text:
MRI has become central to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, a complex disease of the central nervous system that affects over 400,000 people in Europe. Around 90% of all MS diagnoses are now based on MRI findings, owing to the modality's high sensitivity to inflammation and demyelinating plaques.
Trials have shown that an early diagnosis can make a big difference to the efficacy of MS drug treatments. Familiarity with the optimum diagnostic strategy is consequently crucial. Work is also under way to identify imaging biomarkers that could show whether a selected treatment is working, well before that same conclusion can be drawn from clinical findings.
Friday morning, members of the European Magnetic Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis (MAGNIMS) network shared with ECR delegates their expertise on MS diagnosis and management. The state-of-the-art session included practical tips for general radiologists who are faced with a potential case of MS, as well as details about research that will appeal to specialists in neuroradiology.
"From a practical point of view, the most important message is to be familiar with the diagnostic criteria," said Dr. Alex Rovira, head of the MRI unit at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, and the session chair. "In most European countries, the criteria required to start treatment for MS is to establish the diagnosis, and this is done with MRI. To avoid a wrong diagnosis, we have to know about the typical features of this disease and how we should apply imaging criteria."
|Serial images obtained on biyearly basis in patient with relapsing-remitting form of MS. In addition to increasing number of plaques within hemispheric white matter, MRI shows increase in number and size of black holes and progressive brain volume loss. MRI is an essential technique for studying the natural history of MS and monitoring the effects of new treatments. (Provided by A. Rovira)
An imaging-led diagnosis of MS is typically based on conventional MRI techniques. T2-weighted imaging can reveal lesions that indicate the presence of inflammation, demyelination, gliosis, axonal loss, and even remyelination. This information may be used by radiologists to estimate the overall burden of MS disease. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI can also be used to detect lesions that are currently active.
A firm diagnosis is not usually made until the disease has been identified clinically in a separate part of the central nervous system some time after the initial onset of symptoms. It may take a couple of years for this criterion to be met. Repeated MRI, on the other hand, may identify new "silent" lesions and speed up the diagnosis. Alternatively, and of equal importance, imaging may be able to exclude MS and identify another cause of the patient's symptoms.
Once the diagnosis has been made, the value of MRI to MS patients begins to waver. Radiologists would like to use MRI to track progression of the disease, and perhaps even forecast periods of remission and relapse, but it is difficult to predict the outcome of treatment based on conventional MRI findings alone. What you see on imaging does not necessarily reflect what benefit the patient will get.
The main reason for this clinical-radiological paradox is the complexity of MS. A number of factors contribute to disease severity, and not all of this information can be captured from T2- and T1-weighted imaging alone. Conventional MRI techniques may be able to spot MS lesions, but they say little about changes occurring within those lesions or about damage to brain tissue that has a "normal" appearance. More sophisticated techniques, such as MR spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and functional MRI (fMRI) are needed to complete the picture.
"MS is not just focal inflammatory demyelination, as we used to think. There are a lot of additional things going on," said Prof. Massimo Filippi, director of the Neuroimaging Research Unit at San Raffaele University in Milan, and one of the session's three invited speakers. "It is a more complex puzzle that we still need to define."
|Serial axial T2-weighted (top row) and postcontrast T1-weighted (bottom row) spin-echo MRI of brain performed at baseline, month one, and month two in patient with relapsing-remitting MS. Multiple hyperintense lesions, which suggest multifocal white-matter pathology, are visible on T2-weighted image at baseline. On postcontrast T1-weighted examination, some of these lesions are contrast-enhanced, which indicates presence of local disruption of blood–brain barrier. New contrast-enhancing lesions can be observed at month one and month two, which indicate dissemination of disease. (Provided by M. Filippi)
This process would be aided if the application of these nonconventional MRI techniques could be standardized, according to Filippi. Clear criteria for the diagnosis of MS based on conventional MRI approaches have already been established, but as yet, there is no common language covering MRS, DTI, and/or fMRI findings.
Nonconventional MRI techniques are becoming increasingly important in preclinical and clinical trials as companies move forward in developing neuroprotective drugs, as well as anti-inflammatory agents. The development of internationally acceptable guidelines relating to MRI-based monitoring of MS would help researchers from different institutions to compare their results.
|Reconstructions of white matter tracts in healthy control using diffusion tensor MRI tractography. Top row shows corpus callosum, fornix, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Bottom row shows uncinate, arcuate, and cingulum fasciculus. Diffusion tensor MRI studies typically show diffusivity abnormalities in MS patients that are not seen in controls and that correlate with various clinical severity measures. (Provided by M. Filippi)
"We are lucky to have MRI, which is not a single technique but a set of techniques. We should not be using the same technique in all scenarios, but tailoring our approach to MRI when addressing different research questions," Filippi said.


text:
DD has a posterior tongue tie. I decided we would try therapy first before getting it snipped because she does seem to have good movement and she seems to have issues not related to the tie that are causing problems breastfeeding. She can't curl up the sides or lift the front when her mouth is open so she doesn't cup the breast, but the tie is all the way in the back and not visible, plus her tongue tip rests behind her upper gums when she's asleep so it can lift so I just don't know..
The therapist thinks her latch isn't improving because I feed her too much. She wants me to wait at least two hours between the end of one feeding and the beginning of another so she is really hungry. She also wants me to work on getting her to take a paci so she can see how she sucks. She couldn't stimulate a rooting or sucking reflex with a paci or finger so she couldn't really tell what was going on.
Problem is, last time I tried spacing them out (she doesn't fuss or act hungry so I thought everything was fine), she was only making up to 3 wet diapers a day, and that was only an hour between a few feedings. I've also read in various places that scheduling feedings with a tt baby is basically begging for failure to thrive, and I believe in feeding on demand for food or comfort.
But I do want her latch problems sorted out. She gets SO much gas from all the air she swallows and I'm sure even more since I'm comfort eating junk food all the time (did you say chocolate?) because I'm so stressed. The eating all the time doesn't even bother me - it's listening to her click away knowing she's going to be miserable in a couple of hours until I find a way to "deflate" her (she blows up like a balloon) only to have to do it all over again.
Does the advice (spacing them so she will work harder and hopefully figure out how her tongue is supposed to work) sound good or is spacing them just begging to end bf?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Born in La Paz, Bolivia in 1935, Graciela Rodo prepared for two careers; music and painting.
Graciela Redo Boulanger was immersed in music and art at an early age. When she was only 11, she joined the studio of Rimsa, a Bolivian artist for tutorage. At 15 she attended the National Conservatory of Music and the Academy of Art in Chile.The first exhibition of her paintings was held in Potosi, Bolivia, in 1951.
In 1352 she moved to Vienna to study at both the Conservatory and at the Dunstakakademie. By the age of 17, she had already exhibited paintings and given piano recitals in La Pat, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Satzburg and Zurich.Since that time she has been honored with one-woman exhibition throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. While living in Buenos Aires concertizing and exhibiting, she saw an etching by the artist, Johnny Friedlaender which aroused in her an overwhelming desire to go to Paris and study printmaking in his famous atelier. She arrived in Paris in 1961 and worked with Friedlaender for seven years. Her style matured and she began to get worldwide recognition for her lithographs, oils and etchings. Since that time she has published works in all ...(PLease Login to see the complete biography.)
The complete works of artists
Our Catalogue Raisonne
Inventory | Classified Ads | Artist's Studio|
Certificates |
Us | About Us |
Terms of Use
| Links Page
| Link To Us
| Affiliate
Program |
Feedback | Customer
Comments | Help
Use Your :
Shop with Confidence -- all orders are protected
by a full refund guarantee.
Copyright © Art-cadre.com A division of D&H Goossens.
All rights reserved.
Phone&Fax +322/218-13-82, Quai au Foin 11, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
With :


text:
Accenture serves most of the automotive companies in the FORTUNE Global 500 by leveraging a deep industry knowledge and geographical presence across the globe.
Combining industry and operations knowledge with unique insights into existing and emerging technologies, we have developed a range of innovative, end-to-end offerings for the automotive industry. Deploying these services, we can help clients to identify and enter new markets, to change the pace with their customers in the digital experience, increase revenues in existing markets, improve operational performance, and deliver products and services more effectively and efficiently.


text:
The Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole reversed an earlier decision that would have granted convicted murderer Bryan S. Lankford parole in four years.
Executive Director Olivia Craven said Thursday, Jan. 16, the commission changed its earlier ruling based on "a procedural error." The ruling denying parole means Lankford won't go before the parole board for another five years, January 2019.
"As any inmate does, Bryan has the right to submit an appeal six months from now, which would be July," Craven explained. "If that were denied then he would have the right to appeal annually. The commission also has the right to deny those submissions."
Craven said any communication to appeal must be initiated by the inmate.
In 1984 an Idaho County jury convicted Lankford for the slayings of U.S. Marine Capt. Robert Bravence and his wife, Cheryl, of El Paso, Texas (formerly of Arizona). The couple had been camping in the backcountry of Idaho County at a campsite near Santiam Creek at the time of their deaths.
"We as a family are definitely relieved about this," said Kerry Lehto, brother to murder victim Cheryl Bravence, during a phone interview last Friday. "We really didn't know what to expect – we knew it could possibly go a different way."
Lankford and his older brother, Mark Lankford, both from Texas as well, were convicted in separate trials and sentenced to death. Bryan's sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Mark's death penalty was also overturned and he was convicted a second time in 2008 in Shoshone County and sentenced to life in prison. A third attempt for trial was recently refused by a senior judge.
The commission received "a lot of letters about the case," Craven said, but she also said they did not figure into the recent decision to deny Bryan's release. All letters will be kept on file and will be accessible to the commission.
"I just want the public to know all these letters were received and will be maintained for the next hearing," she said.
Lehto said the issues that have come up with appeals, sentencing and parole have been "difficult for the family."
"This never goes away," he said from his Las Vegas home where he works as a writer. "It's very draining both emotionally and physically."
Lehto was only 17 when his sister and her husband went missing.
"I was a senior in high school and it was unreal," he said. "Your mind goes through all sorts of 'what ifs.'"
It was three months later when the Idaho authorities called the Lehto family.
"I remember an immediate sense of relief that part of the mystery was solved," he said. "Then started the whole other part of the puzzle, finding out what happened to Robert and Cheryl and then there's a whole new set of thoughts about what they went through and how they felt, as well as who did this to them and why."
Facing the Lankford brothers in the courtroom, Lehto described, has been "one of the hardest things ever."
"To come face to face with the people who killed your sister – it's indescribable," he said.
Although the years have had a tremendous effect on Lehto and his family, "the trauma highlighting both the best and worst threads in all relationships," he said, the best thing to do is "remember them for who they were."
"We – their families and friends — keep the energy of their spirits alive by remembering what amazing people they were," he emphasized.
"I know after someone dies it is easy to say how wonderful they were," Lehto admitted. "But I want everyone to know they were wonderful. Cheryl was a special education teacher with an absolute heart of gold. Robert was a very giving man. They were soul mates. We keep the joy of their lives in our minds."
Although all the parents of the couple have since died, Cheryl's three brothers (including Kerry) and a sister are living as well as Robert's brother.
"Time puts a scar on what happened," he said. "We are so grateful for the support we have received from the people of Idaho and all around the world."
"What I hope is this recent decision not only sheds light on our specific event, but also raises awareness about the fact that violent criminals can be released," Lehto stated. "We need to be aware this happens and be prepared to stand up against it."
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Information from the Free-Press and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)


text:
Cemetery searching for answers after headstones found damaged
THREE RIVERS, Mich. (WWMT) - A West Michigan cemetery sexton is in disbelief tonight, after almost two dozen historic headstones were vandalized so close to the holiday.
The damage happened at Riverside Cemetery in Three Rivers Wednesday. The sexton wants justice to be served.
"You can see where the orange stakes are right here," Richard Clements said. "Those are some of the ones they busted."
Stone memories of lives lost toppled and defaced at riverside cemetery. Clements is working to track down who caused the damage.
"About 20 stones, great big pillar ones, and some little limestone ones that are a hundred plus years old," Clements said, describing the damaged headstones.
Clements says the cemetery insurance company estimates repairs could cost up to $200,000.
He describes the situation as a show of disrespect, putting a damper on the holiday season.
"Discouraged, I can't believe somebody would do this to people that are gone," Clements said.
Clements says he filed a police report, and there are no surveillance cameras that could have captured the suspects on camera.
If the suspects are caught, Clements wants to personally help serve justice.
"I think if we do catch them, I think community service hours out here at the cemetery with me," Clements said. "I think they should have to put some time in to replace what they have done."
Newschannel 3 have a phone call in to detectives over at the Three Rivers Police Department about the status of this investigation. We are waiting to hear back for more information.


text:
© ® The Nobel Foundation
IPCC honoured with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
Phone: +41-22-730-8208/84 e-mail:
Asia dominates world aquaculture, producing four-fifths of all farmed fish,
shrimp, and shellfish (FAO, 1997). Farming of fish, shrimp, shellfish, and seaweeds
has become a vital source of food supply in Asia in recent decades. Fishery
products are staples for the Asian population and are embedded in its culture.
Fish, an important source of food protein, is critical to food security in many
countries of Asia, particularly among poor communities in coastal areas. The
annual fish catch and aquaculture production in Asia reached a peak at about
20.7 and 19.1 Mt, respectively, in the year 1998. Japan has the largest distant-waters
fishery production. Inland fishery production is dominated by China and India,
which have shown increases in recent years as a result of stock enhancement
Fish farming requires land and watertwo resources that already are in
short supply in many countries in Asia. Nearly half of the land now used for
shrimp ponds in Thailand was formerly used for rice paddies; water diversion
for shrimp ponds has lowered groundwater levels noticeably in coastal areas
of Thailand. In China, concern over the loss of arable land has led to restrictions
on any further conversion of farmland to aquaculture ponds. Intensive production
systems and large-scale facilities used to raise high-value shrimp, salmon,
and other premium species has taken a heavy toll on coastal habitats, with mangrove
swamps in southeast Asia being cleared at an alarming rate. Thailand lost more
than 15% of its mangrove forests to shrimp ponds from 1987 to 1993 (World Bank,
1996). Destruction of mangroves has left these coastal areas exposed to erosion
and flooding, altered natural drainage patterns, and increased salt intrusion.
The fishery resources of Japan, China, and many other countries of Asia are
being depleted by overfishing, excessive use of pesticides, industrial pollution,
red tide, and even construction of dikes and other coastal structures (Zou and
Wu, 1993; Sato and Mimura, 1997). Loss of inshore fish nursery habitats to coastal
development, as well as pollution from land-based activities, causes significant
change to ecosystems supporting fisheries (see also Chapter
6). Marine productivity is greatly affected by temperature changes that
control plankton shift, such as seasonal shifting of sardine in the Sea of Japan
and induced during the cyclical occurrence of the ENSO in low latitudes (Chen
and Shen, 1999; Piyakarnchana, 1999; Terazaki, 1999). The impact of global warming
on fisheries will depend on the complicated food chain, which could be disturbed
by sea-level rise, changes in ocean currents, and alteration of mixing layer
Anomalies in the water temperatures of major oceanic currents (e.g., declines
in sardine catch in the Sea of Japan associated with changing patterns of the
Kuroshio current in ENSO years) have resulted in low commercial fish catch in
recent years (Yoshino, 1998b). The steady wintertime decrease in mean wind speed
observed over the Sea of Japan between 1960 and 1990 has accelerated surface
temperature increase and stagnated bottom water formation in recent years (Varlamov
et al., 1997). The rise in SST will shift the southern limit of salmon species
further to the north (Seino et al., 1998). It is also suggested that the Sea
of Japan bottom water will become anoxic within a few hundred years; a decreased
oxygen supply will lead to major losses in biological productivity in deep waters
(Gamo, 1999). Fish production of certain species may decrease because of the
decline of river volume (Zhou, 1991). Increases in marine culture products and
declines in marine fishery output are current trends in most south Asian countries
that are engaged in commercial fishery activity. It is likely that increased
surface runoff and higher nutrient load might lead to potentially beneficial
increases in plankton within the coastal zone of boreal Asia. However, increased
frequency of El Niño events, which are likely in a warmer atmosphere,
could lead to measurable declines in plankton biomass and fish larvae abundance
in coastal waters of south and southeast Asia (see also Chapter
6). Such declines in lower levels of the food chain will have negative impacts
on fisheries in Asia.
Table of contents
IPCC Homepage


text:
Clear Spot 4G+ lets multiple users connect but can lose its signal on the go
The GCN Lab product of the month for March is personal hot spots.
We realize that this is more of a category than a specific product. But the market for personal hot spots is wide open now, with no clear leader. And the public's demand for the tiny devices will only grow. As such, the entire category of personal hot spots has generated enough buzz to take the coveted product of the month spot for March.
A personal hot spot looks like a small cell phone, only it doesn't make calls in the traditional sense. Instead, it connects to a cellular network by using 4G — or 3G if a 4G connection isn't available — and then creates a mobile hot spot so that other devices can log on and get Internet access.
From a user's point of view, it's not unlike getting Internet access at a Starbucks or McDonald's, only it's your own personal access point that travels with you as you move. And most of them will provide access for five or more devices of any type, be they iPads, laptop PCs or even other phones. In fact, many Android phones have this ability now, but a personal hot spot is a cheaper way to provide Internet access for multiple devices.
Related coverage:
Soon, will you carry your cell tower with you?
These devices have evolved quite a bit in recent months. A year ago, we took a look at the Verizon Wireless MiFi 2200 Mobile Hotspot, which plugged into a computer's USB port to give it wireless access to the Internet via Verizon's network. These days, most personal hot spots are stand-alone devices that don't need to be plugged into anything.
You simply connect to the wireless network you want to use, usually by clicking one button, and then log in to the hot spot using Wi-Fi with whatever devices you want. You can hide your personal hot spot and protect it with a password, too, if you want to keep other people from using your connection. However, most hot spots have unlimited data plans, so locking down your connection isn't absolutely necessary.
One of the newest breeds of this type of device is the Clear Spot 4G+ personal hot spot. Those of you who live in the Washington, D.C., area have probably started to see the company's commercials on TV, though the Clear Network coverage map shows they are in most major cities. The 4G+ personal hot spot has several data plans, with some of them offering unlimited 4G data for as little as $50 per month.
The lab got one of these devices and found that, when it was working, it was pretty cool. We were even able to get four people with laptops connected and surfing the Internet at the same time from a single hot spot.
However, the Clear network still seems to have a lot of holes because moving in a car caused the Clear Spot 4G+ to frequently lose its signal. However, that is not as bad as dropping a call because your laptop will just wait until the signal comes back for you to continue surfing as long as the signal is not gone for too long.
Although devices such as the Clear Spot 4G+ aren't perfect, they are darn convenient if you can find a location that has good coverage and hang out there for a while. And moving around will get better as networks mature.
Personal hot spots show what the future of wireless communications might look like, with everyone carrying around their own network access nodes and perhaps sharing them on occasion with a few good friends. And if you're willing to put up with some growing pains, you can touch that future now.
About the Author
John Breeden II is a freelance technology writer for GCN.
E-Mail this page
Printable Format
How and with who can I retain my hot-spot service with being clear is going out?
Bought the CLEAR 4G Hotspot in Largo, FL from a rather sketchy but nice young man who appeared sincere. Needed it bec. the condo we were staying in did not have wireless service. Left to drive home and NEVER,except in Atl, and a few other city areas, had service. That was very disappointing. Were assured that with no contract, I could cancel it and restart it any time I wanted. I tried, and found it to be daunting! Much arguing, trying to convince me I sh keep the monthly service, etc. I have been assured it is cancelled. We shall see! And if I can restart when I want! Service is not what's advertised.
1. They look like a good competitor to Verizon (based on reviews).
2. They sales methodology is so horrible and bad.
3. They have no option on their website to give the cost of the MIFI Gadget , its only the price that made to LURE web visitor to call them
4. Once you call them , you are subjected to go through hell before getting any information from the person who ever comes on the line.
5. I was on the line for close to 10 mts and didnt get any quote!!!
6. He took my phone number address zip code .
7. Still i didnt get a quote
8. I got suspicious when he asked if my home was rented or own
9. Then he wanted to know of the current service provider---Which is not required ....this guys sounded like a nosy / inquisitive / curious or fishing for information on finding out which service provider i am using.
10. I didnt like this because i was already on the phone for so long and he was not interested in giving me a quote.
11. He wanted my SSN to give me a price quote and cost of the MIFI Gadget !!!
Something's not right here and certainly shouldnt ask for SSN to give a price quote or for the cost of the mifi gadget.
Hope Clear Spot has some good explanation for this and could publish on their website why they are asking for SSN to give a price quote and how the personal information is being handled.
I own a ClearSpot 4G device and it works wonders. I was stranded on the side of the road and my phone had died, but luckily I had my iPod and I was able to use the Internet provided by my ClearSpot device and call someone for help. These little devices are extremely useful, yea they're a little expensive but after what it's done for me I think it's worth it.
"However, most hot spots have unlimited data plans, so locking down your connection isn't absolutely necessary." WHAT? Just let some stranger onto your hot-spot so they can try to hack your PC? Better your PC than mine!
Show All Comments
Advanced Search
8251 Greensboro Drive, Suite 510
McLean, VA 22102
© 2018 1105 Media, Inc.
8251 Greensboro Drive, Suite 510
McLean, VA 22102703-876-5100 © 1996-2017 1105 Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Today, we wrap-up our series of Sub Pop Memories. (Check out previous installments here, here, and here.) Surely, new memories will be made this Saturday, July 13th at the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee in Georgetown, and you can read all about those on the KEXP Blog in the year 2038.
Listen Live:
High Quality AAC+
Excellent for PC, Mac, iPhones/iPads, Android Devices, tablets, iTunes, Winamp, and VLC. High quality audio, low bandwidth
MP3 Stream
Best for computers running OSX or Windows with iTunes or the open source VideoLAN Player installed
KEXP AND THE UWKEXP is an
affiliate of the
University of Washington
iTunes and KEXPYou can now find KEXP under "Eclectic" in iTunes after the demise of the "Public" category, to better represent the diversity of our daytime variety shows and numerous specialty programs.
KEXP Suggests


text:
Scientific name: Panus conchatus (Bull.) Fr.
Derivation of name: Torul- means "tuft of hairs," osus
means "full of.'
Synonyms: Lentinus torulosus (Pers.) Lloyd; Agaricus
conchatus Bull.; Panus torulosus (Pers.) Fr.; Lentinus
conchatus (Bull.) J. Schrot.
Common name(s):
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Order: Polyporales
Family: Polyporaceae
Occurrence on wood substrate: Saprobic;solitary to
clustered on decaying deciduous logs and stumps; May
through November.
Dimensions: Caps 3-13 cm wide; stipe 1-4 cm long and
5-25 mm thick.
Cap: Violet when young, fading in age to pinkish
cinnamon to pale yellowish brown to tan; dry and smooth
to minutely hairy, forming tiny scales in age.
Gills: Decurrent; often forking; edges even; violet, fading
to buff
Spore print: White.
Stipe: Violet at first, fading to pale tan; velvety to fuzzy at
least at base; central to mostly eccentric or lateral.
Veil: Absent.
Edibility: Said to be edible but tough.
Comments: Similar to Lentinus strigosus in the manner in
which the violet coloration of the young mushrooms fades
away, making identification of older specimens more difficult.
More information at MushroomExpert.com:
Figure 1. Note the violet coloration of the caps, gillls, and
stipes of these young specimens of Lentinus torulosus.
Photo © Diana Smith.
Figure 2. The violet coloration fades away as the
age. Photo © John Plischke III.
Figure 3. Photo © John Plischke III.
Figure 4. Inrolled cap margin on a young
specimen of
Lentinus torulosus. Photo © Diana Smith.


text:
Press Release
The St. Louis County Library is pleased to present St. Louisan and acclaimed suspense author Ridley Pearson at this special pre-publication event for his newest thriller "Choke Point" on Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. The program is free and open to the public. (Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Seating is limited; early arrival is recommended.) Copies of the book will be available for purchase from Left Bank Books.
When an award-winning foreign journalist reveals the existence of an Amsterdam-based sweatshop known as a "knot shop" that employs and enslaves young girls as laborers, private security firm Rutherford Risk is hired by a philanthropist to find it and shut it down.
David "Sarge" Dulwich, Knox's former boss from their government contractor days, knows that Knox's cultural knowledge, combat skills, and sympathy for the abused make him right for the job. Joined by Grace Chu, whose more subtle skills for acquiring sensitive tech information help to balance Knox's improvisational style, he heads to Amsterdam in an attempt to dismantle the child labor operation and rescue the girls. In their way is a crime organization that has permeated the neighborhoods with good will turning even the victims' parents against their would-be saviors. With enemies around every corner, Knox and Grace can't tell the good from the bad.
Ridley Pearson is a New York Times best-selling author with nearly 30 adult suspense novels and over 15 children's adventure novels published in 22 languages in 70 countries. His novels have been adapted to both network television and the stage. He has also co-produced and written documentaries for television. Ridley has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Craig Ferguson, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and has been reviewed in major newspapers around the world.
Program sites are accessible. Upon two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Contact St. Louis County Library by phone 314-994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org.


text:
Recreate this look for your table with Thanksgiving table decorating ideas and a complete list of sources.
Thanksgiving table settings to some are even more exciting than Christmas. Preparing for and setting your Thanksgiving table is the kick off of for the holiday season. There are so many different table-decorating and Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas and many are around a theme – rustic, elegant, traditional, more modern, and organic are just a few. Each table should have its own personality and you can see that a rustic table setting is a more seasonal and non-fussy approach. Liz Demos selected to go with woodsy and elegant accents to make her guests feel at home this Thanksgiving. There is no need to make elaborate Thanksgiving centerpieces to bring punch to your holiday table. We suggest using a happy balance of inexpensive grocery story flowers and bits from your garden as the centerpiece. Keeping it simple means you too can try this come November. These are the Thanksgiving table decoration ideas that will really wow your guests this holiday season.


text:
Informatics Research Projects
Scientific research at NCEAS relies on access to existing data on a broad variety of topics, and these data usually are difficult to locate, access, interpret, and analyze. NCEAS' Informatics Research facilitates synthetic research by developing and supporting products and tools that are broadly useful to the ecological research community.
Our work is conducted with a number of partner [1] collaborators and impacts the way ecological research is conducted, especially relative to synthesis and collaboration, which depend so heavily on extending access to relevant data.
Projects undertaken by NCEAS staff and collaborators address key challenges including:
- Storage and management of environmental data
- Discovery and preparation of data for further analysis and synthesis
- Advanced automated machine processing of information and models
Making these capabilities available to practicing scientists
Institute for Sustainable Earth and Environmental Software [2] (ISEES)
NCEAS and its partner collaborators are developing a strategic plan [3] for a nationally supported Institute that would coordinate the development and sustainable support of innovative and interoperable scientific software tools that can transform science at the intersection of earth, environmental, and life sciences. The ISEES steering committee [4] is facilitating a series of design workshops [5] with the broader research community to create a vision and criteria for an Institute. ISEES will advance the state of science software by engaging earth and environmental research communities to address the software barriers that most impede grand challenge earth science. The envisioned institute will enable researchers to collaboratively address the entire software lifecycle, from product conceptualization, to requirements analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, long-term support, and decommissioning.
DataONE [6]
DataONE (Observation Network for Earth) is building cyberinfrastructure for open, persistent, robust, and secure access to well-described and easily discovered Earth observational data. Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, DataONE ensures preservation and access to multi-scale, multi-discipline, and multi-national science data. DataONE makes biological data available from the genome to the ecosystem; makes environmental data available from atmospheric, ecological, hydrological, and oceanographic sources; provides secure and long-term preservation and access; and engages scientists, land-managers, policy makers, students, educators, and the public. DataONE is a collaboration between NCEAS/UCSB [7], the University of New Mexico [8], the Oak Ridge National Laboratory [9], the California Digital Library [10], NESCent [11], and a number of other organizations [12]. Funded in 2009 by the National Science Foundation [13] - OCI-0830944.
Community Dynamics Toolbox analysis of long-term ecological dynamics using the Kepler Workflow System
As ecologists continue to gather long-term data at site, regional, continental, and global scales, there will be an increasing need for tools to measure the pattern and rate of change in plant and animal communities in response to multiple environmental drivers. The National Science Foundation has funded the NCEAS Informatics team and collaborators from University of New Mexico [14] and University of Wisconsin's Center for Limnology [15] to gather together multiple metrics of ecological dynamics into one toolbox will provide ecologists with a new set of tools for quantifying how communities change over time. Our approach builds upon many recent informatics developments (EML [16], DataONE [6], LTER NIS [17], PASTA [18], Kepler [19]) to advance ecological research. The toolbox will make community analysis more accessible, expose a variety of indices to wider use, and, with existing workflows, will help reduce data preparation efforts and foster unprecedented potential for collaboration.
Gulf Watch Alaska [20]
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council and state and federal agencies are supporting a five-year, $12 million long-term monitoring program in the Gulf of Alaska region affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The monitoring program, called Gulf Watch Alaska, includes 25 principal scientists and seeks to provide data to identify and help understand the impacts of multiple ecosystem factors on the recovery of injured resources. It builds upon the past 23 years of restoration research and monitoring by the EVOSTC [21]and federal and state agencies. Monitoring efforts will span a range of species and marine conditions, organized in three components, with integrated data management and synthesis of science information provided across the components. The program includes sites in Prince William Sound, lower Cook Inlet and the outer Kenai Peninsula coast. This program is expected to be 20 years in total length, but planned and funded in five-year increments. To facilitate a thorough understanding of the effects of the oil spill, NCEAS has focused on collating and documenting 25 years of historical data in preparation for synthesis and made available these data available for use by a wide array of technical and non-technical users. NCEAS will also convene two cross-cutting synthesis working groups to do a full-systems analysis of the effects of the 1989 oil spill on Prince William Sound and the state of recovery of the affected ecosystems.
Semantic Tools for Ecological Data Management (Semtools) [22]
The Semantic Tools for Data Management (Semtools) project is tackling critical issues in the management and use of heterogeneous scientific data. Existing approaches to managing data and associated metadata fail to adequately capture the semantics of the scientific process, thereby impeding the utility of those data for important scientific issues. Semtools will provide new capabilities for data access, discovery, integration, and visualization by developing software tools that utilize semantically annotated data and metadata. This project will create semantic enhancements to the EML [16] structured metadata format, the Morpho [23] metadata editing software, and the Metacat [24] metadata and data management system. Semtools is a collaboration between NCEAS [7], UC Davis [25], and the Santa Barbara Coastal LTER [26]. Funded in 2008 by the National Science Foundation [13] - DBI-0743429.
Scientific Observations Network (SONet) [27]
Advances in environmental science increasingly depend on information from multiple disciplines to tackle broader and more complex questions about the natural world. Such advances, however, are hindered by data heterogeneity, which impedes the ability of researchers to discover, interpret, and integrate relevant data that have been collected by others. The Scientific Observations Network (SONet) will initiate a multi-disciplinary, community-driven effort to define and develop the necessary specifications and technologies to facilitate semantic interpretation and integration of observational data. The technological approaches will derive from recent advances in knowledge representation that have demonstrated great utility in enhancing scientific communication and data interoperability within the genomics community. A community of experts consisting of environmental science researchers, computer scientists, and information managers, will come together to develop open-source, standards-based approaches to the semantic modeling of observational data. Funded in 2008 by the National Science Foundation [13] - OCI-0753144.
Completed Informatics Projects
Management and Analysis of Environmental Observatory Data Using the Kepler Scientific Workflow System
National initiatives such as the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) [28] and the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) [29] have highlighted the need for improvements in cyberinfrastructure supporting environmental observatories. Although previous initiatives have focused on data acquisition and archiving, scientists also need cyberinfrastructure that supports integration of data acquired from different instruments, and modeling and analysis of archived and real-time data sources. Thus, this project produced extensions to the Kepler [30] scientific workflow system that provide access to observatory data through systems such as OPeNDAP [31] and sensor networks and that expose these data in workflows for analysis and modeling.
Digital Resource Discovery and Dynamic Learning Communities for a Changing Biology
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) [32] requested that the NCEAS be a sub-award on their NSF NSDL program entitled "Digital Resource Discovery and Dynamic Learning Communities for a Changing Biology." The overall goal of the project was to enhance discovery and use of digital library resources from the EcoEd Digital Library and other digital libraries under the BEN (BioSciEdNet) umbrella. ESA collaborated with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Science Pipes project [33] (NSF DUE-0734857) to achieve this goal in an undergraduate education context. Science Pipes now provides access to biodiversity data for students and teachers to create and share analyses and visualizations. NCEAS collaborated with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, specifically Paul Allen, and with ESA to extend Science Pipes to provide access to exemplar ecology datasets, data templates, and models that illustrate core ecological concepts. In addition, components were added to Science Pipes to allow students to use these datasets and models in analyses and visualizations.
Science Environment for Ecological Knowledge (SEEK) [34]
SEEK was multi-institutional collaboration of ecologists, systematists, and computer scientists researching scientific workflow modeling with advanced semantics. The goals of SEEK were to make fundamental improvements in how researchers can 1) gain broad access to ecological data and information, 2) rapidly locate and utilize distributed computational services, and 3) employ powerful new methods for capturing, reproducing, and extending the analysis process itself. The SEEK approaches to data were compatible with the KNB [16] technologies, but significantly extended these to incorporate data resources from the natural history museum and biodiversity science communities, as well as the geosciences and remote-sensing communities. Products include the scientific workflow application, Kepler [30], and the EcoGrid [35], a network of networks of ecologically-relevant data and analytical components. This project incorporated cutting-edge advances in semantic mediation and knowledge representation. SEEK [34] was a collaborative project of LTER, NCEAS, SDSC, the University of Kansas (Biodiversity Research Center) and the University of California, Davis. Funded in 2002 by the National Science Foundation - Information Technology Research program DBI-0225676.
Virtual Data Center (VDC)
The scientific community needs reliable infrastructure that enables open, stable, persistent, robust, and secure access to well-described and logically organized biodiversity, ecological and environmental data. What is needed is a virtual distributed network of data centers that seamlessly supports discovery and user-friendly access to a broad array of data, metadata, and other digital products that are archived securely and permanently in multiple locations. We designed a Virtual Data Center (VDC) for biodiversity, ecological and environmental data—all founded on open standards and protocols for interoperability among existing and new data centers. The VDC project was a collaboration among the Long Term Ecological Research Network Office [36], NCEAS [7], the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center [37], the National Biological Information Infrastructure, Oak Ridge National Laboratory [38], and the University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center [39]. Funded in 2008 by the National Science Foundation [13] - OCI-0753138.
FIRST Project [40]
The Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST) project developed new metadata standards for assessment in ecological education to facilitate the exchange of educational assessment data. Participants developed means for semantically describing assessment instruments to allow comparison of different assessment techniques. NCEAS participated as a subcontractor on this project lead by researchers at Michigan State University [41]. Funded in 2006 by the National Science Foundation.
UC Natural Reserve System Data Registry [42] (NRS)
The University of California Natural Reserve System [43] contributes to the understanding and management of the Earth and its natural systems by supporting university-level teaching, research, and public service at protected natural areas throughout California. NCEAS collaborated with the NRS in building an information management system that facilitates research and education in the UC NRS. One of the major projects was the UC NRS Data Registry [42], which is based on the KNB technologies. Funded in 1999 by the University of California.
Resource Discovery Initiative for Field Stations (RDIFS) [44]
RDIFS Research Coordination Network (RCN) focused principally on enhancing the ecological informatics infrastructure for field biology and developed mechanisms for discovery of data and information resources that help facilitate research and education at North American biological field stations. As part of the LTER-lead RDIFS effort, NCEAS has adapted tools from the KNB [16] to create the Organization of Biological Field Stations Data Registry [45]. LTER Network Office - funded in 2001 by the National Science Foundation - Research Collaboration Networks Program.
Kruger National Park, South Africa [46]
NCEAS collaborated with information managers and scientists at Kruger National Park to develop effective informatics solutions for data collected within the park, as well as for research purposes, decision-making, and public edification. The collaboration focused especially on the confederation of data, and the development and deployment of Kepler workflow solutions for conservation management analyses. The project is based on KNB [16] and SEEK [34]technologies. This approach [47] was adopted at each of the twenty-two South African national parks (SANParks). SANParks Data Repository [48]. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Webs on the Web (WOW) [49]
This project developed the information technology needed to increase the quality, sophistication, and pedagogical accessibility of analyses and visualizations of ecological network data. The complexity of ecological network data is immense and therefore represents a challenging opportunity for software development targeting the ecological sciences. Funded in 2002 by the National Science Foundation - Biological Databases & Informatics Program.
Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) [16]
KNB is a network for data sharing that facilitates ecological and environmental research. KNB is a collaborative effort including ecologists and technologists. Partners include NCEAS, Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER), San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), and Texas Tech University (TTU). The goal of KNB is to enable efficient discovery, access, interpretation, integration, and analysis of complex ecological data from a highly distributed set of field stations, laboratories, research sites, and individual researchers. KNB software products include applications to describe, store, and query ecological data from a common framework. KNB produced a structured metadata format for ecological data (EML) [16], software to generate this format (Morpho) [23], and a robust metadata and data management system (Metacat) [24] that enables researchers to participate in a distributed global network of Data Repositories [50]. Funded in 1999 by the National Science Foundation [51] - Knowledge & Distributed Intelligence Program DEB-0072909
NCEAS Data Repository [50] is a standards-based documentation of metadata and data from synthesis projects arising at NCEAS, based on KNB [16] technologies.
LTER Data Catalog [52] was a collaboration with LTER Data Managers and the LTER Network Office to develop metadata standards and promote search capabilities for data and metadata. It is based largely on KNB [16] technologies.


text:
10 Signs You Should Leave Lyrics
You know it's all a game.
That we play back and forth.
I leave. You chase.
And we're back to square one.
We were not meant to be.
And I tried my best to work it through.
I asked my friends, "What should I do?"
Their only advice was leaving you.
But I'm glad I did.
Or at least that's what I tell myself.
I swear to God I never would've known,
Your face or your name.
If everyday is a constant reminder, you're a whore, liar, ghost, harlot.
And it's sad to say that,
I still cry to the Bayside cd everyday.
Don't you know that those songs are about you?
Check tracks 8 and 9.
Then call me back.
You ask me, "When is it over?"
Over? This isn't over 'til I say it's over.
Back to square one.
Come on.


text:
Jimmie and Chandra Johnson have new baby girl
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson skipped work Friday following the birth of his second daughter.
Chandra Johnson gave birth at 2:02 a.m. Friday at a Charlotte, N.C., hospital. The baby girl weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long.
While mother and baby were fine, they were expected to remain in the hospital overnight so Johnson skipped practice and qualifying at Richmond International Raceway. Regan Smith drove the No. 48 Chevrolet in his place and prepared it for Saturday night's race.
"We did talk about (Johnson) not attending the race," crew chief Chad Knaus said. "It would have had to have been if there was some form of complication or if the baby came later today than we had anticipated. Since she came at a reasonable hour, and Jimmie is going to be able to take the day off, he feels like he's going to be well rested and able to come out here and perform the way he needs to tomorrow night."
Smith participated in a recent test at RIR with the Hendrick Motorsports team and turned a few laps in the No. 48, so he's familiar with the car. It made the decision to have Johnson remain in Charlotte with his family Friday an easy one, Knaus said.
"He really wanted to be here," Knaus said. "After talking it over with him last night . it made a lot more sense for him to take the day off, get some rest, spend some time with Chani. That way when he shows up here tomorrow night, he was actually fresh and ready to go instead of sleep deprived and wanting to be with his kid."
Johnson is the current Sprint Cup Series points leader heading into the final race of the "regular season." The field will be reset after Saturday night and as it currently stands, Johnson would be tied for second with Kyle Busch and trailing Matt Kenseth by three points.
The team was prepared for every scenario and would have used Smith at the Chase opener at Chicago next week if necessary.
"It's nice to know we don't have to worry about. But if it would have crept up, we would have dealt with it. We would have been OK," Knaus said.


text:
Enter all or part of a Dog Trainers Profile Name.
Below are just a few happy clients who've used this site:
Dog Trainers in Bexley
UK >> England >> London (South East) >> Bexley
You're not logged in!
Login or register on the right to contact our Members, or post a job above and we'll get members to contact you - it's free and takes 30 seconds!
To widen your search click the links above to go back.
If you're a Dog Trainer register on the right to appear on these pages.
Profiles 1 to 1 of 1
Page 1 of 1
1 |
Top Dog Training School And Home Boarding
Train Dogs at our premises, Train your dog(s) alone, Train as part of a group
Hi to all who is reading my profile. Thank you for clicking on our link. My name is Ineta and i am trainer, dog "nanny" and owner of Top Dog Training School and Home Boarding. We ar
1 |
"TESTIMONIALS Brilliant service, achieved exactly what I wanted and more. Have recommended to all my "doggy" friends. Thank you very much, Nina and Rocco (Springer Spaniel.) Hilton. Has been an ama..."
Check out our special offers for members...
Featured Profile
Online Pet Shop
Certificated and accredited Pet First Aid Courses held in a central location at a time to suit you. Ideal for pet owners and people working with, or


text:
Juan Rivera Jr., who was exonerated in January of three murder convictions, is suing law enforcement officials in Lake County alleging they framed Rivera for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Holly Staker in 1992.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday, Rivera's lawyers allege he was coerced into giving a false confession after four days of "intensive and abusive interrogation." The lawsuit further claims Rivera suffered a mental breakdown on the third night of the interrogation:
"As he was experiencing this mental collapse, the Defendants "hog tied" [Rivera] and placed him in a padded room. Medical personnel who observed Plaintiff soon thereafter diagnosed him with acute psychosis and observed that he had torn out pieces of his scalp."
Rivera's attorneys called their client's questioning by Lake County police one of the most "monumentally, psychologically abusive interrogations" in Illinois' history," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.


text:
Bob Marley musical to make premiere in Baltimore
NEW YORK (AP) — A musical about Bob Marley that uses the Jamaican reggae icon's music is in the works for next year.
Center Stage in Baltimore said Tuesday it would present the world premiere of "Marley," written and directed by company artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah. It will run from May 6 to June 14.
The show focuses on the years 1975 to 1978, when Marley survived an attempted assassination in Jamaica and went into exile in London. It will feature mid-'70s Marley albums as "Exodus," ″Kaya," and "Rastaman Vibration," which include the songs "Jamming," ″Three Little Birds" and "Roots, Rock, Reggae."
It's a collaboration between Center Stage and New York's Public Theater, where Kwei-Armah directed two productions last year. Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theater, will be the "Marley" dramaturg.


text:
The Lords of Discipline
- Lu par : Dan John Miller
- Durée : 21 h et 5 min
- Version intégrale Livre audio
- Date de publication : 15/04/2010
- Langue : Anglais
- Éditeur : Brilliance Audio
Prix : 28,31 €
This powerful and breathtaking novel is the story of four cadets who have become bloodbrothers. Together they will encounter the hell of hazing and the rabid, raunchy, and dangerously secretive atmosphere of an arrogant and proud military institute. They will experience the violence. The passion. The rage. The friendship. The loyalty. The betrayal. Together, they will brace themselves for the brutal transition to manhood... and one will not survive.
With all the dramatic brilliance he brought to The Great Santini, Pat Conroy sweeps you into the turbulent world of these four friends - and draws you deep into the heart of his rebellious hero, Will McLean, an outsider forging his personal code of honor, who falls in love with a whimsical beauty... and who undergoes a transition more remarkable then he ever imagined possible.
Autres livres audio du même :
Ce que les membres d'Audible en pensent
5 étoiles1
4 étoiles0
3 étoiles0
2 étoiles0
1 étoile0
5 étoiles1
4 étoiles0
3 étoiles0
2 étoiles0
1 étoile0
5 étoiles1
4 étoiles0
3 étoiles0
2 étoiles0
1 étoile0
- Timothée
- 23/03/2018
Pat Conroy really immerses the reader in the military environment, there is suspense, it's cool.
- Patricia
- 19/06/2011
Pat Conroy's characters
One of the things I like about Pat Conroy's story telling is you fall in love with his characters - even if you don't like them. When the story is over, you feel an emptyness, a longing to have them back in your life again. My favorite Conroy book in that respect is Prince of Tides (the book, not the movie). I couldn't stop listening even when I was so tired I should have been asleep. Lords of Discipline is the same - a compelling tale, especially when you realize that at least parts of it are autobiographical. I went to university at UC Berkeley during the same time frame that the Lords were attending "The Institute" - an amazing contrast in life choices.
21 sur 21 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- James Funk
- 20/09/2010
Somehow I missed this in my reading of Pat Conroy's books in years past, and somehow I missed the BEST of all of his works. This is a fabulous story written elegantly, passionately and so beautifully that it makes me realize the failings of other authors whose works I have previously thought were entertaining. I now feel that entertainment is not enough!! I am IN LOVE with this book and with Pat Conroy's talent and skillful artistry. THANK YOU, Pat, from the bottom of my heart, for all you and your compatriots endured to deliver this masterpiece to the world. I also want to thank the narrator for his unique ability to provide the emotional context that gives realism, heart and soul to this true nightmare.
30 sur 31 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- P. J. Benyei
- 01/11/2010
Amazing book superb narrator
This is a new favorite. I will listen to it over and over again. An amazing coming of age story about the bonds between boys growing into men. I couldn't stop listening for a moment. It can be cruel, sometimes a little crass and vulgar, as college boys (military academy or not) are wont to be, but that is secondary and only serves to make it more authentic. It is about the building of character, facing hardship and overcoming it, its about the struggle for integrity. l fell in love with the characters. The story line moves along quickly, there are no wasted moments. It is alternately funny and heartbreaking. I couldn't wait to clean the house so I could hear what happens next.
19 sur 20 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- SarahHouston
- 03/08/2010
Great book, excellent narration
I love Pat Conroy, really enjoyed The Great Santini and read the Prince of Tides years ago, but I think I liked this better than both of them. The story is captivating. It will make you laugh as all Conroy's books do with his witty dialogue, but it will also break your heart. The reader is excellent, one of the best I have listened to.
21 sur 23 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- Robert
- 12/10/2010
Well written, superb narration
I can recommend this book based on both its literary content and the excellent narration. From a literary standpoint, Conroy's ability to set the hook of his reader is owed to strong character development and an unbroken story line that does not allow the reader to quit until all is finished. The story is an open vivisection of the ritualistic and brutal plebe system at an iconic Southern military institute which, although not specifically identified as such, is based on Conroy's own experience as a cadet at the Citadel. As for the narration, Dan John Miller made each character believable and unique, whether male or female. I'll look for other books narrated by him....
13 sur 14 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- CharByte
- 13/03/2011
An Excellent Read
The narration made this listen perfect. I could not stop listening. Excellent story I found myself wondering of all the pledging that goes on even today and wonder of the point of it all. I felt I was taken into the walls of the Institute and think I fell in love with Will and all that he stood for. Wonderful Charleston descriptions. For me this is what audible books is about.
10 sur 11 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- Neil
- 22/10/2010
Interesting and moving from beginning to end -- the end in particular is one of the most captivating that I've heard on audible. I was unable to turn the last two hours off! Excellent narration, particularly good performance characterizing "The Bear." Worth your credit absolutely.
16 sur 19 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- Robert E. Scarcelle
- 05/05/2011
An amazing book
Pat Conroy is simply one of the greatest storytellers I have ever listened to. He is able to make you feel every emotion his characters are feeling. You celebrate their victories, mourn their losses and miss them when the book is complete.
3 sur 3 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- Library Volunteer
- 02/03/2011
ALMOST out of the park
Pat Conroy, one of the finest authors of our generation, has written an unforgettable narrative of endurance, agony, and achievement of manhood. Other reviewers have already stated the strengths of the work.
I will dissent from most of the others in one category: the narrator develops fabulous and fitting voices for each of the characters, but oh, how his frequent mispronunciations grated on me. Not to be able to pronounce words such as implacable, impudent, mahogany, stolid, indefatigable and others seems inexcusable in a narrator. Except for that one factor, this audiobook would have had a solid 5 stars.
15 sur 18 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.
- P. Giorgio
- 16/05/2012
Not my favorite Conroy
I know that this book is the foundation for most of Conroy's story telling, but I have to say, that perhaps because of his immaturity in his writing career at that time, it is poorly edited and a bit self-inflated.
The descriptions of some of the initiations of the military school were so repetitive, so boring, that after a while, one did not experience the horror any longer. The plight of the African American kid could have been so much more deeply mined but he was just another among the ranks.
Pat Conroy is one of my favorite contemporary writers, but I find one thing I consistently dislike in his stories. He (the protagonist) is ALWAYS better than everyone else in the book. He is NOT a racist, he will NOT participate in the torture of plebes, he is smarter than everyone in school, he is the most well liked and the most morally tortured of all the boys.
There is a psychological aspect to this consistency, I believe. I think that we write so that life is as we wish it were. I think we write to show how things could've should've been. But all of Conroy's protagonists take the high road about 90% of the time, which means either 1) that to align ourselves with the protagonist we are condescending to the other, less morally straightlaced than we are or) that Conroy is rewriting his personal history and portraying a character he wishes he had been. I am not indicting Conroy for any of this, not accusing him or being judgmental. I am trying, as a reader, to understand where he wants me to end up when the story is done.
Pat Conroy is a treasure, a tremendous and emotional writer. I should do so well myself. I am trying to understand where his dreams come from and how he translates his own history into his characters.
On the other hand, how do we know which of his characters a writer is using to portray himself... maybe it's not the protagonist who represents the writer. Maybe it's the monsters that appear in all the others.
Just thinkin' aloud.
26 sur 33 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.


text:
Sports Utility Vehicle
Hyundai set to launch new SUV in Mideast
South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company has announced that its new, full seven-seat sport utility vehicle (SUV), the Grand Santa Fe will hit the Middle East markets this summer. Building on the success of the five-seat SantaMore…
Saudi Auto votes Infiniti FX 'SUV of the year'
Saudi Auto, esteemed monthly automotive enthusiast magazine, has voted the new 2009 Infiniti FX luxury crossover as the sports utility vehicle (SUV) of the year. The main criteria on which entrants were judged included such categories as gMore…


text:
Zullers and WFFSC give scholars a kick start on college
The Warwick Fire Fighter Soccer Club (WFFSC) recently teamed up with Michael and Holly Zuller of the Elanna L. Zuller Memorial Sports Fund to give four local high school students each a $500 college scholarship.
After a committee of three members reviewed submitted essays, Amanda Ruggieri, Meghan Hart, Alessandra Widmann and Brent Parker were honored during a brief ceremony Thursday evening at West Bay Retirement Living. To qualify, students must have played for the Club for at least four years.
"We typically give two $500 scholarships but Michael contacted us and said he'd like to match it," said Doyle Byrd, president of the WFFSC. "We give them to kids that make us proud."
The Zullers, who lost their daughter, Elanna, in a car crash this time last year, said they decided to help out because they think it's something Elanna would have wanted them to do. Elanna played for WFFSC, as well as the Pilgrim soccer team. The Zullers also said it's a way for them to cope with their loss.
"It feels so good to do something nice for someone," said Michael, who attended the event with his wife, Holly.
While recipients Widmann and Parker were unable to attend the ceremony, Ruggieri and Hart, who both served as WFFSC coaches, were in attendance. Ruggieri, the valedictorian of Pilgrim's Class of 2012, will soon be studying biochemistry at Brown University. She said she's been playing soccer since she was 7 and has always enjoyed the sport.
"I was so excited," she said when asked how she felt about earning the scholarship. "I didn't expect it."
Hart is also a recent Pilgrim High School graduate. She will be studying biology at Rhode Island College this year and has made the soccer team.
"I just love the game," she said. "It's fun. You get to meet new people and make new friends."
Widmann's father, Dave, accepted the award on his daughter's behalf, as she is already away at Springfield College in Massachusetts. She will be studying physical therapy and like Hart, has made the soccer team.
"She's been playing since she was 5," Dave said.
Interestingly enough, Dave, along with the rest of the winners' dads, also served as WFFSC coaches. But, said Byrd, the youngest soccer players have an affinity for the younger coaches: "The little ones love the teenagers," he said.
Parker, a recent Hendricken graduate, is attending Clemson University in South Carolina.


text:
Thanks to Random House, I have an excerpt from Wendy Vella's The Reluctant Countess to share. If you enjoy it, there's a link to purchase after the excerpt.
The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella (Excerpt)
About the book:
From rising romance star Wendy Vella comes a Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart.
Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn't add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society.
Despite Sophie's humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick's heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever.
If you enjoyed the excerpt, you can purchase The Reluctant Countess from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the link below:


text:
There are so many different styles -- which one's right for your child?
Is it time to buy your child his first bicycle? Or, is your "little one," not so little anymore and ready for a bigger bike, or one without training wheels? If it's been a while since you've bike-shopped, you're in for a pleasant surprise.


text:
WASHINGTON The nation's unemployment rate bolted above the psychologically important 6 percent level last month for the first time in five years and it's likely to go even higher in the months ahead, possibly throwing the economy into a tailspin as Americans pick a new president.
A blizzard of pink slips propelled the jobless rate from 5.7 percent in July to 6.1 percent in August, the Labor Department reported Friday. Such a sharp increase is usually a strong recession warning, and it dashed investors' hopes for a late-year recovery.
Worried about the economy and their own business prospects, employers cut payrolls by 84,000 in August, marking the eighth straight month of losses.
So far this year, a staggering 605,000 jobs have vanished slightly less than the population of Alaska. The economy needs to generate more than 100,000 new jobs a month for employment to remain stable.
Richard Yamarone, economist at Argus Research, feared that the jobless rate would cause consumers and businesses to "move from a moderately concerned stage to outright fear" and reduce their spending even more.
A toxic trio of housing, credit and financial problems has badly shaken the economy, and the crisis shows no signs of letting up. It's the public's top worry, and many experts believe the situation will get worse before it gets better.
The unemployment increase means many companies will feel pressure to reduce their business investments either in capital projects or hiring for the rest of the year.
"Mix business caution with consumer exhaustion and you have a recipe for a real recession," said Terry Connelly, dean of Golden Gate University's Ageno School of Business.
At an unemployment center in St. Louis, Kimbel Adams could recite the exact date he was let go from his job as a hospital security guard April 8. Since then, he has applied for 10 or 15 jobs, with little luck.
"Most of the jobs you can get, it's hard to make a living off. I could always work at a fast food restaurant and struggle to pay the bills," Adams said.
Adams, 27, said unemployment checks and irregular gigs as a nightclub bouncer help make ends meet. But eating at restaurants is a thing of the past, and Adams continues to drive a 1991 Buick in spite of the constant maintenance problems.
The number of unemployed rose to 9.4 million in August, compared with 7.1 million a year ago. Economists predict more job losses ahead, pushing the unemployment rate to 7 percent by fall of 2009, according to some projections.
Against this backdrop, a growing number of analysts predict the economy will jolt into reverse in the final three months of this year and possibly in the first three months of next year, meeting a classic definition of a recession. The economy shrank late last year and barely budged at the start of this year. Growth picked up in the spring, thanks to brisk exports and the government's tax rebates, which energized shoppers at home. But that rebound wasn't expected to last.
Slower growth overseas will probably cause exports to fall off just as Americans are cutting their spending and the benefits of the rebates disappear.
Job losses were widespread at factories especially housing-related manufacturers and automakers as well as construction companies, retailers, mortgage brokers, real-estate firms, hotels and motels, and temporary-help firms, which are looked at as a barometer of demand for future hiring.
Those losses swamped employment gains in government, education, health care and elsewhere.
After the last recession, in 2001, the unemployment rate rose as high as 6.3 percent in June 2003.
By historical standards, the country is far from the employment carnage seen more than two decades ago, when unemployment climbed above 10 percent during President Reagan's first term in the early 1980s.
Still, some groups are being hit harder than others. The jobless rate for blacks jumped to 10.6 percent last month, the highest since late 2005. And, the unemployment rate for Hispanics rose to 8 percent, a five-year high.
The grim report prompted Capitol Hill Democrats to renew their push for a second stimulus package. The Bush administration and other Republicans have been cool to the idea.
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain seized on the job figures to attack each other's proposals to turn the economy around.
"The working men and women I meet every day are working harder for less," Obama said. He advocates tax cuts for working families and investment in road, bridges and other projects to lift the economy.
McCain vowed to "fight for those that lost their jobs, savings and real-estate investments." He said tax reductions for people and businesses, job training and measures to promote trade will help ease the economic woes.
The latest employment snapshot was worse than economists were forecasting. They were expecting payrolls to drop by around 75,000 in August and the jobless rate to tick up a notch, to 5.8 percent.
The White House was disappointed, too.
"There is no question that the labor market is not as strong as we'd like," said press secretary Dana Perino. "We want to see the economy return to job growth, and we understand that this is a difficult time for many Americans. We want everyone who wants to work to be able to find a job."
Wages went up modestly last month, but prices have been rising faster. Average hourly earning rose to $18.14, up 3.6 percent from last year. High food and fuel costs mean paychecks aren't stretching as far, though.
A separate report showed a record 9.2 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage were either behind on their payments or in foreclosure at the end of June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
The Fed, which is struggling to curb inflation and improve growth, is expected to leave a key interest rate alone at 2 percent when it meets Sept. 16.
At its last two meetings, the Fed didn't change the rate. Before that, though, it had aggressively cut rates to shore up the economy. Many thought the Fed might start to raise rates next year to fend off inflation. But now with employment deteriorating, some wonder whether the Fed might be forced to lower rates again.


text:
So, you've bought your brand new speakers – be it our award-laden Zeppelin ipod system, the equally heavily awarded 685s or a gleaming pair of 802 Diamond – and you're lining up your favourite music to test them on.
We want to know what you've found sounds the best. Which stand-out track would you play when your friends come round and you want to really show them off, or perhaps justify why you bought them to your partner.
It might be that you hear something new in an old favourite that you'd never heard before or that suddenly it sounds as if Keith Richards is playing in front of you.
The Daily Growl from Lambchop's Is A Woman sounds brilliant on my 684's – there is a beautiful depth and warmth and a really immediate live feel that always makes people ask who the artist is.
We'd love to hear from you on what makes your speakers sing.


text:
Executive Consulting Group AG
There are no products matching the selection.
There are no products matching the selection.
You can contact us from Monday - Friday 8:00 to 12:00 / 13:00 to 17:00 at +41 44 224 46 46.
Free greeting card
International shipping
Easy and secure shopping
Pickup in a store
Shipping costs Switzerland CHF 8.90
From CHF 75.00 is possible to pay with invoice
Bahnhofstrasse 21, 8001 Zürich, Schweiz
All prices include VAT
Please select your preferred language and currency.
Sign up for newsletter


text:
No announcement yet.
Native Linux Kernel Module Is Out For Microsoft exFAT
new posts
Senior Member
- Feb 2011
- 1905
Originally posted by TheBlackCat View PostIt is the standard partition format for large SD cards (more than 32 GB). Devices are not required to, and often don't, support any other format. So if you want to use ordinary, off-the-shelf, large SD cards, this is your only option.
That's funny - people want to destroy me because I see real Linux problems.
Instead of trying to collaborate, trying to work as a whole, trying to change the way Linux is (mis)developed, trying to make Linux stable and usable for a long periods of time (you can work with the same Windows version for great many years before upgrading to a next version) - they blame me.
1) The attitude of the list itself is to COMPLAIN "why linux is not ready for the desktop", instead of BUGFIX "what prevents linux to shine on desktop"
2) The composition of problems is wrong - many problems references as unresolvable, where they have been resolved, like S3TC, omitting S2TC and omitting the fact anyone can use S3TC and intel even turned it on by default; many assumptions are short sighted on purpose, like comparison of closed source from illegal monopoly platform with opensource from 10% platform - its like crying about bad state of tizen vs good state of android, for the sake of crying; many claims are exaggerations, like "X on Linux is slower than X on windows", where its 5-10% slower; trying to show justified and irrelevant complexity like with Kernel+ALSA+PulseAudio+PA_Sink+App vs Windows (why not show how crappy its on Windows with a lot of legacy stuff like this); yelling "ALSA ftw", where ALSA happened due to OSS going crap, and still OSSv4 *is* available.
3) The list itself is built in inductive form, multiplied by errors of 1 & especially 2, where it should be built in deductive form.
TL; DR Take the list down and rework it from girl's crylist into men's todo list and maybe the devs will even start reading it. But that involves you to change your own mind attitude, which will hardly happen - because you apparently enjoy this state yourself reposting it like a spambot. Which is masochistic IF you are linux user, or saddistic IF you are windows user; but still all-way girlish.
That's funny - people want to destroy me because I see real Linux problems.
Take for example this:
strangely some Linux developers oppose to the whole idea of games on Linux
Well, he doesn't. You completely made that up as far as I am concerned.
I'm the owner of the github page and of the native exFat linux read-write driver.
I'm impressed that the Phoronix community has created a two-page discussion the same day the drivers got released.
I would like to reveal a few things about the driver.
It's an android exFat driver which I found on github about a month ago.
I dislike Microsoft's attempts to bring the reputation of linux and similar open-source projects down, so it was my revenge.
I've needed a way to interact with my external 1TB HDD via linux and store large files on it, and there was no non-fuse ntfs driver available for linux either, so I decided to do a good thing and write a native kernel rw exFat driver for linux.
There was a ro driver and a fuse implementation before.
The first that came up in my mind is to find if it was available on the net already: I've checked android source codes from Samsung's website, but they did not release any parts of the exfat modules there.
Then I made a simple search on github and there was a couple of repos of samsung tablet's kernel. There was it.
The version of that kernel was 3.0 so I had to put some effort (literally, 4 hours) to make it work on the version 3.8.
This driver has not been written by me, I just ported it to the newer kernel version, with minimal adjustments.
That is a good thing, because I can state that the driver will work with all 3.x versions of kernel, if only you could spend an hour fixing a couple of lines of code for that version.
The reason I did not port it to 3.9 is because I wanted to make a release ASAP and the community to pick this code to do whatever you like: patches/ports/improvements; and release that as branches on github or somewhere else. It is a work of an hour or less for any programmer to make it work with the latest kernel.
And it's even a good source to create a driver for other platforms.
I used tor all the time and using it right now because I don't want to waste any more time on dealing with microsoft's idiotic policies, that's why I've uploaded the code in 1 hr on github, via the on-site editor.
This driver is guaranteed to provide full exFat support on linux, on the same level as it's available on all Samsung tablets with kernel version 3.0.
I am not planning on supporting this driver because I believe I've done enough for the community to have the full linux exFat support.
Feel free to fork and port as you like.
It's not a patch, and can be installed as a separate module by running just one command: `make install`. It's like the vboxdrv, same principle.
I may find more native drivers (ntfs?) from that tablet's source code and release them later.
Free software for the free Minds!
I'm not convinced the exFAT patents are much of a blocker to mainline inclusion.
EDIT: Apparently they don't have patents on NTFS, but FAT32 still stands.
Likewise there's a userspace FUSE driver for exfat.
If you'd thought for a second you could have realized that the author could create the code on his own PC and then he simply uploaded the final version to GitHub. ;-)
Also FYI: If you look at that driver, it is basically the same old vfat driver. It most likely doesn't actually work.Last edited by droidhacker; 06-26-2013, 08:19 AM.
I'm not convinced the exFAT patents are much of a blocker to mainline inclusion. Last I checked, the mainline kernel includes NTFS and FAT32 drivers and Microsoft has patents on both (and have successfully sued or extracted licenses from Android manufacturers over FAT32).
EDIT: Apparently they don't have patents on NTFS, but FAT32 still stands.
In fact, I bet you that the group behind the sdcard standards probably wanted to use something free, but MS said "there's no way we're willing to support that, fuck off, use this OR ELSE", and so it was done. Now fortunately, from a legal standpoint, this actually weakens their (MS) position. It has to do with complete and utter dependence on that IP.
Originally posted by droidhacker View PostIts not so much a question of whether it can or cannot be reformatted, its a question of some dipshit using it as-is and then handing you the chip with whatever corrupt data they've stored on it in order to send it to you. Also things like CAMERAS where the manufacturer is paid off by MS to only support their crap filesystem. This is the typical kind of nonsense that MS pulls in order to force everybody into a subservient status. There's no good reason to do it, but somewhere, somebody got paid off to do it.
In fact, I bet you that the group behind the sdcard standards probably wanted to use something free, but MS said "there's no way we're willing to support that, fuck off, use this OR ELSE", and so it was done. Now fortunately, from a legal standpoint, this actually weakens their (MS) position. It has to do with complete and utter dependence on that IP.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
Come to Pajarito Environmental Education Center at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 to hear about the Biological Resource Management Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Chuck Hathcock will talk about the lab's compliance with environmental laws and the plan to protect sensitive species found on lab property.
The biological resource management teams at LANL assess the status of a variety of organisms on LANL property, including some with threatened or endangered statuses.
The team then reports back about how to best manage the biological resources involved. They have surveyed many different species, including the Jemez Mountain salamander, Rio Grande chub and numerous bird and bat species. LANL scientists often call upon the biology division at the lab to give advice on proposed plans that may pose a threat to the local flora and fauna.
Hathcock is a wildlife biologist at LANL with more than 15 years of experience in the field. Hathcock and his colleagues have documented many important reports on the biology found in and around LANL.
His research focuses primarily on songbird population demographics. Outside of work, Hathcock is an avid naturalist and hiker and can be found most weekends birding, bird banding or traveling.
The event is free. For more information, visit PajaritoEEC.org, call 662-0460, or email email@example.com.
Add new comment
Read and share your thoughts on this story


text:
Borderlands is right near the top of my list for games of 2009. The cooperative loot hunt is addictive by design and it doesn't hurt matters that the style is about as inviting and fun as they come. The first downloadable add-on, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, offered more of the same while delivering a tongue-in-cheek horror story. This second piece of downloadable content offers something different and, unfortunately, the changes made to the gameplay formula remove the very essence of what made Borderlands a hit in the first place.
Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, if you couldn't tell, is a bit of a spoof on the Mel Gibson flick Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Rather than offering a series of fetch or kill quests, as has been the standard fare for most of Borderlands, Mad Moxxi puts the player in a series of arena battles.
This is essentially Gearbox Software's take on the popular Gears of War 2 Horde or Call of Duty: World at War's Zombies modes. The first set of challenges offers five rounds of five waves each. As you progress, the enemies get tougher and eventually other game modifiers will begin to stack. The modifiers are randomized and some of them are quite fun. Some will challenge you to only use rockets or SMGs. Another changes the gravity to make players float through the air.
55379/borderlands-mad-moxxis-underdome-riot/videos/borderlandsdlc_gmp_hordewave1_121609.html" >
Though this is a bit of a "me too" add-on -- it seems every shooter must have a co-op arena mode these days -- the unique rules of Mad Moxxi are enough to set Borderlands apart from the pack and carve its own niche.
Borderlands could never stand alone as a pure shooter and the net code was never strong enough to make an idea like this a compelling one. That problem is compounded by the fact that enemies don't drop loot and you don't get experience points for killing them. Beat a set of five waves and you'll get a small set of mediocre loot. Beat a quest and you'll get some XP, but other than that you're just killing enemies.
It feels like Mad Moxxi misses the point. This was always a game about level grinding and loot pickups. You get neither here.
You can still play Mad Moxxi with up to four players cooperatively. In fact, if you don't have a group of friends willing to pony up the $10 asking price, you'd be better served skipping this add-on entirely. The arena battles do not scale to the number of players properly at all. Playing with one or two players makes this series of challenges nearly impossible. Even with three it is difficult.
The task gets easier with each player added thanks to another nifty addition to the formula called the penalty box. If you die and still have teammates alive, you go to the penalty box above the arena and can continue raining down bullets. If everyone enters the penalty box before a wave is complete, the challenge is failed and you're either set back a few rounds or reset to the beginning. Alone, you get no penalty box. Die and it's all over and without proper scaling, XP, or loot drops it just isn't any fun at all.
Though nobody in the IGN office had fun with the Mad Moxxi download, we could all agree that the style and music offered here is as good as ever. At the end of each set of waves players are challenged to a boss fight and when that happens, a rockin' techno beat kicks in. I've had it stuck in my head for days now.
The Verdict
Unless you have a core group of three other friends and all of you have maxed out level 50 characters, I wouldn't recommend Borderlands: Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot to you. It isn't balanced properly and, since there is no normal XP awards or loot drops, you won't find your character improving as your struggle through the endless waves. It actually encourages you to leave the Underdome to go grind your character. All of the style and great music in the world can't save this add-on from the fact that it had the soul of Borderlands ripped out.


text:
The idea of Divorce Mediation as a tool to resolving disputes between parties less expensively than through litigation is to be applauded and supported. But the problem with Divorce Mediation ( at least in New Jersey) focuses on the qualifications of the person holding herself out as the mediator.
By way of background, the idea of divorce mediation is that both parties meet together with an agreed upon individual, who holds himself out as having a specific skill set to guide parties through the various questions that would normally be presented by either or both parties in a divorce setting and he makes recommendations to them on how to resolve those issues for purposes of preparing a formal divorce settlement agreement. For mediation to be successful, both parties need to approach the process by putting their faith in the qualifications of the mediator and in the competence of his recommendations.
On its face, the idea of attempting to resolve any and all marital dispute in a less litigious forum is a good thing to be lauded. But when parties put their faith in someone holding himself out as a divorce mediator, how would / could they know his qualifications for the position? Unfortunately, anyone can take a 1/ 2 day course on divorce mediation and then hang out a shingle; representing himself to the world as a "qualified" divorce mediator. In reality, he is not qualified and would have no idea what a judge would do if the particular issue was presented for a resolution. Therein lies the rub.
When parties appear for mediation, their plan is to try to resolve issues outstanding in a peaceful fashion....but to do so, they also need to know what would happen if that issue was presented to the court and the court was forced to resolve it. Without knowing their "downside" and their respective "exposure", how can they know if their position is reasonable or not?
Unfortunately, too often today family law attorneys are reviewing proposed divorce settlement agreements prepared by ill experienced mediators, where the terms violate applicable case law ( which translates into a setting where the provision would be viewed by the court as "void per se" under NJ law if challenged at a later date) and / or border on being unconscionable.
In the past several months alone, I have reviewed at least 3 such proposed divorce settlement agreements where I was forced to advise the consultation that the document presented was a mine field with more potential problems then actual solutions. As examples, in two such documents, the mediator incorporated an automatic escalator provision for support; which term is viewed in NJ as "void per se"... which means that if one party is forced to file an application with the court for enforcement of that provision, the NJ Court will not enforce same.
Similarly, in a 3rd such proposed agreement, the wife was being asked to accept a alimony plan for a lesser duration and for a dramatically lesser amount then what she receive if the issue was presented to the court.In response, this woman was shocked, indicating that her husband told her and the mediator that they would never settle unless she agreed to take an alimony deal less then "permanent" and at an amount that he was willing to pay. When asked what her understanding was of what she would have been entitled to by way of alimony, if presented to the court, she candidly stated that she had no idea nor could the mediator provide her with any guidance as to what she would receive by way of alimony if the issue went before the court. What!
To place my concern about the last example in its proper perspective, the setting presented was where the parties had been married for about 19 years and the Husband's current income setting ( as well as his income setting over the past several years) ran about 340,000.00 per annum and the Wife had not worked for the past 13 years. Prior thereto, the Wife worked in a clerical capacity earning less then 20,000.00 per annum. Similarly, Wife had limited computer skills and a limited educational background ( and she had stopped working to raise the parties 2 children). Yet with this fact pattern, the proposed form of divorce settlement agreement provided Wife with a "limited" duration alimony plan for 10 years ( which would put Wife at age 51 when the support terminates) and 24,000.00 per annum of alimony during that duration ( with the expectation that Wife could return to full time employment earning about 25,000.00 per annum).
Translated.... based on her work background, etc and Husband's income setting ( and being 43 years old), that proposal bordered on being "unconscionable" and I could not fathom this women doing this "badly" on her alimony claim if this issue was presented to the court for a resolution. In fact, based on the facts presented, it was clear to me that this was and is a "permanent alimony" matter and that the proper range for her alimony award should have been between 75,000.00 per annum ( on the low side) and around 105,000.00 per annum the high side ( with the decision on the actual annual amount between those 2 numbers focused on the actual life style while the parties lived together, the spending pattern of the marriage, the saving and investment plan of the marriage, and consideration of the other statutory factors required to be considered). Somehow, despite pressing the mediator for guidance as to what she would be entitled to if presented to the court, the mediator continually told her that it was impossible for him to provide guidance or to give her a range since such decisions are purely discretionary with each judge. Wrong! What this mediator was really saying is that he has no idea what a judge would do since he had no / limited experience with the family court system.
Simply stated, the divorce mediation process works and can be beneficial as long as the mediator is properly trained and has the requisite skill set to provide proper guidance to the parties as to what is fair and permissible and what is outside the range of reasonableness. In selecting a mediator, it is therefore essential to ask questions of the mediator as to his background and qualifications for the particular type of issues that will be presented in your matter.