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Advancing Neuroimaging Technology to Study Brain Dynamics
Solomon Diamond, Assistant Professor, Thayer School of Engineering
Friday, February 21, 2014, 3:30pm
Spanos Auditorium
This seminar is part of the Jones Seminars on Science, Technology, and Society series.
Unlocking the mysteries of human brain function is one of the great challenges in the frontiers of science. My research is motivated by a desire to improve neurological health and well being by revealing new insights into brain disorders, and also by an academic passion to understand the neural mechanisms of sensory, perceptual, and cognitive processes. Neuroimaging technology plays a key role in brain research by enabling quantitative noninvasive measurement of the underlying brain dynamics. The focus of my research program is to invent the next generation of neuroimaging technologies that will accelerate brain research and ultimately improve medical care of brain disorders. In this talk I will chronicle my lab's research advances and share my vision for the future capabilities of these emerging neuroimaging technologies.
About the Speaker
Sol Diamond is a native of Bath, New Hampshire. He received his A.B. in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College in 1997 and then a B.E. from Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth in 1998. He received a Ph.D. in engineering sciences from Harvard University in 2004 and completed post-doctoral training at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2007. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Thayer School of Engineering where his research focuses on the development of noninvasive neuroimaging technologies to study human brain function. His work combines multiple imaging technologies to simultaneously measure neural activity and cerebral blood oxygen dynamics. Professor Diamond teaches courses at Dartmouth in Neuroengineering, Computer-Aided Design, and Solid Mechanics. He is a member of IEEE, the American Society for Engineering Education, the Society for Neuroscience, and Tau Beta Pi.


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A chilling op ed in the NYT from the head of NASA Goddard.
If [tar sands] Canada proceeds, and we do nothing, it will be game over for the climate.
Canada's tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history. If we were to fully exploit this new oil source, and continue to burn our conventional oil, gas and coal supplies, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually would reach levels higher than in the Pliocene era, more than 2.5 million years ago, when sea level was at least 50 feet higher than it is now. That level of heat-trapping gases would assure that the disintegration of the ice sheets would accelerate out of control. Sea levels would rise and destroy coastal cities. Global temperatures would become intolerable. Twenty to 50 percent of the planet's species would be driven to extinction. Civilization would be at risk.

subset: commoncrawl


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As you know I'm always looking for ways to help Flash developers make content accessible to search engines. Today I received a link to a site claiming to have the answer to that age old question, "How to SEO Flash"?
The site claims to have a sample of "SEO SWFAddress 2.0" code that "provides a better separation between the content and the presentation." Better than what I'm not sure! Either way, the urls in the "SEO sample" still contain #anchors. Googlebot ignores #anchors in URLs and I'm really hoping "SWFObject 2.0" isn't based around such a myth!
A good example of this is Google's cache of "SEO Sample" portfolio 2.
Here is what the user sees:
As you can see the two pages are different and that is called cloaking!
- Sample from SWFAddress 2.0 Website


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Skin cancer claims sun bed 'addict'
Tragic end for 29-year-old mum
A 29-year-old Salford mother of two has died of skin cancer thought to have been caused by excessive sun bed use, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Zita Farrelly's two-sessions-per-day "addiction" started at 14. She kicked the habit at 21, but by then it was "too late". Last August, she discovered a mole which turned out to be melanoma. Nine months later, and just three days after daughter Phebie's first birthday, she died.
Doctors told the victim's family they believed "it [the cancer] was caused by using sun beds". Her partner Phil Burtwistle said sun beds had "destroyed the family's life". He told the Manchester Evening News: "Zita told me days before she died that she wished she could make a documentary about the dangers of using them. She said if only one person was saved by seeing what had happened to her she'd be happy. People need to know that they can be that dangerous."
Burtwistle explained that Farrelly was determined to see her daughter's birthday and had "battled on and managed to keep herself awake to see that". He continued: "But not long after she fell asleep and never woke up again."
Farrelly's aunt Tina "appealed for others to learn from her niece's death", warning: "Time after time I see young girls coming out of tanning salons burned and looking like lobsters. I feel like grabbing them and telling them about what can happen. If they could see the pain that Zita had to go through I'm sure it would make them stop using them." ®


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Via Hemant comes this weird peek into the world of Christian sexophobia. There's this event going on in Chicago called The Ascension Convention, and someone snapped this facepalm-worthy photo.
Because, apparently, when guys and girls have thirty seconds alone and unchaperoned in an elevator together, the babymakin' explodes! No young adult can be trusted with their own genitals for a single unguarded moment, because Satan is lurking around every corner with his little French Ticklefork to prod your naughty bits into action.
Folks, if you've just been utterly baffled as to what's brought on the recent right-wing onslaught of anti-abortion, anti-birth-control, anti-marriage-equality, anti-anything you might like to do in the privacy of your own bedroom that might squick a Christian out legislation, this is it. These people are taught from a very young age that human bodies, presumably created and perfectly designed by their loving God, are evil. That's a recipe for sexual neurosis all on its own. We're not just fighting prudery here, gang. We're fighting full-on psychological dysfunction.
Then again, we could turn this into a selling point for the next atheist convention. "Come to Skepticon for great speakers, panels, parties, and hawt secks in the elevators!"


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Golden Fluid Acrylics are highly intense, permanent acrylic colors with a consistency similar to heavy cream. Produced from lightfast pigments, not dyes, they offer very strong colors with very thin consistencies. No fillers or extenders are added and the pigment load is comparable to Golden Heavy Body Acrylics.
21 points will be rewarded when you are logged in to your account and buy this item.Learn about our rewards program here.


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From inside the book
25 pages matching Aghlabid in this book
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Islam World Religion and Cultural Power Markus Hattstein
Art and Culture in the Islamic World
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Will Labor wake up?
That question could well cover a number of current ALP policies – or lack there of – but let's concentrate on their unholy alliance with the Greens for the moment.
With the Greens' unwillingness to compromise on the asylum seeker issue last week apparently being the straw that broke the camel's back, at least one Labor MP, former Defence Minister and chief government whip, Joel Fitzgibbon, says it's time to take the Greens head-on.
Mr Fitzgibbon's anger with the Greens echoes the frustration privately expressed with many Labor MPs who believe that Ms Gillard should tear up the agreement with them.
I don't think that would save Labor the next election, but it might save them some future credibility.
Tim Blair on the Greens:
Too many observers treat the Greens as a political movement rather than as a political party. Until very recently, when the Greens' senate balance of power made it unavoidable, the Greens have dodged the scorching cynicism commonly aimed at other parties and politicians.
In fact, the Greens may be the most cynical of all parties in the current parliament. They exploit public perceptions of them as caring and altruistic in order to pursue agendas that are economically destructive and, in the case of asylum seekers, cost lives.
Now that Bob Brown has left the scene, perhaps these prissy care-fakers will receive the examination they've well and truly earned. The next election should not be a judgment restricted to Labor and the coalition.
With a number of Labor MPs unhappy with the Greens' alliance, can we also infer they are unhappy with the carbon tax? After all, this was a tax the PM promised not to impose, only to do so after the election at the Greens' insistence.


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"We wouldn't be able to shoot a panorama..."
Marine Hugonnier's Trilogy is the third installment of Live Cinema, an exhibition series exploring single-channel work at the Museum's Film and Video Gallery. While diverse in subject and approach, these films—Ariana (2003), The Last Tour (2004), and Travelling Amazonia (2006)—engage with what Hugonnier refers to as the "politics of vision": the notion that perception is determined by cultural, political, and actual perspective. To Hugonnier, every vantage point taken in through the camera's lens—from the panorama that derives from militaristic origins, to the tourist site that focuses on highly specific vistas, and the traveling shot that privileges mono-focal perspective and linear time—frames and affects the experience of what is captured on film.
In Ariana, the panoramic view itself becomes an object of desire, as Hugonnier and her film crew search for an elevated perspective into the Panjsher Valley in Afghanistan. After they discover that only Afghani government officials have access to this particular vista, the panorama itself becomes a form of political and militaristic control.
The Last Tour imagines a future deprived of the possibility of experiencing epic images of the landscape, as Hugonnier embarks on a fictive journey through the Matterhorn Mountain to mark its closing to the public. While seemingly dystopian, The Last Tour allows us to realize to what extent tourism determines our perception of the landscape and reality.
Travelling Amazonia trains the lens on the trans-Amazonian highway in Brazil, which was initiated under a dictatorship in the 1970s but never fully completed. Hugonnier's intention to capture a moving image of this unfinished, utopian road runs parallel to her interest in the equally failed nationalistic project that generated it.
CuratorCarlos Basualdo • Curator of Contemporary Art
Erica Fisher • Research Assistant
LocationFilm and Video Gallery 179, first floor
Van Pelt Auditorium, ground floor


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Business IT Support & Managed IT Services
Business IT Support & Managed IT Services
IT Support in Sussex
PS Tech provide IT Support Services to Businesses in Sussex
If you are looking for reliable and friendly IT Support in Sussex and the surrounding area, please contact PS Tech. We have been serving local businesses and families for over 25 years, since 1991.
We are local! Our head office is located in Uckfield, not far from Brighton to the South and Tunbridge Wells to the North. Our engineers, who live and work in your area, provide Small Business IT Support, Microsoft Office 365 Support, Server and Network Support at your premises in Sussex or over the phone.
Call PS Tech to see how we can help you today, or read on to see what other IT Services we offer.
Services we offer in your area:
How Can We Help?
Please look at our site, but more importantly, please call us on 01732 243 100, to see how we can help. No problem is too small, no project is too large. Alternatively, use our contact page to contact us electronically, or use the Chat facility at the bottom of this page.
PS Tech are the leading and number one choice for Small Business IT Support in Sussex. Microsoft Office 365 Support, IT Support for Charities and Non-Profit organisations, ICT Support for Schools and Computer Repair.


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EDDYVILLE, KY -- Ralph Baze says he's through apologizing for gunning down Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Deputy Arthur Briscoe on Jan. 30, 1992, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal in its Sunday edition.
He says now, as he said then, that he shot the lawmen in a desperate attempt to save his own life.
"I've done all the apologizing I'm going to do," Baze said in a recent prison interview. "They either believe me or they don't."
Baze also makes no apologies for working since his 1993 murder conviction and death sentence to persuade the appellate courts to free him, reports the Courier-Journal
"I'm not going to throw my hands up and not try to even save my life," he said.
But those efforts have left the families of Baze's victims with a bitter resentment that has simmered for the past 15 years.
"It makes me sick," said Carl Briscoe, as he talks about how the man who shot his brother in the back of the head is today sitting comfortably in a cell in Eddyville.
This week, the case garners national attention as the United States Supreme Court considers it, and another from Kentucky, as part of an argument that lethal injection is a cruel and unusual punishment, reports The C-J.
Attorneys for Baze and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr., who was convicted of murdering a Lexington couple and wounding their toddler in 1990, sued Kentucky three years ago, saying the drugs involved in lethal injection cause unnecessary pain. After losing that challenge in the Kentucky Supreme Court in November 2006, they petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for review.
In a recent prison interview, Baze said he knows the Supreme Court decision -- no matter what it is -- won't result in his release, reports the newspaper.
"The lethal injection (argument) is something one of my attorneys felt necessary to do," Baze said. "It is litigation that's time had come, and I just happened to be one of the people in the position where it could be filed under my name."
Copyright: The Louisville Courier-Journal


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Archive for Monday, December 20, 2010
Turnpike interchange lauded after 1 year open
December 20, 2010
It was a cold, snow-covered day almost a year ago when the first car drove through the Tonganoxie/Eudora interchange and onto Interstate 70.
Since then, nearly 700,000 cars have followed.
At mile marker 212, the I-70 interchange has improved the connection between Lawrence and Kansas City, town leaders say.
For those in Eudora who are heading west, it can shave off several minutes on a commute and avoid the hassle of 23rd Street in Lawrence, former Mayor Tom Pyle said.
For Tonganoxie residents, it provides a better alternative to the dark, curvy and deer-infested U.S. Highway 24-40 that parallels I-70, Tonganoxie City Administrator Mike Yanez said.
"I've heard nothing but compliments from citizens. They really find it as a tremendous convenience, particularly connecting us with Lawrence and all points west," Yanez said.
When the interchange opened on Dec. 29, 2009, the Kansas Turnpike Authority anticipated about 1,500 vehicles per day. In two years, they hope to see about 2,500 cars travel through the interchange each day.
Right now the average daily traffic count is at 1,947.
Those numbers are partly bolstered from when the interchange in North Lawrence was under construction and closed. When that interchange at mile marker 204 reopened in October, 400 to 500 fewer vehicles used the interchange at mile marker 212.
"We're on top of where we thought it would be," KTA CEO and President Michael Johnston said of the numbers. "We hope it obviously grows by another 25 percent."
The new interchange has shifted traffic patterns in Tonganoxie and Eudora. Pyle notices that Church Street has gotten busier during rush hour in Eudora.
The volume of traffic on Leavenworth County Road 1, which leads to the interchange, has increased, Leavenworth County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Metcalf said. In the beginning, the sheriff's office received complaints of speeding on the newly improved road. After increased traffic enforcement, Metcalf said, the complaints disappeared.
From the data the KTA has collected, about 60 percent of the traffic at the interchange is going to or from the east toward Kansas City and another 40 percent is traveling to or from the west.
During local festivals and gatherings in Tonganoxie, Eudora and Lawrence last summer, the KTA promoted its K-Tags and the use of the interchange.
The interchange is the first fully automated interchange on the Kansas Turnpike.
Yanez believes the biggest time-saver is for those heading west. In particular, he said the new interchange saves between 10 and 15 minutes on the drive from Tonganoxie to Lawrence, not to mention the road is safer.
So far, neither Yanez nor Pyle have heard of any businesses specifically benefiting from the new interchange.
But Yanez thinks that when the economy recovers, having the interchange nearby will encourage more people to move to Tonganoxie and spark commercial development in the area.
"We are very positive about it in the community," he said.
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Kona Hawaiian Coffee Decaf Plantation Blend - 8 oz. bag
Decaf Plantation Blend is a smooth-textured well-rounded Medium-Light Roast coffee that will satisfy every coffee lover who prefers a decaf coffee but wants the rich aroma and depth of flavor of regular coffee.
- Decaffeinated using the completely non-chemical Swiss Water Process, our Decaf Plantation Blend Coffee is an outstanding decaf coffee!
- We carefully roast and immediately package this superb decaf coffee to preserve the rich aromatic qualities of our wonderful Decaf Plantation Blend whole bean or ground Hawaiian Blend Coffee.
Keywords: Kona Hawaiian coffee, gift, Christmas, anniversary, birthday gourmet, ground
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One of the barriers to accessing higher education is financing the rising costs of tuition and student fees, yet many college students do not apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing the FAFSA can be a critical component accessing postsecondary education. The FAFSA is required to qualify for federal, state and most institutional financial aid.
Minnesota students apply for financial aid (grants and loans) using the FAFSA at higher levels than students nationally. Survey data conducted by the U.S. Department of Education in 2008-2009 estimated that 70 percent of all Minnesota undergraduates applied for federal financial aid compared to 59 percent nationally. Students attending Minnesota private institutions had the highest FAFSA filing rates; 93 percent of students attending private for-profit institutions and 83 percent of students attending private not-for-profit institutions.
There are a variety of reasons students do not complete the FAFSA; non-filers tend to be older, attend college part-time, and attend public institutions. See FAFSA Filing Rates for First-Year Students from Minnesota Measures 2011 report.
FAFSA completion information can be helpful in implementing targeted outreach efforts to assist high school seniors and their families who have not yet submitted a FAFSA, or who submitted an incomplete FAFSA.
To encourage more students to complete the FAFSA the Minnesota Legislature requested the Minnesota Office of Higher Education report on the policies and procedures adopted by postsecondary institutions to increase student awareness of the need to complete a FAFSA. Increasing Student Awareness of the FAFSA report was completed in 2011.
Additionally in 2010, the U. S. Department of Education implemented a FAFSA Completion Project to assist secondary school administrators and states in determining which of their students completed a FAFSA.
Starting with the 2016-2017 academic year the Minnesota Office of Higher Education will be implementing an enhanced FAFSA Completion Initiative for Minnesota.
Data from the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Data Centers provides statistics on the number of FAFSAs completed by the student's state of legal residence, prospective college of enrollment, and high school of enrollment.
Also see data from Minnesota's FAFSA Completion Initiative.
Related Pages
Related Links
Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view.


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What You Need To Know About Therapy Caps
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network (GSRN) is committed to providing outstanding care and advocating on behalf of our patients' rehabilitation needs. You may have heard about the limitations on outpatient therapy that were implemented by Medicare (CMS) on October 1, 2012. Some older adults may be putting off physical rehabilitation for fear that they will be financially responsible for the cost due to the new limitations.
I want to assure our seniors that they do not need to put off or forego therapy for fear of the cost. Outstanding patient outcomes are Good Shepherd's priority, so our staff has worked through this new "therapy cap" regulation while continuing to offer clinically excellent, cost-effective care.
Here is how Good Shepherd is working with our senior patients and our referral sources on Medicare therapy limitations:
- Good Shepherd staff will explain the new Medicare therapy limitations to each patient and will notify each patient of his or her Medicare benefits prior to the start of therapy.
- Good Shepherd therapists will work with each patient to determine the best course of care to achieve outstanding outcomes.
- Good Shepherd will notify each patient, throughout the course of therapy, of his or her status in approaching the therapy session limit.
- Good Shepherd will not hold patients financially responsible for services received that are denied by Medicare.
Good Shepherd's staff is here to work with you as health-care rules and regulations change. If you have questions about Medicare therapy caps or other insurance concerns, please contact the GSRN business office at 877-807-2840.


text: Loading... Crystal Falls Crystal Cove (Please Select) Community Information Site Plan Driving Directions Photos Local Interests Home Features Finance Your Dream Sales Center: 2012 Champions Corner Court Leander, TX 78641 Driving Directions Print Page Sales Contact: 512-690-2364 512-523-4128 Make an Appointment Request Information Pinehurst From $307,990 | 2,060 Sq. Ft. | 3 Bedrooms | 2 Baths | 2 Garage | 1 Story Whoever says you can't make everyone happy hasn't seen the Pinehurst floor plan. Roomy with three bedrooms and lots of options, this one-story has broad appeal within the Leander new homes for sale. Options ThroughoutAs an innovative Austin homebuilder, Taylor Morrison gives you choices to fit your lifestyle. The options start just inside the entrance. To the left of the foyer you'll find a formal dining room for special meals. Don't need a separate dining area? Then opt instead for a study with French doors.Past the foyer is a dramatic octagonal rotunda. Turn right and you have access to the second and third bedrooms, a bathroom with a tub and shower, and a handy utility room with an entrance to the garage. Turn left off the rotunda and you enter the breakfast area, which opens to the gourmet kitchen. The airy kitchen features a food pantry and a center island for extra preparation space.Make the Family Room YoursOn the opposite side of the open kitchen is an expansive family room, which you can also reach from the rotunda. Options in the family room include a picturesque fireplace for cozy evenings relaxing at home and a small home office that is otherwise used as storage space. From the family room you have a view out to a covered patio, which you can extend across the back of the home.Sumptuous Master SuiteThe master bedroom is tucked away for optimal privacy. An optional bay window enhances the room's loveliness. As you head into the beautifully appointed master bath, two large walk-in closets flank you on both sides. The bath features a graceful garden tub with separate shower and a separate commode area that has a privacy door. You also have a second sink for a two-person vanity.Are You Game?Although your new house floor plan has everything on a single level, you can choose to add stairs and a second floor game room, which has options of its own. Make it a private guest suite with bath if you want. Should you decide to use it as a game or media room, you can still plan for a powder room or, alternatively, a wet bar.Other OptionsIf you want more than a two-car, give yourself an optional 3-car garage or simply add on five feet for an ideal extra storage space. Choose from four gorgeous elevations, each with a different window, entrance and detailing design. Make Your House a HomeFor your selection pleasure: The Design Studio. Here is where you can see the possibilities in finishes, tile and flooring, tech products and more. A design consultant has the knowledge to help you translate a vision into reality. Will your new home be ultra contemporary or traditionally tasteful? Whatever style you prefer, you'll have fun making this house your dream home. The Pinehurst is available to tour today in a home for sale. FLOOR PLAN PHOTOS LOCATIONS OPTIONS VIRTUAL TOUR Personalize This Home


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|Version 7 (modified by 13 years ago) (diff),
CookBook - IP Access Middleware
The idea
Controling IP access in your web app. The idea provided in this cookbook let you define specific ip addresses, and controlling accessing from those ips. If an user access from a certain IP, automatically authenticates with a defined user.
IPAccess Model
You must define a model that permits defining a tuple (ip addr, user): ip from browser that connect, and users that authenticated.
This is the model proposed (it would be in a file like myproj/myapp/models.py):
from django.contrib.auth.models import User class IPAccess(models.Model): ip = models.IPAddressField(unique=True, db_index=True) user = models.ForeignKey(User, verbose_name='user that authenticates') def __str__(self): return self.ip class Meta: verbose_name = 'IP Access' verbose_name_plural = 'IP Accesses' class Admin: list_display = ('ip', 'user')
IPAccess Middleware
Middleware mission is authenticate automatically with an user defined in models, only if the remote ip address exists in IPAccess table.
This is the code (in file myproj/myapp/middleware.py):
from django.contrib.auth.models import AnonymousUser from myproj.myapp.models import IPAccess class IPAccessMiddleware(object): def process_request(self, request): if request.user == AnonymousUser(): remoteip = request.META['REMOTE_ADDR'] try: ipaccess = IPAccess.objects.get(ip=remoteip) request.user = ipaccess.user except IPAccess.DoesNotExist: pass return None
The middleware installation requires you insert IPAccessMiddleware into MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES. Obviusly, it also requires the installation of ''AuthenticationMiddleware.
The code would be like that:
MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = ( 'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware', 'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware', 'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware', 'django.middleware.doc.XViewMiddleware', 'aceprensa.apps.news.middleware.IPAccessMiddleware', )
Attachments (1)
ipaccess.tgz (650 bytes) - added by 13 years ago.
Complete ipaccess app
Download all attachments as: .zip


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|Oracle Call Interface Programmer's Guide
Release 2 (9.2)
Part Number A96584-01
More OCI Relational Functions, 27 of 106
Opens a FILE on the file system of the server for read-only access.
sword OCILobFileOpen ( OCISvcCtx *svchp, OCIError *errhp, OCILobLocator *filep, ub1 mode );
The service context handle.
An error handle you can pass to
OCIErrorGet() for diagnostic information in the event of an error.
The FILE to open. It is an error if the locator does not refer to a FILE.
Mode in which to open the file. The only valid mode is OCI_FILE_READONLY.
Opens a FILE on the file system of the server. The FILE can be opened for read-only access. FILEs may not be written through Oracle. It is an error to call this function for an internal LOB.
This function is only meaningful the first time it is called for a particular FILE locator. Subsequent calls to this function using the same FILE locator have no effect.
|See Also:
For more information about FILEs, refer to the description of
OCIErrorGet(), OCILobClose(), OCILobFileCloseAll(), OCILobFileExists(), OCILobFileClose(), OCILobFileIsOpen(), OCILobOpen(), OCILobIsOpen()
Copyright © 1996, 2002 Oracle Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.


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You can easily copy your system to other sites as your operations expand because of the remote control capabilities and simple replication of NI systems.
You can progress quickly from a concept to a functional prototype using NI FPGA-based hardware and importing third-party simulation models with LabVIEW.
NI hardware can meet demanding requirements for operating temperature, ingress protection, and vibration ranges.
Siemens uses NI hardware and software to continuously improve, adapt, and develop a wind power test system. This flexibility makes it easy to replicate future systems.
Engineers depend on measurements to make key decisions and discoveries. Missing significant data can even be catastrophic when monitoring critical assets and infrastructure.
NI hardware survived being mounted directly to an oil well servicing pump in a rugged environment while NI software was used to analyze sensor data.


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president of the University
John C. Bravman
Welcome to Bucknell. Here our faculty love to teach, our students strive to become the best versions of themselves, and our alumni excel in their careers.
I think you'll love Bucknell just as much as I do. It's among the very best liberal arts institutions in the country — and we're making it even stronger. I invite you to learn more about our accomplishments and plans for the future. Better yet, come see for yourself.
president of the University
...and we just keep getting better.
During the WE DO Campaign, Bucknellians worldwide made more than $500 million in gifts and pledges that will shape the future of our University.Giving to Bucknell
The following links are virtual breadcrumbs marking the 27 most recent pages you have visited in Bucknell.edu. If you want to remember a specific page forever click the pin in the top right corner and we will be sure not to replace it. Close this message.


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Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.
Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.
Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.
|Schütz: The Christmas story; Gabrieli (G): Christmas Motets
'Ravishing … the sheer beauty of the sound, immeasurably enhanced by a warm, sonorous recording, sweeps us into the narration of the familiar sto ...» More
|Christmas through the ages
'Other than to assure you that it works for me, need I say more?' (Fanfare, USA)
'If Christmas music is on your agenda–for yourself or for your best friends or most favored family members, this disc['s] original sources should make ...» More


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Article here: http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/05/portland_state_university_stud_2.html
Thang Vo, (from left) assistant professor Mark Faust, professor Marek Perkowski, Hung Nguyen, Hoa Nguyen, and Anh Ngo, all of Portland State University, developed a prescription drug identification device that recently won the Cornell Cup USA national design competition. The students invention beat out 23 other teams, including from top engineering schools, to win the $10,000 top prize.
Four jeans-wearing Portland State University seniors spent hundreds of hours this year building a computer-aided pill identifier to help doctors and nurses act quickly in emergencies.
The device could save lives, but that's not why they did it. Earlier this month they competed in a battle of computer-aided inventions at Walt Disney World, facing students from the nation's top engineering schools.
The four 23-year-olds returned to Portland exhausted but happy, bearing the Cornell Cup USA top prize and a $10,000 check, beating out powerhouses like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley.
"We drank a lot of Coke," Hoa Nguyen said of their months of long nights.
The four were not just any students, but among two dozen Intel scholarship students from Vietnam at PSU's Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science.
The team's advisor, assistant professor Mark Faust, says the scholars were selected through tests administered at Vietnam's top technical universities. "We're getting the absolute best of the best," Faust said.
Last October, Faust sent an e-mail to engineering seniors suggesting the Cornell Cup as a senior project. Hung Nguyen, an outgoing fellow from the Vietnamese coast, promptly signed up with his friend Anh Ngo from Hanoi, a hipsterish sort with a fondness for hair product.
They soon recruited Hoa, the stocky son of a farmer outside Ho Chi Minh City, and baby-faced Thang Vo, from the highlands of Vietnam.
The PSU students device accepts a pill in its base, then produces an image using LED lighting to best capture pill imprint codes. It runs the image against databases containing 18,000 pills to find a match in 13 seconds.
The four set their mind to building a device to help medical and emergency-room staff figure out what pills their patients are using. Many emergency room patients show up incapacitated or unaware of prescription details.
With six months to make their idea a reality, it became a full-time job on top of their course load, making it hard to stay awake.
"They would come to class, but I would mostly just see the tops of their heads," Faust said with a laugh.
Their device looks like a miniature grain silo -- a white acrylic cylinder about eight inches tall. Wires connect it to two Plexiglas cubes surrounding circuit boards the students built.
The cylinder houses a camera, LED lights and a tray for inserting a pill. Inside, the lights flash in patterns to create the clearest image of the pill. Then an image-processing program of the students' design looks for matches in databases with information on 18,000 pills.
A doctor or nurse presented with an unidentified pill could spend precious minutes searching the Internet for the right shape, color and numerical imprint code, then find the drug interaction warnings to avoid harmful side effects.
The PSU students' pill identifier, in contrast, can return a result in just 13.5 seconds, displaying relevant information on a seven-inch screen.
Useful? Sure. But could it compete?
Showing up at Walt Disney World, the four PSU grads watched wide-eyed as competitors assembled engineering marvels shipped in massive Fed-ex packages.
At the next table, a four-rotor miniature helicopter lifted off menacingly. Dreamed up at the University of Pennsylvania, it uses sensors to map out 3-D models of emergency rescue locations, cutting first-responder casualties.
A couch-sized robot to custom-mix liquids for biotechnology research was entered by MIT students, while other teams exhibited working models of space-exploring robots, unmanned aerial vehicles and an obstacle-sensing belt for the blind, making seeing-eye dogs obsolete.
The PSU crew didn't think they had a chance until a judge complimented them on their 84-page project report.
In the end, underdog PSU won, with the University of Pennsylvania's helicopter drone taking second and MIT's liquid mixer third.
If you go
What: Exhibit of 17 senior projects created by students at Portland State University's Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science, including the pill-identifier invention that won the Cornell Cup USA design competition earlier this month.
Where: NW Center for Science, Engineering, Science, and Technology at 1930 SW Fourth Avenue
When: 3-5pm Friday, June 8th
Cost: Free
More information: An example of the engineering projects, many of them requested by local companies.
Dr. Mark Bajorek, PSU's medical director, helped the students early on, donating about 40 pills to test the machine. He says the invention could automate pharmacy pill checks as well as helping hospitals.
"Any time somebody's life is in danger, saving time is really important," he said.
Faust says the students have already heard from two companies interested in the commercial applications. "I actually think they may have the possibility of several patents here," he said.
The four graduate next month. They'll hang out in the U.S. for about a week, then head home and find a place to live.
In exchange for their scholarships, they have agreed to spend the next three years working at an Intel factory outside Ho Chi Minh City.
Intel created its one-of-a-kind scholarship program at PSU for just this purpose, addressing a lack of engineering training in Vietnam. Kevin Foster, an Intel manager who works with the students, says PSU was selected from several universities because of its focus on applied engineering.
"We didn't know what to expect when we brought these kids over here," he said. "It's beat any expectations that we had."
By coincidence, Intel also sponsored the Cornell Cup as a way to energize students to study computer-based embedded design, such as in smart phones and countless other devices today. But the entries were stripped of identifiers, meaning judges were oblivious to who the contestants might be.
The four PSU seniors will split the prize money, with each share amounting to five months pay at their new jobs. But they've already donated $1,000 of it back to PSU's engineering program to support other students.
"We're very proud," said Hung. "It was a way for us to thank the university."


text:
The Downing Street Memo
Thursday, June 16, 2005; 10:00 AM
Two top-secret British documents that were leaked to the press recently suggest that the Bush administration "fixed" intelligence about Iraq and that actions at the United Nations were designed to give legal cover to British Prime Minister Tony Blair before an invasion to oust Saddam Hussein .
Michael Smith, a reporter for the Sunday Times of London, has led the coverage, starting with his report of the so-called Downing Street Memo on May 1.
Smith was online Thursday, June 16, at 10 a.m. ET to discuss the Downing Street Memo and his reporting.
Read more: Ministers Were Told of Need for Gulf War 'Excuse.' , ( Sunday Times of London, June 12, 2005. )
Blair Hit by New Leak of Secret War Plan. , ( Sunday Times of London, May 1, 2005. )
The Downing Street Memo. ,( Sunday Times of London, May 1, 2005. )
A transcript follows.
Carlisle, Pa.: In your research, did you or any reporter you know come across War College or other military-academic research that indicated that Saddam Hussein likely no longer had weapons of mass destruction and that a foreign invasion of a country such as Iraq with a strong anti-American sentiment would be a costly venture? It seems the military academicians and intelligence reports had the facts right, but this information never filtered upwards to the White House or, if it did, it was ignored, nor did the press ever consider any of it useful except for perhaps a one day news spin and then was quickly forgotten.
Michael Smith: I think it is clear from the documents themselves that the whole venture was widely viewed as being highly dubious with no certainty of what would come out of it. The administration ensured that it only got the answers it wanted. But they either ignored the advice they were getting on the likely cost or managed to filter it out with this highly pressurized regime of come up with the right answers, or we will be on your back to do so all the time. That is what resulted in the National Intelligence Estimated of October 2002 which was designed by George Tenet to get a questioning Congress off the President's back. Everyone has heard about the British "dodgy" dossiers but the actual intelligence analysis, the so-called JIC report, on which the main dossier was based spoke mostly of weapons programmes, i.e. production of the agent that would be put into weapons, rather than actual stockpiled weapons .The closest it came to saying there were actually any weapons was to say there "may be" 1.5 tons of VX gas, a conclusion that went back to the conclusions of the UNSCOM weapons inspectors in 1998. The CIA's October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on the other hand, said there were probably up to 500 tons of chemical weapons in Iraq. That gives you a feel of the kind of distortion that was going on. But as for the idea that he had very active programmes going on, well everyone, including the French and the Russians, thought that. There was a kind of group think that no-one was challenging. Long answer but I hope it's helpful.
Washington, D.C.: To what do you attribute the seeming lack of interest by the American public and main stream media, at least initially, in the revelations contained in the Downing Street Memo?
Michael Smith: Firstly, I think the leaks were regarded as politically motivated. Secondly there was a feeling of well we said that way back when. Then of course as the pressure mounted from the outside, there was a defensive attitude. "We have said this before, if you the reader didn't listen well what can we do", seemed to be the attitude. I don't know if you have this expression over there, but we say someone "wants to have their cake and eat it". That's what that response reeks of. Either it was politically motivated and therefore not true or it was published before by the U.S. newspapers and was true, it can't be both can it?
The attitude they have taken is just flat wrong, to borrow an expression from the White House spokesman on the Downing St Memo.
It is one thing for the New York Times or The Washington Post to say that we were being told that the intelligence was being fixed by sources inside the CIA or Pentagon or the NSC and quite another to have documentary confirmation in the form of the minutes of a key meeting with the Prime Minister's office. Think of it this way, all the key players were there. This was the equivalent of an NSC meeting, with the President, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condi Rice, George Tenet, and Tommy Franks all there. They say the evidence against Saddam Hussein is thin, the Brits think regime change is illegal under international law so we are going to have to go to the U.N. to get an ultimatum, not as a way of averting war but as an excuse to make the war legal, and oh by the way we aren't preparing for what happens after and no-one has the faintest idea what Iraq will be like after a war. Not reportable, are you kidding me?
One point I would make though, everyone keeps saying it is continually making waves over here. We at the Sunday Times are not going to let it go but no-one else is interested in the U.K. press. The Washington Post came to it late but look at everything it is doing now. Ignore today's silly editorial article. The Post is now working away at this and I know they are planning to try to do more on it. Sadly there is no sign of the New York Times changing its sniffy we told you this already view!
Manassas, Va.: Thank you. I'm not in for a head-hunting expedition no matter who the target. But I am in for revealing some concrete evidence to what has seemed obvious to most rational people for the last few years.. we (most of us) were duped into thinking there was some kind of legitimate reason to "blow thing up" in another country... thank you for starting the snowball that will hopefully PROVE that this is in fact false. Only a country's own people can decide to change their leadership/government, we can't do it for them. I hope that your presenting this issue to the world helps the U.S. people change our leadership perhaps sooner than the next election. Do you feel this is grounds for us to do so, i.e., to impeach our current President (granted this may not be your area of expertise)?
Michael Smith: I personally believe there are grounds for it but not yet, not in the memos we've seen. It needs U.S. reporters to get to work to take the documents and their implications forward. If the Brits said that there weren't enough preparations in place for what comes after, what was the reaction back in Washington. Who was it who overruled the arguments coming out of London. Whether or not we are into headhunting that person has a lot to answer for as the nightly television pictures coming out of Iraq are showing. We in the mainstream media are at a crossroads now. The Internet has opened up a large number of challenges to us. We can allow the web news sites to sideline us or we can impose our largely better honed skills and show that we are the best at what we do. U.S. journalists are world-renowned for their skills and attention to accuracy but you can be inaccurate just as much by ignoring something as you can by writing it up and getting it wrong.
Orlando, Fla.: You have experienced reaction to the Bush/Blair mendacity on the Iraq run up on both sides of the pond.. How do you compare them?
Is there a chance Blair will eventual go with a vote of No Confidence (nice that you have it)..
Here, the chance of Bush being impeached seems slim... Thought the facts certainly justify it..
Michael Smith: I think Blair will go although I personally think Bush is much more at risk because there is an unstoppable public feeling against the continued presence of U.S. soldiers as targets for insurgents. The polls and the public pressure are not going Bush's way. There is no doubt in my mind that the administration lied and distorted the truth, one Congress begins to realise the scale of it, Bush could be in serious trouble.
Pasadena, Calif.: Bush used every fictional pretext he could find to justify invading Iraq. Why hasn't the press explored his real agenda for starting an unprovoked war?
Michael Smith: The press had explored that but since 9/11 there has been pressure on the U.S. media to hold off a bit. That was understandable at first, 9/11 was a massive shock to the system and as close to a national emergency as you can get. Then with the war, there is a natural tendency to get behind our boys. That is absolutely right in my view and anyone who looks at my reporting at the time will see it is the way I reported it. The media on both sides of the Atlantic did question bad decisions but not aggressively enough. There is an understandable fear of being seen as not backing the boys in the frontline. You can do both frankly. You can back the boys who are doing what the politicians order them to do while at the same time questioning the politicians' orders. The soldiers cant challenge orders, only rarely at elections and polls can the public challenge the politicians. It is part of the media's role to make that challenge. It has been done but at times far too timidly.
Cocoa, Fla.: Many Americans suspected that the administration would find a way to go to war without world approval. Seeking a devious way to proceed this memo would confirm our suspicions. It seems this document is authentic but where will this lead us? A great number of voters are concerned and will our Congress have support for an investigation with what is known? Are there other facts we still don't know publicly?
Michael Smith: Yes there are other facts you still don't know and the media should be using these public documents as a base from which to find them out because it is those facts that will really damage Bush. Some of the media already are on the case. Knight Ridder went in very early on in this story and I see is still going. The LA Times and The Washington Post and lots of smaller papers have all been doing their bit. They need to keep going. If the administration, as it claims, did nothing wrong, it has nothing to fear from journalists looking for the facts.
Washington, D.C.: I think the implications of all of this information is truly unknown. Our Post reporters chat with us here online saying that it's not going to lead to impeachment. I am not so sure. But if not that far, I see this as causing a great deal of problems for our government. What do you think will be the consequences, if any, for Blair?
Michael Smith: I bow to their better judgment on impeachment. I do think that the pressure now is such that it could go that way but only with continued pressure from us journalists and you the people. I firmly believe that Congress will turn against this awful ill-conceived war. I frankly don't care if Saddam Hussein and his buddies ended up in a grave like the ones they prepared for so many of their own people. What I do care about is the way in which nearly 2,000 allied soldiers, more than 1700 of the Americans with yet more today, have died simply because Blair and Bush didn't prepare for what would come afterwards.
Rockville, Md.: Can we expect more disclosures from highly placed British sources?
Michael Smith: I hope so. Keep reading the Sunday Times Web site!
Austin, Tex.: Has there ever been a historical equivalent to the Downing Street Memo that may help put it in better context with the American public? Also, do you think that it's possible since few Americans know what 'Downing Street' is or means, the significance of the document is just not appreciated on this side of the Atlantic?
Michael Smith: I think in journalistic terms we need to go back to the Pentagon papers, in terms of a U.S. context you have to look at the answer I gave earlier comparing that meeting to an NSC meeting. That is its significance, that is its equivalent. It is highly damning and some of the self-serving nonsense from people who should know better in some, and it is now only some, of the U.S. media is frankly depressing.
Arlington, Va.: Do you find the parallels between how the Watergate scandal began and how this is beginning interesting, considering the recent revelation of who Deep Throat was?
Michael Smith: Well on one level, you have a source leaking stuff out and the story building up with only one newspaper keeping going, sustained by its source, it is similar. But Watergate led to a President quitting. This has only led, so far, to a greater public awareness of the mendacious way, and I think that is a fair description of the way in which the administration works.
At its most basic Watergate was an obvious crime, a break-in, nasty electoral dirty tricks and a cover-up by the White House. But I have heard people say now on a number of occasions that nobody died over Watergate. The number of Americans killed in Iraq has likely gone up even as we have been on the Internet having this discussion.
Fredericksburg, Va.: Every reason given by the Bush administration for the Iraq war has either been proven to be imaginary or questionable at best. At what does someone bring up the issue of oil as the principle motivation for the conflict? I've rarely heard anyone, other than a die hard Republican, deny it as a significant factor but no one ever publicly addresses the possibility. Outside the United States it is pretty much seen as the only reason.
Michael Smith: I honestly believe it is more complex than that, but yes the control of the Middle-East as a whole, of which this is only a part, is about oil, no question. What we need are the memos that say that to make people realise it. But interestingly it was never mentioned in any of those leaked UK memos so as I say there were a lot of reasons for Iraq and it is more complex. I really do believe, as Peter Ricketts, the Foreign Office Policy Director says in one of the memos that have come back into vogue this week, "it looks like a grudge match between Bush and Saddam."
Fairfax, Va.: Do you expect we will see more leaks which further corroborate the assertion that Bush lied to justify the neoconservatives' aggressive stance against Iraq? Also, what are your thoughts on the semantics argument of the Iraq war supporters (i.e., in the U.K., "fixed around" doesn't mean what you think it means...)?
Michael Smith: There are number of people asking about fixed and its meaning. This is a real joke. I do not know anyone in the UK who took it to mean anything other than fixed as in fixed a race, fixed an election, fixed the intelligence. If you fix something, you make it the way you want it. The intelligence was fixed and as for the reports that said this was one British official. Pleeeaaassee! This was the head of MI6. How much authority do you want the man to have? He has just been to Washington, he has just talked to George Tenet. He said the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. That translates in clearer terms as the intelligence was being cooked to match what the administration wanted it to say to justify invading Iraq. Fixed means the same here as it does there. More leaks? I do hope so and the more Blair and Bush lie to try to get themselves off the hook the more likely it is that we will get more leaks.
Arlington, Va.: If what you say is a major factor:
"I really do believe, as Peter Ricketts, the Foreign Office Policy Director says in one of the memos that have come back into vogue this week, "it looks like a grudge match between Bush and Saddam." "
Why on earth would the U.K. go along with Bush? The real reason must benefit the U.K. also.
Michael Smith: Oh don't get me wrong, we're not letting them off the hook either. Trust me on that one. Blair wanted to keep the alliance alive and was desperate to do anything to please George Bush and what is more he cant even claim that no-one told him it would all end in disaster. There's at least a chance that some of the neo-Cons believed the garbage about the Iraqis lining up to welcome us with open arms.
Washington, D.C.: More than oil and a Saddam grudge, it appears that Bush wanted to be a "war president" to help him stay in office and, maybe, really win an election the second time around. Do you see that as part of the motivation?
Michael Smith: Undoubtedly so. Nothing unites a country behind its leader like a war.
Detroit, Mich.: Mr. Smith
It seems as though the memos indicate two critical but separate points, 1. The U.S. government made the intel facts conform to the foregone policy and, 2. Perhaps equally damning that the policy planners gave little if any thought to the post-war effort. Could you perhaps comment on lack of planning for the "post-war" environment.
Michael Smith: I think that I answered this one a little time back. Absolutely one of the worst, if not the worst, thing pointed up by these memos is the lack of preparation. Very damaging to both Blair and Bush
Farmington, N.M.: One of the reasons Americans can no longer trust mainstream corporate media to exercise journalistic integrity in dissemination of the news is because pundits and reporters are being paid by our elected officials and agents to report government propaganda as if it were actually news. Do you have the same problem in Britain?
Michael Smith: I wasn't aware this was happening either here or in the UK and I absolutely know it wouldn't be happening with any of the leading papers on either side of the Atlantic. But if you have evidence of it, then perhaps you need to ring The Post news desk. it sounds like a story.
New York, N.Y.: One of the recurrent scenarios in the United States is that revelations of executive branch deception in foreign policy do not lead to a broad change in the way the public treats the administration. In your estimation as an investigative reporter, what should individual members of the American electorate do after learning about The Downing Street Memo? What actions should ordinary people take?
Michael Smith: I think they should lobby Congress. The way the polls are going, we are at the point now where that is going to be effective. I don't believe that there is a single politician on the Hill who is happy to see US soldiers dying to no good effect. If they are convinced that the administration not only failed to prepare for the aftermath, or as it seems from the memos didn't even care to believe the experts, they are soon going to come round to the view that something drastic needs to be done.
Edinburgh, U.K.: What do you think of the argument reported in Howard Kurtz's article that Sir Richard Dearlove may have came to his conclusion by reading the newspapers?
Michael Smith: This is the head of British intelligence, a man who has just had conversations with America's most senior intelligence and national security figures. He is reporting back at the highest level, to what is effectively a war cabinet and as I know to my own cost has no great regard for newspapers. He has made his own judgment, no-one better qualified to tell that meeting what was happening. No shadow of a doubt.
Anonymous: Are there other issues regarding the Iraq war which are big in the U.K. which are never heard here in the U.S.?
Michael Smith: Blair's lack of honesty has had a hugely damaging effect on his reputation. He is trusted with virtually every aspect of the government apart from the war and his "poodle-like" attitude towards George Bush. The legality is the only other issue but that is very much part of these memos. We haven't yet reached the point where people are as concerned as they are in America over the cost of the war both in human and financial terms. But there has always been strong opposition to the war here and while before the war it was a large minority, it is now a large majority. So if we were to move people back to July 2002 with the attitudes they have now, we would never go to war.
Bowie, Md.: Considering the fact that both elections (Bush and Blair) are now concluded and the public has supported both, what real significance does the memo play in today's politics? Other than confirming what the opposition already suspected.
Michael Smith: The war and the lies around the war, as patently demonstrated by the various documents I obtained, has already ensured that Blair will retire early.
I believe that we will see more coming out in America. I think as I said earlier that we have reached a tipping point, where the public will turn against the war and that will have a definite effect on the mid-term elections. Anything more depends on the mood of Congress.
Louisville, Ky.: Your tone is very damning and you are obviously actively trying to do what you can to reveal the dubious justifications for this war and the total lack of postwar planning.
If you were an American reporter, Fox News and the conservative radio movement would dismiss you out of hand as a partisan, axe-to-grind liberal, and we might never have read your disclosures. Do you feel fortunate to report for the Sunday Times?
Michael Smith: I do. But look I am not some mealy-mouthed left-wing apologist. I vote Conservative in elections for parliament and Liberal-Democrat (the term Liberal does not have the same connotations over here) in the local elections. I actually backed the idea of the war. I have just finished a book on an American military unit which is very admiring of that unit. I cant go into details as it is not published until March.
I am just a reporter doing my job. I am not partisan, other than in arguing the case for the importance of the leaks. The information in the documents is damning enough. I don't believe that Republicans want US soldiers to die for no good cause in an insurgency that could have been avoided anymore than Democrats do. This isn't about politics. It's about common sense and honesty. Like many non-Americans around the world I was brought up to believe that they were articles of faith for the American people. The level of interest in the memos shows that that wasn't wrong but a lot of non-Americans look at some of the things that have been done recently, like the way in which the war was justified and Guantanamo and wonder how that same America could do those things.
As I say, that's not being anti-American. I think no more of the Blair government in that regard. It has definitely been just as bad.
Arlington, Va.: Is your source concerned for their safety? I read that a page from one of the memos was redacted to protect their identity. Doesn't anyone in the U.K. government that had access to the memos now know who the leak is?
Michael Smith: Yes definitely concerned not to be found out. But I am not going to say anything more about that because it would only help those who are undoubtedly looking for him or her!
Baltimore, Md.: As an outside observer, I always credited Tony Blair with at least having good sense. What are the policy reasons that he would let the U.K. get sucked into the Iraq adventure by Bush? Is this, perhaps, another manifestation of the desire, shown by both Labour and Conservative politicians for the past 50 years, to prove Britain "still matters" on the world stage. (This started with Suez, I think.)
Michael Smith: I think it started out with a very pragmatic believe, which I think is right, that America is our main ally and that Saddam Hussein would need to be dealt with at some stage.
You cant do that sort of thing nowadays without the might of the American military, you probably never could since WWII. Sometimes the US view is isolationist, leave us alone, we don't want to do anything. George Bush wanted to do it and he wanted to do it now. It made sense to Blair and I have to say it made sense to me. But at that point the policy appears to have unraveled. Surely if all your experts say this is a bad idea, it's illegal, which it was for us, you haven't any way of controlling what comes after, then you drop Plan A and look for Plan B.
Blair didn't because Bush didn't want to and from that point on it was always going to end up like it has today.
Washington, D.C.: Do you think that when Blair resigns, the new PM will bow to public opinion and begin pulling British troops out? Or is there a sense there, as in some circles of the U.S., that since we started this, there's an obligation to tough it out and see the occupation through until the Iraqi government can take over?
Michael Smith: We're are stuck a barrel now. The Geneva Convention says that if you occupy a country, you have to leave it able to govern itself and protect itself. The Brits will stick to that I am sure but we will see a draw down of troops in the U.K. controlled sector because it is much more peaceful and getting to the point where it needs to be able to govern itself. But when will Iraq be repaired enough for us all to leave. I suspect it will be a long time yet.
Washington, D.C.: Assuming that PM Blair is still in power, if the U.S. decides to take military action against Iran or Syria in the future, do you think Britain will go along this time?
Michael Smith: Hell will freeze over before another U.K. prime minister follows Bush to war. It would be political suicide.
Alexandria, Va.: I guess I see this memo as being interesting from a British perspective but haven't we known the basics in the U.S. for a long time ?
Quite a while ago, Paul Wolfowitz clearly stated that WMD was used as a pretext to go to war because the administration believed it to be the only way to sell a preemptive attack on Iraq.
This was reported in the press. People read it. There seemed to be little hubbub about it.
I'd contend that most Americans just don't give a damn and those that do fall into the us vs. them category.
Michael Smith: You may be right. There is a whole swathe of America that does feel that way. It gets most of its news from Fox and it is very happy to trust the administration. But the polls show that those people are becoming a minority, maybe not a small minority but a minority. When the approval rates for the war will stop dropping is a good question but they have some way to go yet. Too many troops have died. This whole story will have an effect. But there will be other effects. How many communities are there in America who haven't lost someone? That will all have an effect. There seems no way to stop the number of soldiers dying. The polls will have their own momentum. The more people you see taking a view, the more you tend to think maybe they're right.
Anonymous: George W. Bush once slipped during a speech and stated he was upset that Saddam Hussein had tried to kill his father. Is this a possible explanation for his fixation over Saddam Hussein? Indeed, perhaps if he had been more honest about it, it might have been understood more.
Michael Smith: Maybe. That was clearly the view of Peter Ricketts when he said in one of the memos that it looked like a grudge match
Los Angeles, Calif.: Do you believe the Wolfowitz Doctrine, written up at Project for a New American Century in 2000, is evidence that should be submitted alongside the Downing Street Memos, or are the doctrine's aims of proving America's military might by overthrowing Saddam's regime and protecting our Saudi resources irrelevant for an investigation at this point?
Michael Smith: Well you cant say they didn't warn us. I think that is all part of what the congressional committees will eventually get their teeth into.
Albany, N.Y.: I have a short and sweet question for you.
Yesterday this paper, The Washington Post wrote and editorial about Iraq and mentioned the Downing Street memo and said the memo revealed absolutely nothing new and added nothing to the debate.
What say you?
Michael Smith: The same as I said earlier in other answers. This is the documentary evidence from within the U.K. equivalent of an NSC meeting. It is one thing saying well The Post wrote this back then from our sources, but it is a very different thing to have the documents from the heart of government that prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The other thing we keep coming back to is the build-up of concern over the whole business of being in Iraq, losing soldiers every day. These memos not only convince the ordinary man or woman in the street they strike a chord.
That editorial said it couldn't speak for its news desk who keep going with this story. Whoever wrote it was entitled to their opinion. But they were flat wrong!
West Cornwall, Conn.: Has the name John Bolton come up when the question arises as to who it was who organised the `fixing" of the intelligence?
Michael Smith: Well the fixing of the intelligence is certainly one thing that many of us knew about already. But for anyone who didn't believe it the Bolton nomination hearings ought to have convinced them. We on the Sunday Times didn't focus on this point too much as we had already reported it. I personally think we have had too much focus on the intelligence. It's a red herring. Saying it was faulty intelligence that led us to war let's Blair and Bush off the hook. It wasn't faulty intelligence that took us to war, it was them. This is why they have both been happy to set up inquiries, two by Blair and the Presidential Commission by Bush. These masquerade as inquiries into the war. In reality, Blair and Bush set out the terms of reference so that they only look at the intelligence. When they come back and say the intelligence was faulty, Blair and Bush both say how awful it was but hey we weren't to blame for that and anyway Saddam Hussein has gone and that's a good thing. Focusing on the intelligence lets them off the hook.
Washington, D.C.: Have you embedded with British Forces in Iraq since 2003?
Michael Smith: I have both in Iraq and Afghanistan but that is not the answer to your question I think. Come back on with your point.
Toronto, Canada: I know it's not really the same thing, but was Andrew Gilligan right? Or, at least, in the future, with the likely leak of more memos do you think that the "Today" programme will be vindicated in some way?
Michael Smith: David Kelly was a very, very good source. His concerns were expressed to Andrew who rightly reported them. The concerns were that intelligence was being manipulated to make a point. Kelly never said "sexed up", nor did Gilligan, it was an announcer on the radio programme who coined that phrase, although that was the upshot of what Kelly was saying and was accepted by others who thought likewise as a correct interpretation. The problem came in the reporting, which went awry. Gilligan inadvertently said in a live interview the the Government knew that the intelligence was wrong. Kelly never said that. That was the only thing that was wrong frankly. His editors at the BBC should have spotted this and moved swiftly to correct that incorrect allegation. They didn't. We had a witch hunt against both Kelly and Gilligan. One was able to survive that, sadly one did not. A good, honest man killed himself. The Today programme has to a certain extent already been vindicated but it should have retracted the incorrect part of the story. Inside the BBC, that battle as to whether Gilligan and Today were right or wrong still rages.
Durham, N.C.: I sympathize with your sentiments. But how do you respond to the argument that, even given the fact the intelligence was "inconclusive", that the War ended a horrible, repressive regime and is instituting a democracy, which of course, requires "hard work?" There can be some claim of success, even though the Bushies have bungled the whole thing from beginning to end.
Michael Smith: The problem is that as the memo's show even if we do calm it all down, which I would hope would eventually happen, what are we going to do, withdraw? What will happen then?
This is the Cabinet Office Options Paper of March 8, 2002.
"There would... be a strong risk of the Iraqi system reverting to type. Military coup could succeed coup until an autocratic, Sunni dictator emerged who protected Sunni interests. With time he could acquire WMD."
Or what about this letter from Jack Straw to the Prime Minister dated March 25, 2002
"What will this action achieve? There seems to be a larger hole in this than anything. Most of the assessments from the U.S. have assumed regime change as a means of eliminating Iraq's WMD threat. But none has satisfactorily answered how that regime change is to be secured, and how there can be any certainty that the replacement regime will be any better. Iraq has no history of democracy so no-one has this habit or experience."
Cortez, Colo.: What's the use of this information being publicized now? We are stuck there. The ones of us screaming our heads off and writing letters just based on what people in country and what Hans Blix was saying certainly don't feel any better for it.
Michael Smith: Well of course a large number of people have died, more than 1,700 of them Americans and in a sense this is all too late. But it would not have had the same effect even six months ago. There was not the same public mood. So the timing of the publication has struck a chord and should be used to take the issue forward. Those who expressed concerns now have more credibility. Congress is beginning to take notice. It will take time and the stories and public pressure will need to keep coming. But as I said earlier, the polls indicate a tipping point. I was one of those in favour of war originally. You sound like you were always against it. Things are going your way. I'm surprised to hear you so gloomy.
Washington, D.C.: In your opinion, which influential/powerful Congressmen would most easily be persuaded to champion an investigation that could challenge the U.S. administration?
Michael Smith: I confess I do not know enough about U.S. politics to say that but the main people would be the democrats and republicans in the centre of the political divide, where both parties meet. It needs to have Dean and Clinton talking about it angrily rather than, or should I say as well as, people who were always against the war like John Conyers, crucial though his part in this new public awareness has been. But it also needs Republicans on the edges to break ranks. Difficult but not impossible with the polls swinging against the war.
Fairfax, Va.: What role do you think bloggers and their persistence played in the mainstream American media picking up the Downing Street Memo story? The MSM here ignored the story for more than a month.
Michael Smith: I think your question says it all. They played a crucial role. AfterDowningStreet.org; DowningStreetMemo.com. RawStory and Salon have all played major parts. I had better stop naming sites or I will be accused of leaving out other important ones!
Woodbridge, Va.: All this stuff about how wonderful it is that we got rid of Saddam is frankly beside the point. When the war was being sold to us this administration insisted it was NOT about regime change. It was supposed to be necessary to save AMERICAN lives from Saddam's weapons. Why are they being let off the hook about this?
Michael Smith: They wont be let off the hook by me, or you I suspect. History will certainly not let them off the hook.
Houston, Tex.: Many Americans and others worldwide feel that our government was complicit in 9/11, i.e. they were behind it. Looking back, do you think that 9/11 was orchestrated as a lead in to Iraq and Afghanistan?
Michael Smith: Definitely not. No way. These guys have got all sorts of things wrong but all that stuff about 9/11 being manufactured is just conspiracy theory and silly at that.
One thing I would say, and I notice this figures in other questions. If Blair and Bush hadn't launched the Iraq War then U.S. and U.K. Special Operations Forces would have been concentrating on one man and one man alone and Osama bin Laden would have been captured, or more likely killed resisting capture.
Washington, D.C.: Mr. Smith, Do you think the majority of the Iraqi people give a fig about the Downing Street Minutes kerfluffle?
Michael Smith: I think they have far more things to worry about, but some of those are the result of the mistakes highlighted by these memos. I keep going on about the number of allied soldiers killed. Thousands more Iraqis have died and while sure Saddam wasn't renowned for being nice to his people, those who didn't cause him trouble never got any back. Even Mr Rumsfeld accepts that it is far more dangerous in Iraq now than it was before the war.
Baltimore, Md.: Did Dr. Kelly's death have anything to do with the Downing St. memo?
Michael Smith: Only in that his complaint was the same as that expressed in the memo by the head of MI6 that the intelligence was being fixed around the policy. But one was talking about the fixing that was going on around the UK Dossier and the other about the U.S., with the exaggerated weapons strengths and the phony link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein
London, U.K.: Isn't it unfair to say that the Russians were part of the 'groupthink'. In late 2002 Putin was going on record to say that there was no trustworthy data to support the existence of WMD in Iraq.
Michael Smith: No because the two things aren't mutually exclusive. There was no trustworthy data to support the existence of actual weapons, as the response you're referring to said. The JIC report simply said there "may" be 1.5 tons of VX gas and at the same time as he OKed the 45-minute claim, John Scarlett, the JIC chairman, refused to harden that up. But as for the programmes are concerned there was no dispute and no-one outside Iraq believed that the programmes were just ticking over waiting for an end to sanctions. I believe the Canadians were among those that came closest but neither the Russians nor the French were.
Boca Raton, Fla.: Mr Smith:
The memo states:
'The military were continuing to ask lots of questions.
For instance, what were the consequences, if Saddam used WMD on day one, or if Baghdad did not collapse and urban war fighting began? You said that Saddam could also use his WMD on Kuwait. Or on Israel, added the Defence Secretary.'
If the WMD intelligence was 'fixed' and everyone knew that was so, why would there have been any concern whatsoever that Saddam would use WMD? The two statements appear to me in contradiction.
Thank you.
Michael Smith: There is no doubt that the U.S. and U.K. military were concerned about the possibility of an Iraqi chemical or biological attack. Everyone thought it was likely, the fixing came in the strength of reporting. I pointed to the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate saying there were "probably" up to 500 tons of chemical weapons in Iraq as opposed to the British JIC report saying that the "may be" 1.5 tons of VX. But the biggest concern within MI6 at the time was the fixing of intelligence to show a non-existent link between bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
Arlington, Va.: Among military people, you're know as pro-defense. Why the point of your anti-Iraq war article?
Michael Smith: Thank you for giving me the chance to answer this question. I am very pro-defence you're right. All right-thinking people should be. Saddam Hussein might not have been the threat he was painted but there are plenty out there who would be given the chance. As the 9/11 commission showed, America let its defences drop and got caught with a sucker punch. That shows the need to keep up your defences.
We in Europe rely too often on America to bail us out, even if occasionally you come a bit late to the party! Defence budgets are repeatedly cut over here with the armed forces being asked to do more and more. As some of you may have guessed by now before I became a journalist, I served in the army. That makes me all the more angry when people fight wars they don't need to and kill people who don't need to be killed, not least because it is never the politicians who get killed it is the ordinary soldiers.
Bin Laden is a legitimate target, Iraq, even an Iraq led by Saddam Hussein, was not. This was an illegal war but the most criminal part of it all was the lazy, arrogant way they went into it. (British tanks crossing the start lines, in a war being fought about WMD, did not even have any chemical or biological filters fitted because the Ministry of Defence failed to buy them in time.)
Just look at all those memos again, don't look for fixed intelligence, don't look for illegality. Just look at the lack of preparation, look how right all those experts who said it would all turn out badly were and then wonder how many British and American soldiers died because those politicians were too arrogant to take the advice of the experts.
Charlottesville, Va.: Do you think there's a way to remove the partisan tone that usually accompanies the discussion of this memo? I'd like to see it discussed in real Congressional hearings and have it become a major topic. However, every mention I've seen has come with comments about impeachment, or BUSH LIED! which doesn't help and gets it easily dismissed as partisan whining.
Michael Smith: You're right. That's the way forward. Only then will it be taken seriously and get the attention across the political divide it deserves. These things always take time. Congress has to take a more considered view and that is only right. But we are getting there. I have no doubt that the lack of preparation will be discussed in Congress. That's when the heat will really be turned on the administration.
Michael Smith: Well. I've been going on for well over three hours. It's time to put the soap box away! I would like to thank you for all your questions. Even those who clearly disagreed with the tone of some of my answers were always polite about it. It has been a great experience for me and I thank you all for the kind things you said about my journalism. I have been truly overwhelmed by the number of people who have come on line, in more ways than one. I am really sorry that I have been unable to answer all your queries but I hope somewhere in my many answers you will find the answer to the question you wanted to put. Thanks again and goodbye.
Michael Smith
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.


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The following is a brief summary of the certification levels offered through the Academy. A more detailed description can be found in the Certification Examination Requirements section.
Surgical Research Anesthetist (SRA)
The SRA certification is intended for the technician who works as an anesthetist who also has responsibilities as part of the surgical team that include aseptic preparation and peri-operative care of surgical patients. The SRA candidate must have documented experience with at least two species as reflected in an anesthetic case log.
Surgical Research Technician (SRT)
The SRT certification is intended for technicians who perform minor surgical procedures, such as peripheral vessel cannulation, indwelling pump implantation, subcutaneous implantation, etc. A minimum of two different procedures need to be documented in a surgical case log.
Surgical Research Specialist (SRS)
The SRS certification is intended for the surgeon who performs major surgical procedures, such as those which penetrate a body cavity, or orthopedic manipulations, vessel and/or nerve anastomosis, etc. A minimum of two different major procedures in two species need to be documented in a surgical case log. If the majority of work is performed in rodents, then 4 different procedures need to be performed.
Holding Multiple Certifications
The SRA certification may be held in conjunction with either the SRT or SRS certification. However, the SRS and SRT certifications cannot be held simultaneously since the SRS certification builds on knowledge required for the SRT level, and therefore supersedes it. It is not necessary to obtain the SRT certificate prior to sitting for the SRS exam.


text:
- f00009
- Fonds
- 1914-1971
West Kildonan (Man.)
37 results with digital objects Show results with digital objects
West Kildonan (Man.)
The records consist of 16 series:Series 14: Election Records, 1952, 1961-1971, 1974Series 25: Minutes, 1909-1911, 1921-1971Series 105: By-laws, 1880-1971Series 106: Agreements and Early Documents, 1911-1971, 1973Series 107: Valuation Forms, 1924-1...
St. Vital (Man.)
Transcona (Man.)
The records consist of the following series:Series 40: Minutes, 1880-1971Series 84: By-Laws,Series 41: (Voters Lists) Election Records,Series 47: Agreements, 1883-1971Series 48: Advisory and Planning Commission, 1954-1971Series 49: Public Works, 1...
St. Boniface (Man.)
St. James-Assiniboia (Man.)
Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg
Fonds documents the administration of and functions related to parks, civil defence, streets and transit, water and waste, planning, finance, assessment, as well as the relationship between Metro and municipalities, provincial and federal levels o...
Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg (Man.)
Greater Winnipeg Water District fonds
The Greater Winnipeg Water District fonds contains the records of the GWWD Administration Board and the GWWD Board of Commissioners.The fonds also contains some records relating to water supply prior to the incorporation of GWWD.The fonds is arran...
Greater Winnipeg Water District
The records consist of correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, annual reports and balance sheets, and legal agreements documenting the sale of land in and around the Town of Tuxedo from 1905 to 1956.
South Winnipeg (1923) Limited
The records consist of minutes, by-laws, agreements and correspondence of the Tuxedo Park Company, Limited for the years 1913 through 1930. The records were contained in a scrapbook, which has been disassembled due to its poor condition. The fir...
Tuxedo Park Company, Ltd.
The fonds consists of a small sample of records typically created and administered by an insurance company in the early years of the twentieth century. Of note are copies of the architectural plans for the company's head office in Winnipeg, and a...
Wilkes, Barbara J.


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Pasquale Patrizio, MD, MBE, HCLD
Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Director, Yale Fertility Center and Fertility Preservation Program
Departments & Organizations
Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences: Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility: Fertility Center: Fertility Preservation Program, In-Vitro Fertilization Program, Male Fertility Program, Third Party Reproductive Program | Reproductive Sciences
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight
Yale Cancer Center: Developmental Therapeutics
Office of Cooperative Research
When it comes to treating fertility patients, Dr. Pasquale Patrizio believes, "you have to be a good listener." As Director of the Yale Fertility Center and the Fertility Preservation Program, he works closely with each patient to develop a comprehensive plan that addresses his or her specific hopes and goals.
In November 2014, Dr. Patrizio was presented with the Hope Award for Advocacy by RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association. Dr. Patrizio, who is also a professor in the Ob/Gyn department at Yale School of Medicine, shares this award with his collaborator Josephine Johnston, a research scholar and director of research at The Hastings Center. The pair was honored by RESOLVE for their work to reduce risks associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) and to increase patient access to infertility treatments.
Patrizio received his medical degree at the University of Naples in Italy and his Master of Science in Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in Ob/Gyn-Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Naples and a second residency in Andrology-Male Reproduction at the University of Pisa in Pisa, Italy. Back in the United States, he completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of California, Irvine.
While treatment of infertility (for both men and women) is his primary clinical interest, Dr. Patrizio also focuses on IVF/ICSI, egg donation, gestational surrogacy and preservation of fertility in cancer patients. Among his many research interests are whole ovary cryopreservation, oocyte (egg) freezing, methods to assess egg and embryo competence and ethical issues in assisted reproduction.
Dr. Patrizio is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Andrology. He has published more than 400 scientific papers and four books including an Atlas textbook for assisted reproduction. He has lectured worldwide on various areas of reproductive medicine. In 2013, he was recognized in the top 1% of reproductive endocrinologists in the United States.
Education & Training
|University of Pennsylvania, Bioethics (2003)
|University of Naples, Italy (1983)
|Post Doctoral
|University of Pennsylvania
|University of California
|University of California
|Universita'Studi Pisa,Italy
|Universita' Studi Napoli Federico II
Honors & Recognition
ASRM STAR awardAmerican Society Reproductive Medicine (2016)
Honorary Visiting Professor,Yangzhou University Hospital, Yangzhou, China (2015)
Hope Award for Advocacy, Resolve (2014)
Service award (20 years) and Star Award ASRMASRM (2013)
Service award (20 years) and Star AwardASRM (2013)
Honorary membershipPeruvian Society OB/GYN, Lima, Peru (2013)
Top 1% Reproductive Endocrinologist in USAUS World News Report (2013)
Best Doctors in USACastle Connolly (2013)
Top NY doctors and Most CompassionateConnelly (2012)
Honorary MembershipItalian Society of Fertility and Sterility (SIFES) (1991)
Professional Service
Medical Engagement Committee-Yale Medicine, New Haven Hospital (2016 - Present)
President, International Society Fertility Preservation (ISFP) (2015 - 2016)
Special interest group Regenerative Medicine (2012) Organizing Post Graduate course
ESCRO (2007 - 2014) Reviewer ESCRO at YALE
President, International Society Fertility Preservation United States (2015 - 2017)
Coordinate activities (conferences, protocols for fertility preservation, tutoring, etc) with international colleagues across continents
President, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells Biology United States (2013 - 2015)
Organize and supervise seminars, lectures and coordinate research projects for the special interest group of the american society of Reproductive Medicine
Board member Friends of Low cost IVF Mexico (2011 - 2016)
International organization to provide (pro bono) assistance for reproduction to underdeveloped countries
Assisted Reproduction and Italian law 40 Rome, Italy (2009 - 2009)
In an address to the Italian Parliament, Dr. Patrizio provided statistics showing that a 2004 Italian law that restricts in-vitro fertilization (IVF) practices is resulting in fewer pregnancies and higher rates of multiple births.
Genetic Markers for Eggs' Developmental Capacity United Kingdom (2008)
Collaborates with Dagan Wells of Oxford University in a study aimed at identifying the reason that so few human eggs harvested during in vitro fertilization result in pregnancies. The study focuses on differences in gene activity among eggs at different stages of maturity.


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Members of the Washington, DC chapter of the Internet Baseball Writers Association were asked to reply to a survey of 11 questions regarding the Washington Nationals upcoming season. Twenty-one members of the association replied to the survey, which asked for predictions on several position battles, statistical leaders, and win projections for the 2012 Nats.
You can find a link to the survey responses here.
As a founding member of the DC-IBWA, we of course responded. Below were our choices, and we welcome your comments or opinions.
1. Who will lead the Nats in home runs? Dave: Zimmerman; Cheryl: Zimmerman; Tyler: Morse.
If Ryan Zimmerman can stay healthy all season, he could be in line for a career year at age 27, just entering his prime.
2. Who will lead the Nats in RBIs? Dave: Morse; Cheryl: Zimmerman; Tyler: Zimmerman.
As I'll explain further below, the Nats top of the order lacks in on-base skills, so I went with Morse for the RBI category, who at least will have Zimmerman getting on base ahead of him. Though if Morse missed more than a couple of weeks, this prediction will be off.
5. Which pitcher (Chien-Ming Wang, John Lannan or Ross Detwiler) will make more starts for the Nats? Dave: Detwiler; Cheryl: Detwiler; Tyler: Detwiler.