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Very Crispy Tongue with Chili Bean Paste and Sichuan Peppercorns Recipe
Recipes and stories for everything but the oink.
Read more: The Nasty Bits: Very Crispy Tongue
- Yield:serves 4
- Active time: 30 minutes
- Total time:4 hours
- Rated:
- 1 1/2 pounds beef, veal, or pork tongue (about 1 beef tongue or 2 to 3 pork tongues)
- 2 quarts stock low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
- 8 to 12 dried Chinese red chilis
- 3 scallions cut into 1-inch segments
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons Sichuan chili bean paste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine, sherry, or dry vermouth
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil, chili oil, or a combination
Place the tongue(s) in a pot and cover with water or stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cover and cook until tender, about three hours, adding extra liquid as needed. Let the tongue cool, then remove the tongue from the stock and set the stock aside for another use.
When tongue is cool enough to handle, peel the outer membrane off the tongue and discard. Cut the tongue into slices slightly thicker than 1/4-inch.
Add a 1/4 cup oil to the skillet and place over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches, add the slices of tongue and cook until brown and crisp on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side, another 3 minutes. (Reduce heat if tongue or oil is smoking excessively). As slices of tongue brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a wok set over medium low heat until shimmering. Add the chilis, scallions, and Sichuan peppercorns, and stir-fry until aromatic, 20 to 30 seconds.
Add the slices of tongue to the wok. Add the chili bean paste and stir-fry vigorously to coat the tongue, about 20 seconds longer. Add the rice wine and soy sauce. Add salt to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon. Keep stirring the tongue around in the wok to evenly distribute the seasonings. Remove from the heat, stir in the oil(s), and serve immediately.
This Recipe Appears InThe Nasty Bits: Very Crispy Tongue
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Technical and Professional Communication students learn the history and future of writing, edit technical manuals, understand the elements of writing technical documents and develop project planning skills. In addition, they analyze technical journals, books, magazines and speeches.
Why Choose Technical & Professional Communication?
Technical and Professional Communication students learn the history and future of writing, edit technical manuals, understand the elements of writing technical documents and develop project planning skills. In addition, they analyze technical journals, books, magazines and speeches.
All TPC students identify a content specialty concentration, a 21-credit grouping of courses that builds on their interest in a specific career area. While many TPC students enter the program with an associate degree in a technical area�for example, electronics or plastics technology�many develop their technical specialty based on an established area of expertise in the field of technical communication.
A wide variety of content specialty concentrations are possible, including electronics, automotive technology, computer information systems, plastics technology, medical writing, applied mathematics, visual communication, technical training and applied biology. These concentrations are not, however, the only areas of specialty allowed by the program; students are encouraged to work with their advisors to select the best grouping of courses for their professional interests. The content specialty gives students a specialized background and typically opens the door to their first professional job.
Get a Great Job
Technical and professional communication is a combination of writing, organizing and communicating information. Students gain an understanding of communication media, technical and expository writing, desktop publishing, verbal communication and a chosen technical or professional specialty.
Job opportunities continue to grow for graduates of this program. Nearly every industry needs employees who can communicate technical and professional information effectively to its customers and clients. Jobs also are expanding into marketing, advertising and public relations fields.
Admission Requirements
First year student admission is open to high school graduates (or equivalent) who demonstrate academic preparedness, maturity and seriousness of purpose with educational backgrounds appropriate to their chosen program of study. High school courses and grade point average, ACT composite score, and ACT Reading and Mathematics subscores will be considered in the admission and placement process. Transfer students must have at least 12 credits at the time of application with a minimum 2.0 overall GPA including an English and mathematics course, or they must provide their high school records and ACT scores for admission review.
Graduation Requirements
The Technical and Professional Communication program leads to a bachelor of science degree. Graduation requires a minimum 2.0 GPA overall and at least 120 credits including completion of all general education requirements as outlined on the General Education website. Students also must present a satisfactory portfolio for graduation.
Website: http://www.ferris.edu
Email: email@example.com
Main Contact:
Dept of Languages & Literature,
Big Rapids, MI 49307

subset: commoncrawl


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Today, Sundy April 18 is Yom Hazikaron.
Yom HaZikaron is Israel's memorial day for its fallen soldiers.
On the evening preceding Yom HaZikaron and again, in the morning, a siren wails throughout Israel and everyone pauses for the one minute duration of the siren. Traffic grinds to a halt, and both pedestrians and drivers stand at attention silently, contemplating the sacrifices made for this country still struggling for survival.
Throughout the country, special services are held in honor of the fallen soldiers. The military cemeteries overflow with grieving families and friends, and others wishing to pay their respects to heroes who gave their lives defending the State of Israel. It is a day commemorating the loss of all men and women who died for Israel, whether they served in the IDF, Israel's armed services, or were victims of acts of terror.
Jews outside of Israel feel Israel's loss too – as it says in the Talmud, "Kol Yehudim areivim zeh lezeh" ("All Jews are responsible for one another"). Many light memorial candles, give tzedaka (charity) or learn Torah on behalf of the fallen soldiers.
On July 17, 2008, Karnit Goldwasser, buried her husband Ehud, captured two years earlier by the terrorist group Hezbollah.
This video is presented in honor of all of the wives and mothers who mourn Israeli soldiers today, and forever.


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Welcome to the Johnson Funeral Home and Crematory Web site. We are proud to be one of the only funeral homes owned and operated by lifelong residents of the area. All of our staff are also local residents and they possess many years of local knowledge, serving every family with care, compassion and concern. At Johnson Funeral Home and Crematory, we take pride in simple personal touches such as answering the phones 24 hours a day, visitations with owner present and customized funeral and cremation care.
Our goal is to provide you with the various choices available regarding the funeral process, and offer helpful information about ourselves, all in a forum that lets you set your own pace and be your own guide.


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This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. The ever-vigilant Kitt keeps her eyes open for vintage iron during her walks around Denver.
Accompanied by her wagon-sniffing poodles, she's found us this solid-looking Coronet station wagon in her neighborhood. While it was possible to get the '68 Coronet wagon with a Slant Six, most came from the factory with the good ol' 318 V8.


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Master of Science in Business Economics (Corporate Finance)
The master's programme has a modular structure. That means that you will no longer be taught according to the traditional semester system. From now on, your courses will be bundled in four modular blocks of six weeks each. You only have two courses per block which allows you to process the content in a more focused and in-depth manner. The teaching methods are challenging: case studies, group assignments, discussion panels, lectures, business games, etc. At the end of each modular block you have exams from the two previous courses. During a modular block you also get interim tests and (group) assignments. As a result, you no longer have exams in January or June. In the second semester you will receive a practical course that fits with your specialisation and in which you become acquainted with the professional field. You will have enough time in the programme to work on your master's thesis. In the master's programme there are three disciplines that allow you to tailor your curriculum, according to your own interests, to one functional field.
Accountancy studies the financial reporting process in organisations. On the one hand, financial reporting aims to inform investors, shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers and the government about the organisation's performance. Important aspects are the liquidity, solvability and profitability of the organisation. That communication occurs, to a considerable extent, via the annual report. On the other hand, the financial reporting system provides management with indispensable information that allows them to make accurate policy decisions. This discipline studies that last aspect within the Management Control course, while other courses investigate financial reporting based on international reporting standards (IAS/IFRS) and check the reliability (auditing) of financial reporting. Specific attention is paid to scientific research methods within the field of accountancy. Finally, supervised work sessions aim to integrate scientific research and questions that are relevant to the job. Several courses use a problem-driven methodology in which students analyse and work out specific case studies in small groups.
Corporate Finance studies the way that corporate activities are financed. The various financing methods and instruments that are available to a company have strongly differing characteristics, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. One of the challenges for the company is finding an optimal mix between the financing methods; they must allow for sufficient flexibility while remaining acceptable with regard to cost. The financing mix is also translated into the structure of the company's annual report; it can be analysed thoroughly from that perspective. In the context of an increasing number of fusions and takeovers, you learn how companies can be valued and how risks can be managed. Finally, this discipline also covers research methodology and the seminar projects integrate practical applications within the field of study.
Commercial jobs are studied thoroughly in Marketing. With regard to research methods, lots of attention is paid to market research. You learn to assess whether existing market research has been performed properly, you learn to plan your own market research and to choose the right methods and techniques. Another part of the programme focuses on consumer behaviour and its impact on the company. Marketing communication is investigated and lots of attention is given to brand policy and advertising. Many commercial processes relate to transactions between organisations. They form the so-called industrial or business market. Moreover, many companies are active internationally due to globalisation. Therefore, the international market, international strategies and the organisation of the marketing post in international companies are studied. Supervised work sessions provide an integration of practical applications. One or two elective courses allow you to customise your programme.
Finally, the master's dissertation is a very important element. Via that dissertation you can show that you are able to apply the acquired knowledge to a problem independently.
If you want to combine your master's degree with a teacher's degree, then there is the option of following an 'Educatieve master' instead of the above described master. The 'Educatieve master' however is a Dutch taught programme. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/educatievemaster.


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Despite of modest gains in the fight against the obesity epidemic in recent years, health experts still don't seem to have a definite answer to what exactly causes weight problems on such a large scale, not only here in the United States but, progressively, around the world.
A new study published in CA – A Cancer Journal for Clinicians examined an array of potentially contributing factors such as changing eating and lifestyle habits, larger portion sizes, availability and affordability of food, to mention just a few.
The latter – availability and affordability – seemingly stand out among possible culprits, according to this study.
Not only are we eating more highly caloric foods, we eat more of all types of food, mainly because food has become much cheaper, nearly ubiquitous, and more convenient to prepare, said Dr. Roland Sturm, an economist at RAND Corporation, a non-profit organization that specializes in public policy research, in a press release that came with the study.
In cooperation with his fellow-researcher, Dr. Ruopeng An, a professor at the Department of Kinesiology and Public Health of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Sturm investigated what percentage of their income average Americans spend on food today, and found that it is proportionally much less than their parents and grandparents had to.
Food in America is cheaper now than it has ever been in history, the researchers concluded. In the 1930s, most people spent about one-quarter of their income on food. In the 1950s, it dropped to one-fifth. Today, it is around one-tenth.
"Not only has the cost of food dropped, but it has become even more available," wrote Dr. An in the press release. "So a smaller share of Americans' disposable income now buys many more calories," he added.
The argument that greater availability and lower prices help increase consumption is certainly valid. Yet, does that really explain why so many people can't stop eating to the point where they get seriously ill?
I think the picture is much bigger.
The fact is that not all foods are equal. The cheapest items often have the least nutritional value – like processed meals and snacks that are typically high in calories as well as fat, sugar, and salt content. The healthiest kind, on the other hand, like fresh produce, lean protein sources, and whole grains, are not only out of reach financially for low-income families, they are not even always available where they live – in so-called food-deserts.
Besides economic constraints, lack of awareness and education in health matters also plays a role. The public is quite confused about which diet and lifestyle guidelines to follow, considering the oftentimes contradictory messages people are given.
Having cheap and abundant food available by itself should not automatically lead to unhealthy consumption, as the study seems to suggest. As consumers, we are ceaselessly bombarded with food advertisements, prodding us to eat far more than our bodies can possibly need.
In addition, government policies that subsidize large-scale production of commodities like corn and sugar, but give nothing to fresh produce farmers, may keep prices down for some (mostly processed) foods but also contribute indirectly to our public health crisis.
To improve the current situation, the research duo agrees that changing our existing food environment has to be part of the equation. Appealing to personal responsibility alone will not do. Influencing pricing for unhealthy foods through taxation may be one way. But while they don't reject outright certain forms of intervention through policy changes, they don't believe those to be effective enough.
Unfortunately, as long as we cannot agree on the causes of the obesity crisis, real solutions will remain elusive as well.
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Timi Gustafson R.D. is a registered dietitian, newspaper columnist, blogger and author of the book "The Healthy Diner – How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun"®, which is available on her blog and at amazon.com. For more articles on nutrition, health and lifestyle, visit her blog, "Food and Health with Timi Gustafson R.D." (www.timigustafson.com).


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Chaz Williams poised to take UMass on a thrill ride this season
When Chaz Williams was given the keys to the University of Massachusetts men's basketball program a year ago, there was little hesitation on the part of coach Derek Kellogg, who placed the utmost trust in his point guard transfer from Hofstra.
Kellogg knew Williams, who sat out the 2010-11 season per NCAA transfer rules but showed glimpses of his uptempo potential as a practice player, was not likely to drive the Minutemen into a ditch.
"I'm more of a careful driver,'' Williams said when asked if he had any reckless tendencies behind the wheel. "Don't want to cause any accidents.''
The 5-foot-9-inch, 175-pound junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., helped steer UMass to a semifinal berth in the National Invitation Tournament last season. He led the Minutemen in scoring in eight of their last 11 games of a 25-12 campaign, averaging 21.8 points over that stretch before his team fell to Stanford at Madison Square Garden.
"It was like a perfect-case scenario for Chaz coming in,'' said Kellogg, who turned to Williams to revamp UMass into more of an uptempo scheme. "There really wasn't any competition at the point guard spot his first year, so he was like given the keys to the program from Day 1 when he became eligible.
"The greatest thing that happened is that the other guys on the team knew that they — and we — needed him. So it was kind of a smooth transition from practice player to a leader of the program, in a basketball sense, at the point guard spot.''
When the Minutemen open their season Tuesday at 10 a.m. against Harvard at the Mullins Center in the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, Williams will be at the controls of a team that returns four starters and was picked to finish fifth in the A-10's preseason poll.
"I studied a lot of film over the summertime and I just looked at the parts of my game that needed the most improvement,'' said Williams, who led UMass in minutes (34.9), points (16.9), assists (6.2), and steals (2.2) last season.
"I feel I've improved every part of my game and I'm not a guy that just worries about one or two components,'' he said. "I like to take care of everything at once. I feel like this year I need to be a little more consistent for my team and be the same player from Day 1 to the end of the year.
"Coach wanted me to play like I played during our NIT run and he expects that consistency from me this year.''
After UMass was within two wins of an NIT championship last season, what will Williams have to do in order for his team to meet this season's objective of winning the conference and earning its first NCAA berth since 1998?
"I just have to do what Coach needs me to do,'' said Williams, who had game-highs of 24 points and 11 assists Nov. 3 in UMass's 87-82 exhibition victory over American International. "Play a strong game and find my teammates when they're open and just be there for my teammates. There's going to be times when things are going to be tough and I can't be the one putting my head down. I've got to be the one picking everybody up. I'm just going to have to do everything possible to do it.''
While he represents the focal point of the Minutemen's offense, Williams likes the complementary pieces that have emerged since last season.
"Yeah, these guys are all tremendous athletes and they improved their game over the summer so much,'' Williams said of his teammates. "Jesse Morgan is more of a consistent scorer, consistent knock-down shooter. Raphiael Putney is the same. Terrell Vinson, I can always go to him in the post to relieve some pressure.
"Maxie Esho, he's coming along well, and he was a sleeper to a lot of people last year, but this year I feel like he can have a breakout year, and Cady Lalanne, he's coming along pretty good. I feel real comfortable about where we are at the moment, but I know there's always room for us to get better. So every day when we come to practice, I just push the guys to work harder and try to get better every day.''
And every day in practice, Kellogg has been there to push Williams to be a better point guard.
"Don't tell him I said this, but so far in my life, he's the best coach I've ever played for,'' Williams said. "When he talks, it's not like, 'OK, Coach is talking,' it's actually meaningful what's behind his words. I respect everything he says because he played at the highest level and he played on a team that went to the [Elite Eight].
"So for me, to try and take my team there, I've got nothing but open ears when he's talking to me, because I can always learn. I'm always open to what he has to say. I always listen to what he's had to say because he competed at the highest level with some of the greatest, so I respect him so much for that as much as anything else.''
Kellogg came to appreciate Williams's competitive spirit, something Kellogg was known for as the hard-nosed point guard for former UMass coach John Calipari.
"After that, our games were totally different,'' Kellogg said with a laugh, when asked if he, too, had an ankle-breaking first step like Williams. "Not quite. I could post the ball, spot up and shoot, that was about it.''
In Williams, however, Kellogg has a point guard capable of doing so much more, one whom Kellogg hopes will take the Minutemen on a thrill ride come March.
"You know what? I say it all the time: I wouldn't trade him for anybody in the country,'' Kellogg said. "For how we play and how I run our team and our style, he's phenomenal in the press and running an open-floor game. He has a will to win that rubs off on the other guys and it's helped us become a better basketball program.''
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No. 3 UConn women top No. 5 Duke
Recommended Video:
DURHAM, N.C. -- No. 3 Connecticut traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium and made itself right at home inside No. 5 Duke's famously noisy arena.
UConn, the last visiting team to win at Cameron, snapped the Blue Devils' 34-game home winning streak with a 61-45 victory Monday night, forcing Duke to miss 19 consecutive shots during one stretch.
The Huskies made the Blue Devils look panicked and uncomfortable while holding them to a season-low 24.6 percent shooting and keeping them without a basket for roughly 12 minutes en route to their 10th straight win.
Bria Hartley scored 15 points and Caroline Doty added 11 points for the Huskies (20-2), who shot 45 percent and overcame 21 turnovers by forcing 15 from Duke.
"This particular group, I'm surprised, but we're a really good defensive team. ... It's difficult for teams to get comfortable against us, because you might have a different kid guarding you every time down the floor," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "But the effort was unbelievable. We kind of pride ourselves on that. We think we're the best defensive team in the country, and kids buy into that. And they're not an easy team to defend."
Maybe not, but at times UConn sure made it look that way.
Chelsea Gray scored 13 points for the Blue Devils (17-3), who had won 11 straight overall. It was their first setback at Cameron since UConn visited two years ago and handed them an 81-48 loss.
Elizabeth Williams added 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting for Duke, and her layup with just under 18 minutes left was the Blue Devils' last basket until Haley Peters hit a 3-pointer with fewer than 6 minutes remaining.
Duke finished with only eight assists on its 17 baskets after its offense too often disintegrated into one-on-one battles and not enough passing against an aggressive UConn defense that Auriemma said was determined to take away the lane and turn the Blue Devils into a jump-shooting team.
"It's a great lesson for our team. A great lesson on what not to do offensively, and how not to, I guess, rush yourself and do some things that we" shouldn't do, coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
Duke trailed by 14 late in the first half before putting together a 12-3 run that bridged the break. The Blue Devils forced five turnovers in the first six minutes of the half, and Williams helped Duke close to 34-29 with a free throw with 17:19 left.
That's when UConn took over and began stretching its lead with 3-pointers. The Huskies hit four -- two by Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis -- in a 9-minute stretch before Tiffany Hayes added a bucket in the lane, pushing it to 50-33 with just over 7 minutes left, and Duke didn't get closer than 12 the rest of the way.
"They did a good job of clogging the lane a little bit, and sometimes we would take too many dribbles," Gray said.
Stefanie Dolson added 10 points and Kiah Stokes had 11 of her 12 rebounds on the defensive end for UConn.
The Huskies entered with the nation's toughest defense by shooting percentage, holding opponents to 30 percent.
They forced the Blue Devils into their worst shooting night by far -- their previous low was 32 percent in a loss to Notre Dame.
"That's how you want to play on the road," Hartley said.
The Huskies have dominated this series lately, winning five straight and routing Duke twice last season -- including a 36-point loss that ended the Blue Devils' unbeaten start to 2010-11 and a 35-point romp in the NCAA tournament with a Final Four berth on the line.
Unlike those two meetings, this one wasn't over at halftime.
"I hope this team thinks we can beat anybody, and there's something wrong with them if they don't," McCallie said. "And they're really going to regret when they see this film (Tuesday)."
Dolson gave UConn its largest lead of the half when her layup with just under 3 minutes left made it 31-17.
Gray had 11 points at halftime on 4-of-10 shooting -- with three 3-pointers -- while the rest of the Blue Devils were a combined 6 of 24 from the field. Duke's 31-23 halftime deficit marked the first time it trailed at the break, and its 29 percent shooting was a season low for a first half.


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|CCC Team
|Czech Republic
|Birth date
|November 5, 1993
|I knew I wanted to be a pro cyclist when:
There was never that one moment. As a kid I played hockey in the winter and rode a bike in the summer. I was combining those two disciplines until I turned 14 and realized that cycling and being outside is much more fun.
|My greatest racing memory:
Every time I win a race and can raise my hands in the air is special.
|Race I dream of winning:
Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. These are legendary races in which you have to be 100% ready. I also like cobbles, especially when my form is at its peak.
|If I wasn't a pro cyclist:
I always wanted to be a professional rider, so I can't imagine myself doing something else.
Josef Černý is a former double Czech national champion after winning both the road race and individual time trial in 2018. He jumped onto the professional scene in 2013 as a rider of a CCC-sponsored team and did it in style by finishing 2nd in a stage at Giro del Trentino and wearing the leader's jersey for one day. Černý proved his potential later on, winning the general classification at the Czech Cycling Tour and Okolo Jižních Čech. In addition to winning two national titles, his 2018 season was marked with multiple top-5 finishes in stage races.


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In the nearly 30 years that I have been covering financial advisors, the fundamental problem hasn't changed: Delivering client-centered advice isn't as profitable as selling products. Consequently, independent RIAs don't get much respect, or at least, not nearly the respect they deserve. Fund companies prefer to focus on wirehouse and other broker distribution channels. Congress inexplicably has concluded that RIAs (rather than non-fiduciary brokers) need more regulation, and even most custodians that serve them seem to have a hard time committing to the RIA market.
With this conundrum firmly in the back of my mind, I was pleasantly surprised to find recently that American Beacon Funds was still among the handful of investment companies that consider independent RIAs as one of their core markets. This was particularly amazing considering that three years ago the pension fund manager brought in a big-time investment company executive as its new president and CEO, which, in my experience, is often an indicator of a firm's intent to move beyond the RIA channel.
But Gene Needles isn't your typical investment company exec. To be sure, he's got the credentials: In his nearly 30-year career prior to taking the helm at American Beacon, he's served as vice president at Putnam Investments and Metlife State Street, president of Touchstone Investments, and president and CEO of AIM Distributors. Perhaps due to his broad experience, Needles doesn't seem to suffer from the "bigger is better" prejudice that's so common in the financial services industry. In fact, he's developed a unique perspective on the industry, one that has undoubtedly contributed greatly to his success.
"We look at the RIAs as a single firm so we can see how much biz we're getting from that channel," he told me. "If you don't look at them collectively, the RIAs will pale in comparison to large retail and institutional outlets. But they are plenty big when you add them all together in the same way other firms look at, say, all the Merrill branches."
Playing off its roots as the manager of American Airlines' employee pension fund, American Beacon has historically attracted the majority of its assets—about 75%—from retirement plan platforms. The remaining 25% came from independent RIAs. As you might expect, Needles has worked to diversify the company's distribution beyond those two channels. "Now we're seeing a better balance in our assets," he says, "with 40% coming from retail outlets. Still, the two hardest spaces to penetrate are the RIA and retirement markets. It's a great biz, and we don't want to forget about it."
In addition to a healthy respect for their business, the firm has something else in common with RIAs: expertise in selecting and monitoring investment managers. While it's recently added a few single manager funds, American Beacon's stock in trade is combining big-name, high-minimum institutional investors into funds that are accessible to advisors' clients and participants on pension platforms.
In more than a quarter century of analyzing, selecting and monitoring some of the world's best investors from an institutional perspective, the American Beacon team has become pretty savvy about how to put together and manage multimanager portfolios. Needles candidly points out four key mistakes that advisors and other professional investors often make, usually to the detriment of their portfolio returns—and their clients' success:
Treating retail investors as if they are institutional investors. Needles believes that using style-box asset allocation in the retail market has been a major mistake on the part of financial advisors. "I think we've seen a move away from category asset allocation," he says. "The problem is that it treats retail investors as institutional investors. Even if we take the emotion out, they are still different. Their time horizons are different, and they can't diversify nearly as much. Consequently, they can't weather the downturns. I think that's why we're seeing a lot of advisors going back to objective-based investing rather than benchmarks."
Focusing on returns rather than risk. "Our concentration," says Needles, "is on reducing risk. As fiduciaries, our job is making sure that the returns we get in our portfolios are the returns that our investors get. The ability of investors to stay with funds is at least as important as the performance of the managers. If you can't mitigate some of that volatility, they won't stay with you, and you won't be able to deliver consistent performance."
American Beacon's funds reflect this risk orientation. On the equity side, returns virtually mirror the funds' bogey indexes, with standard deviations over the past three years of between 13.3 and 26.6 and sharpe ratios hovering around 1.
Over-engineering. In most of its funds, American Beacon uses a multimanager approach, similar to the way many advisors construct their portfolios. Yet many of those portfolios don't match that of American Beacon or some other institutional managers. "Why hasn't multimanager performance been better?" asks Needles. "I've thought about that a lot. Many of those guys are really smart. They have very sophisticated equations based on correlations and expected rates of return. Then you look at the performance. What's the problem? Overweighting allocations to certain managers. If you overweight, you transfer the risk to the person who's doing the allocating. They've then become the manager with the single biggest risk. There is a danger in this business of over-engineering portfolios. The whole idea is diversification. They've forgotten the underlying premise."
In contrast, American Beacon tries to equally weight its funds across all the subadvisors. "Our goal is to spread the risk out equally to all our managers," he says. "We think the idea is to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket."
Replacing managers too soon. According to Needles, this is the biggest error portfolio managers make. It's human nature to want to "do something" when a manager or an entire portfolio is underperforming. Unfortunately, knee-jerk reactions often lead to missing the rebound. "Even institutional managers get it wrong with replacing managers," says Needles. "They do it at the wrong time; then the managers tend to outperform after they are replaced, and the replacements tend to underperform. We're very patient when it comes to disappointing performance, but we're always ready to act quickly when it is time to make a change."
How do they decide when the time is right? "We try to determine if there's been a fundamental change with the management team," he says. "We look at whether the discipline has changed; whether we still believe in that discipline; if they've changed their [tactic]; and did they recently lose any managers or have any turnover in the past couple of years. But when it's time to act, we act. We've changed managers in just 24 hours when we felt we needed to. Once, for instance, the lead manager left one of our subadvisors. We knew he was calling the shots, so we replaced him."
To find new managers, American Beacon looks for a team approach to investing and focuses on whether managers stick with their stated strategies to rule out plain luck. They're also wary of performance skewing due to specific periods, looking at rolling periods to identify consistency. The firm runs "phantom" portfolios to track prospective managers, and, of course, they use a lot more managers in their AA pension fund, so they have a stable of replacements for their mutual funds. Also, they've been careful not to let circumstances change their own strategy as well: "Anyone who says they weren't pressured in 2008 and 2009 has a weak memory," says Needles. "Everyone was tempted to say 'this isn't working.' But nothing works at the bottom. We haven't changed the way we manage our managers and have been rewarded by the rebound."
It's easy to see why American Beacon is popular with independent RIAs. They use the same multimanager strategy, but possibly to greater effect. It's why the company has remained loyal to RIAs as well: I suspect independent advisors are more likely to understand American Beacon's strategies and share its aversion to chasing performance. Hopefully, Needles and his team will continue to resist the lure of high-volume dollars and continue to support its kindred independent spirits.


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Falafel Abou Andre
Zouk Mikayel, Main road, Presidence street, daily 11am-9pm, 03-837 441.Jounieh, Maameltein Highway
Jan 5, 2014 Sin El-Fil
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Happy B-day Floral Card
Designer Tip: Cut the border strip from the cardstock and foam tape at the top for a layered look.
Supplies: (Find these supplies and more at www.paperwishes.com)
Paper Wishes Weekly Webisodes feature free scrapbooking video classes and card making video classes! Every week Paulette and LeNae bring you new online scrapbooking or card making classes demonstrating the very latest paper craft and scrapbooking techniques. Each of our free card making and scrapbooking classes also gives you unique project ideas and tips from Paper Wishes' Design Team. Come back often so you don't miss any of the fun in our card making and scrapbooking classes! You are sure to be inspired! Also watch for our "Week of Webisodes" events where we feature new scrapbooking video classes daily!


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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The purpose of the law is to protect people with disabilities from discrimination in employment.
In 2008, Congress passed the ADA Amendment Act (ADAAA) to broaden the definition of "disability" that had been narrowed by Supreme Court decisions. These decisions limited the protection of disabled people that had been provided in the 1990 law.
The term disability means:
How does this affect your business?
Title 1 of the ADA prohibits discrimination in employment. It requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Employers are considered "covered entities" under this Act and must comply with Title 1. It applies to:
An employer cannot ask a potential or current employee if they have a disability. That is illegal. The employer may ask the potential or current employee if they can perform the major functions of the job. This will give the employees a chance to let you know if they need a reasonable accommodation.
How does this affect your job search?
For more information, please visit: www.ada.gov
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Judge rules against Zimmerman on evidence
SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge ruled Wednesday that Trayvon Martin's cellphone text messages about fighting and a defense animation depicting the struggle between Martin and George Zimmerman won't be introduced as evidence at Zimmerman's trial. Defense attorneys had wanted to use those pieces of evidence as they conclude their presentation.
Judge Debra Nelson made her ruling a day after she heard arguments on the matter. Prosecutors had claimed the texts were irrelevant and taken out of context. They also objected to the computer animation, questioning its accuracy and saying it would mislead jurors.
"This is a murder trial. This isn't 'Casablanca.' This isn't 'Iron Man,'" prosecutor Richard Mantei said.
The judge seemed concerned about the animation's accuracy during arguments. While the animation can't be introduced as evidence that can be reviewed by jurors during their deliberations, defense attorneys may be able to use it during closing arguments, she ruled.
"To have an animation go back into jury room that they can play over and over again gives a certain weight to something that this court isn't exactly certain comports with the evidence presented at trial," Nelson said Wednesday night.
The judge agreed with prosecutors' concerns about introducing the 17-year-old's text messages. But defense attorney Don West had argued the texts were relevant since they showed Martin's interest in fighting and physical capabilities.
After lunch Wednesday, the judge asked Zimmerman if he had made up his mind on whether to testify. He said he hadn't. Defense attorney Don West objected several times to the judge's question but the judge overruled him.
Defense attorneys on Wednesday called one of their last witnesses as they started winding down their case. Public safety consultant Dennis Root testified that Martin was in better physical shape than Zimmerman, and that the neighborhood watch volunteer wasn't any athlete.
"He would find himself lacking when compared to Mr. Martin," Root said of Zimmerman.
During cross-examination of Root, prosecutor John Guy used a life-sized foam mannequin in front of the jury to simulate the body positions of Zimmerman and Martin at the time of the shooting.
Straddling the dummy, Guy proposed a scenario in which Martin was on top of Zimmerman and asked Root if it was possible that Martin was backing away from Zimmerman at the time of the fatal gunshot.
"Yes," Root said.
Root also said he may have taken different actions if he were in Zimmerman's situation, but said that "it's just a matter of what you as the individual view as options."
Using the same mannequin during further questioning of Root, defense attorney Mark O'Mara challenged the notion of Martin retreating. Root said that while multiple gun angles were possible, he had no specific information to say what position Martin was in when he was shot.
"I think you're not going to be involved in a conflict like this without it being dynamic," Root said.
Martin was unarmed and returning from a store when he was fatally shot by Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, during a struggle on a dark, rainy night in February 2012. Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic. Some civil rights activists argued that the initial delay in charging Zimmerman was influenced by Martin's race. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and says he shot Martin in self-defense.
Defense attorneys have said they are likely to wrap up their presentation on Wednesday after less than a week of calling witnesses. Much of the testimony in previous days has concerned a 911 call made by a witness during the confrontation that includes screams for help. Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., was the last witness Wednesday to testify it's his son yelling for help on the call.
Convincing the jury of who was screaming for help on the tape has become the primary goal of prosecutors and defense attorneys because it would help jurors evaluate Zimmerman's self-defense claim. Relatives of Martin's and Zimmerman's have offered conflicting opinions about who is heard screaming.
Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://twitter.com/khightower.
Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP.


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David Fincher and Joel Schumacher powwowed in a corner of New York's Alice Tully Hall Wednesday night. They made for an unlikely couple. Fincher, the director of cerebral movies like "The Social Network" and "Zodiac," was understated in basic suit and tie. Schumacher, the old-timer behind two Batman movies (the Nineties, campy ones) and "St. Elmo's Fire," among others, wore an open collar and two strands of puka shell chokers. His hair was slicked back. It was the premiere of "House of Cards," the possibly groundbreaking only-on-Netflix political series. Fincher, an executive producer on the show, directed its first two episodes. Schumacher and a handful of other blue-chip thriller directors helmed the rest of the series.
"I thought it was so wicked and delicious," Schumacher said. "It's much more than a political thriller."
This story first appeared in the February 1, 2013 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
In the series, Washington is portrayed as a cesspool of backstabbing operators and morally bankrupt social climbers, a world that was all too familiar for the veteran filmmaker. Schumacher was free to direct after he had "walked out of a movie because of the producers," he said without elaborating. Around him, the premiere swirled. Intrigued by Netflix's splashy foray into original programming — it spent $100 million on "House of Cards" — industry heavies turned up to check out the goods. They included Harvey Weinstein, who was deep in conversation with lead Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, and in-demand starlets Kate Mara, who costars in the series, and her sister Rooney.
"D.C. is Hollywood without good people," Schumacher said. Did he mean without good-looking people? "D.C. is Hollywood without good people. But I didn't make up that quote. It's a very famous quote."
But since Schumacher got his start, it is Hollywood that's become more like Washington. Films are promoted like political campaigns, with endless focus groups and armies of strategists. Schumacher remembered when power used to be clustered around the houses of a few well-connected players.
"I got to Hollywood in Christmas 1971. Sue [Mengers] was already a legend," he said. "And even though I was making $200 a week, she invited me to everything. I networked a lot at her parties and Joan Didion and John [Gregory] Dunne's and got a lot of jobs that way."
He lamented the current state of affairs.
"Much more money is spent promoting people and movies and the directors for the awards. That's new. It's become sort of a p.r. machine," he said.


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Luke Morahan joins Qantas Wallabies
Queensland Reds and Australian Sevens winger Luke Morahan has been called into the Qantas Wallabies squad ahead of the DHL Australia 2013 Lions Tour.
He will join the squad today (Wednesday)
Morahan, who scored a try for the Reds against the tourists last Saturday night, and has since been in camp on the Gold Coast with the Australian Sevens team, made his Test debut last year against Scotland at Newcastle.
He has been added to the Wallabies squad after Brumbies winger Joe Tomane was today ruled out of the opening Test with a toe injury.
The 23-year-old who, like Morahan, played the only Test of his career to date against Scotland last year; sustained the injury at training on the Sunshine Coast yesterday.
An MRI scan today subsequently revealed a small toe fracture in his left foot.
Tomane, who will remain part of the squad, is expected to recover in time to be available to play some part in the remainder of the Test series, which opens when Australia takes on the British & Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on June 22.


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Students Tap iPhone to Film, Distribute TV Series
From practically the moment they first got their hands on the iPhone 4, Michael Koerbel and Anna Elizabeth James set out to explore the device's potential as a filmmaking tool.
The USC film students saw in the iPhone 4 a way to produce low-cost, high-definition movies. And because of its small size, James said, she also knew it could go places that other cameras just couldn't.
In a span of less than 48 hours, the pair, using only the iPhone, created a video, which they called Apple of My Eye. The short movie was posted to Vimeo and quickly got half a million hits.
From there, the pair, both screenwriting majors, set up their studio, Majek Pictures (named for the first letter in each of their first and last names). They had a script for a TV pilot and figured the iPhone opened the door to make it on their own.
Now they have an ongoing series, "Goldilocks," that is not only filmed on the iPhone, but also distributed via the App Store. New episodes come in as updates to their app, which runs on the iPhone and iPod touch. The app, which is free, includes some Apple iAd advertising, though Koerbel said that hasn't been a huge source of revenue.
Although they have been happy with their work on the very small screen, the pair would also like to see "Goldilocks" available on DVD via Netflix.
James and Koerbel were at Macworld Expo on Thursday to give a talk on mobile filmmaking. Ahead of their session, the pair talked to Mobilized in a video interview:


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Viewers, it is the sensational moments because long wait is over as Gul Ahmed has released its winter collection of 2012-2013. Gul Ahmed has launched number of collections this year and makes a new trend by introducing midsummer and casual collections as well. With this Gul Ahmed Winter Collection 2012-2013, Gul Ahmed has proved that they are the real leaders of women clothing line in Pakistan. In this Gul Ahmed Winter Dresses 2012-2013 unlike previous collections, Gul Ahmed introduces different sort of fabric with high quality designs and attractive color schemes. The collection includes stitched and un-stitched dresses of fabric like khaddar, pashmina, cordrouy, silk cashmere, velvet silk.The dresses are being designed and developed not only for winter season but you can use these dresses on different occasion and parties as well. All the dresses are being nourished with high quality work of lace strip, embroidery and ornaments work to give fancier look. To view the entire collection please scrolls down the page. We will not take your time anymore...!
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LONDON: Andy Murray hopes to make history Sunday by becoming Britain's first Wimbledon men's champion in 76 years, a landmark challenge which has sent optimism and ticket prices through the roof.
Murray is the first home player to get to the final since Bunny Austin in 1938.
Victory would make him the first British champion since Fred Perry in 1936, the year when the Nazis marched into the Rhineland and the Spanish civil war began.
The stage may be set but there's one slight problem.
On the other side of the net stands six-time champion Roger Federer, widely regarded as the finest player of all time and bidding to level the record of seven Wimbledon titles held by Pete Sampras.
A win for the 30-year-old Swiss, written off as a spent force coming into the tournament, would mean a 17th Grand Slam crown.
Murray, 25, has come agonisngly close to the final before - he was a semi-finalist in 2009, where he lost to Andy Roddick, and in 2010 and 2011, on both occasions losing to Rafael Nadal.
The Scot, runner-up at the 2008 US Open and 2010 and 2011 Australian Open, insists he is the underdog as he tries to win his first major, despite holding an 8-7 career lead over Federer in head-to-head meetings.
Federer, knocked out in the quarter-finals for the past two years, has the greater experience, playing in a record eighth Wimbledon final and 24th Grand Slam championship match.
"He's one of the greatest ever players," said Murray.
"It's a great challenge, one where I'm probably not expected to win, but one that, if I play well, I'm capable of winning. The pressure that I would be feeling if it was against somebody else I guess it would be different.
"But there will be less on me on Sunday because of who he is."
Federer will return to the world number one spot if he wins, becoming the second oldest man behind Andre Agassi to take the top ranking.
Just two men over 30 have won Wimbledon - Rod Laver, who was almost 31 when he won in 1969 and Arthur Ashe who was just five days short of his 32nd birthday when he was champion in 1975.
Despite the last of Federer's 16 Grand Slam titles having come at the 2010 Australian Open, he believes he won't feel a sense of desperation on Sunday.
"I'm in a good place mentally and you have got to be that for the finals," he said.
"There's a lot on the line for me. I'm not denying that. I have a lot of pressure, as well. I'm looking forward to that. That's what I work hard for."
Fans will have to dig deep if they want to see history made with Centre Court tickets, which are priced at 120 ($186), being sold for astronomical sums.
Edward Parkinson, director of ticket market place website Viagogo UK, said: "We could see tickets being offered for up to 45,000 ($69,958) for a pair."
Meanwhile, residents of Murray's hometown of Dunblane in central Scotland will be desperate for a celebration.
In 1996, the town was the scene of a bloody massacre when a gunman burst into Murray's school, killing 16 children and a teacher.
As a frightened eight-year-old, Murray hid under a desk as the gunman ran amok.
"Some of my friends' brothers and sisters were killed. I have only retained patchy impressions of that day, such as being in a classroom singing songs," Murray wrote in his autobiography, Hitting Back.
"The weirdest thing was that we knew (the gunman) Thomas Hamilton. He had been in my mum's car. It's obviously weird to think you had a murderer in your car, sitting next to your mum." - AFP


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Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission Considers Establishing Vessel Monitoring for the Harvesting of Oysters on Public Seed Grounds
OutdoorHub 01.05.12
Today the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission took action designed to improve harvesting and monitoring efforts on the state's public oyster seed grounds. The proposed action would require Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) onboard all oyster seed ground vessels.
The use of VMS technology will allow LDWF to have real-time access to resource management data and allow LDWF biologists to more effectively serve the oyster industry by monitoring and replacing cultch material where fishing pressures are greatest.
"The use of this technology in the oyster industry is the first of its kind in the Gulf of Mexico," said LDWF Assistant Secretary Randy Pausina. "Our department continually strives to find innovative ways to manage our state's seafood treasures while also serving the needs of the seafood community."
Annually, there are over 700 vessel permits issued, giving access to the state's public oyster beds, totaling 1.6 million acres. The VMS technology will help the department more accurately determine the actual number of vessels that fish the public seeds grounds as well as the amount of material these vessels take from the public.
The VMS technology will also provide an added safety factor by allowing vessel operators to dispatch help with exact GPS coordinates, as well as for vessel owners to better manage their fleet. The systems will also be available for oyster harvesters to use while fishing private leases.
The Louisiana oyster industry provides more than one-third of the oysters consumed in the United States.
LDWF proposed to institute the VMS program on a year-to-year basis.
The VMS units, service and installation will be provided at no cost to the vessel operator, participants will only be required to provide minimal maintenance for the units.
All information collected by LDWF will be considered privileged and confidential and will not be made public.
Public comments on the Notice of Intent will be accepted prior to February 3, 2012. Comments should be submitted to Jason Froeba at [email protected] or (225) 765-0121.
LDWF is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov, and on Facebook at www.facebook.comldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
For more information, contact Jason Froeba at (225)765-0121 or [email protected] For press inquiries please contact Laura Wooderson at [email protected] or (225)610-2363.


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When I search for a question I'd like to be shown the same results as when I type in a title in "Ask Question"
I often use the "Ask Question" as a search tool, like this:
Some results!
Better results?
Update: I have updated the screen shot to a version without quote marks, the two search results are still inconsistent. But are they better?


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A clifftop home that became the unofficial clubrooms and pre-tour rendezvous for one of the greatest All Black teams is up for sale.
The seaside property owned by Sir Fred "The Needle" Allen was the meeting point for his 1967 All Blacks side before they departed on the tour of Britain from which they returned undefeated.
Sir Fred and his wife, Lady Norma Allen, owned the property on Whangaparaoa Peninsula north of Auckland for almost 60 years, using it first as a holiday home and then as a permanent residence.
Sir Fred died in April.
His biographer, Alan Sayers, said the property was Sir Fred's spiritual home.
"It was the place Fred used for planning his strategies. He was a hands-on coach.
"Fred had the wonderful ability to be able to mould them together - to mould a group of men into one unit so when they went on to the field they were completely compatible."
The class of 67 included Sir Brian Lochore, Chris Laidlaw, Sid Going, Kel Tremain, Colin Meads, Earle Kirton, Fergie McCormick, Ian Kirkpatrick and Waka Nathan.
Keen to build team morale before the journey to the Northern Hemisphere, Sir Fred gathered them in Whangaparaoa for several days before the departure date.
Some of the senior players bunked down in the rumpus room on mattresses and stretcher beds. Others were billeted with Sir Fred's friends in the area.
During the day they were able to train on Manly Beach, across the reserve at the bottom of the section, away from prying eyes.
In later years, the house remained a gathering place for rugby greats, said Mr Sayers.
"Every tour that came out here, every rugby tour would say, 'while we're here we've got to go and see Fred Allen'."
Sir Fred is widely regarded as an All Black great for his legacy as a player as well as a coach.
He played 21 games, including six tests, between 1946 and 1949, all as captain.
His coaching career began with Auckland at a time when the side successfully defended the Ranfurly Shield on 25 occasions.
He became All Blacks coach in 1966, winning all 14 tests, and remains the only All Blacks coach never to have lost a test.
Sir Fred was the holder of an OBE, and was knighted in 2010.
He celebrated his 90th birthday at home two years ago with past All Blacks including Sir Wilson Whineray, Sir Brian and Bob Scott - now the only surviving member of the 1946 All Black side.
Sir Fred bought the Whangaparaoa property in the 1950s, first using two army huts at the bottom of the 1055sq m section as a holiday home.
The present house was built in 1967 to make the most of the expansive views overlooking the outer reaches of the Hauraki Gulf.
Sir Fred's nephew, Alex Carpenter, said he had lots of memories of the home, particularly from the last years of his uncle's life.
Putting the property on the market was sad but it was what his uncle had wanted, said Mr Carpenter, who hoped it would go to a rugby fan.
"It would be nice if that was the case, if it went to someone with a love of the game," he said.


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Tuesday Daily Disney
Some very interesting Disney things floating in the ether this week. Enjoy.
Lids hats have some new Disney items to cheer on your favorite baseball team. With plenty of pink ones for those of you who like pink hats. I'm showing a Mets hat, though it pains me, as a kudo to my friend John Cropp, who might be the biggest Mets/Disney fan and former cast member I've ever known. Click here for the link.
IO9 posted an interesting piece about some of Disney's stranger educational films. Check it out here.
More behind the scenes of Star Wars from The Chive. Warning, The Chive isn't for everyone.
Thanks to my friend Julie McKillip for sharing this great muppet shirt design with me.
A short piece about Disney Character names here.


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It was an unsettled year, a year when economic conditions played a significant role in stifling new business opportunities and project roll outs, a year when the channel saw Cloud computing move forward from discussion to implementation, and a boom in mobility.
ARN asked a group of leading channel identities and analysts for their highlights 2012. The result was a relatively mixed picture of a year that lacked real identity but was underscored by change.
For Ovum research director, Kevin Noonan, the highlight of 2012 was the fact Cloud computing finally delivered on its promise.
"There has been growth in the number of organisations doing Cloud computing. They're reporting no major problems and there's significant growth in the vendor space," Noonan said. "The fact Cloud has arrived, delivered and provided clear outcomes is the thing that may surprise some people because we'd been talking about it for some time."
Another area that saw traction was the mobility space. Noonan said the discussion had matured beyond simple issues of bring your own device (BYOD) and what devices should be used, to talking about a variety of different of mobile devices and applications to suit. He pointed to Microsoft's release of Windows 8, which is targeting the mobile space.
"We're also starting to talk about workplace reform and one of the big agenda issues is how people do their job differently because they're more mobile and how can we do service delivery different because of the high uptake in the community," he said. "We've gone beyond just a device centered discussion to something that's more about business outcomes."
Data#3 managing director, John Grant, said money was being spent within the mobility arena, along with the different applications and services delivered within that environment.
"It has cannibalised what we regard as the standard run rate business in the desktop and laptop area," Grant said. "There's been a shift in attention in investment and focus. It certainly had an impact of destabilising enterprise IT's view on life."
Business strategies
Distribution Central co-founder, Nick Verykios, noticed the discussion moving beyond technology itself, towards business strategies.
"They aren't technology discussions anymore. They are now strategies about how technology will be adopted to solve customer problems. That would be the overriding trend that has driven certain technologies associated to them," Verykios said.
Channel Dynamics director, Moheb Moses, said devices such as tablets and smartphones, stopped being toys and started to become business devices. This also flowed onto the way in which businesses adopted technology.
"Unless there is a really good reason to adopt it, businesses weren't implementing technologies just because of the hype anymore, and that has affected many vendors," Moses said.
Verykios claimed the introduction of Big Data and data analytics had also been rampant: "The strategy is associated with what a customer has been doing traditionally, and that is hoarding data." Ovum's Noonan said there had been plenty of discussion within the Big Data space, which is part of a major analytics revolution.
"On one hand we're starting to see examples of Big Data applications and we're seeing normal business analytics turning up on mobile devices and it is being transformed because you can up to date information on your mobile device" he said. "There's a lot of development that's happened in the last 12 months, and that's setting a scene for value-added services."
The telecommunications sector also witnessed some transformation, with companies evolving to become more service-oriented providers, according to ShoreTel A/NZ managing director, Jamie Romanin.
"There has been a shift in the way that they are going to market. It's less about the connectivity to the customer from a voice perspective and more about how they can enable applications out to their customers," he said.
Customer demand
Romanin claimed customer demand was driving the channel to become more of a trusted advisor or business consultant in helping the customer understand where to profit from. "They are also moving away from being point-of-sale type resellers to providing end to end solutions," he said.
ASI Solutions director, Maree Lowe, saw growth in network infrastructure, particularly in the switching space, ISPs and datacentres. The increase in the amount of Cloud services was also noticeable, she said.
"With Amazon Web services just being introduced into Australia, there is this whole new discussion about how to make money out of the Cloud," Lowe said.
But businesses are also encountered challenging times. Many industry experts noticed the decision making process is taking a lot longer to get projects off the ground within the government space and it has been further fuelled by budget cuts.
Data#3's Grant said government expenditure on IT had flattened causing significant deferrals and delays, or just non-commitment. Investing in new businesses to create new opportunities and customer relationships had also been stifled due to the cautious economic environment, he said.
"Capital investment and any sort of significant investment has to show returns in relatively short periods of time," Grant said. "That has impacted on the flow of business within what is termed as the 'classic project area' and that flows on to large investments that embody investments in infrastructure and applications.
"That organisational attitude to cautious investment together with the opportunity that enterprise IT sees with Cloud and the conversations that occur with that, combine to create an environment where there's a delay in things and decisions aren't made quickly when there are projects up for grabs."
Further cuts
Ovum's Noonan said a lot of government agencies were trying to understand if there are further cuts down the track and if they can afford to commit to a new IT project.
"Cutbacks will cause a slowdown in project approvals," Noonan said. "There's a continuing concern on big sales projects and projects that have failed. There are some strategies coming into place to cut down the size of projects into smaller parts, which in turn opens up options for smaller players as well."
"The economy is in a crisis of confidence. It hasn't sparked as fast as what people hoped it would and there's been a sense of negativity, and concern that we might go back into recession because of what's happening overseas. That's really caused a conservative approach in IT investment."
Channel Dynamics' Moses, said the tight economy and the increase in caution were critical factors that led to a slow uptake in also adopting new technologies. "This caution has also led to decisions being delayed and businesses trying to hold on to their money for as long as they can. Those two things fed off each other and created a level of unpredictability," he claimed.


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Athletic. Hilarious. Comedic chops. From Minnesota.
Kevin Smith thought he hit the jackpot with Seann William Scott for his long-planned hockey movie "Hit Somebody." It was only later that he found out his new leading man might be the only guy from Minnesota who didn't play hockey growing up.
"The more I hung out with Sean, I learned, 'Oh my God, you're my hockey player,' " Smith tells PopcornBiz, recalling his moment of casting inspiration. "This is the movie I have been trying to make for two years now. I was thinking I was so smart and he's from Minnesota, and he has the sweetness to him. And he's very athletic."
"It all snapped into place," he adds. "Seann is the guy."
It was only afterward that Smith asked what he thought was a really obvious question to guy from Minnesota. "Seann was so into the idea and I said, 'Alright, you can skate right?' " Smith recalls asking. "When he said no I was like, 'What?!!!' How do you grow up in Minnesota and not play hockey?' "
After hearing Scott's tale of youth woe, being forced to play hockey goalie until he just quit, Smith refused to be defeated. He stuck by his leading man. "I said, 'Well (expletive invoking God's name), start learning how to skate.' "
Scott is taking on the endeavor and Smith hopes to create the same kind of comedic chemistry he believes he created with the actor in "Cop Out" (which arrives on Blu-ray combo pack and DVD on July 20). Only this time the comedy will be on ice. Smith insists that Scott is even bigger than his "American Pie" character he is best known for.
"He's so not Stifler, Seann wants to really act," says Smith. And hopefully skate.
On the bright side, Smith doesn't have to push too hard on the ice for the part.
"He plays a goon so he doesn't have to be a really good skater," says Smith. "He just has to be competent."
Kevin Smith Finds the Perfect Star for His Hockey Movie (Who Can't Skate)
Athletic. Hilarious. Comedic chops. From Minnesota.


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User Reviews & Ratings - Lexiva oral
Read user comments about the side effects, benefits, and effectiveness of Lexiva oral.
Overall User Ratings7 Total User Reviews
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Reviewer: Richard Covenant, Male (Patient)
Ease of Use
I was cured of HIV with the use of natural herbs. I love herbs so much. Most times, injection and drugs are just a waste of time. I was cured 8 months ago, i suffered from HIV for 5years but with the help of Doctor OKITI medicine, i was cured within few weeks of drinking the herbs he sent to me through courier delivery service. This same doctor also cured my Aunt from herpes, as soon as i heard sh ... Show Full Comment
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Reviewer: Tuto, 35-44 Male on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)
Ease of Use
This medication has been somewhat effective cocktail with other 3 medications
Reviewer: normg420, 55-64 Male (Patient)
Ease of Use
to expensive
Reviewer: Chi14u2, 35-44 Male on Treatment for less than 1 month (Caregiver)
Ease of Use
Dr. Jenny Lee from Northwestern Medical Physicians Group prescribed this medication to me and after taking the medication for a week developed severe neuropathy in both my hands and feet. When contacted about this was basically advised to live with the pain of neuropathy - Now you will know what it really feels like. Was advised to stay on the dose and not ask questions. Needless to say was se ... Show Full Comment
Reviewer: 45-54 Male on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Patient)
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I'm please to announce that the new website is live! Yeah!!
For news and more:
09 Monday Apr 2012
I'm please to announce that the new website is live! Yeah!!
For news and more:
08 Sunday Apr 2012
The new Flu News Network website will be live in a couple of days. When it is, I will archive FNN blog and you will be redirected to the new site. You will still get the news and more. I would love feedback from everyone about the new site, what you like and don't like, what you would like to see. I hope you will support the new FNN as much as you have supported the FNN blog.
24 Saturday Mar 2012
HA NOI – The Government of Viet Nam, with donor support, has set up an additional US$23 million fund for the Vietnam Avian and Human Influenza Control and Preparedness Project. The fund, consisting of $13 million in aid and $10 million in loans, will be utilised during the project's second phase (2011-14) in 11 cities and provinces including Ha Noi, northern Lang Son, central Binh Dinh and southern Dong Thap and Tay Ninh provinces.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that bird flu broke out again this year with complex and unpredictable results. "The H5N1 virus has changed its face. There is currently no vaccines with which to treat people who've picked up bird flu," Long confirmed.
He added that the ministry would upgrade the system of preventive medicine and treatment to deal with and stop the spread of the human influenza pandemic as well as other emerging diseases.
The fund will additionally help strengthen co-ordination between health and veterinary surveillance and disease prevention, jointly overseen by the health, agriculture and rural development sectors. Continued:
• CIDRAP: Unique triple reassortant H3N2 viruses in turkeys include pH1N1 genetic material
• Chicken, egg prices shoot up
• Ten H5N1 outbreaks in Bangladesh affect 49,000 poultry
• Maharashtra: Swab test of 39-year-old who died on March 19 returns positive; docs say rising mercury will put end to virus
• Rajasthan: 'Swine flu has targeted mostly women, kids'
• Maharashtra: 7th swine flu death in city
• Maharashtra: Pune civic body lifts the burden off poor swine flu patients
• Swine Flu is back – 12 deaths in four states
• Maharashtra: Mumbai records first swine flu case in 9 months
• Swine Flu spreads across Maharashtra
• Maharashtra: One-year-old is eighth swine flu victim in Pune
• Maharashtra: Pune Swine flu update: Eight dead, total count 112
• Rajasthani: Swine flu – 5 more test positive, total cases now 33
• Swine Flu Continues To Spread in India, Goa Issues Alert
• Bird Flu confirmed in Bhaisepati farm
• AVA to conduct "bird flu exercise"
• Singapore veterinary authority holds bird flu exercise
• H2N5 [H5N2] found in chicken in New Taipei
United Kingdom
• Outbreak of deadly flu hits care homes for elderly
United States
• MD: Officials examine response to flu deaths
• OK: Oklahoma Health Department reports three more flu deaths
• SC: DHEC: SC Man Dies From Flu
• CIDRAP: US flu activity nudges up slightly
• Mild flu season continues in the US, barely reaching normal levels
• AZ: Late flu season wallops Arizona
• Medline Introduces Nation's First U.S. Antiviral Face Mask That Inactivates Flu Viruses
27 Monday Feb 2012
It was thought SARS had been fully contained, after all, the last case hadn't been seen since June 2003, but that opinion may be about to change.
Ming Chen with The Epoch Times reports that the Hong Kong Apple Daily newspaper says several hundred PLA soldiers have been hospitalized with high fevers, and "other SARS-like symptoms." The soldiers are allegedly being quarantined at a military hospital in Boading City and while officials are denying a SARS outbreak, Chinese Internet users are concerned this could be an attempted cover up, like the one tried last time in 2003.
The PLA 252 Hospital in Baoding reportedly has 300 soldier patients exhibiting SARS symptoms and so far at least two have died. The visit by the Apple Daily reporters to the hospital followed Internet leads that SARS had reappeared in Baoding and Dalian City in Liaoning Province.
A taxi driver in Baoding told The Epoch Times:
"I drive around town every day and I heard that the PLA 252 Hospital has many soldiers infected with SARS or a mutated SARS virus, and the hospital is under lockdown. Some people said that some villages are under lockdown too. Our government is always trying to cover the facts, so ordinary citizens can only rely on their own analysis and judgment."
The Epoch Times reported on the first SARS outbreak in 2003 when the Chinese media still denied the disease existed at all.
• Beijing: Infection cases 'not SARS' • Boading City, Hebei Province: The Hebei epidemic situation and the information are public
• Boading City, Hebei Province: A Suspected SARS Outbreak Has Hundreds Of Chinese Soldiers Quarantined
• Boading City, Hebei Province: China sends man to labor camp for SARS rumor
• Hong Kong: Flu alert issued after outbreak hits students
• Boading City, Hebei Province: Suspected SARS Outbreak: 300 Soldiers in Isolation in Hebei
(we need to keep a very close eye on this.-cottontop)
26 Sunday Feb 2012
Sat, Feb 25, 2012
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Thursday that there was no SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in China, despite unverified reports circulating on the Internet.
The Chinese health authorities have said that there is no SARS outbreak within its territory, CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw said on Thursday.
Many Chinese Internet users have voiced concern over a possible SARS pandemic in a military hospital in Hebei Province, -according to a newspaper.
Although the Chinese government has yet to officially deny the rumor, bloggers alleged that hundreds of patients have been hospitalized in isolation wards and at least one has died from the disease, the newspaper report said.
• Respiratory virus may have killed 11 seniors
• Chinese Netizens Claim SARS Has Returned, Blog posts say several have already died
• China confirms adenovirus outbreak: CDC
• SARS Rumour Update: East Wing of Hubei Baoding No.252 Hospital is Guarded by Army and Police
• Binchuan unknown "group with Fever etiology" has been confirmed the http://www.sdchina.com Source
• Variant of the SARS: Jingxian Hebei hospital blockades floors ● 100 people were isolated, deaths
• Avian influenza (H5N1) invades Egypt
• Egypt reports two cases of bird flu
• Influenza-like illness surveillance
• Budapest children's hospital "quarantined" due to spreading flu epidemic
• Influenza raging after late start
• Urban areas need better planning
• Bird Flu Grabs Life Of Boy In Bali
• Child Dies of Bird Flu in Bali
• Development of Bird Flu Cases
• Examination of Avian Influenza Contingency Negative Patients
• Flu vaccine may not be effective
• 67 students in Malacca school quarantined after showing ILI symptoms
New Zealand
• Emerging influenza viruses in animals still a threat to human health
United States
• MO: Flu Cases On the Rise Around Missouri
• OK: Flu Season Starting To Peak In Oklahoma
• OK: Vian Community Remembers Homecoming Queen Who Died Suddenly (Oklahoma)
• Health ministry rallies efforts to fight bird flu
• Lacking a new vaccine, Vietnam highly susceptible to bird flu pandemic
• HCMC to inspect poultry traders to tackle bird flu
• New plan developed to combat spread of bird flu
• Nam Dinh: H5N1 in domestic birds
• Human trials for bird flu vaccine successful
• Germ warfare: The creation of a lethal virus sparks a debate pitting science against security
• Bird flu 'more widespread than thought but less deadly'
• NewScientist: New doubt over H5N1 death rate – but risks still high
• Researchers identify new H5N1 subclade in India
• Bird Flu: More common, less deadly than we thought?
• WHO picks two new strains for next season's flu vaccine (2012-2013)
• Recombinomics: Diverse Ferret H5N1 Transmission Pathways
• Recombinomics: Similarities In CDC and Fouchier H5N1 Transmission Papers
• Recombinomics: 2011 Human H5N1 Sequence Cluster In Egypt
11 Saturday Feb 2012
The end of Febuary 2012, will signal the big move to our main website. I'm trying very hard to make it a one stop prepardness/world flu news website. FNN blog will remain but will be used for archives. Stay tuned for "Flu News Network goes live."
It's hard to believe it will be 4 years next month since I first experimented with a flu blog. Alot has changed since then, and this blog has undergone several changes, and anything growing will do. Im very proud of Flu News Network. You have continued to support this blog and I'm very thankful. I consider this blog a public health service and at such time, have felt the need to expand FNN's services to access more prepardness information while getting your world flu news. H5N1 is heating up to a point that I've never seen before in the 7 years I've been apart of the flu world. I'm not saying a pandemic is on it's way. A metor could hit before a pandemic does, but I don't like what I'm seeing.
The main goal of FNN has ALWAYS been to get people to prepare for emergency/disasters. If you are like me and have been through too many natural disasters, you understand the importance of being prepared. Since that horrible ice storm we had back in '98, (upstate new york and into Canada) I have been caught unprepared once. Let me tell ya folks, the terrible sick-to-the-stomach feeling knowing I was ill prepared to help my family be safe, fed and to keep them healthy during the crisis, was more than I could handle. I let my prepping lag, got sloppy with replacing items and had basically nothing. No power for two days, and I had one damn candle! Me! One candle! We had one gallon of water between us. My daughters were hungry. Why? Because I had no way to cook without the electric stove. Just hadn't gotten around to getting that camp stove I'd been meaning to get. UGH!! Needless to say that was a very miserable 2 days for my family and it wasn't necessary. I kicked myself for that and still do.
I hate to say that I have no sympathy for people who don't have at least a weeks worth of stock, but I don't. Everyone can afford a week or two of stock at no expense and no extra room really. One can get pretty creative at storing preps around the home and no one would ever know. It's not too late. Start with a basic two week stock and see how you feel then. I know you've heard FEMA and our GOV say three days worth of food and water. HA!! Really? How long do you think a disaster would last? How long do you think an emergency situation would last? (and that's not taking into considertion that they can't get the emergency resolved as quickly as they thought they could. See, plan ahead.)Or heavens, a pandemic? TWO WEEKS folks. That is an excellant starting point. Three days leaves no room for error on their part in an emergency situation. Natural disasters, as we all know, last a hellva lot longer than three days.
It's not too late to start a basic stock, but I wouldn't put it off much longer if your of the mind to do it. (that is my personal advice for what's it worth.)
I hope you will join me on FNN's new website, going live the end of Febuary. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Thanks for the continued support.
11 Saturday Feb 2012
The World Health Organization is to meet next week to determine whether scientists can publish research on a bird flu virus that may be easily passed among humans.
The two-day discussion will relate to research on a mutation of the H5N1 virus that international scientists halted on January the 20th citing fears of the devastation it could wreak were it to escape the laboratory.
The breakthrough raised alarm that the method could fall into the wrong hands and unleash a massive flu pandemic that could cost millions of lives.
Focus On H5N1 Transmission Changes
Recombinomics Commentary
Vietnam provided viruses to Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison while Ron Fouchier, of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, received his viruses from Indonesia.
The above comments from a Helen Branswell piece on the upcoming WHO meeting on the censorship of H5N1 experiments confirms what is widely known about the papers being redacted and delayed at Nature and Science. Earlier Fouchier had mentioned that he was collaborating with Indonesia, and Kawaoka has published extensively on using samples and cells from Vietnam and Indonesia in receptor binding studies, as well as generation of reasortants between H5N1 and H1N1pdm09.
These prior publications highlight the folly of the NSABB request to hide the data, which is largely known and readily tweaked by imagined "terrorists" planning on generating a useless transmissible H5N1. Most who have given the use of H5N1 as a bioweapon some thought know that it can't be controlled and would be a poor choice, although the recent attention generated by the ill conceived NSABB may create unwarranted interest in a transmissible H5N1.
A serious program would use scientists who were familiar with the scientific literature, which is clearly lacking on the NSABB board. In 2006 Kawaoka published a paper in Nature that identified two receptor binding domain changes (N186K and Q196R) which enhanced binding and synergized with S227N. The paper was high profile and summarized by editors at Nature and widely discussed in media reports, including a summary by Reuters, which cited use of samples from patients in Vietnam and Indonesia.
(Snip) the changes in the Nature paper were already signaled by H5N1 clusters due to clade 2.2 (Qinghai strain) in Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iraq. On October 22, 2005 a warning was issued on S227N, which could be created via recombination between clade 2.2 donor sequences pairing up with H9N2 sequences in the Middle East. At the time, there had been no confirmed clade 2.2 human cases. The first confirmed cases were announced in early 2006, and S227N was confirmed in the index case in Turkey. That case was part of a large cluster and virtually all confirmed cases in Turkey were found in clusters. Only four human sequences were published, and S227N was in 2 of the 4 (and strongly suspected in the other two since of the two without S227N was from the sister of the index case. The clusters in Turkey were followed by clusters in Azerbaijan and sequences from cases had N186K. Similarly additional clusters were found in Iraq, and sequences from those clusters had N186S and Q196R. Moreover, since all outbreaks were due to clade 2.2, all also had PB2 E627K.
(Snip) more than five years ago there were three receptor binding domain changes in H5N1 HA (Snip) as well as one change in PB2 (E627K), that would be likely candidates for the three changes Fouchier selected, which were enhanced by passage of the H5N1 through ferrets 10 times. (Snip) Kawaoka was well aware of these changes and are likely in the H5 from Vietnam that was placed on an H1N1pdm09 background to produce transmission in ferrets.
Thus, any serious H5N1 transmission program could easily replicate the detail being redacted or delayed at Nature and Science. Even if these four changes were not among the five changes identified in the Fouchier's Science paper, a serious program would quickly identify a combination, since it is now known that efficient transmission has been achieved by two groups using very different approaches, which in fact could be used in combination (H5 changes could be placed on an H1N1pdm09 background and then passed in ferrets). (Snip) transmission is remarkably easy and natural sequences can recombine to create a combination that will efficiently transmit.
Thus, the real emphasis should be on fine tuning the redacted and delayed results, as well as vaccination efforts that will limit the spread of natural (or weaponized/manipulated) H5N1.
• Flu season swamps CHEO
• No flu virus mutation detected
• Flu outbreak hits kindergarten
Coata Rica
• Costa Rica Facing Increase In "Flu" Cases
• Bird Flu Returns
• Bhubaneswar, Odisha: City dwellers stall culling operations
• Uttar Pradesh on bird flu alert
• H5N1 in crows – 4 outbreaks in 4 different states
• Bird Flu: Culling in eight wards
• Chandigarh: Northern region on bird flu alert
• Tamil Nadu: National meet to focus on avian flu
• Pigeons die after bird flu culling
• Kalahandi CDVO allays fears of bird flu
• Bird flu suspected in Meghalaya
• Outbreak of bird flu suspected in Shillong
• Victim Died of Bird Flu in a Newspaper Deliveryman RSHS
• Patient Suspect Bird Flu Will Be Buried Tomorrow in Ciburuy
• SA, Origin Regol Suspect Dies of Bird Flu
• Bandung: Suspect Bird Flu Patient Dies
• Bandung: Officials wait for lab to confirm West Java bird flu death
• Bandung: Mr. Bird Flu Cases in SA's Largest RSHS
• Suspect Bird Flu
• Bandung Poultry Negative for Bird Flu
• Peak influenza contagions estimated at 2. 8m
• Experts warn of influenza A outbreak in Norway
• Bird Flu Detected in Eastern Nepal
• Bird flu scare in Sunsari
• Administration prohibits chicken sell in Sunsari
• H1N1 'Swine' Flu Makes a Comeback in Mexico
• Bird Flu Virus, yet another challenge for the Punjab Government?
• Flu cases hit epidemic level
• Forty-two people killed by B-type flu: CDC
• Five new flu-related deaths confirmed
• Number of flu sick growing in Ukraine
United States
• CA: H1N1 virus breaks into Centinela State Prison
• No way of stopping leak of deadly new flu, says terror chief
• Alabama among flu states
• N.J. hospital treats 5 for H1N1 flu
• Bird flu prevention an urgent task
• New epidemics threaten South
• Recurrence of bird flu catches Vietnam off guard
• H5N1, not seasonal flu, targeted human pulmonary endothelial cells
• Doomsday flu decision time: The story so far
• Flu-like illness may be linked to hospitalization for febrile convulsions
• Nepal, Vietnam, and India find more H5N1 in poultry
• New Report Analyzes Mandatory Influenza Vaccination of the Health Care Workforce
• Consider closing schools during pandemic, study says
• Ethical Guidance for Pandemic Influenza
• Critics: Airborne Flu Research Important, But Not for Vaccine Purposes
• CIDRAP: Study shows summer circulation of low-path avian flu in California
• CIDRAP: Undetected H5N1 cases seem few, but questions persist
• Recombinomics: Focus On H5N1 Transmission Changes
22 Sunday Jan 2012
I'd like to thank History Lover and AlohaOr for putting this together. -cottontop
Recent cases of H5N1 occurring in people in several countries, including China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and Egypt.
Human H5N1 Cases Reported by WHO
(case onset from Sep 1, 2011)
# Location Age/
Gender Symptom Onset Death Notes
1 Egypt/ Gharbia 1M Sept 17 Recovered
2 Indonesia/ Bali 5F Sept 27 Oct 9 Family contact w/ Cases 3 & 4
3 Indonesia/ Bali 10M Sept 30 Oct 10 Family contact w/ Cases 2 & 4
4 Indonesia/ Bali 29F Oct 10 Oct 17 Family contact w/ Cases 2 & 3
5 Egypt/ Cairo 2F Oct 30 Recovered Treated on an outpatient basis
6 Egypt/ Dakahlia 31F Nov 10 Nov 29: In critical condition
7 Egypt/ Dakahlia Adult F Nov 26 Dec 3 24 weeks pregnant; family
contact w/ Cases 8 & 9
8 Egypt/ Dakahlia Child F Nov 26 Recovered Family contact w/ Cases 7 & 9
9 Egypt/ Dakahlia 29M Dec 8 Dec 19 Family contact w/ Cases 7 & 8
10 Egypt/ Menofia 42M Dec 16 Dec 22
11 China/ Guangdong 39M Dec 21 Dec 31 No reported poultry contact
12 Indonesia/ Jakarta 23M Dec 31 Jan 7 Family contact with Case 15
13 Egypt/ Fayium 31M Jan 1 Jan 19: In critical condition
14 Cambodia/
Banteay Meanchey 2M Jan 3 Jan 18
15 Indonesia/ Jakarta 5F Jan 7 Jan 16 Family contact with Case 12
16 Vietnam/ Kien Giang 18M Jan 10 Jan 16
22 Sunday Jan 2012
Researchers announce 60-day suspension to allow debate about security of their attempts to prevent spread of virus.
Scientists trying to prevent bird flu from killing millions of people have suspended their work because of fears they might accidentally cause the epidemic they hope to stop, according to a letter published on Friday in scientific journals. Researchers from around the world signed a letter in the Nature and Science journals in which they announced a 60-day suspension to allow a public debate about the security of their work. The letter comes after developments in the study of bird flu in which scientists have created a similar virus that can be passed between mammals.
Bird flu can only be caught by humans from birds such as chickens but it is usually lethal. Scientists fear that bird flu could mutate into a form that humans could catch from other humans. After the first world war, an influenza mutation (known as Spanish influenza) killed an estimated 40 million people.
Last year, the United States government asked scientific journals to restrict their coverage of the new developments in the study of bird flu out of fear that the information could be used by terrorists to create biological weapons.
Wendy Barclay, professor of influenza virology at Imperial College, London, one of the signatories of the letter, said the influenza research community was fully aware of the risks and benefits of their work.
"The idea of the 60-day pause is to allow time for everyone concerned, media, ethicists and scientists alike, to be involved in the debate," she said. "It is imperative that we do not react on impulse but weigh up the benefits this type of research can bring and review again the appropriate ways to control dangerous pathogens that we work with in the closed laboratory."
(Snip) Although research is carried out under high security, the possibility of human error, accident or a criminal act leading to an escape of the viruses is a constant concern.
• CIDRAP: Bangladesh reports 3 H5N1 outbreaks on poultry farms
• Bird flu Advice not to use poultry products
• Another H5N1 outbreak in poultry
• Ontario: First flu case reported in Northumberland
• Ontario: Two local babies catch flu
• Hong Kong: H5N1 in wild bird
• Danger! Relive the virus AH1N1 in Colombia
• WHO confirms 2 human H5N1 cases
• Infant dies of H1N1 flu
• Libyan baby dies of swine flu in Greece: ministry
• Bird flu under control: Meghalaya govt
• Bad weather stalls culling operations
• Kemenkes: Boy Dies Due to Bird Flu
• Jakarta: U.S. Positive Bird Flu Death
• Bird Flu Cases Spread Through Tanjung Priok Pigeon
• WHO reports human H5N1 case (Link)
• Indonesia Health Minister Suspects Bird Flu is Immune to Drug
• Mexico City: Two die of A(H1N1) swine flu in Mexico: official
• Nuevo Leon: Nine people with confirmed influenza virus A-H1N1
• Bird Flu: Let us not forget the Grim Reaper
• Flu threat expected to heighten as holiday nears
United States
• Flu Season May Strike Later This Year
• KY: Number Of Confirmed Flu Cases In Lexington Up To 37
• TX: Flu season gets under way in North Texas
• First U.S. Cell-Based Flu Vaccine Plant Awaits Pandemic
• MN: Fatal H1N1 case involved rare combination of mutations (CIDRAP)
• Vietnamese officials record bird flu death
• Bird flu kills 2 in Cambodia, Vietnam
• Vietnam, Cambodia report bird flu deaths
• Bird Flu Kills Vietnamese Youth
• After Cambodia, Bird Flu Also Grabbed a Life in Vietnam
• WHO confirms fatal human H5N1 case
• Officials fear spread of meningitis, bird flu
• Bird flu virus kills teen farmer in Vietnam
• More labs close to deadly bird flu mutations: researcher
• New bird flu deaths, as influenza research debate continues
• H5N1 virus targets pulmonary endothelial cells
• Bird flu research halted to ensure safety of experiments
• Recombinomics: H5N1 Clade 22.214.171.124 Migrates Into South Asia
• Recombinomics: H5N1 Fatal Cluster In Tanjung Priok North Jakarta Indonesia
• Recombinomics: Published H5N1 One Change From Efficient Transmission
• Recombinomics: Indonesia Confirms H5N1 Cluster In North Jakarta
• H5N1 Transmission Experiment Halt – Censorship Continues
16 Monday Jan 2012
A reminder, American Fever goes on sale today in book and ebook.
I recieved an advanced copy and have just finished it. It truely is sobering, raw, packed with studies, survival related information with the hyperlinks, and a great love story. American Fever is a very realsitic look at life during a flu pandemic of epic porportion through the eyes of a flu blogger.
It has shaken me on a personal level.