were completed, ultimately comprising thirteen bedrooms – and one bathroom.
In the early 1900's, when my grandmother was a child and railroads and improved roads brought visitors to nearby towns such as Blowing Rock, the farm, indeed the whole valley, became a haven for flatlanders escaping the heat and the hustle of city life. Guests came from as far north as Washington, D.C., and as far south as New Orleans and Florida to stay with Finley and Josephine Mast. After huge family-style dinners, the men generally sat on the porch smoking their pipes, while the women gathered inside. Well before automobiles sped around the curves of the road, playing children had to share the lawn with grazing horses. There was a well-worn patch across the meadow, where visitors walked to a wooden swinging footbridge crossing the Watauga River.
In her autobiography, Quiet Pilgrimage, Elizabeth Gray Vining wrote of traveling from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to the Mast Farm during summer in the early 1900's:
"Though we went to Valle Crucis by car and found modern plumbing and electric lights in the old house, going there was like stepping back into another era – a time when the Jeffersonian ideal of America life prevailed. Almost everything that we ate was grown on the place. Every day there appeared on the long, white-clothed table at which we all sat: fried chicken, ham, homemade sausage, hot biscuits and spoon bread, home-churned butter, thick cream, cottage cheese, vegetables just out of the garden, ever-bearing strawberries, applesauce, peaches. Once I counted twenty different dishes….
The conversation around the table was good. There were keen minds, aware of questions of the day, people who had traveled, people interested in folklore and the changing customs of the mountain life."
The Masts were known far and wide for their hospitality. My grandmother remembered how visitors arrived in buggies and later in cars on Sunday afternoons. The reason was butter-milk, which Josephine Mast served outside on long tables by the springhouse.
In those days, the loom house on the property housed up to a half-dozen looms. My grandmother, Josephine Mast, and other local women were master craftswomen by today's standards. They learned to make clothing, quilts, and anything else that could be used on the farm. My grandmother could knit, crochet, and make rare lace and quilt patterns passed down from her European ancestors. Josephine Mast was a master weaver famous for her skill and generosity. As Elizabeth Gray Vining wrote,
"Aunt Josie was a remarkable woman in any time or place. A slender, vigorous, gray-haired little figure filled with energy and warmth, she ran her part of the farm – the vegetable garden, the dairy and the house, with its dozen or so paying guests – with almost careless competence. She mothered the people of the countryside, who were forever coming to her with their troubles, which ranged from ailments (which she treated with herb remedies) and hunger (which she fed with baskets of food) to questions about the directions of their lives or the resolution of family conflicts. In her spare time she relaxed by going into the loom house and weaving several inches of bedspread, rug, or bag."
When President Woodrow Wilson's daughter, Jessie, was to be married, Josephine gathered neighbors to help weave spreads and rugs for Jessie's room in the White House. According to newspaper reports of the time, the president's family was so impressed by the work that it redecorated the room around the weavings. Some of Josephine's weavings are now in the Smithsonian.
Finley and Josephine Mast had two sons. Joe, the son who stayed on the farm, was blind by the time he was a young adult. According to my grandmother, Joe attached strings between the buildings in order to find his way around the farm. Later, with typical mountain ingenuity, he abandoned the strings and created his own personal method of getting from place to place on the farm. My father remembers Joe, on hands and knees, pulling grass from hand-made trails between the farm buildings. He used these trials, always plucked free of grass, as guides. Joe overcame his handicap and was able to chop wood and perform other tasks seemingly impossible without the benefit of sight.
He and his wife, Edna, continued to run the house as a successful inn until the 1950's. The main house often was so full that Joe slept upstairs in the loom house to make room for guests. Generation of visitors returned to the gracious house.
After Edna died and Joe became ill, Edna's maid Nell, my family, and other neighbors helped take care of Joe. My father often stayed with Joe as he grew old and unable to fend for himself. As his health continued to decline, he moved out of the old house in 1964. He died in 1969. Joe and Edna had no children, and no one in the family stepped forward to carry on the tradition of hospitality.
Elizabeth Gray Vining visited Valle Crucis again in 1968 and wrote "The house was closed and wore a dejected, unlived-in look. Bedraggled white curtains in the windows suggested that someone had gone out and shut the door on it, just as it was, when the old people died. The spring house and woodshed were empty, the washhouse crumbling, the loom house filled with old wheelbarrows and rusty tools; a half-finished bedspread on the loom was gray with age and dust and festooned with cobwebs. At some time a flood must have changed the course of the brook and the forget-me-nots were gone. Up on the hill, well-fenced, well cared for, in contrast, was the family burial ground."
In 1972, The United States Department of the Interior evaluated the property at the request of the Mast family. The department's representative wrote:
"The numerous buildings that make up the Mast Farm, each expressive of it function, represent vividly the wide variety of operations necessary to a self-sustaining farm complex. The weaving house is particularly interesting, both because…"it is an example of log construction which reached its finest development in North Carolina," and because it was the original dwelling around which the farm grew up. With this building as a nucleus, the farm illustrates the progression of an enterprising pioneer family from this rude early house on a small homestead to a larger, more comfortable house, the seat of much larger land holdings. This complex includes one of the most complete and best preserved groups of nineteenth-century farm buildings in western North Carolina."
The farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. At that time, the loom house still contained several working looms, but the main house and many of the outbuildings were in serious disrepair. The family put the farm up for sale.
The Paul Lackey family bought the property from Joe's heirs in 1980. After beginning some renovations, the Lackeys sold it to Francis and Sibyl Pressley in 1984. Francis and Sibyl rescued the old homestead. They first renovated and moved into the loom house, then began the painstaking process of renovating the main house according to the strict historic guidelines for National Register properties. They opened the main house to guests in 1985 and later renovated the granary, the blacksmith shop, and the woodworking shop.
A year's worth of meticulous work resulted in the facility you see today and earned them the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit from the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina. Likewise, their hospitality landed the inn in the prestigious Innkeepers' Register, a publication containing inns known for their hospitality, service, and historical or other special interest.
The Pressleys served family-style meals and grew much of their produce on the farm. Much like the Masts in years gone by, they borrowed recipes from neighbors and friends.
Francis and Sibyl Pressley retired as innkeepers in 1996 and sold the inn to the Schoenfeldt family, which plans to carry the Masts' tradition of hospitality into another century. If you get a chance to stay in this grand old inn, you will find that it is operated much the same way the Masts ran it almost a century ago. The rooms are furnished with period antiques. Guests eat freshly prepared meals around big tables, exchange stories with their fellow travelers, sit on the porch, and take walks around the farm. Fortunately, they no longer have to share a single bathroom with a houseful of guests. Progress does have its advantages, even in Valle Crucis.
David Yates
Valle Crucis, North Carolina
December 2004
For More Information
GoodReads • http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2939937-valle-crucis
Amazon • http://amzn.com/089587203X
Editorial Update: The history above was written in 1997 and updated in 2004. On February 1st 2006, eight members of The Deschamps, Russo & Siano Family relocated together to The Valle Crucis community. They converged to Valle Crucis after having lived in Paris, London, Switzerland, Manhattan, Pétionville, Laboule, Coconut Grove & North Carolina, as they they had purchased The Mast Farm Inn from Wanda Hinshaw and Lyle Schoenfeldt, and The Taylor House Inn, also in Valle Crucis. The Deschamps have owned, since 1996, what used to be a historic girl's camp (Camp Glenlaurel) on The Blue Ridge Parkway at Gooch Gap in Little Switzerland. After twice-yearly visits and vacations in the area they decided to move here full-time. A very common occurrence with visitors to the region. To see why one needs only visit a few times.
On February 1st 2016, they took over ownership and management of the Inn and In April 2006 they began in-depth restorations-renovations of the inns and properties.
The new innkeepers of The Mast Farm Inn became sisters Sandra Deschamps Siano and Danielle Deschamps. Sandra & Danielle are of French-Italian-US heritage, were educated in Paris, Villars-sur-Ollon in Switzerland, London, Pétionville, Manhattan and Miami, and speak 4 languages.
They receive help and support from Sandra's husband Gaetano Siano, who manages Accounting & IT, Marie-Henriette Deschamps, their executive-chef mother who also takes care of Administration, Food & Beverage, their publisher father, Henri Deschamps, who attends to building, restoration, business & organizational development, and last, but by no means least, from Sandra's sons Nicolas & Alex Siano, all of three and seven, managers of "odes to joy" and general glee. Since end of 2011, Sandra has been devoting more time to being an almost full-time Mom and helps primarily in the the building, renovations, restoration & decoration. This family of 10 represents a whopping 2% of the population of Valle Crucis.
Marie-Henriette's Brother Bernard Russo and his wife Tessa Siegel Russo, own and manage The Taylor House Inn, also in Valle Crucis about half a mile from The Mast Farm Inn.
They all share a strong commitment towards the Inns, the Community, the Heritage, Legacy, Traditions and Values which have made The Mast Farm Inn, The Taylor House, Valle Crucis and the Western North Carolina High Country, a little bit of heaven.
Make Your Own History at The Mast Farm Inn
Historic Farmhouse, Cottage & Cabin Lodging, Invigorating Retreats & Workshops, Memorable Elopements, Weddings & Honeymoons • The Mast Farm Inn is an award-winning Historic Hotels of America® boutique hotel, and Select Registry® country inn, specializing in historic lodging, weddings, elopements, honeymoons, retreats and workshops, in Historic Valle Crucis, North Carolina. The Mast Farm Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the entire historic district of Valle Crucis in which it is located; a world-renowned rural mountain village, in the western North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway mountains.


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Effect of PBT2 in Patients With Early to Mid Stage Huntington Disease (Reach2HD)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01590888
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : May 3, 2012
Results First Posted : July 18, 2016
Last Update Posted : July 18, 2016
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Tracking Information
|First Submitted Date ICMJE
|April 18, 2012
|First Posted Date ICMJE
|May 3, 2012
|Results First Submitted Date ICMJE
|November 17, 2015
|Results First Posted Date ICMJE
|July 18, 2016
|Last Update Posted Date
|July 18, 2016
|Study Start Date ICMJE
|April 2012
|Actual Primary Completion Date
|July 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Safety and Tolerability of PBT2 in Patients With HD [ Time Frame: Baseline to 26 weeks ]
As measured by the total number of participants in each dose group who reported at least one adverse events during the study,
|Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Safety and Tolerability of PBT2 in patients with HD by measuring Frequency of Adverse Events. [ Time Frame: 26 weeks ]
|Change History
|Complete list of historical versions of study NCT01590888 on ClinicalTrials.gov Archive Site
|Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures
|Not Provided
|Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures
|Not Provided
|Descriptive Information
|Brief Title ICMJE
|Effect of PBT2 in Patients With Early to Mid Stage Huntington Disease
|Official Title ICMJE
|A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study to Assess the Safety and Tolerability, and Efficacy of PBT2 in Patients With Early to Mid-stage Huntington Disease
|Brief Summary
Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease which affects over 30,000 people in both the United States and Australia. HD is characterized by brain cell death that usually begins between the ages of 30 to 50, and results in motor, cognitive and behavioral signs and symptoms. While there are medications to help relieve some of the disease symptoms, there is no known treatment to address the cognitive impairment associated with HD.
Normally occurring metals in the brain play a significant role in diseases such as Alzheimer disease and HD. PBT2 is a drug designed to interrupt interactions between these biological metals and target proteins in the brain, to prevent deterioration of brain cells. PBT2, has shown in animal models, and as well as in a small group of patients with Alzheimer's disease, it may improve cognition. There is some indication in animal models of HD, that the drug may improve motor function and control and reduce the amount of brain cell degeneration.
PBT2-203 will evaluate how safe and well tolerated PBT2 is at a dose of 100 mg or 250 mg a day administered as oral daily capsules compared to a placebo over a six month treatment period. The trial will also measure whether there is an effect on cognitive abilities as well as other HD symptoms including motor and overall functioning of individuals with HD.
|Detailed Description
|Not Provided
|Study Type ICMJE
|Study Phase ICMJE
|Phase 2
|Study Design ICMJE
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Condition ICMJE
|Huntington Disease
|Intervention ICMJE
|Study Arms ICMJE
|Publications *
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
|Recruitment Information
|Recruitment Status ICMJE
|Actual Enrollment ICMJE
|Original Estimated Enrollment ICMJE
|Actual Study Completion Date ICMJE
|February 2014
|Actual Primary Completion Date
|July 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Eligibility Criteria ICMJE
Inclusion Criteria:
|Sex/Gender ICMJE
|Ages ICMJE
|25 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers ICMJE
|Contacts ICMJE
|Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
|Listed Location Countries ICMJE
|Australia, United States
|Removed Location Countries
|Administrative Information
|NCT Number ICMJE
|Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE
|Has Data Monitoring Committee
|U.S. FDA-regulated Product
|Not Provided
|IPD Sharing Statement ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Responsible Party
|Prana Biotechnology Limited
|Study Sponsor ICMJE
|Prana Biotechnology Limited
|Collaborators ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Investigators ICMJE
|PRS Account
|Prana Biotechnology Limited
|Verification Date
|June 2016
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP


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- Premier League
Fergie bemoans FA 'leaks'
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said he is unhappy that news about the fitness of his English players is being revealed while they are on international duty.
Phil Jones withdrew from the England Under-21 squad ahead of Tuesday's friendly against Sweden, with manager Stuart Pearce claiming that the defender was suffering from shingles.
However, Ferguson said in his press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash at home to Everton that Jones was fit and available, and the United manager was clearly not pleased with Pearce.
"What about doctor confidentiality?" he said. "We are disappointed with that."
News about the fitness of United players has emerged from the England camp before. Earlier this season, manager Roy Hodgson said Ashley Young had been left out of a squad because of a knee injury before United had made any official comment on the matter.
And Ferguson said the Football Association should take more responsibility for how such information was handled. "It is something we have to address," he said. "The FA is a big organisation - things can leak from a lot of different places. "But that was a conversation between our doctor and theirs, and shouldn't have gone any further."
Young is available for United this weekend after missing almost four weeks with a different knee injury, while midfielder Michael Carrick is also set to return after the hip injury that ruled him out of England's midweek friendly win over Brazil.


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Hey Healthy Lockers.
Great to be back and I appreciate your patience. Although I had another topic scheduled for the live broadcast tonight, I feel that tonight's topic is timely and too important to put off.
Last week I received a semi-desperate phone call from a customer/viewer who informed me that she was on day 18 of treatment to rid her daughter and possibly herself of HEAD LICE! She wanted to know if I had any experience with them or could offer additional info on how to successfully get rid of them. Both the caller and her daughter has Sisterlocks and although she was successful in finding information online about how to get rid of lice, there was no detailed info on how to remove them from locked hair. Her only recourse was to post a question in one of the locked hair forums and to her surprise, she learned that a few locked hair sisters (who were willing to admit it and help a sistah out) had also suffered through the lice ordeal and had success in completely removing the pesky critters!
This caller has agreed to join us live tonight and share her ordeal. Hope you can make it. (Someone, anyone…please remind me to record!!!)
After the broadcast tonight, I'll be posting a few videos and links to really good info I found on line and hopefully will be able to add to this list from info provided by my broadcast viewers.
See you tonight at 9pm EST/ 8pm CST/ 7pm MST/ 6pm PST
Click the LOUSE picture above to view the REPLAY of LICE IN YOUR LOCS or copy and paste this link into your browser:
No user name or password is need…just type your name (or at least 4 letters) in the Guest field and click Enter. The broadcast will automatically load and begin playing for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
It was a great broadcast. After discussing the lice, I showed a video of lock breakage and a new client during her consultation. She was such a good sport. She took off her wig!
I'll post additional links tomorrow…I'm too tired. Good Night! Thanks for joining me on the broadcast.


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Type: the Extra Mile
A few typographic terms before we get started. Kerning is the process of optically adjusting the spacing between letters, by hand in most cases, to produce a more even end result. Hinting is the adjustment of type outlines, a willful distortion of the letterforms to help them fit the pixel grid. The difference is that you will most likely never need to hint (it's done by the designer/foundry before font distribution) but kerning is an essential monkeywrench for your toolbox. And finally, anti-aliasing is the softening of jagged pixellated curves through interpolation.
The two lines of text pictured above show the difference between type set simply by entering and forgetting about it (top), and type that has been manually kerned (bottom). As digital type has matured, the defaults are getting rather good. Hinting of the more common professional typefaces is generally done well, but manual work by the designer is often still needed to take it the extra mile.
However, when you hit a certain size with your type, it becomes hard to apply traditional kerning reliably. 12 pixel high type rarely benefits, unless the gaps are too obvious to ignore.
This is because when working with small enough sizes, a whole new set of problems is introduced. The algorithms used to generate type hit the pixel barrier: no stroke or curve can be reduced smaller than a single pixel in width. Anti-aliasing offers a method around this, by half-toning two or three pixels instead of setting one to full intensity. The optical effect is a smoother curve, which will often appear thinner.
But anti-aliasing is problematic, as the extra pixels add blur. And since it's an all-or-nothing proposition, you will find them blurring in spots that you really would rather they didn't.
In the above image, you'll notice the stems (vertical strokes on either side) of the U are two grey pixels thick, instead of a single black pixel. The type display algorithm has essentially decided the center line for each stroke falls between the two pixels, so each is shaded. It's hard for the software, but easy for us to see that this results in a blurry U. Fortunately the tools exist that allow us to fix it.
The Photoshop dialogue at right highlights the adjustment tool you'll be looking for. By specifying a positive or negative integer, you control how much space displays between each letter. This is the same spot you'd go to kern. Note that your cursor has to be placed between two letters in order to work, without either highlighted.
For the purposes of our aliasing however, we're not so much concerned about the letter spacing as we are of where the type falls on the pixel grid. By playing with the values, it's possible to bump each letter off whatever axis is causing it to render sloppy, and tighten up the letters.
The dropdown shown above has some default values you can choose from, but often times you'll want to add a number in between those, which you have to type. That gets tedious. I just discovered this week that by hitting Option + (left or right arrow) [Mac] or ALT + (left or right arrow) [Win], you can adjust the spacing in increments of 20, which in most cases is good enough.
Compare and contrast the above images. Subtle changes can make a world of difference to final legibility.


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Maaco—best known as the place to get your stolen ride resprayed on the cheap—is your of-late title sponsor for the Las Vegas Bowl (née California Raisin Bowl) and, owing to this honor, had prime advertising space early in the game's ESPN broadcast.
Unfortunately, the quality of the spot was as awful as the usual service you'd get at Maaco. Every participant appears to be under duress; it's a PR-vid-as-hostage-film and, at times, not as funny as it is uncomfortable. When you think of Las Vegas, the glitz and glamor of the strip come to mind; Maaco's ad is more the Western Inn on the dangerous outskirts of downtown.