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I suppose things could have been worse, rather than become a 24 hour-a-day genealogist, I could have gone into computer games. I really don't have an antidote for waking up in the middle of the night with blog posts running around in my brain, other than to write them down to get rid of them. This is probably at least one of the reasons why I am very commonly asked whether I ever sleep. Yes, I sleep but unfortunately my brain doesn't.
This week I taught a class at one
of the huge mobile home parks here in Mesa. I may have already mentioned
this in a previous post, but there were some additional interesting
observations. First of all, this was a genealogy club meeting. You have
to understand that mobile home parks and retirement communities in Mesa
are really big and I mean huge. Some of them have thousands and
thousands of residents. Anyway, it was interesting to see that the
shuffleboard generation has taken up computers and some of them have
taken up genealogy. This park had a large computer lab with 30 or so
computers for the resident's use where the class was held. The class was
a sign-up in advance affair and the participants paid $2 each for the
class. Now the observations.
There were 28 people in
the class. The class was on using Google for genealogy. At each stage of
the class, I asked for a show of hands if anyone had used any of the
resources I was going to introduce. Most of the time there were no hands
or maybe one or at most two. Some of the resources, like Google Maps,
got some response. Was I surprised? No. Because I get the same response
from volunteers at the Mesa Family History Center. Even though people
are parked in front of a computer does not mean they know how to use it
or what is available online. So why do I know anything at all (assuming I
do, of course) about what's online? In other words, why was I teaching
the class?
When it comes to research, I assume the answer is online
and all I have to do is find the combination of search terms that will
take me to the source. It is a matter of attitude more than any innate
knowledge of what is online. It is also a matter of practice. I have
been using computers a good part of almost every work day for the past
thirty years. It is also a matter of interest. I am interested in
research and computers, as such. I have been doing research since I was
very young and so the process of formulating a question and finding a
source for answering the question comes instinctively.
is not the case with most of the adult population of the U.S. Most
people have not spent their lives in libraries or searching on the
Internet. Those that do have found that the Internet really does have
almost all the answers. For example, when I get sick now, I can go to
the Internet and search on my symptoms and come awfully close to an
accurate diagnosis before I get the confirmation from the doctor. This
is pretty scary sometimes, because what if I am wrong or worse, what if I
am really sick with something serious.
lends itself naturally to the researcher type. It can be amazingly
difficult for anyone who doesn't like to read, work on computers or look
at old records. Being online is an extension of what I would be doing
anyway. If I wasn't on the computer, I would be reading books. If I
wasn't reading a book, I would be fidgeting about wasting time.
you have to be this type of person to do genealogy? No, not at all. It
just helps if you are. OK, now it is time to go back to sleep.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
On being online - thoughts at 4:00 am
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|Episode Description
|Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012 - 7:00 AM
"Garbage Dreams"
Three teenage boys, born into the trash trade, grow up in the world's largest garbage village on the outskirts of Cairo. When their community is suddenly faced with the globalization of its trade, each boy is forced to make choices that will impact his future and the survival of his community. G
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Posted on March 3, 2014
Some people call it arrested development. I say it's just a part of human nature that SOME people feel they must deny. Makes 'em feel grown up. Sometimes you just have to rattle the presents and try to guess what's inside, no matter how many days it is before you can open them.
You know I'm not talking about banana boxes of books or garbage bags filled with oberek recordings, because I get to open those all the time. No, I am making excuses for the fact that I had to do a quick subject comparison to last years' Book Fair.
If you're just coming in on this soap opera, you may not know that we keep a running tally of the boxes of books we've packed. As I speak, this number is at 1,522, or just a little over half what we had for sale last July. And as we pack the boxes, we mark down what subject the box being listed belongs in. So any time I want to do the math, I can compile a list of how many boxes we have per subject, allowing me to get a vague impression of what the Book fair may look like come the day.
So I have done the math, and looked up the list of where we stood around the Fourth of July, 2013. I traditionally block out the scenery and props during Independence Day weekend, so this list is crucial. A list from March 2 is not so important in the long run. But even at that, comparing things at about the two-thirds mark, a few trends are becoming clear.
We have, for example, more boxes packed for the Civil War category right now than we did on July 4, 2013. Since we'll surely have more money coming in, you might want to marshal all those pieces of currency with Ulysses S. Grant on them and prepare to bring them in during the last weekend of July this year.
We also have nearly twice as many books packed for the Religion section as we did last July 4. To some degree, that's the books on Buddhism and Hinduism which came in with the big Asian studies collection, but we also just had a large Evangelical Christian collection come in, by way of contrast. We don't really have trouble selling Religion. One thing that unites our customers is a desire to seek out information, and the ones in Philosophy and Religion, especially, hate to miss out if they see a book they haven't read yet. (It's the same, apparently, with the people who WRITE the religion books. I was certainly not expecting this evangelical astrology book: God, it notes, invented the Zodiac, so you simply need to read it using scripturally approved rules.)
Last year, the Foreign Language section was larger than it had been for some years. We seem to be on track to beat it, with more boxes packed right now than we had in either 2012 or 2011. Military History also seems to be moving up to beat last year's collection (in spite of having all the Civil War books pulled away somewhere else). Music also seems headed for a peak year.
What's down this year? Paperback fiction is at a really small level, which may gratify all those experts who said that would be the first thing to go when Kindle took over. Last year was a record year for both Anqtiues and Children, which so far seem to be headed back to the more average levels of 2011 and 2012. People are still donating their jigsaw puzzles and board games in good quantity, but books about chess, bridge, and backgammon aren't as numerous as the last few years. And so far we have less than a third the number of sets of encyclopedias, which should gratify those who said THAT would be the first thing to go when Kindle took over.
Things will change, of course. I have been threatened with huge numbers of books on trains, and dance, and more books in French. And what the donors have planned for me, even they can't really guess. A truck could pull up to the dock tomorrow and make me set aside a whole room for Cookbooks.
That's what makes a successful party: even if rattling the box gives you a hint, you don't really know if it's going to be a 30th Book Fair Snuggie or plain underwear until you unwrap it.


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SAN FRANCISCO — IBM's talks to sell its money-losing chip-manufacturing operations to Globalfoundries have ended after the two companies failed to agree on terms, according to people familiar with the process.
Globalfoundries, owned by an investment arm of the government of Abu Dhabi, made an offer that was rejected by IBM as too low, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are private. James Sciales, a spokesman for IBM, and Kevin Kimball, a spokesman for Santa Clara-based Globalfoundries, both declined to comment on speculation.
The breakdown of the talks is a setback for IBM CEO Ginni Rometty as she attempts to meet 2015 earnings goals by shedding less profitable units and reversing nine straight quarters of revenue declines. Globalfoundries, which has its own plant in New York state, had placed little or no value on IBM's factories because they are too old, the person said.
Last month, Bloomberg News reported that Globalfoundries was primarily interested in acquiring IBM's engineers and intellectual property rather than manufacturing facilities, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Globalfoundries would have acted as a supplier for IBM's microprocessors, the people said at the time.
IBM, based in Armonk, New York, had been seeking a buyer for the division since at least last year, a person with knowledge of the matter said in February. IBM had turned its attention to finding a joint-venture partner for the business because such an arrangement would let the company maintain control of the design and intellectual property of the chips, a person said at the time.
While Rometty has tried to rid the company of the cost- intensive manufacturing segment, earlier this month she reaffirmed IBM's commitment to semiconductor research and development with a plan to spend $3 billion in the next five years. The funds will go toward programs to create smaller, more powerful chips that can be used in systems like mainframe, Power and the Watson technology, which analyzes data in conversational English.
IBM and Globalfoundries, created in a spinoff of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s production facilities in 2009, are part of an alliance to develop chip-production technology.


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[Illinois] CNST 2012: Translational Research on Micro and Nanobionics Devices for Mobile and Social Sensing Applications
Licensed according to this deed.
Published on
CNST Workshop 2012
May 2–3, 2012
Showcasing University of Illinois research in bionanotechnology/nanomedicine, nanoelectronics/nanophotonics, and nanomaterials/nanomanufacturing, leading to cross-campus and industry collaborations
National Center for Supercomputing Applications Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Workshop Premise
The broad objective of the University of Illinois Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) workshop is to showcase University of Illinois research in bionanotechnology/ nanomedicine, nanoelectronics/nanophotonics, nanomaterials/nanomanufacturing, and computational nanotechnology/nanomechanics.
The general framework of the nanotechnology workshop is similar to those held on campus since 2003; which were all well attended by industry and academia. Some of those interactions have since then led to industry and cross-campus collaborations. The CNST-led forums and workshops have contributed tremendously toward the formation of multidisciplinary teams leading to the establishment of multimillion dollar new nanotechnology centers on-campus. The workshop will provide a forum for industry interactions and collaborations. The workshop brings together campus community (faculty, graduate and undergraduates, administration) from UIUC and other academic institutions, and industry engaged in cutting-edge research. A workshop panel will discuss the roadmap to future direction of research and development in nanotechnology and regional partnerships.
Established in 2001–02, the University of Illinois Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is the premier center for nanotechnology research, education and training, and entrepreneurial and outreach activities.
CNST draws its strength from working as a collaboratory involving the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, Coordinated Science Laboratory,Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, Institute for Genomic Biology, Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Manufacturing Systems, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the Schools of Chemical Sciences and of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and other multidisciplinary centers.
It brings together nanoscale research from across the campus, drawing faculty from engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, neuroscience, agriculture, medicine, and other areas. The center envisions seamless integration of research from materials to devices to systems and applications. CNST is uniquely located to harness the entrepreneurial and technical spirit in downstate Illinois, with ongoing linkages with the University Research Park, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the State legislature. Industrial and international linkages have also been initiated through multidisciplinary centers. In addition, CNST has embarked on developing a curriculum for nanotechnology education, which will transcend a number of campus departments and units. Exceptional students with interest in nanotechnology projects have been awarded fellowships, as the center prepares the next generation workforce. CNST-led efforts have led to leveraging of existing nanotechnology research labs into also hands-on training sites for molecular and cellular biology, mechanobiology, micro and nanofabrication, and enabling technologies, and tissue engineering.
Workshop Sponsored by:
The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Coordinated Science Laboratory
Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory
Institute for Genomic Biology
NSF STC Center on Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems (EBICS, co-location)
NSF Nano-CEMMS
Network for Computational Nanotechnology/NanoHub at Illinois
Nanotechnology Community of Scholars at ACES
Gang Logan Liu, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Bioengineering, Illinois
Prof. G. Logan Liu has a multidisciplinary educational background and was trained in both engineering technology development and clinical medical research environment. He obtained his joint Ph.D. degree in Bioengineering from University of California-Berkeley and University of California-San Francisco with the honor of outstanding publication award. His graduate research was focusing on developing micro and nanophotonic and electronic molecular detection systems for cancer diagnosis and therapy. He received his postdoctoral training in Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at San Francisco where he worked with breast and prostate oncologists and clinical medical workers to apply novel nanotechnologies in diagnosing and curing cancers. After the medical postdoctoral training, he joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a prestigious Lawrence Fellow funded by U.S. Department of Energy to foster the nanobiotechnology research there for biodefense applications. In 2008 Prof. Liu joined University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an assistant professor in department of electrical and computer engineering and micro and nanotechnology laboratory. His expertise includes design, modeling, and fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices and their biomedical applications. His current research interest is developing "Nanobionics" by integrating solid-state optoelectronic nanodevices with functional biomolecules and studying the properties of electrons, photons and ions in the hybrid system. In his vision, varies of nanobionics systems will be created for applications in health care, energy harvesting and environment protections.
From Dr. Liu's Faculty profile
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
MNTL, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


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PALM BEACH SHORES, FL (WFLX) Increased fuel prices are not just affecting drivers out on roads, boat captains too are feeling the spike in higher energy costs.
Charter boat captains at the Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores said the high fuel prices are costing thousands of extra dollars a week to boat.
Some captains said in the current economy, they have to foot the added costs to keep charter fishing prices down or pass it along to consumers.
In both scenarios, captains said higher fuel costs are a problem that affects everyone who lives Florida.
"It's just a trickle down economy. If people aren't coming to go fishing, they probably aren't going to stay at a hotel or go out to eat either. So I think it's all intertwined," said Randal Yates, captain of Miss Annie Charters.
Captains docked at the Sailfish Marina said all they can hope for is a busy season to offset the high fuel prices.


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Orange Velvet Kiss
Orange Velvet Kiss
1/3 oz Cointreau
1 oz St-Rémy à la Crème
Mix in a small rocks glass with ice
Serve and Enjoy!
Please enjoy the St-Rémy à la Crème Responsibly!
Note: If you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!


text:
Shown in Textured Black finish -
The Kichler C-Series 10W, 55-degree Commercial Outdoor small accent light is an integrated LED fixture that features 120V-277V Universal voltage with built in surge protection and is rated for wet locations. Featuring an integrated cowl, durable knuckle construction, and an all-metal housing with a textured polyester powder coat finish (shown here in Textured Black), it is designed for high use wear and tear.
Kichler Lighting has been lighting homes for over 75 years. From Kichler landscape lighting to Kichler fans, the breadth and depth of their selections appeal to home designers of all styles. Settle in on a look, and you'll find it easy to decorate the rest of your room with Kichler lighting and Kichler fans. Kichler Lighting designers travel the world to discover the latest trends in interior and exterior style, from Kichler landscape lighting to Kichler fans, in a multitude of colors and design. The result is a collection of distinctive fixture that helps you express your personal style, taste and personality. Kichler Lighting makes it easy for you to decorate your entire home with fully coordinately lighting families and collections. Browse by category or by collection. Kichler lighting is quality that defines your style.


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Twist 'n' Go Bandz: Floral Purple
Added Sep 16, 2013
by nadia22
Atlanta, Georgia...
My Twist 'n' Go Bandz are wire headbands handmade from recycled materials, and should be handled with care to insure long lasting enjoyment. Wearing a Twist 'n' Go Band is perfect for any occasion because it will spice up any hair style. We all have those days when we can't spend all day on our hair. That is where Twist 'n' Go Bands come in handy. Its quick , easy to use, and looks fantastic!
Try one today!
Material Notes
Size: one size fits all
Length: Approximately 35 inches
Material: Cotton
Color: Purple
If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Thanks for stopping by!
2 Comments Sign in to add a post
Sep 18, 2013, 04.50 PMby nadia22
lol, This just made my day! Thank you!! (^_^)
Sep 18, 2013, 12.08 AMby magentaworstblood
Your bands are beautiful :) And you're not gonna believe it: I just saw a watercolour drawing on Pinterest that looks just like this photo! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/147563325263790449/ Hahaha, I had to show you, it made me smile.
Have a nice day!
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Romulo Yanes
- Yield
- Makes 80 hors d'oeuvres
- Active Time
- 45 min
- Total Time
- 1 hr
- 2/3 cup crème fraîche (5 oz)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 large russet (baking) potatoes
- 6 oz caviar (preferably osetra)
- Special equipment:
- Mandoline or other manual slicer
- 1 1/2- to 2-inch star cutter
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Stir together crème fraîche, zest, chives, and salt to taste. Chill topping until ready to use. Brush 2 large baking sheets generously with some oil. Cut potatoes crosswise on a slight diagonal into 1/8 -inch-thick slices with mandoline. Cut out 80 potato stars with cutter and arrange in 1 layer on baking sheets. Brush tops with more oil and season with salt.
- Bake stars in batches in middle of oven until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes (stars may curl). Immediately transfer stars carefully with a metal spatula to paper towels to drain and cool (stars will continue to crisp).
- Serve stars topped with crème fraîche and caviar.
Cooks' notes:
• Crème fraîche topping may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Stars may be made 2 days ahead and kept, between paper towels, in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Stars may be made 2 days ahead and kept, between paper towels, in an airtight container at room temperature.


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Abt Card
TUMI elevates your travel experience with Alpha 2, the pinnacle of our design innovation, engineering, functionality and performance. Alpha 2 embodies TUMI's commitment to making the best better; it incorporates over 30 design improvements and more than 14 patented and trademarked TUMI components. The result is a collection of cases that are lighter and stronger while offering increased packing capacity, sleeker profiles, smarter functionality and easier maneuverability. Collection highlights include: 4-wheel cases with 360° wheels that are recessed into the bodies of the cases to provide more interior space, a lower center of gravity and stable multi-directional navigation, our patented Durafold™ Construction method that reinforces the case frames for superior strength and longevity, impact-resistant caps that provide additional corner durability, and our super-tough and virtually damage-proof X-Brace 45® handle system. Many of the 4-wheel cases feature three-stage telescoping handles and TUMI's patent-pending, easy-to-use Lever Lock™ Expansion System that opens and closes securely to provide two-stages of expansion for additional packing space. Alpha 2 is made from TUMI's patented, ultra-durable FXT® ballistic nylon. If you need one carry-on for domestic and international travel, this 4-wheel design may be the perfect case. With its shorter and wider configuration, it offers the packing capacity of a 22" case, fits easily in the overhead and will be accepted by most domestic airlines and many international carriers. The main compartment expands 2" (5cm) and features a suiter component. Three-stage telescoping handle and 4-wheel system with dual recessed swivel wheels. Note that hanger shown is not included with this item; it may be purchased separately (#0052). For an additional cost, the TUMI Accents Kit allows you to quickly customize your bag* with striking accents of color. The kit includes components made from embossed leather: TUMI luggage tag, monogram patch, handle wrap and zipper pull ties. Its versatile zip pouch is ideal for carrying accessories. *Included with select styles only.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Running Into the Storm
It's that time of year when the daylight and your motivation seem to race away from you together in the late afternoon. If you're a morning runner it seems like it will take the Sun all day to warm up the land around you and your bed feels like you're on a beach in Hawaii. I went out for a 20 miler today. My goal was to take it really easy for the first half and then power back the second. This particular run turned into quite an interesting and introspective trot around the coastal trails of San Francisco. It became a reflection of something larger, Winter Training. This is the time of year when you build up your mental strength. Mother Nature challenges you and shows you how strong she is but she also reminds you how your lives intertwine. I had some major ups and downs on today's run... at times i felt like I was proceeding painfully slow, at other times my knees ached and I wanted to stop and walk, and at other times I questioned running all together and thought that maybe I should I just stick to racing shorter distances (I just registered for the American River 50 Miler 4/9/11). However, like getting dressed and motivating yourself out the door for a run in a storm or running when it is so cold out that you have 4 inch "snotsicles" on your nose and look like a walrus, the "lows" gave way to the highs which reminded me why I am a runner. I closed out the run with my initial intention of the run, finishing strong with two and half 7:30 miles (I was averaging about 9 the first half and 8:30/45 the second half.) I finished the run with no aches or pains and a genuine smile on my face. Life is good.
1 comment:
i really enjoy reading this site. the writing is great and as a runner, i'm always interested in what you share.ReplyDelete
but i don't understand why there is consistent misuse of the possessive tense. for example, "runner's" when it should be "runners" and nearly every other plural noun throughout. and "regular's" when it should be "regulars" as in "the two were becoming regulars", where you write "the two were becoming regular's."
it is getting to the point where i am becoming so distracted that i almost don't want to read it any more, which would be terrible because i love the content here.
so, as an honest person, i thought it just best to ask. if it is poetic license i apologize for being distracted by it, but i'm just telling the truth.
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Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) From Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer Using the CTC-Endocrine Therapy Index (COMETI P2)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01701050
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : October 4, 2012
Last Update Posted : March 8, 2017
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Metastatic Breast Cancer
|Other: Blood collection
Patients with estrogen receptor (ER) positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) starting their first line of endocrine therapy (ET) only have a 30-50% chance of receiving clinical benefit. For the other 50-70% of patients, ET is ineffective and these patients should probably be treated with chemotherapy, as is done for ER negative patients. More importantly, in nearly every clinical trial of ET in ER positive, MBC patients, between 15-30% of enrolled patients progress in the first 2-3 months, regardless of whether they are receiving first or later lines of ET. Currently there is no validated method to identify which ER positive MBC patients will be refractory to ET. Therefore, almost all ER positive patients are treated with serial endocrine therapies before switching to chemotherapy. The investigators propose that a subset of these patients would be better served with chemotherapy, in spite of its increased toxicity profile, rather than delaying chemotherapy during a several month trial of ineffective, albeit less toxic, ET.
To try and predict benefit from or resistance to ET, an index (the CTC-ETI) has been created that takes into account the number of CTC (which is prognostic) as well as the phenotype of the CTC, based on the hypothesis that relative levels of ER and Bcl-2 (high=benefit) and HER2 and Ki67 (high=resistance) are predictive of ET responsiveness or resistance. Although the preliminary data demonstrate the ability to detect, enumerate, and characterize CTC utilizing the CellSearch® System, the purpose of the current study is to establish proof of principle that these 4 markers can be used to generate a CTC-ETI which can be performed at baseline from patients enrolled at different centers, and that baseline CTC-ETI predicts relative outcome for patients with ER positive MBC starting a new ET, and can be monitored in such patients during ET. Successful completion of this study will set the stage for a larger, definitive study designed to demonstrate the clinical utility of a "refined" CTC-ETI in patients with ER positive, HER2 negative MBC.
|Study Type :
|Actual Enrollment :
|121 participants
|Observational Model:
|Time Perspective:
|Official Title:
|COMETI Phase 2: Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) From Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer Using the CTC-Endocrine Therapy Index
|Actual Study Start Date :
|April 1, 2013
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|November 10, 2016
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|November 10, 2016
Blood collection
Female patients 18 years or older with estrogen receptor (ER) positive, HER2 negative, progressive metastatic breast cancer after one or more lines of endocrine therapy (ET) who are initiating a new ET will be enrolled into the study. Patients must have immunohistochemistry (IHC) proven ER positive disease, IHC and/or fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) proven HER2 negative disease, and an ECOG performance status of 0-2. Patients with brain metastases only or those who are progressing on fulvestrant are not eligible for the study.
Other: Blood collection
Patients will have blood drawn for circulating tumor cell (CTC) endocrine therapy index (CTC-ETI) calculation at baseline (within 30 days prior to the initiation of endocrine therapy) and then subsequently 1, 2, 3 and up 12 months after the initiation of therapy, or at the time of disease progression, whichever occurs first.
- Rapid Disease Progression [ Time Frame: Within 3 months after initiation of a new line of enrocrine therapy ]Within 30 days prior to the initiation of therapy, chest & abdomen body imaging (computed tomography [CT], or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] scanning) plus bone scintigraphic imaging (bone scans or PET scans) or PET-CT scans which encompass both will be performed to identify target and non-target lesions that will be followed with the same imaging techniques 3 months after the initiation of therapy. Objective tumor response will be determined using RECIST v1.1 criteria. Rapid disease progression will be defined as disease progression according to RECIST v1.1 criteria or death due to metastatic breast cancer within 3 months of starting a new ET.
- Progression Free Survival (PFS) [ Time Frame: Up to 12 months after initiation of therapy ]Within 30 days prior to the initiation of of a new line of endocrine therapy (ET), chest & abdomen body imaging (computed tomography [CT], or magnetic resonance imagine [MRI] scanning) plus bone scintigraphic imaging (bone scans or PET scans) or PET-CT scans which encompass both will be performed to identify target and non-target lesions that will be followed with the same imaging techniques 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and up to 12 months after the initiation of therapy. Objective tumor response will be determined using RECIST v1.1 criteria. Progression Free Survival (PFS) will be measured as the time from the date of starting ET until the date of first documentation of progressive disease according to RECIST v1.1 criteria or death due to any cause. In the absence of these events, PFS will be censored at the date of the last objective disease assessment (up to a maximum of 12 months after the initiation of ET).
- Biomarker correlations [ Time Frame: End of study (up to 12 months after enrollment of final patient) ]Correlate the status of the biomarkers on baseline circulating tumor cells (CTC) with the status of the same biomarkers in primary and/or metastatic tissue collected from the patients.
- Analytic Validity [ Time Frame: Baseline blood draw (within 30 days prior to the initiation of therapy) ]
Demonstrate that the circulating tumor cell (CTC) endocrine therapy index (CTC-ETI) can be accurately determined at initiation of a new endocrine therapy (baseline) in patients with ER positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer in multiple centers across North America. Baseline blood sample will be evaluated for the following:
- successful calculation of CTC-ETI;
- successful enumeration of CTC in the four aliquots;
- successful determination of CTC Bio-Score for all 4 markers when the average number of cells is ≥5 CTC/7.5mL of blood.
Biospecimen Retention: Samples With DNA
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- Signed informed consent.
- Women who are 18 years or older.
- Patients must have estrogen receptor (ER) positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with at least one non-irradiated distant site of metastasis.
- ECOG performance status of 0-2.
Patients must have currently progressive metastatic disease according to RECIST v1.1 criteria, AND
- They have progressed on at least one previous line of endocrine therapy (ET) for their metastatic disease (but are not currently progressing on fulvestrant), OR;
- They show evidence of disease progression during or within 12 months of the end of adjuvant ET.
- Patient is about to start a new line of ET for their metastatic disease
- Patient is willing and able to undergo standard of care imaging studies (same imaging/staging modality being used at each evaluation), which are anticipated to be performed prior to the initiation of therapy and subsequently every 3 months.
Patient agrees to the collection and testing of their blood and is willing and able to provide approximately 40mL blood draw(s) at:
- Baseline (prior to the initiation of new ET), and;
- Subsequently at 1, 2, 3 and 12 months after the initiation of therapy, and/or;
- Time of disease progression.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients with local regional recurrence only or brain only metastasis.
- Patients who are progressing on current fulvestrant therapy (patients who have had fulvestrant therapy in the past and were subsequently treated with other therapies or those who are starting fulvestrant as their next line of ET are eligible for the study).
- Patients who are or will be taking other unapproved (i.e. not cleared/approved by the FDA) anti-neoplastic therapies concurrently are not eligible (exception: ET with everolimus is acceptable).
- Patients with concomitant malignancies or previous malignancies within the last 5 years, with exception of adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or carcinoma in situ of the cervix.
- Unable to provide informed consent or high risk that patient may not comply with protocol requirements (i.e. due to health and/or participation in other research studies).
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01701050
|United States, Arizona
|Arizona Oncology Associates
|Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85016
|United States, Florida
|Florida Cancer Specialists
|Ft. Myers, Florida, United States, 33905
|Florida Cancer Specialists
|St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, 33705
|United States, Massachusetts
|Dana-Faber Cancer Institute
|Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
|United States, Michigan
|University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
|Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
|United States, Minnesota
|Minnesota Oncology Hematology
|Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55404
|Mayo Clinic
|Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
|United States, Nebraska
|Nebraska Cancer Specialists
|Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68130
|United States, Nevada
|Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada
|Henderson, Nevada, United States, 89074
|United States, New York
|New York Oncology Hematology
|New York, New York, United States, 12206
|United States, North Carolina
|Waverly Hematology Oncology
|Cary, North Carolina, United States, 27518
|Duke University
|Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
|United States, Oregon
|Northwest Cancer Specialists
|Portland, Oregon, United States, 97213
|United States, Pennsylvania
|Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania
|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
|Thomas Jefferson University
|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
|United States, Tennessee
|Tennessee Oncology, PLLC
|Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37203
|United States, Texas
|Texas Oncology - Baylor
|Dallas, Texas, United States, 75246
|Texas Oncology
|Houston, Texas, United States, 77024
|Canada, Ontario
|Mt. Sinai Hosp., Marvette Koffler Breast Center
|Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X5
|Princess Margaret Hospital
|Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2M9
|Principal Investigator:
|Daniel F Hayes, M.D.
|University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
|Principal Investigator:
|Costanza Paoletti, M.D.
|University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
|Responsible Party:
|Janssen Diagnostics, LLC
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01701050 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|October 4, 2012 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|March 8, 2017
|Last Verified:
|March 2017
Keywords provided by Janssen Diagnostics, LLC:
circulating tumor cells
metastatic breast cancer
endocrine therapy
hormone therapy
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Breast Neoplasms
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
Neoplasms by Site
Breast Diseases
Skin Diseases
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplastic Processes
Pathologic Processes


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If you love British Knights, its because of the classics. Atoll is on its way to become a true classic! Atoll is a sporty everyday sneaker for men and women in different materials and colours. The vulcanised rubber outsole provides superior shock absorption and extra comfort. The foam collar differs per style and is available in different materials, patterns and colours. Available with warm lining, to keep your feet nice and warm!


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"Shutting down the ports in defiance of the contract and the arbitrator's order in no way benefits an already-fragile U.S. economy." --Steve Getzug, spokesman for the Pacific Maritime Association, the group representing 29 ports on the U.S. west coast.
In case you missed it, there was a "May Day" work stoppage at all the ports on the U.S. west coast last week on May 1, as 15,000 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) stayed home between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ostensibly to protest the ongoing war in Iraq. However, the May Day work stoppage is in actuality an annual event conducted by the ILWU and it shows that labor still has some pretty big muscles to flex, especially in the transportation industry.
It's also worthy to note that the union went ahead with its plans despite a ruling by the Coast Arbitrator - essentially the Supreme Court on the waterfront, according to Steve Getzug, spokesman for the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents the ports - that ordered the ILWU to treat May 1 today as a normal work day.
"This work-stoppage, illegal under the ILWU-PMA contract, comes just two months prior to the expiration of the current labor agreement," noted Getzug in a press statement last week. "Today's actions raised the question of whether this was an attempt to leverage contract negotiations." He also expressed concerns that the ILWU might use slowdowns as a negotiating tactic when the current six-year labor contract expires on July 1 this year.
This is a bog deal because the west coast ports represent a critical linchpin in the U.S. economy. Since 2002, overall container volume is up 45% and as a result, west coast port operations (including non-containerized cargo such as bulk and autos) now support eight million U.S. jobs and contribute 11% of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). The domestic business impact of West Coast port trade is $1.3 trillion - roughly equivalent to the GDP of Canada or Mexico.
Needless to say, the longshoremen have some serious clout out there on the west coast - and good pay to boot. The average full-time wages for fully registered port workers are $136,000 a year, and their benefits package, including pension and health care, costs more than $50,000 per worker. Why, you may you ask, do they get so much? Answer: necessity. These folks unload all the goods coming from Asia into the U.S. - goods that are partly the result of efforts to outsource manufacturing to cheaper locales overseas. Without the longshoremen, commerce grinds to a halt - as do many of the global supply chains many companies here in the U.S. rely upon.
The need for labor - and the need to treat it well - is occurring in trucking as well, to an extent. More than 7,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, for example, just ratified a new labor contract with DHL Express - a company owned by German giant Deutsch Post. That follows a pact approved at UPS Freight - the former Overnite Express - covering 10,700 Teamster members this past April. Both of these deals are the first new national pacts negotiated by the Teamsters in more than 30 years, the union noted.
We'll be seeing more of this, I think, as labor gets scarce not only in trucking but in the U.S. as a whole as the "baby boom" generation retires and is replaced by the far smaller "Generation X" population.
"Look at the overall demographic shift here - you have 78 million baby boomers that start retiring in 2008 being replaced by Generation X, which is comprised of only 45 million workers," says Richard White, VP-marketing and communications for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Assn. "Basically, you have a lot of people retiring very soon and not enough people to fill the jobs they are leaving."
Trucking is especially feeling this pinch. According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), the industry is short 20,000 drivers annually right now compared against the amount of tonnage it hauls - which will grow to 114,000 by 2014 if current conditions remain unsolved.
This is but one reason why the balance of power may shift to the labor side of the ledger fairly soon in this industry - and none too soon for many drivers in the long-haul segment of the market. Yet it also may not be a huge negative for trucking, if handled correctly: lord knows, UPS has managed to become a more than nimble competitor in the freight world with its unionized workforce. Look at the Teamsters deal with DHL Express, also: it's five-year contract (which expires on March 31, 2013) offers annual wage and benefit increases, including $8.35 over the term of the contract for pick up-and-delivery and clerical workers; all health-and-welfare and pension funds are maintained for current employees; and a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, applies to all employees.
The Teamsters added that the deal should help save DHL money, as its lost billions since purchasing Airborne Express in 2003, including $900 million last year. "Creating a national contract was a complicated undertaking and our members have shown that it was worthwhile work," said Brad Slawson, co-chair of the Teamsters national negotiating committee. "Not only were we able to negotiate significant economic gains for members, this agreement provides job security by allowing DHL to better compete in this tough industry."
And the freight market is only going to get tougher in the months ahead.


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Search results for: Granite Buyers
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Webotopia provides a business directory designed to promote Granite Buyers companies, products and services whilst helping it's users find the Granite Buyers information they need. Webotopia business directory, with the help of it's dedicated support specialists and reviewers, enables delivery of Granite Buyers quality content, excellent customer support as well as value added services such as content publishing and press releases for it's users.


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Illinois BioNanotechnology Seminar Series Fall 2011: Multi-Modal and Multi-Functional Magnetic Particles for Cancer Imaging
Licensed according to this deed.
Published on
Differential adhesion between cadherin subtypes expressed on cell surfaces is postulated to direct cell segregation during tissue morphogenesis. The studies described here used magnetic twisting cytometry and traction force microscopy to test the impact of cadherin binding selectivity on mechanotransduction and substrate rigidity sensing at cadherin-based adhesions. Micropipette measurements in turn quantified the binding affinities of different cadherin subtypes. Here we present evidence that the ability to transduce mechanical information across cadherin junctions depends on the identity of the ligand, such that only homophilic bonds between identical cadherins support force-activated junction remodeling. Mechanical stimulation with dissimilar cadherins or with anti-cadherin antibodies failed to elicit any response to force. Surprisingly, this behavior does not correlate with protein binding affinities, suggesting that mechanical differences may supercede protein-binding affinities in controlling intercellular organization during development.
Sponsored by
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
1000 MNTL, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


text: What is a "free speech zone?"While the term might sound benign, free speech zones are used by our colleges and universities, our cities and towns, and sometimes even our park service rangers as a way to restrict the open expression of ideas to small areas of public property.For example, at last year's Republican and Democratic national party conventions, protesters and others who wished to publicly express their opinions were ushered into small, caged areas far away from convention crowds. In the past, these zones have sometimes been surrounded by barbed wire.Free speech zones were once used to designate special areas set aside for free speech–but that didn't imply that other areas were censorship zones. As I discuss in my book, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate, nobody seems to know when "free speech zones" went from being an additional area where you would always enjoy free speech to the only area you could sometimes enjoy free speech.In the latest video released by my organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), we take a look at the problem of free speech zones within the context of where they are most often abused–today's American college campus.The good news is that the First Amendment protects freedom of speech on public campuses–and when students and faculty fight back, whether in a real courtroom or just the court of public opinion, they usually win. Here are eleven of the most inspiring victories over campus free speech zones in recent memory.


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Michael Bowe has relocated his Angel City Brewery from Torrance to downtown Los Angeles. He was recently featured in articles in the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Downtown News.
The brewery is not too far from our bookstore, Metropolis Books. We share quite a few similarities: There's only one letter difference in our surnames, we have LA's City Hall in our business logos, and he's a saxophone player who loves jazz. Mr. Bowe has even named beers after Charlie Parker, Lester Young and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The prize winning Kirk brew is called "Rahsaan Roland Kirk Stritch Stout."
I wandered over to buy some beer, along with a T-shirt. The website describes it thusly: "Rahsaan Roland Kirk Stritch Stout, 10% ABV is our Biggest and most Luscious Beer! Made with Lager Yeast, this beer will surprise you how drinkable it is! Complex, Dark, Malty and Warm. No wonder why Stritch Stout won a Gold Medal in the Los Angeles International Beer Competition."
I can't tell you how it tastes since I can't bring myself to open the bottle!


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ESL Jobs in China
Date: 14 February 2018
Beijing Huanyu Zhida International Education Consulting Co.,ltd.which is an institution cooperate with Chaoyang public schools. We have a team of over 150 foreign teachers that are teaching in the public schools of Chaoyang. To get more excellent teachers and further develop the International Education of Chaoyang, we have begun the new semester teacher recruitment. Please check more details as the following.
Position: Public School English Teacher
School location: Chaoyang District, Beijing
School Type
Elementary school/ Junior Middle school/Senior Middle school
- Monthly Salary: 13000-19000RMB (Pre-tax and insurance)
- Workdays: Mon to Fri, weekends off
- Workload: 20-25 lessons a week with each lesson 40-45 minutes. NO OFFICE HOUR.
- Bonus: 10000RMB contract completion bonus.
- Meal: Normally, free meals at the school cafeteria.
- Airport pick-up, one week free hotel stay and accommodation assistance.
- Working Visa provided with Foreign Expert Certificate.
- Medical and social Insurance provided.
- Free public Chinese lesson offered once a week ( Basic level).
- Full paid Chinese official holidays and Part paid summer and winter holiday.
Teacher requirements
- Native English Speaker from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa.
- BA degree or above
- Majored in Education/English or have a teaching certificate
--English teaching experience is highly preferred
- High sense of responsibility and enthusiasm for teaching
This is the gist of our offer, please contact me for further details. If you are interested and can meet our requirements, please send me your recent resume with a photo, copies of your passport and supporting certificates. Thank you.
Please contact the following to learn more details
Contact Person: Linda
E-mail: email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com
Skype: jialilinda
Contact Number: (0086)135 2125 4150


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Genome Statute and Legislation Database SearchStart a New Search Glossary of Terms
|Citation/ Title
(link to state's page)
|State Statute:
|Use of Residual Newborn Screening Specimens
|All testing results and personal information from hereditary disorders programs obtained from any individual, or from specimens from any individual, is confidential and is considered a confidential medical record except for information that the individual, parent, or guardian consents to be released, provided after being fully informed of the scope of the information requested to be released, of all of the risks, benefits, and purposes for the release, and of the identity of those to whom the information will be released or made available, except for data compiled without reference to the identity of any individual, and except for research purposes, provided that pursuant to the Common Rule The research must first be reviewed and approved by an IRB. The health department, any entities approved by the department, and researchers must maintain the confidentiality of patient information and blood samples in the same manner as other medical record information with patient identification and may use it only for approved research to (1) identify risk factors for children's and women's diseases;(2) Research to develop and evaluate screening tests;(3) Research to develop and evaluate prevention strategies; and (4) Research to develop and evaluate treatments. The State Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) must determine if all of the if specified criteria are met for purposes of ensuring the security of a donor's personal information, before any blood samples are released pursuant for research purposes.
Last Reviewed: May 25, 2018


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Coby Holds on to Win Town Fair Tire 100
Coby Wins Town Fair Tire 100
To say that the Town Fair Tire 100 was a back-and-forth affair might end up being the understatement of the weekend at the Magic Mile. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway featured 27 lead changes, the last coming on the penultimate lap by Doug Coby, who held on to win for the second straight time at the 1.058-mile oval.
"It was just crazy. You look into your mirror and listen to your spotter," said Coby, who also won last September's F.W. Webb 100. "Loudon is the biggest race on the schedule. This is difficult because there are nine teams that can win it in any given week."
Ted Christopher and Ryan Preece finished second and third, respectively. It was the best finish by Christopher, a five-time Modified winner at New Hampshire, since he placed second in the July 2010 race.
"It was a good race in the beginning, but the cautions (there were four) brought everyone back together in the second half of the race," said Christopher. "I'm really happy with the car, we were really fast, which is a lot better than we have been the last couple years here. We just came up a little short."
Preece, who sits atop the Tour's point standings, was looking to extend his winning streak to four straight races after taking the checkers at Stafford Springs Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl and Riverhead Raceway. And with Rowan Pennink (15th), Mike Stafanik (22nd) and Justin Bonsignore (32nd) all finishing outside the top 10, Preece was able to pad his lead.
"Well, this is my fourth third-place finish at New Hampshire, so I'd like to improve on that," said Preece. "We had a really good race car today and I'm looking forward to coming back (in September) and go for the win."
Andy Seuss and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Ryan Newman finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Woody Pitkat, Eric Berndt, Chuck Hossfeld, Richie Pallai Jr. and Jamie Tomaino round out the top-10 behind Coby.
"We could have been fourth or fifth with the same car," said Coby. "The question is, are you going to capitalize on someone's mistakes.
"We are here to win, to put a good car together, get more fans in the stands and that's what we're here to do."
For more details and ticket information on events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, or to purchase tickets to the SYLVANIA 300 NASCAR weekend in September, please stop by our Ticket Office, visit the speedway website at www.nhms.com, or call our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931.


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A New Double Temptation Is Arriving from Waitec
Action 16 is the hype of the moment: a DVD burner which gives all the pleasures in technical specifications that a drive could possibly have... Action 16 is the first Double Layer and Dual Format DVD from Waitec, which offers to all its users also the possibility to burn all DVD+R media at the amazing speed of 16x!!!! Action 16 is indeed a double solution for those who still cannot choose between the + and ? formats: Action 16 gives you the possibility to burn both in the + and - mode.
Thanks to its Double Layer feature, Action 16 is a gift product for all the music and film and video lovers!! Action 16 in fact enables to practically double the capacity of all your media! Record at the speed of 2.4x up to 8.5GB of data by storing more than 2,000 songs or 4 hours of your videos!!! With Action 16 you can do it..
But Action 16 is not only a fast DVD Burner..it is also a very fast CD-RW thanks to its 48x speed Write and Read and 24x ReWrite!!
Action 16 comes with a very useful Nero software perfect for back-up, editing, authoring and burning all your favourite movies or any kind of file you want to copy and keep with you!!!! Whether storing large volumes of data, or making copies of a personal video collection for friends and relatives, Action 16 provides cutting-edge technology for a mass audience and possesses all the familiar WAITEC product properties: advanced technology and great ease of use.


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Rewrite some Articles for me
Budget ₹1500-12500 INR
Hi, I am looking for someone who can take care of the 'Latest Exam & Interview Results' section of my website PaySoil.com. The website has many other sections, so the person working on this project will look for the new government results on the internet and re-publish those new results on my website.
I want a person who can take full responsibility of this task and publish at least 10 government results a day. The format of the result they can decide but the posts should be fairly long. Few result pages are already there like Army Results, Air India Results, ITBP Results etc. So they can update an existing page for the new result if the page is already there, otherwise they need to create a page and update it next time when another result comes for the same field.
For this result work, I first need to take the trail of the writer. If you are interested giving me a paid trial, you can contact me. I will hire a person who is really devoted to work. I will Rs. 30 for a Result post. That means 10 results will make you Rs. 300 a day but you can publish more results if you like and if new results are there in government sector.
Before showing your interest, I would like that you first visit my website and go through the Results section. Make a small study and think what I want and how will you do it. If you propose me your plan with your first contact, I will be more serious about your candidature.
Thank you


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Shrankhla Holecek's family has been making exquisite, highest-quality Ayurvedic beauty and wellness oils on their farm in India for several centuries, and her new farm-to bottle line, Uma, is based in those ancient formulas, passed down in secret from generation to generation. All of the powerful, certified-organic essential oils for UMA are still grown and distilled exclusively on the family estate. The purity is unparalleled, the packaging is some of the most beautiful we've seen, and, best of all, the company is dedicated to its local workforce—over half of which is female—providing free health and childcare, ongoing education and retirement benefits, and equal pay for equal work.
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Leon Bushard, age 78 of Sleepy Eye, died Monday, May 14, 2012, at his home.
Leon Bushard, age 78 of Sleepy Eye, died Monday, May 14, 2012, at his home. Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, May 18, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sleepy Eye with burial in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, May 17, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Friday, May 18, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye. There will be a Parish Prayer Service at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home. Monsignor Eugene Lozinski will be officiating the service. Military Honors by the Grand Forks AFB Eye Honor Guard. Condolences may be sent via e-mail at: www.sturmfh.com. Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye.
Leon Charles Bushard was born February 4, 1934, in West Newton Township, the son of Arthur and Clara (Mueller) Bushard. Leon graduated from New Ulm Cathedral High School in 1952, then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served for 20 1/2 years and was stationed in Alaska, Illinois, Michigan, Germany, Vietnam, Thailand and Korea. Leon retired from the USAF in 1972, and worked for Wallner Construction in New Ulm and SMC in Mankato before fully retiring in 2004. He was united in marriage to Alyce Moldaschel on April 9, 1958. Following Alyce's death, Leon married Marie Sellner on November 15, 1966, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sleepy Eye. He was a member of the VFW, American Legion, VFW Honor Guard, and the DAV. Leon was also a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Catholic Order of Foresters, Catholic Aid Association, and Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed being a carpenter, bowling, fishing, playing cards, spending time at the lake, baseball, horseshoes and crosswords. Leon especially enjoyed spending time with his family, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Leon is survived by his wife Marie of Sleepy Eye; daughters, Laurie (Greg) Edick of Gibbon, and Lisa (Todd) Thoms of Maplewood; sons, Robert of Anoka, Daniel (Denise) of Maplewood, and Kevin (Martha) of Northfield; grandchildren, Shelly, Elizabeth, Matthew, Alicia, Amber, David, Nate, Tanner, Bryce, Riley, Tyler, Alyssa, Scott, Sean and Seth; great-grandchildren, Dylan and Landon; sisters, Jeanne (John) Kretsch of New Ulm, Vonnie (Mike) Esser of New Ulm, and Dodie (Pete) Wendinger of New Ulm; sisters-in-law, Angie Bushard of New Ulm, Jane Moldaschel of Sleepy Eye, Alice (Lenny) Walter of Clements and Lois (Gordy) Kuelbs of New Ulm; brothers-in-law, Julian Griebel of New Ulm, LeRoy Bastian of New Ulm and Charles Sellner of Sleepy Eye; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife Alyce; brother Marlon; sister Lucille Griebel; niece Colleen Moldaschel; brother-in-law James Moldaschel; sister-in-law Phyllis Bastian; and fathers and mothers-in-law, John and Mary Moldaschel, and Florian and Florence Sellner.


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|2012-04-22, 12:00
|Link #1
Join Date: Mar 2011
Supernatural/Fantasy anime 2012 Please Help!
Hello everyone,
I have been out of the loop for a while now with any anime from 2012. Please help I don't want to give up on anime but I just can't find any worth watching anymore. I like supernatural/fantasy anime with a great story and character development. Also I like some depressing or melodramatic scenes. Some example of animes I have enjoyed are:
1. Sora no otoshimono (forte)
2. 11 eyes
3. Death note
4. ga rei zero
5. black butler 1 and 2
6. Any by key visual arts
Please help me!!!! I don't want to give up on anime!!!!
|2012-04-22, 12:08
|Link #2
Prefectural Magical Girl
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Paris, France
Here's my list :
- High School DxD (beginning is a bit ridiculous, but when the story progress, it become good. Since it's based on a novel, I'll suggets you reading it on Baka-Tsuki after watching the anime)
- Senki Zesshou Symphogear
- Accel World (the MC's appearance might turn off but you'll be fine with the rest)
- AnoHana
- C3 -Cube X Cursed X Curious-
- A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives
- Qwaser of Stigmata
- H2O -Footprints in the Sand-
|2012-04-22, 12:09
|Link #3
Enjoying Snack Time!
Darker than Black - It's about a Chinese agent named Hei, and his team, and they work on special high risk missions that involved secret organizations, and other superhuman agents trying to unravel the mystery of a monument called "Hell's Gate". However, during the course of the anime things aren't always what they seem.
To Aru Majutsu no Index - It's about a boy named Touma Kamijou who possesses a mysterious power in his right hand called "Imagine Breaker". His encounter with a nun called "Index" changes his life forever as he's drawn into a secret controversial world of magic and science.
|2012-04-22, 12:35
|Link #4
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Hokkaido
Age: 69
I don't know why you'd restrict yourself to 2012 when there are a lot of excellent older shows not on your list like:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Seirei no Moribito
Kemono no Sou-ja Erin
Natsume Yuujinchou
Ghost Hound
In the current season, I'll recommend Tsuritama.
I prefer the fansubs for Erin, but I can't link to them because the show is licensed. You might also like Bakemonogatari, but again no link because it's just been licensed.
|2012-04-22, 12:45
|Link #6
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Hokkaido
Age: 69
|2012-04-23, 21:39
|Link #7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In line to confess his sins.
Age: 30
Even being out of the loop, you've probably watched this, but I'm going to start off with the obvious: Nisemonogatari.
Black Rock Shooter has a supernatural element to it as well, I suppose.
|2012-04-25, 17:30
|Link #8
...completely lost it...
Join Date: Feb 2008
noone even mentioned Fate Zero (still airing),
End of 2011 there was Deadman wonderland.
Also check up on:
- mirai nikki
- nisemonogatari (you have to like the style though)
- Guilty Crown
- Dantalion no shoka
- no. 6
it'll keep you busy, dunno if all fit your taste, but it should give you a nice selection of end 2011-begin 2012
|fantasy, help me!!!!, supernatural
|Thread Tools


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Activists setting their sights further afield
Activism continues to be one of the most dynamic investment strategies across global equity markets. In the past five years, it has evolved from a handful of seasoned hedge fund managers targeting underperforming stocks to a population comprising over 80 direct activist funds, in addition to the even larger group of multi-strategy and event-driven hedge funds that also frequently engage in activism.1
The 2016 proxy season further solidified activism as a widely accepted strategy within global equity markets. Activist-style engagement is now embraced by myriad investors, ranging from newly minted activist funds to traditional long-only investors. Other constituents are also making their voices heard, including labor unions and former executives with significant ownership stakes. As the universe of activists has expanded, so too have their parameters for screening prospective targets. Companies performing in line with (or even outperforming) peers can be targets. Companies once thought too big for activists to tackle or too small for them to notice can be targets. International markets once considered unfriendly to activism have begun to welcome the strategy — both on a homegrown basis and with the appearance of U.S. funds seeking opportunities abroad.
Yet, despite its widespread use and acceptance, activism faces some headwinds as well. After growing at a compound annual rate of 23% from 2009 to 2015, total assets under management for direct activists decreased by 8.5% during the first half of 2016 to $112.5 billion, as a result of both underperformance and outflows from the strategy. Hedge funds more broadly have experienced outflows too. Large pension funds and institutional money managers are questioning whether the sector's recent anemic returns merit their fees, particularly when compared with the returns and fees of passively managed products. On another front, regulatory and legislative authorities have taken notice of activists' impact on companies and their disclosure requirements. The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and Congress have all recently acted to curb activists' ability to build significant ownership stakes and exert influence on companies, either by more strictly enforcing existing reporting requirements or by introducing legislation aimed at tightening regulatory rules.
Regulatory and legislative authorities have acted to curb the ability of activists to build significant ownership stakes and exert influence on companies.
Activist investing has evolved into a global strategy in which fund managers compete for institutional investor mindshare and advocate for increasingly complex agendas. As activist-style engagement continues to originate from both existing and new activists as well as other traditional long-only investors, companies must adapt their activism preparation and response tactics accordingly. Responding to shareholder criticism will increasingly become an inevitable part of management and board responsibilities. Companies that recognize this now and are most proactive in addressing potential areas of vulnerability will be best positioned to communicate with all shareholders effectively and efficiently.
Companies must adapt as activist-style engagement continues to originate from both existing and new activists as well as other traditional long-only investors.
Communicate proactively and clearly with shareholders
Think strategically about all external communications
Proactively address corporate governance lightning rods
Be ready to engage if and when activists show up
1Global Hedge Fund Industry Report — Second Quarter 2016, HFR (www.hedgefundresearch.com). Note: In distinguishing activist strategies within the broader category of event-driven hedge funds, HFR defines activists as those that would expect to have greater than 50% of their portfolios in activist positions over the cycle.
Download a copy of our report, The 2016 Proxy Season: Activists shine their lights further afield.
This material (including market commentary, market data, observations or the like) has been prepared by personnel in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of JPMorgan Chase & Co. It has not been reviewed, endorsed or otherwise approved by, and is not a work product of, any research department of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and/or its affiliates ("J.P. Morgan"). Any views or opinions expressed herein are solely those of the individual authors and may differ from the views and opinions expressed by other departments or divisions of J.P. Morgan. This material is for the general information of our clients only and is a "solicitation" only as that term is used within CFTC Rule 1.71 and 23.605 promulgated under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act.
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�You know why they�re really doing that, don�t you?�
That�s a phrase that we throw out there sometimes. I�m guilty of it myself. We all make assumptions.
So when we hear about a Republican, foreigner, business owner, Democrat, pastor, banker, union representative or government official doing something, we�re liable to question their motives, depending on our own personal prejudices.
We got a message through the submission line on our website a couple of weeks ago. It read:
�It'd be great to see a story about S. 390, a bill in North Carolina that would require people who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures to meet educational requirements and pass a certification exam. Common sense bill for patient safety.�
The message came from an e-mail address belonging to the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, a trade group for, you guessed it, �people who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures.�
You know why they�re really doing that, don�t you?
Business interests using their influence to create new government regulations that make it tougher for anyone else to get in on their action is one of the oldest tricks in the book. It�s boilerplate Libertarian theory.
At least, that�s my opinion.
I tend to get a big head and think I know more than I do. I try to watch that. So I try to look further into certain issues, instead of just assuming I know why someone is doing something and drawing an inaccurate conclusion.
Which brings me to this spring�s debate about requiring voter ID at the polls in North Carolina.
�It�s Republicans trying to suppress turnout by traditional Democratic constituencies.�
�It�s a solution in search of a problem.�
That�s what you hear from opponents, and I think they�re mostly right. But maybe some advocates for voter ID have other intentions. Maybe they actually mean what they say about preventing fraud.
So I try not to jump to conclusions.
But it�s hard to do with another Republican proposal that would cut down on one-stop/no excuse absentee voting.
If there�s anything done by the government lately that�s been a success, it�s early voting in North Carolina. The number of folks taking advantage of it seems to grow every year. You�re almost in the minority if you vote on Election Day anymore. The only problem is that the line to vote early on-site the first couple days is longer than any line on Election Day.
Part of the current structure allows you to register to vote the same day you early vote. That�s also under attack by a bill introduced by GOP state senators Robert Rabin, Bill Cook, Norman Sanderson and Dan Soucek.
Senate Bill 666 (shouldn�t they have skipped that number and made this 667?) would change state law so that you can�t register to vote the day you cast an early ballot and cut the early voting period from 17 days to 10.
Among other fun things, the bill eliminates a key tax credit for parents if their children are registered to vote at home but vote in another location (i.e. their college campus).
The bill�s authors point to savings for local boards of elections, but it�s hard to miss the fact that college students, and early voters, in North Carolina skew Democrat.
I can take a voter ID with some good faith. This, I can�t.
This bill is a blatant attempt to use the law to suppress your opponent�s voting power. I think this is one time I can safely say � well, you get my drift.
City editor Brent Lancaster can be reached at email@example.com or 336-506-3040. Follow him at twitter.com/tnbrentl.


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Man robs Wilkesboro bank, leaves on scooter: police
Man robs Wilkesboro bank, leaves on scooter: police
A man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbing a bank and leaving the scene on a scooter.
James Edward Porter, 48, of Wilkesboro, was arrested following an incident just before 4 p.m. at the Yadkin Valley Bank at 301 W. Main St.
The suspect passed a note to a teller and left with cash, Wilkesboro police said.
The suspect was seen leaving the scene on a scooter, police said.
Porter was found on south West Street shortly after the incident. The missing money was found on Porter's person, police said.
Porter was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and was held under a $75,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in court April 10.


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That's the question The Biz of Baseball asks:
Of the $680 million purchase, just under half ($300 million) is going to be financed with debt. According to Mike Ozanian of Forbes, "In 2010 the Astros had operating income of $14 million, so if Crane parks $300 million of debt on the team the franchise would be in technical default of the league's debt limit, which is 10 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization."
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Jim Crane: the next Frank McCourt?
2 comments:
Yes and I've already started my little conversation with Maury himself. I like Crane and he will not be the next Frank McCourt.
- May 18, 2011 at 2:43 AM
Okay, then, as long as we have your word for it, I guess the $300 million in debt is no big deal.
- May 18, 2011 at 2:16 PM
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The 2012 crop year and the major drought that affected much of the United States is now behind us; however, many areas of the western Corn Belt, including much of southern and western Minnesota continue to face drought concerns for the coming 2013 crop year. Anytime we have a major disaster, such as the 2012 drought, it is always good to review what happened or didn't happen, and to use those findings to strategize for the future. Following are some key observations relative to the 2012 drought that can help farm operators and the agriculture industry plan for the coming years.
1. Genetic advancements in seed technology. Based on most analogies, the 2012 drought in the major corn and soybean producing areas of the U.S. was more severe than the drought of 1988. USDA recently estimated the 2012 national average corn yield at 123.4 bu./acre, which is the lowest national average yield since 1995. Interestingly, the average U.S. corn yield in 1988 was only 84 bu. This shows not only the ongoing yield improvement that has been made for the past few decades in the corn hybrids that are available today, but also the genetic improvement that has been made to help corn be more tolerant of drought and other stresses during the growing season. Seed companies and land grant universities are working on genetics to make corn hybrids and other seed varieties even more drought tolerant in the future.
2. The impact of modern farming practices. If the drought conditions in 2012 were the most severe since the 1930s, why did we not see the "dust bowl"-like conditions that existed in that era? The main reasons are the efforts in the U.S. to protect our natural resources, and the fact that the farming practices of today are far superior to previous generations in preventing soil erosion. Federal programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), wetlands restoration programs and grassland protection programs have helped keep some of the most fragile land out of production. Crop farming practices used by today's producers have also greatly enhanced the protection of our soil, which along with water, are the most important natural resource for top-quality crop production. There are many more farmers using no-till or minimum tillage methods to produce their crops today – compared to a few decades ago – and farm operators have installed more conservation practices, such as filter strips and waterways to control erosion.
3. The importance of Federal Crop Insurance. In States like Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, which were among the hardest hit by the 2012 drought, the availability of revenue-type crop insurance products will help ease the financial impact of this year's drought. Today, the revenue insurance products are based on both yield and price and are used quite frequently. Well over 80% of U.S. corn producers carried some type of crop insurance in 2012, compared to only 15% of the nation's corn producers in 1988. Crop insurance proceeds do not create a windfall for farm operators, as some critics have stated, and insurance indemnity payments rarely match the income that could be achieved with a normal crop production. However, crop insurance payments do help producers cover expenses in a crop year with greatly reduced production, and give them the ability to access adequate credit needs to purchase crop inputs for the following year. Farm operators need to consult their crop insurance agent well ahead of the March 15 deadline to determine their best crop insurance strategies for 2013.
4. The need for a risk management program for livestock producers. The biggest financial impact of the 2012 drought was on livestock producers. Corn costs rose nearly 50% and soybean meal costs were up about 35% during a six to eight week period this past summer. And costs have remained fairly high. The estimated cost of production for pork producers in the last half of 2012 rose to over $72/cwt., and has dropped only slightly in the past couple of months. Pork producers lost an average about $20-40/hog marketed during late summer and early fall 2012, and even now profit margins for most producers remains negative. Similarly, the sharply higher feed costs have resulted in large financial losses for the fed cattle and dairy industries in recent months. The higher feed costs, along with limited hay supplies and poor pasture conditions, led to liquidations of beef and dairy cow herds and reductions in sow numbers, which put even more short-term impact on livestock prices and reduced profitability for producers. The situation for livestock producers, which was created as a result of the 2012 drought, has once again pointed out the need for a risk-management program for livestock producers that provides the same type of safety net that crop producers have available through crop insurance.
5. Difficult decisions in grain marketing.
Grain prices rose to record high prices this past summer, reaching harvest prices near $8/bu. for corn and over $17 for soybeans in southern Minnesota. As of mid-January, current local cash grain prices have moderated to around $7.25 for corn and $14.30 for soybeans, which are still very good price levels. Harvest grain prices for fall 2013 are near $5.40/bu. for corn and $12.20/bu. for soybeans in south-central Minnesota.
Many farm operators did not market a lot of their corn and soybeans at the top price levels, as they started marketing their grain last spring and early summer – before the major drought occurred – as a risk management approach. A lot of corn in the region was forward priced at $4.75-5.50/bu. in May and June, and the soybeans at $12-13/bu., which seemed like good prices at the time. Once the drought set in, producers needed to be cautious how much more grain they forward contracted – in case they did not get the bushels – so they ended up missing the top of the market. However, for most corn and soybean producers in Minnesota the strong grain prices resulted in a very profitable year for crop production in 2012. It appears that the 2013 crop year will be another year of high grain price volatility, which will again create some very difficult grain marketing decisions.