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With the current 'generation's' opportunity to reform the US health insurance regime now nearly consummated -- and on a not altogether unsuccessful note at that -- perhaps it will not be inapposite to propose another 'let's get it right' resolution for the year ahead. My candidate this year will be this lofty hope: How about we make 2010 the year in which, among other things (like getting serious about green-friendly energy and ending needless human and other animal suffering), we finally get both our domestic and the international financial systems and their regulation right? This, at any rate, will be one thing to which I for one will be devoting a fair portion of energy -- as, unless I miss my guess, will be Neil and perhaps even our own polymathic Mike!
There will of course be a great many things to be done, and hence recommended, along these lines; and there will be the same danger of 'moderate'-mollifying half-measures' being settled for here as we've found at work in the health insurance reform efforts. And so DoL readers can expect, I think, a good variety of posts on this large subject in the months ahead. Since the new year is nearly upon us, however, and DoL readers will have better things to do in the next day or so than to read another long boring post from me, I shall close this post with a brief on-point anecdote and associated 'declaration.'
Earlier this month, I presented a paper at an interesting Yale conference hosted by Thomas Pogge, formerly at Columbia with such as Mike and now at Y's Philosophy Department. Although the occasion was now several weeks ago, I find that I'm still marvelling at how very inspiring this conference was. It brought together lawyers, economists, and philosophers not only from the academy, but also from such influential global institutions as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and from such NGOs, 'civil society' organizations, and faith groups as Global Financial Integrity, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Soros Foundation, the National Council of Churches, Oxfam, and many others.
What was perhaps most profoundly encouraging about this conference was how so many morally committed and energetic people, from so many varied backgrounds and affiliations, were able in a spirit of fraternal concern and committed collaboration to grapple with a very real, very urgent, yet very much 'off the radar' global problem: That is the role played by 'offshore' financial secrecy, money-laundering, tax-dodging 'transfer pricing' schemes, and like practices in hampering sustainable, equitably shared development in many still undeveloped nations, locking the global poor into enduring penury.
Also eye-opening at this conference were a multitude of shocking reports that emerged of the brutal, dehumanizing ways in which laborers, often imported into many of these havens under false pretenses, are treated. And this is not even to mention, though perhaps it is to presuppose, the regard in which these same folk -- many from such places as the Philippines and Bangladesh -- are held by the wealthier 'tax refugees' who reside in the penthouses of these Vegas-like 'outlaw jurisdictions.' For the imported laborers appear to be viewed and routinely described, as well as treated, as less than human by those who import them.
I accordingly think that all lawyers of good will with an interest in financial regulation and tax policy (yep, lawyers like Neil!) might find the subject of this conference a very ripe field in which dramatic improvements in the lives of our innocent fellow human beings worldwide might be made -- if only we will continue to notice.
On that note, then, let me close this post and welcome the new year with the 'New Haven Declaration' upon which all attendees agreed at the close of our conference earlier this month, a declaration upon which we shall be following-up with more action:
New Haven Declaration on Human Rights and Financial Integrity
Human rights and international financial integrity are intimately linked. Where poverty is pervasive, civil, political, and economic rights often go unrealized. Today, large outflows of illicit money -- many times larger than all development assistance -- greatly aggravate poverty and oppression in many developing countries.
Illicit money leaves poorer countries through a global shadow financial system comprising tax havens, secrecy jurisdictions, disguised corporations, anonymous trust accounts, fake foundations, trade mispricing, and money-laundering techniques. Much of this money is permanently shifted into western economies.
Reducing these illicit outflows requires greater transparency and integrity in the global financial system. Achieving this is a prerequisite to creating an economic framework that is open, accountable, fair, and beneficial for all.
We call upon the United Nations, the G8, G20, WTO, IMF, World Bank, and other international fora, as well as on national governments, world leaders, faith groups and civil society organizations to recognize the linkage between human rights and financial transparency. We further call for decisive steps to ensure that developing countries can retain their resources for sustainable growth and poverty alleviation, which they must achieve if the human rights of all people are to be realized.
The undersigned individuals and organizations shall be working together in the coming months to pursue this agenda and look to add additional voices to this effort.
Happy New Year to all!


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WWN has confirmed that Tupc, the REAL Tupac not the hologram, will be touring 65 cities in the U.S. this fall!
Many people were amazed at the Tupac hologram, who performed at Coachella a few weeks ago. But in an exclusive interview, sources close to Tupac say that it wasn't a hologram…. Tupac is still alive!
He is calling his 2012 tour… The Resurrection Tour!
"Tupac never died. He was playing everybody," said a source close to Tupac. "And that wasn't no hologram. That was Tupac for real. We just used some magic to make it look like it was a hologram.
Tupac is arguably the greatest rap star of all times and fans are already lining up to get tickets. The tour will kick off in Madison Square Garden in September and end in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve.
Dr. Dre has confirmed that he will join Tupac on the Resurrection Tour. Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Drake will also join the tour.
"Everybody loves Tupac. This is going to be the greatest tour of all time. No doubt," an insider close to Dr. Dre said. I
Tupac performed renditions of "Hail Mary" and "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" at Coachella… but sources say that Tupac is going to tour with – all new material!
"Tupac has been busy working on what we all think is the greatest record made by anybody. When this drops, well you can forget about Elvis, The Beatles, Madonna, The Stones, and all the rappers… this will be THE album on the millennium."
Tour organizers plan on announcing details of the Tupac 2012 Resurrection Tour in New York City on May 15th.
Get ready to make good… out of the dirty, nasty!

subset: commoncrawl


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Bottled water is no longer welcome in San Francisco!
The City by the Bay earlier this week scored yet another environmental first when legislators there unanimously voted to end the sale and distribution of plastic bottled water on municipal property—a move that will bring the city nearer its goal of diverting all its waste from landfill or incineration by 2020.
The sales ban takes San Francisco a step beyond former Mayor Gavin Newsom's 2007 executive order forbidding it to purchase bottled water with city funds. While six states and at least 140 other American cities, such as Seattle, have also officially stopped buying bottled water with municipal money, San Francisco is the first major city to prohibit vendors on its property from selling the item.
The city estimates that San Franciscans alone send tens of millions of single-serving plastic water bottles to recycling or landfills every year. More than 75 percent of the 50 billion plastic bottles of water consumed by Americans each year—167 per person—are not recycled,according to journalist Charles Fishman.
"Given that San Franciscans can access clean and inexpensive water out of our taps, we need to wean ourselves out of our addiction to plastic water bottles," said David Chiu, the county supervisor who introduced the ordinance. "The bottled water industry spends millions of dollars to undermine the public's faith in tap water," said Lauren DeRusha, an organizer with Corporate Accountability International, whose organization worked with San Francisco on the legislation as part of a national campaign to protect public water systems.
The legislation—which applies to bottles 21 ounces or smaller—will become official if signed by Mayor Ed Lee later this month and will be applied only to new leases and permits granted by the city. Exceptions will be made for events in areas with restricted access to public water until October 2016. Footraces and public sporting events will always be exempt, as will special circumstances where public health and safety are of concern."
The development in San Francisco is part of a growing movement to ban the bottle. Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Vermont have prohibited use of public money to buy single-use plastic bottled water. In January 2013, the town of Concord, Mass., stopped sales of any plastic bottled water 34 ounces or smaller within city limits. Dozens of colleges and universities have rid themselves of the bottles in their stores and vending machines. And U.S. national parks, such as Mount Rainier in Washington state, are getting in on the cause as well. Fourteen have already enacted a ban, says DeRusha, who is working on a national effort with Corporate Accountability International. Not surprisingly, an industry group expressed opposition to the San Francisco ordinance."Water is good for you, and people should be able to choose how they drink it—whether from a tap, a fountain, or recyclable container," the American Beverage Association expressed in a statement.By Kristine Wong | Takepart.com March 7, 2014
Source: takepart.com
Categories: The Good News


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Saudi Arabia is considered one of the most conservative countries in the world, especially in regard to the status of women. Saudi Arabia is an extreme Islamic country where its legal code is based on Shari'a Law. They therefore believe that there is no separation between church and state and the state's laws are heavily based on Islamic teachings. Because of this strict Islamic culture, women in Saudi Arabia are treated and acknowledged very differently than the women who live in the west. For example, in Saudi Arabia, there are laws that require women to wear a hijab, a head scarf, as well as dress in loose, long garments that do not show the shape of the woman's body. To do so would be shameful and secular. There are other laws such as this one that are meant to protect the virtue of women in Saudi Arabia.
Knowing this about Saudi Arabia, I had assumed that women there would be relatively safe since there are such strict laws regarding the protection of a woman's virtue. I assumed incorrectly when I was studying a WomanStats map that displayed the rape scale of each country in the world. On a scale from one to five, Saudi Arabia had a ranking of a four. I was confused by this since, as briefly described above, Saudi Arabia is considered one of the most conservative countries in the world where women are highly secluded. I would have thought these practices and laws would have decreased the rape rate substantially.
The question I pose then is this, why does Saudi Arabia, one of the most conservative countries in the world have one of the highest rape scales in the world?
While there are many interconnecting reasons why rape occurs so often in Saudi Arabia, I have chosen four possible causes to narrow down the research for this project. The four causes I have chosen are one, a secular society, two, insufficient laws, three, taboos against reporting rape and four, an ineffective judicial system.
Secular Society
The first cause, a secular society, was quickly dismissed because as was mentioned in the introduction, Saudi Arabia is considered one of the most conservative countries in the world. The society of Saudi Arabia is especially conservative when it comes to women. For example, it is illegal for women to drive or intermingle in public with males that are not related to them. It is also illegal for a woman to go out in public without a male-escort who is related to her as well as go out in public without wearing her hijab (WomanStats). Violence or legal prosecution usually ensues if any of these are broken. To further illustrate this point, the following maps show how strict Saudi Arabia is in regard to dress code and intermingling in public laws compared to the rest of the Middle East, a very conservative region itself.
It is clear from these maps that Saudi Arabia has one of the strictest dress codes and intermingling laws in the Middle East which is the most conservative region in the world. Based on these findings, one would sense that these women are highly secluded from society and thereby would be more protected from instances of rape and other forms of violence. On the other hand, one may argue that because women are treated so differently, they could be seen as inferior and thus suffer more abuse because of the lack of secularism.
Insufficient Laws Against Rape
The next probable cause studied was the possibility of insufficient laws against rape in Saudi Arabia. Since there were reported convictions of rapists, it can be assumed that there are laws against rape. Also, Saudi Arabia's legal code is based on the Shari'a law, which criminalizes rape as punishable by death. However, spousal rape is not included in this criminalization according to Shari'a law. Although these laws exist against rapists, the actual conviction process is complicated and nearly impossible. In order for a perpetrator to be convicted he or she must confess or there must be four witnesses of the act (FreedomHouse). Usually in these certain circumstances, there are only two witnesses present, the perpetrator and the victim. Since it would be hard for a victim to find four witnesses, it is very unlikely that a perpetrator would admit to such a heinous act that he or she could very well get away with. Another example of the insufficient laws against rape is that foreign female domestic workers, which consists of 1.5 million of foreign nationals, receive no protection from the labor laws and are more prone to be victims of abuse. Based on this research, it can be concluded that while there are laws against rape, the actual conviction of rapists is very rare. This could be a plausible cause of the high rape scale since the punishment of such an act hardly occurs.
Taboos Against Reporting Rape
The third possible cause of a high rape scale in Saudi Arabia is the taboos against reporting rape. There are many social stigmas that scare women away from reporting a rape to the police. One social stigma is that in many instances, the law enforcer will accuse the woman of having illicit sex instead of accusing the man of the crime (FreedomHouse). As a consequence of this accusation, societal reprisals take place such as a woman being seen as unfit for marriage or even violently punished for bringing shame to the family. In some extreme cases, honor killings have been committed against women who have been raped (Zoepf). One may wonder why these crimes take place if the laws in Saudi Arabia are supposedly meant to protect women. There is another cultural stigma that plays a role here. In Islamic society, a family's honor, particularly the male family member's honor is based on the purity and virtue of the women in their family. If a woman in the family becomes "violated" either by choice or by force, the family's honor is seemingly stripped from them. It is not so much about the concern over the woman but over the honor of the men. Because of this engrained belief, already victimized women are sometimes further victimized by their own family members. This causes great fear among the women in these types of societies and if one is raped, it is very unlikely that she will report it based on the potential ensuing consequences.
Ineffective Judicial System
The last possible cause studied was an ineffective judicial system. As was mentioned before, Saudi Arabia's legal code is based on the Shari's law, an extreme version of the Islamic code. Because of this, women are not given the same rights as men, especially when it comes to the courts. For example, in most cases, women are unable to speak for themselves in court. They must be represented by a male-relative or lawyer. It is considered shameful for a woman to speak to the sheik or judge and is only sometime allowed to do so if her face is covered (WomanStats). Because of this, if a woman is raped, and a man's honor is based on her virtue, what male relative would want to shed further light on the subject by representing her? Also a man's testimony is worth two women's testimonies. So if a woman had four witnesses to testify against the perpetrator, if some of them were women, the number of females would have to be doubled for the accusation to be considered.
Another clause of the judicial system is that most clerics were taught in Wahhabi schools where extreme Islam is taught extensively. Because of this, most clerics demand the seclusion of women and often hold an unforgiving attitude toward accusations of violence against men (WomanStats). A Saudi Arabian attorney even said, "Unfortunately, judges consider women to be lacking in reason and faith, so generally do not agree with her arguments" (HumanRights).
The following stories illustrate the point explained above. The first is about a young girl who was being molested by her father. She went to the courts to file a complaint. The law enforcers did not believe her and told her, her father needed to come in to file the complaint (Economist). The obvious ignorance need not be explained in this situation. The next story tells of a nineteen year-old woman who met a man not related to her in a car. They were both kidnapped by a gang and she was then gang-raped fourteen times. Seven men of the gang were convicted and were sentenced to prison ranging from one to five years. This was a light conviction given they could have received the death penalty according to the law. The woman was also convicted to six months of prison as well as ninety lashes for being associating with a male who was not related to her in public (Harrison). The woman was later pardoned by the King of Saudi Arabia, not because he disagreed with the punishment but because he was being merciful and thought it was best for the whole of the country, not to mention international relations with countries that were in an absolute uproar over the ordeal (Zoepf).
Based on my research I propose that the main perpetrator of the high rape-scale in Saudi Arabia is the lack of conviction of rapists due to the taboos against reporting rape and the ineffective judicial system. If perpetrators are not being punished then there is little incentive to not rape woman if that is the desire. To illustrate how low the conviction rate actually is, in 2002, there were 59 reported rapes out of a population of 26,534,504 (WomanStats) The perpetrators are getting away with a heinous crime and the Saudi Arabian government must pass more effective legislation that enables law enforcers to convict those criminals. The social stigmas will be very difficult to overcome regarding seeing a woman unfit for marriage or taking away the family's honor because of being raped. However, if women continue to speak up about the issues they face, solutions will come, just as they have in other parts of the world. Also international pressure must always be present to give those women courage to stand up.
—By TS
Double indemnity a bizarre application of the law. (2007, Novem 22). The Economist, Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/10191773
Eleanor Abdella Doumato, Rowman & Littlefield. (2012, April 4). Freedom House, Saudi Arabia Freedom House Report. Retrieved from http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/inline_images/Saudi%20Arabia.p df
Harrison, F. (2007, Novemeber 15). Saudi Gang-Rape Victim is Jailed. BBC. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7096814.stm
Womanstats project. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://womanstats.org/CodebookCurrent.htm
United States Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights- Saudi Arabia, 2007
Zoepf, K. (2007, Decem 18). Saudi king pardons rape victim sentenced to be lashed, saudi paper reports.The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/world/middleeast/18saudi.html


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Taming the Paper Monster
- Marcia Washburn Home School Enrichment
- 2009 1 Dec
A few of you are old enough to remember when personal computers were introduced and the manufacturers grandly announced that we were soon going to be a paperless society. Whoever made that prediction had obviously never run a homeschooling household.
As homeschoolers, we accumulate more kinds of paper than Grandma knew existed. And if your house is like mine, the piles threaten to overwhelm us. School assignments, art projects, household papers, mail, clippings to file for use sometime in the future—they all pile up at an astonishing rate. Here are some strategies to tame the Paper Monster that huffs and puffs his way into your house.
School Papers
First, decide what to do with all of those wonderful math and handwriting papers your children produce every day. Most states do not require you to keep every paper and project your child does for school (what a relief!). A file folder or tote box for each child will corral those papers you do decide to keep. Sort through the box quarterly to see what is really important and trash the rest. Explain to your children that those are just practice papers and that you'll only be keeping copies of their very best work. We use the same principle in other areas: we don't record the child's daily piano practice, but we may videotape a recital.
Art Projects
What about art projects? A rotating refrigerator exhibit works for many families. When it's time to remove a picture or painting, the child decides whether to discard it, give it away, or keep it in his own Memory Box. This is a file box kept in the child's room; he keeps papers, souvenirs, etc. in it. When it is full, he must either stop adding to it or sort out the items no longer important to him. Whenever possible, design your art lessons around something that can eventually be given to a loving friend, neighbor, or relative.
Organizing Research Files
Homeschool moms are always on the lookout for great teaching ideas. Over the years I collected hundreds of magazine articles, pictures, and other teaching materials to supplement my children's regular curriculum. My files were chaotic until I started filing according to school subjects.
At first, I labeled file folders for each subject area: science, history, music, and so forth. Eventually, I needed to develop subcategories in each area, for example, Science—Meteorology, Science—Zoology, and Science—Human Body. History files are in chronological order, for example, History—Greeks and Romans or History—U.S. Colonial. Other file headings include Holidays—Fall; Language Arts—Spelling; Music—Composers; Homeschooling—Catalogs; and Homeschooling—Legal Issues. When first starting, you may not need such detailed file names, but it is helpful to have a plan for expanding when you need to. Start with just a subject heading, such as Math; then detail it as needed. An older child may get valuable experience as he helps you set up a filing system.
Let the best quality filing cabinets you can afford. Drawers are heavy when full; suspension rollers save you lots of aggravation and are easier for students to handle. Legal-size drawers are nice. You have a few extra inches along the sides for extra-long items, notebooks, or flashcards. If hanging files are not built into the drawers, purchase a metal frame set. Hanging files hold more than traditional manila file folders, they don't slide down in the drawer, and they glide easily along on the side rails, making filing a pleasure—almost! If you are schooling in the family room, a nice filing cabinet could hold all of your textbooks and teaching materials when you finish for the day.
Make a rule for yourself to only save papers you will actually take time to process or file—no "To Be Filed" piles allowed! (I still struggle with this one). It doesn't take any longer to file an item immediately than to file it later. Actually, you'll save time by not having to guess how many inches down in the "To Be Filed" box you might find a missing resource. Self-discipline pays for teachers as well as students. Trust me on this.
Periodically, leaf through your files. Not only will you find items to dispose of, but you'll also find resources you forgot you had. These newly found treasures will spark creative ideas for future lessons.
Use a small recipe box of index cards for short ideas, quotations, games, field trip ideas, etc. One card may list items loaned to others. Another may list locations of seldom-used materials. This card saves much searching. Use it for household items as well as school stuff. Or set up a similar system on your computer. Keep reminding yourself that you don't always need to save the clipping or article; if you only need a Web site address or a few sentences from the page, type the necessary information into a computer file and discard the hard copy.
Household Papers
What about household (non-school) papers? Avoid using little scraps of paper and sticky notes for important messages. Place a stenographer's notebook or clipboard next to the phone (with pen attached!); teach your family to check the message notebook each time they come home. You may want to invest in a notebook specifically designed for taking messages at an office; it has carbonless paper, which automatically gives you a permanent copy of the message but allows the recipient to tear off the message without taking the whole notebook with him.
Just as important as a message notebook is using a personal planner. Not only will it reduce paper clutter, but it will ease mind clutter as well. Don't you hate it when you have that niggling feeling that you're forgetting something important? A planner makes those thoughts go "bye-bye." This may be a traditional notebook planner or an electronic planner such as a PDA. My children call my planner "Mom's Brain." Don't leave home without it.
Some quick ideas for dealing with mail (junk and otherwise): Process mail once daily. Sit next to a trashcan. Open all letters and bills, discarding all unneeded inserts and outer envelopes as you go. Place the mail in a folder or large envelope until you are ready to answer the letters and pay the bills (are we ever ready for that?).
Place magazines and catalogs in a reading basket. As you look through them, tear out pages to keep. I keep a file folder of just the catalog pages that interest me (with expiration dates) so I can compare them when I'm ready to order. Trash the parts of the catalogs and magazines you have no use for. If you are keeping the entire magazine, consider purchasing vertical magazine holders from an office supply store.
Final Thoughts
If your paperwork is truly out of control, choose one small area to tackle at a time. Perhaps you will start by establishing a mail-handling routine or using Memory Boxes for your children. Maybe you will implement a central message center or personal planner first. Whatever you choose will diminish the Paper Monster's power to control your life. Chase that interloper out of your home, and you'll have the freedom to go about your daily tasks without dodging piles of papers. Charge!
*This article published December 1, 2009.
Copyright 2009 by Marcia K. Washburn. Visit www.marciawashburn.com for more articles and to receive her free newsletter. Also check out her blog at www.HSEblogs.com/marcia
Originally published in Home School Enrichment Magazine. Now, get a FREE subscription to HSE Digital by visiting www.HSEmagazine.com/digital Every issue is packed with homeschool encouragement, help, and information. Get immediate access to the current issue when you start your FREE subscription today!


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The UPS Store
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Located in The UPS Store


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by John R.W. Stott
The Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5-7] is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed. It is the nearest thing to a manifesto that he ever uttered. To my mind no two words sum up its intention better, or indicate more clearly its challenge to the modern world, than the expression 'Christian counter-culture.' … For insofar as the church is conformed to the world, and the two communities appear to the onlooker to be merely two versions of the same thing, the church is contradicting its true identity. No comment could be more hurtful to the Christian than the words, 'But you are no different from anybody else.' … Thus the followers of Jesus are to be different – different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, life-style and network of relationships – all of which are totally at variance with those of the non-Christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under the divine rule.
~ The Message of the Sermon on the Mount
Filed under: Community, Discipleship | Tagged: Community, Discipleship, Discipline, Stott | Leave a comment »


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(Para leer la versión en español ir a Noticias Relacionadas).
In a major crisis, our first impulse is to address people's immediate needs. With the Haiti and Chile earthquakes, that meant providing food and shelter to the victims. In the case of the recent economic recession, the government stepped in by extending unemployment insurance, providing COBRA subsidies and promoting mortgage refinancing guidelines, among many other programs.
Once the dust settles on pressing concerns, a more long-range approach kicks in – we step back and ask questions like, "How did we arrive at this state?" and "How can we all keep from making the same mistakes again?"
Part of the solution is to strengthen our financial education programs so that today's children and teenagers are better equipped to manage their own finances and avoid the mistakes of their parents. Many studies have shown that young adults display much lower financial literacy than older generations.
Neal Wolin, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, notes, "The government is moving forward with financial reform and strong protection for consumers, but we must also do a better job of making sure our high school students graduate with a better understanding of basic economics, basic finance and the benefits and risks associated with debt."
In that spirit, the Departments of Treasury and Education jointly launched the National Financial Capability Challenge, a nationwide award program aimed at increasing the financial knowledge and capability of high school-aged students. The Challenge inspires students to take control of their financial future by learning more about personal finances and challenges teachers and schools to incorporate important financial information into their curricula.
Across the country, thousands of teachers, schools, home-school parents, youth group leaders and others were recruited to enroll and prepare their students for the program. Educators were provided with a free educational toolkit to supplement other materials they may already use.
The Challenge, which wraps up in April, culminates in a voluntary, 30-minute online exam. The top two scorers at each school, as well as all students who score in the top 20 percent, will receive personalized award certificates. Educators from schools and states with the highest participation rates also will be recognized. "We're very pleased by the favorable response we've received, and eagerly await the final exam results," says Wolin.
Numerous other government- and private sector-sponsored financial literacy initiatives are also underway. For example, on April 19 the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Visa Inc. are co-hosting the fourth annual Financial Literacy and Education Summit whose theme is "Advancing Financial Stability and Responsibility."
The program features leading financial literacy experts who will address key issues in the fields of education and personal finance, such as how we can improve our collective economic health and how to bolster our shared commitment to global financial education. Among the many experts speaking at the Summit will be Wolin's Treasury colleague Michelle Greene, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Education and Financial Access. To register to watch the free live Summit broadcast and stay informed about event details, visit www.practicalmoneyskills.com/summit2010.
Take advantage of the wealth of financial education tools available so you – and your kids – can better weather the next financial storm.


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[Editor's note: YouTube video of comedian and now Senator Al Franken doing a slick parlor trick at the Minnesota State Fair. Harder than it looks 😉 Thanks Todd!]
Republished from Minnesota Public Radio via YouTube. Sept. 4, 2009.
Senator Al Franken draws a map of all 50 states from memory during an appearance on Minnesota Public Radio's Midday at the Minnesota State Fair last week.


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Samsung Electronics forecast strong growth in revenue and profit in the third quarter as the company rolled out new models of its smartphones and tablets, including products for emerging markets.
The South Korean maker of the Galaxy smartphones and tablets said Friday that its third-quarter sales increased 13 percent to 59 trillion won ($55 billion).
Operating income also grew by 25.3 percent to 10.1 trillion won, Samsung said in a stock exchange filing. The company does not provide information for net income in the earnings guidance.
Samsung is targeting smartphones at various segments of the market at many price points giving it the lead in large emerging markets like China and India.
It launched last month at the IFA electronics show in Berlin the Galaxy Gear, a watch that will allow users to see details of some messages received by the phone, answer and place calls, run a number of apps written for the device and take pictures with an internal camera. The device is paired with Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 smartphone.
The company was ranked as the eighth most valued brand this year, according to a report released this week by brand consultancy Interbrand.( The company saw its brand value go up 20 percent to $39.6 billion, as the brand continues to strengthen its position globally, spending more than $4 billion in marketing last year, and launching innovative products such as the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note II, according to Interbrand. Rival Apple was ranked number one in brand value, outstripping Coca-Cola for the first time.
Samsung reported in July that its operating profit reached 9.53 trillion won on revenue of 57.46 trillion won. Net profit for the quarter was 7.8 trillion won. During that quarter the company had a 33 percent share of the smartphone market to 13.6 percent for Apple's iPhone. It trailed Apple in tablets in the second quarter of 2013, with a 18 percent share of the market to Apple's 32 percent.
Smaller rival HTC on Friday swung to a net loss of NT$2.97 billion ($101 million) on revenue of NT$47 billion in the third quarter. The performance of the Taiwanese company, which had posted a profit in the previous quarter, reflects stiff competition in the mobile market both from larger players like Samsung and small players in China.


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EWC announces Sherbeyn as new volleyball coach
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 • 7:58 am
Eastern Wyoming College has announced that Julie Sherbeyn has been hired as the new EWC women's volleyball coach. She replaces Coach Verl Petsch who is retiring after 40 years at the helm.
Sherbeyn has over nineteen years of coaching experience with various organizations, including the last five years as head coach at Illinois Valley Community College. She has success recruiting athletes for NJCAA competition and helped many further their athletic careers at NCAA and NAIA colleges throughout the country. Coach Sherbeyn's teams have finished the last two seasons with 20+ wins in region IV competition. Her athletes are also successful in the classroom with the team having an accumulative grade point average of 3.23.
"My family and I are very excited to become a part of the Lancer community, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of upholding the rich tradition of Eastern volleyball. I'm currently recruiting for the upcoming season to complement Coach Petsch's talented returning sophomores, and am anxious to begin work preparing our Lady Lancers for the future," shared Sherbeyn.
She has also worked as the director of the Illinois Valley Volley Power club, working with the most talented volleyball athletes in the region. This involvement has allowed for the recruitment of top regional players for the IVCC program.
Sherbeyn can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Comments are closed.Tags: coach, Julie Sherbeyn, volleyball


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Nothing but the best: HOCK uses only certified, sustainably grown wood, which is mechanically processed and then treated with natural vegetable oils.
We exclusively use grade 303 stainless steel as its composition is 100% pure and non-reactive, and it refracts the light beautifully.
We use special anodized aluminium alloy that is extremely robust and yet ultra-lightweight, and leather that is either vegetable-tanned or antibacterial-coated.


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Video gaming's best known funny men are back together again under one roof, having a "hell of a lot of fun," making jokes and, perhaps, even developing a game or two.
Ron Gilbert, known best for his work on the first two Monkey Island games, Maniac Mansion and this summer's DeathSpank, officially started work at Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions last week, though Gilbert says he's still not getting paid.
Interviewing the two is like falling helplessly into a comedy skit as the straight man; every question becomes a launch pad for a routine, every answer needs to be verified with a "This isn't a joke, right?"
Take, for instance, when I asked Gilbert what his new title will be.
Straight man: "What's your new title there?"
Gilbert: "We haven't really talked about that. I'm the boss of Tim."
Schafer: "He's the official Ron Gilbert. Though he started out as vice Ron Gilbert, we want to make sure he works out."
Gilbert: "Yeah, I'd like to be executive vice Ron Gilbert one day."
Schafer: "Yes, eventually maybe director of Ron Gilbert."
The last time Gilbert and Schafer worked together at the same studio was back at Lucas Arts when the two, with David Grossman, created the beloved, pirate-themed adventure game The Secret of Monkey Island in 1990. The two also worked on Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge together. And a bit on Day of the Tentacle together.
While it's been nearly two decades since they've officially worked in the same studio, they've stayed in touch. Schafer even let Gilbert work out of Double Fine's offices over the years.
"I'm really horrible working at home because all I do is other things rather than work," Gilbert said. "Being able to come into an office and be surrounded by other people helps."
That's what led to the job offer, Gilbert said.
"For the last couple of months Tim has been loaning me his desk here, as he has in the past," Gilbert said. "We have just been talking about different ideas I've had for games, kinda going back and forth like we do, and then Tim suggested, 'Hey why don't you come here and build this thing.'
"It kind of sounded like a good idea."
Schafer said the timing was right for Double Fine because, unlike in years past, they studio isn't working on one single, all-consuming game, but rather four smaller projects.
Schafer said the current plan is for Double Fine to always be working on about four games, rotating in new ones as they finish up the latest project.
With THQ-published Costume Quest nearly complete and preparing to ship, there was space for a new game; Gilbert's new game.
What is it?
They won't say.
But that's not surprising, we don't know much about the three other games Double Fine is working on either. We know the next one will be published by THQ as well, but know nothing at all about the remaining three.
"Except for that they're awesome," Schafer corrects.
Gilbert says the game will be an entirely new concept, not a sequel or remake of an existing game.
"It's an idea that I've been batting around for many, many years," he said. "I've been talking to Tim over the last couple of months about it and it sort of percolated back up. It's very different than DeathSpank, it's a bit of a departure from that. It's going in a very interesting direction.
"Fans of those old adventure games will like it."
And, Gilbert promises, it will have the trademarks of his game design: It will be funny and it will have a very confusing ending.
While Gilbert declined to say if the game he is working on is an adventure game, he did launch into a strong defense of the fading genre and its future.
"One of the things exciting for me about this industry and where it's going is that it is becoming a little broader," he said. "You're not just dealing with this hardcore gamer who drives 99 percent of games now. That has opened up a lot of different genres.
"The old adventure games are something that could come back. The Monkey Island stuff did very well on the iPad and the rerelease on XBLA. I think there are a lot of people who really do enjoy that kind of game. I think they really could come back.
"That's not saying I'm making an adventure game."
Gilbert says he's never really left adventure games behind. Take, for instance, DeathSpank. His most recent title is a role-playing game with a lot of action, but, Gilbert points out, there are a lot of adventure game elements spread through it.
"I don't think I could ever leave that behind," he said.
Schafer said elements of adventure games are in everything that he and Gilbert have done.
"We care about characters and story and humor and we care about unique art style," he said. "I think those are things from the old adventure games that will be part of this, whatever it is."
Schafer said the new game will be all Gilbert's, but that he is part of the brainstorming.
"We're already brainstorming about it together," Schafer said. "I expect to be brainstorming a lot with Ron and helping to put the team together."
"The key to making really great games is having a hell of a lot of fun when you're making them," Gilbert added. "Tim and I always have a hell of a lot of fun when we're together, so I have high hopes."
Gilbert spent the last couple of months tightening up the design for the game and that Double Fine will be pitching it to publishers in the next couple of weeks.
The two declined to say who they would be approaching for the game. Do you know, I asked, in what order you will be approaching publishers? For instance, will you be going to THQ first since they are already publishing two of your games?
"I can't say who we will go to first," Schafer said. "I can say I try to go to the people who sued us last.
"But that's more of a superstition I have."


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Table of Contents:
European dimension in sport
Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about European dimension in sport
These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.
Education training youth sport > Sport
European dimension in sport
Document or Iniciative
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 18 January 2011 – Developing the European Dimension in Sport [COM(2011) 12 final – Not published in the Official Journal].
Building on the achievements of the White Paper on sport, this communication presents issues under the same three broad thematic areas that are to be addressed at the European Union (EU) level. Actions at this level aim at providing added value by supporting and complementing EU countries' actions in the field of sport.
The societal role of sport
Sport can make a positive contribution to European growth, employability of citizens and social cohesion, while limiting health expenditure. However, sport continues to face threats related to doping, violence and intolerance, against which action must be taken to protect athletes and citizens.
The use of doping substances poses serious public health hazards, thus necessitating the stepping up of the fight against doping. Stakeholders have called for the EU to join the Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention, to which end the Commission will propose a draft mandate for negotiating the EU's accession. It is also essential to reinforce the measures preventing organised networks' trade in doping substances. The Commission will examine ways to reinforce such measures, including through the introduction of criminal law provisions. The Commission already supports several organisations that play an important role in the fight against doping, such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It will continue supporting transnational anti-doping networks.
The quality of sports programmes in educational institutions is not satisfactory in several EU countries. The quality of sport training centres and their staff should be high enough to safeguard athletes' moral, educational and professional interests. To support education, training and qualifications in sport, the Commission and EU countries will draw up European guidelines on "dual careers" to ensure that quality education is provided alongside sport training. They will also support the referencing of sport-related qualifications to the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and promote the recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning gained through sport-related activities.
A European approach is needed to prevent and fight against violence and intolerance, which continue to pose problems to European sport. The Commission and EU countries will therefore develop and implement security arrangements and safety requirements covering a wide range of sport disciplines (currently only international football events are covered). Furthermore, the Commission will support the fight against intolerance in sport and encourage EU countries to fully and effectively transpose the Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating racism and xenophobia.
Sport is fundamental for improving physical activity, which is an essential health determinant in today's society. To enhance health through sport, the Commission and EU countries are further working on national guidelines encouraging the incorporation of physical activity into citizens' daily lives, based on the 2008 EU Physical Activity Guidelines. There are great differences between EU countries regarding the concept of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA). To overcome these differences, the Commission will support transnational projects and networks in this area.
Social inclusion can be improved in and through sport. To this end, the Commission and EU countries will draw up accessibility standards for sport through the European Disability Strategy. They will also further promote the participation of persons with disabilities in sporting activities. In addition, the Commission will support transnational projects that promote women's access to sport and disadvantaged groups' social integration through sport.
The economic dimension of sport
Sport is an ever growing sector of the economy that contributes to growth and jobs. However, there is a need for comparable data to form the basis of evidence-based policy-making and for sustaining the financing of sport, in particular its non-profit structures.
Evidence-based policy-making is essential for implementing EU sport provisions. The Commission and EU countries will produce satellite accounts for sport to measure its economic importance. The Commission will also provide support to a network of universities to promote innovative and evidence-based sport policies, as well as study the possibility of setting up an EU sport monitoring function.
The sustainable financing of sport must be ensured. Intellectual property rights are an important source of revenue in the professional sports field; consequently, the Commission will take those arising in the coverage of sporting events into consideration in the implementation of the Digital Agenda initiative. It will also study the funding of grassroots sport, which will inform future action in this field. Furthermore, together with EU countries, the Commission will examine how the financial solidarity mechanisms in the sports sector may be strengthened.
Thus far, there have only been a few decisions on the application of EU state aid rules to sport. As a result, stakeholders are continually requesting for additional clarifications on the financing of infrastructure and sport organisations. Hence, the Commission will monitor the application of state aid law in the area of sport and, if the number of state aid cases increases, it will consider providing guidance.
Sport is a valuable tool for regional development and employability. To take advantage of this value, the Commission and EU countries will make full use of the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund to support sustainable sport structures.
The organisation of sport
The autonomy and self-regulation of sport organisations is underpinned by good governance in the sector. To promote good governance in sport at the European level, the Commission and EU countries will endorse common standards through the exchange of good practice and by providing targeted support to specific initiatives.
In order to support the correct application of the concept of the specific nature of sport, the Commission will provide theme-by-theme guidance on the relationship between EU law and sporting rules. It will also provide guidance on EU rules relating to the free movement and nationality of sportspeople, with a view to the organisation of non-discriminatory competitions in individual sports on a national basis.
In addition, the Commission will provide guidance on transfer rules, as player transfers often raise questions about their legality and the financing involved. It will assess both the economic and legal aspects relating to such transfers. The activities of sport agents also raise questions of ethical nature; consequently, the Commission will organise a conference to examine ways in which agents' activities may be improved.
Within the professional football sector, a European social dialogue committee was already launched in 2008. Several organisations have called for the creation of European social dialogue for the whole sport sector, which the Commission is backing. To facilitate this process, the Commission will propose a test phase for the relevant social partners.


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Android is awesome and powerful, but it has, shall we say, a learning curve. That scares some people away. After all, iOS is so intuitive that babies can use it. Literally. But you're not a baby.
Android may require a little effort to learn and set up, but you get a tangible return on that investment: A properly configured Android phone can get you the stuff you want faster and with less work than any other mobile operating system.
These tips will get you started exploring. Don't stop! Once you're comfortable with the basics, customizing your phone is actually kind of fun. Many of us fell in love with technology because the process of mastering it brought with it a sense of accomplishment. And once you get an Android phone tailored to your needs, you just might realize you don't want something that's all set up right out of the box—because nothing beats a custom fit.
The Most Basic Basics
• Most of you will be guided through the set-up process the first time you hit the power button. Don't skip it. Especially not the part where you add your Google account. If you missed it in the setup, just go to Settings > Accounts & Sync. Then decide what stuff you want to sync. I sync everything with my personal Google account, and then for my work account I just sync Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and Docs.
• Once you're at the main screen, check out that little bar at the top; that's your notification window. Drag it down and you can see all of your incoming notifications (text messages, emails, calendar appointments, etc). If your phone is running Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) or later, you can dismiss individual notifications by swiping them off with your finger.
• The app drawer is at the bottom of your screen. Tap it, and behold the icons for every app on your phone. That's essentially what the iOS home screen is (just a bunch of apps). Android goes a different direction, borrowing the desktop metaphor from computers. So you have a desktop you can organize and customize, and you have an app drawer where you can see everything.
• Settings. There's a gear-shaped icon in your app drawer, but there are shortcuts. In phones runnings Android 4.0 or higher you can find your settings in the notification window. Just drag it down and click Settings to open it up. If you're using Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or lower, from the desktop, you just hit your menu button, and then select Settings.
• How the hell do you get to the menu within apps? Within most apps in Android 4.0 the menu button looks like three vertical dots. Why do three dots represent a menu? I have no idea, but it does. In Android 2.3 and below, use the physical menu button.
Clean House
You see all of those icons and widgets that came pre-placed on your desktop? Get rid of them. They're mostly carrier or manufacturer junk, and it's better to start with a clean slate. To banish something you don't want, long-press it, then drag it to Remove (that doesn't uninstall the app, it just takes the shortcut off your desktop). If you see something that you love and you know you want to keep, drag it over to a screen off to the side for now.
So after you've set up your Google account, open up the Play Store (the Android Market) at least once and sign in (it's in your app drawer, looks like a grocery bag with a dumb triangular icon on it). After that, you should be able to install everything through the Play tab on your computer's web browser (it's in that black bar at the top of Gmail, etc). This makes browsing through apps and installing them stupid easy. You just click Install and you're done—the app will automatically install on your phone over the air. You can also just click these links on your phone, or browse through the Play Store on your phone, but it's way easier this way.
One thing first. In the Play Store app on your phone, hit Menu (the three dots) > Settings, and scroll down to "Auto-add widgets." You want to UNcheck that, otherwise your pristine desktop is going to get mighty cluttered.
Okay, here are some apps to get you started. Clicking them will take you to their Play Store page where you can just click Install:
• Keyboards. In most cases you're going to want to install a replacement keyboard. There are tons of options, and there's probably a perfect one for you, depending on what you like. If you're coming from iOS (or have iPhone envy) check out iTap (paid/free). Sliding keyboards (like Swype) are a super popular, where you drag your finger between letters. If you don't have Swype pre-installed on your phone, try SlideIT. Personally, I really like SwiftKey X with its spookily good text prediction, but some whom I've recommended it to hate it. (No accounting for taste.) There are dozens of others you can play with.
• Quick Profiles lets you switch a bunch of settings all at once. Handy, especially for turning off all your ringers, but leaving your alarm on loud. The paid upgrade has a rather handy widget.
• While there are some benefits to using the stock text messaging app, Handcent SMS is a replacement app for text messaging that is vastly more customizable. You can enable popups for messages and even assign different notification tones for different contacts. If you use it, make sure you make it your default messaging app and turn off notifications in the stock app, otherwise you'll get double notifications. Alternatively, if you've made the switch to Google Voice, it can completely replace your text and voice message apps.
• Social stuff. You can grab apps for Facebook, Twitter (or a Twitter client like TweetCaster), Instagram, GroupMe, Foursquare, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and others.
• Other stuff we like. Dropbox, Evernote, Kindle, Yelp, Google Reader, Spotify, Netflix, and so on. If you've heard of an app, it's very likely in the Play Store. Just browse around, pay attention to ratings, and experiment. (Oh, not neccessarily neccessary, but check out Samurai II: Vengeance. That game is so damn fun.)
Embrace the Widget
Yes, it's a dumb name, but widgets are worth it: They put a live information and instant controls right on your homescreen. Want to see your upcoming appointments? Try CalWidget. Everyone should have an LED flashlight widget on their desktop (turn it on/off right from the home screen). For the current weather (in your city or another), check out The Weather Channel. Install the Power Control and Music widgets (that come preloaded in Android). Keep up on your social media with the Twitter or Foursquare widgets. Why do these things? Because you can control your music, turn on/off Wi-Fi, adjust your screen's brightness, see your next appointment, turn on your LED flashlight, all without even having to open an app. You can do these things with a single touch, swipe, or just a glance to your desktop. It's incredibly convenient. Many widgets are resizable and scrollable. Do not fear the widget.
Get Organized
Once you've installed a bunch of stuff, take like 10 mins and organize your homescreen. Think of it as your actual desk. If you just pile everything on there randomly, it's going to be messy and it will only cause you frustration. But if you place things deliberately, so you know where everything lives, you can get to what you want without even thinking about it. You only have to do this once (and you can always tweak at will).
To move apps to the desktop, just open the app drawer, long-press the app, and then drag it to the home screen. Dragging one app onto another creates a folder (which you can then label, if you want). In stock Android 4.0, widgets are installed through the app drawer—just click on the widgets tab and drag the one you want to the desktop. In Android 2.3, and some skinned versions (like HTC Sense 4.0) add widgets by long-pressing on the homescreen.
Put the stuff you will use most often right up front on the center home screen. Things you'll use often on the screens just to the right and left. On one of my screens there's nothing but shortcuts to my "favorite" contacts (which I marked with a star) and my Power Control widget. On another, there are folders labeled "Social Apps," "Games," and a bunch of other semi-frequently used stuff. Your resulting home screen might look something like this one. Is it pristine and beautiful? No. Is it highly functional and easy to use? Yes. Take the time to make your homescreen yours. You'll be happy you did.
Put some tunes on there. Either mount it to your computer via USB and drag some music over, or give Google Music a shot. Get the uploader on your desktop and upload a bunch of your music folders or your whole iTunes library. You get to store something like 20,000 songs free. Import some pictures and videos too, while you're at it. If you're using Android 3.0 or higher and you are a Mac user, download the Android File Transfer utility. That may make transfering files via USB a little easier.
Other Tweaks
• If you're running Android 4.0 or above, set up Face Unlock. It's kind of a gimmicky, but it's fun and it saves time (usually). Settings > Security > Screen lock > Face Unlock. Once you've set it up do the "Improve face matching" thing a few times at different angles (especially from a bit lower, because we usually look down on our phones) and in different light. It works pretty well.
• You probably don't want your phone to ring every time you get a freaking email. To turn off the sounds for email, open Gmail and go to Settings > (your email account) > Ringtone & vibrate. then set it to silent. You'll have to do that on each of your accounts separately, which is annoying, but I guess some people have important email accounts and unimportant ones (you can also set it so certain labels will ring—handy when you have an email-happy boss).
• Not only can you use any MP3 you have saved on your phone as your default ringtone, but did you know you can assign specific ringtones to specific contacts? You'll know your BFF is calling without even having to look at your phone. The easiest way to do it is with a free app called Ringtone Maker. It lets you set the in/out points of a song if you want, built in fades, and assign it to specific contacts if you want. Super easy.
• Voice commands. Siri isn't the only game in town, in fact, as we've shown, in some ways Android's voice actions are superior to their iOS sister's. In Android 2.3 and below you can long-press the search button to activate voice actions, which was a very nice feature and is sadly absent in the newest versions. In Android 4.0 you'll have to use the Google Search bar on your desktop. Just tap the mic and make your demands. Android is also very good at taking dictation. Whenever you're entering text, look for the mic icon on your keyboard to use the built in speech-to-text features.
There are tons and tons of other tips and tricks. Do you have some favorites that you love to tell new Android users? Shout them out in the comments. We may even add it to our list if its good enough. In the meantime, have fun getting to know your new exobrain.


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Physics, the World Cup, and Bouncy Balls
Allow me to preface this by saying I know nothing about soccer football, and I learned most of my physics from YouTube videos. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I came across a really fun YouTube video concerning the physics of Frank Lampard's hotly debated goal in a 2010 World Cup match.
Using bouncy balls and an admirably low-budget reconstruction technique, this video gives us some World Cup history, along with cool physics demos. Enjoy!
"In summary, there's one lesson I think that all the referees in Brazil should learn, and that is: learn some physics." -Andy Marmery


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A 9-month-old female came to clinic for her health supervision visit.
The mother had just been diagnosed with Lyme disease after having fatigue, mild headache, muscle aches, and joint aches that were initially attributed to being a new mother. She did not remember having a rash.
She had been started on antibiotics a few days ago, and wanted to know if she could pass the infection to her daughter because she was breastfeeding.
The child herself did not have a history of a tick bite or rash, but did have a couple of colds in the past. She was doing well per her mother.
The pertinent physical exam showed a smiling, interactive female. Growth parameters were between 5th and 25th percentiles, and her examination was normal.
The diagnosis of a healthy infant was made. The physician reviewed Lyme disease in the American Academy of Pediatrics RedBook Online® which said that Lyme disease is not transmitted by breast milk.
The mother was reassured with this information.
Lyme disease, also referred to as Lyme borreliosis, is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. It is spread by the tick Ixodes scapularis which is about the size of a pencil point.
In the United States it occurs mainly in the New England states, upper Midwest especially in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and in northern California. Cases occur during warm months (April-October) with ~ 50% of the cases occurring in June and July.
All ages can be affected but incidence is highest in 5-9 year olds and 45-54 year olds.
For children, the most common symptoms are erythema migrans, arthritis, facial nerve palsy, aseptic meningitis, and carditis. Symptoms depend on the timing though.
Early localized disease
- Erythema migrans at site of lesion – red macule or papule that appears to migrate over time forming a painless, non-pruritic, annular, erythematous lesion sometimes with central clearing.
The spreading occurs over days to weeks. This can appear 1-55 days after the tick bite, with a median of 11 days.
- Arthralgia
- Fever
- Headache
- Lymphadenopathy, regional
- Malaise
- Neck stiffness, mild
- Myalgia
Recommended treatment:
Doxycycline 100 mg orally, twice a day for 14-21 days is recommended for all children 8 years or older. Alternatively for all ages, Amoxicillin 50 mg/kg/day orally, divided three times per day for 14-21 days (maximum dose is 1.5 g/day)
or Cefuroxime 30 mg/kg/day orally, divided twice per day for 14-21 days (maximum dose 1000 mg/day) or Cefuroxime 1.0 g/day orally for 14-21 days.
- Erythema migrans, multiple lesions
- Arthralgia
- Arthritis
- Carditis
- Conjunctivitis
- Cranial nerve palsies, especially cranial nerve VII
- Encephalitis
- Fever
- Headache
- Lymphadenopathy, regional
- Meningitis, aseptic
- Myalgia
- Neuritis
In untreated children, 50% will develop arthritis, 10% will develop central nervous system involvement, and 5% will develop cardiac involvement.
Recommended treatment depends on symptomatology:
- For multiple erythema migrans, follow early localized disease treatment for 21 days
- For Isolated facial palsy follow early localized disease treatment for 21-28 days
- For arthritis, follow early localized disease treatment for 28 days
- For arthritis that is persistent or recurrent, Ceftriaxone sodium 75-100 mg/kg intravenously or intramuscularly, once per day for 14-28 days (maximum dose 2 g/day)
or Penicillin 300,000 Units/kg/day intravenously, given in divided doses every 4 hours for 14-28 days (maximum 20 million Units/day)
or same regimen as early localized disease
- For carditis, follow persistent or recurrent arthritis treatment
- For encephalitis or meningitis, follow persistent or recurrent arthritis treatment for 14-28 days
- Arthritis, particularly large joints and is recurrent
- Peripheral neuropathy
Early disseminated disease
Late disease – can occur months to years later
Treatment usually prevents development of later stages but successfully treated patients may have persistent symptoms for weeks.
The diagnosis is made by history and physical examination, particularly the characteristic erythema migrans rash.
A step-wise approach to laboratory testing is recommended. The first step is screening by an enzyme immunoassay or immunofluorescent antibody assay. Positive or equivocal results should then be confirmed by Western immunoblot for IgG and IgM if confirming early disease and for IgG for late disease.
Other testing can be done but can be complex or is not necessarily better than the step-wise approach.
The risk of developing Lyme disease after a tick bite even in an endemic area is low enough that prophylactic antibiotics are not indicated for most people.
Some experts recommend treatment after 72 hours of suspected attachment to the skin by the tick using Doxycycline 200 mg orally once or 4.4 mg/kg for body weight <45 kg in people older than 12 years of age. A vaccine was licensed by the FDA from 1998-2002, but is not currently available.
Learning Point
Lyme disease is not transmitted by breast milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics RedBook® states that no causal relationship between maternal Lyme disease and pregnancy complications or congenital abnormalities has been conclusively documented.
Questions for Further Discussion
1. What are other tick-borne diseases?
2. Why is it called Lyme Disease?
Related Cases
- Disease
To Learn More
To view pediatric review articles on this topic from the past year check PubMed.
Information prescriptions for patients can be found at MedlinePlus for these topics: Lyme Disease and Tick Bites
and at Pediatric Common Questions, Quick Answers for this topic: Lyme Disease
To view current news articles on this topic check Google News.
DePietropaolo DL,
Powers JH,
Gill JM,
Foy AJ. Diagnosis of lyme disease. Am Fam Physician. 2005;72(2):297-304. Available from the Internet at http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050715/297.html (rev. 7/15/2006, cited 3/8/07).
American Academy of Pediatrics. Lyme Disease, In Pickering LD, Baker CJ, Long SS, McMillan JA, eds. Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 27th edit. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2006;428-433.
ACGME Competencies Highlighted by Case
1. When interacting with patients and their families, the health care professional communicates effectively and demonstrates caring and respectful behaviors.
2. Essential and accurate information about the patients is gathered.
3. Informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on patient information and preferences, up-to-date scientific evidence, and clinical judgment is made.
5. Patients and their families are counseled and educated.
6. Information technology to support patient care decisions and patient education is used.
8. Health care services aimed at preventing health problems or maintaining health are provided.
10. An investigatory and analytic thinking approach to the clinical situation is demonstrated.
11. Basic and clinically supportive sciences appropriate to their discipline are known and applied.
15. Information technology to manage information, access on-line medical information and support the healthcare professional's own education is used.
Donna M. D'Alessandro, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Iowa
April 23, 2007


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Nigeria opens door for talks with kidnappers; U.S. assists
ABUJA, Nigeria — A Nigerian government official said "all options are open" in efforts to rescue almost 300 abducted schoolgirls from their captors as U.S. reconnaissance aircraft started flying over this West African country in a search effort.
Boko Haram, the militant group that kidnapped the girls last month from a school in Borno state, released a video Monday purporting to show some of the girls. A civic leader said representatives of the missing girls' families were set to view the video as a group later on Tuesday to see if some of the girls can be identified.
According to a senior defense official in Washington, the U.S. is using a manned MC-12 surveillance aircraft, which is based in Niger, to conduct missions in Nigeria. In addition to the turboprop model which has seen heavy use in Afghanistan, U.S. officials are also considering the use of drones. At this point the surveillance missions are not continuous.
Gen. David Rodriguez, head of U.S. Africa Command, was in Abuja on Tuesday, meeting with leaders at the U.S. Embassy, the defense official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, so spoke on condition of anonymity.
Boko Haram's leader, who appears separately from the girls, says in the new video: "I swear to almighty Allah, you will not see them again until you release our brothers that you have captured." He has previously threatened to sell the girls into slavery.
Hussein Monguno, an official with a civic group called the Borno Yobe People's Forum, said representatives of the families of the missing girls had been invited to the Borno governor's residence in the Nigerian capital of Abuja to view the latest Boko Haram video. The government is likely to communicate the next course of action if some family representatives "verify" that their children appear in the video, he said by phone from Maiduguri, the Borno capital.
Nigeria's government initially suggested there would be no negotiations with Boko Haram, but it appears that stance may be relaxed.
Mike Omeri, the director of the government's information agency, said the government will "use whatever kind of action" it takes to free the girls. He also warned that a military operation, with foreign help, was possible.
"At the moment, because all options are open we are interacting with experts, military and intelligence experts from other parts of the world," he said late Monday. "So these are part of the options that are available to us and many more."
The mass kidnappings — and the government's allegedly slow response to find the missing girls — have sparked outrage at home and abroad. Last week critics organized a mass protest in Abuja to press the government to do more to find the missing girls and to stop attacks by Boko Haram.
The official News Agency of Nigeria reported that President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday asked the National Assembly to extend for another six months the state of emergency in Borno and two other northeastern states. The emergency was imposed May 14, 2013, and extended in December.
Britain and the U.S. are now actively helping Nigeria's government to rescue the missing girls. Britain, which has dispatched security experts to Nigeria, said it is looking to offer "longer-term counter-terrorism solutions to prevent such attacks in the future and defeat Boko Haram."
The U.S. is sharing commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerian government and is flying manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft over Nigeria with the Nigerian government's permission, a senior U.S. official told The Associated Press on Monday.
Boko Haram has killed more than 1,500 people this year in a campaign of bombings, massacres and kidnappings.
Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington and Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, contributed to this report.


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Story by
Jon Russell
Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on T Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on Twitter, Angel List, LinkedIn.
China Unicom has spoken of its successful partnership with Apple which it says has surpassed its own expectations to help build its strong 3G userbase, according to a MarketWatch report, via Apple Insider.
Speaking at a media briefing that revealed a 14 percent annual profit rise (posting a net figure of $29.5 billion) executive director Li Gang said that its collaboration with Apple "has generated better-than-expected results" over the last three years. In spite of the benefit of the partnership, Unicom's results were below expectation and the operator cited costs associated with its 3G network.
China Unicom has built itself using its Apple partnership but the next twelve months are likely to pose a greater challenge for the carrier with 205 million subscribers.
For a start, it has a new rival on its patch as Apple has expanded its partnerships in China to give China Telecom the iPhone. While the world's largest operator China Mobile is still without the iPhone, it has hatched ambitious plans to raise its 3G userbase by 55 percent, allocating $3.16 billion towards handset subsidies to encourage new users.
The new competition has seen both Unicom and China Telecom offer the iPhone 4S wholly subsidised, and that is one factor that will see Unicom increase its budget for 2012. The operator revealed that, last year, it forked out $919 million on subsidies and it expects that it will still make money this year, even though that figure will increase.
China Unicom was the first telecom operator to sell Apple's iPhone in China, and its partnership with the Cupertino-based firm is one reason for its strong performance in China's 3G market.
One in five of its customers are 3G and together they account for 31 percent of 3G users in the country. That's in contrast to Unicom's 20 percent share of China's total mobile market.
Though it is facing new challenges, there is plenty to be optimistic about. Chief threat China Mobile is some time away from getting an iPhone or establishing its upcoming LTE network, while China Telecom is smaller and in its early days of an iPhone partner, which doesn't allow it to sell older devices.
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As promised earlier this month, Microsoft announced today that both Visual Studio 2008 and the accompanying .NET Framework 3.5 have been released to manufacture (RTM).
Codenamed Orcas, Visual Studio 2008 (VS2008) comes two years after Visual Studio 2005. In total, there are more than 250 new features added with significant enhancements across every version ranging from Express Editions to Visual Studio Team Systems (VSTS). A key addition in VS2008 is support for the new Language Integrated Query (LINQ), which is positioned as a technology for rapid application development. LINQ is designed to let developers focus on what they need the data to do, rather than be mired in the complexities of data abstraction and casting. Also, LINQ makes it easier to tie C# or Visual Basic with SQL.
In addition, VS2008 features multi-targeting support. Scott Guthrie, a general manager in the Microsoft Developer Division, explains in a blog post:
VS 2008 enables you to build applications that target multiple versions of the .Net Framework. This means you can use VS 2008 to open, edit and build existing .NET 2.0 and ASP.NET 2.0 applications (including ASP.NET 2.0 applications using ASP.NET AJAX 1.0), and continue to deploy these application on .NET 2.0 machines.
The .NET Framework 3.5 features enhancements to a number of built-in libraries as well as deliver a host of features relevant to Web 2.0, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Software plus Services-based applications.
Even though the product's formal launch will not take place until next year, MSDN subscribers can download VS2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 here.


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- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baby Bam
- 1/2 teaspoon Emeril's Italian Essence or other dry Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 hamburger buns
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until brown, about 5 minutes.
Strain the meat through a colander set over a bowl and return the meat to the pan. Discard the fat.
Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the red wine vinegar, stirring to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and cook for about 1 minute.
Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, Baby Bam, Italian Essence, pepper, and salt. Stir to mix and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the buns on a baking sheet and warm in the oven for about 5 minutes.
Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Serve the Sloppy Joes by spooning 1/2 cup of the meat mixture onto the bottom half of each bun and top with the other half. Serve warm.
Recipe Details
- Source: There's a Chef in My Family
- Dish Type: Sandwiches
- Cuisine: American
- Cooking Method: Simmering
- Occasion: Any
- Effort Level: Simple


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You are currently browsing the daily archive for June 30, 2011.
Stories about parties here made this my primary destination for the recon. Binghamton is the sole survivor of six identical "double-ender" steam ferries built in Newport News, although by cursory external examination, I'd say calling her a survivor at this point is an exaggeration.
Binghamton arrived in a sixth boro at a time when 150 or so similar ferries served these waters! How many crossings carrying how many passengers would she have seen between 1905 and 1967? How many livelihoods? Her passenger capacity was 986!
Plus vehicles. In the early years that would be horses, too.
Anyone can share fotos inside in the heyday of the restaurant? How do I get permission to get fotos of her interior today? It seems tragic for her to crumble into the river like
these docks slightly to the north, which come
with their own engine parts depot. Maybe this is a remnant of the disappeared shad fishery of Edgewater. Here are names of some of the last shad fishermen. By the way, in the foto above, that's the Way Upper West Side across the water.
From Edgewater Marina, I followed Thomas Witte and Cheyenne southbound,
past the Crab House, past these barges
and past this pier housing with storage for cars beneath. Now if I lived here, I'd surely buy and amphicar . . . and maybe equip it like an alligator tug . . . and if 10,000 other residents of the sixth boro shoreline had similar equipment . . . I pause in contemplation.
So ends the recon report. I need to get up here again soon and then continue my tramp up to the north of the GW Bridge, where tropical
birds like these inhabit the trees. Who knows what else I might find there? I'm not in the commercial blogging business, but I do intend to check out Cafe Archetypus. Anyone recommend it?
All fotos and any errors here by Will Van Dorp.
Note: the interactive map (first image in Loose Ends 1) can get you to this area: just head north along the river. Binghamton can clearly be seen, although on the map, the crane barge is not alongside.
For some historical fotos of the area of my recent tramp, click here for railyards, banana piers, pier houses, the "bridge that never was" thank you very much, 1950s cars awaiting a ship for export, crashed ferry stabilized by a tugboat, old style planting poles for shad nets, and you can sift through here to find more nuggets.