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Defying the Roman Catholic archbishop of Detroit, a priest led a Mass Sunday organized by the American Catholic Council, a controversial umbrella group of liberal Catholics. And dozens of Catholic priests and deacons from the Detroit diocese attended the Mass, said organizers.
They participated despite a letter from Archbishop Allen Vigneron ordering priests and deacons to not take part in the Mass because it was led by groups considered heretical by the Catholic Church and could violate Church law. Vigneron warned in a letter that clergy could be punished and defrocked for participating.
The Rev. Robert Wurm, 78, a retired priest, presided over the Mass to about some 1,500 assembled at Cobo Center. Wurm said afterward he was aware that Archbishiop Allen Vigneron had explicilty warned all priests and deacons to not participate. But he said he's not worried being punished.
"I don't see that happening," Wurm said. "I'm older than he is. … "He was making a big mistake," Wurm said.
A spokesman for Vigneron could not be reached for comment.
The Mass was part of a weekend conference of about 2,000 liberal Catholics who are upset at the rightward turn of the Catholic Church. They want lay people to have more say in church decision-making. Many also want discussion about women, gay, and married priests, and more accountability on the issue of child abuse by priests.
"Too many Catholics feel there is no hope," co-organizer Janet Hauter said during the Mass.
Members of the crowd at the Mass wore stoles, usually worn only by clergy, to symbolize equality and the idea that all Catholics, not just its leaders, represent the church. On the red stoles, there was a drawing of a dove with the words: "Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love."
The liberal conference also adopted day a 10-point of bill of rights and responsibilities that calls for more democratization.
A conservative conference endorsed by the Archdiocese, Call To Holiness, was held over the weekend in suburban Livonia and put more of an emphasis on social issues.
Speakers at the conservative conference criticized as abortion, contraception, yoga and the gay-rights movement.


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For more than a decade, we've been hearing about the impending replacement of traditional video distribution methods with a new, better system called IPTV, for Internet Protocol Television. This was supposed to bring a large number of new features to the managed networks and associated set-top boxes used by telcos and pay TV operators. There have been several successful deployments, notably AT&T's U-verse, but the promise has been largely unfulfilled: we haven't seen the innovation that was supposed to be brought about by this technological change.
In the meantime, innovation has been on overdrive on the open Internet, both in terms of technical advancements and business model developments. The last few years have seen the emergence of large-scale streaming from companies like Hulu and Netflix, "catch up" services such as the BBC's iPlayer, indie movies from new sites like SundanceNow, access to long-tail content via YouTube and others. The range of devices used to access this content over the Internet have also expanded to include PC/Mac, smartphones/tablets, and even TV sets, BluRay players and set-top boxes. In this space, Flash is the #1 platform for online video, enabling unparalleled reach and interactivity.
Today, this "over the top" distribution is primarily about video-on-demand. This meets consumers' desire for time- and place-shifting, with the convenience of watching a movie or program on each viewer's own schedule and on the device of their choice. However, the underlying technology has now evolved to the point where "linear content", the industry term for TV channels that play 24×7, can also be delivered in real time over the top, opening drastically more flexibility for consumption. We anticipate that over the next few years, there will be a major shift from traditional television delivery over managed networks to distribution over the open Internet. And with Internet-connected TV sets getting smarter and more powerful every year, such as those running Adobe's Flash/AIR runtimes for Digital Home consumer electronics products, consumers will be able to "watch TV" with radically more options for content sources and with a richer user experience.
We call this TVoIP or TV over Internet Protocol. This is meant to be much more than a mere transposition of the IPTV acronym; it is an intentional reference to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which we believe is a very good analogy of the changes that are underway in the video space. In the case of VoIP, which reached mainstream availability over the last decade, at a bare minimum it had to offer the equivalent level of service to the technology it was attempting trying to displace. For telephony, the legacy technology was switched voice, where bandwidth was allocated to each phone call; while this continues to be in use, VoIP is now widely available worldwide from a large number of service providers. However, replacing one transport technology with another is only the beginning; VoIP has made possible significant business model innovation, additional services such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech, and expansion to new points of consumption.
TVoIP will allow pay TV operators who are still using "traditional" technologies such as DVB or QAM for switched digital video distribution to leapfrog over companies that have adopted IPTV. On the other hand, IPTV providers can leverage their investment and extend that to open Internet delivery. But that, again, is just the beginning.
With TVoIP, distribution is largely decoupled from the actual delivery infrastructure, so we can expect to see an explosion in the sources for TV-like experiences. Any content aggregator with access to premium content can offer TV programming directly to consumers, under a variety of business models including advertising, subscription, and surely others that have yet to be invented. If the introduction of cable and satellite made it possible to go from four networks to hundreds of TV channels by changing the economics of content distribution, TVoIP will usher the era of tens of thousands of channels that can be arbitrarily "niche" — think of it as the long tail of television.
The user experience is also guaranteed to be very different from the traditional "switched" experience. For starters, consumers will have greater choice over which devices they use to "watch TV"; these devices are likely to be purchased at retail stores, offering an alternative to leased set-top-boxes. Interactivity will go well beyond channel up/down or the EPG grid, enabling rich interactions with content as well as with other users. Content and advertising can be personalized to a degree that neither switched nor IPTV delivery can support today.
There still remain some significant technical and business challenges to make this a reality. The current network infrastructure for consumer Internet delivery may not be capable of carrying this amount of content economically without some significant changes in business model. For instance, today Netflix's VOD distribution accounts for around one third of all Internet traffic at peak time, according to some measurements. However, online video watching accounts for only about 5 hours a month for the average consumer, compared to close to 5 hours a day for "traditional" TV. There is a 30X gap between the two, and TVoIP aims to close that gap, which will only exacerbate bandwidth requirements. Telcos are already looking at models to monetize this increase in bandwidth requirement, which will be necessary in order to fund the network expansion required.
Another significant aspect has to do with content rights and the technologies used to manage and enforce those rights. Traditionally, rights for linear delivery have been negotiated separately from rights for Internet delivery, but that model is already being tested by a number of companies willing to push the envelope … and ruffle some feathers in the process. On the technology side, traditional "conditional access" providers have dominated the protection of content distribution over managed networks, but have not been able to make serious inroads into protection for Internet delivery.
Technologies such as Flash Access, which already meet stringent studio requirements for premium content, are achieving incredible reach on consumer-owned devices (and, increasingly, over operator-owned equipment such as set-top boxes). The upcoming version of Flash Access will incorporate significant new features to enable large scale protection for linear content, greatly expanding the type of experiences and business models that can be offered over the top.
The roll out of TVoIP will not happen overnight, and we don't anticipate that traditional distribution technologies will be turned off any time soon, but the evolution to this model seems inevitable. Adobe's Flash Platform is well positioned to help accelerate this transition and we are already working closely with early adopters to make TVoIP more than just a soon-to-be catchphrase.
Florian Pestoni
Media & New Technologies
Twitter: @florianatadobe

subset: commoncrawl


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What thinking does the field of Media Ecology bring to the Christ in Media Institute to aid its success?
by Dr. Steven L. Reagles
In August 2003, when Neil Postman, notable American media critic, was living out his last days, Lance Strate, professor at Fordham University asked me to be on a panel at Fordham's Manhattan campus, honoring the work of Neil Postman. Strate, who was familiar with past work of mine, asked me to address the intersection of media and religion. Though Postman was dying from lung cancer and required portable breathing equipment, he would be present at the event to respond to our papers. Unfortunately, college commitments prevented me from accepting that invitation. Postman died two months later, on October 5.
I regret missing that auspicious occasion and the opportunity to personally meet Postman. However, two years later when a full-day commemorative symposium was organized at New York University Strate invited me again to be on one of four panels honoring Postman. Of course, Postman was not present, but the crowd of New York colleagues and other admirers were there in the audience that day, packed into the conference room along with Postman's wife and sons as honored guests.
If you spend anytime at all around media you eventually come across the names of media ecologists like Marshall McLuhan—"The Medium is the message."-- and Neil Postman—"Technology giveth and it taketh away." Let me briefly reflect how media ecology can benefit the purposes of the Christ in Media Institute and I'll use my Postman anecdote as a departure point. My comments are not the final word, but rather provocations to stir discussion.
Those who value Postman's wisdom, and their numbers in the scholarly world are legion, including Lutheran writers such as Gene Veith, cite Postman because of his cautionary wisdom about media and technology. In fact, during his lifetime Postman was a well-known keynote speaker at many evangelical and Roman Catholic gatherings because of his critical comments related to religious media. Inevitably, you find Postman and his ideas from Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985) and Technopoly (1992) attacked, pilloried, or ignored by technophiles, whose love affair with anything new in media and technology make them more than willing to tether and use what James Carey and others have called the "electrical" and "technological sublime" where even angels tread cautiously.
Of course, Lutherans, acknowledging electricity and technology as gifts from God, have been more than willing to use these instruments for the glory of God in bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations, just as 16thcentury Theologians—Lutheran, Catholic and Reformed—tapped the printing press's power. Perhaps if anyone using new technology were to ask Samuel Morse's question, sent as the first telegraphic message—"What hath God wrought?"—perhaps the consequences of media use might be more positive. Of course, the other question implied might be more truthful in terms of actual effects, and perhaps we ought to be attending to it: "What hath man wrought?"
You can judge for yourself whether the "discovery" and development of nuclear energy, and its effects upon world politics, is best framed as a question of "What God has wrought?" or "What man has wrought?" There are consequences for HOW we use media, which go beyond "content," that is, beyond the WHAT we are saying. The EFFECTS of media used to convey the message, and not the MESSAGE itself, may have more profound effects upon us. Marshall McLuhan's famous saying—"The Medium is the Message!"—claimed not that content was unimportant, but that media, like television, had done more to change our way of life than the messages. Family dialogue at dinner tables, evening family time died and was replaced by silent watching. Cell-phones kill . . . . automobile drivers and passengers. The Internet is not simply a treasure-house of information, it is a trash-house, also, of porn sites. The surviving aphorisms—"Full steam ahead!" and "Pedal to the metal!"—capture the human tendency to harness the power of technology without thinking about effects. So what do these ideas have to do with the Christ in Media Institute?
And how does Postman fit in? Of course, we are living in an age of "speed," aided and abetted significantly by the kind of technology and media we use. "Speed kills!" was not an aphorism created during the age of the chariot. It is a reminder of the character and consequences of a technological age. We want things today! Voila! I send out a message by computer; my credit card is electronically charged—and charged, and charged, and charged for items; I check overnight mail—another $3.99—and, today! . . . I have in my hand the product that was in California yesterday. And if technology can work with such great speed in getting us material objects, then, certainly it will help speed up the process of enlarging my church and giving "God-speed" to the Gospel! Or not.
Psa. 44:6 For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
Psa. 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
In the electric, technological age in which we live, as members of the church, dedicated to bringing the Gospel to the nations, the church ought to be visionary, but also wisely circumspect in its thinking about how it uses media and about which media are most "expedient." Ultimately all technology and media are mere chariots to convey the powerful Word of God. When I use the word "expedient" I have in mind Paul's words in 1 Cor. 10:23, "Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial."
Like you, I seek to live viably in the world of past and present technologies and I watch as those much younger than I "catch on" to new technology with lightning speed. As people age it is common to give up on the new because our mind has atrophied or our body slowed in its learning curve. I watch my grand-daughter, age one year and a half, place a DVD in the Blue Ray video player, while my four year old grand-daughter daughter smoothly navigates the computer or iTunes.
The Christ in Media Institute will serve multiple audiences and it will need to decide which audience age group it is serving. According to a February 23, 2009 Barna report, email and Internet are considered "mainstream" media by half of all computer users, exclusive of age, including Elders and Baby Boomers. But for Baby Busters (Generation "X" ages 37-45) "mainstream" media includes text messaging and hosting a personal website or homepage (such as MySpace or Facebook). For Mosaics (ages 18-26) "mainstream" goes further: blogging, watching videos online and downloading music online. Which of these media interest the Christ in Media Institute?
Like many of you, I try to "keep up" with technology, challenging as that is. I use a computer for its projection and audio technology, check You Tube, listen to radio, send e-mails, shop online, respond to blogs, watch movies and streamed video; I carry my blackberry which makes my office anywhere, where I can talk, do instant text messaging, check weather, news; check my GPS location. I use its video and camera functions often; re-send them to family. I've used Skype, respond to blogs, have a twitter account, and explore virtual programs like Second Life. I'll admit that I've been slow getting to Facebook and some other media opportunities. I could go on, but in this revolution it is clear that the "visual" turn toward screen and image-based technology raises lots of questions for the Christ in Media Institute to consider.
Which of these technologies and media ought to be central to the task of the institute? Would using any of these technologies and media have consequences, which are best avoided by choosing different media? Which media are permanent and which ephemeral, fads of the age's Geist? Are some media, because they CHANGE who we are, or the message we want to convey, best ignored? Which media best support the primacy of the oral word and the role of books, as part of a rational rather than, primary visual logic? In America, which Neal Gabler has fittingly called the "Republic of Entertainment," Christian media moguls may be tempted to follow suit.
Conrad Ostwalt, in his book, Secular Steeples (2003) reminds us that religion "operating in a free-market environment finds itself competing with entertainment for attention and often adopts the stance of entertainment in order to thrive" (6). This mentality is what led Postman to write AmusingOurselves to Death. Were Postman writing today he might have been interested in the media style of Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes, Brian McLaren, Paula White and Rick Warren, who Shayne Lee and Phillip Luke Sinitiere have dubbed Holy Mavericks (New York U. 2009) in their latest book. These holy mavericks
. .. preach edgy, sexy, iconoclastic sermons that are light on doctrine and heavy on experience, light on fire and brimstone and heavy on therapy and self-empowerment. They mix the secular with the sacred and are undaunted by the personal. They are business-savvy, media-sophisticated, high-tech preachers . . . who adjust their methods and messages to the needs and tastes of the masses. (149-50).
Let me conclude this short essay "probe," with a case study to illustrate and summarize some of the ideas implied above. Many are acquainted with the Time of Grace (TOG) TV broadcast Ministry, featuring Pastor Mark Jeske of St. Marcus Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a member of WELS. Jeske is a talented speaker, who has the ability to convey a biblical message in conversational style, matching well what McLuhan called the "cool" media of television. In fact, the success of Time of Grace Ministries was recently highlighted in the April 2009 issue of Church Production Magazine. TOG, despite being a relatively small church, has dramatically grown in a short time, and while its location is in Milwaukee its broadcasts now cover 22 cities around the country. TOG has been added to the Daystar Television Network and American Forces Network. What is interesting from a media ecological viewpoint is the change in broadcast formatting, which has occurred in TOG's short history.
The first of TOG programs show Jeske preaching in full liturgical attire and from the pulpit. The liturgical service itself has been cut out, but one can see that Jeske's sermon is part of a traditional liturgical service. But this soon changed and in later podcasts one finds Jeske not preaching from the pulpit but speaking from the chancel area of the same church, now wearing a suit rather than a gown, and now not, in appearance, in a formally liturgical service, but what appears to be an informal bible study where he is at the front of the church nave. [Actually it is part of the liturgical service, but Jeske has taken off his gown to fit the television production mode, which wants to convey informality.]
Jeske talks informally, jokes, and during one program that I watched opens a bottle of wine, pours a glass and drinks it, while in a playful manner, teases the congregation about their not being able to enjoy this drink. He used the chancel space freely. The pulpit has been abandoned. In the last several weeks TOG has changed its format even further, so that the camera cuts back and forth between Jeske delivering the "sermon" in the informal bible study mode, in front of the church, to shots of him speaking from behind a desk in what is really a mock office in the studio "around the block." This back-and-forth shooting between church and office format is a conscious attempt to move away from the liturgically based sermon setting the program began with to a television-friendly mode.
Why the change in format? Ideas were suggested by various sources from within TOG as well as professional sources. Looking for advice on how to best serve a larger constituency, TOG hired well-known television consultant Phil Cooke (known best for his work with Joel Osteen). Cooke's fundamental advice reflects issues that media ecology and Neil Postman's work would agree with, that a full formal worship setting does not televise well. [Apparently EWTN, which broadcasts full length liturgical masses, unedited, has a different philosophy about the value of cutting out liturgical ceremony.] What media most effectively convey a message? How do media themselves shape effect?
Ironically enough, Cooke's most recent books reveal an interesting change. Cooke incorporates two of the primary scholars of media ecology—Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman—and it is their thinking which played a significant role, apparently, in influencing Cooke to dramatically shift his focus and advice to television preachers. Give up television preaching! Well, not exactly, but close. Basically, Cooke does not believe television ministries with "talking heads" are the best way to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ, in our changing world of media and technology because the media get in the way. Liturgical services do not play well on television! Cooke suggests that this age of developing technology needs innovation, including a new generation of media arists producing short films, because the new age of media is a screen age, captive to images of all sizes and shapes, whether on I-Pods, smart phones or computers.
The biggest epiphany from Cooke's latest book, The Last TV Evangelist (Huntington Beach, California: Conversant, 2009) echoes Postman, the claim that "TECHNOLOGY CHANGES, BUT THE MESSAGE DOESN'T. . . .IS A MYTH."Beside the actual claim itself, the important point here is that Cooke is drawing his chief insights from the field of media ecology, and specifically, Neil Postman, and in fact, Cooke spends much time immediately after this claim discussing Postman and the implications of his idea for Christian media professionals.
The nature of the media we use to promote the Gospel may change how the message comes across, which may partially explain why Cooke has advised Time of Grace Ministry to change its format, and TOG has complied seeing wisdom in Cooke's counsel. Liturgical worship does not work well on television, according to Cooke. Now apart from the fact that Cooke sees Jeske's message as being a "non-denominational message"—and Confessional Lutherans might wonder about the effects of such changes on the larger church and about a Lutheran church's ability to preach the full counsel of God—this is yet another kind of question that media ecology asks. The field of media ecology, as one might gather, concerns itself with asking questions about the consequences of our decision with respect to the total environmental not merely pragmatically, but theologically.
Do changes on television imply for some viewers that "liturgical worship" and traditional Christianity are no longer the most effective way to engage in the work of sharing the Gospel outside of the broadcast environment? It is not uncommon now to see Lutheran preachers in our circles eliminating vestments and preaching in a manner that resembles the peripatetic style of Baptist and Pentecostal ministers, choosing informal rather than formal liturgical style. What do such practices say about Lutheran identity? In fact, while shedding one's gown and adopting an office-format for informal speaking may be treated as adiaphora, the most effective way to spread the word to a television audience, one can wonder about the media effects of such practice, upon the larger ecclesiastical environment and viewing public. In the most recent Luther film the actor playing Luther, curiously, does not preach from a pulpit either and, now, one can find scores of Lutheran pastors in this fellowship who no longer preach from pulpits, wearing robes or conducting "formal worship." In fact, it is difficult now in watching many "Lutheran" service podcasts to determine on the basis of the changed semiotics of worship whether the preacher is Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian or otherwise. They have exchanged formal worship for an informal style in order to match the medium of television.
Such "media effects" remind one of Marshall McLuhan's aphorism that "The Medium is the Message," but this, of course, is the part of media ecology that Phil Cooke understands and who in his last two books gives a hearty "Amen!" to fundamental principles of Media Ecology, suggested by McLuhan and Postman. There are things about theology that Phil Cooke is not qualified to address, at least for Lutherans, despite his claim to having a Ph.D. in Theology. This case study is just one small aspect of the complexities of media ecology as one Lutheran organization struggles to develop a viable media ministry that serves the Gospel. But the principles of media ecology are fairly easily grasped and the principles provide anyone who entertains them a provocative means for thinking about possible media effect in order to plan for media use. I have barely touched the surface and have curtailed much explanation, but some ideas above may generate thinking and discussion about media decisions. The point is that in a media age "common sense" takes one only so far. TOG hired Phil Cooke to give the advice, but, arguably anyone may find such wisdom and advice in the field of media ecology—as Cooke himself exemplifies—from figures like Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Jacques Ellul and Walter Ong, to name a few. Our thinking process, our critical perspective, our ability to make wise judgments about media may be enhanced by depending upon some of the critical perspectives of Media Ecology.


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Moments after his team routed Connecticut in the American Athletic Conference championship game Saturday, Louisville coach Rick Pitino explained, with one of the biggest clichés in a month full of them, why he felt his team deserved a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
"I think we pass the eye test," he said as the confetti fell onto the FedEx Forum floor in Memphis.
The problem for Pitino, whose red-hot Cardinals were assigned a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, is that the eye test isn't centered only on the court these days. It's an examination that focuses on figures such as adjusted defensive efficiency (AdjD), effective field-goal percentage (eFG%) and points per possession (O-PPP), a new wave of advanced basketball metrics used to identify cracks in a team before they are exposed on the tournament stage.
Welcome to a new kind of March Madness, where the names Ken Pomeroy and Nate Silver — statistical gurus who have found new ways to harness data — are as recognizable to the sport's insiders as Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim.
With the NCAA Tournament tipping off in earnest Thursday, what does it all mean to you, trying to win your office pool? Simply put, there are more numbers than ever being crunched in an attempt to forecast the most unpredictable sporting event in this country.
That hasn't stop millions of Americans from taking a stab at picking a perfect bracket, which this year could net you a cool $1 billion of Warren Buffett's money through the Quicken Loans Bracket Challenge. That total would mark just around one-third of the estimated $3 billion waged in office pools, based on a Bloomberg News study.
But before making a mad dash for cash based entirely on new wave statistics, beware. A freshman trying to make a clutch free throw in front of thousands of screaming fans can still wreck your bracket.
"I have to remind people that players actually generate the data," said statistician Jeff Tiernan, who runs the college basketball website bracketscience.com and has studied the NCAA Tournament for 22 years. "The data doesn't move the players around. They still have to go out there and play the games. These are 18- and 19-year-old kids. And therein lies the chaos."
Chaos explained
Alok Pattani spends his days using numbers to explain that chaos. An analytics specialist at ESPN, Pattani helped create the network's Basketball Power Index (BPI) two years ago. It's a schedule-adjusted rating system that takes into account factors such as margin of victory, pace of play and the absence of key players to gauge a team's overall strength.
In its first two years of existence, the team with the highest BPI ranking entering the NCAA Tournament — Kentucky (2012), Louisville (2013) — won the championship. This season, that team is Arizona.
"The margin in (their) losses was close, they were all (away from home) against good teams. You take all of that into account and judge it against what an average team would do in that situation," Pattani said.
Pattani is quick to point out that BPI, co-created by renowned statistical expert Dean Oliver, is just one of many new rating systems. Following any one system won't guarantee results anymore than choosing a stock does. As with any statistical analysis, a larger sample size produces more certainty.
Still, numbers can help you. The 12-over-5 seed in the second round of the tournament has become more of a trend than a surprise. Since the tournament field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985, a No. 12 has defeated a No. 5 team 40 times, including three times last year.
"So you say, 'OK, which one should I pick," Pattani said. "I should probably pick a strong 12 against a weak 5. So I don't want to pick one where the 12 is more like a 14 and the 5 is more like a 3. So you can pick upsets that can be informative in some sense."
If you use BPI, as an example, Harvard (No. 38) is the highest-rated 12-seed, ranked seven spots ahead of Texas, a No. 7 seed.
So, is making the right upset picks the best way to win your pool? Is there a single advanced metric that can predict a team's success? In short, Pattani said, the answer is no. To paint the most accurate picture of a team, no one category tells the entire story.
For example, Wichita State, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, has taken criticism for a strength of schedule that ranks well below that of many top tournament teams. But disregard the 34-0 Shockers at your own peril. They rate well with statistical experts such as Pomeroy because of high marks in adjusted defensive and offensive efficiency, metrics used to determine how many points a team would score or allow per 100 possessions against an average Division I opponent.
"It's not one of those things where it's like, 'here's strength of schedule; here's point margin; here's win-loss,' " Pattani said.
Past predicts future
Learning statistical history can be helpful, too. Tiernan uses past tournament results to formulate some of his predictive bracket models. In one example, he created a list of eight criteria — factors such as averaging more than 73 points per game and having an average scoring margin of at least seven points per game — that all of the past 13 NCAA champions possessed. Using those parameters, only six teams — Arizona, Wisconsin, Duke, Michigan, Kansas and Villanova — have a shot at this year's championship. Of that group, only Arizona is a No. 1 seed. So, while most analysts are predicting a wide-open tournament field with a dozen or more teams capable of winning the title, his research doesn't necessarily back that up.
Tiernan said he'll run as many as 10 or 12 different models based on different criteria in order to gauge a wide range of champions in different scenarios.
"Because to me, that is reality," Tiernan said.
And, as much as it may hurt the analytical side of him to admit it, Tiernan's "from the gut" model of predicting often does as well as any of statistical-based analysis. As soon as the bracket comes out, he fills it in before examining the numbers.
"I think it's the Malcolm Gladwell maxim that he forwarded in "Blink," Tiernan said. "That sometimes in the matter of complex decision-making, our instincts are better than our overthinking."
Still, Tiernan encounters plenty of fans who rely on his numbers. And, with $1 billion to be made, more fans than ever are looking for an edge.
Nick Kosmider: 303-954-1516, email@example.com or twitter.com/nickkosmider
Predicting the field
A look at what some top data crunchers are saying about the NCAA Tournament:
Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight.com: Forecasts No. 4 seed Louisville as having the best chance of winning the tournament, at 15 percent, followed by Florida (14%) and Arizona (13%). He gives Colorado a 28% chance of winning its first game, against Pittsburgh, and less than a 1 percent chance of reaching the Elite Eight.
Ken Pomeroy, of KenPom.com: Gives Arizona the best chance of winning the title at 16%, followed by Florida at 13%. Pomeroy's computers like Arizona because it is ranked first by a wide margin in adjusted defensive efficiency, a metric that measures how many points per 100 possessions a team would surrender against an average Division I team. (He gives CU a 1-in-5,169 chance of winning it all.)
ESPN's BPI-based projection: The network's ratings system, created by Alok Pattani and Dean Oliver, gives Arizona a 21% chance to win the title.
Nick Kosmider, The Denver Post


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Catawba Indian music, dance and pottery are all on the bill for the fourth annual Native American Studies Week at the University of South Carolina at Lancaster.
A number of demonstrations, lectures and discussion panels are slated to offer a closer look at Native American history and customs and how they have made an impact today.
Scholars, Catawba Indians and archaeologists will be among those participating.
All events are free, open to the public and will be held on USCL's campus.
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I've been looking on ipv6 lately, and even though I got a global /64 for free from he.net, I'm not that amused about ipv6 yet.
struct sockaddr_in6.sin6_scope_id = if_nametoindex(devicename);
nc6 -6 -vv fe80::21f:d0ff:fe23:9b77%eth1 80
Ubuntu, has chosen to disable getaddrinfo() for ipv6 if only link-local scope addresses are availible, breaking ipv6 support for all major applications, but improving the user experience for people with b0rked routers. netcat6 on Ubuntu hardy:


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Adventures with Knives – free download
Adventures with Knives Introduction A Taste for Adventure Every adventure has a high and a low – if it didn't, it wouldn't be an adventure. The low point of an adventure, the black hole, is dark and scary. You feel alone, and you want to go home. Something you ate has caused you to fear... read more


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|From http://sph.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/PH/PH709_Heart/PH709_Heart5.html
Although the relative risk (RR) for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortalities increase with serum total cholesterol (TC) level, all-cause mortality follows a U-curve.
According to Low Serum Cholesterol and Mortality: Which Is the Cause and Which Is the Effect?, certain illnesses that increase mortality lower TC levels. This is the Iribarren hypothesis.
According to Cholesterol and all-cause mortality in elderly people from the Honolulu Heart Program: a cohort study, TC that's low and is still low 20 years later results in a 64% increase in the RR for mortality relative to TC that's intermediate and is still intermediate 20 years later.
|Table 4 Relative risk for mortality based on change in cholesterol between examinations three and four
Interestingly, TC that's low but is intermediate 20 years later results in a 30% increase in the RR for mortality, whereas TC that's low but is high 20 years later results in a 5% increase in the RR for mortality.
P.S. There's a false dichotomy for vitamin D level vs illness. Ditto for carbohydrates vs calories.


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Santa will be at Marion City Library from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Children may visit Santa and then make a Christmas ornament in the library.
Children may write letters to Santa and drop them off in the library mailbox. Santa will write a letter back. Letters must be received by Dec. 12.
For more information, call (620) 382-2442.


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STOCKTON - Four people were hurt, including one who was seriously injured, when an impaired driver caused a two-car collision about 8 p.m. Thursday on Waterloo Road just east of Highway 99, the California Highway Patrol said.
STOCKTON - Four people were hurt, including one who was seriously injured, when an impaired driver caused a two-car collision about 8 p.m. Thursday on Waterloo Road just east of Highway 99, the California Highway Patrol said.
Sonya Mijin Ordez, 21, of Stockton was going east on Waterloo Road just west of Budiselich Road in a 2004 Chevrolet, officers said. Ordez came up too fast behind a 2001 Chevrolet driven by Jennie Rillamas, 42, of Stockton, rear-ending Rillamas' car and forcing her off the road, the CHP reported.
Rillamas' vehicle struck a tree, the CHP said. Ordez's vehicle ended up in a field southeast of the intersection.
Rillamas was taken to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento with moderate injuries, officers said. One of her passengers, Samantha Gayla, 18, of Stockton was taken to San Joaquin General Hospital with major injuries, authorities said. Another passenger, a juvenile, was also transported to UC Davis Medical Center with minor injuries, the CHP reported.
Ordez, who sustained minor injuries and was treated at San Joaquin General, was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs causing injury and misdemeanor driving without a license, authorities said. She was being held in San Joaquin County Jail with bail set at more than $1 million.
SAN ANDREAS - The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in finding a 79-year-old Mokelumne Hill man who suffers from dementia and has been missing since about 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Sheriff's Office said Frank Souza was last seen at a residence on Rail Road Flat Road and that he was driving a red 2008 Toyota Tacoma extended-cab truck, license plate No. 8S06821. The truck has a large, black deer guard attached to the front. Souza had his large black dog with him.
Souza is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and 240 pounds with gray hair and hazel eyes. He reportedly suffers a variety of health problems.
Anyone with information about Souza or his whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (209) 754-6500.
STOCKTON - A second man who was wounded Tuesday in a shooting outside a central Stockton store died Friday, authorities said.
Five people were struck when gunfire erupted about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday in a parking lot near Danny's Market, in the 700 block of North Airport Way. Antoine Martis Kelly, 26, of Stockton was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
A 22-year-old Oakland man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said. That man succumbed to his injuries Friday afternoon, said Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department.
The man's death marks the 21st homicide the Police Department has investigated in 2013. Authorities have not yet released his name.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
STOCKTON - Two homes, a travel trailer and an outbuilding were badly damaged in a two-alarm blaze Friday night in central Stockton, the Stockton Fire Department said.
The fire was reported at 8:12 p.m. in the 2300 block of Finland Avenue, just north of East Lindsay Street and south of East Fremont Street, authorities said. Live power lines came down in the street just a few feet from firefighters, but no one was hurt, officials said.
The American Red Cross was called out to provide assistance to two adults who were displayed by the fire, authorities said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.


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I hadn't intended to go here. I haven't seen Sicko, and don't intend to. (My summer film viewing will be limited to Ratatouille, The Simpsons, and Harry Potter. I have kids.) I do want to comment on the Moore vs Gupta kerfuffle. For those who didn't see it, Moore was on CNN and Dr Sanjay Gupta did a "fact-checking" of his film, Sicko. They have since been bickering about the various facts Moore asserted in his film and Gupta's adversarial framing of the fact-check. CNN has issued a tempered retraction, and Moore has taken his usual combative approach.
So I'm not much interested in the actual numbers in this case. Moore said the US spends almost $7000 per capita on health, Gupta says it's just over $6000. Depends on your source and the year. Sheesh. Either way, it's still something like twice the OEDC average.
What I am forced to wonder is why CNN and Gupta felt the need to run a hatchet job on Moore, implying that his numbers were cherry-picked and somehow by implication his conclusions are untrue? All the more perplexing since their current line is "Hey, really, we all agree about this stuff anyway and Moore's trying to create conflict where there isn't any?"
Moreover, how come Wolfie & the gang will let right-wing apparatchicks spout complete and utter bullshit without ever once even challenging them, let alone "fact-checking" them in this manner? Why are they trying to hold Moore to some higher standard than they hold conservatives? To be fair, I am happy to see the media sort-of start to do its job with regard to calling bullshit when they see it -- I just wish they were so diligent about their duty to truth and facts with right-wingers.
As usual, Ezra comes pretty lose to the heart of the matter, I think. Money quote:
Here's a guess, though: Michael Moore elicits a very specific type of status anxiety in mainstream journalists. Moore's product -- passionate, provocative political commentary -- is a close cousin of the media's product -- bloodless, boring political commentary. ... What he does is, broadly speaking, in the same realm as what they do. But there are differences between the product he puts out, and what the media offers. A major one is that Moore's releases strike massive emotional chords with the American people, setting off weeks of heated discussion every time he unveils a film. ... So there's an acute desire on the part of the press to separate what Moore does from what they do, both in order to explain away his successes and to underscore their own assumed strengths (objectivity, rationality, etc). His failings may be manifold, but that hardly renders him unique. His treatment, however, is unique. The world is full of political provocateurs and public hotheads, but only Moore triggers the media's all-too-absent obsession with factual accuracy. Ann Coulter doesn't, and Al Franken doesn't, and Rush Limbaugh doesn't, and Mitt Romney doesn't. Only Moore. Because he scares them.Or to put it less charitably: Moore's clear reporting of the terrible shambles that is our health care system and advocacy for serious reform makes one wonder what the hell Dr Sanjay Gupta has been up to the last seven years and why he and CNN have not made an central issue of the developing crisis. So Dr Sanjay has to take down Moore and make him look like a liar in order to preserve the veneer of his own credibility.
Journamalism at its finest. Heckuva job, Sanjay.


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Sometimes it's not all about the wins and losses.
Friday afternoon, Aug. 24, it was about a new start for the University of South Carolina Lancaster soccer program.
For the first time in the history of the school, the USCL Lancers teams were able to play matches on campus.
As Lancers' athletic director Rick Walters said, fans watching the matches were watching more than soccer, they were "watching history."
The Lancers' women's program is in its sixth season, while the USCL men are in their first campaign.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Lancaster News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
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UC Santa Barbara's Jeff Menzel continued to standout as the U.S. National Team split its most recent two pool play matches at the World University Games.
Menzel led the way with 28 points on 23 kills and five blocks as Team USA dropped a thrilling 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-27, 15-13 decision to the Czech Republic on Monday. It was the first loss of the tournament for the Americans.
On Tuesday, Menzel had eight points on five kills, one block and a pair of service aces as the U.S. Team bounced back with a comfortable 25-21, 25-13, 25-20 victory over the United Arab Emirates in Shenzhen, China.
To advance out of pool play, the U.S. must defeat Thailand on Wednesday. Head coach Gordon Mayforth says that his team knows the importance of that match.
"Tomorrow against Thailand, it is winner take all," he said. "The team knows for us, playoffs start tomorrow. Thailand has their whole national team here, and it will be a good test for our guy. But I am sure we are up to the task."
Season tickets to UCSB men's soccer remain on sale. The Gauchos open the season with an exhibition game against traditional rival Westmont College on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m. at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium. There are numerous ticket packages available, including Family Packs at "V-Packs," which are exclusively for residents of the Santa Ynez Valley and Ventura County. For more information, click here or call 805-893-UCSB.


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Latest Articles
Welcome to Downsizer
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Little Knitted Pumpkins.
tree fungi
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Joined: 29 May 2010
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 15 6:15 pm Post subject: tree fungi
I was having a look out the window today and noticed the silver birch stump (about 4ft tall) has what appears to be chicken of the wood growing in several places. I've never seen this on the stump before. I read up about it and it says the growth is May to September. The link below is what it looks like. Also, if it is chicken of the wood, why would it be growing now?
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 15 6:24 pm Post subject:
That doesn't look like CotW or silver birch. Do you have a picture of the actual fungi?
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 15 6:27 pm Post subject:
Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 15 9:12 pm Post subject:
I have seen some yellow fungus growing on a tree stump a week or so back but it wasn't Chicken of the woods. Neither is that in the photo.
Joined: 20 Nov 2008
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Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 15 9:20 pm Post subject:
Honey fungus?
Joined: 27 May 2009
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 15 9:25 pm Post subject:
Too yellow I think, but you can't really have a guess without better photos including close ups of cap, stem and gills
Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 10702
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 15 7:29 am Post subject:
It could be honey fungus. The colour can be quite variable.
Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 15 9:22 am Post subject:
True MR. Would you eat it based on that observation ?
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 15 4:26 pm Post subject:
Sulphur tufts?
Definitely NOT COTW! This is COTW.
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 35281
Location: yes
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 15 4:59 pm Post subject:
i would want a better set of photos inc a section and gill form to give owt but a possible id .
my first thought for the ones in the photo was maybe sulfur tuft but if one has the shroom in your hand id from a set of photos in a book is tricky at times ,id from a photy is hard and id from a photo of one "a bit like it" is not a science or an art it is at best a guess
Joined: 29 May 2010
Posts: 2156
Location: Here
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 15 5:26 pm Post subject:
Son's coming home from uni this weekend so I shall get him to photograph it
The photo is from a gallery on t internet. I have no desire to eat it, it was more curiosity. However, if there's a definitive identification and it cures FM, a broken heart and arthritis
Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 10702
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 15 9:27 am Post subject:
I think honey fungus is edible, but would always check with a good authority before eating. Also I wouldn't eat anything I wasn't hundred percent certain about the ID. Be interested to see what the picture is like.
Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 15 1:07 am Post subject:
Honey Fungus is an excellent eating mushroom, although it is unsure just how many different species "it" encompasses
Sulphur tuft on the other hand, to which some of our people have pointed, is one of those "poisonous" mushrooms which blight the popular books.
There are truly deadly funghi which grow on logs, but I don't really think those in the photo are in this category.
However, I don't like "might be's" pointing to edible toadstools in a frivolous way. I'm sure we would feel pretty bad if a novice were to rely on those uninformed guesses and end up dead !
Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 15 1:16 am Post subject:
...... I have no desire to eat it,.............
If it turns out to be COTW or even one of the Honey Funghi - You owe it to posterity to eat a portion !
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Men in the Israeli army are forced to endure an incredible pain. They actually have to hear women singing in public. Are you shocked, shocked? Ultra-orthodox rabbis in Israel are more than shocked. They are mobilizing their considerable political clout to get the Israeli government to ban such ungodly behavior.
If the government won't yield, says one rabbi, the day will soon come when rabbis will "have to say" to soldiers, "You have to leave those events even if there's a firing squad outside, and you'll be shot to death."
Top Israeli military officials may find the idea so absurd it's funny. Publicly, though, they resist the rabbis because they need to keep up the morale of their many women in uniform. So, the Israeli government, caught between the nation's two strongest political forces – the military and the rabbis – is plunged into a fierce debate on this question: Is it better to die than hear the sweet sound of a woman's voice in public? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won't offer an opinion either way. He says the ultra-orthodox view deserves as much hearing as those who uphold a women's right to sing, and he urges a dialogue in which each side respects the views of the other.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton does have an opinion, though she voiced it only in a private meeting. She's at a loss to understand it, she reportedly said. It reminds her of extremist regimes; it's more suited to Iran than Israel.
That rare criticism from a top US official upset a lot of Israelis. One irked rabbi retorted that Clinton should know Jews treat their women "like queens and princesses." Some clerics in Iran might say the same about Muslims.
Indeed, if this were happening in a predominantly Muslim country, we'd probably be inundated with outraged news stories about such an egregious violation of women's rights. But, hey, Israel is America's "best friend," right? Special rules apply – the same rules the Obama administration follows when Palestine seeks United Nations (UN) membership, asking only to follow the model of national self-determination we Americans created in 1776 and gets slapped down by a US veto.
It makes you wonder why the US government bends over backward to protect a nation that is rapidly slipping under the thumb of right-wing religious zealots (and gives it more than $3 billion a year in military aid). True, the US usually gets involved only to protect the Israeli right's anti-Palestinian stance. Only recently and rarely have comments like Clinton's, about Israeli domestic religious measures, been heard from Washington. But the domestic scene and the treatment of Palestinians cannot be separated, as two major Israeli journalists recently pointed out.
Amos Schocken, publisher of Israel's leading liberal newspaper, Haaretz, is the most influential liberal voice in that country. He traces the whole West Bank settlement project, and his government's constant refusal to curb it, to the permanent and growing influence of right-wing religious ideologues, whose "perverted interpretation of Judaism" aims at a kind of apartheid in the West Bank.
"It is against this same background that we have seen the advancement of legislation directed against the Arab citizens of Israel," Shocken adds. Prominent Israeli analyst Gershon Gorenberg (an orthodox Jew himself) expands on this point in a recent New York Times op-ed piece. A growing tide of laws restricting Palestinians within Israel are the logical outgrowth of the West Bank occupation: "Israel remains tied to the West Bank and the settlement enterprise. And the ethnic struggle cannot be kept on one side of an unmarked border."
Now women in the Israeli army, many of them sent to the West Bank to enforce the occupation, find themselves the target of the same prejudice and intolerance that perpetuates the occupation itself. And Israeli women are grappling with dangerous assaults on more of their rights, as Clinton pointed out. They know that an injustice to anyone inevitably brings injustice to everyone, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told us so many years ago.
With Israel spinning such an ever-widening web of injustice, why is it (in Shocken's words) "not easy, and maybe impossible, for an American president to adopt an activist policy against Israeli apartheid"? He offers, as possible answers, "the large number of evangelicals affiliated with the Republican party, the problematic nature of the West's relations with Islam, or the power of the Jewish lobby." All are important pieces of the puzzle.
But Gorenberg goes deeper in another recent article, pointing out that many American Jews – and, he might have added, American non-Jews – excuse the most egregious Israeli policies because they've swallowed the bogus Israeli claim that it's all "for the sake of security": "victimhood is part of the story that Jews tell about their past. In that story, a besieged, endangered Israel is the sequel to the Holocaust." All Israel has to do is claim it's threatened by another Holocaust, and all, it seems, is forgiven.
Of course, "for most Jews living today in America, the trauma is a taught memory, passed on by previous generations, out of sync with their current condition. And seeing Israel as the symbol of victimhood is discordant: Zionism was a rebellion against Jewish powerlessness, and present-day Israel testifies to the rebellion's success," as Gorenberg says. Israel faces no real threats to its existence, as its own defense minister, Ehud Barak, publicly admits. But those who build their religious and political identities on this fictional story close their ears to the facts and merely repeat their fictitious story more loudly.
Tragically, the myth of Israel's insecurity is still the foundation of virtually all conversation and policy about Israel in the United States. It will take many voices, raised in many quarters, directly confronting and debunking that myth, before its massive power begins to wane. But until that happens, every American president will be paralyzed, no matter how much we hear learn about the rightward shift, the religious fanaticism and the assault on human rights in Israel.


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Valentine's Day is tomorrow and thanks to the lovely people at Booty Parlor, it's time to hear about some holiday treats that are fun for you and that special someone.
The first product I tried was their Dust Up Kissable Body Shimmer in Don't Call Me Honey. This body shimmer is perfect for my skin tone, it doesn't add a lot of color and it's packed with shimmer. As you might have guessed, this body shimmer tastes and smells sweet like honey. I actually licked myself to see what it tasted like and I liked what I tasted. 🙂 This product also comes in Punch Drunk Pink, which tastes like cotton candy and Crusin' for a Bronzin', which taste like cinnamon french-toast. With whatever flavor you choose, you're bound to have fun getting all dolled up.
When it comes to kissable flavors, I'm much more of a cinnamon girl than a mint girl. Luckily, Booty Parlor has you taken care of with whatever flavor you prefer. I'm So Sexy Lip Gloss comes in two flavors, Cinnamon Shine and Peppermint Pink. With whatever shade you choose, this gloss tastes great and has a slight tingle to it to make your lips extra pouty and kissable. The shades leave a great tint on your lips as well.
At the end of the night, a little dessert is in order. Give Booty Parlor's Melt a try. Whether it's over a bowl of ice cream or painted on that special someone's body, this dark chocolate fondue is a lot of fun and easy to use… just a few seconds in the microwave and you're ready to go. The best part is that this treat is low and fat and is only 5 calories a spoon! You can stay on your diet and have some fun at the same time.
Booty Parlor's body treats don't stop there, they have a whole selection of goodies. How about some massage oil or bubble bath? You can find reviews on these products at Beauty Addict and Vie Couture.


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In almost every article that I have written on Fox Sports, I have mentioned either Ben Woodside or the North Dakota State Bison.
In the latest article, I throw his name out as a "Write-in Candidate for Player of the Year", and he has done some work to help his cause and once again, North Dakota State's basketball team is in the national news.
In a 111-112 lose to Stephen F. Austin, Woodside scored 60 points in the triple-overtime game. In the game Woodside shot 14-32 from the floor, 30-35 from the free throw line, he also finished with eight rebounds and eight assists.
As an encore the following evening, Woodside lead NDSU to a win 98-77 over Georgia Southern scoring 31 points and passed out 10 assists. Woodside shot 8-15 from the floor, 4-5 from three and 11-12 from the foul line.


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Full-Court Press: Groce attracts an interesting mix to Champaign
Philadelphia, PA – Although its top-rated incoming freshman is ranked outside the Top 50 by most scouting services, Illinois has one of the most intriguing recruiting classes in the nation.
John Groce managed to lead the Fighting Illini to the third round of the NCAA Tournament this season before a 63-59 loss to Miami (Fla.) ended his inaugural campaign as the team's head coach.
Returning to the Big Dance in 2013-14 would clearly require a strong recruiting effort by Groce and his staff as Illinois graduated Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson, Tyler Griffey and Sam McLaurin, who accounted for 58.2 percent of the team's scoring.
The program also will be moving forward without senior guard Kevin Garardini, Ibby Djimde, Devin Langford and Mike Shaw, who all elected to continue their collegiate careers elsewhere. Myke Henry joined the list of players departing from the Big Ten school as well, which left Illinois with only Joseph Bertrand, Nnanna Egwu, Mike LaTulip and Tracy Abrams from last season's up-and-down but ultimately successful unit.
Abrams, who averaged 10.6 points and a team-best 3.4 assists per game, is the only returner with a proven knack for scoring. Bertrand showed he can be efficient by hitting on 50.2 percent of his field goal attempts as a junior, but he has a long way to go before his name will appear on the conference's scoring leaderboard.
Despite losing a strong portion of what made them great in Groce's first season on the bench, he may still have enough to make his fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in five years, including the 2010 and 2012 Mid-American Conference championship seasons he produced while guiding the Ohio Bobcats.
The top tier programs such as Kansas, Kentucky and Duke reloaded their rosters during the offseason by persuading the best high school talent to become a part of their rich traditions. Illinois has a bright future thanks to its incoming freshman class, but the fact that Champaign became a popular location for some of college basketball's most intriguing transfers could keep it relevant in the Big Ten race for next season.
Aaron Cosby and Darius Paul will need to sit out a season before they can play in the newly renamed State Farm Center. Both of their debuts in blue and orange will be highly anticipated by the coaching staff thanks to their work in 2012-13.
Cosby registered over 30 minutes per game and netted 12.6 points and 3.0 assists per outing for Seton Hall and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Paul is the younger brother of the departing senior Brandon Paul and flew under the radar of many suitors who could have used his services during his prep career before landing at Western Michigan.
The 6-foot-8 forward won the 2012-13 MAC Freshman of the Year award as he produced 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the conference's West Division champions.
Cosby and Paul will be able to practice with the team and improve the competitiveness of the Illini's scout team while they polish their individual skill sets next season. Groce will most likely have a trio of experienced newcomers at his disposal as Rayvonte Rice, Jon Ekey and Ahmad Starks get set to compete for minutes in his rotation.
Rice could have been on the short list for next season's Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year award had he decided to stay at Drake. The hefty 6-4 guard was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2011 and was a Second-Team All-MVC pick in 2012.
The Champaign native decided to return to his hometown after tallying just under 1,000 total points in two seasons as a Bulldog. Rice, who was also the 2010 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school senior, will have plenty to offer on the offensive end and he should have a grasp of the new offensive system thanks to his off-court participation this past season.
Ekey brings some MVC experience to the table after serving as a role player in Illinois State's run and gun-styled system for three years. The 6-7 forward scored in double figures in nine of his first 13 games as a junior, but only repeated that feat once more the rest of the way.
Ekey will able to play immediately because he graduated from ISU and plans to pursue a graduate degree unavailable at his former school. He will provide senior leadership to go along with his accurate free-throw and 3-point shooting.
Henry's departure from the program opened up a scholarship just in time for Starks, who announced he's departing the Pac-12 to attend a school near his home in Chicago to be closer to his ailing grandmother. The 5-9 guard rarely let his lack of size serve as an obstacle when it came to playing time in the first three years of his career.
Starks started 73 games as a Beaver, but he was less successful as a junior (10.4 ppg, 2.7 apg) compared to his sophomore campaign (12.1 ppg, 2.7 apg), which was made easier by the NBA-bound Jared Cunningham. Starks is likely to be granted instant eligibility as the NCAA usually permits a player to change schools without penalty when an immediate family member's health provokes the displacement.
Illinois doesn't have any All-American-caliber talent from the high school ranks on the way. It fell out of the race for the Land of Lincoln's top prospect Jabari Parker shortly after Bruce Weber was fired, but it replaced some of what was lost from its backcourt by signing in-state prospects Kendrick Nunn, Jaylon Tate and Malcolm Hill to letters of intent. It also bolstered its front line by adding Austin Colbert and Maverick Morgan.
Nunn and Tate both played for Simeon Career Academy, the prominent Windy City high school which former Illinois star Nick Anderson and current Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose attended.
Nunn and Tate were both overshadowed by Parker during their high school careers, so it should be interesting to see how the starting backcourt from the Class 4A championship squad plays without the combo highly touted Duke-bound swingman and Steve Taylor, who is headed North to join Buzz Williams at Marquette.
Nunn fits the mold of the departed Paul and Richardson, who were both shorter than the prototype for the scoring guard position. His combination of 3-point range, athleticism and defensive toughness should allow him to overcome his lack of size with ease. Tate did not receive as much attention from recruiters as his teammates, but his unselfish nature makes him an ideal floor general to run a Big Ten offense.
Hill has the size and basketball I.Q. to make an immediate impact on the wing. The 6-6 guard from Belleville East is young for his grade, though, and could use a year or two to develop, which he and Tate now have the ability to do thanks to the Illini's deep crop of newcomers.
Not to be forgotten, Colbert is going to contribute right away defensively and may evolve into a future NBA Draft first-round pick if he develops both offensively and physically.
The 6-10 Morgan hardly displayed explosiveness during his prep career, which resulted in him being labeled a three-star recruit. He has exhibited good skill and awareness to go along with his massive frame. Keep in mind, Aaron Gray was once a three-star recruit who quietly joined Pittsburgh the same offseason Chris Taft became a Panther. Taft jumped to the professional ranks after one season while Gray went on to become a Third Team All-American and the Big East's rebounding champion in 2005-06.
Illinois will more than likely be the most attractive program at the end of next season, which is only going to strengthen its pursuit of the 6-10, 265- pound prize of the 2014 recruiting class, Jahlil Okafor, who currently attends Whitney Young High School in Chicago.
Even if Okafor takes his talents to another state, the Illini are going to consistently compete for the conference title. Playing time will still be abundant for the newcomers as Starks and Ekey will only be around for one season before Cosby and Paul become eligible.
Ohio reached the Sweet 16 and came just short of upsetting a stacked North Carolina team in Groce's final year with the Bobcats. His best player from that squad, D.J. Cooper, is at best going to be a second-round selection in the upcoming rookie draft despite a record-breaking four-year run in Athens. The lack of any surefire NBA prospects on any of his recent NCAA Tournament teams is a testament to Groce's in-game coaching competence.
Groce's transfer-ladened recruiting class has set up Illinois for a return to greatness. The Illini suddenly have a very deep backcourt that contains both proven veterans and freshmen with limitless room for growth. The incoming big men should be plenty for Groce, who is an expert of coaching a perimeter-based attack.
The Big Ten was one of the toughest conferences in the land last season with Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota and Iowa all collecting more than 20 wins apiece. With Iowa being the lone exception, all of those programs will have to forge a new identity as they try to replace vital components lost to graduation and the transfer wire.
Illinois may not have the most balanced or talented group among the league's members, but it is apparent Groce is one of the game's young coaching gems, so his team should not be underestimated.


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Review – Captain Morgan Black
When I say the words "Captain Morgan" I would be willing to bet that nearly anyone would know what I'm talking about. It's ubiquitous and duly so. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum is an approachable rum for nearly anyone, mixes well with Coke and has a solid vanilla flavor that works well in that application. No surprise that, when Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum came through the door, I was intrigued.
Dark rums, by default, tend to have a stronger molasses flavor and thus a steeper learning curve, for lack of a better analogy. Black didn't follow suit as I had expected. It has a strong vanilla aroma with some other hints of spice coming through, but only barely. The flavor is sweeter than I had expected with the vanilla again being the star. There are tones of brown sugar and molasses but gentler than other dark rums I've had. The other spice notes are there, but not strong.
Captain Morgan Black is aged in double charred barrels which, I can imagine, is where the strong tones of vanilla come from. But this aging brings with it other tones that are more familiar to aged whiskies like caramel and butterscotch. The thing I find most intriguing is that the sweetness of the rum totally masks the fact that it's bottled at 47.3% ABV. While the flavor is gentle it's a bit like getting hit with a pillow full of bricks. Gentle on the outside, but still capable of knocking you down.
While I certainly can't recommend that you mix this rum in a Dark and Stormy, given that that name is a copyright of the Gosling's brand, I could recommend something similar. Perhaps a Dim and Thundery. I'm sure you can work out the details.
† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you're wondering what that means check out my sample policy.


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The 34-year-old singer-songwriter from Russia announced via her Facebook that she and husband Jack Dishel are celebrating the birth of their new son. The couple first announced the pregnancy in January.
The statement reads, "I wanted to let you know that Jack and I have been happily hanging out with our new little son and that all is going great! Thank you for the tons of well wishes and good vibes- we wish them all right back at ya. As you may have noticed, we're pretty private so we won't be posting any pictures or updates about him....but we can report that he's super CUTE!!!"
A name for the boy has not been released yet.
Spektor married Dishel in 2011. Dishel is a member of the band Only Son and was formerly the guitarist for The Moldy Peaches.
It's been a big year for Spektor: she also received a Grammy nomination in the category Best Song Written for Visual Media for her song 'You've Got Time,' the opening theme for the acclaimed Netflix comedy-drama, 'Orange is the New Black.'
We wish her and her husband the best of luck with their new bundle of joy!


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David Duchovny and Tea Leoni divorce
DAVID DUCHOVNY and TEA LEONI have brought their on/off marriage to an end by finalising their divorce.
The couple's relationship first crumbled in 2008, when they separated and The X-Files star underwent therapy for sex addiction.
They subsequently reunited and split several more times over the last few years, and were recently rumoured to be giving the marriage another shot.
However, it has now emerged the union is over for good. Duchovny filed for divorce in June (14), citing an irretrievable breakdown of the relationship, and editors at TMZ.com report the split has now been made official after a settlement was reached.
Leoni is reported to have primary physical custody of their two children, aged 15 and 12, but the stars share joint legal custody of the kids. Duchovny is believed to be paying just over £4,706 a month in child support, plus around £23,529 in spousal support.
The former couple married in 1997.


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This course is specifically designed to teach handlers how to manage and treat dogs that bark, lunge, growl or pull toward other dogs while on-leash. Handlers will practice and be coached on strategies to manage their reactive dogs. Dogs are visually separated for much of class, and the aim is to keep dogs below threshold when working in the classroom. If you are interested in registering for Reactive Rover, please fill out the Reactive Rover Questionnaire.
This class is not appropriate for dogs who only exhibit aggression toward other dogs while off-leash, or who exhibit aggression toward people.
All family members are encouraged to attend.
The classroom setup provides a unique environment in which dogs are visually separated from other dogs and people until they master the skills needed to practice their reactivity prevention work within visual sight of other dogs.
Frequency & Duration: 1 hour per week for 6 weeks (Note: The first class is a mandatory [no exceptions] humans-only orientation. Please leave your dog at home, but bring proof of his/her rabies vaccination.)
Fee: $285 per dog (If your dog was adopted from a 501(c)3 rescue group or shelter, or has taken a class with us in the past year, the fee is $265.)
Course prerequisites: Dogs over 2 years of age must be spayed or neutered prior to taking Reactive Rover. In addition, pre-screening is necessary before acceptance to this class. In order to help us determine whether you and your canine companion will benefit from this class, please fill out our Reactive Rover Questionnaire. It will then be reviewed by the course trainer, and we will contact you by email with next steps. If you have not heard from us within one week of submitting your questionnaire, please call 415-522-3509 to ensure that we have received it.
Location: SF SPCA Mission Campus Multi-Purpose Room, 243 Alabama Street
Class includes: Clicker, Bait Bag, Homework, Handbook and Certificate of Completion
Class capacity: 6 dogs
Upcoming classes:
If you wish to register for class, please fill out a Reactive Rover Questionnaire. We will then contact you via email with registration, wait list or alternative information.
You can also check out our FREE Reactive Rover Seminar! Click for more info and future dates.
When classes are full, we are able to offer a limited number of discounted auditing spaces (human attendance only) for this class, for $75 per person. Please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com or (415) 522-3509 for more information.


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Press Statements
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is the oldest and largest of the UK surgical Royal Colleges, and one of the largest of all the UK medical Royal Colleges. First incorporated as the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1505, the College has been at the vanguard of surgical innovation and developments for over 500 years.
Today we are a modern, thriving, global network of medical professionals with a membership of well over 23,000 professionals who live and work in more than 100 countries around the world. 15,000 of these live and work in the UK and 80% of that figure are based in England and Wales. Our membership includes people at every stage of their career, from medical students through to trainees, consultants and those who have retired from practice.
With our interest in professional standards, the College's primary role – and the main concern of our Fellows and Members - is to ensure the safety of our patients and provide them with the best possible care. We do this by championing the highest standards of surgical and dental practice; through our provision of courses and educational programmes, training, examinations and Continuous Professional Development; our liaison with external medical bodies; and by influencing healthcare policy across the UK.
We are headquartered in Edinburgh and have a major base of operations in Birmingham.
In addition to our core surgical membership and Faculty of Dental Surgeons - the largest such Faculty in the UK - the College also incorporates the UK's only Faculty of Surgical Trainers, the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, the Faculty of Perioperative Care and the Faculty of Sports & Exercise Medicine.
Information for Journalists
The College and its faculties can offer experts and spokespeople for interview and to offer comment and professional opinion about a wide range of clinical and professional topics. Please contact us using the details below if you are interested in speaking to one of our experts.
We would be happy to put you on the distribution list for any College publications or reports. Please contact our communications team using the details below if you wish to be added to our distribution list.
Press releases and statements
We would be happy to put you on our distribution list to receive College press releases and statements. Please contact the communications team using the details below if you wish to be added to our distribution list.
For press and media inquiries, please contact our Communications & PR Team at 0131 527 1593 or email email@example.com.
Press Statements tagged with "Sepsis"
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NICE Guidance on Sepsis
RCSEd welcomes new NICE guidance on recognising and treating sepsis
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has welcomed new guidance on recognising and treating sepsis, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE]. The NICE guidance calls on health professionals to think about the possibility of sepsis in all patients who may have an infection and includes a checklist of signs and …
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A personal injury claim is an intensive process that involves a series of proper consultation and negotiations to either get a right to be served or claim a property or service you had or had paid for. Clients who mostly pursue the personal injury claims usually have to seek for lawyers or attorneys who can handle their cases successfully. The following are the generally agreed principles that have to be followed;
Attorney Consultation
One has to have or choose a legal attorney to represent them in a particular case. After identifying an attorney, few considerations also have to be made such as; the cost for legal representation, the medical costs involved in case of an accident, the negligence in the scenario, the opponents we would like to claim from availability among other factors. having an experienced attorney can aid in finding out the logistics involved.
Case Investigation
After having an attorney assigned to your case, the case should be investigated and be looked at in depth to understand the prospects that are involved fully. in case of an accident, the attorney has to investigate how and why it happened, the injury extents, who was involved, the medical records, the compensation claim among other factors. the case also needs an assessment so f various issues involved so as to be adequate and make the attorney be at per with the incident or accident.
Demand Package
When a client has a claim that has to present to the defendant or a compensation outcry then it has to be submitted, the claim may have issues such as liabilities, damages as well the cost that is required for settlement. Also of importance is a demand letter that has to be viewed by the opponents. during this process, the demand package is discussed by the involved attorneys to reach an amicable agreement.
File a Lawsuit
In any event, the case cannot be settled outside of court, then the client has to file a lawsuit to claim their compensation or right per second.
Evidence Finding
This also can be called the discovery step in which unknown evidence is brought to light in order to establish the facts of the case.
mediation involves the informal proceedings in order to arrive at an amicable solution for the parties involved. Before the matter is officially handed in court, it can be negotiated upon informally. in an event no agreement is reached, then it can proceed to trial.
This step now has the case in court on trial which involves the court's judge and jury or presented decision makers allowed by the court system. There having experienced lawyers can aid this process, but at a time cannot guarantee success.
when one side decides to appeal, this shows that they may not have found the decision made as favorable depending on the case presented. when one has to appeal, a procedural format has to be followed.…[Continue reading]


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Man, were those winter meetings depressing. I really miss the days when the Mets took money that technically didn't exist and gave the green light to a general manager with little concern for long-term implications to do with it as he saw fit. The illusion may have worked only fleetingly well, but danged if it didn't make for fun winter meetings.
So let's do it again on a limited scale. We can't go out and gather up the current iterations of the Martinezes, Beltrans, Delgados, Lo Ducas, Wagners and whoever else we like and re-create 2006, but we can pretend.
Then why don't we? I don't mean giving Bernie Madoff a jingle in stir and asking if there are any other fake accounts that can be drawn on, and I don't mean rekindling the magical moolah thinking of Omar Minaya. I literally mean let's pretend we're offseason big shots again.
Let's rent Josh Hamilton.
Usually you hear "rent-a-player," and you think about taking on some big contract for the final year of somebody else's onerous pact or maybe just the last couple of months of one for a pennant drive. You know that player won't be around, but you're going for the win with all you've got.
The Mets can't do that, but they can give us a momentary respite from their futile search to find a better version of Mike Nickeas, their grim machinations to rid themselves of their reigning Cy Young Award winner and their bulletins revealing Rule 5 finds they select and quickly sell off. They can rent Josh Hamilton.
For an hour.
Seriously, how much could it cost? As long as Hamilton is just sitting on the open market waiting for his multiyear megadeal, let the Mets swoop in and engage his services for 60 minutes. He doesn't have to sign for longer than that. He doesn't have to play ball. There's no time for that. There'd be just time enough for this:
A crowd gathers in one of the Citi Field clubs.
Jay Horwitz steps to the podium and introduces Jeff Wilpon.
Jeff Wilpon welcomes one and all, marveling that this is a milestone day in the history of the New York Mets and introduces Sandy Alderson.
Sandy Alderson speaks to the creativity and persistence that led to this moment and how pleased he is to have not just filled a need but to have upgraded so meaningfully to a true game-changer: "We've gone from having no viable outfielders to the outfielder who's the talk of the industry." He then introduces the man of the literal hour, Josh Hamilton.
Josh Hamilton steps up and dons pinstriped Mets jersey No. 32 and the traditional blue cap with the orange NY. He is beaming from ear to ear as he poses with Alderson, Wilpon, Terry Collins and David Wright and then makes a few remarks.
Josh Hamilton says he is thrilled to be a New York Met.
He explains he developed a real bond with Jeff and Sandy and how they made him feel wanted.
He was inspired when he heard their plans for 2013 and beyond.
He is ready to play wherever Terry wants him.
He credits David for convincing him what a great fit New York would be for him.
He remembers the overwhelming passion of Mets fans the one time his old club visited Shea in 2008 and looks forward to rekindling it immediately.
He feels comfortable knowing the New York area offers him all kinds of options, whether he lives in the city or the suburbs.
He knows he will have a terrific support network here, thanks to the Wilpons, "who are just the best people ever".
He calls his eyesight "perfect for any game — day or night".
He announces the formation of the Josh Hamilton Big Apple Foundation, which will support an array of children's charities "every time I make that big apple in center rise".
And he singles out Jenrry Mejia for being gracious enough to let him wear No. 32.
David makes a brief presentation of a commemorative bottle of Schweppes Ginger Ale to Josh, letting him know this bottle is a "down-payment on the case we're gonna be celebrating with as teammates when we win the World Series".
Cameras click, boom mikes hover, Horwitz arranges the media into groups and sets select reporters up for one-on-ones with the Mets' newest superstar.
Kevin Burkhardt tells Chris Carlin and Bobby Ojeda back in the studio that, "Guys, you can just see in Josh Hamilton's face how happy he is to be a New York Met today."
Joe Benigno asks the first radio question via remote: "Josh, you signed with the Mets as a free agent. The Mets have signed a lot of free agents, but a lot of free agents haven't exactly worked out here. What about that?"
Bruce Beck records a standup, declaring, "The Mets may have played like turkeys these past few seasons, but now they've got a real HAM as the meat of their order!"
Everybody smiles. Everybody's excited. Everybody's happy for the rest of the hour. And when the 60 minutes are up, Hamilton removes the jersey and the cap, and the Mets aren't on the hook for another dime — no muss, no fuss, no commitment…just like a classy escort service for teams that couldn't otherwise take a date to the hot stove dance.
Compared to ginning up enthusiasm over Brandon Hicks and Anthony Recker, I'd take it.


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Gift AidWHAT IS GIFT AID?
Gift Aid is a scheme where charities can claim an extra 25p from HMRC for every £1 that you donate.
By agreeing for Ribble Steam Railway to claim Gift Aid on my donation I can confirm that I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it is my responsibility to pay any difference.
If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.


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Flex-Cell Precision, Inc., a high-end, Pennsylvania Machine Shop, seeks an experienced, motivated and energetic Quality Assurance Manager. The position is responsible for the overall quality program, and maintenance and application of our existing ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 13485:2016 quality management systems (QMS). The position oversees the Quality Lab as well as leading and supervising a small group of Quality Engineers & Technicians.
Maintain QMS compliance to current standards ( ISO 9001:2015/ISO 13485:2016 ).
Foster continuous improvement Company wide.
Champion positive trends in KPI's by promoting a quality-centric culture.
Introduce and maintain quality principals and tools ( SPC/Lean/Six Sigma etc. ) to complement existing processes.
Basic responsibilities include:
• Administering and enhancing the Quality Management System (QMS)
• QMS Representative (Management Rep.)
• Staying abreast of ISO, industry, regulatory and customer standards/requirements and ascertain any impact any changes may have on the Quality Management System. Making the necessary adjustments to maintain compliance including upgrading to the most current ISO standard.
• Lead Internal Auditor responsibilities.
• Prepares and Leads Customer, Vendor, Internal and External (Registrar) Audits.
• Corrective/Preventative Action and Non-Conformance responsibility.
• Training site personnel to ensure an understanding and adherence to QMS.
• Prepare and conduct Material Review Board (MRB) meetings as required.
• Participate in internal meetings as required.
• Develop new quality policies and Standard Operating Procedures as needed
• Support continuous improvement initiatives in conjunction with Management by coordinating the collection and analysis of quality metrics and audit results.
• Manage calibration of measurement and test equipment.
• Visits Customers and Vendors regarding quality related issues/audits as required.
• Review Customer specifications as needed.
• Administer process validation activity.
• Continually assess risk as it pertains to ISO standards (QMS)
• Conducts annual performance reviews of Quality Team members.
Preferred qualifications/experience:
• Bachelor's Degree in engineering or related technical field.
• Significant experience in ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 13485:2016.
• Significant experience in risk assessment and management.
• Strong leadership skills.
• CQA, CQE and/or CMQ certification.
• Data analysis skills.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• Organized, goal oriented and results driven.
• Ability to contribute effectively in a team environment.
• 5+ years of Quality Management experience in a manufacturing/job shop environment.
• Knowledge of quality tools and principles.
• Experienced in project management.
• Problem solving skills.
• Microsoft Office Suite proficiency.
• Must be flexible and able to handle multiple tasks.


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OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan 21, 2013) - Pethealth Inc. ("Pethealth" or the "Company") (PTZ.TO) released its second annual PetPoint Report today, a comprehensive year-end report comparing same shelter aggregate data from 2012 and 2011, emphasizing key trends in animal welfare related to cats and dogs in the United States.
The 2012 year-end report aggregates data from the 1,212 animal welfare organizations ("AWOs") who operated PetPoint for the full 2012 and 2011 calendar years. The additional 417 AWOs represented reflects an increase of 52% from the AWOs represented in the first annual PetPoint Report which compared shelter aggregate data from 2011 and 2010. Findings for the 2012 year-end report were based on 1,802,710 intakes and 1,753,027 outcomes for dogs and cats that entered or exited AWOs over the course of 2012, representing an increase in intakes and outcomes of over 509,000, or 17% over those included in the first annual PetPoint Report. These increases reflect more on the increased usage of PetPoint in the industry than an increase in animal population statistics over 2011.
Notable figures within the 2012 year-end report include a 2% year-over-year decrease in feline intakes, fuelled largely by a 6% decrease in owner surrenders and 3% decrease in strays. Conversely, there was a 9% increase in transfers from other AWOs - 8% more than the increase noted between 2010 and 2011 in last year''s report. Positive outcomes increased for felines as well, including a 5% increase in adoptions, an 8% increase in transfers to other AWOs, and a 12% decrease in euthanasia. The 8% increase in outbound feline transfers between 2011 and 2012 was 2% more than the increase between 2010 and 2011 noted in the last year''s report.
On the canine front, the 2% decrease in overall intakes is attributed to a parallel decrease in surrendered and stray dogs, 6% and 5% respectively year-over-year. Law enforcement seizures contributed to the overall decrease as well, declining 5% from 2011. As with cats, transfers of dogs from other AWOs increased, up 6%, which was 4% more than the increase noted between 2010 and 2011 in last year''s report. Positive outcomes for dogs also increased, including a 5% increase in adoptions, a 1% increase in transfers to other organizations, and a 14% decrease in euthanasia. The 1% increase in outbound canine transfers between 2011 and 2012 was 5% less than the increase between 2010 and 2011 noted in the last year''s report.
"We are delighted to provide the second annualized PetPoint Report to our network and the interested public," says Brad Grucelski, Vice President, PetPoint Solutions at Pethealth Inc. "Based on the information disclosed here, we are on track to reach our 2,000 licensed groups in 2013. In addition the data points to increases overall in higher live release rates and increases in transfers of both dogs and cats within our partner organizations. Transfers of dogs from areas that have lower adoption rates to areas that have higher adoption rates have been climbing every year since the introduction of PetPoint. Cats have not been part of the transfer program in a substantial way until recently and in this past year have seen substantial increases."
With nearly 2,000 licensed organizations, the Company aggregates more data on dogs and cats in AWOs than any other company. In 2012 the Company leveraged this recognized position with the issuance of two widely cited reports on new pet adopter behaviors, and signed purchase agreements for its syndicated reports.
Interested organizations can subscribe to receive more detailed reports including localized regional and state data for a monthly fee. The full annual report and the monthly December PetPoint Report can be accessed by visiting http://www.petpoint.com/reportspage/index.html.
PetPoint reports are issued on the third Monday of each month, except statutory holidays in which case they are issued the following business day.
About PetPoint
PetPoint, first introduced in 2005, is now licensed by nearly 2,000 animal welfare organizations in North America and has facilitated the adoption of over 4.5 million pets. As a cloud based application, animal welfare organizations can not only better organize and care for their homeless and abandoned animals, but can also reduce significantly, if not eliminate, their IT-related infrastructure costs. PetPoint is provided free to animal welfare organizations on the basis that these same organizations use the Company''s 24PetWatch microchip and gift of insurance programs for all companion animals adopted, adoptable animals are then published on the Petango adopatable search platform. The 24PetWatch microchip program is the most widely used microchip and lost pet recovery service operating in both Canada and the United States.
About Pethealth Inc.
Pethealth is North America''s second largest provider of medical insurance for dogs and cats to pet owners, operating in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. In addition, the Company is the leading provider of management software to North American animal welfare organisations through its SaaS-based application and is the leading provider of pet related database management services to the North American companion animal industry. Pethealth offers a unique range of products and services for veterinarians, shelters and pet owners through a number of wholly owned subsidiaries using a range of brand names including 24PetWatch, Pet Protect, Petpals Direct, PetPoint, Petango.com and ThePetangoStore.com.
Pethealth is based in Oakville, Ontario. To find out more about Pethealth, visit the web site at www.pethealthinc.com.


text: There is no greater feeling than knowing you are not alone in this fight. That is exactly how hundreds of breast cancer survivors feel each year on the court at the annual Pennsylvania Pink Zone game at Penn State University's Bryce Jordan Center. Pink Zone is inspirational, educational and FUN! The PA Breast Cancer Coalition would like to thank the Lady Lions, Mimi Barash Coppersmith, Miriam Powell, the Pink Zone staff and everyone who helped to make this year's game a show-stopping success. We are honored to be one of the groups chosen to benefit from this amazing event. Click on the video above for highlights from the 2013 Pink Zone and take a look at some of our pictures on Facebook and Twitter. Thank You Pink Zone!