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This Positive Life: Marco Benjamin Lives Openly -- And On the Open Road
June 3, 2013
If you have seen an 18-wheel truck with a huge condom on the side driving through your town, then you may have seen Marco Benjamin. Diagnosed with HIV at 27 while working at an architectural firm, Marco left that job within a year to pursue a life of HIV activism, and hasn't looked back since.
Marco found out he was HIV positive when his then-boyfriend tested him at home. Soon after, he learned that he was considered an HIV "nonprogressor," and was advised by his doctors not to start treatment, though he was not in agreement at first. In this interview, Marco discusses how lucky he is to have a supportive family, why he thinks stigma isn't going to go away any time soon, and how preventing HIV transmission should always be a conversation between two people -- not just the burden of the person living with HIV.
I found out that I was HIV positive because my partner at the time tested me at home. He worked at a hospital and was able to bring a test home.
And when was this?
This was July 8 of 2008. It's weird that I know the exact date.
Upon hearing that you were positive, what did you think and how did you feel?
Initially, I didn't know how to feel. And, if I could do it again, I probably would not test at home for just that reason, because I didn't know where to go, who to see, or how to link my own self into care. But immediately after, the next morning, I went out to a clinic in lower Manhattan and had them retest me three times, because I didn't believe that I was positive. So, I got to the clinic, they tested me, and they confirmed that I was HIV positive, or am HIV positive.
Did you find it odd that your boyfriend wanted to test you at home?
I did. I found it odd, not so much that it was at home, but why test me if I recently got tested prior to being in a relationship with him? And, he didn't test himself in front of me. So, I just found it a little odd. But at that time, it didn't really matter to me. What really mattered more to me was what was going on with my body, what was going on with the virus, and what did I have to do next, was what was on my mind at the time.
Prior to your diagnosis, did you think of yourself as "at risk" for HIV? Did it come into your consciousness at all?
At the time that I tested positive, it gave me a little flashback to any times that I had unprotected sex or risky behavior. But I didn't remember every single incident that I had -- you know, whether it was risky or not. But you do think about what behaviors you had before you tested positive and you think, "How could this happen to me?" I was already about 27 at that time, and I figured that I could've dealt with it easier had it happened to me when I was younger and really risky. At that time, I was already trying to protect myself more and didn't think that I was going to be infected at such an older age.
So, you know who you got HIV from, is that correct?
Were you able to talk to him about it? What was that conversation like?
"It takes two. I should've been responsible enough to wear a condom. I can't solely blame a person who is HIV positive."
In the beginning, it really didn't matter to me how I got it or from whom. It was really more about trying to get myself into care. But when I was able to do a "process of elimination," I went back and I contacted my past partners myself. I told them I contracted HIV, and I suggested that they go out and get a test done with me, just to see who it may have been. The people that I contacted were HIV negative at the time, so it wasn't them. But, when I finally caught up and did elimination, and I spoke to the person about it -- I mean, what do you expect the person to say back to you? I feel that it takes two. I should've been responsible enough to wear a condom. I can't solely blame a person who is HIV positive [for not telling] me, knowing there's a lot of stigma behind it, and it's not always easy to "come out of the closet" and tell your status. So, I take partial responsibility, too.
Besides your boyfriend who tested you at the time, who was the first person that you told about your diagnosis?
I called my mom. I called my mother the next day at 5 in the morning and I told her I was going to ruin her day. The first thing that came to her mind was that I went into jail. I told her, "No, I tested at home for HIV." She didn't believe me at first and she told me that I should go to a doctor and get it done by a physician to make sure that I tested positive. Fortunately, I have a very supportive family. By the time I got down to the clinic to test, my mother knew already that I was positive and she told me, "This doesn't change you. You're still the same person. I'm here to support you." I know a lot of people out there, they don't have the same support, whether it's from family or friends. For me, I felt very fortunate to be able to have my family that I can use as a support group at that time.
So your family members were the first people you told. How did you broach the subject with friends?
Friends were a little hard, because, just as much as I was uneducated about HIV, they were uneducated about HIV, also. The whole, "Oh, you're gonna get it from touching somebody. You're going to get it by drinking from the same glass after someone." I didn't know. As I learned more about HIV, I was able to share this knowledge with my friends. Fortunately, some of my friends were very supportive of me. Some weren't. This just goes to show who your real friends are and who aren't.
The hardest part was the medical clinic wanted me to do a partner notification with them and have them notify the partners. For me, I felt like that was chickening out. I felt that it was my responsibility to notify past partners. But I got through that with them. I went with them to get tested to show support -- that, by some chance, if I passed the virus off to them, at least I was still able to support them somewhat. And what little knowledge I had I was able to share with them at that time.
How have your relationships with family and friends changed since you came out to them as HIV positive?
Very much in the beginning. Everybody was like, "Oh, you can't do this. You can't have a dog. You shouldn't be drinking. You shouldn't smoke." Stuff like that. Everybody was on me, trying to take care of me, make sure that I take care of myself. I think that, now, with me being more open about my status -- it's not something I feel should be hidden -- but being more open with my status has made my family and friends more comfortable, I guess.
How has being HIV positive changed your personal relationships and your sex life?
When it comes to relationships, I think that HIV plays a big role in it, as far as the acceptance of someone as a partner. At first, I was reluctant to tell people my status right away -- like, "Hi. I'm Marco Benjamin. I have HIV." Because, with some people that I encountered, it was like they were closing the door on me and they didn't want to know who Marco was. The only thing they saw when I met them and I disclosed my status was HIV. Which was kind of messed up, because they weren't allowing themselves to get to know me for who I am. So, I started to find a way to tell people from the door, straight-up: "I have HIV. There's nothing I can do about it. If you want to talk to me or if you want to date me, that's fine; if not, I can still move on."
I even, sometimes, didn't tell people right away. There was a phase that I went through where I would wait six months. Like, "Why do I have to tell you my status?" But the person felt like I was lying to them; by the time I disclosed my status, they felt that everything I had said before was a lie or that I had something to hide. And I didn't want to be portrayed like that. I wanted to be very upfront with everyone. As of today, if I feel like I'm going to be in a relationship with somebody or have something better than dating, I disclose my status 100 percent.
Can you tell us a little bit about your ethnic background, how your family identifies? And, also, where you're from, the neighborhood or community you grew up in?
I was born and raised for part of my life here in New York City. I'm Puerto Rican, of Latino descent. We lived in the Upper West Side, in the projects, before we moved out to New Jersey. We moved out to New Jersey because we saw "Drug Free School Zone" signs at the time in the projects in the '80s and the early '90s. My parents wanted us to get out of that atmosphere and to New Jersey, to central Jersey. So, I spent a lot of my life in New Jersey, in New Brunswick.
Did you think it was easier or harder being HIV positive in that community? Being in a Latino family, being in New Jersey. What was it like coming out in that environment?
For me, it was a little bit easier. There's no easy way about it, but it was a little easier. New York City was 45 minutes away from my home base. So, while I came out to New York City to play and to hang out, I still went back home to my family in New Brunswick 45 minutes away. And New Brunswick, it's not as open as New York City, whether it's gays or even HIV. So, living back home was -- you were a little secluded, and you couldn't be as open as you can be here in New York.
Let's talk about your health and treatment. How has your health been since your diagnosis?
My health has been excellent. Right now, I am not on any HIV medications. I do see a physician every three months to get my viral loads. I think that I should be on some type of medication, but my T cells are about 1,300 right now, and my viral load is about 500. So, they consider me a nonprogressor. There's really no sense in me taking medications, the doctor says. That's the doctor's recommendation. I beg to differ.
So, you disagree with that?
A little bit, I disagree. There are two sides. Right now, if an accident happened and the condom broke, there's a possibility that the virus could be transmitted to somebody else, because I'm not on treatment. If I was on treatment, and an accident happened, the likelihood of transmitting the virus would be less. I had asked many doctors the first year I was diagnosed; I went through about 13 doctors, because I was determined that I had to be on medications. Every doctor told me, "No, you don't." And that wasn't good enough for me, until I saw one doctor in New Jersey who told me, "You're about 28 years old. I can put you on medications right now. But if I do, I believe that you're going to live to be 80 years old. If I put you on medications right now when you don't need them, 30 years from now when you're in your 50s, going on 60, you're going to have liver problems and heart problems and all these side effects. Do you really want to deal with that?" That kind of put it back into perspective. I don't really want to damage my body if I really don't have to.
That doctor who explained to you why he was not going to prescribe you medication, is that still your doctor?
"It's like a car. Why wait until you hear that noise or something's wrong with it? Fix it now. That's the way I feel about my body."
No, not now.
What is your relationship with your current doctor?
It's great. I'm being seen by an AIDS Healthcare Foundation doctor. We are in conversation about starting me on treatment, even though I have a low viral load and a high T-cell count. I just think, why wait? It's like a car. Why wait until you hear that noise or something's wrong with it? Fix it now. That's the way I feel about my body. If I know something's wrong with me, I should be able to fix it now or take some medications to help suppress my viral load.
Do you feel any pressure to become undetectable?
No, I don't. Because if you use a condom, the chances of transmission are less. You just have to use the condom, pretty much.
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Olivia Wilde treated her funnyman fiance Jason Sudeikis to a racy date night by booking a private room in a New York strip club, according to a report.
The actress is said to have hired two pole dancers at the Penthouse Executive Club to perform for her and the Saturday Night Live regular.
A witness at the venue tells the New York Post gossip column Page Six, Olivia booked the private champagne room with two dancers. She took Jason inside, and while he wasnt allowed to touch the dancers, she could touch them.
They were in there for two hours, Olivia picked up the entire tab. Jason is a lucky guy.
The stars wild night out is said to have taken place just over a month ago, after they went public with their engagement in January.
Wilde is no stranger to exotic dancing she played a stripper and gave a lapdance in the 2012 comedy Butter.
yes, but in the interim, he's going to have MAJOR FUN!
Did you miss the part where he's tapping Olivia Wilde?
I misread the title. Thought it said best GIF ever! As I read the story, I got more excited to see this GIF. I continued reading and realized there was no GIF at the bottom of your post nor was there a link to a page with a GIF. I am disappointed to say the least.
Sounds like a great night. Could have been made perfect if the action took place in a Waldorf=Astoria suite, with Olivia and the gals naked and bringing each other to orgasm.
I like her more and more. She told Justin Bieber to please put his shirt back on on Leno. lol
So she brings him to a strip club and then tells him he cant touch the dancers but she can?
She sucks dude. If this dude had a sack he would have said eff u. Its touch city for me.

subset: commoncrawl


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WHAT: Group Road Ride - 20-30 miles over rolling hills; all pace levels welcome
WHEN: Thursdays at 5:30pm (we will move this to a later time once we get more daylight). Be there early to get your bike ready - group leaves at 5:15pm.
WHO: LTF Cycle Club members and friends
WHERE: Meet at Hwy 86 and Flintwood. From LTF, go south on Parker Rd. approx. 10 miles. Turn left on Hwy 86 and go approx. 3 miles to Flintwood. Turn left on Flintwood and park in the fire station parking lot.
Camaraderie - Fitness - Community - Charitable - Goodwill - FUN
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"Gay Men Draw Vaginas" is exactly the project it sounds like. Three years ago, Keith Wilson and Shannon O'Malley were eating at a restaurant with a group of homosexuals when the topic of vaginas came up. This led to O'Malley asking Wilson to draw a vagina on the table with a crayon. This inspired more conversation and more drawings from the gay men at the table. A few months later, the duo decided to explore this idea even further, setting up a "vagina collection booth" at gay establishments across San Francisco. While they were given a few sneers here and there, most of the gay men who participated were excited to dive in and contribute to the project.
O'Malley observes, "In casual conversation, at surface level, I knew asking gay guys to draw vaginas was funny because it zeroed in on what some people might have perceived as 'opposites.' What I kept to myself were my navel-gazing meditations on 'queer identity' and ideas people (and the culture) hold about women and bodies."
The duo recognize that the drawings range anywhere from misogynistic to celebratory to puzzling and enigmatic. They hope to eventually get people like Dan Savage, Neil Patrick Harris, Perez Hilton, John Waters, and/or George Takei to participate. "Ultimately, though, we hope people do a lot of things; we hope they'll laugh, we hope they'll think about what it means to identify as a 'gay man,' we hope they'll think about ideas our culture has about bodies and body parts. Their responses are part of the study, part of the art," they explain.
O'Malley and Wilson are currently running a Kickstarter for their book project. With 3 days to go, they have raised $56,500, exceeding their projected goal of $37,000. You can follow their project on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. (via huffington post and vice)


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A Mission of Exploration
The wide range of Rowan's research centers and institutes reflect both our commitment to scientific study in an array of professional fields, as well as our commitment to improving the quality of life of those around us. Faculty and students work side by side, entering into regional, national, and international collaborations, to conduct research. These side by side partnerships emphasize teaching, scientific study, scholarship, creative activity and community service.
Geospatial Research Lab
The GeoLab conducts research on a myriad of geospatial topics, primarily land use development patterns, impervious surface trading, watershed quality analysis and interactive web-based mapping.
Rowan Astronomical Observatory
The Rowan Astronomical Observatory (RAO) is dedicated to the exploration of our universe by faculty, students and the neighboring community.
CARES Institute
The Child Abuse Research Education and Service (CARES) Institute provides medical and mental health services to meet the diagnostic and therapeutic needs of abused children and families.
Center for Behavior Analysis
The Center for Behavior Analysis, Research & Services promotes the science of applied behavior analysis through education, research and service.
New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging
The New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging provides medical care in varied settings and offers training for health professionals in multiple disciplines.
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From CAVE® systems to desktop to mobile, Rowan University's Virtual Reality Lab creates applications for clients in a variety of key industries using advanced modeling and simulation capabilities.
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RowanGSBS develops well-trained, enthusiastic research scientists who are equipped to address critical deficits in our knowledge of the biomedical sciences, specializing in cell and molecular biology research.
Rowan University CREATEs
The mission of CREATEs is to conduct cutting edge, applied, and readily implementable research in transportation engineering.


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NAFTA Superhighway RFID Card For US Citizens
Trusted traveler toll road system means government will decide if, where you travel
Paul Joseph Watson/Prison Planet.com | July 26 2006
US citizens will be forced to adopt a de-facto national identification card and have their freedom of mobility defined by behavioural fielty to the government under proposals set to derive from NAFTA superhighway toll road systems and the implementation of the American Union.
Existing toll road systems operational at US borders such as SENTRI/NEXUS and the FAST program mandate that passing vehicles are enrolled in RFID passive tracking and identification programs linked to central databases.
The open plan to merge the US with Mexico and Canada and create a Pan American Union networked by a NAFTA Super Highway has long been a Globalist brainchild but its very real and prescient implementation on behalf of the Council on Foreign Relations has recently come under bright spotlight.
According to author Jerome Corsi,
"Across the NAFTA Super-Highways will flow millions more Mexicans, now armed with North American border passes and biometric identification, as defined by the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America working groups organized within the Department of Commerce."
Similar toll systems snaking their way from the southern and northern borders cutting through major American cities will force American citizens to submit to having RFID enabled identification cards which contain an ever-increasing array of information about their personal lives.
Illegal aliens with cloned RFID transponders will enjoy streamlined access to the US while Americans labor under the financial burden of tolls that go directly to foreign corporations and restrictions that take the right of free travel out of their hands.
To even be allowed to use major roads and highways, US citizens will be subject to a criminal background check and the government will have the ability to pinpoint their particular RFID signal and remotely block it from central computer mainframes - effectively abolishing freedom of mobility in America.
Political dissidents attending protests or hurricane victims attempting to flee could find their journeys cut short at the whim of beaureacrats under the guise of 'protecting national security'.
A May 2006 Homeland Security audit predicts that increasing amounts of traveller's personal information will be stored on central computer databases and readable via passive RFID tracking. It forecasts an expansion of the 'trusted traveler' system being introduced in airports to all major roads and highways.
The Bush administration has embraked on a policy of selling off key US infrastructure to the highest bidder - in most cases foreign owned corporations. The Indiana Toll Road, Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, a Texas toll road from Austin to Sequin and The Chicago Skyway have all been siphoned off to foreign companies who will all enjoy billions in profits from American citizens forced to pay the tolls.
The New Jersey Turnpike and the Ohio Turnpike are also under the hammer with foreign interests at the forefront of the negotiations.
The framework on which the American Union is being pegged is the NAFTA Super Highway (pictured) , a four football-fields-wide leviathan that stretches from southern Mexico through the US up to Montreal Canada.
An earlier Corsi article cites government websites which carry full planning details of the Super Highway and its construction has already begun in Texas with no congressional oversight whatsoever. The Trans-Texas Corridor is being overseen by The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the contract is owned by the Cintra corporation which in turn is owned by the King of Spain Juan Carlos. The project is being financed by the implementation of a toll that will be collected by means of GPS tracking devices installed in all vehicles and also envelops many connecting roads to the highway.
The NAFTA Super Highway will allow vehicles, people and goods to travel from Mexico, into the heart of America and up to Canada with little impediment, effectively erasing America's borders wholesale.
Coupled with Bush's blanket amnesty program, the Pan American Union and the NAFTA Superhighway are the final hammer blows for the wholesale dismantling of American sovereignty.
Infowars.com is Copyright 2006 Alex Jones | Fair Use Notice


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On June 14, our embassies and consulates throughout the world, and many of us across the government here in Washington, celebrated Global Economic Statecraft Day (GESD) to recognize all the ways we are putting economics at the forefront of our foreign policy. And this recognition came all the way from the top: Secretary Clinton used her keynote speech at the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum to mark GESD, and President Obama released a video message dedicated to the day's commemoration.
Above all, GESD was an opportunity to honor the dynamism and creativity of the ambassadors, economic officers, commercial officers, locally engaged staff, and their colleagues at all of our posts around the globe in the work that they do every day in support of America's economic renewal. American embassies and consulates on every continent and in every corner of the world hosted over 250 events in 130 countries that support American jobs, sending the unequivocal message that America is open for business. With that prospective, strategic focus, Embassy Tegucigalpa used June 14 to unveil its Jobs Diplomacy and Anti-Corruption Strategies, while also discussing plans for its pilot Domestic Finance for Development (DF4D) program with the Tegucigalpa Chamber of Commerce.
GESD programs around the globe also focused on securing the global economic future, bringing businesses, governments, and civil societies together to find new ways of tackling our shared economic challenges.
A prime example of this partnership in action occurred in Yerevan, Armenia, where our embassy and the Armenian government hosted a joint conference, with over 100 participants -- mostly from small- and medium-sized businesses. The conference examined current business practices that restrict competition and create "bottlenecks" that distort the market. Participants went on to propose collaborative solutions to these challenges, including a renewed focus on international best practices in countering collusion, abuse of dominant market position, and restricted market access. The Ambassador recorded a video message to kick off the event.
Entrepreneurship was the theme for many of our posts in their GESD activities. The U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem, in coordination with Partners for a New Beginning (PNB) and Coca-Cola, hosted an event to highlight the importance of public-private partnerships, youth engagement, and entrepreneurship in economic development. The reception honored the 13 Palestinian university students who will depart soon to participate in the Global Business Institute at the University of Indiana's Kelley School of Business. This is the first program of its kind to leverage a public-private partnership to enable Palestinians to participate in an exchange program in the United States. In Jakarta, the Deputy Chief of Mission offered U.S. support to the Indonesian Young Entrepreneur's Association, and helped them prepare their delegation's July trip to California.
Women entrepreneurs were at the center of events for embassies Kabul, Nairobi, and Dhaka. In Afghanistan, the Nangarhar Women's Commerce Center hosted a fashion show and handicrafts exhibition attended by government representatives, female parliamentarians, and the public. This event was not only an opportunity to promote local entrepreneurs, but also demonstrated the role Afghan women can play in building a stronger economy. Members of Kenya's Federation of Women Entrepreneur Associations participated in an event at Embassy Nairobi. Held for AGOA Awareness Day, the exhibition featured a spectrum of Kenyan firms who export or are "export-ready." In Dhaka, Bangladeshi and American women entrepreneurs participated in a Youth Exchange, where they discussed the challenges and opportunities for local women entrepreneurs, as well as new opportunities for partnership and global business networks using technology and the Internet.
In Kazakhstan, our embassy hosted the Tech Forum Central Asia (TFCA). This two-day event, with 120 participants from all five Central Asian countries plus Afghanistan and Pakistan, enabled youth activists and entrepreneurs to receive hands-on interactive training from leading American and local technology companies. The event, part of State's "Tech Camps" series, demonstrated how technology augments economic development and promotes corporate social responsibility. In support of the SelectUSA effort, Embassy Stockholm's commercial and economic sections created a prototype SelectUSA foreign direct investment (FDI) map showing the locations of Swedish investment in the United States to encourage more FDI. Consulate General Sao Paulo invited representatives from the science, industry, and technology sectors for a roundtable discussion. The discussion centered on investment in innovation, science and technology, and Brazil's Science without Borders education exchange initiative.
Another major theme was promoting U.S. exports in support of the National Export Initiative. Taking advantage of the recent entry into force of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, Embassy Bogotá promoted U.S. exports and tourism with the five biggest Colombian-American Chambers of Commerce. Also promoting U.S. exports and business opportunities for American firms was Ambassador Shannon, who hosted Brazil's first Direct Line web chat. He shared his insights with U.S. companies, academia, and non-governmental organizations on Brazil's economic outlook and investment climate, this event was a perfect example of how we are deepening cooperation between our private sector and our embassies and improving U.S. competitiveness in overseas markets. In Jakarta, Ambassador Marciel held a Direct Line to American Business call on June 13 before leading a delegation of Ambassadors to meet with the Indonesian Minister of Trade.
Although GESD was only one day, Economic Statecraft itself represents the State Department's ongoing responsibility to recognize and respond to the economic dynamics shaping our current and future foreign policy challenges.
Patrick in Maryland writes:
It sounds like a good initiative for economic progress and better relationships with other coutries.
Debora in California writes:
Though it lasts just a day, GESD is an event with great significance for clarifying all the trends that shape our economic and foreign policy course. I hope that there would be more similar events in the future.
Norine in Virginia writes:
I love events that allow the State Department to highlight all the positive things that the United States does around the world.
Mr. D. writes:
Fine program but with such state craft built on flawed economics – whatever you build will fall. The current system we use is the same tired old mechanics that the gold system used. The "minds†that gave us what we use today -mechanically copied the gold system;not very innovative -just one of many missed opportunities;. The gold backed system was a failure -what we use today is mechanically the same, before that, again mechanically the same – the only difference is in the details of the construct– today its just as much a failure. Until this issue is tackled the only way forward is down. You can build the biggest, tallest most advanced structure but when it is supported by quicksand – its meaningless. Its long overdue to develop solid bedrock to build a future on – or all the greatest ideas will produce very little.
Our financial machine, at its core operates by costing 2 or 3 dollars somewhere, somehow, at some point in time; for every dollar it produces – this is a recipe for disaster for "everyone†-top to bottom. Some groups believe tackling debt is the way forward. From a pure business sense – this makes no sense – every dollar spent on debt is a dollar lost for business and innovation. However creating more debt is just as deadly for business – your done for, no matter which way you turn. Sure you can think "if†and "only†and everything will work – this is the mindsets of the people that dont understand the "machineâ€.
The trouble with modern education is that it teaches you what to think – not how to think – in economics, many students are taught to compartmentalize the "machineâ€(micro economics). The big picture and its simplicity are lost(it is simple) – so too the inherent obvious flaws.
Our economic system was designed by people – its function predictable – not magic. How many companies design something, then act surprised about what they built? Don't accept the economic nonsense – it was designed, it is predictable, it is simple at its core. If anyone in the world acts surprised by the financial "machine†and what it does -they dont know how it works. If you dont know how it works – you have no business making any decision regarding money – your just more likely to be conned. Making money in business is one thing – understanding money as a construct -is a completely different ballgame. I bet if we took 10000 people with PHDs and they all came out telling the world that the earth was flat -most would believe it, the "expert†knows best -despite knowing better. Any economist that trumpets the benefits of the financial construct we use today commits a disservice to their families, business, countries and to life. And for the record I dont champion a communist model either.(for those that would perceive such a notion)
Eric in New Mexico writes:
(BBC News item)
The UK has made moves to stop a cargo vessel allegedly carrying refurbished Russian-made attack helicopters from completing its journey to Syria.
The MV Alaed had its insurance withdrawn by The Standard Club in London while it was about 50 miles (80.4km) off Scotland's north coast.
The insurer said it had sought more information on the boat's cargo.
Withdrawal of insurance prevents the MV Alaed from sailing until its owner can secure new cover.
It is thought that the vessel has stopped off the Western Isles.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was unclear where the vessel would now go.
The Russian embassy in London has not yet commented.
The UK and US have raised concerns with Russia about shipments of weapons to Syria, which is subject to a European Union arms embargo.
In a statement, the FCO said: "We are aware of a ship carrying a consignment of refurbished Russian-made attack helicopters heading to Syria.
"The foreign secretary made clear to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov when they met on 14 June that all defence shipments to Syria must stop.
"We are working closely with international partners to ensure that we are doing all we can to stop the Syrian regime's ability to slaughter civilians being reinforced through assistance from other countries."
The Standard Club said it believed the MV Alaed had stopped off the coast of the Western Isles.
In a statement, it said: "We were informed on Friday evening that the ship might be carrying weapons, in particular attack helicopters, missiles and non-specific munitions, and we are making inquiries to establish what their side of the story is.
"There are exclusion clauses in our cover and, for anyone involved in improper or unlawful trade, we can cancel cover.
"We are investigating whether or not to do so in this case."
It would seem that we arn't the only folks practicing "economic Statecraft" , and you know we live in a truly bizzare economic reality when insurance carriers are stopping arms shipments to tyrants by removing their coverage on suspect ship and cargo.
Well my opinion of insurance companies in general has risen a notch or two, and I think a little recongnition is in order for the private sector's most elegant "targeted sanction" of the week!
Bravo!, well done to all concerned and involved in stopping that ship "dead in the water"!
Sergey in California writes:
American embassies and consulates on every continent and in every corner of the world hosted over 250 events in 130 countries that support American jobs, sending the unequivocal message that America is open for business. GESD programs also focused to find new ways of tackling our shared economic challenges.


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Over the last 5 years or so, I seem to have developed a habit of mistyping words and I'm curious to know if anyone else does it? …or can I name the condition after myself? 😀
As a bit of background, I'm a touch-typist, so type fairly quickly without looking at the keyboard.
Anyway, what happens is that I'll start typing one word, but I'll mash that word up with the next word, before I then type that next word. What's particularly annoying/frustrating is that I only seem to do it if the mashed word is itself a valid, correctly spelt word.
As an example, I was just typing an email with the phrase "…you'll end up with the same end result", except what I actually typed was "…you'll end up with the send end result".
On a bad day, I can do this several times in a single email (or a blog post). So, before I hit the send button, I'll usually have to re-read the email a couple of times to try and catch the glitches (as the spellchecker doesn't catch them).
So, am I the only person in the world who does this?!


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Sox have 2 of Jonah Keri's Worst 15 Contracts in baseball
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WSI High Priest
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Washington, DC area
Posts: 8,899
Originally Posted by
I'm not sure where Dunn is that bad a contract. He produces Runs and RBI's at a clip well above league average usually , at least last year. He gets paid a ton, but I don't remember many complaints when we got him . I was happy with it. Danks contract was an eyebrow raiser , I never thought he should hve got tha kind of money for pretty average career numbers and performance. But I have heard , for the sabermetric people , he has WAR well above average for his spot in the rotation and for a lefthanded pitcher. i didn't like that contract at all at the time and still don't. He gets paid like a top flight pitcher and he doesn't perform like one in my opinion. If he gets injured again, that contract is going to be a disaster.
I have an opposite viewpoint. Keri seems to include Danks in his bottom mainly based on the uncertainty that he will perform close to pre-injury levels, while Dunn's inclusion is based on a two-year decline (not in HR and RBI, of course, but in every other offensive category) at the age of 33. I think Danks will come closer to earning his salary than Dunn will, especially when you factor in defense (and why wouldn't you?).
"I have the ultimate respect for White Sox fans. They were as miserable as the Cubs and Red Sox fans ever were but always had the good decency to keep it to themselves. And when they finally won the World Series, they celebrated without annoying every other fan in the country
." Jim Caple,
(January 12, 2011)
"We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the (bleeding) obvious is the first duty of intelligent men."
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Search for Gt Radial tyres
Recommended GT Radial tyres
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Introducing the Champiro FE1, developed with a focus on delivering superior tyre life and offering optimal water dispersion and a new compound to reduce heat generation and improve rolling resistance.
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My Content
Membership has its privileges! Sign up or sign in to gain full access to both All About Jazz and Jazz Near You. Learn more.
The first interview took place on January 7th following an evening of short films. Graham Sheffield (Artistic Director of The Barbican) interviewed Philip Glass and Michal Rovner, director of one of the shorts, Notes . Graham Sheffield: What drew you to Philip's work and the idea of the collaboration with Philip in Notes ? How did it begin? Because I think this idea of the collaboration is something that we will talk about more than anything else this evening... Michal Rovner:
Graham Sheffield: What drew you to Philip's work and the idea of the collaboration with Philip in Notes ? How did it begin? Because I think this idea of the collaboration is something that we will talk about more than anything else this evening...
Michal Rovner:Actually, it was Philip who contacted me. I was very pleased because I have listened to Philip's music years and years ago. While I was working, it was one of the very few things that I did like to hear. It did not interrupt me and inspired me and created the right space for me to have, in addition to my own thinking. I thought there was something in common with our work in that we are both not looking for any kind of narrative. I thought it would be a challenge for me to do something in consideration with someone else. When you are an artist, you are actually doing a sort of monologue, and in collaboration it is a dialogue, a conversation. I was very much looking for that kind of extension.
GS: Was Philip the first composer you have worked with or have you worked with other composers? MR
MR: I did hire other people to compose my work, and I was not giving them so much freedom.
GS: But in a way if you talk about collaboration and dialogue, as you had with Philip, you sign away some of your freedom in that dialogue. How does that feel to you as an artist? MR
MR: I was very pleased to do it for Philip, because I liked this music. I actually was surprised. I said, "OK, how are we going to do it? Are you going to give me your music and I'll make something for it?" and he said, "No, we'll do it the other way round." So, in fact, he said he would write a concert for my film. I really wanted to get a cue from him. What is the point of this collaboration for me if I'm not going to have any interaction? I did want an interaction. I said, "OK, Philip. How are you writing your music normally? How do you do it? A B C and then A1 B1 C1? Do you change it?" and he said, "OK, let me show you." I gave him a notepad and a pen, and he started to write A B C then A1 B1 C1 and then he said "But sometimes I write A A then B B. But then sometimes I would write A1?" So I had a whole page of these kind of mathematical formulae. It was very confusing actually.
GS: (to Philip Glass) Is that how you remember it? Philip Glass
Philip Glass: That is pretty accurate. The interesting thing was that of the five different people I worked with, in the end I worked more closely with Michal than with anyone. Because she had another idea, she said, "Let's look at some images." She invited me to look. She has so many images that she works with. We looked through her library, or the work she was working on, and she invited me to pick out pictures that I liked. And in fact, that became the basis of the film. There was one I particularly liked of people on an inclined plane, walking at an angle. She didn't have enough of those for the movie but she was going back?(to MR) Where did you film that?
MR: In Russia...
PG: Yes. So she was going back to Russia and she said she would film some more. The idea of the structure, I have to say, that is a dramatic idea that I worked out many years ago with Bob Wilson. We often did pieces like that, even down to the timing. We didn't worry very much about what we put into the structures, because you have to find a common ground to work in. And I thought that would be a way to begin. But her idea actually turned out to be more productive, in a way, because she basically was tailor-making the images to the music, based on my reactions to them.
GS: So you found this single image - the slope with the people moving, almost these little Lowry-like figures, in a way - and that was the trigger was it for the music?
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micah holmquist's irregular thoughts and links
Welcome to the musings and notes of a Cadillac, Michigan based writer named Micah Holmquist, who is bothered by his own sarcasm.
Please send him email at email@example.com.
Holmquist's full archives are listed here.
Sites Holmquist trys, and often fails, to go no more than a couple of days without visiting (some of which Holmquist regularly swipes links from without attribution)
Aljazeera.Net English
Blogs that for one reason or another Holmquist would like to read on at least something of a regular basis (always in development)
Thivai Abhor
Saturday, June 04, 2005


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WATERBURY — Vermont State Police issued a statement today saying they are revising their search and rescue policy.
The move comes after VSP received public criticism for their slow response last month to the report of a hiker missing in the Green Mountains — 19-year-old Levi Duclos — who subsequently died on the trail.
MONPTELIER — House and Senate lawmakers on Monday are drafting legislation that would clearly define search-and-rescue protocols for Vermont emergency responders in connection with lost or injured hikers, this in the wake of the tragic death of 19-year-old Levi Duclos on a Ripton trail last month.
That the Vermont State Police failed to adequately respond in a search for 19-year-old Levi Duclos, who was reported to state police as an overdue hiker in Ripton on Jan. 9, has been acknowledged by most, outraged first responders and rescue volunteers across the state, distressed friends and local residents, and shaken the public's confidence in the state police force.
It is clear to almost everyone that this is a tragedy that might have been prevented had a better system been in place.
MIDDLEBURY — Vermont State Police have primary responsibility for finding lost hikers and other missing people in all areas of the state that are not covered by municipal police departments.
MIDDLEBURY — A responsible hiker, hunter, angler or backcountry skier brings along a cell phone and appropriate gear, and lets his family or friends know where he's going and when he's expected back before heading into the wilderness. If he doesn't make it back at the appointed hour, his family can call 9-1-1 and report that he is missing.
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Quality and Relevance of Research and Related Activities at the Gorges Memorial Laboratory
Description: A technical memorandum by the Office of Technical Assessment (OTA) that reviews the quality and relevance of activities at GML (Gorgas Memorial Laboratory), based on Gorgas' publishing record, an OTA-commissioned survey of GML's scientific reputation, a critical review of recent articles and current manuscripts, a comparison of GML's areas of effort with health problems in tropical America and with scientific opportunity, and a review of past scientific evaluations of GML (p. iii).
Date: August 1983
Creator: United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department


text: Sijun Forums :: View topic - Artist Organizations Log in to check your private messages Sijun Forums Forum Index >> Archive : Sep99 - Dec00 View previous topic :: View next topic Author Topic : "Artist Organizations" Kusanhagijunior memberMember #Joined: 23 Oct 1999Posts: 42Location: Dallas, TX Posted: Mon Oct 25, 1999 10:14 am Dhab, Do you belong to any associations for artists or graphics people? I know there are a lot of organizations out there, but I wondered if you were paying dues to anyone. Back to top DhabihAdministratorMember #Joined: 13 Sep 1999Posts: 530Location: Kirkland, WA, U.S.A. Posted: Mon Oct 25, 1999 8:43 pm hey, Nope, i didnt know there were any. What are the benefits? you gotta pay dues? Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Sijun Forums Forum Index -> Archive : Sep99 - Dec00 All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Digital Art----------------Digital Art DiscussionWork in ProgressGallery/Finished Work Miscellaneous----------------Random MusingsArchive : Sep99 - Dec00 You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2005 phpBB Group


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zuneone needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 47 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
I need a logo for a new network of weight loss sites I will be launching. Although there are 20 different sites I need only one logo and I'll be changing the text based on the domain name.
Here are a list of all the site names in the network. Should give you an overall feel for the design.
1. fatstats.net
2. fattummy.info
3. losearmfat.com
4. losetummyfat.net
5. losebuttfat.net
6. burnbuttfat.com
7. burntummyfat.net
8. burnthighfat.net
9. burnfatpills.net
10. fatbody.info
11. fatthighs.net
12. fatbuttocks.net
13. neckfat.net
14. fatseniors.net
15. fatchildren.net
16. fatteens.info
17. fatrear.net
18. fatroll.net
19. obeseamerica.net
20. fat-blocker.net
So to further clarify what I am looking for visit Net Eats . Notice the logo on left and the sitename. The logo is the same for all sites but you will need to chose appropriate font to go with the logo. I can change the text for each site.
Let me know if this is not clear.
Use the site fatstats.net for your example. This way everyone is working from the same page.
- Brandable
- Recognizable
- Pops
- Scales Well
- Healthy
Hard to read fonts...
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Sweetly Scrapped Art tells how to make this pretty flower in a post here.
On the Melissa Frances blog, you can see a tutorial by Linda Albrecht to make the paper ruffle shown in the project below. Click here to see the tutorial.
How About Orange has a tutorial posted here for making the flower shown below.
Debby de Wilde posted a trick for measuring for border punching. Take a look here to read all about it.
Wendy Vecchi tells how to do a colour wash in a tutorial here. See a sample below.
Kay Rogers shows some ideas of what to do with scraps left over from a kit in this post at A Million Memories.
Bella Blvd has a tutorial posted here by Kerryn Frye on creating page bursts. See one photo below.
Mary Anne Walters shows how to make a slider card in a tutorial posted here. There's a PDF and a video available as well.
On the Nikki Sivils blog you can see a tutorial by Sarah Eclavea to make the pretty flowers below.


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Product Range
Sanitaryware Basins
View our large range of Basins available under each category. Visit us in-store to speak to our qualified sales consultants who can asisst you with all your project needs whether it's a small renovation or complete revamp of your space.
We have an Online Quotation Request System. You can request a quote on 1 or more of our products by navigating to our Online Product Catalogue and selecting the products that interest you. Once submitted we will compile a quotation for you.


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|System: PS3, Wii
|Review Rating Legend
|Dev: EA Canada
|1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
|4.0 - 4.4 = Great
|Pub: Electronic Arts
|2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
|4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
|Release: Fall 2010
|2.5 - 2.9 = Average
|5.0 = The Best
|Players: 1
|3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
|ESRB Rating: Everyone
|3.5 - 3.9 = Good
by Leon Hendrix III
May 4, 2010 - I was swiftly corrected when I compared EA's new game, EA Sports Active 2.0 (working title), to the Wii Fit app for Nintendo's console. First, the EA representative wanted to make it clear that the new release is not really a game, it's an exercise program. It's a small but important distinction that the demo would later prove, more or less. The second distinction was that unlike Wii Fit, EA's new release is inspired by western exercise science and common practice.
That means less of a focus on yoga-style stretches, and more on mimicking hardcore exercise routines like extreme BMX and Basketball. The 'Active 2.0' app was demoed by a young woman who seemed to be fairly fit, but 'Active 2.0' put her through her paces. And she was a pro. Another video game journalist strapped in and by the end of a session (a few sets of different exercises), his onscreen heart rate had elevated to 180. EA is getting serious about fitness, and they hope you will too.
When you begin a training session, an onscreen avatar begins a session as well. Your character's corresponding movements are the video representation of the underlying movement behind your exercise. For instance, quick, explosive feet movements in real life match up to your character onscreen, biking up a steep incline. You execute a squat jump, and the avatar jumps a hill. The effect flows both ways. The player seems to feel less like they are repeating boring movements to no avail as they watch their character jumping hurdles or knocking in headers on the soccer field. Meanwhile, the exercises seem almost instinctual at times. A soccer session was demonstrated where the personal trainer onscreen kicked balls to the sides of the goal toward the player. The player moved lunged laterally on impulse. It's a pretty cool aspect of the gameplay, and though it's nothing completely new, it definitely seats 'Active 2.0' among the most 'interactive' exercise experiences around.
'Active 2.0' will advance EA's vision with a completely wireless approach unlike its first iteration. Unlike the original, it will ship with sensors (one for the arm, another for the leg) that monitor heart rate, and resistance bands for completing weighted exercises like shoulder presses or biceps curls. The bands attached easily to the Wii-mote and the whole system seemed to work fairly well. During actual exercise sessions, 'Active 2.0' uses the monitors to track and display calorie counts and heart rate onscreen.
The games setup was pretty open. You can select pre-established workouts that use different sports to get a variety of exercises into a session, or you can create your own challenges complete with correlated videos. I didn't see it in action, but presumably these personal workouts will allow you to edit reps and time for challenges as well. If those don't work for you, you can always try EA's nine week 'Active Challenge'. Custom workouts, results, and related information can be taken online and uploaded to workout groups. EA seems to want to create a strong online community for 'Active 2.0'; there was talk of other applications for 'Active 2.0' such as custom workouts from celebrity trainers - nothing was ruled out. EA did confirm that all versions of the game will have some DLC, though nothing was specified.
The game was only about 50% complete at the time of the demo, and it wouldn't hurt EA to put a bit of spit shine on their new shoes. New workouts are still being added, and I'd venture to guess that something is being done to enhance the Gumby-esque visual style, but a few additional play tests wouldn't be so bad either. There seemed to be some difficulty for the EA rep in getting the Wii's sensors to recognize when she had executed a movement. Another thing to consider is that while the Wii demo was pretty cool, we didn't get a chance to see the PS3, iPhone, or iPod versions in action. EA still has a lot of fat to trim.
It was very clear that the 'Active 2.0' team was very proud of its product. Thomas Singleton, an EA rep, said "We're changing lives." Active's exercise philosophy seems rooted in a very vigorous training regimen. EA, I was told, is considering this a viable fitness product. The development team featured certified personal trainers who helped design virtual routines around real world movements. As the representative said, 'Active 2.0' blurs the lines between fitness and fun. Though the official release date is still up in the air, late November was tossed out as something of a target for 'Active 2.0' to make its debut. We'll soon see if it has enough of either to drive obesity rates down and sales up.
Leon Hendrix III
CCC Freelance Writer
Game Features:


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J. McKnight, who lost his limbs in a railway accident in 1865, was the second recorded survivor of a simultaneous triple amputation.
|Classification and external resources
|emergency medicine
Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for such problems. A special case is that of congenital amputation, a congenital disorder, where fetal limbs have been cut off by constrictive bands. In some countries, amputation of the hands, feet or other body parts is or was used as a form of punishment for people who committed crimes. Amputation has also been used as a tactic in war and acts of terrorism; it may also occur as a war injury. In some cultures and religions, minor amputations or mutilations are considered a ritual accomplishment. Unlike some non-mammalian animals (such as lizards that shed their tails, salamanders that can regrow many missing body parts, and hydras, flatworms, and starfish that can regrow entire bodies from small fragments), once removed, human extremities do not grow back, unlike portions of some organs, such as the liver. A transplant or a prosthesis are the only options for recovering the loss.
In the US, the majority of new amputations occur due to complications of the vascular system (the blood vessels), especially from diabetes. Between 1988 and 1996, there were an average of 133,735 hospital discharges for amputation per year in the US.[1]
The word amputation is derived from the Latin amputare, "to cut away", from ambi- ("about", "around") and putare ("to prune"). The Latin word has never been recorded in a surgical context, being reserved to indicate punishment for criminals. The English word "amputation" was first applied to surgery in the 17th century, possibly first in Peter Lowe's A discourse of the Whole Art of Chirurgerie (published in either 1597 or 1612); his work was derived from 16th-century French texts and early English writers also used the words "extirpation" (16th-century French texts tended to use extirper), "disarticulation", and "dismemberment" (from the Old French desmembrer and a more common term before the 17th century for limb loss or removal), or simply "cutting", but by the end of the 17th century "amputation" had come to dominate as the accepted medical term.
Leg amputations
Leg amputations can be divided into 2 broad categories:
- Minor amputations:
- Major amputations:
- Below-knee amputation, abbreviated as BKA. Intentionally performed surgical below-knee amputation can be performed by transtibial techniques such as Burgess and Kingsley Robinson.
- knee disarticulation (Gritti or Gritti-Stokes)
- above-knee amputation (transfemoral)
- Van-ness rotation/rotationplasty (foot being turned around and reattached to allow the ankle joint to be used as a knee)
- hip disarticulation
- hemipelvectomy/hindquarter amputation
Arm amputations
- amputation of digits
- metacarpal amputation
- wrist disarticulation
- forearm amputation (transradial)
- elbow disarticulation
- above-elbow amputation (transhumeral)
- shoulder disarticulation and forequarter amputation
- Krukenberg procedure
Other amputations
- Face:
- amputation of the ears
- amputation of the nose (rhinotomy)
- amputation of the tongue (glossectomy).
- amputation of the eyes (blinding). Many of these facial disfigurings were and still are done in some parts of the world as punishment for some crimes, and as individual shame and population terror practices.
- amputation of the teeth. Removal of teeth, mainly incisors, is or was practiced by some cultures for ritual purposes (for instance in the Iberomaurusian culture of Neolithic North Africa).
- Breasts:
- amputation of the breasts (mastectomy).
- Genitals amputation
- amputation of the testicles (castration).
- amputation of the penis (penectomy).
- amputation of the foreskin (circumcision).
- amputation of the clitoris (clitoridectomy).
Hemicorporectomy, or amputation at the waist, and decapitation, or amputation at the neck, are the most radical amputations.
Genital modification and mutilation may involve amputating tissue, although not necessarily as a result of injury or disease.
In some rare cases when a person has become trapped in a deserted place, with no means of communication or hope of rescue, the victim has amputated his or her own limb:
- In 2007, 66-year-old Al Hill amputated his leg below the knee using his pocketknife after the leg got stuck beneath a fallen tree he was cutting in California.[3]
- In 2007, Sampson Parker, a South Carolina farmer, cut off his own arm after it became stuck in a corn harvester.[4][5]
- In 2003, 27-year-old Aron Ralston amputated his forearm using his pocketknife and breaking and tearing the two bones, after the arm got stuck under a boulder when hiking in Utah.[6] He documented the story of his ordeal in his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place which was turned into the movie 127 Hours.
- In 2003, an Australian coal miner amputated his own arm with a Stanley knife after it became trapped when the front-end loader he was driving overturned three kilometers underground. The amputation proved to be unnecessary as emergency services arrived and recovered the trapped arm, but were unable to reattach it.[7]
Rarely, self-amputation is performed for criminal or political purposes.
- On March 7, 1998, Daniel Rudolph, the elder brother of the 1996 Olympics bomber Eric Robert Rudolph, videotaped himself cutting off one of his own hands with an electric saw to "send a message to the FBI and the media."[8]
Body integrity identity disorder is a psychological condition in which an individual feels compelled to remove one or more of their body parts, usually a limb. In some cases, that individual may take drastic measures to remove the offending appendages, either by causing irreparable damage to the limb so that medical intervention cannot save the limb, or by causing the limb to be severed.
Circulatory disorders
- Diabetic foot infection or gangrene (the most frequent reason for infection-related amputations)
- Sepsis with peripheral necrosis
- Cancerous bone or soft tissue tumors (e.g. osteosarcoma, chondrosaroma, fibrosarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, synovial sarcoma, sacrococcygeal teratoma, liposarcoma)
- Melanoma
- Severe limb injuries in which the limb cannot be saved or efforts to save the limb fail.
- Traumatic amputation (an unexpected amputation that occurs at the scene of an accident, where the limb is partially or entirely severed as a direct result of the accident, for example a finger that is severed from the blade of a table saw).
- Amputation in utero (Amniotic band)
- Deformities of digits and/or limbs (e.g., proximal femoral focal deficiency)
- Extra digits and/or limbs (e.g., polydactyly)
- Bone infection (osteomyelitis)
- Diabetes
- Frostbite
Athletic performance
- Sometimes professional athletes may choose to have a non-essential digit amputated to relieve chronic pain and impaired performance. Australian Rules footballer Daniel Chick elected to have his left ring finger amputated as chronic pain and injury was limiting his performance.[9] Rugby union player Jone Tawake also had a finger removed.[10] National Football League safety Ronnie Lott had the tip of his little finger removed after it was damaged in the 1985 NFL season.
Legal punishment
- Amputation is used as a legal punishment in a number of countries, among them Iran, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Islamic regions of Nigeria.[11]
Surgical amputation
The first step is ligating the supplying artery and vein, to prevent hemorrhage (bleeding). The muscles are transected, and finally the bone is sawed through with an oscillating saw. Sharp and rough edges of the bone(s) are filed down, skin and muscle flaps are then transposed over the stump, occasionally with the insertion of elements to attach a prosthesis.
Traumatic amputation
Traumatic amputation is the partial or total avulsion of a part of a body during a serious accident, like traffic, labor, or combat.[12][13][14]
Traumatic amputation of a human limb, either partial or total, creates the immediate danger of death from blood loss.[15]
Orthopedic surgeons often assess the severity of different injuries using the Mangled Extremity Severity Score. Given different clinical and situational factors, they can predict the likelihood of amputation. This is especially useful for emergency physicians to quickly evaluate patients and decide on consultations.[16]
Traumatic amputation is uncommon in humans (1 per 20,804 population per year). Loss of limb usually happens immediately during the accident, but sometimes a few days later after medical complications. Statistically the most common causes of traumatic amputations are:[13]
- Traffic accidents (cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, etc.)
- Labor accidents (equipment, instruments, cylinders, chainsaws, press machines, meat machines, wood machines, etc.)
- Agricultural accidents, with machines and mower equipment
- Electric shock hazards
- Guns, weapons, explosives, dynamite, bombs, fireworks, etc.
- Violent rupture of ship rope or industry wire rope
- Ring traction (ring amputation, de-gloving injuries)
- Building doors and car doors
- Gas cylinder explosions[17]
- Other rare accidents[13]
The development of the science of microsurgery over last 40 years has provided several treatment options for a traumatic amputation, depending on the patient's specific trauma and clinical situation:
- 1st choice: Surgical amputation - break - prosthesis
- 2nd choice: Surgical amputation - transplantation of other tissue - plastic reconstruction.
- 3rd choice: Replantation - reconnection - revascularisation of amputated limb, by microscope (after 1969)
- 4th choice: Transplantation of cadaveric hand (after 2000),[13][18]
- In the United States in 1999, there were 14,420 non-fatal traumatic amputations according to the American Statistical Association. Of these, 4,435 occurred as a result of traffic and transportation accidents and 9,985 were due to labor accidents. Of all traumatic amputations, the distribution percentage is 30.75% for traffic accidents and 69.24% for labor accidents.[19]
- The population of the United States in 1999 was about 300,000,000, so the conclusion is that there is one amputation per 20,804 persons per year. In the group of labor amputations, 53% occurred in laborers and technicians, 30% in production and service workers, 16% in silviculture and fishery workers.[19]
- A study found that in 2010, 22.8% of patients undergoing amputation of a lower extremity in the United States were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.[20]
Amputations are usually traumatic experiences. They can reduce the quality of life for patients in addition to being expensive. In the USA, a typical prosthetic limb costs in the range of $10,000–15,000 according to the American Diabetic Association. In some populations, preventing amputations is a critical task.
Methods in preventing amputation, limb-sparing techniques, depend on the problems that might cause amputations to be necessary. Chronic infections, often caused by diabetes or decubitus ulcers in bedridden patients, are common causes of infections that lead to gangrene, which would then necessitate amputation.
There are two key challenges: first, many patients have impaired circulation in their extremities, and second, they have difficulty curing infections in limbs with poor vasculation (blood circulation).
Crush injuries where there is extensive tissue damage and poor circulation also benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The high level of oxygenation and revascularization speed up recovery times and prevent infections.
A study found that the patented method called Circulator Boot achieved significant results in prevention of amputation in patients with diabetes and arterioscleorosis.[21][22] Another study found it also effective for healing limb ulcers caused by peripheral vascular disease.[23] The boot checks the heart rhythm and compresses the limb between heartbeats; the compression helps cure the wounds in the walls of veins and arteries, and helps to push the blood back to the heart.[24]
For victims of trauma, advances in microsurgery in the 1970s have made replantations of severed body parts possible.
The establishment of laws, rules and guidelines, and employment of modern equipment help protect people from traumatic amputations.[15]
The individual may experience psychological trauma and emotional discomfort. The stump will remain an area of reduced mechanical stability. Limb loss can present significant or even drastic practical limitations.
A large proportion of amputees (50–80%) experience the phenomenon of phantom limbs;[25] they feel body parts that are no longer there. These limbs can itch, ache, burn, feel tense, dry or wet, locked in or trapped or they can feel as if they are moving. Some scientists believe it has to do with a kind of neural map that the brain has of the body, which sends information to the rest of the brain about limbs regardless of their existence. Phantom sensations and phantom pain may also occur after the removal of body parts other than the limbs, e.g. after amputation of the breast, extraction of a tooth (phantom tooth pain) or removal of an eye (phantom eye syndrome).
A similar phenomenon is unexplained sensation in a body part unrelated to the amputated limb. It has been hypothesized that the portion of the brain responsible for processing stimulation from amputated limbs, being deprived of input, expands into the surrounding brain, (Phantoms in the Brain: V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee) such that an individual who has had an arm amputated will experience unexplained pressure or movement on his face or head.
In many cases,the phantom limb aids in adaptation to a prosthesis, as it permits the person to experience proprioception of the prosthetic limb. To support improved resistance or usability, comfort or healing, some type of stump socks may be worn instead of or as part of wearing a prosthesis.
Another side effect can be heterotopic ossification, especially when a bone injury is combined with a head injury. The brain signals the bone to grow instead of scar tissue to form, and nodules and other growth can interfere with prosthetics and sometimes require further operations. This type of injury has been especially common among soldiers wounded by improvised explosive devices in the Iraq war.[26]
Due to technologic advances in prosthetics, many amputees live active lives with little restriction. Organizations such as the Challenged Athletes Foundation have been developed to give amputees the opportunity to be involved in athletics and adaptive sports such as Amputee Soccer.
A woodcut engraving in Feldbuch der Wundarzney (1517) by Hans von Gersdorff, showing how to remove a leg.
An amputee beggar, by Jacques Callot, 1622
In a 1786 James Gillray caricature, the plentiful money bags handed to King George III are contrasted with the beggar whose legs and arms were amputated, in the left corner
Alfred A. Stratton, an American Civil War veteran and double amputee
Amputee veterans of World War II in Germany, 1946
John McFall, who has an above-knee leg amputation, and uses a prosthetic leg, is a sprinter and winner of a gold medal at the 2007 Paralympic World Cup
An American soldier who was wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq
Aron Ralston, an outdoorsman who was forced to amputate his own right arm with a multi-tool after having it trapped between a boulder and a canyon wall.
Team Zaryen amputee soccer
South African sprint runner and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius
An amputee of the right leg photographed in the Historic Center of Quito in 2013.
Lisa Bufano, dancer and performance artist
See also
- ↑ "Amputee Coalition Factsheet". Amputee-coalition.org. 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ↑ Pinzur, M.S.; Stuck, RM; Sage, R; Hunt, N; Rabinovich, Z (September 2003). "Syme ankle disarticulation in patients with diabetes". J Bone Joint Surg Am. 85–A (9): 1667–1672. PMID 12954823.
- ↑ Man Pinned Under Tree Amputates His Leg Archived August 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Farmer Cuts Off Right Arm With Pocket Knife to Save Life". Foxnews.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ↑ "Farmer Describes Cutting Off Own Arm". Wyff4.com. 2007-11-24. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ↑ Kennedy, J. Michael (May 9, 2003). "CMU grad describes cutting off his arm to save his life". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ↑ "Arm trapped, and fearing fire, tough miner knew what to do". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18.
- ↑ "Bombing suspect's brother cuts hand off with saw". March 9, 1998. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18.
- ↑ RTE: Aussie Rules star has finger removed Archived August 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Australian Rugby Union (2006-10-17). "Tawake undergoes surgery to remove finger". SportsAustralia.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ↑ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2008-01-07). "UNHCR article on amputation as a punishment in Iran". Unhcr.org. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ↑ Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment: "Amputations", editions Lange, USA, 2009
- 1 2 3 4 Harry Gouvas: "Accidents and Massive Disasters", editions of Greek Red Cross, 2000
- ↑ Neil Watson: "Hand Injuries and Infections" Cower Medical Publishing, London, New York, 1996, ISBN 0-906923-80-8
- 1 2 Harry Gouvas: "Accidents and massive Disasters", Editions of Greek Red Cross, 2000
- ↑ Johansen K, Daines M, Howey T, Helfet D, Hansen ST Jr (1990). "Objective criteria accurately predict amputation following lower extremity trauma.". J Trauma. 30 (5): 568–72; discussion 572–3. doi:10.1097/00005373-199005000-00007. PMID 2342140.
- ↑ "Scuba Tanks as Lethal Weapons". undercurrent.org. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Neil Watson: "Hand Injuries and Infections"Cower Medical Publishing,ISBN 0-906923-80-8
- 1 2 American Statistical Association: Amputations in USA, 2000
- ↑ Weiss AJ, Elixhauser A, Steiner C. Readmissions to U.S. Hospitals by Procedure, 2010. HCUP Statistical Brief #154. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. April 2013.
- ↑ Richard S. Dillon (May 1997). "Fifteen Years of Experience in Treating 2177 Episodes of Foot and Leg Lessions with the Circulator Boot". Angiology. 48 (5 (part 2)): S17–S34. doi:10.1177/000331979704800503. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18.
- ↑ Richard S. Dillon; Yai, H; Maruhashi, J (May 1997). "FPatient Assessment and Examples of a Method of Treatment. Use of the Circulator Boot in Peripherical Vascular Disease". Angiology. 48 (5 (part 2)): S35–S58. doi:10.1177/000331979704800504. PMID 9158380. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18.
- ↑ Vella A, Carlson LA, Blier B, Felty C, Kuiper JD, Rooke TW (2000). "Circulator boot therapy alters the natural history of ischemic limb ulceration.". Vasc. Med. 5 (1): 21–25. doi:10.1191/135886300671427847. PMID 10737152.
- ↑ Circulator Boot at Mayo Clinic 1:08–1:32
- ↑ Heidi Schultz (January 2005). "The Science of Things". National Geographic Magazine. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008.
- ↑ Ryan, Joan (March 25, 2006). "War without end / Damaged soldiers start their agonizing recoveries". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18.
Further reading
- Miller, Brian Craig. Empty Sleeves: Amputation in the Civil War South (University of Georgia Press, 2015). xviii, 257 pp.
External links
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amputations.
- Amputation from Cooper's 1835 "Practice of Surgery"
- Imaging of Lower Extremities Amputations
- An amputation and regeneration blog
- Diving In, NC Well Magazine
- Limb Loss Education, University of Washington
- Mangled Extremity Severity Score
- Afghan amputees tell their stories at Texas gathering, Fayetteville Observer
- Can modern prosthetics actually help reclaim the sense of touch?, PBS Newshour


text: My company is considering bringing to market a dual-motherboard dual/redundant power supply 4-processor (2x2) Pentium-M solution in a 14" depth (standard 19" width) rackmount chassis. There is one harddrive per motherboard, and the boards have integrated LAN, etc - no room for PCI cards. I would love to hear how much interest there would be in such a system, considering there will be a slight price premium on the miniaturized (mini-itx) & low-power (P-M) components. Britta britta at eRacks.com


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Frank Brangwyn by Albert Toft. Bronze. Collection: Amgueddfa Cymru Caerdydd [National Museum of Wales, Cardiff] Accession number: NMW A 2988. [Click on these images to enlarge them.] Photographs by Robert Freidus. Formatting and perspective correction by George P. Landow. Reproduced courtesy of the National Museum, which retains copyright. Readers of the Victorian Web may wish to visit the Museum website.]
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Last modified 3 April 2012


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Sunday, September 07, 2008
Broken Needles
Is it unusual that I break needles so often? 2 or 3 per month? Is this typical? Must be related to the type of sewing I'm doing, using thick threads and sewing through leather a lot.
A few days ago, I had this particularly spectacular break resulting in a double fracture. One needle, three pieces. I use large-eye blunt #18 bookbinding needles as well as Crewel needles (maybe they are the same, I don't know). I'd be interested in hearing opinions on good needles!
11 comments:
- Sue B said...
I bought some great needles at www.volcanoarts.biz I haven't had one break on me yet.
- 2:49 pm
When I used miliners needles or tapestry needles I had breakages too, but since I've used needles said to be for bookbinding I've been ok. I did break my paper piercer but that was stupidity (I tried to pierce two layers of leather and a pile of watercolour paper to sew a stab bind!!! DOH
Here's the one's I use http://store.falkiners.com/store/product/7071/Bookbinding-Needles---Small/
For thicker threads the shop suggests these http://store.falkiners.com/store/product/3007/Bookbinding-Needles---Large/
- 3:44 pm
- Elissa said...
I feel your pain. I've had ongoing problems with curved needles...once they've gone through a cover enough times, the eyes crack open. It happens with both bookbinding needles and sewing needles, so I just buy the cheaper ones now.
- 8:10 pm
- Kiley said...
Wow I feel kinda special now.
I've never had a needle break on me and I just buy the cheap ones locally. I use the #18 sharp for my straight needle and whatever they sell for the curved needles are thinner but I've had no problems with them either.
I do like the three piece split, If I'm gonna break a needle I hope it's that spectacular!
- 9:44 pm
- UxCritter said...
You've gotten some great helpful suggestions on here so far. I'd recommend a 3 sided leather needle. I used these when I worked with leather, and found they cut through the leather like a hot knife through butter. I loved how easy they are to use.
Good luck with whatever needles you decide on and I think saftey goggles may come in handy if you are going to break any more needles! That sounds scarey your 3 way break!
- 2:53 pm
Hi Uxcritter
What is a three sided leather needle? Can I buy them online as I'm in the UK?
Billie :)
- 6:22 pm
- Rhonda said...
thanks for all the suggestions sue, billie, elissa, kiley, and ux!
ux, i've never seen a 3-sided leather needle either. but i don't like pointy sharp needles, i poke myself a lot so i prefer the blunt ones.
- 8:58 am
- UxCritter said...
Hey Billie and Rhonda,
The 3 sided needle is easy to search online if you'd like to see a photo of one, just use Google Image search and you'll get an idea of one there. I see that it's also called a Glover's Needle. I used to buy from Tandy products and that was the needle I used when I made leather moccasins and boots. Hope this helps to define this needle better for you. It's a wonderful needle to work with on thick leathers.
- 5:33 pm
- Pegg said...
The triangular leather sewing needles are called glovers needles. Mark and I have used them for years for various projects, they are wonderful, worth trying I would say. Here is an Etsy seller:
not sure if links work here.
- 12:45 am
- Pegg said...
Also Etsy seller turquoisehorse sells them:
- 12:47 am
- judyofthewoods said...
Yes, three-sided leather needles are best for leather work.
As for the snapping into three parts - that is the Spaghetti Effect, so named by the late physicist Richard Fyneman, who never solved the problem, but according to the above article, a couple of other scientist have worked it out now. There must have been a bending force at the ends of the needle, I imagine, for it to brake in that way, like holding it close to the end, and pushing sideways on it just as it went into the leather. Just a little trivia, but shows what not to do if you value your eyes, unless you are happy to work with goggles.
- 3:44 pm


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GEAR Powered Products
From GEAR Software Knowledgebase
Known Issues / Resolutions
GEAR licenses our CD/DVD recording "drivers" to many other companies to add CD/DVD recording capabilities to their software products.
Below are some common issues users of these GEAR Powered Products experience, and solutions for them.
Note: All GEAR Software products – including the GEAR drivers – are fully Vista compatible.
It is known that non-Vista compatible software installed on Windows Vista computers can cause compatibility issues with Vista and other Vista-compatible software. These non-Vista compatible software applications installed under Vista may prevent the GEAR drivers from loading properly – thus you may experience CD/DVD recording errors when using Vista if non-Vista compatible software is installed along with a GEAR Software product, or a GEAR Powered Product.
Symantec Products
Supported Recorders
If your Symantec product states that your recorder is not supported, please download any GEAR Software product for Windows and test your hardware with the GEAR drivers using a GEAR Software product.
- If your CD/DVD recorder works with a GEAR Software product, then your CD/DVD recorder indeed works with the GEAR drivers
- If your CD/DVD recorder works with the GEAR drivers but not with a Symantec product, then the issue is related to that Symantec product, and any further support will need to come from Symantec Support
- In the past, Symantec products have been known to 'filter' CD/DVD recorders from their list of devices due to media types not supported by their application. If the recorder supports a media type their application does not support, such as DVD-RAM — regardless of whether the device also supports recording to CD-R and/or DVD±R media, often these devices are erroneously 'filtered' from the device list and are thought to be 'unsupported' by the GEAR drivers.
- It is an extremely rare occasion that a drive is not supported by the GEAR drivers.
See Also
- MMC - GEAR supports all recorders that adhere to the Multimedia Command specification
iTunes for Windows
64-bit Recording
Operating System
32-bit Windows XP or Windows Vista
32-bit Windows XP or Windows Vista
64-bit Windows XP or Windows Vista
¹ AMD64 / Intel 64 (EM64T)
² Apple has released a 64-bit version of iTunes for Windows
- Installing the 32-bit version of iTunes on x64 hardware running a 64-bit version of Windows XP or Windows Vista will result in the iTunes application not having CD/DVD recording capabilities
- Installing the 64-bit version of iTunes on x86 hardware running a 32-bit version of Windows XP or Windows Vista will likely result in the iTunes installation failing
- Installing the 64-bit version of iTunes after uninstalling the 32-bit version of iTunes on x64 hardware running a 64-bit version of Windows XP or Windows Vista may not provide CD/DVD recording capabilities within iTunes.
You may need to manually remove the 32-bit GEAR drivers. After removing the 32-bit version of iTunes and the 32-bit GEAR drivers from your computer, please install the 64-bit version of iTunes for Windows from the iTunes download page on the Apple website.
The 32-bit and 64-bit versions of iTunes for Windows are available on the iTunes download page on the Apple website.
- Manually removing the GEAR drivers involves modifying the Windows Registry.
- We highly recommend making a backup if you choose to modify the Windows Registry.
- Any mistakes made when modifying the Windows Registry can render your entire system inoperable.
CD/DVD drives disappear after installing iTunes
After installing the latest version of iTunes for Windows, your CD/DVD drives seem to disappear
See Also


text:
Catherine, HRH Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus
(Catherine Elizabeth Middleton)
Did you know...
1. She was born on January 9, 1982 in Reading, Berkshire, England, the daughter of Michael and Carole (nee Goldsmith) Middleton.
2. She meet her future husband, Prince William while both were attending the University of St. Andrews and started dating in 2002.
3. Although she dropped her maiden surname of Middleton when she married and is simply known as the Duchess of Cambridge, her 'official' last name when required is Mountbatten-Windsor, the sanctioned last name of any members of the British royal family who have not been given the titular dignity of prince or princess as is the case with the offspring of Prince Edward at his request. (Her husband, Prince William has been known to use the surname Wales for military purposes but since the the Duchess is not a bloodline offspring of the current Prince of Wales, it would not apply to her.)
4. She is the first 'commoner' (not of royal peerage) to marry a close heir to the British throne in over 350 years. The last time it occurred was in 1660 when Anne Hyde wed the Duke of York, who later was crowned James II.
5. Her penchant for successfully mixing high end and high street pieces have garnered her a position as one of the most fashionable modern royals and has been named on Vanity Fair's Best Dressed List every year since she first appeared on the list in 2008.
To learn more about the lovely Duchess of Cambridge, Lily Lemontree recommends Kate: A Biography and Kate: The Future Queen


text:
Best Buy Co Inc hopes to triple its operating margins over time, the company said on Tuesday, though investors and analysts were left wanting for details on how - and how soon - the new chief executive would turn around the world's largest consumer electronics chain.
The aggressive new targets come as Best Buy faces cut-throat competition from online and discount retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Amazon.com Inc .
Continue Reading Below
CEO Hubert Joly got a difficult reception at an investor day in New York, as people questioned whether management was focusing too much on wringing higher sales out of existing customers rather than attracting new ones. Joly was named CEO on August 20.
"I still think I am a little bit mixed on digesting the take-aways of the presentation. I think they said a lot of good things, but I think people were looking for a little bit more of a playbook and the next steps," said John Tomlinson, an analyst with ITG Investment Research, in New York. "There's a lot of pieces to the fixing story that seemed a little opaque and vague."
Best Buy's stock closed nearly 1 percent lower at $15.70 on Tuesday, continuing a slide that has knocked off a third of the company's market capitalization this year. The stock touched a 10-year low of $14.39 a week ago.
Dimitri van Toren, senior portfolio manager at Dutch asset manager Syntrus Achmea, which holds about 200,000 Best Buy shares, said he was worried about structural issues and a "management vacuum" at the retailer, but that he would stay in the stock despite concerns about the upcoming holiday season.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of a potential buyout offer from founder and former CEO Richard Schulze, who is expected to make an offer as soon as next month.
"I spend no time worrying about what our corporate structure will be," Joly told reporters after the event. "I tend to focus on decisions I can influence rather than decisions I can't influence."
A representative for Schulze did not immediately respond to a request seeking his thoughts on Joly's plan.
Joly said "it would have been ridiculous" to offer more concrete details after only a few weeks on the job. He said this meeting was more about setting the record straight and reassuring investors about the company's future.
"The perception was that Best Buy was dying," Joly said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the company said its short-term goal will be "to stabilize and then begin increasing its comparable-store sales and operating margin." Over time, it is aiming for a return on invested capital of 13 percent to 15 percent, in addition to a 5 percent to 6 percent operating margin target.
In the last fiscal year, Best Buy had an operating margin of about 2.1 percent. The last time that margin exceeded 5 percent was in the fiscal year that ended in early 2008.
Joly said a mixture of excessive costs and price competition hurt margins, and that the retailer would turn to a wider variety of higher-margin, private-label products to boost results. One example is the company's own Insignia-brand electronics.
Best Buy has been struggling to combat a phenomenon known as "showrooming," where people visit its stores to look at products and then buy them online for less.
Joly acknowledged the company has suffered from a "price perception issue" among customers that it needed to address, as well as weakness in its online operations.
The head of the company's digital business said its online conversion rate - which measures how successfully Best Buy translates customer visits into actual sales - was only about half of what it should be.
"Many of these problems are a result of our own making," Joly said during the investor presentation.
Best Buy also said on Tuesday that it would pursue a plan to "optimize its store footprint on an ongoing basis," which suggested the company may look at ways to shrink or close stores, as some other big-box retailers have done. In late March, the company said it would close 50 large U.S. stores.
Joly warned that merely closing stores would not boost operating income, as most of the big-box stores are already profitable. Relocation to smaller space may be an option, however; he said 71 percent of the large-format stores have leases expiring within the next six years.
The details of Joly's long-awaited plan came roughly a week before the unofficial start of the year's biggest selling season.
The retailer, which has posted declines in same-store sales in eight of the last nine quarters, warned last month it expected earnings and same-store sales to fall again in the third quarter.
"I am already sick and tired of negative comps," Joly said, referring to same-store sales figures.
The CEO also admitted a number of past investments have not paid off and promised the new leadership would be "prudent" about that in the future, a nod to Wall Street's lingering concerns about spending by past management.
(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan in New York; Writing by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Maureen Bavdek, Phil Berlowitz, Matthew Lewis and Jan Paschal)


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On Air Now
The Capital Evening Show With Jimmy Hill 7pm - 10pm
The 12-year-old son of Still Game star Ford Kiernan has been found dead.
Police were called to the family's home in the west end of Glasgow on Monday night following a report that a boy had died.
The death of Sonny Kiernan is being treated as ``unexplained'' as inquiries continue.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: ``Around 11.30pm on Monday January 6, police received a report of the death of a 12-year-old boy in Glasgow.
``A post-mortem will be carried out in due course to establish the exact cause of death.
``The death is currently being treated as unexplained and inquiries are continuing.''
Ford Kiernan, 51, lives with his wife Lesley and their other child.
He and his comedy partner Greg Hemphill are best known for the popular BBC Scotland shows Still Game and Chewin The Fat.
They are due to revive their characters Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade for a run of live stage shows of Still Game at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow this autumn.
The show has not been on television since a Hogmanay special in January 2008.
See more Music, TV & Celeb News


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Two Computer & Information Science & Engineering Faculty Members Join the Institute for Child Health Policy to Promote Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Research
Sanjay Ranka, Ph.D., professor, and Daisy Zhe Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor, have been named affiliate faculty members of the College of Medicine's Institute for Child Health Policy. The institute focuses on disparities in health and health care outcomes for minority and underserved children and develops strategies and interventions to address these issues.
Dr. Jih-Kwon Peir's paper entitled "Bloom Filtering Cache Misses for Accurate Data Speculation and Prefetching" co-authored with S. Lai, S. Lu, J. Stark, and K. Lai has been included in the "25 years of International Conference on Supercomputing". The selection committee reviewed the top 100 most-cited papers out of 1800 papers published in ICS proceedings between 1987 and 2011 and selected 35 papers to be included.
Junjie Li's paper wins the best paper award at the 6th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BICoB) in Las Vegas. "Optimal Alignment of Three Sequences on a GPU" is co-authored by CISE faculty Dr. Sanjay Ranka and Dr. Sartaj Sahni.
The CISE department's student-run organization WiCSE (Women in Computer Science and Engineering) led an outreach day on March 25, 2014, for middle school girls. The girls were attending a week-long spring break camp hosted by the UF WISE group, sponsored by the Florida Museum of Natural History, spending one day in each of 5 science and engineering departments around campus.
Friday, March 28th 2014 from 4:00PM to 5:00PM in CSE Building room 404 Dr. Srikant will be presenting on Resource Allocation and Networking in Clouds and Data Centers.
Last November, sparse matrices came together with electronic music to appear on billboards around London for the LEAF 2013 Electronic Music Festival.
Dr. Vipin Kumar will be presenting: "Understanding Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges for Data Driven Research" Friday, March 21, 2014 from 4:00PM to 5:00PM in CSE Building room 404.
The Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is searching to fill one senior position at the level of associate or full professor in the area of personalized learning under UF's Rising to National Preeminence program.
A team consisting of students affiliated with the UF CISE Data Science Research Center and Warrington College of Business Administration finished in second place in the 7-hour Hoggetowne Hack 2014.
President Barack Obama asks every American to give it a shot to learn to code, kicking off the Hour of Code campaign for Computer Science Education Week 2013. http://code.org
Prof. Chandrajit Bajaj will be delivering the first lecture in the Barr Systems distinguished lecture series for 2013-14. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, October 15th from 4-5PM in CSE E121.
Automated Prediction of Molecular Assemblies
Prof. Chandrajit Bajaj, University of Texas, Austin
All graduate students working in hyperspectral image analysis are expected to attend.
Also, if you are a PhD student, this seminar will count towards your PhD requirements.
A PDF of the seminar announcement can be viewed here.
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